It still amazes me that Apple can't even be PERCEIVED as somehow criticizing China -- even if Stewart's reporting was going to be factual.
Apple, a US-headquartered company and the most valuable in the world, can't have a show on their streaming platform that isn't supportive of China.<p><a href="https://youtu.be/VtvjbmoDx-I?si=xe1-1i834RcxZrkn" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://youtu.be/VtvjbmoDx-I?si=xe1-1i834RcxZrkn</a>
I wonder what the viewership numbers were?<p>The Daily Show had a constant buzz, and popped up in my newsfeed every once in a while.<p>I've never once had his Apple show pop up in my feed!<p>I haven't seen the show but I wonder if it had the same quality as The Daily Show.
To quote Dave Chappelle "don't take the sneaker deal". It's Apple's show, not John Stewart's show. He can't be allowed to talk trash about China under the Apple log (as per Apple's pov)(even if his points would have merit). And Apple is one more company held by the @@ from China's authoritative state. It's a pity.<p>I hope he WILL use the material and speak his mind, either in some another media or social outlet. We shouldn't gag comedians spilling the beans. That's the Chinese/Russian method. We shouldn't play the same filthy game in the West.
Previously:<p>"Jon Stewart's Apple TV show ends; Apple execs resisted coverage of AI and China" (9to5mac.com) <<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37950194">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37950194</a>><p>Submitted 14 hours ago; 25 comments.
The idea that it is entirely due to conflicting values and not due to the shows unpopularity seems like a bit of a cope of the show's producer's part. If the show was driving people to subscribe to Apple TV+, it likely would not have been cancelled.
My sense is that the supposed controversy over content is cover for the fact that the show never did well. It just wasn’t funny or particularly entertaining.<p>Comments on China could be controversial, but AI? That doesn’t make sense.
For those that haven't seen it he backed the lab leak theory very publicly some time back<p><a href="https://youtu.be/sSfejgwbDQ8?si=4XnKhOYu5mUiBZBs&t=172" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://youtu.be/sSfejgwbDQ8?si=4XnKhOYu5mUiBZBs&t=172</a>
Was pretty clearly obvious his heart wasn't in anything last season. Not to mention that trying to do a topical show in a pre-recorded season format is absolutely insane. He would be covering things the news cycle had moved on from months ago, and not like it was some kind of well thought out in depth analysis either; just the same old gotcha type stuff. I'm glad they stopped the bleeding on this one, it was honestly hard to watch (and I blame Apple entirely for that). Here's hoping he finds a home at HBO with Oliver.
What a PR disaster this will be for Apple. I can't see how they could possibly spin this or defend it at all.<p>That is, if it's true. It probably is, but I'm always dubious of "a person with knowledge of the meeting said".
Here's a modest proposal. If you do significant business in the PRC or have assets there, that's fine, but you cannot simultaneously own a media or social media business in the US. I think (very uncertain) this solves the root cause of these problems, the foreign leverage; and it doesn't infringe on constitutional speech rights.<p>E.g., Apple TV would be compelled to be spun off as independent entity, with no ties to the phone manufacturer. And Elon Musk would be compelled to either sell Twitter/X, or pull Tesla manufacturing out of mainland China. &c.
I never thought Jon Stewart was funny. I stomached the Daily Show because of his correspondents who were funny. He helped the careers of a lot of comedians. I thought Noah was a better interviewer, and more charismatic.<p>Since the Daily Show, Stewart has developed this man-yells-at-the-clouds persona that's self-righteous, and... not surprisingly still not funny. Glad he's cancelled so hopefully someone more talented can get a shot.
People should seriously stop being surprised that the objective of corporations under a capitalistic world order is to maximize shareholder wealth and not to dismantle oppressive authoritarian regimes.
I was always skeptical of Apple's ability and willingness to create original content. Any sufficiently large company has competing objectives. Apple in particular does not want to offend governments, offend consumers and alienate suppliers.<p>This influence over content isn't new. Richard Gere was allegedly ostracized in Hollywood for being critical of China over Tibet. Ellen DeGeneres lost her sitcom after coming out (which extended to co-stars in the episode like Laura Dern). The American flag was noticeably missing from the Moon landing in First Man. So dedicated studios have this problem. Apple has all these problems and more.<p>The likes of Apple will never push the envelope in the way, say, that HBO did with the Sopranos. And now it's so rare that any of these series actually run to conclusion before being cancelled due to not hitting some nebulous set of metrics.<p>It's also worth noting that the political climate has changed since Jon Stewart was on The Daily Show. I mean that was before Trump got elected. I think for a lot of people, Jon Stewart is now seen as too much of a centrist liberal.
Revenue from China:<p>Apple: $74 billion, 19% of the total.<p>Tesla: $18 billion, 22% of the total.<p>Other companies like Disney are in the same kid of binge. People say that Elon Musk is unhinged, but I don't think he is. He knows people he must bow to if he wants to make money. Hollywood can be woke except when it comes to China, Saudi Arabia (or Scientology.)<p>People capitalists can't insult in the free world: Xi from China and MSB from Saudi Arabia.
> "Mr. Stewart told members of his staff on Thursday that potential show topics related to China and artificial intelligence were causing concern among Apple executives, a person with knowledge of the meeting said."<p>Oof.
I was a big fan of Stewart’s when he was hosting the Daily Show. I was extremely excited for this new show on Apple. In short, I feel I was the target market.<p>I watched a few episodes and couldn’t stomach them. His personality seems to have changed since the Daily Show and he just seems so much more self righteous and arrogant. I didn’t enjoy them, even though I am predisposed to be interested in the content.<p>I also don’t think this is limited to this show. I heard him as a guest on the Strike Force Five podcast and again he came across as just unbearable.
I watched one episode at a friend’s house and Jon Stewart has taken a turn toward Andy Rooney. Those looking for him to reprise The Daily Show are understandably disappointed.