PPI Stays Elevated at 2.9% Amid Fed QE Shift
January’s US Producer Price Index (PPI) was just released. PPI REMAINS ELEVATED at 2.9%/yr. As the Fed pivots away from Quantitative Tightening to Quantitative Easing, it’s having trouble putting the INFLATION GENIE BACK IN THE BOTTLE. https://t.co/PsHdiaQZzH
Judge Andrews' Delay Feels Like Being the Last Pick
Waiting for Judge Andrews to make his $LQDA decision is like being the fat kid waiting to get picked only after the captains have picked everyone else first... https://t.co/LtzJmQ7O7t
Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8 B Breakup Fee for WBD Deal
Netflix Says Paramount Has Paid $2.8 Billion Breakup Fee for Warner Bros. Discovery Deal https://t.co/tPYGdECLW7
Orbán Deploys Troops, Labels Ukraine Threat to Energy
PM Viktor Orbán has deployed troops & police to protect Hungary’s critical energy infrastructure. Orbán cites an alleged "oil blockade" & "blackmail" from Ukraine. It’s as clear as the nose on your face that Hungary, a member of NATO, views Ukraine as...
U.S. Critical Mineral Imports Surge, Few Nations Dominate
America’s net import reliance for critical minerals in 2025, along with the primary countries supplying them between 2021 and 2024 https://t.co/89QwEHKe16 via @visualcap
From Hollywood’s Most Hated to $790M Dealmaker
Three years ago, David Zaslav was called "the most hated man in Hollywood." Now he's pulled off one of the biggest deals in media history, engineering a bidding war that earned him $790.5 million. How it all happened, with @LaurenSHirsch: https://t.co/jaz2VIbdCe
Opaque Private Debt Markets Reveal Growing Financial Fragility
Private debt markets have been struggling for some time. These are nonbank lenders, largely in the private equity space, although they do rely upon bank credit. This is one of many fragilities in the financial market and the economy more...
Paramount Pays Netflix $2.8B Termination Fee for WBD Deal
Netflix, in SEC filing, says Paramount 'on behalf of WBD, paid the $2,800,000,000 termination fee owed to Netflix in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.'
People Skills Matter More than Technical Expertise
Your lack of people skills cost you more opportunities than your lack of technical ones.
Private Credit’s Worst Deals: Aggregators, Roll‑ups, Soccer, Education
The worst segments of private credit (hint: it's not software*): Amazon aggregators Dental roll-ups Veterinary roll-ups Soccer teams Education *except for Pluralsight, which may be the worst private credit deal of all time
David Ellison Secures Warner Bros Deal After Netflix Backs Out
Last Saturday, Netflix was the heavy favorite to buy Warner Bros. What changed? How did David Ellison pull it off? Why did Netflix back off? Behind the scenes of one of the biggest deals in business history with @MichelleF_Davis and @joshua_sisco...
Factory Construction Down 13%—Trump Misreads the Data
Trump has to stop reading charts upside down. Factory construction is down around 13% after adjusting for inflation. https://t.co/YNFjjiLWfV That's only a boom in Trump's skull.
CEOs View AI Agents as Automation Catalyst, Demand Expert Engineers
I talk to Fortune 500 CEOs and CIOs all time that are starting to think about all the new things that they’re going to build software for, and automate. Agents are the first thing that makes this viable for them....
Scale Empathy with Unified Service Management, Not Chatbots
The CMO wants "empathy," but the CIO needs "architecture." You can't scale empathy without a unified platform that connects front-office engagement to back-office execution. Don't buy a chatbot; invest in a Service Management ecosystem. Details: https://t.co/ajGMKZ1mkJ #CIO #CMO #CX #CCaaS #AI #ServiceManagement
Free Trials Work When Value Triggers Prompt Payment
Founders: Free trials are fine, but they need clear value triggers. Like Yesware limiting free email tracking volume - when pros hit the cap, they're seeing enough value to pay. Don't give away your core value indefinitely. Gate it behind reasonable limits.
US Ignores China AI Threat to Corporate Profits
Notable IMO b/c thus far this sell-off narrative seems to be focused solely on how US AI could disrupt the US. No one seems to be worried yet about what happens to US corporate profits if China AI disrupts the US. If...
SPAC IPOs Raise $10B in First Two Months
Just two months into the year and there have been 51 SPAC IPOs, which have raised a total of more than $10 billion, exceeding the total blank check IPO issuance in all of 2024. https://t.co/qkcICZwFet
UPS Cuts 78,000 Jobs: Strategic Restructuring or Survival?
UPS . Layoff of 78,000 employees. There had better be more to this. Is it strategic? Stave off a dark cloud? A significant restructuring? Redefining itself? To? Why—the back story?
Global Rotation From US Assets to Rest of World Begins
The 15+ year breakout is sending a very clear message: The global rotation out of US-based assets and into the rest of the world has officially begun, in my view. New macro presentation is out: https://t.co/GY7oyQol42 https://t.co/rypcHQGugR
U.S. Home Prices Stagnate, Punta Gorda & Austin Plunge
Freddie Mac House Price Index Decreased in January; Up only 0.4% Year-over-year Punta Gorda House Prices Down 22% from Recent Peak, Austin Down 18% https://calculatedrisk.substack.com/p/freddie-mac-house-price-index-decreased
Small Force Wins Through Cohesion, Momentum, Empowered Leadership
“A thousand soldiers took down a city of 6 million. Not by magic. By cohesion, momentum, sustainment, and leaders who empowered initiative under fire." General (ret) David Perkins discussing the 2003 Battle of Baghdad on my @WarInstitute UWP podcast. https://t.co/Icc6ylRqaQ
Early Bets Win; Amazon’s Late Entry Costs Billions
Early positioning beats late capital every time. Amazon just invested $50 billion in OpenAI for 6 percent ownership and distribution rights. Microsoft invested $13.8 billion starting in 2019 and owns 23.5 percent with exclusive IP, revenue sharing, and API control locked through...
Google Experiments Adding Web Mentions to Retailer Reviews
ICYMI: Google tests web mentions in the reviews section of retailer store pages https://t.co/SuUPYs3fu4 https://t.co/2sQKHp9rT9
Prioritize Growth and Brand Over Early Profit
Profitability shouldn't always be the primary goal in the early stages. Sometimes, investing in growth, user experience, and brand reputation is more important than immediate profits. Play the long game. ✨
JPMorgan, Not Stripe, Seen as Viable PayPal Buyer
.@ShenLucinda argues that Stripe isn't a logical buyer for PayPal. But JPMorgan may be. https://t.co/5mg3m05s44
Amazon Bets Low-Cost Strategy to Dominate AI
.@WSJ: Amazon Tries Its Low-Cost Approach to Winning the AI Race. < My quote within the post. https://t.co/Z8Y3jv0mqC #CIO #AI
Druzhba Pipeline Remains Vital Amid Disputed Repairs
The Druzhba pipeline, which supplies 100% of Slovakia's oil & 86% of Hungary's oil, remains FRONT & CENTER. Hungarian PM Orban & Slovak PM Fico have both asserted that the pipeline is functional, while Ukraine asserts that the pipeline has not...
Weekly Chartbook Offers 50+ Slides for Forward Guidance
50+ slide chartbook to go along with our @ForwardGuidance episodes - posted every week. https://t.co/BewBom4N6L
Companies Rebrand Routine Restructuring as ‘AI’ Overhype
Block built two parallel company structures during COVID and is now collapsing them. That's a management correction, not an AI story. Worth watching which other companies use "AI restructuring" as branding for decisions they would've made anyway. Expect a...
Company Secures Record Private Funding Amid Cofounder Lawsuit
Remarkable that a company raises largest private round ever, while in the midst of being sued by a cofounder who also happens to be the world' richest man.
Revenue Growth Trumps Profit as Companies Form Interlinked Borg
I take @sama point on circular dealmaking concerns -- that the revenue growth is key metric. And will leave profit concerns for another day. But also true that these companies are becoming something of a borg. If one goes down, it's...
Warner Execs Stunned by Paramount Deal, Consider Sale
Warner Town Hall: Management sounds shell shocked about the Paramount deal. Do they really want to sell? https://t.co/XWnrLMB7zM
CEOs Must Prioritize Talent over AI Rollout Hype
“AI rollout is the focus for most leaders at the moment—but it may not be the right priority.” CEOs should be scrutinizing “the capability of the people who are going to be dealing with the AI.” Many good points here via @FT. #technology...
ChatGPT's 900M Users vs 50M Paying Subscribers
900M+ weekly active users, but 50M consumer subscribers? For some reason I was expecting more -> OpenAI says ChatGPT has 900M+ weekly active users, 50M+ consumer subscribers, and weekly Codex users have more than tripled since the start of the...
Atrium Launches to Tackle Rare Heart Diseases with RNA
Atrium spins out of Avidity, aiming to target rare heart diseases with RNA https://t.co/xLp2oQDHGy $RNA $NVS #startups
Charter Ends DEI, Pushes Cox Merger and Onshoring
NEW Charter tells @BrendanCarrFCC that it ended DEI, as it continues to pursue its merger with Cox: https://t.co/s4uJ8LIA1d Charter also said it will do some onshoring: https://t.co/JqEELKcoU4 $CHTR
Paramount‑Warner Merger Unites Film, News, and Social Media
Paramount, Warner Bros deal would unite film, news and social media forces in the age of Trump My analysis for NPR: https://t.co/zsdkP7wB8K
Efficiency Revolution: Companies Will Trim Workforce by Half
Could you operate your company with half the people? Jack Dorsey’s announcement yesterday, reducing Block’s headcount from 10,000 to 6,000, should provoke this question in every management team. The stock surged 24%. Dorsey’s memo framed it as inevitable : Within...
Price by ROI Metrics, Not Guesswork
Founders: ROI pricing is powerful but requires clear metrics. If you can prove '1 missed recruiting fee per 500 candidates' or '25% higher win rates,' price against that value. If not, index off competitor pricing and iterate up based on market response.
AI, Private Credit, and US Debt Drive Market Volatility
Having @bethanymac12 on the show to discuss the economy, markets & the issues currently causing volatility like the benefits/consequences of A.I. as well as trends in Private Credit is invaluable. We also hit $FNMA $FMCC. Of course my @Kalshi topic...
New Ideas Must Prove Two Benefits or Stay Ignored
When you put a project on hold for a new idea, ask yourself, How would this make my original course of action easier or more effective? If you can't immediately think of two convincing ways, it's probably a distraction.
Tariff Refunds Spark Unexpected Market Reaction
I run a family account that is very light on profanity, but I'm making an exception here because this is highly relevant re: policy - i.e., the market response to tariff refunds - and is also kinda funny https://t.co/W4w9escVzV https://t.co/5sIpIX72ON
Data‑driven Debate, Not Magical Thinking, Drives Solutions
A “serious and responsible discussion” would start with the data, name the trade-offs, and propose fixes. Magical thinking isn’t a program; it’s an alibi. https://t.co/wtjQL4ly9p
Procrastination Can Be Rational Amid Unclear Goals
Procrastination is often a perfectly rational reaction to a situation with unclear direction and uncertain payoff.
AI Success Demands Dedicated Agent Management Teams
To Thrive in the AI Era, Companies Need Agent Managers https://t.co/5kEKrzEC7v [Reg Req] #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Tech #TechNews https://t.co/UUV6jamuJD
OpenAI's Record Funding Rattles AI Giants and Software Stocks
There's a new kingmaker in AI... OpenAI raises the largest private funding round in history and two of the biggest backers ($NVDA and $AMZN) are down to flat today. Meanwhile a blog post from Anthropic sends software stocks swinging
CNN Staff Fear Sale to Paramount Amid Shaky Stewardship
Anderson, cooped. Jake, tapped. Erin, burnt. Kasie, hunted. Wolf, blitzed. Fears are running high among CNN staff after parent company Warner cleared the way for a sale to Paramount, which has been a shaky custodian of its own journalism assets https://t.co/c3LvI7HQXl
CNN Staff Fear Warner‑Paramount Merger Will Damage Journalism
CNN Staffers Fear Warner Bros.-Paramount Deal Will Hurt Their Journalism and Network’s Financial Health https://t.co/c3LvI7Hj7N via @variety
New CEO Bullish on Mobile, Convergence Takes Time
Jim Holanda, Cable One's new CEO, is bullish about mobile but warns that the operator's budding convergence strategy will take time to drive results. @Light_Reading https://t.co/aH0YccspLJ
Pandemic Hiring Mistakes Rival AI's Labor Market Impact
AI could be affecting the labor market right now, but it's also important to remember that we're all still living in the shadow of pandemic decisions made years ago. We should treat their downstream effects as at least as strong...