Fandom runs some of the biggest communities on the web. Can CEO Perkins Miller keep them happy?

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2023

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Perkins Miller is the CEO of Fandom, which both hosts thousands of wikis for everything from Disney to Grand Theft Auto and also runs several publications. Millions of people contribute millions of pieces of content to the platform, and Fandom surrounds all that content with ads and uses all that data to generate insights about how fans think about their favorite games, TV shows, and movies. While you might enjoy the content, a lot of people have complaints — especially about the sheer number of ads. We talked about what it means to host user-generated content in 2023; content moderation; and the general state of media, especially games media, which is pretty rocky right now. I’m also gearing up to host the Code Conference in September (apply to attend here), and I’ve been thinking a lot about AI, search, and the web — all very much big challenges on the horizon for Fandom. Links: Layoffs Hit GameSpot, Giant Bomb Just Months After Fandom Buys Them - Kotaku How Fandom's first-party data, FanDNA, is expanding to improve recommendations for advertisers and audiences - Digiday The AI feedback loop: Researchers warn of 'model collapse' as AI trains on AI-generated content - VentureBeat How Reddit crushed the biggest protest in its history - The Verge ‘Not for Machines to Harvest’: Data Revolts Break Out Against A.I. - The New York Times Someone keeps accusing fanfiction authors of writing their fic with AI, and nobody knows why - The Verge Massive Zelda Wiki Reclaims Independence Six Months Before Tears of the Kingdom - Kotaku Official Minecraft wiki editors so furious at Fandom's 'degraded' functionality and popups they're overwhelmingly voting to leave the site - PC Gamer Trials and Tribble-ations (episode) - Memory Alpha Apply to attend the Code Conference Transcript: Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters, and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:00.0	As Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, Brad Smith is front and center to some of the
0:05.8	most important developments in technology today.
0:08.0	And on his podcast, Tools and Weapons, he will ask guests to share how that will affect
0:12.7	us today.
0:13.7	Guests include Businessman's Drive, Masaewa, Microsoft's CEO, Satu Nadella, and Journalist
0:19.8	Keraswisher.
0:20.8	Season 2 of Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith is now streaming wherever you get your podcasts.
0:31.0	Support for this show comes from American Express Business.
0:35.1	If you're a small business owner, you want to partner with someone that can help make
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1:04.4	slash business cards.
1:11.8	Hello and welcome to Decoder.
1:12.8	I'm Neil Appetel, Editor-in-Chief of the Verge, and Decoder is my show about big ideas
1:17.0	and other problems.
1:18.0	Today, I'm talking to Perkins Miller, the CEO of fandom, which runs thousands of
1:22.8	wikis for everything from Disney to the Matrix to Taylor Swift to Grand Theft Auto.
1:28.0	fandom also runs several publications of TV Guide Metacritic in GameSpot.
	...

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