The $200,000 Dating App: What Elite Universities Are Really Selling
Dear Magicians,
Let’s talk about expensive matchmaking.
Not Tinder Premium. Not eHarmony. Ivy League tuition. According to one brutally honest student, using AI for everything during their $200,000+ education is fine. Why?
When the author of this piece in New York Magazine asked a student “why he had gone through so much trouble to get to an Ivy League university only to off-load all of the learning to a robot, he said, ‘It’s the best place to meet your co-founder and your wife.’”
While USA Today reports that certain college majors still offer returns exceeding 100% on investment, some students have discovered a different ROI calculation altogether.
Think about that.
When AI can handle your homework, what’s left? Apparently, network effects. That engineering degree from MIT? It’s not about mastering differential equations anymore. It’s about mastering the art of strategic connection.
This isn’t just cynicism. It’s arbitrage. While traditional students struggle with coursework, these AI-enabled social strategists are treating elite universities like exclusive country clubs — where the real value isn’t in the facilities, but in who else holds a membership.
Consider the implications.
When the best-paying college majors become mere credentials to outsource to AI, we’re not just facing an education crisis. We’re witnessing the emergence of a new social sorting mechanism, where even the pretense of academic rigor becomes optional.
The future of higher education?
It might look less like a classroom and more like a very expensive LinkedIn algorithm.
Think about it.
Test your assumptions about value.
Because in this new landscape, the real question isn’t what you’re learning — it’s who you’re meeting.
Until next time, have a M.A.G.I.C. Week,
Brian
Genius
In a genius act of nonpartisan scientific activism, meteorologists and climate scientists across America are staging an unprecedented 100+ hour livestream marathon. As weather data centers face funding cuts, these experts aren’t just protesting — they’re demonstrating their value through non-stop science communication. What makes this truly brilliant?
They’re fighting budget cuts by doing exactly what public scientists should do: making complex weather and climate science accessible to everyone who depends on it. It’s democracy through data, democracy through nonpartisan education, and you’re invited to this historic scientific teach-in.
Watch the WeatherStreamathon here.
Image
As my knee heals from last year’s surfing mishap, I’m reminded of this spectacular moment: bioluminescent waves illuminating the Scripps Pier like nature’s own neon. The ghostly blue glow comes from microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates — specifically Lingulodinium polyedra — that emit light when disturbed, creating what locals call “red tide by day, blue waves by night.”
Want to understand the fascinating science behind this phenomenon? My colleagues @Scripps_Ocean explains it beautifully here. These tiny creatures remind us that some of the most magical moments in science happen when billions of microscopic decisions align perfectly.
📸: @erikjepsen
Conversation
Curious about black holes?
Marcus Chown joins Brian Keating to explore how black holes aren’t just cosmic destroyers, but might also help create new universes — and even life itself. Watch now for mind-blowing science stories and cosmic mysteries from Marcus’ new book, “A Crack in Everything”!
Get the transcript and AI interactive content from this episode here
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Upcoming Episode
David Wiltshire, the pioneering physicist who challenged our understanding of dark energy with his revolutionary “timescape cosmology” model, will be joining me on The INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast soon. His groundbreaking work suggests that the apparent acceleration of the universe’s expansion might be explained not by mysterious dark energy, but by how time itself flows differently in cosmic voids versus dense regions of space — an idea that could revolutionize our understanding of cosmic evolution.
What questions do you have for the scientist whose “cosmic averages” theory might eliminate the need for dark energy altogether?
Submit them here: https://tally.so/r/mevW70
