Between 2016-2017, something bizarre and deeply disturbing happened on YouTube Kids, and most people have no idea it ever existed. Elsagate—the mysterious rabbit hole of disturbing videos featuring beloved cartoon characters in nightmarish scenarios—was so weird that YouTube actively tried to hide it from the public. But this isn't just a story about creepy content. It's a story about how algorithms can be exploited to harm children, how platforms profit from trauma, and why the same thing is probably happening right now on platforms you use daily. Join us as we explore one of the internet's most bizarre and unsettling mysteries, and discover what it reveals about how the algorithms we trust actually work.

Are you in Group 7?

If you're on TikTok, you've probably seen this mysterious trend that's got 31.5 million views and counting. But this isn't just another viral moment—it's accidentally one of the most brilliant social experiments ever conducted on the internet. Discover how one musician hacked TikTok's algorithm, why millions of people are obsessing over being in a completely made-up group, and what this reveals about how algorithms exploit our deepest psychological needs for belonging and status. From artificial scarcity to digital tribalism, this episode explains why we're all living in algorithm-generated bubbles—and why Group 7 is just the beginning.

Think you know how Google started? Think again. This is the real story behind the world’s most popular search engine—and it’s not what you expect. Discover how two Stanford PhD students accidentally created Google’s game-changing algorithm, tried to sell it for just $1 million (and got rejected), and nearly killed the company three different times. Learn how Yahoo passed on history’s craziest deal, what happened when Google almost replaced its magic formula with a flop called “Boston,” and why the whole internet could look totally different. From hidden struggles to huge “what-if” moments, this episode pulls back the curtain on Google’s secret history and will change how you see the digital world—forever.