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Episode 50: The Pork Soup Paradox

Back to Work

5by5

Business, Society & Culture, Barriers, Dan Benjamin, Careers, Communication, Merlin Mann, Creativity, Work, Productivity, Constraints, Technology

4.72.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 January 2012

⏱️ 84 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

TOPIC: What to do if you fear a layoff.

Merlin and Dan talk about rumors of layoffs—when the fear gets you, and you start filing in the narrative with a panther, even if you're developing the best-of-breed cereal portal or have been in the newspaper's Accounts Payable department for 20 years.

What do you do at the fork in the road? Do you interview with The Bobs? Do you just grow up and ask what the hell's happening? Do you try to pray away the hurricane?

Or, do you just get tragically okay with being 10 times more terrified for 10 more years?

Yes: there are lessons from The Wire.

Links for this episode:

Sponsored by Smile and Squarespace.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello.

0:02.0

I'm Erlin.

0:04.0

Hello, my friend. How are you?

0:06.0

We're live on the air right now.

0:08.0

Oh, so am I. How's it going?

0:10.0

Fine.

0:12.0

Ah, you got a new show.

0:18.0

We did a little movie show.

0:20.0

I was hoping you would join me on the movie show at some point.

0:23.0

Talk about one of the movies you like.

0:25.0

Oh, man. I wish I could.

0:28.0

But you'd have to ask.

0:30.0

I wouldn't know how to ask.

0:32.0

Ox, that's awesome.

0:35.0

Maybe the big Lebowski.

0:38.0

I like that movie a lot.

0:40.0

I would be totally happy to talk about that movie.

0:41.0

Would you like to come on the show, do it?

0:43.0

Yes, Dan, I would like that very much.

0:45.0

I'm sure somebody's already made this joke,

0:48.0

but is that episode longer than the movie?

0:51.0

Yes, about half an hour.

...

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