Travis Kalanick

How do I get on this group chat? What's that about?

It's also inflationary. It's also inflationary, Dave. That's right. For sure.

It's also inflationary. It's also inflationary, Dave. That's right. For sure.

Look, this is really one of those interesting things where it's like the difference between legislature and executive branch is like Doge is really bringing it to life, is like what powers and controls does the executive branch have to spend and not to spend, and especially to not spend when it's been legislated to spend. This is where the action is.

Look, this is really one of those interesting things where it's like the difference between legislature and executive branch is like Doge is really bringing it to life, is like what powers and controls does the executive branch have to spend and not to spend, and especially to not spend when it's been legislated to spend. This is where the action is.

There's no law that says, you can give a bunch of folks eight months of severance and they're gone and you don't replace them. There's no law that says that. The executive branch, and again, I don't know the rules or laws about how they go about doing it, but let's say presumably they're doing this and there's some legal backing behind it.

There's no law that says, you can give a bunch of folks eight months of severance and they're gone and you don't replace them. There's no law that says that. The executive branch, and again, I don't know the rules or laws about how they go about doing it, but let's say presumably they're doing this and there's some legal backing behind it.

They just go and do it, and now they're not spending money. If it was really hard to hire people, and they could even make it harder to hire people, do they fight bureaucracy with bureaucracy that it's harder to spend, harder to hire people, harder to procure certain things that you're supposed to spend money on?

They just go and do it, and now they're not spending money. If it was really hard to hire people, and they could even make it harder to hire people, do they fight bureaucracy with bureaucracy that it's harder to spend, harder to hire people, harder to procure certain things that you're supposed to spend money on?

And you can reduce the spend through a lot of very interesting, nuanced rules that they're in control of.

And you can reduce the spend through a lot of very interesting, nuanced rules that they're in control of.

I mean, it'll be interesting to see if it's 5% or 10% on RTO. I mean, it could be a lot more. I mean, what I'm hearing about these buildings is that they are super, super empty, like next level empty. And let's just say I'm really glad I don't hold it. Like I'm an owner that has a bunch of leases to the federal government right now.

I mean, it'll be interesting to see if it's 5% or 10% on RTO. I mean, it could be a lot more. I mean, what I'm hearing about these buildings is that they are super, super empty, like next level empty. And let's just say I'm really glad I don't hold it. Like I'm an owner that has a bunch of leases to the federal government right now.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Guys, just for kicks, check this out, right? If we took 2019 spend, right, the year before COVID, and put it up against 2024 revenues, $500 billion surplus. Wow. Bingo. That's crazy. Versus the $1.5 trillion deficit. Oh my God. So a $2 trillion swing on like a- In four years. Yeah, on a $4 trillion budget. That's all waste.

Guys, just for kicks, check this out, right? If we took 2019 spend, right, the year before COVID, and put it up against 2024 revenues, $500 billion surplus. Wow. Bingo. That's crazy. Versus the $1.5 trillion deficit. Oh my God. So a $2 trillion swing on like a- In four years. Yeah, on a $4 trillion budget. That's all waste.

I mean, guys, this is the thing. There's two deflationary things that we need. One is Doge, and two is where AI is going to take us if it really does its thing. And that will keep us in an okay spot economically. But this spend has to go, or we're in Greek territory, if that makes sense.

I mean, guys, this is the thing. There's two deflationary things that we need. One is Doge, and two is where AI is going to take us if it really does its thing. And that will keep us in an okay spot economically. But this spend has to go, or we're in Greek territory, if that makes sense.

I mean, look, it's funny because, as you guys know, back in the day, 2015, 16, 17, we had our own autonomous vehicles out there. And I remember the first one of ours that I took. And I got in the back and all I had was a stop button, a big red stop button that I could push if things got weird. And I remember this was in Pittsburgh where we had our robotics division and autonomy division at Uber.