Griftonomics: Why Scams are Everywhere Now

Go to and enter “TOMNICHOLAS“ at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. A video about how “passive income“ money-making schemes took over the internet, and the world. Written, directed and presented by Tom Nicholas. Edited by Georgia Burrows. *Chapters* 00:00:00 AI Money-Makers 00:08:00 1. Work Sucks, I Know 00:24:40 2. The Grift Gets Wider 00:40:50 3. The Rent is Too Damn High 00:59:54 4. Grifts All The Way Up 01:14:29 5. Picks & Shovels 01:34:59 6. Temporarily Embarrassed Billionaires 01:42:12 Henson Shaving 01:44:39 Thanks for Watching! *Bibliography* You can find a bibliography for this video on my Patreon, here: Grifts and scams have taken over. Everywhere you look online, gurus are offering quick and easy ways to make money. Social media feeds and the YouTube homepage are dominated by “passive income“ strategies which promise a sure-fire path to financial freedom. At the same time, there has been a rise in anti-grifter content too. Creators including Coffeezilla, Dan Olson, Münecat and Mike Winnet have all dedicated time in recent years to highlighting that making easy money online can actually be a little more difficult than these gurus like to suggest. Whether you’re a financial freedom seeker or a sceptic, it’s clear that grifters and scammers are the zeitgeist. But, while these schemes might initially seem somewhat low-rent marginal, they actually take influence from some of the most successful businesses in the world. And, not in a good way. This is the story of how grifts and scams took over not just the internet, but the world. Watch this video ad-free on Nebula at Support my work on Patreon at Twitter: Instagram: Patreon: Website: Select footage courtesy of Getty Music from Epidemic Sound