Journalism, content, AI, and America’s white-collar collapse (ft. John Koetsier, TechFirst)

John Koetsier – Host of the TechFirst podcast and a Senior Contributor at Forbes – has spent his career navigating the space where journalism, content creation, technology, and cultural change collide. I spoke with Koetsier right as ChatGPT-5 dropped to discuss the intersectionality of AI, robotics, journalism, and content creators. What followed was part tech explainer, part existential warning, part guidebook for anyone building a media career.

Chapters

TLDR – Actionable insights for creators and journalists

  • Record everything — interviews, calls, casual convos. Raw video is gold.
  • Sweat the assets — one conversation fuels podcasts, shorts, blogs, posts.
  • Choose platforms wisely — YouTube + LinkedIn can be a great combo.
  • Say yes — curiosity and openness create opportunities.
  • Lead with passion — if it doesn’t matter to you, it won’t matter to your audience.
  • Protect integrity — cover critics fairly, but don’t amplify nonsense.
  • Use AI carefully — tool for support, not a replacement for your voice.
  • Diversify income — build across platforms, don’t depend on one.
A robot stands against a dark background. Such robots are merging more and more with AI – setting the stage for widespread disruption and human displacement from the workforce.

Robotics, AI, and America’s hidden white-collar collapse

If you think AI is coming for warehouse jobs and call centers first, you’re already behind. The collapse is happening in boardrooms, accounting firms, marketing departments – the white-collar tier America once assumed was safe.

“I think most of our public discourse is about fairly trivial things,” Koetsier told me. “But this is an atom bomb. It’s an H-bomb to the workforce.”

He’s talking about the convergence of robotics and AI. Not just humanoid robots that can stock shelves or weld car doors, but machine learning models that now handle research, scheduling, market analysis, even basic journalism. “It’s approaching for white collar work and it’s approaching for blue collar work,” he warned. “And so it’s critical that as a society, we actually look at that, face that, and think, okay – in a world where most work will be done by machines, what does that mean for humans?”

“This is an atom bomb. It’s an H-bomb to the workforce. It’s approaching for white collar work and it’s approaching for blue collar work. in a world where most work will be done by machines, what does that mean for humans?” – John Koetsier, TechFirst

The answers swing between utopia and dystopia. Bill Gates once proposed a “robot tax” to fund universal basic income (UBI), a concept Koetsier believes is becoming less sci-fi and more survival strategy. “There’s been many studies on UBI and they typically show that people work more, not less,” he said. Finland and Denmark have even seen positive results just by giving unhoused people homes: lower crime, lower costs, higher stability.

Yet, in the United States, we’re still stuck fighting for basic healthcare and a $15 minimum wage. “We should have some basic minimum standard for human rights,” Koetsier said. “If you exist in this world, you should have access to health care. You should have access to a safe and healthy home.”

Meanwhile, companies are bleeding white-collar roles offshore – quietly. “Nobody’s noticing there’s this massive hollowing out of American corporations,” Koetsier told me. “Every new person seems to be based in India or some other low-cost place. The U.S. is very concerned about manufacturing going overseas. But under the radar, there’s this.”

The question isn’t whether robots and AI will take the jobs. They already are. The question is whether we’ll redesign society for dignity – or cling to a system built for labor that no longer exists.

TLDR – The impact of robotics, AI, and outsourcing on America’s workforce
  • AI isn’t just coming for warehouses – it’s already reshaping white-collar work across the United States.
  • The future swings between utopia and dystopia: UBI and housing-first programs show promise abroad.
  • Offshoring + automation are hollowing out America’s professional class; the jobs are already vanishing.
Two women talk to each other in an interview destined for a podcast, news article, feature piece, or YouTube video.

Content creation and journalism in a post-truth society

Koetsier hates the word “content.” To him, it’s soulless, a placeholder for what should be passion, insight, and reporting. “What do you mean you create content?” he asked, almost disgusted. “What do you know? What do you create videos about? That’s more interesting to me.”

Still, the lines are blurring. Journalists today are also influencers. Writers are also YouTubers. Substack authors are niche media companies unto themselves. And while this opens freedom – less gatekeeping, more direct connection – it can come with costs.

“We’re in a post-truth society,” Koetsier said flatly. “There’s no trust anymore. What I say is as valid as what somebody else says as valid as what somebody else says, no matter what evidence is behind it.”

“If you click a title and don’t get the news in the first paragraph or two, it’s not news – it’s clickbait.” – John Koetsier, TechFirst

Deepfakes, AI-generated news, partisan media selecting the ugliest possible headshots to smear opponents – this is the water we swim in. Koetsier calls Fox personalities like Jesse Watters “propagandists” who aren’t journalists. “They’re entertainers, and dangerous ones.” But he admits the rot goes wider. “You cannot be an ethical journalist at some publications,” he said. “It’s a challenging world today.”

So what do we do? Part of it is consumer responsibility. A “healthy news diet,” he argues, should look like a healthy food diet: some fun, some indulgence, but also the long-form investigative work that actually informs a democracy. The problem: junk food is cheaper, faster, more addictive.

Clickbait has replaced the inverted pyramid. “If you click a title and don’t get the news in the first paragraph or two, it’s not news – it’s clickbait,” Koetsier said. “That really ticks me off.”

But let’s be clear: this isn’t just about media ethics. It’s about survival of democracy itself. When evidence and expertise carry the same weight as opinion and conspiracy, the entire social contract frays.

TLDR – Content creation and journalism in today’s modern world
  • Journalists today double as content creators, influencers.
  • We’re in a post-truth society. There’s no trust anymore.
  • Clickbait often replaces the inverted pyramid (but shouldn’t).
  • People need a “healthy news diet” that sustains democracy.
A laptop sits open next to a notebook and cup of coffee. Often the first steps in a budding journalist-creator's career – or day.

Building a career as a journalist-creator

Koetsier’s own career is proof that the “journalist” box no longer exists – at least in the traditional sense. He calls himself a “curiosity machine” – someone who learns things and shares them, whether via Forbes or his podcast.

“I started recording all these conversations with brilliant people,” he said. “About 3% made it into a Forbes post. That was stupid. So I started publishing the whole thing.”

That decision birthed TechFirst, which now functions as both content pipeline and career engine. He records, distributes, repurposes, and monetizes – all while feeding story material back into Forbes. “I actually make more from YouTube now than I do from Forbes,” he said.

“Your best work happens when you’re passionate about something. If it doesn’t matter to you, you’re just pushing wood.” – John Koetsier, TechFirst

His advice for young journalists and creators is brutally simple: say yes. “I’m a default ‘yes’ person,” he told me. While he acknowledges that people who say “no” and stay in their lane can build strong careers, he believes that “the best careers are kind of accidental. They go off in different directions.”

That openness, paired with relentless curiosity, is what has landed him interviews with CEOs of the world’s top humanoid robotics companies – and also what let him pivot when his employer suddenly shut down and laid everyone off 15 years ago.

But he also warns against chasing trends without substance. “Your best work happens when you’re passionate about something,” he said. “If it doesn’t matter to you, you’re just pushing wood.”

TLDR – How to build a career as a journalist-creator
  • Be a “curiosity machine” – learn and share across platforms.
  • Record everything – and make the most of everything you record.
  • Diversify your revenue streams through guest writing, contributions, your own content.
  • Passion is non-negotiable to get people interested in what you’re sharing.
Content creators and journalists use many tools – from apps and phones, to social platforms and computers.

Tools of the trade – platforms, pipelines

For all the existential dread around journalism’s collapse and AI’s takeover, there’s also the work itself – the tools we use every day to make media. Koetsier is clear: the craft now lives at the intersection of platforms, workflows, and automation.

“You have this asset – a conversation with somebody who might be a world-leading expert in their space,” he said. “How do you create value from that? You decompose it into the shorts, into a blog post, into informational pieces, into social posts and other stuff like that.”

That process – called sweating the assets – is less about extraction than translation. Video becomes audio. Audio becomes text. Text becomes a tweet, or a thread, or a script for a YouTube Short. One hour-long interview can generate a month of microcontent if you approach it with discipline.

The hard part isn’t the tools; it’s the time. “There isn’t an AI ‘easy button’ yet,” Koetsier admitted. “Riverside will auto-generate clips, but they’re usually not the most interesting spots.” It’s faster for him to scan the transcript and mark what matters.

Still, the tools are getting better. And ChatGPT-5 may represent a leap. With 256,000-token prompts (roughly the length of a 600–800 page book), journalists and marketers can feed entire datasets, reports, or transcripts into a single query. The model also outputs faster, hallucinates less, and even generates cleaner charts and visuals than its predecessors.

“Everything you’re using right now for AI is as bad as it’s ever going to be,” Koetsier said. “It only gets better.” – John Koetsier, TechFirst

But tools aren’t just AI. They’re also the platforms where creators live and audiences gather. For Koetsier, YouTube and LinkedIn are the most effective spaces for serious, long-term engagement. Substack still works for niche communities. Blogs, even in the age of walled gardens, can hold surprising staying power.

For trendspotting, Koetsier swears by Reddit. “I’m probably in a thousand different subreddits,” he said. The sheer diversity and immediacy of content create a gestalt view of what’s coming next – long before traditional media catches up.

The lesson? Platforms matter. Choose the ones that fuel your curiosity and amplify your credibility. Use AI to make your work faster and more flexible. But never forget: these are just multipliers. If your work is rooted in truth and passion, the tools will extend it. If it isn’t, they’ll only accelerate the noise.

TLDR – Tools of the trade for content creators and journalists
  • “Sweat the assets” – turn one interview into podcasts, shorts, blogs, and posts.
  • ChatGPT-5 is a leap: faster, fewer errors, handles book-length inputs, better visuals.
  • Best platforms for engagement: YouTube + LinkedIn; Substack and blogs still hold value.
  • For trendspotting, Reddit is unmatched – diversity and immediacy reveal what’s next.

Watch the full conversation

This interview could have been three articles – one on AI, one on journalism, one on building a creative career. That’s the point. In today’s media economy, one conversation should become three articles, ten shorts, a newsletter, and more.

Koetsier himself calls it “sweating the assets.” But what you’re really doing is keeping alive the spark that journalism was built on: curiosity, clarity, connection.

If you want to hear him expand on all of this – with more candor than most CEOs or journalists would dare – watch the full conversation above, on YouTube, or on Spotify.

FAQ: AI, journalism, content creation

Q: What’s new about ChatGPT-5 compared to GPT-4?

A: It’s faster, makes fewer factual errors, and can handle massive inputs (up to 256,000 tokens – about an 800-page book). It also generates better visuals, including charts and graphs.

Q: How should creators approach video in today’s media landscape?

A: Record everything. Conversations, calls, interviews – video is the foundation. From there, repurpose it into podcasts, shorts, articles, and social posts. Koetsier calls this “sweating the assets.”

Q: What’s the biggest challenge for journalists in a post-truth society?

A: Balancing fairness without legitimizing harmful nonsense. “We’re in a post-truth society. There’s no trust anymore,” Koetsier says. Evidence competes with opinion – and often loses.

Q: Is AI a threat to journalism, or a tool for journalists?

A: Both threat and tool. Koetsier uses AI to summarize podcasts and draft articles, but warns it can invent quotes or skew context. “You have to be careful, you have to be cautious.”

Q: What platforms are most effective for creators today?

A: YouTube and LinkedIn drive the strongest engagement. Substack and blogs still matter. For trendspotting, Reddit is invaluable.

Q: What should journalist-creators who are just starting out consider doing?

A: Be curious and say yes. Careers often happen accidentally by following your interests. Passion matters – if a story doesn’t matter to you, it won’t land with audiences.

Q: What’s happening to America’s white-collar work?

A: America is quietly hollowing out its professional class through outsourcing and automation. “It’s an H-bomb to the workforce,” Koetsier says. AI is taking over repetitive tasks once considered “safe,” while companies hire talent in places like India instead of more costly counterparts in their own country.

Q: Can UBI (Universal Basic Income) really work?

A: Studies suggest yes. People often work more with a safety net, not less. Additionally, countries that experimented with free housing saw reduced crime, lower costs, and better outcomes.