This is Recode Media with Peter Kafka. That's me. It's powered by digital media. Today's show is sponsored by SoFi. Refinancing student loans with SOFi saves you an average of $19,000. It's a lot of money. Members also get access to free career services and coaching that really shouldn't be free. Find out more at SOFi.com. Terms and conditions apply at sophy.com

slash legal. Today's show is also sponsored by Mack Weldon. These guys make awesome

hoodies, underwear, sweatpants. I'm wearing the socks right now. It's raining outside. It's miserable.

I'm wet. I'm not uncomfortable. You know why, Brian? Why? I got these awesome

socks on. Plus, they look good. You're kind of a dapper fellow. You're a fashion guy. What do you think? You approve? They're pretty cool. Thank you. Brian Lamb approves wire cutters. Brian Lamb approves of my Mac Weldon socks. Not an official endorsement. Sorry, you set it on air. They're naturally anti-microbial whether Brian wants to admit it or not, which means I also smell good right now as I'm speaking to you. You can wear them in the rain to go interview Brian Lamb on your podcast. They're easy to buy. Go to macwellden.com. Get 20% off with the recode promo code. Go to macwellden.com. Use the promo code recode. If for some reason you don't like the socks or the sweatpants or whatever you buy from Mac Weldon, keep them. Mac Weldon will send you your money back. Go to macwellden.com, 20% off with the promo code recode. Brian Lamb from the wirecutter. How you doing? I'm good. I'm just surprised. Your voice got super smooth. Yeah, but buttery because I got to sell stuff.

You don't have to sell stuff.

You're not in the ad business.

But yet you have a successful media business. It's crazy. How'd you do that? I don't know. I started with the content first and kind of the service first. And I know that's not the approach. I went to this conference maybe last year

and it was the secret conference

where everyone was going to share

revenue tips.

It was all business heads.

What's the secret conference?

I don't know. I can't tell you about it. Was there a password? Yeah, I don't know. Was it somewhere cool? I can't tell you anything about this. I was there. Did you pay to go? You know what? I paid because I wanted to support them and I did my own housing and I spoke. And everyone was talking about business without talking about content. And I went up there, and I was like, I'm not like you guys. I have a content background. I think about what readers want. And I do that first, and then I design the other stuff. It's just a view is not a view. Like, if you're designing business for features, that has to be different

to the news in my mind. But for some reason, the world doesn't work that way. Well, it's working for you. So before we get deep into philosophy, let's talk about what it is that you do, what wirecutter is. You tell me what it is, and then I'll see if that explanation makes sense. To someone who's never heard of you or wirecutter before.

What is wirecutter?

What do you do there?

Wirecutter is formed around this idea,

and the idea is that... sense. To someone who's never heard of you or wirecutter before, what is wirecutter? What do you do there?

Wirecutter is formed around this idea and the idea is that shopping really sucks. It's really stressful. It takes a lot of time. And if you do it well, those are the outcomes. That's like part of the symptom of doing it well is that you're taking a lot of time to research and then you're kind of agonizing over choices. And the truth is, it doesn't need to be that way.

You know, I think that... well is that you're taking a lot of time to research and then you're kind of agonizing over choices and

the truth is it doesn't need to be that way um you know i think that the wire cutter in the suite

...