🎬 “Batman’s New Boss” — Netflix’s buys HBO. Dubai’s AI restaurant. Nothing’s iPhone-killer. +Giant Santa shortage

0:28This is Nick. Besties, you're looking fantastic to start the week Jack, three stories for today's pod What have we got on the show? For our first story Netflix shocked Hollywood on Friday By spending$83 billion to acquire Warner Brothers It's the biggest deal of the year But plot twist Netflix's corporate war has only just begun For our second story It's the hottest new restaurant on earth It's in Dubai And the chef is AI But the real surprise isn't the AI designed menu It's that the AI chef was just on a podcast. And our third and final story. There's a$1.3 billion company that's trying to kill the iPhone.

1:06And it's called Nothing. Yeah, there's something about nothing. And nothing is trending with people cooler and younger than us. Yes, it is. It's a something. But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. I mean, what a mix of stories to start the week. I love the mix, Jack. Hoarder's Almanac, week 298. Ooh, things we are running out of in this economy, Jack, and I've been keeping track for you. This week, we are running out of eight-foot Santa Clauses. Boom, the biggest Christmas ornament in the country is M.I.A. Home Depot is famous for their fantastically large lawn decorations. I mean, Jack, remember the 12-foot skeleton that haunted you for Halloween?

1:44It was scary. My kids love Skelly, and Skelly taught Home Depot to double down on holidays as their new profit puppy. Yeah, the investors, they're loving Skelly too. Not just investors, not just my kids. There's a Facebook Home Depot holiday group with 166 ,000 members wondering what's the next huge lawn decoration. Could it be the six-foot candy canes or the seven-foot reindeer? Hold on, pause the pod. Where are the eight and a half foot Santas? Jack, the nearly nine-foot Santas are missing this year. Home Depot's biggest seasonal product is not available for the first time in years. Because shocker, these giant Santas, they're actually made.

2:22in China. Yeah, they're the biggest victim of the trade war. Literally. So now old giant Santas from previous years are selling on eBay at a 7X markup. Jack and I just found one going for$1 ,400 on the old eBay. Santa, he can fly around the entire world in one single night. He just got stopped by the Commerce Department. He's making a list. He's checking it twice. And Home Depot's Q3 earnings are going to look a lot less nice. Jack, let's see our three stories.

2:52met in the dorm that had an idea to cause a cultural storm it's the best one yet but the best is the norm jack nick that's it i don't even think they need to practice 50 that's a fat tip t-boy city on your at list if you know you know because we ready to go we can't wait no more so just start the show start the show first a quick word from our sponsor

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4:33So use code T-Boy for 20 % off your first order at BureauBrewing.com. Monarch. All right, yeah, these one lobster roll, no joke, 50 bucks on Nantucket. And why is that a problem, Jack? Because we're going to Nantucket this summer on a joint family T-Boy trip. It's a write-off. It is expensive, but we will travel with peace of mind because our finances are organized in Monarch, despite the lobster rolls. Monarch is the personal finance app that tracks everything. Accounts, investments, savings goals, and spending. Get your first year of Monarch Core for half off, just$50 with promo code T-Boy. Monarch shows visually how much you're spending this month compared to the average month, which is really useful.

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5:48For our first story, Netflix, the world's biggest streamer, is buying one of its biggest competitors for$83 billion in the biggest deal of the year. Does this make Netflix a monopoly? We don't think so. But does it make them a monopsony? Yes, it does. And the Targaryens would agree. Now, Yetis, Jack and I have said before that the best minds in business change their minds. Well, exhibit A is Netflix. Because for 20 years, Netflix pledged to have no ads, no live sports, no movie theater debuts, and no big acquisitions. Okay, but in just the last three years, Netflix has changed its mind on all of that.

6:31And it's capped by the biggest acquisition of the year, which was announced on Friday. Netflix is acquiring Warner Brothers movie and TV studios plus HBO Max. Jack, this is Seinfeld and friends together finally on one streamer. The Crown and Sopranos on one streamer. If Kendall Roy existed in real life, Jack, he would have been all over this deal. Well, that's funny because Kendall Roy and Succession are going to join Netflix with this deal. I know, we can finally get that Emily in Paris and Batman crossover episode we've always wanted, Jack. Now, we should point out, the deal does not include the TV networks from Warner Brothers Discovery, which is the bad part of the business that's in decline because of cable TV.

7:10And this deal does include, interestingly, Netflix pledging to continue debuts of Warner Brothers movies in real movie theaters. So to recap it all, Netflix already has ads and live sports, but they just did a huge acquisition and they're going to do a whole bunch of movie theater debuts. All things they said they'd never do. Like we said, Netflix, they changed their mind a few times. The deal is expected to close in 12 to 18 months. Netflix and Warner Brothers will live happily ever after, unless... Plot twist. to beat Paramount and Comcast to this deal, Netflix had to offer 83 billion bucks.

7:45Jack, could you sprinkle on some context, please? 83 billion dollars is three times the price that Warner Brothers Discovery was trading for just six months ago. Here's where the drama of the story comes in. Because Larry Ellison, a Trump donor who bought Paramount the movie company for his son as a birthday gift, he's probably gonna ask President Trump to block this merger. Paramount offered to buy Warner Brothers Discovery first, and they raised their offer price multiple times. They wanted Warner Brothers Discovery so bad. So yeah, they're gonna complain to the White House and try to get this blocked.

8:16But even if this record setting Netflix deal does get blocked, Netflix will still kind of win, right Jack? It's an evil genius move. Because if Warner Brothers Discovery is stuck in legal purgatory for the next 18 months, then in that time, Netflix will only widen its already dominant streaming lead. And by the time Peacock or Paramount finally buy HBO Max, it would already be game over. Now, Yetis, courts will ultimately decide if Netflix buying HBO Max creates a monopoly that's just too big, and we'll cover it on this pod. But whether Netflix ultimately owns Game of Thrones or not, it appears destined to control the Seven Kingdoms.

8:53Because it just pulled off an evil genius move that even Cersei would be proud of. Where are my takeaways? So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Netflix? Netflix plus Warner Brothers and HBO Max is not a monopoly, but it is a monopsony. A monopsony. You see, Yetis, even with HBO, Netflix will control just 9.5 % of all TV watching time in America. So it's not a monopoly in that sense. In fact, YouTube is bigger with 13 % of TV watching time and cable and broadcast TV. They're also bigger than Netflix plus HBO Max. But here's what fascinates Jack and I. What about the other side?

9:33Like, is Netflix a monopoly within the industry of Hollywood? That would be called a monopsony, which is a real economic term. Yeah, it is. It's when one company controls the buy side, in this case, the workers and the suppliers of an industry. Think of it like this. Netflix plus Warner Brothers plus HBO is a major consolidation. And as one entity, it will now have all the leverage within Hollywood. Super Netflix, as we're calling it, could dictate the terms with directors, actors, and writers on their projects and drive down wages potentially. Super Netflix could have its way with theaters and shorten theatrical windows to get to streaming much faster.

10:10Now, antitrust laws do protect consumers against monopolies, but they also protect workers from monopsonies. So besties, Jack and I will cover this deal as it happens or doesn't happen over the next year and a half. In the meantime, grab some popcorn. For our second story, Dubai has opened the world's first AI restaurant where the lead chef, he ain't real. What's most novel to us though, is that this AI chef does PR appearances on podcasts. Sounds fake, but oh, is this a real story? Yeti's, if you haven't been to Dubai, Jack and I were actually just talking about Dubai because I went a few years ago.

10:48And it's basically like a theme park with an unlimited budget. It's like the Mall of America, but very much not in America. Yeah, yeah. And you don't want to litter, But in addition to having the world's largest buildings, man-made islands, and indoor skiing, Dubai is also now home to a restaurant totally run by artificial intelligence. The restaurant is called Woohoo. Could you sprinkle in some context to the name Woohoo, Jack? The AI restaurant is so wild, you say, Woohoo, I guess. That's what they named the restaurant. And it all began three years ago when a restaurateur in Dubai asked Chat GPT for a few menu ideas.

11:22The lamb dish that chat recommended was delicious and became the restaurant's bestseller. Okay, so this entrepreneur then thought, what if I had an entire restaurant that was entirely powered by AI? That's what WooHoo is. That's WooHoo right there, yeah. And if NVIDIA did an office holiday party, it'd be at this restaurant, because this restaurant's their biggest customer. Hands off the shrimp cocktail, Sam Altman. We see what you're doing over there. But yet, when this guy opened up WooHoo, he didn't use Chachipiti anymore. No. Instead, an Emirati tech company built a custom large language model just to be the chef.

11:55Now, the first location of WooHoo opened last month in Dubai, so we jumped in T-boy style. Despite the$130 per person prefix menu, it's selling out tables so far, Nick. Yes, it is. Now, job number one of their homemade artificial intelligence is to simply design the menu. AI does the recipes, but humans do the actual cooking. And then according to Bloomberg, 80 % of that AI menu is actually the kind of stuff you've seen before, not super creative. Yeah, rock shrimp tempura. Oh, wow. So impressed, Jack Chippie-T. Again, Sam Altman off the shrimp, man. But the other 20 % is novel and it's kind of wild.

12:30Like, Jack, did you see on the menu they have a dinosaur heart? What's a dinosaur heart? Beef tartare with Japanese fugu on a rubber plate that, it pulses as you look at it. It pulses as you eat it. It's the kind of dish that no human being chef would have actually thought of. Job number two of the AI at this restaurant is to create ambiance. Not just a menu, it actually choreographs the entire dinner experience. Digital art on the walls, AI music playlists, and entire laser beam performance is all choreographed by the artificial intelligence. Which leads to job number three, which is the cost-cutting element, eliminating waste.

13:05The AI knows who is ordering what, so it procures ingredients and supplies in just the right amount and pushes items to make sure that food doesn't get wasted, cutting food waste up to 51%. But the real fascinating part to us is that WooHoo is actually just a pilot concept. The goal is to license this technology to other restaurants someday. Yeah, so 10 years from now, the Olive Garden is going to be serving you up food created by computers made by WooHoo. I hope not. But job number four of this AI is to promote the restaurant on podcasts. And that made us sit down, stand up, and order up a takeaway.

13:43Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Dubai's AI restaurant? Prepare for AII, artificially intelligent influencers. Yetis, the real innovation to us here is that they gave a face and a voice to this AI technology. They call it Chef Eamon. Chef Eamon is a digital avatar with a classic white chef's shirt, futuristic glasses, and a personality. But Chef Emon is not just a gimmick on the website or social media. He's also the restaurant's external PR guy. This AI face of Woohoo Restaurant makes external guest appearances on podcasts hosted by real humans. Like he could be on our show. Yeah, he could be on our show.

14:22He does interviews, video appearances. He has his own YouTube channel. This is a fake person in the real world talking about a real restaurant made with fake AI. Anybody in the restaurant business knows you need good positive PR and this is the guy who's doing it for them. Jack, it's like a robo Bobby Filet. It's the most innovative part of this AI restaurant concept, an AI public persona. And we think it's the first of many. Prepare for the era of AII, artificially intelligent influencers. Now a quick word from our sponsor. Top hats, baseball hats, Von Dutch hats. We wear so many hats on this podcast.

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16:42For our third and final story, nothing is the anti-Apple startup that has sold 7 million devices to date. If you've got one, you are cooler than us. You really are. You are. I'm actually intimidated by you that you have one. Yeah, we're not. We're judging ourselves. To beat Apple and Google and smartphones, you beat them with style. Now, Yetis, let's start with some context. For companies that sell electronics, the Christmas season is everything. Including for nothing. Nothing. Nothing is something. Yes, it is something. It's an electronic startup that we first covered on this pod five years ago.

17:16Yeah, yeah, we did a story on nothing because we just thought the name was hilarious when they launched. They launched in 2020 with earbuds that basically aren't AirPods. And then And in 2022, they launched a phone that is basically not an iPhone. I'm looking at their online shop right now. Nothing basically sells Apple products that just aren't Apple. And yet is this little tech company that could just raise$200 million in September at a$1.3 billion valuation. Sales rose 150 % last year and are up 100 % this year to$1 billion for this London-based company. Well, now nothing is on a PR blitz trying to give nothing something in terms of a reputation.

17:57I think that's the end of our puns, right? Everything we just said, Jack. I think it was the end of those. So yet he's Jack and I over the weekend dove in T-boy style to a Vogue magazine article about nothing the tech company. Because nothing is trying to become the go-to tech brand for Gen Z creatives, according to Vogue. I'm sorry, Jack. Pause the pod for a second. The phone industry has bigger barriers to entry than Buckingham Palace. This is hard, man. You need billions, right? Yeah. And since nothing has one millionth the resources of Apple and Alphabet, how on earth can they compete with them in smartphones?

18:32Well, first, to save money, the nothing phones operating system runs on top of Android. Android, the free smartphone software of Google. But to beat Apple and Google, nothing isn't trying to be a tech company. It's trying to be cooler than a tech company. For example, they just poached the CMO of the luxury label, Loewe. Yeah, Jack, that's like Tim Cook hiring Ralph Lauren to work at Apple. And they did it because they're trying to turn their phones, their earbuds, and their other tech gadgets into runway-worthy apparel. You see, to stand out, nothing lets you see the hardware guts in the products that you buy.

19:06They have clear casing that shows off everything that's inside. Nothing isn't hiding the engineering behind a white shell like Apple does. No, they're going full voyeur with the screws, the ribbons, the coils, the silicon. It's all visible. Yeah, and this cooler approach to tech got some pretty powerful early investors. The father of the iPod, Tony Fidel, he's an early investor. Oh, and the Reddit co-founder and current CEO, Steve Huffman, who we interviewed on this podcast, he's a current investor too. But the real something to nothing, we think. I thought we were done with the buzz. No, we're not done yet.

19:38We're not done yet, Jack, is in the takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at nothing? To quote Karl Lagerfeld, everything is fashion. Yetis, that's a quote Jack and I love from the famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. And what he means is that everything you buy is a form of self-expression. It's not just the clothes you wear, the choice of bank account, the type of car you drive, the milk you put in your fridge. All of those are choices you've made on how to express yourself. And that's why Nothing's strategy to beat Apple and Google in tech hardware is to be a fashion brand, literally.

20:11In fact, Nothing launched an actual fashion line. We can see it right now on their web. Yeah, right beside the phones and the headphones on the Nothing website is Nothing's streetwear. Samsung's not selling hoodies and tracksuits next to their Chromebooks. No, they're not, Jack. But Nothing is. Besties, Nothing is trying to represent rebellion. Rebel against conformity by not buying an iPhone. That is how you overcome the biggest barriers to entry. You make everything fashion. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us to kick off the week? Netflix is paying a king's ransom to buy Warner Brothers because it doesn't want its competition to buy it.

20:49Is Netflix plus HBO a monopoly? No, but it might be a monopsony in the industry of Hollywood. For our second story, Wahoo is a restaurant in Dubai with a chef that's AI. and that AI chef does PR appearances. You gotta lean into that woohoo next time. You know what I mean? Give it a little elbow grease. Yetis, this is A-I-I, an artificially intelligent influencer. And our third and final story, nothing is a five-year-old startup selling$1 billion worth of earbuds, headphones, phones, and streetwear. Because as Karl Lagerfeld once said, everything is fashion. But besties, this pod's not over yet.

21:26Here's what else you need to know today. First, the biggest drama on Wall Street last week, CNBC just rebranded. That's right. CNBC just got a whole new logo. They've had a peacock since 1989. Classic. By the way, CNBC, Consumer News, and Business Channel. But after 36 years, they just unveiled a new look. It's two shades of blue with a triangle over the letter N. Some consultancy got paid$10 million for that. And second, Viore and J.Crew both just launched ski gear at the same time. Awkward. It's the first time the athleisure brand and the preppy brand have gotten into the ski industry. Okay, but wait, Jack, pause the pod.

22:03So did Skims, Kim Kardashian's Skims, man. Skims just launched their second round of parkas with North Face. Ski gear, it's suddenly the hot new fashion flex, maybe because the Winter Olympics are less than two months away. J.Crew, Viore, and Skims. And finally, Consumer Reports just announced the most reliable car of the year. Jack, who's in the top five? Number five is Toyota. Number four is Honda. Number three is Porsche. Number two is BMW. And number one, to every New Englander's delight, is Subaru. Subaru. Yetis, if you're listening to us on the way to a trailhead with a kombucha in your pocket right now, congratulations.

22:42Your Subaru is number one. I'm pretty sure the whole state of Maine ratings bombed consumer reports to make this real. Bonus points if you got the peace bumper sticker with every religious emblem on it. No, no, no. The question is, does Does the Coexist bumper sticker come with the Subaru, or do you have to buy that afterwards? Now, time for the best fact yet, which, because it's Monday, means T-Boy trivia. Jack, what do we got? Last Friday, we told you Pantone's color of the year for 2026. Yeah, Pantone chose a white color, by the way, or as they call it, Cloud Dancer. Now, color is actually a key subliminal message.

23:16Yes. For instance, blue signals to us humans' trust. Yeah, that's why so many banking apps on your phone use the color blue as their color. But here's our question. What is the one color that subliminally is associated with food? That's right. What is the one color that actually makes your brain feel more hungry? Besties, if you've got a guess, leave it in the comments and Jack and I will reveal the answer on Manana's Pod. Yetis, you look fantastic to start the week. And if you haven't yet, drop down to give us five stars, a rating and review. Jack and I love reading them. Honestly, it makes our week when you kick off the week like that.

23:50And Nick and I will be back for the best one yet tomorrow. H-Y-H-T-B-O-Y. If you know, you know.

23:59And before we go, a congratulations to super legendary Yetis, Cole Bloomfield and Carolina Mountain. They've been listening for years and they just got engaged down in Dallas. Congratulations, guys. Let's see the ring picks. Happy belated birthday to Emily Lecture in San Diego. She's a brand spanking new Yeti. And Angel Alcala is turning 32 years old in Midlothian, Texas. Congrats on the birthday, Angel. Happy birthday to Adrian Queck in Sydney, Australia. And Jonathan Ralston in St. Louis, Missouri is celebrating a blues birthday. Happy birthday to Labella Mayra Perez in the Ciudad de Guatemala in Guatemala.

24:33And a happy birthday to Catherine Stringham down in Arcadia, Arizona. Enjoy the best one yet. Happy eighth birthday to Axel Pirani in San Mateo, California. Hey, Silicon Valley, this kid's got scale. And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T-boy. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. I own stock of Netflix and Reddit, and Nick and I both own stock of Apple. This episode is brought to you by Bill, the intelligent finance platform that helps businesses scale with proven results. Yet he's paying and getting paid? That is a pain for small and medium-sized businesses. Jack, did you send the invoice?

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25:41They have securely processed over a trillion dollars in real transactions. That is proven infrastructure you can actually trust. So besties, talk to an expert at bill.com slash proven and get$150 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.com slash proven. Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details.