As it has become his custom, Leo Laporte went to his chatroom to to vent. Early this morning he posted this:
05:18 <~Leo> shoow and JuRY spent an hour on Night Attack last week (while we were on vacation note) slamming me and Lisa 05:18 <~Leo> *shwood 05:19 <~Leo> It was particularly hurtful because we have bent over backwards to accomodate them, and I've never said a word against either
He’s referring to episode 31 of the Night Attack show. It is clear that he has not listened to the episode in question and that he probably got trolled by one of his minions, telling him how they were being “attacked” and “slammed”. Mr, Laporte then goes on to demand an apology:
05:21 <~Leo> and it was particularly hurtful to Lisa - they called her Yoko and other stuff 05:21 <~Leo> shwood seems to be getting a lot of mileage out of it and although we've written to him neither he nor JuRY has apologized.
The investigative team here at Total Drama managed to obtain what exactly it was that Mr. Laporte was writing. Here is his message to Brian Brushwood:
To Justin Robert Young he had similarly kind words:
You see how in the chatroom he pretends he was civilized and demanded an apology, while in fact he was spewing insults left and right without even knowing what he was talking about. But that has unfortunately become Mr. Laporte’s modus operandi.
But this is not where the insults stopped. No, Laporte went on to Twitter to tell his half a million followers that Brian Brushwood was “a drunk” and an “asshole” and that he was attacking him and his family. Those “attacks” never happened.
@PatTrudeau @shwood You tell me. What would you do if some drunk asshole insulted you and your family?
— Leo Laporte (@leolaporte) October 8, 2014
And another public attack on Brian Brushwood:
@shwood @IdeaJason I’ve been nothing but kind and positive to Brian but what would you do if a drunk attacked you and your family?
— Leo Laporte (@leolaporte) October 8, 2014
This just adds to mounting pile of evidence that Leo Laporte is one of the worst kinds of cyber bullies, using his great number of followers to spread lies and baseless accusations without bothering to check any of his facts. And if you point out this, you are being called a “troll” and he will send his army of minions against you.
For the internet to thrive, we need to find a way to stop bullies like Laporte from contaminating the public discourse.
Time and again Leo Laporte, herein referred to #SOUP, has proven that he really goes on the attack and tries to curry sympathy while fermenting trouble and trying to pass the blame onto the party that was original hurt by him.
#SOUP has proven a lack of competence, poor judgement. a track record for trying to turn around the actions of himself or Lisa Kentzell, herein referred to as #HOMEWRECKER, by blaming the party that he originally fired the first shot at.
We all know that #SOUP visits this site, he may even have posted on this site in the comments section, it seems to follow his M.O. to do such things.
He is building himself up to blame the implosion of TWiT.TV on others and will probably blame the continuous attacks upon Tom Merritt, Brian Brushwood, Justin Young, Adam Curry, Total Drama and Petaluma Market (for sending him a huge bill each month for the tanker truck of soup that is delivered to him between 1 and 3 pm Tuesdays and 11-1pm Wednesday).
He operates his business on the basis that everything should be totally Free to him and what is not free should be recovered through Taxes. For example his ‘business trip’ vacation to London and stay in Claridges. Where he went to meet a person who shall remain nameless to find out that the iPhone 6+ had been in the hands of a select few for months before the announcement (Written off as a business expense because it was part of investigative journalism to collect information for MBW use or the purchase of a Mac Pro that now resides in his den so that he can go on the internet using it).
I personally expected this whole situation to transpire in this exact manner! He did the same thing with his ex-wife whom he lied about on air on his hokey radio show where the people asking questions are there for “entertainment value” only and really add nothing to the show.
He claims to be a pundit but his opinion is never asked it is forced upon us. His opinion about Apple because of a faulty device or his current rant against Motorola’s Moto X and that gimmicky little earbud thing that looks like a huge blob of earwax hanging out of his ear. Both of which just do not seem to work how he anticipated and he is “hugely disappointed”.
It seems there is nothing that he likes. He has a venomous comment about everyone and everything. I personally cannot understand how his cult followers can hang off every word that spews forth from that soup hole of his!
There are many, myself included, that simply switch off totally and ignore what he says these days because he is all bullshit and lies!
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
I have also vowed to never watcha TWiT product again for this exact same reason. Even if JCD is on. However if Curry was invited back and went on I would probably tune in but at this point I’m pretty sure Curry would tell Leo “Get Fucked”.
manimal» Quote comment
We know that he would not ask Curry on unless it were to make a point of starting an argument i.e. ferment trouble, and then be able to say to his cult, “This is why I banned Adam Curry”.
#SOUP does things to justify his earlier actions. He doesn’t justify what he is currently doing, he does this to justify what he did.
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Curry didn’t even start trouble though.
He said he didn’t believe we ever landed on the moon.
Leo disagreed very vocally and Curry has never been allowed on since.
Scott» Quote comment
Scott, I am going to give you some deep analysis, and it will be far beyond Elgum’s ability to fathom – but it is something he aspires too emulate on his news show. I personally feel jealousy is at play here by #soup-guzzler and #gold-digger.
WE all know Adam Curry, is far more charismatic, influential, and to many a more thought-provoking individual in the podcasting arena than Leo Laporte.
Adam’s high standing in this new from of broadcasting media is well documented. His vision and counsel was sought after by Steve Jobs at Apple, which then helped propel podcasting into the stratosphere. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Laporte. Leo was fortunate enough to ride on the tail of Curry’s and others innovation and thereby established himself with a large audience through his TWiT network. However this didn’t give Leo a title such as “The Pod Farther” which he craves and this clearly still irks Laporte.
The moon landing incident gave a justifiable reason in Laporte’s deranged mind to curb Mr Curry’s affection with TWiT.TV audience. Mr Curry has always been a “crowd pleaser” and had the TWiT listeners intrigued and enthralled unlike the loathsome Laporte – which would have bruised Laporte’s self-importance. We can now look at this period in history and see early evidence of Laporte’s delusional mind starting to sprout. No doubt, the CEHo was at the time inflating Laporte’s ego (and other bodily bits,) and together both scheming Curry’s exile and demise. This then gave #soup-guzzler and #gold-digger an opportunity to rewrite podcasting history to this time include Laporte’s (delusional) “podcasting reach” and seal Curry’s fate as a freak.
DB09» Quote comment
DB09, I think your analysis is dead-on. Leo probably was waiting for “the write mistake” to be made by Curry so that he could “justify” banning the “freak.”
And I do think Leo REALLY thinks he pioneered podcasting.
Thing is, as you said, he didn’t.
Not only that, but you can see a similar piss-and-moan attitude towards Kevin Rose, who rarely comes on anymore…and didn’t Leo even say something to the effect of Rose owed a lot to him or something? In short, Leo’s jealous of Rose’s MILLIONS which he made in his twenties.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Leo is even somewhat ticked off at Martin Sargent, who basically did This Week In Fun for ~50 eps and then said, “Sayonara podvasting/video world” and got a REAL job at an advertising company. Even though Sargent desperately wanted and needed stability (his last few post-TechTV show attempts fizzled out on several sites), I wouldn’t be shocked if Leo held a grudge against him.
Like Curry, I know I personally watched TechTV a lot for Martin Sargent’s antics and enjoyable personality, and I suspect many others tuned in for Lane/Rose/Norton/Dvorak as well.
TWiT only works when it has a steady stream of former TechTV guests on the shows, to give a nostalgia trip to the MUCH BETTER TechTV days.
TWiT now is a shadow of its former self….I’d say it peaked in 2010 or so.
Scott» Quote comment
It’s not like he doesn’t have their phone numbers, this is either a scam or Leo is the biggest douche on the planet.
Mark Harry» Quote comment
Great Work lkalif. Keep doing God’s work boys and eventually Leo will destroy himself. This is a fine example of EXACTLY who Leo is. The stress is causing Leo to constantly make bad choices in “defensive” maneuvers. Please choke on your own shit and go away already, Leo Laporte.
manimal» Quote comment
Everything comes down to the initial banning. The banning before the NA show. If they were banned, we just have Laporte lying again. If they were not banned someone at TWiT lied to them big time or misunderstood.
In either case; I see Shwood and JuRY as victims. There is no question in my mind they thought they were banned and were not trolling.
The entire time they said two remotely negative things( and about 40 positive things), Lisa is Yoko and TWiT does not respect talent. Do we need a list of shit Laporte has said.
This is exactly why you do not make your GF CEO. Now if someone says something about the CEO you they attacking his family.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
Yes another another good point, either way this “total drama” plays out, it is blatantly obvious that someone either fermented the issue and there was a lie or, as we tend to see, Leo didn’t expect any fallout from his ban to come his way and thought that BB & JRY would roll over and not tell anyone about it and certainly not on their show.
There are other people that have been banned simply for going onto Tom Merritts show. The number of TWiT guests has dwindled because of them going on and they just do not appear anymore and many of them were once regulars on that Sunday afternoon show.
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
The best thing about this particular point is that two of three if not 100% of these former TWiT guests would rather talk with someone with whom they have mutual respect for. That person has not been Leo Laporte for a long time. It was just that he had ownership of the best vehicle. It’s too bad Leo decided to ghostride that vehicle into a brick wall at 60 mph.
manimal» Quote comment
You just go back through each TWiT and compare to people that have guested on DTNS or NA and just never got invited back to TWiT. They probably weren’t told about being blacklisted or banned they just don’t get called except when they are desperate and then they go into a panic and start begging these people.
It’s getting harder for Soup to find anyone to appear on TWiT that he hasn’t banned.
When we look at how he operates and then how the IRC operates over there, it seems remarkably similar. People are banned upon a whim. The IRC really is a fruit of Leo’s Labor.
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
I think he may be “banning” people because in reality, few people want to be on his podcast anymore. It’s easier to say, “I have these same 3 guests every week because everyone else screwed me over!” vs. “I have these 3 guests every week because no one likes me anymore.”
Scott» Quote comment
I don’t know. It seems a quick phone call/email rather than an hour long rant on their highly watched post-show could have just nipped this thing in the bud.
anon1» Quote comment
It would not have nipped it in the bud. It would have just been a circumstance where #Soup told them what they wanted to hear (lies) to curtail and manage the situation at the time. The only way to resolve this is for Leo to be held responsible in a public forum.
manimal» Quote comment
Exactly, people still do not get how detached from the truth Laporte is.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
Wow the current twitter stream is a goldmine for this site. So much to deconstruct.
David» Quote comment
I think everyone should take a moment to chill out
Its obvious that Leo Laporte suffers from crippling depression, you can tell by the inappropriate outbursts on air, the out of control weight issues and the comments in chat.
About 2 months ago Leo and Lisa were talking about having gun protection and Lisa made a comment like “I have a gun but I’m not going to tell you where”, this comment tells me that Leo has talked about suicide.
The last thing we need is Leo suddenly pulling out a gun and ending it on air over comments made on this blog or on twitter.
I pray this doesn’t happen because some folks here could end up in jail or held liable in civil court for creating conditions that led up to him doing such a thing. It could also lead up to a bunch of new anti bully laws being passed that could destroy the blogger community.
We all need to take a moment to step back, think about our actions and think about the consequences of what we say.
I am no fan of Leo and there is no denying that he’s said and done some stupid things that he should be called out on but be mindful that he is also a very fragile person and what you guys post here, on twitter, on youtube and in IRC has real life consequences.
Everyone involved in this should take a moment to calm down and reflect.
The X» Quote comment
The X – are you Jennifer Laporte ?
sam» Quote comment
Oh Hi, is that you Glenn? Sounds like you!
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
I find a lot of trolling objectionable. It doesn’t make sense for people to care so much about chat rooms and podcasts when the technology to independently create them is within easy reach for everyone. He who angers you controls you. TWiT is free, so it’s healthier to be detached.
If I was an anti Leo Laporte troll, I’d use digital media technology creatively and with a sense of humor by making a few political campaign negative attack ads. I see TWiT video slowing down, shifting to black and white, and pulling in on a freeze frame as the narrator succinctly makes biased points and asks loaded questions. I see misty slow motion video of bygone hosts with wild claims that TWiT ruined their lives while the Laporte regime walked away with millions. Then the ads would be topped off with a ridiculously self important call for chat room justice and democracy, as if there was an election and the fate of the world’s future at stake. Comedy would be much more powerful than bitter name calling. It might not change things, but it would release tension.
dno1967b» Quote comment
“Its obvious that Leo Laporte suffers from crippling depression, y”
——————–
I feel zero pity for rich people. ZERO.
Scott» Quote comment
What was I thinking, it’s not Glenn, when I checked closer it was good old ScooterX here to visit, how ya doing mike, bored with not kicking people off the IRC.
wouldn’t Leo Laporte find it interesting if he knew that his own mod’s spend their time making comments about the sanity of him on websites?
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Should we be surprised by Mr Laporte’s outburst? ABSOLUTELY NO.
His schizophrenic behaviour has long been visible on TWiT live for all to see. He shows no remorse or gratitude to any of the hosts or guests for exemplary work. He simply cannot tolerate any criticism. I personally have now watched you badmouth and chastise Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar, Richard Y, Steve Jobs and a multitude of others for their demeanour, good ethic and honesty.
To that statement I say; Leo Laporte, YOU ARE NO STEVE JOBS, nor are you good as any of the others hosts or viewers. YOU are a peerless charlatan with no remorse and are willing to throw anyone who so much as disagrees with you under a bus without any justifiable reason.
Why don’t you see and view what has been discussed before you engage your hatred and loathing, and thereby save the embarrassment you have brought upon yourselves and your girlfriend.
Leo & Lisa, It’s time you you shut the Fu*k up and stop trolling innocent people with your LIES and FIBS. Misinformation will not be accepted here.
Ikalif – thank you for this post and succinctly documenting recent events.
p.s. Leo & Lisa; suggest you see Padre for penance and confession for all your lies and behind the scenes scheming.
DB09» Quote comment
p.p.s Padre is as bad or worse than L&L for telling whoppers. Great example was the tweet where he alluded to the demise of one of his shows (Padres Corner) being because of too many projects going yet he implied last night that Padres Corner will continue as one of his personal projects and asked one of his more regular guests to continue appearing on the show.
Telling lies to make Leo & Lisa look better! Mmmmm he is part of the problem as well. I would love to listen to his confession or does he not see these lies as being a sin?
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Good point Burntheadbob, Padre SJ is no Saint.
DB09» Quote comment
Padre is a fine content creator, with an adequate screen presence, albeit awkward at times. His tenure at TWIT is limited – he will be reassigned by the church when they deem his skills are required elsewhere and the church is better served. Two years at most – with L&L currently relying on him for several shows and as a general utility man. They’ll learn to regret this, regardless of his sizable contribution.
Muddy» Quote comment
I think what Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott are doing is great – they are transitioning over to another tech show – WHAT THE TECH and GFQ Network…..because they don’t want all their eggs in the TWiT basket. Paul’s a smart guy, and Mary Jo isn’t a dummy about reading industry (media) waves either. Both have worked for a lot of different outlets, and they likely saw the writing on the wall a year or two ago, which is why their non-TWiT presence (podcast-wise) is increasing elsewhere.
Scott» Quote comment
Yep, What The Tech is better is better because there’s no Leo.
Mark Harry» Quote comment
Kentzell is prepping TWIT’s balance sheet like a bean counter with an Associate’s degree and with no regard for talent. Cutting salaries & benefits of longer term employees, bringing in Elgan and Hall who basically play traffic cop for unpaid contributors and pumping some $ into the tech infrastructure. TWIT. tv is getting primed for sale within the next few years. Big payouts for L&L with a sweet contract for the old guy to do a few shows & radio – then glide into retirement by age 64-66. Simple and cut-throat process; however, the product may be so diminished by next year that the value may plummet. They will continue to demean and discredit current talent, both in front and behind the camera, further reducing the payroll – folks like Sarah, Karsten and even Jason are all in jeopardy. Hack hack hack
Muddy» Quote comment
Mind if I chime in? I worked at TWit for three years. I started freelancing there in the summer of 2010, then was offered a position in October of 2010. I had been freelancing for Intel, ABC, NBC, Levi’s, Macys…lots of places, but I gave all of that up because I genuinely enjoyed working at TWiT. Such a different vibe than the large companies I had worked for. I started my career at CNN then moved to San Francisco to work at Tech TV.
Anyway, TWiT was so refreshing. I was editing a bedroom at the cottage. I shared the room initially with Erik and Tony, but Jason moved in shortly after Erik left. I had a desk and computer by a bedroom window. I could look out on a blue sky, feel the breeze coming through the window. So much different than an edit bay at CNN or TechTV or Intel. And I loved working with everyone there. Tony was great to work with and I considered him a friend. Jason is hilarious. Tom was a true pro. I edited Sarah’s shows. She’s a pro too. You have no idea how much prep time she puts into her shows! A straight shooter and great person. Eileen while she was there was so cool. Burke. John. Frederique. I even really liked Lisa and Leo. I saw Lisa as very direct and fair. You knew where you stood with her. Leo, ok, he didn’t talk to me outside of small talk if we crossed paths, but off camera he has an amazing sense of humor. Also seems very level headed and fair.
When we moved to the brick house though, something changed. As others have pointed out, it became more”old school” tv. But I still loved working there. People left. New people came in. I want to go on the record and tell all of you, most of the people still at twit are good people.
As for my demise…wow. Back in early 2013 I was asked by Lisa to help create a “sizzle reel”. In tv that’s basically a network highlight reel you can show to potential advertisers. Lisa asked me and Glenn to work on this reel. So I started gathering show clips. Shooting b-roll. But I noticed Glenn wasn’t really helping. Maybe he was busy. Whatever. I emailed Lisa and expressed my concern that I was doing everything with no help from Glenn. She didn’t answer. So I went to her office to talk about it. I should have never done that. She became furious that I was bothering her about this. This was not what a CEO gets involved with. So I raised my voice a little with her, thinking she is a fair person. Mind you, every review I had up to this point said Lisa and Leo liked my work and loved having me there. This meeting was on a Friday. I had brought my son to work with me that day. Side note: Chad gave my son some Minecraft pointers. You help my boy, you’re golden in my eyes forever more. Anyway, that was a Friday. Saturday, Lisa had posted an ad for my job on Craigslist. Following Friday, in February 2013, Lisa calls me into Leo’s office with Leo to fire me. Damn. That hurt. I plead may case. Told them I loved working there. I considered twit to be family. They sent me back to my desk. 15 minuted later they both come talk to me. Leo says I can stay. Leo saved my job. I honestly believe Leo has a good heart.
Fast forward to December 2013. Lisa calls me back into Leo’s office. He fires me. Lisa never let it go that Leo overrode her. She finally got her way and got rid of me. They made up some stuff about me not doing my job correctly. But remember, nothing but glowing reviews up to that point.
I’m back to freelancing now. Intel and NBC again. Discovery (Rev 3). Yahoo Safeway. Yeah Lisa. You know better, right? And it looks like the way TWiT is heading, it will probably be a blessing they let me go, because the ship was going down anyway.
Jeff Stewart» Quote comment
This was quite wonderful to read. As I slowly try and build something to at least resemble something (all of my work is either lost or portrays a path I don’t want to take) I look at others as examples of what I want to create. The best comparisons are the examples of places I think ‘Do I want to build or help someone else grow?’
TWiT was like that for many years, it seemed delightful and fun, albeit a lot of work. For about the periods you mention. Then it started to feel less fun with people looking critically in the wrong places about your work. Literally, this is what transmits through watching just an episode of SOMETHING, at the time I probably subscribed to 10+ shows, there was a time I got EVERY show, including The Tech Guy. And ESPECIALLY the past year I really tried but it was clear what I wanted to create was not a TWiT. Maybe classic TWiT. But I can’t even think of that now, such a jumble in my head.
Now my model idea has moved to RoosterTeeth since I may not be a fan of everything they do but I admire the idea of what they’re trying to accomplish that those things I don’t like is just not for me, not that it’s bad.
I used to feel that for TWiT…but so much I can really call bad work nowadays, instead of eh, not for me. And it irritated me til I had to get rid of everything. And sadly, I had so much relief immediately.
Sho» Quote comment
I am the same way. For the past year or so, the only TWiT show I listen to regularly is Windows Weekly, but that’s only because Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley steal the show.
I **RARELY** listen to TWiT anymore.
For starters, the guests are usually annoying, out of touch, or barely knowledgeable about anything beyond what’s in the iOS store. TWiT attracts the worst kind of modern “tech journalist” there is – one who covers smartphones a bit and claims to understand how the tech industry works. A couple weeks ago, about 15 minutes into TWiT, after a ~5 minute conversation about programming or something, one the guest whined and interrupted saying, “Can we move on? Or is this This Week In Code?” [facepalm]
Next, the topics most TWiT shows cover are completely pointless. A show about iOS apps? A show about Minecraft? A show about radio enthusiasts? Ugghhh. Shoot me now.
Third, nothing of importance is ever said on these shows. Anyone who knows how Leo operates knows he talks up product A on the Podcast A show, but as soon as he’s on Podcast B, he badmouth product A. So listening to him is void of value. If it weren’t for those key shows’ consistent hosts, I doubt very few people would tune in now. Leo is just a salesman and a very unconvincing tech enthusiast as well.
Finally, his banning of people left and right has left a bad taste – I don’t really think that was appropriate in most cases – especially Adam Curry’s banning.
Scott» Quote comment
So I guess when JuRY said “it’s not John , it’s Yoko” it really hit home for you.
PS. Sorry to hear about your unfair firing.
David» Quote comment
Jeff, thanks for sharing your story. The old days were so awesome, and I think the reason we’re here on this site is because we’re all taken aback by how quickly it all went down the shitter. We thought we had discovered this awesome new media network where the viewers mattered and where we could go behind the scenes, interact with the hosts and staff, and have a lot of fun doing it.
When the Brickhouse opened, Leo promised that TWiT wouldn’t change. Instead, within a few months, we saw Leo and Lisa frame Erik and banish him from TWiT, and a few weeks later, we found out that Leo and Lisa are an item. At that moment, I knew TWiT was doomed. They are like the ultimate bad pair; they compliment each other in the sense that they both serve to make each other worse people.
But still, I stuck with it. Aside from the incident with Erik, which was a huge omen of how bad things would soon get, TWiT was still largely ok at the time. Then came the Game On cancellation, followed by more cancellations and also the departure of Eileen and Lynn. By this point, I started to realize that all was not well in paradise, and things only seemed to be getting worse.
The next thing that stood out was the way Lisa publicly admonished you after the TEFU “Post-It note” incident. Right in the middle of an Inside TWiT episode, she went into this outrage about how the money you guys collected could get TWiT into serious trouble with the government and that it was NOT acceptable and that something needed to be done about this behavior. I was like, “Really? You can’t…uh…handle this issue in private? And you can’t be a little bit more reasonable about it?” It was an honest mistake, I’m sure, yet she felt the need to publicly shame you for it on the stream. How unprofessional. Did she suspend TEFU for like 3 months after that? I noticed TEFU pretty much went dormant for about 3 months after that incident.
Fast forward to 2013, I could tell things had changed for the worse in a big way at TWiT. Now it all makes sense why TEFU ended so abruptly after mid-January given the incident in which you were almost fired. I knew something was up. From that point on, you rarely appeared out in the studio area anymore, and the credits at the end of the podcasts was pretty much the only sign of you still being at TWiT from February to December.
But aside from just you, I noticed that the general atmosphere at TWiT had changed. All of the staff there started to seem a lot more stressed out and unhappy, and it seemed like everything had become really procedural and regimented behind the scenes; it seemed like everyone was always stressed about having to meet deadlines and having to follow strict procedure about every single aspect of their job, lest they get in trouble. The free-form fun of the old days was over, and TWiT had devolved into an “old media” style of business.
Fast forward to December 2013. All in one week, you got fired, Tom got let go, and things just spiraled out of control from there. Soon, Iyaz left, the new TNT with Elgan launched, Brian and Justin left, Liz left, Snubs left the staff and became the host of only a single show, and now TWiT cancelled even more shows, and every step along the way, Leo keeps coming up with 50 billion lies (easy to tell as he always does that cringeworthy fake laugh before and after every lie) to cover up the numerous ways in which he and Lisa have screwed over their loyal staff members and hosts. Oh, and constructive criticism? That’s not allowed. That will just get you banned from chat just like the hundreds of other people trying to point out everything that’s gone wrong with TWiT. Meanwhile, Leo brags about how his solution to the problem is to write off all negative comments as “trolling” and to simply ignore it. Way to treat your viewers, Leo and Lisa. We don’t matter anymore in this old-media TWiT. Only the revenue matters, so the only way to get through their heads is to stop watching and watch the advertisement money dwindle away.
TWiT has lost its way, and I feel bad for the employees who still have to put up with the Leo and Lisa bullshit. I hope they all find better jobs in due time. They better start looking, because they could be the next employee to get unjustly fucked over.
At this point, I only watch the good shows still on TWiT like AAA, TN2, and such. I only watch Leo’s shows to see him make an ass out of himself. Pretty much every TTG these days, he’s berating callers during the breaks, and during the show himself, he constantly doesn’t know how to solve problems, and he constantly gives bad/wrong advice. It’s like he doesn’t even care anymore. I make sure to watch in ways that won’t give them any ad money. He doesn’t deserve it for the terrible product he’s putting out and for the terrible way he and Lisa treat both the employees and fans.
SR» Quote comment
Did that dumbass CEO got a degree in Accounting? lol.
JohnnyWebb» Quote comment
The only thing i dislike about Leo is his snarkyness toward Apple. On Macbreak weekly, He would polk fun at the Mac pro, Calling it an oversized ashtray. I own this marvel of modern science and let me tell you, This ash tray is smokin’. Best fucking ashtray i ever owned. Other than that, I still think a portion of the old Leo shines through on The tech guy. He does show compassion to those who need his advice.
Peter0» Quote comment
Great inside story and not unexpected. I support Tom, Brian and Justin on Patreon and will continue – their treatment and yours is simply a symptom of the Lisa Virus. The distortion from both L&L regarding Tom’s contract and the inflated value Laporte placed on exclusivity was criminal; however Tom’s talent and likability is undeniable. Brian and Justin – those characters are too smart & talented to depend on the Laportes and will always do well. Iyaz had Restless Career Syndrome and got lucky. Over the previous months Lisa has systematically eliminated more wonderful talent: Shannon(90%), Amber and now Sarah is in her cross hairs / TSH retired due to lack of support (this is pure prevarication), RedditUP eliminated and now Leo is suddenly talking about the cost of iPad Today . Unfortunately, I believe that Sarah is absolute toast, which is nauseating , as she’s a brilliant talent. Once Elgan finally takes vacation and she fills in for him – I believe she’ll be let go or essentially her contract will not be renewed. Disgraceful. but as a woman who appears to have wonderful friendships in the industry and throughout SF, her business management and support system seem to be lacking. Why is Sarah financially tethered to TWIT?? really, Why the Hell isn’t her CV/portfolio on Marissa Mayer’s desk? She could do what Katie Couric is actually being paid bundles to do, as she under performs at Yahoo.
By January we’ll be left with Leo’s shows, a priest who can be reassigned at any time and amateurs Elgan & Hall who stammer through shows and rely on smart journalists to provide actual worthwhile content. Find an ALTERNATIVE!
Muddy» Quote comment
Actually, the Tech section on Yahoo would be the PERFECT place for Sarah Lane. An ideal fit who would cater to Yahoo’s core audience (25+ yr. old women) and still be in the spotlight enough to help her career. Here’s hoping she reads this blog and uses her contacts to get in touch with Marissa.
Scott» Quote comment
What amazes me is that Leo La puts up with the the craziness of having an internet “network.” Consider this: L said he splits the revenue generated by the Tech Guy with Clear Channel. He said he makes CC 1 million per year, which means he also makes 1 mil per year. He also said they cut a new deal whereby he owns podcast rights to TG & is able to sell new ads putting more $$$ in his pocket. So — he’s pulling over 1 mil a year working two days a week. He totally deserves this; he’s getting all that coin by being very entertaining. So what amazes me is why he doesn’t quite while he’s ahead, tho personally I would miss his stuff on TWiT.
As to the slights & hurt feelings of present & former TWiTers — guys, that’s showbiz. Anyone who has worked in entertainment has been fucked over five ways to Friday, but if you really want it you go on and learn from it.
Nobody is being ruined — there are no beheadings. And anyone in a position of power is going to be an asshole to someone. If you dig his stuff, watch. If not, there are 500 other channels to rot your mind.
A Guy in Glendale» Quote comment
Very true Glendale. Very true. I’m trying to move on and learn from it. But such a bitter taste.
Jeff Stewart» Quote comment
They are supposedly taking calls in 20 mins from now for Inside TWiT.
88-88-ASK-LEO (888-827-5536)
Although most of the callers will probably be staffers and Taylor K.
Call 88-88-ASK-LEO (888-827-5536)» Quote comment
and you were so right. They were ready there and then with the props for the first caller!
It was all pre-arranged with people that are regular callers on the Tech Guy Show and in the IRC.
What a Sham!
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Yup. I very much doubt the vast majority of Tech Guy callers are legit. A few sneak through to add a hint of realism, but I suspect 3 out of 5 calls are scripted to some degree.
Scott» Quote comment
Leo the tech guy answering your questions via Google and the chat room.
Mark Harry» Quote comment
I believe he even alluded to the fact on that rant where he said that the “callers are there for entertainment value only, he is not there to help them, they are there to add value to the show”, that implies that the intention is not really to answer the questions but to glaze over their problem. In fact was it this last weekend when someone phoned and said they took the advice he gave them and it messed everything up. It kind of threw him off kilter, he didn’t like having Kim on because was letting through too many of these “bad calls”.
The man’s a piece of childish crap anyway and the show is mostly him giving his unwanted opinion (trolling) to the world.
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
I’m just now learning about this mess, though I must say I’ve had my suspicions for awhile. I’m not even angry, just… disappointed at how things turned out. (I learned long ago that being angry at things you are powerless to affect is just a waste of energy and just jacks up your blood pressure.) All I can do is just shake my head.
I had quietly drifted away from TWiT after Brian and Justin left, in that I did not personally take the initiative to watch live streams anymore and only loaded up the youtube versions if I needed background noise and didn’t have anything else. My mother still watches and would stream the shows while doing housework, but it’s more of a “hate-watch” thing because I hear her complain so much about Leo. Because I am of the my earlier-stated stance on anger, and my opinion that putting a lot of effort into disliking an actual person that you don’t know all that well isn’t exactly healthy behavior (even if that person isn’t on the up-and-up himself), I didn’t join in on the venting. I just know that something wasn’t right.
So, yeah. Lots of head-shaking and “it’s a damn shame.” These days I feel like I get more out of Morning Stream and DTNS.
Bonus: Leo poohpoohed a painting I did (that he was in) for NSFW, on the live stream after a TWiT recording. It was the one for NSFW #150, I think Chad showed it to him and Leo was all “this is the ugliest portrait of me I’ve ever seen.” I tweeted “sorry to hear that” (because people are entitled to their opinions, even if they aren’t always nice, and I will admit that my art style doesn’t often hit gold among people who aren’t into anime) and shortly after he at-replies me all “what? no I loved it!” or something to that effect. I don’t know if he backpedaled because he was being sarcastic when he made the original comment, or if he got backlash elsewhere. Starting to think it was just to save face, and to wish that he would have stood by his original statement. It’s funny because in… ’09, I think, he liked another painting I did enough to talk about it for a few minutes when he and Tom got bored during a Google I/O thing.
Them’s the breaks, I guess. (also I wandertalk too much)
Yoshi Ayarane» Quote comment
Yoshi, now you can see that it had nothing to do with the quality of your work, but everything to do with just how big a douchebag Leo Laporte really is.
lkalif» Quote comment
It appears twit is trying to erase the NSFW show from the internet. YouTube feed gone and gone from the twit site. Must be nice for the advertisers to know that if the owner of a network gets into a scuffle with a content creator your “ad” becomes a “one time buy” for a dwindling live audience.
David» Quote comment
David, thanks for the heads up. The operation to save the archive of NSFW and Frame Rate is already under way.
lkalif» Quote comment
I’m hearing that, in fact, the death star is doing fine. I don’t think they’re going under. I have friends still there that need a job, so ok. But if the whole thing fell apart and Lisa lost everything and had to move back to her Petaluma trailer park, I would smile a big smile.
Jeff Stewart» Quote comment
Though I would suggest that there is something wrong with a Priest is on air shaving to try and sell Harry’s shave products. No big deal except that he didn’t just stop at the lower face, he shaved his forehead as well. I suppose that if he can’t people to use the code for Know How he will just start shaving other parts of his body on camera to try get sales though maybe that show is another that is under threat of being eradicated off the face of the earth.
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
That’s sobering news.
Miles» Quote comment
Damn I only saw this site when I was looking to see why no new TSH podcasts. You people are what’s wrong with the world. I’ll take my answers off the air.
Tom Merritt» Quote comment