# "If you don't tell stories to your kids, somebody else will": writing cultural DNA with Devon Eriksen

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/exit-podcast-5646171/if-you-don-t-tell-stories-to-your-kids-somebody-else-will-writing-cultural-dna-with-devon-eriksen
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/exit-podcast-5646171/if-you-don-t-tell-stories-to-your-kids-somebody-else-will-writing-cultural-dna-with-devon-eriksen.md
Podcast: [EXIT Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/exit-podcast-5646171)
Published: 2026-01-23T15:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://blog.exitgroup.us/p/if-you-dont-tell-stories-to-your
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/185473537/afcfb071dbc1cb8b325b5281344e4dee.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3034

## Resource

Last month, the EXIT guys had an excellent conversation with Devon Eriksen , author of Theft of Fire and professional Very Good Poaster . EXIT is a fraternity dedicated to shorting managerial systems and building the human institutions that come next. Learn more here: We discussed: * The need for science fiction as a prophetic and inspirational tool, driving innovation in technical fields * Devon’s vision for a future humanity that is more powerful and more sophisticated, in contrast to the anti-human apocalyptic trends in publishing * “Woke” media being downstream of the internet’s disruption of traditional media business models that enabled better curation for quality and taste * The importance of auteurs putting their personal reputation and ego on the line to deliver something that they are proud of * A right-wing commentariat that masturbates their audience’s feelings of rage and betrayal rather than helping them build * The need for cultural projects to emerge from organic networks of human taste and personal connection, rather than top-down Every managerial system that is designed to deliver efficient results at global scale is buckling under the weight of globally democratized communications: what we affectionately call “slop”. Every applicant tracking system at every major corporation is clogged with hundreds of thousands of fake AI applications . X, the Everything App, is overrun with subcons shoveling AI-generated retard bait for a $3 payout. Movies are written for morons on their phones . The illusion of consensus can be effortlessly created with swarms of bots indistinguishable from the median voter (the only voter that matters). The technological tools of mass democracy have already been automated beyond human control. Smart people from every discipline a…

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