In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara explore one of the most consequential questions facing the tech industry: whether America can maintain its technological dominance in an era of geopolitical turbulence. Drawing from Tara's analysis of Nvidia's first-ever Washington D.C. summit, they examine historical patterns of technological revolution, the critical role of rare earth minerals in the AI race, and why the relationship between the U.S. and China will define the next 70 years of innovation. Through an anthropological lens spanning 130 years of economic history, they reveal why we may already be living in a "bridge period", an uncomfortable era of chaos that precedes the next great technological leap.
Key Takeaways
The Bridge Period Hypothesis
The Rare Earth Reality
The New Apollo Moment
Navigating Turbulence
The Cultural Paradox
In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara explore the resurgence of the browser wars as AI companies race to control the interface between users and the digital world.
From OpenAI's Atlas to Perplexity's Comet, they dissect why browsers suddenly matter again after 30 years of relative stagnation, what makes a browser "AI-native," and whether any of these new experiences are sticky enough to change daily habits. Through their own evolving usage patterns, they examine the tension between innovation and incumbency, and what this platform shift means for businesses waiting on the sidelines.
Key Takeaways:
The New Browser Wars Are Here
What Makes a Browser AI-Native
The Stickiness Problem
Platform Implications for Business
The 30-Year Paradigm Question
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara explore the unexpected global rise of matcha through the lens of Cuzen Matcha, a San Francisco-based company bringing ceremonial Japanese tea to the masses.
Through this case study, they examine how innovation happens when outsiders spot opportunities in traditional markets, the role of cultural fluidity in product adoption, and how businesses differentiate in hyper-commoditized industries. The conversation reveals how sometimes the best solutions come from solving a different problem than everyone else is focused on.
The Matcha Moment: From Ceremony to Fast Food
Spotting Opportunity: The Cuzen Matcha Origin Story
Innovation Through Cultural Crossover
Differentiation in Commoditized Markets
The Innovation Dilemma Insight
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
Connect &...
In this episode of Culture and Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dissect OpenAI's controversial launch of Sora, the AI video generation platform that became a viral sensation and a cautionary tale simultaneously. From clever growth hacking to international IP controversies, they explore what Sora's chaotic debut reveals about the future of content creation, the democratization of filmmaking, and the increasingly blurred line between human and AI-generated media.
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara explore the seismic shift happening in online commerce through OpenAI's latest announcements. They dissect how ChatGPT is evolving into an operating system that could fundamentally reshape how we discover and buy products online. The conversation weaves between optimism about removing friction from commerce and concerns about creating "the world's most persistent sales assistant," while examining which companies stand to win or lose in this new landscape.
ChatGPT as Commerce OS
The Agentic Commerce Stack
Winners and Losers
The Brand Paradox
The Junk Law Problem
Rei's Principle: If you're a brand, focus on what's truly valuable to customers—even if it means selling less stuff. Long-term brand value comes from meaningful customer relationships, not maximizing transactions.
Tara's Observation: Despite having 700-800 million users, ChatGPT still needs traditional media to reach mainstream audiences. The tech-savvy market is already saturated.
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before...
In this episode of Culture and Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dissect the recent advertising campaigns from AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic, exploring what these vastly different approaches reveal about tech marketing, brand personality, and the humanization of AI. From OpenAI's intimate, film-shot vignettes to Anthropic's philosophical anthem, they examine how Silicon Valley is attempting to solve its image problem and why tech brands have lost their playful edge.
The Tale of Two AI Campaigns
The Power of Hype in Tech Markets
The Lost Era of Tech Brand Personality
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In this thought-provoking episode of Culture and Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan explore the rapidly expanding world of AI companionship—from adorable robotic creatures to virtual romantic partners. As the AI companionship market races toward $150 billion, they examine what happens when we outsource emotional attachment to artificial intelligence, diving into real stories of humans falling in love with chatbots, Japan's long history with humanoid culture, and the profound questions about what we gain (and lose) when convenience replaces human friction in our most intimate relationships.
Companies building in the "love economy" are doing "emotional arbitrage"—filling genuine human needs with both positive and concerning implications for society.
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
Automatic elevators were invented in the 1890s. But it took almost 50 years before people would ride them without an operator. Rei and Tara dive into why humans resist new tech, why AI adoption is breaking records, and how industries from film to law are being reshaped. The conversation ends with two bold ideas: we may be entering a golden age of ideas, and AI is best used not as a tool, but as leverage to become superhuman.
The Elevator Story
AI’s Unprecedented Speed
Industries in Flux
Golden Age of Ideas
Rei Inamoto
Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
Tara Tan
Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage investment group backing the future of computing.
Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture. New episodes every week.
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
Follow Rei here:
Rei's LinkedIn
Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
Follow Tara here:
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
Connect & Subscribe
Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
Rei and Tara explore how digital interfaces are fundamentally rewiring our brains, from teenagers who can't organize files to MIT research showing AI's impact on cognitive activity. Through parenting experiences and historical parallels, they examine whether these tools are making us lazy, different, or potentially more capable in unexpected ways.
Your Brain on ChatGPT: The MIT Study
The Google Effect 2.0
The Speed of Change
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Rei's LinkedIn
Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In this thought-provoking episode, Rei and Tara explore how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the operating system landscape. Sparked by Google's recent Pixel updates featuring Magic Queue and Gemini integration, they discuss whether we're witnessing the emergence of "intelligence as OS: where AI becomes the primary interface layer, making traditional app ecosystems potentially obsolete.
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Rei Inamoto
Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
Tara Tan
Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
Connect & Subscribe
Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In this episode of Culture and Code, Rei and Tara discuss the recent popularity of fictional characters like K-Pop Demon Hunters and Labubu and what we can learn about relatability and escapism.
They explore the concept of escapism and its appeal through multidimensionality and contradiction, making these characters relatable. The conversation delves into the unexpected success of K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix, the strategic missteps by Sony, and how modern brands could leverage multidimensionality in their narratives.
Sony’s misstep and Netflix’s luck
Multidimensionality of Characters
Escapism vs. Relatability
Rei Inamoto
Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
Tara Tan
Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
Connect & Subscribe
Culture and Code is a podcast about the biggest shifts in tech, business, and culture—before they go mainstream. New episodes on every Tuesday.
In the inaugural episode of Culture & Code, hosts Rei Inamoto and Tara Tan dive deep into a fascinating contrast in the tech world: the billion-dollar data labeling company you've never heard of versus the AI giants dominating headlines. Through the lens of Surge AI's remarkable bootstrap success story, they explore whether obsessive craftsmanship can triumph over venture-backed hype machines in Silicon Valley and beyond.
The Billion-Dollar Bootstrap Nobody Knows
Quality vs. Hype in the AI Race
Craftsmanship in Code
Rei Inamoto: Creative entrepreneur and founding partner of I&CO, a global innovation firm with offices in New York, Tokyo, and Singapore.
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Newsletter "The Intersection"
Tara Tan: Managing partner of Strange Ventures, an early-stage firm investing in the future of computing.
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Newsletter: The Strange Review
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This is the official first episode of Culture & Code, a podcast about patterns in tech, business, and culture. New episodes weekly.
In the final episode of Season 1 of Hitmakers, Rei and Ana look back at the core themes that their discussions revolved around: how great products build great brands, why creativity is a mindset not an output, and why the most important thing of all is to care about the work that you are doing.
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Demi Moore has a house for her doll collection. David Beckham relaxes by assembling Lego kits. Board games are the preferred Saturday night pastime. Selling toys to adults is a big business, and in this episode, Rei and Ana unpack the reasons behind bag charms, AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) and popularity of brand mascots. Rather than seeing these trends as mere nostalgia, we suggest that consumers are increasingly comfortable with the blurred lines between reality and imagination, spurred by AI.
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Some of the biggest global brands are tech companies (Apple, Google, Samsung, Nvidia), and in this episode, Rei and Ana explore the branding strategy behind technology. From myth-making to a seamless omnichannel experience to translating narratives into user interface, we are looking at how branding of tech is different.
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The culture of hype (streetwear, cronuts, Gone Girl, Hamilton...) got replaced by the society of spectacle (fashion shows, Olympics, SuperBowl, Barbieheimer). Everything is a spectacle if you lead with celebrities, promote it wildly, and spend enough money on it. Spectacles grab our attention and fizzle in one summer or shorter. In this episode, Rei and Ana talk about SuperBowl's half show, why sports is the only thing that unifies us these days, and whether can hype make a comeback.
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When algorithm flattens cultural markets, how to create against this backdrop? When everything is “meh,” winners are the surprising, the unexpected, and the different. The problem is, these things succeed in niches - offline communities, small groups, and subcultures. They are created in niches, and usually stay there. In the winners-take-all markets, scaling requires algorithms. Can brands bridge this dichotomy? What are the success stories of innovation in the meh world? Is it even financially possible for a brand to disrupt itself before someone else does? In this episode, Rei and I use once-innovative brands as examples of what happens when disruption goes analog.
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Creativity is not just an ideas game. More than anything, it’s a matter of process, organization, and the problem-solving abilities of the “backend” office. McKinsey study found that companies that prioritize creativity have 67 percent higher organic revenue growth than those who do not. Yet, creativity, despite its superior business value, is often siloed in “creative” departments like marketing, design or creative. Creativity is a company-wide mandate, and in this episode, Rei and I talk about how that looks like, which brands successfully implement it, and how to organize for creativity.
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What is culture? Culture can mean a lot of different things, and in this episode we zero in on our working definitions, along with the brands, consumer behaviors, and trends that we can expect to see more of in 2025
Show notes:
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In their last episode of 2024, Ana and Rei talk about predictions. Rather than predicting the future, companies should set themselves out for the future's inherent unpredictability. In this context, we unpack why "boring" brands are set to succeed, why smart glasses are going to be big, and why the retail middle may be coming back, thanks to Substack and AI. We wish everyone a happy new year!
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