The Best One Yet - 🏰 “Donald Duck Diplomacy” — DisneyLand Abu Dhabi. Elon’s Texas city. Russell Westbrook's AI funeral app.

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Thursday, the new Friday, May 8th. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T-boy. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Wow. Wow.

Starting point is 00:00:15 Wow. Wow. Are we overwhelmed with the support from our Midwestern Yeti's out there? I knew Midwesterners were known for their hospitality. But, boy, yeah, that was awesome. Thank you for buying tickets to our Chicago Live show. We still got tickets available. Right now, you can grab them with a link in the episode description.

Starting point is 00:00:33 We're going to be at the Vig Theater in Chicago. Wonderful venue. We cannot wait to perform there July 23rd. A thousand seats screaming, Yetis and Bessies, we can't wait to see you. Grab your tickets now and Jack. Three stories for today's show. What do we got? For our first story, Disney just announced its seventh theme park.

Starting point is 00:00:52 The Magic Kingdom is coming to the Middle East. But the real value of Disneyland Abu Dhabi is Donald Duck diplomacy. For our second. story. Elon Musk has a new title to add to his LinkedIn. Founder of a city. That's right, Starbase is the latest incorporated city in Texas, and this goes all the

Starting point is 00:01:10 way back to the 1880s. And our third and final story is a wild headline. Oh, so true. The NBA star Russell Westbrook just launched an AI startup for funerals. Because there is no business with a bigger customer base than death. The Tam

Starting point is 00:01:26 is everyone. It's huge. It's huge. But yet is, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Fantastic mix of stories, Jack. Nobody else is doing that mix today. The Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was one of the mightiest animals of all time. 40 feet long, 12 feet tall, this thing was like a two-legged bulldozer with teeth. Did you know that each tooth is the size of a banana? And they had like 38 teeth. That's why those T-Rexes had such big dental bills, Jack. But the T-Rex is about to become a pocketbook. Get this. Bioengineers in England are using fossilized T-Rex, to create dinosaur leather.

Starting point is 00:02:02 That's right, they're basically taking the T-Rex from a carnivore to a clutch. Now, why are paleontologists pivoting to pocketbooks, Nick? Well, Jack, have you seen how much people are willing to pay for a handbag these days? And this opens up the door to a whole dino fashion industry. Oh, it totally does. Jack, what about a triceratops bag from Kate Spade? Or a velociraptor bag from Christian Dior. I gotta ask, Jack, what if the dinosaur was a herbivore? Does that mean it technically qualifies as vegan leather?

Starting point is 00:02:28 One sec. That bronosaurus burrubes? Birkenbag is $50,000? Now, the professors behind this say that this fashion stunt is to highlight advancements and lab-grown skin technology. But it means besties that if you love handbags and your child loves dinosaurs, then bring your kid to Rodeo Drive and feed two birds with one scum. Life finds a way. Just don't lose your phone in that T-Rex handbag.

Starting point is 00:02:51 No, that thing, that'll bite your hand off, literally. True. Jack, three stories. Let's hit him, baby. Fifteen years before this song, two boys from... the northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm.

Starting point is 00:03:06 Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50% that's a fat tip. Tea boy city on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

Starting point is 00:03:35 For our first story, Disney is building its seventh theme park, The first since Shanghai back in 2016. Where will it be? Where, Jack? Abu Dhabi. The Middle East is getting its first dose of Donald Duck diplomacy. Now, Yeti is a funny thing, Jack, and I should share with you. We actually have a name for Disney's CEO Bob Eiger.

Starting point is 00:03:56 We call him Tinkerbob. Because like Tinkerbell, he just sprinkled pixie dust all over Disney's stock. Yeti's full disclosure, that nickname is news to me as of right now. I did just come up with it, but Jack, you kind of have to roll with it. I approve because Disney stock jumped 11% yesterday after all of its divisions outperformed in their first quarter earnings report. Hulu and Disney Plus both made nine times more profit in Q1 than they did last year. Streaming is surging over at Disney. And Bob Eiger said that the next 18 months of Disney movies are going to be their best since 2019.

Starting point is 00:04:31 So Jack, you've got three kids. Tell us what's on the Disney movie docket right now. Right now in theaters is a live action remake of Lilo and Stitch. Soon we're going to get Zootopia 2, Avatar 3, Fantastic 4, 4, and Toy Story 5. Basically, it is hot sequel summer over at Disney, baby. It's hot sequel summer every summer at Disney. That's true. Well play.

Starting point is 00:04:54 Well play, Jack. But the big news at Disney was physical. Disney's next theme park. Jack, who's getting the rose? This is a big deal. They only announce a new theme park like every 10 years, and the next one is coming to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. That's right, Disney will finally come to Aladdin's home region of the Arabian Peninsula.

Starting point is 00:05:14 Located right on the beach, people at this theme park can jump right into the Persian Gulf when the temperatures hit 120 degrees in August, which they do. True story, true story. But besties, here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. The wildest part is that Disney isn't paying for any of it. That's right. Mickey is not even going to open his wallet for the development. of this new theme park. Get this. Bob Eiger said that it'll take two years to design Disneyland

Starting point is 00:05:43 Abu Dhabi, and then five more years just to build Disneyland Abu Dhabi. Now, while Disney will design this theme park, they're not going to hammer a single nail, they're not going to lay a single brick. They're not even going to rub a single lamp jack. No, they're not. Disney is simply licensing all of its characters and its IP to a company called Moral. Now, Moral is going to build and operate this location because Moral is the real estate developer of this oil-rich nation. Get this. Maral has already built SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi, and dozens of high-rise hotels right on the beach in Abu Dhabi. Moral is basically pioneered a new industry, theme parks as a service. Yes, they have. You know, it has. So Moral is going to finance the estimated

Starting point is 00:06:28 $5 billion construction of this new Disneyland, and then they're going to take a majority of the revenues because they built the thing. That's the business model here. Basically, it's a rev share with Disney so that this new theme park is going to be profitable for Disney on day one. It's just going to be positive dollars starting on day one because there's no costs for Disney. But let's take this further, Yetis, because theme parks, the division at Disney, actually makes up two-thirds of the entire company's profits. But the theme park drives sales of all the other divisions, too. That's the key. Millions of children from the Middle East will now visit Disneyland Abu Dhabi and then want more Disney stuff.

Starting point is 00:07:05 Kids from India will visit this park too, because Mumbai is only a three-hour flight to Abu Dhabi. And here's how the Disney flywheel works. First, the child goes to Abu Dhabi Disney. Then they beg their parents to get a Disney Plus subscription. Then they wanted Moana Lunchbox, and finally, they asked to see the Lion King musical on their next trip to New York City. Walt Disney couldn't have said it better himself next.

Starting point is 00:07:25 And that same nine-year-old child, Jack, she isn't just going to love Disney. she's going to also like America a little bit more too because of our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddy is over at Disney? Disney is a cultural ambassador to the United States. Yet it is just like when Disney entered China back in 2016, it's going to face some criticism for entering the UAE today. Why? A bunch of reasons. For example, it's illegal in the UAE to criticize the government.

Starting point is 00:07:57 It's also illegal in UAE to be a home. homosexual. But Disney movies have been known to influence culture in a type of soft power kind of way. Beauty and the Beast, it teaches us not to judge people by their looks. Zootopia! It's hilarious! But it's also about diversity. Oh, and inside out? That is basically 90 minutes of therapy right there. Luca? A movie made for your son, Nick, because it takes place in Italy? Jack, share your takeaway on that movie. The Sea Monsters, who are the main characters, it's an analogy for otherness. The whole movie is a lesson on tolerance. In fact, surveys show that Disney parks promote tolerance and reduce suspicion of American values overseas.

Starting point is 00:08:35 Having that force of good and profit over in Abu Dhabi is probably a good thing for everyone. That should be a shareholder like Jack. Yeties, we call this Donald Duck diplomacy. Disney parks aren't just good for Disney stock. It's good for American interests and good for some nice common values too. For our second story, Elon Musk has a new title

Starting point is 00:09:00 to add to his resume, founding father of a U.S. city. It's called Starbase. It just incorporated in the state of Texas, and it's part of a little-known American tradition. Yet is, if you jump in your car, whip out a map, and head on down to the extreme southern tip of Texas, right where the Rio Grande River dumps into the Gulf, you're going to see a small town on your left.

Starting point is 00:09:24 And the houses are all the same. Black roofs, each one topped with solar panels, and white shiplap walls. Yeah, it's giving Truman Show vibes. There's a palm tree on the lawn. There's a Tesla in every driveway. And one of the streets is called meme street. Yeah, as in memes like internet memes street.

Starting point is 00:09:42 And then you see a 10-foot statue of Elon Musk's head in the center of the town. Because Yeti's at all-it-up and where you are sitting right there is Starbase, Texas. This is the launch location of Elon's SpaceX rocket company. There's actually even a bar called the Astro Pub. If you had a little bit further down the road, which is a lot. an Elon-owned bar selling beer. Population of this town, 247. Nearly all of them are SpaceX employees. You drive two and a half miles east of town and you're going to see the launch pad where SpaceX rockets blast off into the galaxy. Before SpaceX, this was nothing. It was completely undeveloped

Starting point is 00:10:17 land, but now a bunch of people live there and rocket chips take off from there. And here's the news. Over the weekend, that town voted to incorporate, become a company town officially as Starbase. There were 212 votes for, only six votes against. They even have a mayor. That's right, engineer Bobby Pieden is now the 36-year-old mayor of this official Texas town. And the reason they wanted to do this is that SpaceX pays $1.5 billion a year to run this little area of Texas. But now that it's an official town, they get state revenue to help pay for the roads and the schools. That's right, the government of Texas will now be picking up the bill running this town, just like they run Houston, Austin,

Starting point is 00:10:59 or any town over in Texas. But Nick, Elon probably would say that Starbase isn't a town at all. What it really is is a spaceport. That's right. And Jack and I just read a quote from Ark Invest, an investment firm, on why they're bullish on SpaceX, and it reveals why this now official town is really a powerful spaceport. This quote is insane, and we had to read it to you in its entirety.

Starting point is 00:11:23 Okay, here it is, here it is. SpaceX works like a flywheel. Beginning with cash, SpaceX builds rockets, and satellites, which generate cash through Starlink Internet service. And then that cash gets reinvested until the satellite constellation is complete up in the sky. At that point, we assume that SpaceX goes all in on Mars. And each rocket to Mars will carry a mix of Tesla's humanoid robots. That's quite an investment thesis. Jack, can you please give us a translation on that This town isn't an airport. It's a spaceport that will colonize Mars with humanoid robots and some humans too.

Starting point is 00:12:02 Let that sink in. So Elon's now got an official town with a real mayor to ultimately colonize another planet. And it's now recognized by the state of Texas. However, Elon was not the first one to this concept, which led us to this takeaway. Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are everyone interested in business? The company town is America's oldest business pastime. Yeah, he's beginning with the Industrial Revolution. The first company town was Pullman, Illinois back in 1880. The Pullman train company pioneered providing housing for its workers, and it was a model of efficiency. Now, that company town fell apart during a strike a few decades later, but then Milton Hershey established Hershey, Pennsylvania, which we actually covered in our The Best Idea Yet episode on the Reese's Peanut Buttercup.

Starting point is 00:12:52 Milton Hershey built schools, museums, and ice hockey team, even a theme park, Hershey Park. And that's a model community that still exists today in Pennsylvania. But then, in the mid-20th century, with the rise of automobiles, company towns, they kind of fell out of favor, right, Jack? Workers could commute in from further distances thanks to their car or their bus or whatever, and so people wanted to live in the suburbs. The latest company town, you could argue, is Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart just keeps investing and investing and investing. So if you think of company towns, it might give you the ick because the company has too much control over everything. You could see it as a dystopia or maybe you see it as a utopia of corporate generosity like the Hershey Town. So Starbase, the newest town in Texas, it was founded by Elon.

Starting point is 00:13:36 It sounds totally new, but it's actually part of an old American tradition. The company town. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, NBA star Russell Westbrook is launching. launching a funeral startup with AI. Yes, that's a real headline. It's a true story. And yes, Russell Westbrook did play in a playoff game on Monday night

Starting point is 00:14:04 and then launch a startup on Wednesday. That happens to be about death. But this story also brings up a real question for everyone building AI. Yeties, three years ago, Jack and I covered a story on this pot about a casket startup called Titan. Venture Capital was coming alive when it comes to death. Yeah, because not only is death a recession proof, But the death industry also happens to be a profit puppy.

Starting point is 00:14:28 It's honestly the most overlooked opportunity in business. Because the only thing in life that's guaranteed is death. You know, on taxes, you can get an exemption, Jack. Yeah, there's no, death exemption. No, no, no, you can't write that off. So we are curious about this headline. Russell Westbrook launches a funeral app with artificial intelligence. Jack and I were like, a basketball player, artificial intelligence, and funerals?

Starting point is 00:14:51 It feels like we could jump at T-boy style. Sounds like a mad-libs. But the company is called Easewell. It's a platform for funerals that connects grieving survivors with all the vendors and resources you need to honor the dead person. Basically like an Expedia for the end of your life kind of a thing. You can get quotes from funeral homes, find financing to pay for the funeral, and manage the invites to the funeral too. Basically, a one-stop shop for when your pop drops. Exactly.

Starting point is 00:15:13 Yeah. And then it uses AI to call funeral homes, get prices, and confirm availability. Yeah, we checked it out. In San Francisco, the Duggan funeral home is going to cost you about $4,300 bucks. Okay, okay. The Green Street mortuary is $5,700. Okay, but Jack, if something happens to be on this pod, and we don't want to get too expensive,

Starting point is 00:15:31 then we could cremate you for just $1,600. Cremation's a total steel these days. But besties, the second scariest part about dying is how much it costs, because like we said, death is a profit puppy. We've also said when there's mystery, there's margin, and there's so much mystery and how much it actually costs to do a funeral.

Starting point is 00:15:52 Yeah, because you've to make big decisions with little information really quickly, it's kind of like a wedding. You know, these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities are really expensive. The funeral industry is so fragmented and so mysterious, you have less leverage as the consumer. So honestly, Jack and I see there's value in putting all of this death stuff on a tech platform. It makes it easier to comparison shop, which is a benefit to the consumer. Now, so far with Easewell, they haven't determined or they haven't announced yet what their business model is going to be.

Starting point is 00:16:22 They might do ads, like Eastside, crematorium might pay to be the top result in the search. Today's coffin is brought to you by Titan titanium coffins. Easwell could also take a finder's fee if they connect you to a bank that finances your funeral. So add it all up and Russell Westbrook's easewell could be a smart solution to the murky market of death by adding a platform to the funeral home. But Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies who are still curious about the AI part of this problem? In the age of AI, Can verticals still exist? Yeties, the internet today is filled with verticals.

Starting point is 00:17:00 Verticles are business niches with a specific audience and a specific goal. Use Zillow to look for homes. Use Yelp to look for restaurants. Use Expedia to look for travel. But here's the question about the world of AI that we're all entering. Will you still use a different vertical for each specific task? Or will you do all your tasks with your one chosen virtual assistant, like Anthropic or ChatGPT or whoever.

Starting point is 00:17:24 Basically, Jack and I are wondering, will you use one branded chatbot for travel, one different one for school, and a different one for planning your death? Or will you just have one chatbot that acts like your virtual assistant for every task that you need done? Well, Iswell is betting that specialization still matters,

Starting point is 00:17:43 that one AI won't rule them all. We don't know the answer. No doubt. If you have thoughts, let us know in the comments. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways? for us for the new Friday. Disney's seventh theme park will be in Abu Dhabi, but Disney won't pay a cent to build it. Critics will call it Princess Washing, but we call it Donald Duck diplomacy. For our second story, SpaceX now has a company town. It's in Texas. It's called Starbase, and it was founded by Elon Musk.

Starting point is 00:18:13 Now, this sounds like a totally new thing, but the company town actually goes back 150 years in America. And our third and final story is on Easewell. It's Russell Westbrook's startup, helping people do funerals with AI's help. But here's the question. In the age of AI, will verticals still exist? Or will one AI rule the... But Yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today.

Starting point is 00:18:37 First, the Fed just announced at its latest policy meeting there will be no change to interest rates. On the one hand, Trump wants interest rate cuts to juice the economy. But the Fed is also focused on inflation, and Trump's tariffs could exacerbate prices make a pop-paw. So the trade war is pulling our central bank in opposite directions. It's staying put for now. And second, what the heck is going on over at Newark Airport in New Jersey?

Starting point is 00:19:06 Apparently, a little over a week ago, the air traffic control tower couldn't communicate planes for a full 90 seconds. Scary stuff. Thank goodness no planes had any accents. But these air traffic controllers, they walked off the job, too, because they had to protest the outdated systems. So there's been a full week of delays and cancellations. including canceling 35 daily round-trip flights just on United Airlines at Newark Airport.

Starting point is 00:19:31 And then you're stuck on hold for the next three hours. Bessies, if you're stuck in that, sorry. And finally, Mr. Beast has a new business to add to his YouTube videos and snack brands. What is it, Jack? He's a novelist. True, he is. He's writing a book with James Patterson, the best-selling author who does like mystery thrillers. Yeah, the thriller writer.

Starting point is 00:19:51 By the way, James Patterson has sold 400 million books. So, I mean, he's kind of like the Mr. Beast of writing at this point. Yeah, and if you include each page viewed as a view, yeah, he might have as many views as Mr. Beast. James Patterson, the real influencer in that relationship. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack and me for all the veterans out there. Today is America's newest holiday. It's called Victory Day for World War II.

Starting point is 00:20:19 This is actually the day when World War II ended in Europe. May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany. officially surrendered to the Allied forces. To celebrate that victory in London in 1945, churches rang their bells for the first time in six years. And why was that so momentous in particular, Jack? During the war in England, bells were silenced. They were only allowed to ring the bells to signal air raids, bombings coming from the sky. So those new church bell sounds, they were maybe the greatest sounds people had ever heard in 1945.

Starting point is 00:20:51 VE Day has long been celebrated in Europe, but now, it's going to be celebrated in America too. Although side note, not a day off from work yet. Yetis, you look fantastic today. And if you haven't yet, grab your tickets to the T-Boy Live Show over in Chicago. They are on sale now, a link in the episode description. July 23rd, it's at the big, and it's gonna be the best one yet.

Starting point is 00:21:16 By the way, Yeti Bonsari Patel shared a picture of her tickets and tagged us on Instagram. So, Bonsari, we are sending you T-Boy merch. Check your DMs right now. We're hooking you up. Thanks to everyone else who screenshoted their tickets too. We love you so much.

Starting point is 00:21:31 If you know, you know, celebrate the wins. And before we go, a happy 21st birthday to Avery Patel celebrating the big one down in Orlando. A happy 32nd birthday

Starting point is 00:21:46 to Sarah Mogul in Miami and OG Yeti. And Kat, over in Chesapeake, Virginia, is celebrating her best birthday yet. Happy fourth anniversary to Allison and Austin in Ventura County.

Starting point is 00:21:58 And Brian, I just ran into a Jack 15 Jack at the ferry building. He's a fantastic legendary Yeti. He says hi to you, by the way, great guy. And thank you to all the teachers and nurses out there because it's teacher and nurse appreciation week. Oh, and by the way, John Osborne down in San Jose is retiring after 32 years in the tech industry. Congratulations on the retirement John. Oh, and a huge shout out to Alberto Baghe who was working at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami over the Formula One weekend. Get this. He logged 165,000 steps over the course of the four days of that F-1 race.

Starting point is 00:22:34 Okay, is Alberto one of the cars? Like, was he driving around the track? And it counts as a step? 40,000 steps a day. I've never done 20,000 steps in a single day. No, not me either. Alberto, you deserve a Ferrari, man. His odometer's at like 300,000.

Starting point is 00:22:50 Check this guy's chassis. This is Jack. I'm on stock of Disney, and Nick and I both on stock in Zillow.

The Best One Yet - 🏰 “Donald Duck Diplomacy” — DisneyLand Abu Dhabi. Elon’s Texas city. Russell Westbrook's AI funeral app.

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