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CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

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CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

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Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

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Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Leadership

The Simpsons Writer: Our ‘President Trump’ Joke Was a Warning

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Claire Groden
Claire Groden
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By
Claire Groden
Claire Groden
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March 18, 2016, 5:13 PM ET
THE SIMPSONS: The Simpsons get more than they bargained for when they replace their old couch with a new one in the all-new "Pulpit Friction" episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, April 28 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2013 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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It turns out The Simpsons is more than a parody cartoon—sometimes, it’s prophetic.

Sixteen-years-ago, the show’s writers sent Bart Simpson to see a glimpse of his family’s future. While future Bart ended up being a slobby failed musician, his sister Lisa enjoyed a slightly better fate as the “first straight female” president—dealing with a disaster after a certain President Trump left the country broke.

At the time, Donald Trump was far outside the realm of politics. The real estate mogul was still four years away from cementing his celebrity status with the reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, episode writer Dan Greaney said that the reference was a “warning to America.” Trump “just seemed like the logical last stop before hitting bottom. It was pitched because it was consistent with the vision of America going insane.”

He continued, “The Simpsons has always kind of embraced the over the top side of American culture … and [Trump] is just the fulfillment of that.”

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