# Big Tech’s Big Flop. Plus… Canonical: https://brew.new/templates/substack/big-techs-big-flop-plus Brand: substack.com Category: welcome ![Preview of Big Tech’s Big Flop. Plus…](https://cdn.brew.new/email-preview-b648eaa44718cf7b-tracking_r57jnqzg3ctnczrhwc0c5cc2r58g0ae4-1791631289667.png) ## Email content Forwarded this email? Subscribe for more The Weekend PressSaturday, 10.10.2026View in App Upgrade to Listen Get the whole story. Join now.Big Tech’s Big Flop. Plus… Two drinks with the editor of ‘Playboy.’ Spencer Klavan on a newly minted Nobel laureate. Dolly Parton’s arms-dealing nephew. And more! Get ready for the tech films. (Animation by The Free Press) By The Free Press Welcome back to The Weekend Press! Today, River Page has two drinks with the gay Christian editor of “Playboy.” Spencer Klavan on Anne Carson, who just won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Suzy Weiss on Dolly Parton’s arms-dealing nephew. And more! But first: Get ready for the tech films. . . They dominate the news, and this fall, they’re dominating the screen, too. Movies about tech overlords are apparently inescapable. Next month, Netflix will release The Altruists, all about Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto scammer currently serving a 25-year federal sentence. The end of the year will bring Artificial, in which Andrew Garfield will play Sam Altman. And next week, we’ll be treated to a bizarre documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, of Theranos fame, who let a comedian film her at home in the weeks before she went to prison. But the tsunami of tech flicks began this week, with the release of two much-hyped titles: Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, a sequel to his classic Facebook biopic, The Social Network, and Alex Gibney’s four-hour-long documentary on Elon Musk. And so, we sent two of our finest critics to the movies, to tell us if either’s worth watching—and whether they capture our cultural obsession with the very rich Americans who tell us they’ll change the world. First up, Liel Leibovitz sat through Musk, with which Elon himself did not collaborate—because, as he posted on X to his 241.5 million followers, he thinks Gibney “is a douche.” “You could take the world’s richest man at his word,” writes Liel. Or: “You could spend three hours and 55 minutes watching Gibney do his best to prove Musk right.” Instead of making a good-faith attempt to examine the success of the world’s richest man, Gibney tears him to pieces, arguing that he has no talent and is a force for ill in this world. In the opening scene, Earth explodes in slow motion. Shortly afterward, Elon’s ex-girlfriend Ashley St. Clair breaks down in tears on screen, recounting how he broke things off with her—and then “was so heartless as to offer her $15 million in cash and an additional $100,000 a month for the next two decades.” On his way out the theater, Liel writes, “I was handed a pin that read ‘I saw Musk,’ suggesting that the director himself considered sitting through his four-hour film a feat meriting some sort of medal.” Is there anything to learn from Gibney’s lengthy tirade? Read Liel’s piece to find out. Elon Musk’s Enemies Make His Best CaseLiel Leibovitz • Culture and Ideas Elon Musk’s Enemies Make His Best Case Read story › Next up, Suzy Weiss went to see The Social Reckoning—Aaron Sorkin’s sequel to his 2010 film about the founding of Facebook. What chapter from the storied company’s 20-year history has he chosen to dramatize this time? “The plot turns on the fact that, in 2018, Facebook overhauled its algorithm to optimize for ‘meaningful social interactions,’ ” writes Suzy. “You can imagine what captivating cinema this all makes for.” Where The Social Network was largely set on the moody, gorgeous Harvard campus, this one is set in ugly corporate offices. Where the earlier movie portrayed Mark Zuckerberg as a spurned lover and an insecure teenager, in this one, he’s a robot. The original was an ode to ambition and a cautionary tale about the hubris of youth; the sequel is about, well, a tweak to the algorithm. “The closest thing to sexual tension the viewer gets is when Mikey Madison gets all sweaty in her apartment, which her character keeps at tropical temperatures to ease her neuropathy, a side effect of her celiac disease,” writes Suzy. Don’t miss her review: Why ‘The Social Reckoning’ FailsSuzy Weiss • Culture and Ideas Why ‘The Social Reckoning’ Fails Read story › River Page • Two Drinks Two Drinks with . . . the Gay Christian Who’s Running ‘Playboy’ Two Drinks with . . . the Gay Christian Who’s Running ‘Playboy’ Phillip Picardi is the last man in America you’d expect to edit “Playboy” magazine, which made its name catering to straight male debauchery; he’s a very woke, devoutly Christian gay man who studied at Harvard Divinity School. “It’s like letting a vegan run a steak house,” observes River Page, who met Picardi for two drinks in Manhattan this week. Sipping a Vesper martini, the 35-year-old former “Teen Vogue” director explained his love for God, gays, and Dante; his thoughts on the Cornell 7 and Sydney Sweeney; and why he’s writing a book about whether Jesus is “kinda hot.” Read story › Spencer Klavan • Things Worth Remembering Anne Carson and the Beauty of the Unsaid Anne Carson and the Beauty of the Unsaid On Wednesday, the Canadian writer Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her stunning translations of ancient Greek poetry. While the world celebrates her, Spencer Klavan reflects on the work that captivated Carson: the poetry of Sappho, the “grand dame” of classical letters. “Reading Sappho is a lot like a flirtation,” Spencer writes. “You catch the most delicate suggestions, a whiff of perfume, and it drives you wild with wondering.” In this week’s Things Worth Remembering, Spencer reflects on Carson’s translation of Sappho’s “Fragment 31,” which he calls “a 12-car pileup of conflicting emotions”—in a good way! Read story › ‘Second Thought’ Last week, the siren of Gen Z, TikTok megastar Alix Earle, went viral for admitting that she’s never read a book—despite graduating from the University of Miami with a business degree. The internet was outraged; but Suzy Weiss and Dan Ahdoot say she’s exactly where she should be. “It would be weirder if she did read a book,” says Dan. “You don’t go to Miami to get deep into Chaucer,” says Suzy. This week on Second Thought, they break down the virtue of staying in your lane—and offer the influencer a list of books to get started. “I think Alix Earle would be very moved by The Giving Tree,” Suzy says. Plus, they get into some of the unpopular culture stories you may have missed this week—like the Los Angeles real estate agent accused of spying for China, and why Dolly Parton’s arms-dealing nephew is coming for her fortune. Suzy asks: “If he has Haitian militias offering him torpedoes, why does he need the royalties from 9 to 5?” Click below to watch the episode, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. This week, Kat Rosenfield reflected on the extremely disturbing report that childless adults are buying the majority of Toys“R”Us products; Jacob Savage asked what went wrong with kids’ books; and Larissa Phillips wrote a remarkable piece about hookup culture. Catch up today: Adults Are Regressing Kat Rosenfield Read story How Grown-Ups Ruined Picture Books Jacob Savage Read story The Sexual Revolution Failed Jane Doe Larissa Phillips Read story ​​Knock Knock, It’s Cupid! Knock knock, it’s Cupid! A new batch of ads from single Free Pressers is live on the site. Click here to meet a Washingtonian looking for a woman who doesn’t suffer fools; a recovering workaholic in Jerusalem; and a Catholic convert in San Diego. Your special someone could be just one email away! If you’d like to take a chance at Free Press love, write a paragraph that defines you, including your age, where you live, and what you’re looking for, and send it over to Cupid@TheFP.com. How should you spend the rest of your weekend? We asked contributing writer Kara Kennedy for her recommendations. . . 📺Watch . . . Kill Jackie, a new thriller on AMC+ starring the wonderful Catherine Zeta-Jones as Jackie Price, a chic art dealer whose past catches up with her when someone hires seven of the world’s deadliest hitmen to kill her. It’s from Damon Thomas, one of the directors behind Killing Eve, and is similarly glamorous and gleefully violent. But here’s why I’m losing my mind: Zeta-Jones is using her Welsh accent on screen for the first time, and as we are both from God’s country, I can confirm it’s the real thing. She also went back to her hometown of Swansea to shoot some scenes, and Jackie’s home security system is hidden behind fake Andy Warhol prints of Tom Jones, which is the most Welsh thing ever. Cymru am byth. 🍜Eat . . . peanut chili noodles, from a recipe I found via Claire, an Instagram chef who says she once cooked for a Middle Eastern royal family. I can’t verify that, but the noodles are fit for a queen. Boil the noodles, and while they go, whisk everything else in a big bowl until it turns glossy. Toss in the noodles and most of the spring onions (scallions, to you), and dinner is done in 10 minutes. 📚Read . . . F. Scott Fitzgerald, with me. My summer project of rereading the classics got a bit out of hand: After devouring Tales of the Jazz Age and Tender Is the Night, I fell into what my husband now calls my love affair with Fitz. I’m currently on All the Sad Young Men, his 1926 story collection, which turned 100 this year and feels painfully current. I’m saving The Great Gatsby for last, like dessert. I can’t help but pity Fitzgerald as I read his work. He died at 44 believing he was a failure, his final royalty check came to about $13, and Gatsby had been a flop. It now sells hundreds of thousands of copies a year. It’s a reminder that nobody gets to read their own reviews from the future. That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend. The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article. COMMENT LIKE SHARE DOWNLOAD AS A PDF Become a paid subscriber To support our journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below. UPGRADE TODAY Download on the App Store © 2026 The Free Press 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [Open and remix this design](https://brew.new/templates/substack/big-techs-big-flop-plus) [Browse email designs](https://brew.new/browse/templates)