In the 1990s, some California residents received up to 10 different phone books delivered to their homes every year as competition among publishers intensified after AT&T's breakup.
Where this was said
At 13:13 · chapter starts 10:20
Phone books were free to receive, but they were anything but free to produce — and AT&T knew exactly how to monetize them [1] — Chuck Bryant "AT&T made $7 billion in 1986 — about $13 billion today — just from charging businesses to appear in the Yellow Pages. It was a government-s…" 10:10 . According to a 1986 article Chuck cites, AT&T made $7 billion annually just from charging businesses to appear in the Yellow Pages. You were never charged to be listed, but you had to pay to be unlisted — a practice Chuck calls extortion and one that many states eventually outlawed through legislation. Josh reveals the 1962 'Let Your Fingers Do the Walking' campaign, which encouraged people to search by phone rather than in person. When the government broke up AT&T's monopoly, regional Bell companies took over their territories — and private publishers flooded the gap, turning Yellow Pages publishing into a competitive free-for-all that would eventually result in some California households receiving up to 10 different phone books per year.
According to a 1986 article, AT&T made $7 billion just from charging businesses to be listed in the Yellow Pages, equivalent to about $13 billion today.
Phone companies listed everyone's name, address, and number by default — then charged you to be removed. Multiple states eventually passed laws against the practice, recognizing it as a form of extortion: pay us or we'll publish your private information.
The iconic 'Let Your Fingers Do the Walking' Yellow Pages ad campaign launched in 1962, encouraging people to find businesses by phone rather than in person.
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
Historically, only 40% of men have ever reproduced — Galloway uses this to argue that romantic success requires effort, not a hall pass.
Robby Hoffman is the 7th of 10 children raised in a Hasidic household in Montreal, where the family was poor and comedy was a survival mechanism.
Robby's Hasidic community had no concept of 'too soon' in comedy — if it was funny, you threw it, and if you bombed, your sibling told you immediately.
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