More or Less · Topics · Episode #159

GLP-1s Went Coastal: New York Vanity Meets a Shrinking Conference Crowd

From #159 — Did OpenAI Stage Its Own Cyber Incident? | Stripe Buying Paypal, Frontier Model Economics, Peptides · July 24, 2026 · 2:42 min · Jessica Lessin, Dave Morin, Brit Morin, Sam Lessin

Clip from the full recording, 57:59–60:40 · download mp4 · watch at this point on YouTube

Brit traces GLP-1's origin to New York vanity culture, Sam counters with his east-to-west theory of how trends spread, and Jess recalls the exact moment she realized why a Hamptons conference crowd had gotten a third smaller.

Sam suggests these body-optimization obsessions always seem to start in the Hamptons; Dave insists this has actually been the conversation in California for two years and that the group is just experiencing an echo. Jess disagrees on intensity, not geography — she says it’s escalated to the point where you can walk into a twelve-person dinner party and six people will be on peptides. Brit stakes out the origin claim precisely: GLP-1s started in New York City specifically, because New York is the most vain and most competitive place. Sam elevates that into a broader rule he’s clearly proud of: the West Coast is where technology starts and moves east, but culture and cultural trends start in the east and move west — with sushi and yoga as his acknowledged West Coast exceptions.

Jess closes the segment with her own origin story: at an annual Hamptons conference, she looked around, realized everyone was roughly a third smaller than two or three years prior, turned to a friend, and asked what happened — the answer was simply “GLP-1s.” Brit, self-described “peptide curious,” admits she needs to get educated. The whole peptide-and-GLP-1 arc closes on a run of disclaimers that becomes its own bit: Jess insists neither peptides nor Sam’s habits are illegal (just unapproved), and the group formally states they are not medical or financial professionals and are “just reporting on the culture” — twice, for emphasis, before signing off for the week.

Key points

• Dave argues GLP-1/peptide obsession has been the California conversation for two years; the Hamptons group is just hearing the echo now.
• Brit's origin claim: GLP-1s started specifically in New York City, driven by the city's vanity and competitiveness.
• Sam's broader cultural-diffusion rule: technology moves west-to-east, but culture and trends move east-to-west (with sushi and yoga as his acknowledged exceptions).
• Jess's anecdote: at an annual Hamptons conference she noticed the crowd had visibly shrunk by a third over two to three years — the answer, from a friend, was simply "GLP-1s."
• Brit self-identifies as "peptide curious" and admits she needs to catch up.
• The segment closes on a running disclaimer bit: not illegal, not medical or financial advice, "just reporting on the culture."

Where they landed

Quotes

“I think GLP-1 started in New York City. I think New York is the most vain place, and definitely all those things start there.”— Brit

“The West Coast is where technology starts and moves east. All culture and culture trends start in the east and move west.”— Sam

“Three years ago and two years ago, everyone was a third smaller. I turned to a friend and said, 'What happened?' And she's like, 'GLP-1s.' That's when I knew.”— Jess

“We're just reporting on the culture. Just reporting on the culture.”— Dave

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