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Deep dive: Stripe's John Collison on agentic commerce (Odd Lots, 16 May 2026)

Episode: "Stripe's John Collison on How Agentic Commerce Will Reshape the Internet," Bloomberg's Odd Lots podcast, hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, ~47 min, published 16 May 2026. Guest: John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe.

▶ Watch / listen: YouTube · Bloomberg (audio)

This write-up is grounded in the full verbatim transcript (pulled from the video's auto-captions), not secondary coverage. That matters: most press summaries got the advertising point backwards. The hosts floated the "advertising is a deadweight loss / post-advertising future" idea; Collison explicitly pushed back on it.

Pulsify: AI Disruption Positioning & System-of-Record Strategy

Analysis of AI is Killing B2B SaaS and HN discussion in the context of Pulsify.

The Article's Thesis

AI-assisted "vibe coding" lets non-technical users prototype custom solutions rapidly. B2B SaaS companies that remain rigid feature-sets face replacement risk. The survival strategy: become a platform users build on, not a product they use.

The woman sat at her desk, pen in hand, a blank sheet of paper before her. She stared at the page, her mind awhirl with thoughts and plans, as she began to write the names of those she intended to kill.

First on the list was a man, a cruel and ruthless dictator who had caused countless deaths and suffering. She had spent years researching his every move, studying his weaknesses, and planning her attack.

Next, she wrote the name of a hairdresser, a woman who had once cut her hair too short and refused to fix it. The woman had never forgotten the slight, and had long dreamed of seeking revenge.

Finally, she wrote the name of a software developer, a man who had created a program that had cost her her job. She had spent months learning to code, mastering the intricacies of the software, and devising a way to shut it down and ruin his career.

As she finished writing the names, she felt a sense of satisfaction and power, knowing that her victims would soon meet their end at her hands. But as she looked at the l

Once there was an Assyrian veterinarian named Peter. He was an expert in his field, but he had a peculiar obsession - collecting billiard balls.

He had started his collection when he was just a child and had inherited his father's billiard table. From that day on, he had become fascinated with the round, glossy orbs. He would spend all of his free time scouring thrift stores, garage sales, and online marketplaces in search of new additions to his collection.

Over the years, Peter had amassed an impressive collection. He had billiard balls of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were made of ivory, others of marble, and still others of various types of wood. He had even managed to find a set of gold-plated billiard balls that he kept under lock and key.

Despite his love for his collection, Peter never let it interfere with his work as a veterinarian. He was always there to help animals in need, and his patients loved him for his kind and gentle manner.

One day, however, Peter received a call from a farmer w

	# WhatsApp macOS Automation via AppleScript

	Findings from a session attempting to automate WhatsApp Desktop on macOS using AppleScript/osascript.

	---

	## Prerequisites

	1. Accessibility permissions: Terminal (or the app running osascript) needs accessibility access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
	2. WhatsApp Desktop must be installed and running

	# authe.ai - AI Narrative Tones for Product Authenticity

	A conversation exploring how AI-generated product narratives could be tuned for different audiences - from verbose storytelling to spare dealer-speak.

	---

	## The Platform

	[authe.ai](https://authe.ai) is a blockchain-verified product authenticity platform. Users scan a QR code, verify authenticity, and can generate an AI narrative about the product based on its metadata.

	{
	"Request": {
	"IsValid": "True",
	"ItemLookupRequest": {
	"Condition": "All",
	"DeliveryMethod": "Ship",
	"IdType": "ASIN",
	"MerchantId": "All",
	"OfferPage": "1",
	"ItemId": "0912383119",

	require 'benchmark'

	foo = -> {}

	_ = BasicObject.new

	def _.bar
	end

	n = 4_000_000

	test:
	override:
	- bundle exec rspec spec

	deployment:
	acceptance:
	branch: master
	commands:
	- ./script/heroku_deploy.sh <ACCEPTANCE_HEROKU_APP>:
	timeout: 300

	echo "net.netfilter.nf_conntrack_max=524288" > /etc/sysctl.d/10-conntrack-max.conf
	echo "net.netfilter.nf_conntrack_tcp_timeout_established=300" > /etc/sysctl.d/10-conntrack-tcp-timeout-established.conf
	echo "nf_conntrack" >> /etc/modules