Ep 24: Tim O’Hearn: Growth Hacking, Black Hat Tactics, and the Real Algorithm

My guest today is Tim O’Hearn, author of Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media—a #1 Amazon Bestseller that breaks down how our feeds, notifications, and recommendations are engineered to manipulate us.But Tim isn’t just an author. He’s spent 8+ years as a software engineer in quant finance, made over $500,000 through social media growth hacking, and literally built the systems that shape what you see online.In this episode, we dig into:How Tim reverse-engineered platforms to gain followers and viralityThe rise of bots, shadowbanning, and black hat marketingWhat it’s like to design feeds and push notifications from the insideWhy your attention is more valuable than your dataThe Dead Internet Theory and the eerie rise of AI-generated contentHow he transitioned from quant finance to gonzo tech criticWhether you’re a builder, marketer, or just curious about what’s really driving your social feed, this conversation will open your eyes.🔗 Connect with Tim O’Hearn:📘 Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media → Buy on Amazon🌐 Website → tjohearn.com💼 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/tohearn🧠 Topics Covered:[00:00] Intro: The Villain in the Feed[06:17] How Tim Made $500K in the Attention Economy[12:45] Reverse-Engineering Social Algorithms[19:32] Shadowbans and the Weaponization of Moderation[27:10] The Psychology of Notifications[35:22] The Dead Internet Theory and AI Content[42:55] From Quant Finance to Gonzo Tech Critic[49:30] Fixing Social Media: Can It Be Saved?[57:03] What Tim’s Reading Now[1:05:45] Final Thoughts and Where to Follow