In the third episode of Rabbit Hole, it is revealed that Weir’s knowledge of easily deceiving people comes from his father’s research called ‘The Algorithms of Control’.
When Weir loses his father as a kid, he attempts to find answers. He knows about a safe that his father used to keep. With the help of his new friend, Miles Valence, who is well-versed in mathematics and computer codes, he opens up the safe.
Inside the safe, they discover years of research that Weir’s father, Ben, has done, which is called ‘The Algorithms of Control’, a cognitive data formulae to predict and manipulate human behavior.
The true purpose of Ben’s research
Weir’s father, Ben, returns from the dead after finding out about Weir and Valence’s firm, Arda Analytics, and how they are using his research. He talks about someone named Crowley using his research to topple the US democracy and build a regime of his own.
Weir doesn’t believe his father at first, but when his prediction involving an attack comes true, both Weir and Valence meet him. Ben talks about his research, The Algorithms of Control, which involves techniques to manipulate populations.
Ben’s agency used it to undermine elections, sway public support, and elect favorable regimes.
How did Weir and Valence use Ben’s research?
Weir and Valence study this research and use it to earn money. They deceive their client’s rivals and manipulate them into believing something, which will encourage them to make certain moves that will benefit Weir and Valence’s clients.
Weir and Valence later attempt to turn this into a full-fledged business by collecting data on individuals and firms and using it to give their clients an edge.
In 2013, Weir and Valence worked together to help a snack food brand. They researched and found out that the food brand’s competition, which has three times their marketing reach, is in the process of making a product that is quite similar to theirs.
In order to help their client and buy them some time, Weir and Valence orchestrated a mass psychogenic event, as in, a simple hysteria. Weir and Valence planted their teammates in the rival company’s test groups.
With a few carefully placed reactions from Weir and Valence’s team, they induced a nightmare scenario for the rival company. In simple terms, Weir and Valence’s team reacted a certain way to the rival company’s product and got the other participants to agree with them.
The event derailed the release of the rival company’s product for at least a year. Weir and Valence had assured their client that they would achieve this crazy feat, and they managed to do so.
Throughout the show so far, Weir has used ‘The Algorithms of Control’ several times to escape calamity and for his clients. In the premiere episode, he staged a news broadcast to convince a businessman to sell his stocks so that his client can benefit.
While working on Valence’s last job for the company called Luxbrant, Weir brought two individuals together in one place just to show that they are working together to take Luxbrant down.
Also Read: The Luxbrant job in Rabbit Hole explained