Thursday was one of my favorite days of the year. Twice a year, we gather media professionals to talk about, well, the future of media. It’s a program based on the bootcamp we run for the media companies we invest in—condensed to eight grueling hours of talking about subscription funnels, analytics packages and where this crazy business is heading.

This time around software companies Airtable and Piano offered some afternoon sessions on topics like on subscription best practices and brainstorming content. I learned a lot, including from the participants who joined us from companies ranging from Bloomberg and Univision to the NBA.

First up, after presentations from myself and The Information’s senior director of business and operations Peter Schulz, was Alex Mather, CEO of the Athletic. I must say, if you have a chance to pick the brain of the 33-year-old Mr. Mather, take it—or just read his answers to my questions. Warning: it may make you rethink everything you think you know about your media business.