The Weekly Roundup (week of 11.13)
smoothies, sneakers, and shopping
1. Erewhon’s Secrets
Erewhon is a sight to behold in every way. It’s the ultimate branding exercise. It represents a certain side of LA that people either really identify with or genuinely hate. There’s an irony in going to Erewhon, on one hand, you are actively making fun of the entire experience, “I’m on my way to buy an $18 Hailey Bieber Smoothie!”, but on the other hand, you also let yourself be free of any inhibitions you had about the place. You’re aware of the absurdity and yet at the same time, you are fully engaged with and legitimately enjoy the process of shopping there. From the people watching, to the sticker shock, to the smoothies and hot bar, there’s a lot to look forward to.
That the extant Erewhon invites our mockery is in fact part of its strength: Irony is our best bulwark against fanaticism. “Oh, you don’t buy your eggs in a circle?” asks @VincentMarcus on TikTok, holding six Erewhon eggs in a round package. “Go back to Whole Foods!” You can both laugh at the eggs in the circle and want the eggs in the circle, but you cannot both laugh at the circle eggs and lose your identity to them.
People from all around the country, and I would argue internationally, know about this grocery store chain exclusively based in Los Angeles. There’s so much about it that invites deriding criticism, and yet when you enter the establishment you are placed in a certain trance and fully embrace every aspect of it, and god dammit you wait 20 minutes to grab a smoothie because it’s good and you like being there. Read here to learn about the history of Erewhon and how it came to be the most infamous grocery store in the world.
2. Sam Altman Is Out at OpenAI After Board Skirmish
OpenAI unexpectedly pushed out co-founder Sam Altman as chief executive officer, saying he wasn’t being “consistently candid in his communications” following a series of clashes over the company’s direction with some members of the artificial-intelligence company‘s board.
The startup said Friday its board concluded after a review that Altman’s actions, which it didn’t specify, were “hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” The company’s statement, unusually candid for such a situation, said: “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
Big big news in the world of AI. Expect Sam to start up a new company by Monday. Read here.
3. The lie of “deinfluencing”
For about five minutes a few months ago, people seemed to genuinely believe that our culture was entering the age of “deinfluencing.” “Step aside, influencers,” wrote CNN. “A new breed of ‘deinfluencers’ has arrived, and they’re saying that materialism and overpriced trends are no longer in style.” The idea of the “deinfluencer” was that instead of encouraging you to buy stuff, the influencer would encourage you to ... not buy stuff.
4. Jonathan Anderson’s big idea
Anderson has dominated culture over the past year: dressing the world’s biggest pop stars, making costumes for Luca Guadagnino’s films, and creating bizarre and inventive clothes that articulate the dangers and pleasures of our reliance on the internet. His success is a thumb in the eye of anyone who thinks creative success in this era requires being dull.