• Oct 26, 2026
• Marketing

Marketing

Season 4, Episode 1: The Roach Motel Hired a Robot

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="tVpwu6pg5t"><a href="https://touchpoint.health/podcast/season-4-episode-1-the-roach-motel-hired-a-robot/">Season 4, Episode 1: The Roach Motel Hired a Robot</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://touchpoint.health/podcast/season-4-episode-1-the-roach-motel-hired-a-robot/embed/#?secret=tVpwu6pg5t" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Season 4, Episode 1: The Roach Motel Hired a Robot&#8221; &#8212; Touch Point Media" data-secret="tVpwu6pg5t" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://touchpoint.health/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

Signing up takes one click. Leaving takes five screens, a notice clause and, in Ed’s case, an overseas collection agency.

Ed Bennett and Chris Boyer take on the subscription trap, starting with Ed’s forgotten $150 software renewal and the AI-written dunning emails that followed. The FTC’s click-to-cancel rule died in court days before it took effect. What changed is the cost. When a machine writes personalized collection threats for free, chasing one dollar on a hundred-dollar debt starts to make sense. It’s enough to turn Ed, the show’s resident AI enthusiast, into a self-described Luddite.

Tech rec: You Can See Everything, the three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.

In the AI Stump, Chris asks a chatbot to design a cancellation flow nobody can finish. It says no until he calls it an example.

Easy in. Hard out. Dunned by a robot. Surprise, it’s not a toaster.

References & Further Reading

Subscriptions and Deceptive Design

• Dark pattern (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_pattern
• Deceptive Patterns, Harry Brignull: https://www.deceptive.design/
• Eighth Circuit Vacates FTC’s Click-to-Cancel Rule (Fenwick): https://www.fenwick.com/insights/publications/eighth-circuit-vacates-ftcs-click-to-cancel-rule
• Germany: The Obligation to Provide Consumers With an Online Cancellation Button (Bird & Bird): https://www.twobirds.com/en/insights/2025/germany/germany-the-obligation-to-provide-consumers-with-an-online-cancellation-button–update-on-recent-rul

You Can See Everything

• You Can See Everything review (Variety): https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/nathan-fielder-surprise-film-telluride-elizabeth-holmes-1236853513/
• Billy Evans’ “Theranos 2.0” startup has patents, investors and a missing CTO (Fortune): https://fortune.com/2026/10/25/elizabeth-holmes-partner-billy-evans-haemanthus-blood-testing-startup-theranos/

The “Flying” Roadster

• Tesla unveils what it says is a flying car (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/15/business/tesla-unveils-what-it-says-is-a-flying-car

Find Us

• Chris Boyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisboyer/
• Ed Bennett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbennett/
• Chris Boyer website: http://www.christopherboyer.com
• Chris Boyer on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chrisboyer.bsky.social
• Ed Bennett on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/edbennett.bsky.social