Interview · moment 5 of 29
Dave Portnoy and the Business Insider Hit Piece
from #276 - The Squish | The Tim Dillon Show · #276
4 min
Guest
Tim recounts a Business Insider reporter admitting they wanted to run a hit piece on him, then pivots into defending Dave Portnoy against a flimsy expose and discussing Portnoy's feuds with old media.
- Tim explains why Portnoy became a target: he disrupts the traditional media establishment that ESPN and others depend on for relevance.
- People fundamentally dislike disrupters, and Portnoy isn't afraid to rattle cages or challenge powerful figures like Elon Musk or Robinhood.
- Tim draws a parallel: podcasting and independent media anger New York media types because they're broke and have no audience, while he and Portnoy have massive followings.
- Business Insider recently rebranded to just "Insider," essentially admitting they're a tabloid rather than legitimate journalism.
- The founder of Business Insider is a disgraced trader banned from trading, casting doubt on the outlet's credibility.
- Portnoy's appeal is that he's scrappy and confrontational—he'll talk trash to lawyers in court and doesn't care about the consequences because he has money.
- University of Austin will need a physical campus, brick-and-mortar space for tax purposes and actual student interaction.
- The real problem with these alternative universities: founders like Portnoy and Elon have money but no endowment, making long-term funding unclear.
- PragerU likely operates on funding from megachurches or similar donors, and even that isn't a legitimate brick-and-mortar institution.
- Dennis Prager claimed he wanted to get COVID and was happy to finally contract it as a blessing from God.
Dave PortnoyBusiness InsiderPragerUUniversity of AustinDennis PragerESPNMichael RapaportElon Musk