Hamza Shaban
@hamzashaban.bsky.social
YouTube hosting the Oscars is another example of its media ascendance. Netflix and Warner Bros will lean on that framing to justify their merger, as if worthy competitors are all around them: www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
The Oscars Will Move Its Telecast to YouTube, the Most-Watched Streaming Service, Starting in 2029
After the 100th Oscars air in 2028, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it will move the live telecast from ABC to YouTube in 2029.
www.yahoo.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:46 PM
YouTube hosting the Oscars is another example of its media ascendance. Netflix and Warner Bros will lean on that framing to justify their merger, as if worthy competitors are all around them: www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
Warner Bros. says the Ellisons of Paramount:
-“consistently misled” them
- made an offer not actually guaranteed by the Ellisons (but used a revocable trust)
- Tried to entice WB's CEO with a 9-figure pay package if the deal went thru
Kushner's fund has pulled out
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/b...
-“consistently misled” them
- made an offer not actually guaranteed by the Ellisons (but used a revocable trust)
- Tried to entice WB's CEO with a 9-figure pay package if the deal went thru
Kushner's fund has pulled out
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/b...
December 17, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Warner Bros. says the Ellisons of Paramount:
-“consistently misled” them
- made an offer not actually guaranteed by the Ellisons (but used a revocable trust)
- Tried to entice WB's CEO with a 9-figure pay package if the deal went thru
Kushner's fund has pulled out
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/b...
-“consistently misled” them
- made an offer not actually guaranteed by the Ellisons (but used a revocable trust)
- Tried to entice WB's CEO with a 9-figure pay package if the deal went thru
Kushner's fund has pulled out
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/b...
"Bond markets, reacting to a global realignment on trade and rattled by uncertain expectations of American governance, have introduced another puzzling inconsistency in the US economy"
finance.yahoo.com/news/theres-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/theres-...
There's no guarantee the Fed's rate cuts will lower the rates that matter
Here's why the bond market and the Fed's rate cutting appear out of alignment.
finance.yahoo.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:58 PM
"Bond markets, reacting to a global realignment on trade and rattled by uncertain expectations of American governance, have introduced another puzzling inconsistency in the US economy"
finance.yahoo.com/news/theres-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/theres-...
New Netflix/Paramount drama unfolding
Trump attacks the new Ellison-owned Paramount, saying "THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP" of CBS. Paramount is biding for Warner on the premise that it has a good relationship with Trump.
(The rest of Trump's post is a complaint about Marjorie-Taylor Greene.)
(The rest of Trump's post is a complaint about Marjorie-Taylor Greene.)
December 8, 2025 at 5:28 PM
New Netflix/Paramount drama unfolding
This supports the idea that Paramount/the Ellisons are overplaying their Trump connections
Trump attacks the new Ellison-owned Paramount, saying "THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP" of CBS. Paramount is biding for Warner on the premise that it has a good relationship with Trump.
(The rest of Trump's post is a complaint about Marjorie-Taylor Greene.)
(The rest of Trump's post is a complaint about Marjorie-Taylor Greene.)
December 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This supports the idea that Paramount/the Ellisons are overplaying their Trump connections
What's going to matter more for the Netflix deal?
The Trump-inspired corporate dealmaking environment and a shrinking of the big tech backlash (Facebook's recent antitrust victory)
Or the corporate favoritism in play with Paramount as a Trump ally? (CBS/all the media payouts to Trump)
The Trump-inspired corporate dealmaking environment and a shrinking of the big tech backlash (Facebook's recent antitrust victory)
Or the corporate favoritism in play with Paramount as a Trump ally? (CBS/all the media payouts to Trump)
December 5, 2025 at 4:35 PM
What's going to matter more for the Netflix deal?
The Trump-inspired corporate dealmaking environment and a shrinking of the big tech backlash (Facebook's recent antitrust victory)
Or the corporate favoritism in play with Paramount as a Trump ally? (CBS/all the media payouts to Trump)
The Trump-inspired corporate dealmaking environment and a shrinking of the big tech backlash (Facebook's recent antitrust victory)
Or the corporate favoritism in play with Paramount as a Trump ally? (CBS/all the media payouts to Trump)
A story from WaPo about killers using the spectacle of shootings to manipulate the media/politicians, as a dark performance art, most recently through bullet engravings, provides a lens to read this NYT story about "scoring political points" in the aftermath of the ICE shooting:
September 25, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A story from WaPo about killers using the spectacle of shootings to manipulate the media/politicians, as a dark performance art, most recently through bullet engravings, provides a lens to read this NYT story about "scoring political points" in the aftermath of the ICE shooting:
This column attempts to explain, in historical context, what the Trump administration is trying to do by getting rid of Lisa Cook, not in a narrow sense of lowering interest rates, but in reshaping the meaning of democratic legitimacy and presidential power:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
September 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This column attempts to explain, in historical context, what the Trump administration is trying to do by getting rid of Lisa Cook, not in a narrow sense of lowering interest rates, but in reshaping the meaning of democratic legitimacy and presidential power:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Last week, the Fed voted to cut interest rates in a decision that expressed unity despite a sole dissent. But a mere week later, commentary from central bankers is foreshadowing disagreement to come:
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-fed...
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-fed...
September 24, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Last week, the Fed voted to cut interest rates in a decision that expressed unity despite a sole dissent. But a mere week later, commentary from central bankers is foreshadowing disagreement to come:
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-fed...
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-fed...
We now have luxury credit cards that cost close to $1,000 just to hold, the most affluent driving almost half of US spending, a stock market at all-time highs, and rising unemployment finance.yahoo.com/news/amexs-p...
September 19, 2025 at 3:24 PM
We now have luxury credit cards that cost close to $1,000 just to hold, the most affluent driving almost half of US spending, a stock market at all-time highs, and rising unemployment finance.yahoo.com/news/amexs-p...
This essay by @poniewozik.bsky.social about news and entertainment outlets conceding to Trump through payments, apologies and removals gets at a crucial idea: paying tribute seems inexpensive and “easier” because so many media bosses have already chosen to give in
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...
September 19, 2025 at 2:36 AM
This essay by @poniewozik.bsky.social about news and entertainment outlets conceding to Trump through payments, apologies and removals gets at a crucial idea: paying tribute seems inexpensive and “easier” because so many media bosses have already chosen to give in
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...
Bloomberg: Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel to co-develop chips in a surprise move that props up an ailing rival
Intel is getting another financial boost after the US agreed to take a 10% stake, and the White House said it won't force firms to buy from Intel
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Intel is getting another financial boost after the US agreed to take a 10% stake, and the White House said it won't force firms to buy from Intel
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
September 18, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Bloomberg: Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel to co-develop chips in a surprise move that props up an ailing rival
Intel is getting another financial boost after the US agreed to take a 10% stake, and the White House said it won't force firms to buy from Intel
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Intel is getting another financial boost after the US agreed to take a 10% stake, and the White House said it won't force firms to buy from Intel
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Headlines and background on Jimmy Kimmel getting pulled off the air
September 18, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Headlines and background on Jimmy Kimmel getting pulled off the air
A sharp takeaway of what it would mean for Paramount to buy Warner Bros, and for
Hollywood to go from 5 major studios to 4:
Hollywood to go from 5 major studios to 4:
September 12, 2025 at 1:26 AM
A sharp takeaway of what it would mean for Paramount to buy Warner Bros, and for
Hollywood to go from 5 major studios to 4:
Hollywood to go from 5 major studios to 4:
"OpenAI and its conceptual peers managed to become an existential threat to Google and the paradigm of search, thereby serving as a justification for preventing its monopoly from being broken up."
finance.yahoo.com/news/google-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/google-...
Google can thank OpenAI for its big win in court
After a federal judge ruled that Google wouldn't be forced to sell its Chrome browser — avoiding the harshest potential remedies in a landmark antitrust case — shares of the search giant surged by alm...
finance.yahoo.com
September 4, 2025 at 2:32 PM
"OpenAI and its conceptual peers managed to become an existential threat to Google and the paradigm of search, thereby serving as a justification for preventing its monopoly from being broken up."
finance.yahoo.com/news/google-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/google-...
This essay by @maxread.info pulls together a lot critical takes and observations to pinpoint a "vibe shift" in how the public views AI. But also makes the case that, like prior crypto manias, an AI bubble "popping" doesn't really mean an end to anything.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Is the "A.I." "bubble" "bursting"?
The long shadow of crypto
substack.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:33 PM
This essay by @maxread.info pulls together a lot critical takes and observations to pinpoint a "vibe shift" in how the public views AI. But also makes the case that, like prior crypto manias, an AI bubble "popping" doesn't really mean an end to anything.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
"Nvidia's next four biggest customers accounted for 46% of the unit's revenue, reflecting the delicate, untested nature of the AI ecosystem.
What looks like a client bottleneck is actually an industry chokehold"
finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias...
What looks like a client bottleneck is actually an industry chokehold"
finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias...
August 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
"Nvidia's next four biggest customers accounted for 46% of the unit's revenue, reflecting the delicate, untested nature of the AI ecosystem.
What looks like a client bottleneck is actually an industry chokehold"
finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias...
What looks like a client bottleneck is actually an industry chokehold"
finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias...
At the Fed and in the judiciary, government officials trying to stay "outside of politics" while getting bashed by the president presents a big communications problem. (It all brings to mind newsroom bosses during Gamergate.)
Some judges are now publicly defending themselves:
Some judges are now publicly defending themselves:
August 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
At the Fed and in the judiciary, government officials trying to stay "outside of politics" while getting bashed by the president presents a big communications problem. (It all brings to mind newsroom bosses during Gamergate.)
Some judges are now publicly defending themselves:
Some judges are now publicly defending themselves:
"The company is still moving forward on voice AI, which remains a critical part of the product road map. But there are open questions about exactly what Taco Bell will expect the technology to do and where it will build offramps for human staff to jump in." www.wsj.com/articles/tac...
Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at the Drive-Through
More artificial intelligence isn’t always better, the chain is realizing, as it considers when and how bots should be deployed.
www.wsj.com
August 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
"The company is still moving forward on voice AI, which remains a critical part of the product road map. But there are open questions about exactly what Taco Bell will expect the technology to do and where it will build offramps for human staff to jump in." www.wsj.com/articles/tac...
Reposted by Hamza Shaban
"Whether or not Republicans have actually stopped drinking at the rate they claimed in Gallup’s poll, the massive decline in reported consumption over the past couple years is what the results might look like if the wokeness of drinking was becoming an article of conservative faith."— @dinfontay.com
The "neo-Prohibition" threat nobody is talking about
Plus: The Cracker Barrel playbook is the Bud Light playbook!
www.fingers.email
August 27, 2025 at 7:18 PM
"Whether or not Republicans have actually stopped drinking at the rate they claimed in Gallup’s poll, the massive decline in reported consumption over the past couple years is what the results might look like if the wokeness of drinking was becoming an article of conservative faith."— @dinfontay.com
There's an argument to be made inside the Fed that the current posture of abstaining from a vigorous, public defense of its mission and relying on a restrained messaging strategy has already failed, and will only invite an adverse Supreme Court decision
August 27, 2025 at 2:55 PM
There's an argument to be made inside the Fed that the current posture of abstaining from a vigorous, public defense of its mission and relying on a restrained messaging strategy has already failed, and will only invite an adverse Supreme Court decision
Reposted by Hamza Shaban
some marketing agency making $250K rn
August 27, 2025 at 2:51 AM
some marketing agency making $250K rn
Why the stock market wasn't moved by Trump's boldest move yet on the Fed:
"Right now, in the short term, the interests of the three main players — the Fed, the president, and the market — are all very much aligned."
finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the...
"Right now, in the short term, the interests of the three main players — the Fed, the president, and the market — are all very much aligned."
finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the...
Why the stock market wasn't moved by Trump's boldest move yet on the Fed
Despite an unprecedented move by President Trump to attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, markets shrugged.
finance.yahoo.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Why the stock market wasn't moved by Trump's boldest move yet on the Fed:
"Right now, in the short term, the interests of the three main players — the Fed, the president, and the market — are all very much aligned."
finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the...
"Right now, in the short term, the interests of the three main players — the Fed, the president, and the market — are all very much aligned."
finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the...
AI and GLP-1s were the hottest post-pandemic trades: One helped curb destructive appetites with immediate, visible results, the other represented an indulgence of Silicon Valley's fantasies. But now GLP-1 stocks are the ones wavering.
finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-and-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-and-...
August 6, 2025 at 2:56 PM
AI and GLP-1s were the hottest post-pandemic trades: One helped curb destructive appetites with immediate, visible results, the other represented an indulgence of Silicon Valley's fantasies. But now GLP-1 stocks are the ones wavering.
finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-and-...
finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-and-...
"You have to eat more protein, they proclaim, to grow a dump truck."
On the protein-is-in-everything-now grocery store experience, the Ozempic protein rush, the strength training moment and influencer bonanza.
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-pro...
On the protein-is-in-everything-now grocery store experience, the Ozempic protein rush, the strength training moment and influencer bonanza.
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-pro...
The protein boom is only beginning: Morning Brief
Food and beverage companies are scrambling to deliver the macronutrient of the moment.
finance.yahoo.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"You have to eat more protein, they proclaim, to grow a dump truck."
On the protein-is-in-everything-now grocery store experience, the Ozempic protein rush, the strength training moment and influencer bonanza.
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-pro...
On the protein-is-in-everything-now grocery store experience, the Ozempic protein rush, the strength training moment and influencer bonanza.
finance.yahoo.com/news/the-pro...