Has the era of optimization finally reached a fever pitch? Veneers, perfect minimalist home decor, and even eye whitening drops are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many ways we can ‘optimize’ our lives. But at what cost? And how did we even get to this point? To understand this trend we’re talking with Bloomberg Business Week Senior Writer <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AW1_jD-e1dM/amanda-mull"target="_blank" >Amanda Mull</a>, who wrote <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/from-veneers-to-ai-pursuit-of-perfection-runs-its-course-on-tiktok-instagram?srnd=undefined"target="_blank" >The Optimization Backlash Has Begun</a>, to understand how optimization has become the name of the game online and why it’s starting to wear thin. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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