The Best One Yet
🎬 “Batman’s New Boss” — Netflix’s buys HBO. Dubai’s AI restaurant. Nothing’s iPhone-killer. +Giant Santa shortage
08 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Nick. This is Jack. Welcome back. It is Monday, December 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. I'm sorry, Jack. Can I celebrate three wins with you right now? You ready for this? Yes.
In the last three weeks, we've interviewed Jim Cramer, launched the first ever business-themed toy doll, and announced our live tour. You know what that means, man? Cha-ching button? No, to quote Lexus, this has been a December to remember, man. Besties, you're looking fantastic to start the week. Jack, three stories for today's pod. What do 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, and 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 MIA.
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Chapter 2: What major acquisition did Netflix make recently?
Home Depot is famous for their fantastically large lawn decorations. I mean, Jack, remember the 12-foot skeleton that haunted you for Halloween? It 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 in 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. But 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 sit on three stories. 15 years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in a dorm. They 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, cause 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.
For 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. And 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.
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Chapter 3: What trends are emerging in holiday retail decorations?
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. And 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. Jack, could you sprinkle on some context, please? $83 billion 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 going to 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 going to complain to the White House and try to get this blocked. But 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 Bros. 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 because 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? Like, 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.
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