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Ep 16: PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead. episode artwork

EPISODE · May 25, 2026 · 4 MIN

Ep 16: PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead.

from Unintended Consequences

PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the fall of 1998, two Stanford graduate students finished a prototype that ranked web pages by counting and weighting the links pointing to them. Larry Page and Sergey Brin called the method PageRank, and they believed it would finally separate authoritative sources from noise. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production.

What this episode covers

PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the fall of 1998, two Stanford graduate students finished a prototype that ranked web pages by counting and weighting the links pointing to them. Larry Page and Sergey Brin called the method PageRank, and they believed it would finally separate authoritative sources from noise. ... AI Disclosure: This podcast is curated by Patrick but uses AI-generated voice synthesis for audio production.

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Ep 16: PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead.

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How long is this episode of Unintended Consequences?

This episode is 4 minutes long.

When was this Unintended Consequences episode published?

This episode was published on May 25, 2026.

What is this episode about?

PageRank was meant to surface the web’s most relevant pages — and it trained everyone to write for the algorithm instead. Segment 1 — The Cold Open In the fall of 1998, two Stanford graduate students finished a prototype that ranked web pages by...

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