Podcasts about companies

Austin shares his thoughts on why you need to go beyond just getting the knowledge if you want to change careers.Time Stamped Show Notes:[0:25] - Why you need to go beyond just getting the knowledge[1:35] - Companies need to know what value you will bring to the table[2:50] - Find ways to build your own experienceWant To Level Up Your Job Search?Click here to learn more about 1:1 career coaching to help you land your dream job without applying online.Check out Austin's courses and, as a thank you for listening to the show, use the code PODCAST to get 5% off any digital course:The Interview Preparation System - Austin's proven, all-in-one process for turning your next job interview into a job offer.Value Validation Project Starter Kit - Everything you need to create a job-winning VVP that will blow hiring managers away and set you apart from the competition.No Experience, No Problem - Austin's proven framework for building the skills and experience you need to break into a new industry (even if you have *zero* experience right now).Try Austin's Job Search ToolsResyBuild.io - Build a beautiful, job-winning resume in minutes.ResyMatch.io - Score your resume vs. your target job description and get feedback.ResyBullet.io - Learn how to write attention grabbing resume bullets.Mailscoop.io - Find anyone's professional email in seconds.Connect with Austin for daily job search content:Cultivated CultureLinkedInTwitterThanks for listening!

Join Our Medical Device Sales Program: https://click.newtomedicaldevicesales.com/yt-453

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Jules Pretty, an Emeritus Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex. They discuss how storytelling can foster hope, transformation, and agency in the face of the climate crisis; why it's ineffective to use fear to drive change; and the vulnerability we need to move forward. Plus, hear about the producers turning down multi-million dollar offers to convert their farms into data centers, the companies supporting legislation to fight food waste, the decline of deforestation in Brazil, and more.  While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg" wherever you consume your podcasts.

BrainChip CEO Sean Hehir joins me to unpack where artificial intelligence is actually headed—and why the dominant “everything in the data center” narrative is incomplete.Most AI conversations fixate on massive models, GPU farms, and trillion-dollar infrastructure bets. This episode shifts the frame. Sean and I explore the structural reality that power consumption, latency, and grid constraints are forcing AI to decentralize—and what that means for founders, engineers, and the broader economy.Sean explains how neuromorphic computing and ultra-low-power silicon enable AI inference outside the data center—inside wearables, medical devices, drones, manufacturing systems, and even space applications. We examine why CPUs and GPUs aren't optimized for edge workloads, how custom silicon changes the economics, and why power efficiency isn't a side issue—it's the bottleneck that determines what scales.The conversation expands into workforce displacement, labor fluidity, productivity cycles, and whether technological acceleration inevitably creates unemployment crises—or simply reshuffles value creation again, as history repeatedly shows.This isn't a speculative futurism episode. It's a grounded look at model trends, infrastructure limits, and how companies survive inside a market moving at month-scale rather than decade-scale.The lesson isn't that AI replaces everything.It's that architecture determines outcomes.TL;DR* AI is centralizing in data centers—but it's also rapidly decentralizing to the edge* Power constraints will shape the next phase of AI more than hype cycles* Neuromorphic and event-driven silicon drastically reduce energy per compute* Edge AI enables medical wearables, safety detection, space systems, and industrial automation* Models are getting larger—but optimization techniques will shrink them into smaller form factors* Productivity gains historically displace tasks—not human adaptability* The future isn't about bigger servers—it's about smarter distribution* Lowest power per compute is a strategic advantage, not a marketing lineMemorable Lines* “Don't bet against humanity. We're very creative.”* “The future of AI isn't just in data centers.”* “Power isn't a feature—it's the constraint.”* “If you're the lowest power solution, you will always have customers.”* “Architecture decides what becomes possible.”GuestSean Hehir — CEO of BrainChipTechnology executive leading the commercialization of neuromorphic AI processors focused on ultra-low-power edge inference. Oversees BrainChip's evolution from early engineering innovation to market-driven, customer-focused deployment.

What do you do with a bucket truck after Christmas light season is over? If you're Trevor, you start installing signs; and eventually build two separate companies from that single piece of equipment. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Trevor Lavy, a former utility lineman who stumbled into the sign industry through a power washing trailer, some vinyl graphics, and a whole lot of entrepreneurial hustle. From buying a struggling vinyl shop to surviving a skid steer falling off a trailer on the interstate, Trevor shares the raw, unfiltered journey of building Vantage Signs and Sign Service Pro. The conversation dives deep into the decision to split a sign company into two separate entities—one for manufacturing, one for installation—and the unexpected pros and cons that came with it.

John is joined by Dennis H. Hranitzky, partner in Quinn Emanuel's Salt Lake City office, and Fritz Scanlon, of counsel in Quinn Emanuel's Washington, D.C. office. They discuss the recent Supreme Court decision invalidating all tariffs President Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). IEEPA tariffs had generated an estimated $160 billion in revenue and were central to the administration's tariff policy.The administration justified these tariffs based on declared national emergencies, including fentanyl trafficking and persistent trade deficits. The Court did not rule on whether those circumstances constituted true emergencies. Instead, the Court held that the tariffs were invalid because the Constitution assigns all taxing authority to Congress, and the IEEPA did not expressly grant the President the power to impose tariffs.In response to the Supreme Court's ruling, the administration has now turned to other statutes, including Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary tariffs of up to 15 per cent for 150 days to address balance-of-payments concerns. Other tools, such as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, permit product-specific tariffs tied to national security findings, but require administrative investigations and procedural safeguards. These mechanisms provide less unilateral flexibility than IEEPA had afforded.John, Dennis, and Fritz also discuss the prospects for companies obtaining refunds through litigation. Importers who directly paid the invalidated tariffs appear to have strong claims for reimbursement, primarily through the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, which has exclusive jurisdiction over tariff disputes. A two-year statute of limitations generally applies. While companies' right to obtain refunds is viewed as legally solid, delays are anticipated through procedural defenses and litigation tactics. Additional complexity arises for downstream purchasers who indirectly bore tariff costs; their recovery prospects will likely depend heavily on contractual allocation of tariff liability and other fact-specific circumstances.Podcast Link: Law-disrupted.fmHost: John B. Quinn Producer: Alexis HydeMusic and Editing by: Alexander Rossi

Listen to Full Audio at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-business-and-development-daily-news-rundown/id1684415169?i=1000751672204

WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

DOD – Disrupter Disrupters China markets reopening after Lunar New Year Mexico Cartel Wars Refunds requested for the illegal tariffs PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - The CTP for Caterpillar announced - DOD - Disrupter Disrupters - China markets reopening after Lunar New Year - Mexico Cartel Wars (Jalisco) Markets - Mortgage Rates - looking good! - Tariffs found illegal - that is not stopping anything - Refunds requested for the illegal tariffs - Monday's big drop and AI taking a bite out of stock prices Tariffs - First, who actually knows what is going on. 100% chaos - Supreme court ruled illegal (6-3) - 10% flat across all countries immediately added - Wait a day and make that 15% - FedEx seeks refund for illegal IEEPA tariffs imposed by Trump after the Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs exceeded authority - Numerous lawsuits expected for IEEPA tariff refunds - Apple has spent more than $3 billion on tariffs since President Donald Trump enacted his trade policies. What about that? (HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHO GETS THE REFUND) --- Estimate that $175B tariffs have been collected alreay - A group of 22 U.S. Senate Democrats on Monday introduced legislation that would require President Donald Trump's administration to fully refund within 180 days all of the revenue, with interest, collected from tariffs struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. - The legislation would require the Customs and Border Protection agency, which collects tariffs at U.S. ports of entry, to prioritize small businesses. - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it will halt collections of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act at 12:01 a.m. EST (0501 GMT) on Tuesday Stop The Presses - After years of JCD's rants....... - Apple will soon introduce MacBooks with touch screens - Apple Inc.'s initial touch Macs will have the Dynamic Island at the center top of the display and OLED screen technology. The new MacBook Pro models will have a refreshed, dynamic user interface that can shift between being optimized for touch or point-and-click input. Europe Reacts - "The current situation is not conducive to delivering 'fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial' transatlantic trade and investment, as agreed to by both sides" in the joint statement setting out the terms of last year's trade agreement, the Commission said. "A deal is a deal." - All active discussions are halted on any USA/Europe trade deal The Potential Winners - Brazil and China may be the winners here - Chinese President Xi Jinping has a boost in bargaining power after the US Supreme Court invalidated Donald Trump's broad emergency tariffs, a key point of leverage over China. - The removal of tariff threats will make it harder for Trump to press Xi for larger purchases of certain products and leaves him without a key weapon to strike back if Chinese negotiators make fresh demands. - Xi's team will likely push harder for access to advanced semiconductors, the removal of trade restrictions on Chinese companies, and reduced US support for self-ruled Taiwan, according to Wu Xinbo, director at Fudan University's Center for American Studies. NVDA Earnings - NVIDIA drops its fiscal Q4 2026 (ended Jan 2025) results tomorrow—another make-or-break moment for the AI trade. - The bar is sky-high after years of blowout beats, but whispers of "peak AI" and slowing growth momentum have investors on edge. --- Consensus Expectations : ----Revenue: ~$65.6–$66.1 billion (up ~67–68% YoY from last year's ~$39B; guided $65B ±2% in prior report) ------EPS (adjusted/non-GAAP): ~$1.50–$1.53 (up ~70–72% YoY from $0.89). --------Gross margins: Targeting ~75% non-GAAP (holding strong despite supply chain noise). -----------Key driver: Data Center segment expected to crush ~$58–$60B, fueled by Blackwell ramp and hyperscaler spend. Home Depot Earnings - The home-improvement retailer gained 2.7% after posting fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.72 per share on revenues of $38.20 billion. - That exceeded the per-share earnings of $2.54 on revenues of $38.12 billion expected by analysts polled by LSEG. AMD News - The semiconductor maker rose about 11% after it inked a multiyear deal with Meta to lend up to 6 gigawatts of its graphics processing units to artificial intelligence data centers. - The cost of the deal is unclear, but the companies' agreement includes a a performance-based warrant that could amount to up to 160 million of AMD shares, according to a statement dated Tuesday. - Meta has committed to deploying up to 6 gigawatts (GW) of AMD's Instinct GPUs (high-end graphics processing units optimized for AI workloads) to power its massive AI data centers. - Analysts estimate the GPU portion alone could be worth $60–$100+ billion over 5+ years Mortgage Rates - The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.99% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily, matching its lowest levels since 2022. - Last year at this time the rate was 6.89%. - A buyer putting 20% down on the median priced home, about $400,000 according to the National Association of Realtors, would have a monthly payment of $1,916 for the principal and interest. One year ago, that payment would have been $2,105, a difference of $189. Life Insurance Record - Manulife Financial Corp. sold a $300 million life insurance policy in Singapore, topping what Guinness World Records certified as the most valuable policy ever issued. - The policy surpasses the previous record of $250 million, set by HSBC Life in Hong Kong in 2024. Manulife said in a statement Tuesday that the deal reflects growing demand from ultra-wealthy clients to preserve their assets. - In Singapore over the past 12 months, Manulife has issued 25 individual policies each worth more than $50 million. Bitcoin Rout - Gemini said it was axing as much as a quarter of its staff and exiting the UK, European Union and Australia entirely. - This week, it parted with its chief operating officer, chief financial officer and chief legal officer, all in a single day. - Its stock has fallen more than 80% from a post-listing high last year, collapsing its market value from a peak of almost $4 billion to under $700 million. Over the Greenland - USA sending a "hospital ship" over - Trump's post on the ship came hours after Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said it had evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven nautical miles outside of Greenland's capital, Nuuk. - Greenland said thanks but no thanks So Long! - U.S. investors are pulling money out of their own stock market at the fastest pace in at least 16 years as Big Tech returns fade and better-performing overseas markets look more attractive. - In the last six months, U.S.-domiciled investors have pulled some $75 billion from U.S. equity products, with $52 billion flowing out since the start of 2026 alone, the most in the first eight weeks of the year since at least 2010 AI Disruption - DOD (Disruption of Disrupters) - CrowdStrike -9.8% and other cybersecurity names under heavy pressure again as AI disruption fears build following Anthropic's Claude Code release - - Cybersecurity stocks are under broad pressure today, extending recent weakness following Friday's launch of Claude Code Security by Anthropic. Claude Code Security scans codebases for vulnerabilities and suggests software patches for human review, fueling a narrative that AI platforms may be moving more quickly into parts of the security workflow than investors had previously expected. For cybersecurity, that raises concern around the forward demand outlook and competitive positioning, particularly in areas tied to application security, cloud security, identity workflows, and security operations automation, where AI-native tools could start to narrow perceived differentiation. - The move suggests investors are still sorting through the implications for product overlap, pricing power, and competitive positioning as AI capabilities evolve quickly. - IBM shares dropping toward lows of the session; attributed to news that Claude can automate cobol modernization COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is a high-level, English-like programming language created in 1959 for business, finance, and administrative data processing. It is renowned for its verbosity, readability, and reliability, processing massive amounts of transactions on mainframe systems,, notes NetCom Learning and IBM. Despite being decades old, it remains critical in banking, insurance, and government sectors. - It is estimated that 70-80% of the world's business transactions are processed by COBOL Grok's Prediction about Future of OpenAi/ChatGPT Scenario Likelihood (My Estimate) Key Factors Outcome for OpenAI/ChatGPT Thriving Leader Medium (40%) Sustained breakthroughs, partnerships (e.g., Microsoft), regulatory wins OpenAI as AI giant; ChatGPT as ecosystem hub for agents/robots Evolved Survivor High (50%) Adaptation to agents/hardware; mergers Exists but rebranded; ChatGPT integrated into daily life tools Decline/Acquisition Low (10%) Overcompetition, funding collapse Absorbed or legacy; ChatGPT commoditized or obsolete Quick check on Europe Shares - European company earnings growth is picking up this reporting season against a tentatively improving economic backdrop, but wary investors are demanding more than solid results to justify sky-high valuations. - Companies representing 57% of Europe's market capitalization have reported so far, achieving average earnings growth of 3.9% in the fourth quarter, ahead of estimates for a final result of a contraction of 1.1% --- That is a big differential.... +3.9 vs -1.1 Iran Talks - News over the weekend that Iran will look to discuss a variety of items and potentially get a deal.... energy, mining and aircraft - Best guess: Iran will string us along like Russia is doing and we will say we have some kind of bogus deal. --- There is some talk of US "going in" as we are building military presence. Supposedly there are some saying it could be a multi-week incursion. - What is the plan - Regime change? What is this? - A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Americans can't sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail. - By a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled against a Texas landlord, Lebene Konan, who alleges her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan, who is Black, claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees' actions. - Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for a majority of five conservative justices, said the federal law that generally shields the Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost and undelivered mail includes “the intentional nondelivery of mail.” - So can ballots just be thrown in garbage for mail-ins for one party that will throw out another party's?     Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? HE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for CATERPILLAR Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt!     FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS   See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter

Raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have made national headlines. But behind ICE's operations, a sprawling web of private companies – from global powerhouses to niche family-run businesses – have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts. Peter Andringa from the FT's visual investigations team spent months crawling through federal documents and data sets to put together a picture of the companies that make up this web. Clips from ABC7 News Bay Area, CBS 6 Albany, C-SPAN, Donald J Trump, Fox 26 Houston, Fox Nashville, Fox News, NBC Connecticut, The New York TimesThe FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading: Companies reap $22bn from Trump's immigration crackdownTrump's immigration data dragnetThe booming business of Trump's deportation flightsFor further listening:Palantir's relentless riseUS uses private data to track immigrants- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Follow Peter Andringa on X (@peterjandringa), or on Bluesky (@peter.andringa.me) Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What separates investors who chase deals from those who consistently engineer successful exits?  On this episode of The Registered Investment Advisor Podcast, host Seth Greene interviews Scott Kelly, Founder and CEO of Black Dog Venture Partners, who shares his extensive experience in venture capital, having raised billions and facilitated over 30 successful exits. From his early days as a stockbroker to founding one of the largest investor syndicates in the tech space, Scott's journey offers invaluable insights into the rapidly evolving investment environment. Tune in as Scott discusses how AI is reshaping investment strategies, how startups can succeed in a competitive market, and the future of venture capital.   Key Takeaways: → Strong outcomes often stem from early positioning, strategic networking, and aligning founders with the right investors.   → Well-curated pitch forums create efficient deal flow, surface high-quality founders, and accelerate trust between investors and operators.   → Companies that generate real revenue attract better capital, partners, and exit opportunities.   → Today's investors must adapt to new technologies, faster cycles, and more competitive deal environments.  → Referrals and long-standing relationships consistently yield stronger investments than transactional deal sourcing.   Scott Kelly is the Founder and CEO of Black Dog Venture Partners, a national accelerator helping disruptive startups secure funding, forge strategic partnerships, and scale with executive support. With more than 20 years of experience across venture capital, marketing, sales, and leadership, Scott has guided hundreds of companies by leveraging a powerful network of over 13,000 investors and 40,000 business partners. He also produces VC Fast Pitch, a premier national event series that connects high-growth startups with top-tier investors. Beyond building companies, Scott is a college professor, mentor, and champion of leadership and personal development, sharing the journey with Melvin, the beloved black dog who inspired the brand. Connect With Scott: Website: https://blackdogventurepartners.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackdogventurepartners/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/BlackDogCEO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackdogceo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackdogventurepartners   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump's election win changed everything. The fact that Democrats couldn't cheat enough to win was apocalyptic for them. But good for America and the world. Look at how the world looks now. America is not the only country winning, as the Trump Doctrine has changed the way countries view things.Companies are adjusting their immigration policies to that of America.They are ridding themselves of radical Islam, with countries like Japan taking radical steps. Trump gave the world permission to push back on NWO and other equally nonsensical stuff. Trump's SOTU wasn't a message only to Americans, but to the world. Because the world was watching.[X] SB – Bartiromo on Susan Rice recruiting illegals to vote[X] SB – Fox News on Clinton conspiringEmails from Sr VP of Soros Open Society Fdn. Long term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. FBI will put more oil on the fire.Clinton approved the idea.Distraction from her own email scandal.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Here is a FAQ Video on the Courses: https://youtu.be/0F7imrzjXWs Here is a deep dive into which course is best for you: https://youtu.be/JM_jgS8M-iU https://www.b2bRevenue.com - Get Your Free E-Book on How Companies make Decisions. FAQ: 1 YEAR ACCESS, PAY MONTHLY OR ANNUALLY NOT A SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE HOURS EVERY  OTHER WEEK VIA ZOOM. 1 HOUR GROUP Q&A. UNLIMITED 1-ON-1'S  ARE FREE AS LONG AS THEY CAN BE SHARED IN THE COURSE. 1-ON-1 ARE FULL ACCESS ON DAY ONE - NOTHING IS GATED OR TIME RELEASED. ALL CONTENT IS VIDEO BASED AND SELF PACED I RECOMMEND TAKE COURSE ONCE WITHOUT NOTES OR APPLYING IT SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE FIRST. THEN TAKE AND APPLY IT STEP BY STEP. YOU START WHEN YOU WANT AND GO AS FAST OR SLOW AS NEEDED.   Email me additional questions: briangburns@me.com     — SAMPLE EMAIL TO EXPENSE THE COURSE MGR,   I have been listening to the brutal truth about sales podcast for X months and it speaks to the issues we face.   They currently offer a course that includes video instruction, group Q&A and One-on-One coaching. I'm committed to my own personal development and would like your help in expensing the course.   It would pay for itself if I closed only one new deal of $X value.   Please let me know by Friday if I can move forward with this 1 year course.   Thanks, ME Here are some student interviews from the courses:      ———————————————————————————————————— Audible 30 day Free Trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/BrutalTruth  

You can be experienced, prepared, and highly capable—and still find yourself second-guessing your decisions, replaying conversations, or looking to others for validation. In this episode, we unpack what self-trust really is, why so many accomplished leaders struggle with it, and how it directly impacts your executive presence and influence. You'll learn practical shifts to strengthen self-trust so you show up with calm certainty, clear thinking, and authority. 5 Practical Ways to Strengthen Self-Trust 1. Make Decisions Without Over-Collecting Opinions 2. Stop Replaying Conversations After They're Over 3. Speak Before You Feel 100% Ready 4. Separate Outcomes from Self-Worth 5. Use Language That Reinforces Self-Trust   When self-trust increases: Your pace slows   Your message gets clearer   You stop over-explaining   You make decisions faster   Others trust you more   Because people don't just respond to your expertise. They respond to your certainty about yourself.   Favor to Ask If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review on Amazon or wherever you listen. Your reviews help more people find the show and start communicating with greater confidence and ease. Some resources for you: Get 3 Strategies to Speak Up in Meetings here. Project more confidence and credibility with my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: Words to Avoid | Karen Laos My book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/   Connect with me: Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial  Episodes also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos About me: Many years ago I found myself tongue-tied in a boardroom, my colleagues and executives staring at me. My stomach in my throat, I was unable to get the words out (in spite of being in a senior leadership role).  Then, I heard my boss shut down the meeting. My heart sank. I was mortified. She pulled me aside and said, "You didn't trust your gut. You could've tabled the meeting like I did." Why didn't that option occur to me in the moment? Why did I feel like I needed permission? That was the day I set out to change. I began a journey of personal growth to discover the root of the problem. Once I did, I wanted every woman to experience that same freedom. I'm now on a mission to silence self-doubt in 10 million women in 10 years by giving them simple strategies to speak up and ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond, resulting in more clients, job promotions, and negotiation wins. Companies like NASA, Netflix, Google, and Sephora have been propelled toward more effective communication skills through my signature framework, The Confidence Cocktail™. This is your invitation to step into your most confident self so you can catapult your career! Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, leverages 25 years in the boardroom and speaking on the world's most coveted stages such as Google and NASA to transform missed opportunities into wins. She is fiercely committed to her mission of eradicating self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them practical strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with her tested communication model to generate consistent results through her Powerful Presence Keynote: How to Be an Influential Communicator. Get my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: Words to Avoid | Karen Laos Connect with me:Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial Facebook: Ignite Your Confidence with Karen Laos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/karenlaosconsultingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/Episodes also available on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videosMy book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/

Markets always cycle.The only question is whether you freeze in uncertainty… or plant anyway.Chris joins Neil to break down what is really happening in capital markets right now, why liquidity feels stagnant, how venture and private equity are adjusting, and where opportunity is quietly forming. From housing affordability to 50-year mortgages, from leverage to Section 179 tax strategy, this episode is a wide-ranging conversation about ownership, yield, patience, and positioning yourself before the next cycle turns.In This Episode, We Cover✅ Liquidity Is Slower, Not DeadVenture, PE, and M&A activity are not moving at 2021 pace. IPOs are slower. Companies are staying private longer. That creates a liquidity crunch. But capital is still moving. You just need to understand the tempo.✅ Growth vs Yield CyclesMarkets shift between valuing revenue growth and valuing profit and yield. Right now, yield matters. That changes how founders should position their companies and what investors prioritize.✅ Housing, Ownership, and the Middle ClassInstitutional buyers, affordability challenges, and new housing models are reshaping the market. Ownership is becoming harder. This creates risk and opportunity.✅ Leverage vs Debt-Free Thinking Paying off your house feels safe. But is idle equity really wealth? The discussion explores how leverage, refinancing, and redeploying capital can create additional assets and cash flow.

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest and Alexa welcome David Clark, CIO at Vencap, who unpacks the realities of venture capital, emphasizing a data-driven approach to understanding returns, the persistent and intensifying “power law” in VC, and why only a small percentage of funds and companies drive outsized results. The discussion covers the challenges of evaluating new managers versus established firms, the nuances of secondary investments, and the critical importance of consistent, top-tier fund performance. Listeners will gain insight into the pitfalls of confirmation bias, the difficulties facing retail investors, and why strategy, transparency, and adaptability are key for long-term VC success. Also don't miss Rebecca Stuart of Sidley as she explains how unprecedented AI-focused acqui-hires function as talent raids that can bypass standard change-of-control protections. She also outlines legal and structural strategies VCs and startups can use like broadened definitions of change of control, retention and vesting design, and coordinated employment/comp practices, to better protect portfolios and key teams. Highlights from this week's conversation include: Welcoming David to the Show and Previewing Today's Episode (0:18) David's Shift From Traditional LP Diligence to Data-Driven Investing (2:48)   How Long Feedback Loops and Unknown Unknowns Shape Venture Outcomes (5:16)   Confirmation Bias, Narratives, and Doing Pre-Meeting Homework on Managers (6:55)   Pattern Recognition and What World-Class Founders Look Like (8:49)   Using Power Laws and Top 1% Companies as the Core LP Filter (10:40)   Why Singles and Doubles Rarely Add Up to Great Venture Funds (13:46)   AI Acqui-Hires, Talent Raids, and Risks to VC Portfolios (17:20)   Deal Structures That Avoid Change of Control and LP Protections (19:04)   Retention Tools, Forfeiture for Competition, and Staggered Vesting Cliffs (20:53)   Democratization of VC, 401(k) Investors, and the Risk of Disappointment (25:22)   Emerging Managers and the Myth of the Middle Class in Venture (30:58)   Venture Secondaries, Premium Pricing, and Why Discounts Can Be Misleading (36:04)   Scope Creep, Platform Expansion, and When LPs Disengage From Big Firms (42:06)   VenCap is one of the longest-running dedicated venture capital fund-of-funds globally, investing in many of the world's leading VC firms for over three decades. The firm's strategy emphasizes long-term consistency, deep relationship networks, and concentrated exposure to top-tier venture capital companies across cycles. Sidley Austin LLP is a premier global law firm with a dedicated Venture Funds practice, advising top venture capital firms, institutional investors, and private equity sponsors on fund formation, investment structuring, and regulatory compliance. With deep expertise across private markets, Sidley provides strategic legal counsel to help funds scale effectively. Learn more at sidley.com. Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies.  The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode #356, Ben shares the results from the FP&A category of his 7th Annual SaaS Tech Stack Survey, highlighting the top financial planning and analysis solutions used in software companies today. With 37 FP&A solutions named in the survey, this remains one of the most competitive and fast-moving segments in the back-office tech stack. While spreadsheets still dominate usage—by a wide margin—dedicated FP&A platforms are gaining traction, especially as companies scale past $10M+ ARR and investor reporting requirements increase. Ben also compares this year's results to prior years and explains how FP&A tool adoption shifts by ARR size. Resources Mentioned 7th Annual SaaS Tech Stack Survey: https://www.thesaascfo.com/surveys/finance-accounting-tech-stack-survey/ What You'll Learn The most widely used FP&A solutions in SaaS and AI companies Why spreadsheets still dominate financial modeling workflows Which platforms are gaining momentum (Drivetrain, Mosaic, Aleph, Pigment, Planful, and others) How FP&A adoption changes as companies scale beyond $10M ARR Why enterprise-grade tools like Workday appear in larger organizations How funding and competition are reshaping the FP&A software landscape Why It Matters FP&A systems power your forecasting, budgeting, and board reporting Spreadsheet-based processes eventually break as complexity increases As ARR grows, investors expect more sophisticated financial modeling and analytics Selecting the right FP&A tool impacts forecasting accuracy, KPI visibility, and strategic planning Understanding market adoption trends helps founders and CFOs benchmark their financial systems

Power companies have been reporting big profits in their latest half-year results. But now Consumer NZ is asking whether that's fair. Money correspondent Susan Edmunds spoke to Corin Dann.

Paul Auslander, President of SeaBridge Private Wealth, a division of SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of money, markets, and the current political moment. Auslander walks through how the political climate now factors directly into financial planning projections, noting that European indices doubled the S&P's performance last year as capital flows shift overseas, and that a growing number of wealthy clients are hedging by moving money out of the United States. He offers candid takes on the issues keeping investors up at night: the inevitability of Social Security cuts (though he argues simply pushing retirement age from 67 to 69 would stabilize the fund), the likely future of Social Security privatization, crypto's evolution from a technological revolution into a special interest that bought its own policy outcomes, and whether there's money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to be reversed. Auslander also explains why the bond market is a better barometer of economic health than the stock market, why private equity is sitting on mountains of sidelined capital, and why he remains cautiously bullish on 2026 — largely because AI is only in the "second inning" and massive disruption is still ahead. The conversation also ventures into territory financial planners don't usually discuss publicly. Auslander addresses whether the wealthy are worried the "pitchforks are coming for them," pointing to economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales and a pop culture landscape that increasingly portrays corporations and the ultra-rich as villains. He breaks down the rise of family offices — private wealth management firms for the ultra-wealthy that take a long-term investment view — and explains why companies increasingly choose to stay private thanks to nearly unlimited private capital, rather than face the scrutiny of public markets. They also dig into the generational divide between investing and gambling, the casino-like nature of prediction markets, and the burden that post-Lehman Brothers insurance and regulatory requirements have placed on small businesses and regional banks that had nothing to do with the 2008 financial crisis. Auslander closes with a pointed message: that Fed independence and the rule of law are paramount to economic stability, and that centrism — not ideological extremism — remains the best way to run the country. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Paul Auslander joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 Paul’s origin story 02:45 Financial planning was mostly done by insurance companies in 70’s 03:30 Northerners move to FL for taxes & weather, but FL is pushing it socially 06:00 Fiduciary responsibility is the line of demarcation in financial planning 07:00 Factoring the political climate into financial planning projections 08:30 European index doubled the performance of the S&P last year 09:30 Tax policy is generally the biggest concern for investors 12:00 A cut to social security payments is bound to happen 13:00 If you push retirement from 67 to 69 the SS fund becomes healthy 15:15 Social security privatization likely to happen in the future 17:15 Money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to go away? 18:15 Crypto became a special interest & bought support for pro crypto policy 20:00 Crypto is a revolution that predates Trump & will outlast him 21:30 Lesson to be learned from rise then collapse in price of silver? 22:30 Central banks are buying silver, gold and assets 24:00 How many people are hedging by moving money out of the U.S.? 24:45 Europe is spending big money on arms & infrastructure 26:00 Definition of a “Family Office” 28:30 Family office investments are increasingly popular & take the long view 30:00 Are the investors/wealthy worried the pitchforks are coming for them? 31:30 Economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales 33:00 Pop culture portrays corporations & wealthy as the villains 34:30 Private equity has a lot of money on the sideline, looking for investments 37:30 The burden of insurance requirements on small business 40:00 Small & regional banks paying for the sins of Lehman Brothers 41:00 Companies stay private due to near unlimited private capital 41:45 Do young people like investing… or do they just like gambling? 42:45 Thoughts on prediction markets? 44:00 There’s a casino like approach to certain markets 45:15 If the house flips, you could see money get withdrawn from markets 46:30 How do Trump’s relationships with world leaders affect projections? 47:45 The bond market is more indicative of economic health than stock market 48:45 Uncertainty will impact earnings 49:15 Why are you feeling bullish on 2026? 51:30 AI is only in the 2nd inning. Disruption is coming 54:30 Thom Tillis sounds like a different man now that he’s retiring 55:30 Centrism seems like the best way to run the country 57:30 AI won’t be replacing financial advisors anytime soon 59:45 What’s one question you want every presidential candidate to answer? 1:00:15 Fed independence and rule of law are paramountSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode recorded immediately after Trump's record-breaking 108-minute State of the Union address, Chuck Todd argues that while Trump's base will love the "own the libs" moments — from trolling Democrats in the chamber to the raucous "USA" chants from Republicans — the speech was fundamentally a missed opportunity that did nothing to help the GOP heading into the midterms. He contends that Trump chose to be a party leader rather than a president, turning the address into something resembling an award show by packing it with medal presentations, the Olympic men's hockey team, honorees who deserved more dedicated recognition rather than being used as applause props in an already bloated speech. He argues that Trump's tone on the economy couldn't have been worse for Republicans: with his approval at 60% disapproval and the Supreme Court having just struck down his tariffs days earlier, Trump barely addressed voters' core concerns about costs and affordability, instead declaring a "turnaround for the ages" that doesn't match most Americans' lived experience. He notes Trump’s highlighting of Iran's ballistic missiles sounded like a pretext for war that won't play well with parts of his own base. He praises Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's Democratic response as simple and effective — particularly her pointed questions about whether the president is actually working to make life more affordable — and argues she clearly won over independents. He closes with a bigger-picture observation: that there's a 60% majority coalition available on populist economic issues like protecting the safety net from cuts to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, but that Democrats still have a damaged brand despite Trump's terrible numbers, and that voters who thought they were getting first-term Trump are reckoning with something very different. Then, Paul Auslander, President of SeaBridge Private Wealth, a division of SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of money, markets, and the current political moment. Auslander walks through how the political climate now factors directly into financial planning projections, noting that European indices doubled the S&P's performance last year as capital flows shift overseas, and that a growing number of wealthy clients are hedging by moving money out of the United States. He offers candid takes on the issues keeping investors up at night: the inevitability of Social Security cuts (though he argues simply pushing retirement age from 67 to 69 would stabilize the fund), the likely future of Social Security privatization, crypto's evolution from a technological revolution into a special interest that bought its own policy outcomes, and whether there's money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to be reversed. Auslander also explains why the bond market is a better barometer of economic health than the stock market, why private equity is sitting on mountains of sidelined capital, and why he remains cautiously bullish on 2026 — largely because AI is only in the "second inning" and massive disruption is still ahead. The conversation also ventures into territory financial planners don't usually discuss publicly. Auslander addresses whether the wealthy are worried the "pitchforks are coming for them," pointing to economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales and a pop culture landscape that increasingly portrays corporations and the ultra-rich as villains. He breaks down the rise of family offices — private wealth management firms for the ultra-wealthy that take a long-term investment view — and explains why companies increasingly choose to stay private thanks to nearly unlimited private capital, rather than face the scrutiny of public markets. They also dig into the generational divide between investing and gambling, the casino-like nature of prediction markets, and the burden that post-Lehman Brothers insurance and regulatory requirements have placed on small businesses and regional banks that had nothing to do with the 2008 financial crisis. Auslander closes with a pointed message: that Fed independence and the rule of law are paramount to economic stability, and that centrism — not ideological extremism — remains the best way to run the country. Finally, Chuck presents his updated ToddCast Top 5 list of senate seats most likely to flip in the midterms and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:15 Trump’s base will love “own the libs” moments from SOTU 04:30 Most of Trump’s base was celebrating himself & animating his base 05:15 Trump’s tone on the economy couldn’t have been worse for GOP 06:30 Trump hid behind the glory of others, turned speech into award show 07:45 Awards are an incredible honor, deserved more time & recognition 09:30 Hopefully the recipients get dedicated events to honor them 10:00 Overloading the speech with awards felt a bit gimmicky 11:00 Trump mostly bit his tongue when addressing SCOTUS 11:30 Trump chose to be a party leader rather than president, trolled Dems 12:15 Spanberger’s response to SOTU was simple & effective 14:00 Spanberger definitely did better with independents than Trump 14:45 Trump’s proposal to make AI companies provide their power is a winner 15:15 Trump highlighting Iran’s ballistic missiles sounds like a pretext for war 16:30 Attacking Iran won’t play well with parts of Trump’s base 17:30 Trump didn’t talk about Venezuelan democracy, just oil 18:15 Trump’s still working with the Maduro regime 19:45 Are we trying to prevent Iranian nukes, or attempting regime change? 20:30 Trump claiming credit for getting Mexican cartel leader is a big faux pax 21:45 Allies feel like Trump will sell them out just so he can take credit 22:30 Trump didn’t address voters concerns on costs & the economy 23:45 Trump is better on the attack than defending his record 24:30 The speech didn’t give Republicans a boost for the midterms 25:30 Most Americans don’t support cutting safety net for tax cuts 27:30 There’s a 60% majority to be had on economic issues, not cultural ones 29:15 Voters keep picking the out party 30:30 There’s a majority coalition to be won with populist economic policy 32:30 This could be a moment for candidates to shed the party label 33:00 Democrats will have a strong midterm just being against Trump 33:45 Class politics could create a strong majority 35:30 Voters thought they’d get 1st term Trump, not what they’re getting 45:30 Paul Auslander joins the Chuck ToddCast 47:00 Paul’s origin story 48:15 Financial planning was mostly done by insurance companies in 70’s 49:00 Northerners move to FL for taxes & weather, but FL is pushing it socially 51:30 Fiduciary responsibility is the line of demarcation in financial planning 52:30 Factoring the political climate into financial planning projections 54:00 European index doubled the performance of the S&P last year 55:00 Tax policy is generally the biggest concern for investors 57:30 A cut to social security payments is bound to happen 58:30 If you push retirement from 67 to 69 the SS fund becomes healthy 1:00:45 Social security privatization likely to happen in the future 1:02:45 Money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to go away? 1:03:45 Crypto became a special interest & bought support for pro crypto policy 1:05:30 Crypto is a revolution that predates Trump & will outlast him 1:07:00 Lesson to be learned from rise then collapse in price of silver? 1:08:00 Central banks are buying silver, gold and assets 1:09:30 How many people are hedging by moving money out of the U.S.? 1:10:15 Europe is spending big money on arms & infrastructure 1:11:30 Definition of a “Family Office” 1:14:00 Family office investments are increasingly popular & take the long view 1:15:30 Are the investors/wealthy worried the pitchforks are coming for them? 1:17:00 Economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales 1:18:30 Pop culture portrays corporations & wealthy as the villains 1:20:00 Private equity has a lot of money on the sideline, looking for investments 1:23:00 The burden of insurance requirements on small business 1:25:30 Small & regional banks paying for the sins of Lehman Brothers 1:26:30 Companies stay private due to near unlimited private capital 1:27:15 Do young people like investing… or do they just like gambling? 1:28:15 Thoughts on prediction markets? 1:29:30 There’s a casino like approach to certain markets 1:30:45 If the house flips, you could see money get withdrawn from markets 1:32:00 How do Trump’s relationships with world leaders affect projections? 1:33:15 The bond market is more indicative of economic health than stock market 1:34:15 Uncertainty will impact earnings 1:34:45 Why are you feeling bullish on 2026? 1:37:00 AI is only in the 2nd inning. Disruption is coming 1:40:00 Thom Tillis sounds like a different man now that he’s retiring 1:41:00 Centrism seems like the best way to run the country 1:43:00 AI won’t be replacing financial advisors anytime soon 1:45:15 What’s one question you want every presidential candidate to answer? 1:45:45 Fed independence and rule of law are paramount 1:47:30 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Paul Auslander 1:48:45 ToddCast Top senate seats most likely to flip in midterms 1:49:00 #1 North Carolina 1:50:45 #2 Maine 1:53:45 #3 Michigan 1:58:15 #4 Alaska 2:01:15 #5 Texas 2:06:30 Honorable mentions: South Dakota & Minnesota 2:11:30 Ask Chuck 2:11:45 Promoting tariffs & AI have to only be bad for Trump? 2:12:45 Can Republicans not endorsed by Trump win their primaries? 2:14:15 Will lifting pesticide bans cause MAHA voters to turn on Trump?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stripe, the programmable financial services company, has signed agreements with investors to provide liquidity to current and former Stripe employees through a tender offer at a $159B (€135B) valuation. While the majority of funds for the tender offer are being provided by investors including Thrive Capital, Coatue, a16z, and others, Stripe will also use a portion of its own capital to repurchase shares. Stripe also published its 2025 annual letter to the Stripe community, detailing a strong year for businesses on Stripe and the internet economy overall. Businesses running on Stripe generated $1.9 trillion in total volume, up 34% from 2024, and equivalent to roughly 1.6% of global GDP. Beyond payments, Stripe's Revenue suite (comprising Stripe Billing, Invoicing, Tax, and more) is on track to hit an annual run rate of $1 billion this year. In the letter, cofounders Patrick and John Collison wrote: "Our programmable financial services now power more than 5 million businesses directly or via platforms, including all of the top AI companies, many of the largest blue-chip companies (90% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average), most of the biggest tech companies (80% of the Nasdaq 100), and a significant fraction of freshly minted startups (25% of all Delaware corporations are now created with Stripe Atlas) […] Stripe remained robustly profitable, allowing us to continue investing heavily in product development (with more than 350 product updates last year) as well as acquisitions. […] All in all, 2025 was a strong year for the internet economy, and we're delighted to see so many of Stripe's customers do so well." Kareem Zaki, partner at Thrive Capital, said: "After a decade of partnership and seeing their work up close, we believe Stripe has built the premiere financial infrastructure stack for the internet economy, relied on by the fastest growing companies for payments, billing, fraud prevention, tax, and more. While their core business has never been stronger, we believe their most transformative chapters are being written right now. We believe Stripe's lead will only expand across the future of money movement due to their leadership in agentic commerce, stablecoins, and more." New businesses on Stripe are scaling at record speed The 2025 cohort of new businesses on Stripe is the highest performing in the company's history. More new companies joined Stripe in 2025 than ever before, with more than half (57%) based outside the US. Businesses in the 2025 cohort grew around 50% faster than the 2024 cohort. The number of companies reaching $10 million ARR within 3 months of launch was double the 2024 count. Companies incorporated via Stripe Atlas are also monetising sooner: in 2025, 20% of Atlas startups charged their first customer within 30 days, up from 8% in 2020. Businesses on Stripe are increasingly global by default Over the last few years, the country-by-country expansion model has melted away. The "domestic market" for a new generation of internet businesses is the internet itself. Nearly every recognisable AI product launched globally by default, including ChatGPT, Claude, Replit, Lovable, Base44, Vercel, Cursor, Midjourney, and many more. Among Stripe businesses with mostly international revenue, 30% of that revenue comes from countries that are neither their home market nor one of the top 10 global economies. "This isn't merely about incremental revenue from a 'long tail' of international users. In many cases, the 'long tail' is much of the dog," the Collisons wrote. Building the economic infrastructure for AI Agentic commerce has moved into a phase of building and real-world experimentation. As with the early internet, the future success of agentic commerce is contingent on universal interoperability. To that end, Stripe has been working with a broad set of partners across AI labs, retailers, and leading ecommerce platforms to lay the groundwork for this generational shift: With OpenAI, Stripe developed the Agentic Comm...

A.M. Edition for Feb. 24. The Trump administration is considering new national security tariffs on a half-dozen industries, after the Supreme Court last week invalidated many of the president's second-term levies. That ruling has prompted companies like FedEx, Revlon and Costco to file suit. Plus, President Trump is expected to tout the U.S. economy in his State of the Union later. But as WSJ's Alex Frangos explains, the economic report card is a bit more mixed. And, Ukraine marks a grim milestone as the war with Russia enters its fifth year. Daniel Bach hosts. A look at Apple's push to build an all-American chip. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does the shortest month of the year sometimes feel like the longest? Today on Motley Fool Money, Rick Munarriz and fellow analysts Jason Hall and Travis Hoium, dive into stocks that they are willing to give up our Fool card for. There's also a look at how we think the percolating market matters of today will play out a year from now. They unpack: - Unlikely stocks that they are championing right now. - Potential buyout chatter for PayPal. - What comes next for the Warner Bros. Discovery romcom love triangle? Companies discussed: LOB, UPBD, HIMS, PYPL, WBD, NFLX, PSKY Host: Rick Munarriz, Guests: Jason Hall, Travis Hoium Producer: Anand Chokkavelu Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our CIO and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist Mike Wilson explains why he still believes in a growth cycle for equity markets, even as investors show growing concerns around AI.Mike Wilson: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley's CIO and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist. Today on the podcast, I'll be discussing recent concerns around AI disruption. It's Tuesday, February 24th at 1pm in New York. So, let's get after it. Last week you could feel it, that anxious undercurrent in the market. The headlines were noisy, volatility ticked higher, and AI disruption, once again, dominated investor conversations. But beneath the surface level unease something important happened. The S&P 500 Equal Weight Index pushed to a new relative high, keeping our broadening thesis alive and well. On one hand, investors are worried about AI driven disruption, CapEx intensity, and potential labor force reductions. On the other hand, capital is still flowing into formerly lagging areas of the market, just as the median stock is seeing its strongest earnings growth in four years. Let's unpack this. First, there's concern AI will lead to job losses. But even if that's the case, there's typically a phase-in period. Companies don't just eliminate labor overnight. Importantly, before these productivity gains are fully realized, we need broad enterprise adoption. That means building out the agentic application layer, integrating AI into workflows, retraining systems and processes. That takes time, and it is still early days in that regard. Second, what we're seeing now is typical of a major investment cycle. Volatility increases as markets challenge the pace of unbridled spending. Dispersion increases as investors debate winners and losers. Leadership rotates, sometimes sharply. There's also something different this time compared to the internet bubble of the late 1990s. Today we're in an early cycle earnings backdrop. We've just emerged from what was effectively a rolling recession between 2022 and 2025. So, as capital rotates out of the perceived structural losers, it's not just chasing long-term AI beneficiaries, it's also finding classic cyclical winners. On the losing side is long duration services-oriented sectors, particularly software. These areas are more sensitive to uncertainty around longer term cash flows. This area also has a large overhang of private capital deployed over the last 10 to 15 years. There are other forces at play too. Small cap growth, arguably the longest duration segment of the market, began breaking down in late January around the time Kevin Warsh was nominated as Fed chair. While major indices barely reacted, more speculative areas may be responding to expectations of tighter liquidity given Warsh's, reputation as a balance sheet hawk. Finally, equity markets are typically more volatile when new Fed chairs assume office. Bottom line, our broader thesis of an early cycle rolling recovery remains intact. Market internals are supportive even if index level action feels choppy. That said, near term volatility is likely to persist as we enter a weaker seasonal window for retail demand, while liquidity remains ample, but far from abundant. With this backdrop, a quality cyclical barbell with healthcare makes sense. In small caps, the higher quality S&P 600 looks more attractive than the Russell 2000. And any short-term volatility could present opportunities to add exposure in preferred cyclical areas like Consumer Discretionary Goods, Industrials, and Financials. Of course, risks remain. AI adoption could accelerate faster than expected, pressuring labor markets more abruptly. Pricing power could erode as efficiency spread, and policy makers could react in ways that slow the CapEx cycle while crowded momentum positioning remains vulnerable. Nevertheless, the signal from the internals is clear. Beneath the volatility this looks less like a market rolling over, and more like one that is confirming an early cycle economic expansion. Thanks for tuning in. I hope you found it informative and useful. Let us know what you think by leaving us a review. And if you find Thoughts on the Market worthwhile, tell a friend or colleague to try it out.

Creating Engaged Employees and Loyal Customers   Shep interviews Stephen Baer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Engagency. He talks about his new book,  Stickology, and how building strong emotional connections and engaging both employees and customers leads to lasting loyalty.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How does internal employee engagement influence external customer experience?  Why is it important for organizations to go beyond surface-level personalization in delivering customer experiences?  How can companies strike the right balance between friendly service and convenience to create lasting loyalty?  How can organizations move from transactional interactions to building relationships with their customers?  Why is it essential to invest in employee experience to drive customer satisfaction?  Top Takeaways:    Internal engagement is the foundation of strong customer loyalty. What happens inside your organization is always felt by your customers on the outside. If your employees are engaged, respected, and motivated, customers feel that in every interaction with your brand.   When organizations invest in their people, the result is better service and stronger customer relationships because empowered employees have the confidence to go above and beyond for customers.   Engagement isn't just good for workplace culture. It's good for business. Companies that focus on both employee and customer engagement see more revenue, higher employee and customer retention, and outpace their competitors.   It's easy to form a connection, but lasting loyalty requires deeper engagement. Connections made quickly can fall apart just as fast if the next interactions are inconsistent. Genuine engagement takes time and is operationalized so it ingrained in the culture and felt in every interaction.  Personalization by itself, even when powered by advanced technology, is not enough to build lasting loyalty. Relying on algorithms alone will expose a brand to being outgrown by its customers or out-innovated by its competitors. Customers stick with brands that make them feel emotionally connected and valued. Human elements, not just algorithms, are what creates long-term fans.   Convenience is no longer a unique advantage. It is an expectation. Today's customers want easy, seamless interactions everywhere they shop. To stand out, businesses need to pair convenience with authentic, memorable service.   Customers are going to talk about their experience with a company. When employees are engaged, they create advocates, customers who often spend more, and are more likely to recommend the business to others.   Plus, Stephen shares more insights from his book, Stickology: How to Build Unbreakable Connections with Employees and Customers for Life. Tune in!  Quote:   "It's not just about connecting. It's about building a relationship. It's about making that person feel seen, heard, valued, and empowered, whether they are a customer or an employee. It takes time, but the bond holds together stronger."  About:    Stephen Baer is the author of Stickology: How to Build Unbreakable Connections with Employees and Customers for Life, and the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Engagency.  He has 30 years of experience in behavioral science and engagement from leadership roles at companies such as The Game Agency, Atari, and GE.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BOSSes, Anne Ganguzza and Tom Dheere (The VO Strategist) ring in the new year with a reality check on modern voiceover career strategy. In an industry increasingly influenced by AI and market saturation, the "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach is no longer viable. This episode is a deep dive into the power of focus—mastering one genre at a time, picking the right marketing portals, and closing the "relevance gap" by becoming a high-level human storyteller.     Chapter Summaries: The Relevance Gap and AI (10:45) Tom introduces the "relevance gap"—the widening space between aspiring talent and working professionals. He argues that AI is rapidly consuming low-budget, entry-level work. To remain relevant, talent must move beyond simply "reading well" and invest in high-level storytelling skills (acting, improv, etc.) that AI cannot yet replicate. The Danger of the Multi-Demo Rush (03:55) The hosts notice a troubling trend: new talent getting five demos produced before they've mastered a single genre. This lack of focus leads to "sucking at everything." Anne emphasizes that even 20 coaching sessions might not be enough to reach the competitive level required for a professional demo in today's saturated market. Passion vs. Pragmatism: Reconciling Your Goals (15:19) While many enter VO wanting to do anime or video games, the market for corporate, e-learning, and medical narration is significantly larger. Tom suggests a pragmatic voiceover career strategy: use "bread and butter" genres like corporate work (where there are over 33 million potential clients) to fund your passion projects in character and animation work. The Myth of Social Media ROI (24:34) Tom reveals startling statistics on social media ROI for voice actors: Facebook (0.77%) and Twitter (0.69%) pale in comparison to LinkedIn (2.74%). While still low, LinkedIn represents a business-minded audience. The hosts warn that "enpoopification"—the decline of social media quality due to algorithms and AI—makes it harder than ever to find work through standard posting. The "New SEO": Getting Found by Chatbots (27:39) Anne shifts the focus to a forward-thinking strategy: SEO for AI. Companies are increasingly asking chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude for voice actor recommendations. To stay competitive, talent must populate their websites and blogs with high-quality, human-written content that these bots can index and recommend. The 2026 Focus Challenge (30:21) Tom issues a challenge to all VO Bosses: Pick one genre, one casting site, and one social media platform to focus on this year. By concentrating energy rather than scattering it, talent can build true momentum and authority in a specific corner of the market.     Top 10 Takeaways for Voice Actors: Close the Relevance Gap: Invest in professional acting and storytelling training to stay ahead of AI-generated voices. Focus on One Genre First: Master the nuances and audience of one genre before producing a demo or marketing yourself in another. Market Pragmatism: Target the corporate and e-learning markets for consistent cash flow while you build your "passion" skills in animation. Avoid "Demo Bundle" Traps: Be wary of packages offering multiple demos for a deal; quality training takes time and individual focus for each genre. Audit Your Marketing Portals: Don't join every pay-to-play site at once. Pick one that aligns with your primary genre and master its algorithm. Prioritize LinkedIn: For B2B genres like corporate narration, LinkedIn offers a significantly higher ROI than other social platforms. Optimize for AI Search: Ensure your website's FAQ and Home pages are rich with pertinent information so chatbots can find and recommend you. Use Low-Budget Sites as Proving Grounds: Use sites like Fiverr or Casting Call Club for practice and project management experience, not as a final career destination. Human Content Wins: Write blogs and website copy with a "human-first" approach to reclaim search authority from AI-generated spam. The Foundation is Acting: Foundational acting skills are transferable across all genres. Master the craft first, and the genre proficiency will follow.

In this episode, Trevor G. Blake breaks down the mindset and practical steps behind his entrepreneurial success. You'll hear how to reframe negative thinking, harness the power of intention, build your intuition with simple exercises, and why aiming high is key to reaching bigger goals. Trevor shares easy-to-apply tools that can set you on the path to financial independence and greater confidence.

FREE COPY OF JEFF'S BOOK DISCERNMENT HERE What happens when you get FIRED… and it becomes the best thing that ever happened to you? In this episode of The Unemployable Podcast, Jeff Dudan sits down with serial entrepreneur, investor, and former Global President of EO, Troy Hazard. From Australian radio announcer… to building and selling 12+ companies… to turning around distressed businesses and exiting to private equity — Troy shares the exact mindset, leadership philosophy, and exit strategy that changed his life.

FREE COPY OF JEFF'S BOOK DISCERNMENT HERE What happens when you get FIRED… and it becomes the best thing that ever happened to you? In this episode of The Unemployable Podcast, Jeff Dudan sits down with serial entrepreneur, investor, and former Global President of EO, Troy Hazard. From Australian radio announcer… to building and selling 12+ companies… to turning around distressed businesses and exiting to private equity — Troy shares the exact mindset, leadership philosophy, and exit strategy that changed his life.

On this Salcedo Storm Podcast:Robert Netzly is a globally recognized authority in the Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) movement, author of the book "Biblically Responsible Investing: On Wall Street As It Is In Heaven" and a frequent contributor in major media, including Daily Wire, FOX Business, Bloomberg, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times.

Send a textMiguel Armaza sits down with Michael Calvey, one of the most successful and legendary emerging markets investors of our time. Mike moved to Moscow at age 27 in the early 90s and built Baring Vostok into a powerhouse with $10+ billion invested in Russia. They backed now-decacorns like Yandex, Revolut, Tinkoff, and Kaspi at their earliest stages. Yandex alone was a 450x return for the fund.Along the way, he survived a 98% market crash, was detained by Russia's secret service, and made billions of dollars for his investors.He's also incredibly thoughtful about the ingredients of great founders, what separates the ones who win from those just chasing money, how the best companies constantly stack new S curves, and why being a hands-on owner but never a hands-on manager is the key to a great investor-founder partnership.Timestamped Overview00:00 From Oklahoma to Russia - Intro & Michael's Background10:32 Building an Elite Emerging Markets Team14:36 Geopolitics, Economics, and Market Resilience20:25 Fewer Investments, Better Focus24:08 Successful Entrepreneurs Value Purpose28:47 Management KPIs and Key Insights33:45 3 Cs of Ownership Focus42:53 Marketplace vs. Fintech Growth Dynamics44:02 Marketplace Dominance and Financial Complexity52:25 Emerging Markets: Talent vs. Geopolitics54:51 Emerging Markets and Fintech Ventures01:00:20 Medici Family: Banking and Intrigue01:05:59 Starting Over as Entrepreneur Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today's global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join ~85,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4ZMiguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBcFintech Leaders Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3jWIpqp

Likefolio's Andy Swan shares social sentiment data on TJX Companies (TJX) ahead of their earnings Wednesday morning. He thinks it's the “best in the niche by far” among the discount retailers. The consumer cohort who “loves to treasure hunt” is growing and he thinks TJX is the best at finding the items people want. “This company's executing and they have tailwinds.”======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – / schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – / schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - / schwab-network About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

The February 25 edition of the AgNet News Hour continued a powerful two-part discussion on the growing crisis in California trucking, as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill again welcomed Mark Woods and Jose Nunez of Wildwood Express. Their message was urgent: without meaningful policy changes, the trucking industry that agriculture depends on may not survive. Woods, who operates a 45-truck fleet in Kings County, detailed the mounting pressures squeezing freight companies from every direction. New truck prices have climbed close to $200,000 per unit, with 2027 models expected to increase another $15,000 to $25,000 due to additional emissions requirements and new technology mandates. Meanwhile, repair costs at dealership service centers can exceed $240 per hour — and trucks often sit for days or weeks waiting for qualified technicians. The biggest concern, Woods emphasized, isn't engine reliability. Modern engines remain durable. Instead, nearly every mechanical issue stems from emissions systems, sensors, and regulatory compliance components. Diesel exhaust systems, filters, and electronic sensors frequently trigger downtime, leaving trucks parked while payments, insurance, and payroll continue. For many small and mid-sized fleets, there is no margin for extended downtime. Unlike major corporations with large reserves, independent operators cannot afford long-term research and development risks on unproven equipment. As Woods explained, trucking companies don't need government assistance — they need government to step aside and allow them to operate efficiently. Insurance premiums remain another heavy burden. Companies invest in AI-driven safety systems, in-cab cameras, and electronic logging devices to protect drivers and limit liability. Yet insurance rates continue rising, especially in California's increasingly litigious environment. A single accident can jeopardize both a driver's commercial license and a company's financial stability. Fuel costs add further uncertainty. With refinery closures on the horizon, concerns about diesel availability and potential price spikes loom large. If fuel prices rise dramatically, every product transported — from fertilizer and bee hives to finished almonds and fresh produce — becomes more expensive. As Papagni noted, freight touches every step of the agricultural supply chain. Workforce retention remains steady for Wildwood Express, but compliance enforcement and licensing scrutiny create additional hurdles. Meanwhile, deteriorating highway conditions, especially along Highway 99, accelerate wear and tear on already expensive equipment. The takeaway from the conversation was clear: trucking is not optional infrastructure. It is the backbone of agriculture and the broader economy. Without freight, food does not move. As Woods put it, the industry must stand united and demand practical solutions before more companies disappear.

A United States Attorney is suing some of the biggest food manufacturers, accusing them of deliberately designing products to be addictive despite the harm they're known to cause. David Chiu has brought a lawsuit against prominent ultra processed food manufacturers including Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kellog and Craft Heinz. The lawsuit argues the government is picking up the bill for the serious health consequences from their products; including conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer. David Chiu spoke to Lisa Owen.

Tedd Huff, CEO of fintech advisory firm Voalyre and founder of Fintech Confidential, sits down with Nik Milanović, Founder and FinTech Enthusiast in Chief of This Week in FinTech, a global community of more than 200,000 members, and the founder of StableCon, the first conference built exclusively around stablecoins and payments. Nik also serves as a General Partner at The FinTech Fund, where he invests in the next generation of FinTech startups.Stablecoins have spent years being called either the future of money or a passing trend. What's changed isn't just the hype cycle: it's the regulatory foundation underneath it. The passage of the GENIUS Act, the repeal of SEC guidance SAB 121 on crypto custody, and a visible shift in how banks and financial institutions are engaging with stablecoins have moved this conversation from theoretical to operational. Banks that were quietly watching are now building. Companies that had no public stablecoin strategy 12 months ago are now processing stablecoin transactions in more than 150 countries.But here's what's worth paying attention to: the version of stablecoins that actually reaches everyday people won't look like what the original crypto community envisioned. No seed phrases. No self-custody. No libertarian utopia. What mass adoption looks like is a Stripe-powered merchant settlement that runs on blockchain rails while the customer sees something that looks exactly like a credit card transaction. As Nik puts it, "the revolution has to become a lot more boring first."That's not a failure of the original idea. That's how every major technology shift has played out, from radio to the internet. The infrastructure gets built, the guardrails go in, the corporates arrive, and what was once radical becomes routine.The same pattern is showing up in how banks and FinTech companies are working together. The old model of banks acquiring technology companies and absorbing them in-house has largely failed. What's replacing it is a partnership model: tech-forward institutions like FinWise, Column Bank, and Cross River Bank figuring out how to extend their capabilities without overreaching their charters. The tension between "you're either a bank or a tech company" has given way to something more practical.That shift in thinking is exactly what Nik built StableCon around. After six years of running This Week in FinTech and hearing repeated calls to launch a conference, the case for yet another general FinTech or crypto event wasn't there. There are more than 250 conferences globally with FinTech in the title. What didn't exist was a conference sitting at the specific intersection of banking, FinTech, and crypto, focused entirely on stablecoins: not asset price speculation, not blockchain theory, but the actual infrastructure of how money moves.The conference was announced January 17, 2025. It ran May 29 in New York City. That's five months to plan, hire, sell tickets, and pull off an inaugural event in one of the most expensive cities in the world. At the start of May, only 400 tickets had been sold. In the final two weeks, 500 more sold as word spread and people realized they needed to be in the room. Final attendance: more than 1,000.What the event revealed was as important as the numbers. Attendees were so focused on meeting each other that many skipped the general sessions entirely. That's not a failure: that's what happens when you gather a thousand people who are actually working in the same ecosystem and give them a room for the first time. The feedback confirmed it: StableCon filled a gap that BTC Vegas, Token2049, Permissionless, Money 2020, Consensus, Finovate, and FinTech Nexus weren't filling.The next StableCon US is expanding to three days, moving to Washington, DC at the Gaylord at National Harbor, and shifting to September to avoid scheduling conflicts. The goal is to bring in policy participants, regulators, law firms, and...

Josh Rogin examines whether the US-China rivalry is a new Cold War and how the CCP enforces its political agenda on American companies like the NBA through exported censorship. 5

We look back at stories of companies that were disrupted -- Siebel Systems and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL( -- to better understand how disruption emerges and whether history can be a guide for disruption during the AI paradigm shift. Asit Sharma, David Meier, and Tim Beyers discuss: - Disruption stories from history. - The three signs of disruption and why they matter now more than ever. - Two companies that may be at serious risk for disruption now and for the long term. Don't wait! Be sure to get to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of David's Gardner's new book — Rule Breaker Investing: How to Pick the Best Stocks of the Future and Build Lasting Wealth. It's on shelves now; get it before it's gone! Companies discussed: FIG, TOST, CRM, HUBS, TTD Host: Tim Beyers Guests: Asit Sharma, David Meier Producer: Anand Chokkavelu Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Title: Chaos, Radicalization & Political Retribution: America on Edge Runtime: ~45–50 minutes Tone: Urgent, edgy, investigative

Send a text"RAISE CAPITAL LIKE A LEGEND: https://go.fundraisecapital.co/apply"How do you turn a single student rental house into a $10 billion real estate empire? In this episode of Making Billions, host Ryan Miller sits down with Jason Castellan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Skyline Group of Companies, to deconstruct the journey of building one of Canada's most successful private equity and alternative asset management firms.Jason reveals the three major inflection points that shifted Skyline from a small-town operation in Guelph, Ontario, to an institutional powerhouse.Whether you're interested in syndications, REIT structures, or clean energy infrastructure, Jason's "Crawl, Walk, Run" philosophy provides the blueprint for sustainable growth and multi-generational wealth.Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOe79EXLDsROQ0z3YLnu1QQConnect with Ryan Miller:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmiller1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingbillionspodcast/X: https://x.com/_MakingBillionsWebsite: https://making-billions.com/[THE HOST]: Ryan Miller is a recovering CFO turned angel investor in technology and energy.[THE GUEST]: Jason Castellan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Skyline Group of Companies, leading the strategic direction across all business units, including asset acquisitiSupport the showDISCLAIMER: The information in every podcast episode “episode” is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. By listening or viewing our episodes, you understand that no information contained in the episodes should be construed as legal or financial advice from the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal, financial, or tax counsel on any subject matter. No listener of the episodes should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, the episodes without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer, finance, tax, or other licensed person in the recipient's state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction. No part of the show, its guests, host, content, or otherwise should be considered a solicitation for investment in any way. All views expressed in any way by guests are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the show or its host(s). The host and/or its guests may own some of the assets discussed in this or other episodes, including compensation for advertisements, sponsorships, and/or endorsements. This show is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as financial, tax, legal, or any advice whatsoever.

In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, host Stewart Alsop sits down with Jake Hamilton, founder of Groundwire and Nockbox, to explore zero-knowledge proofs, Bitcoin identity systems, and the intersection of privacy-preserving cryptography with AI and blockchain technology. They discuss how ZK proofs could offer an alternative to invasive identity verification systems being rolled out by governments worldwide, the potential for continual learning AI models to shift the balance between centralized and open-source development, and why building secure, auditable computing infrastructure on platforms like Urbit matters more than ever as we face an explosion of AI agents and automated systems. Jake also explains Nockchain's approach to creating a global repository of cryptographically verified facts that can power trustless programmable systems, and how these technologies might converge to solve problems around supply chain security, personal data sovereignty, and resistance to censorship.Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Groundwire and Knockbox02:48 Understanding Zero-Knowledge Proofs06:04 Government Adoption of ZK Proofs08:55 The Future of Identity Verification11:52 AI and ZK Proofs: A New Era14:54 The Role of Urbit in Technology18:03 The Impact of COVID on Trust20:51 The Evolution of AI and Data Privacy23:47 The Future of AI Models26:54 The Need for Local AI Solutions29:51 Interoperability of Knockchain and BitcoinKey Insights1. Zero-Knowledge Proofs Enable Privacy-Preserving Verification: Jake explains that ZK proofs allow you to prove computational outcomes without revealing the underlying data. For example, you could prove you're over 18 without exposing your full identity or driver's license information. The proof demonstrates that a specific program ran through certain steps and reached a particular conclusion, and validating this proof is fast and compact. This technology has profound implications for age verification, identity systems, and protecting privacy while maintaining necessary compliance, potentially offering a middle path between surveillance states and complete anonymity.2. Government Adoption of Privacy Technology Remains Uncertain: There are three competing motivations driving government identity verification systems: genuine surveillance desires, bureaucratic efficiency seeking, and legitimate child protection concerns. Jake believes these groups can be separated, with some officials potentially supporting ZK-based solutions if positioned correctly. He notes the EU is exploring ZK identity verification, and UK officials have shown interest. The key is framing privacy-preserving technology as protection against "the swamp" rather than just abstract privacy benefits, which could resonate with certain political constituencies.3. The COVID Era Destroyed Institutional Trust at Unprecedented Scale: The conversation identifies COVID as potentially the largest institutional trust-burning event in human history, with numerous institutions simultaneously losing credibility with large portions of the population. This represents a dramatic shift from the boomer generation's default trust in authority figures and mainstream media. This collapse is compounded by the incoming AI revolution, creating a perfect storm where established bureaucracies cannot adapt quickly enough to manage rapidly evolving technology, leaving society in fundamentally unmanageable territory.4. Centralized AI Models Create Dangerous Dependencies: Both speakers acknowledge growing dependence on centralized AI services like Claude, with some users spending thousands monthly on tokens. This dependency creates vulnerability to price increases and service disruptions. Jake advocates for local AI deployment using models like DeepSeek R1, running on personal hardware to maintain control and privacy. The shift toward continuous learning models will fundamentally change the AI landscape, making personal data harvesting even more valuable and raising urgent questions about compensation and consent for training data contribution.5. High-Quality Training Data Is Becoming the Primary AI Bottleneck: Stewart argues that AI development is now limited more by high-quality training data than by compute power. The industry has exhausted easily accessible internet data and body-shop-style data labeling. Companies are now using specialized boutique services with techniques like head-mounted cameras for live-streaming world model training. This scarcity is subtly driving price increases across AI services and will fundamentally reshape the economics of AI development, with implications for who controls these increasingly powerful systems.6. Urbit Offers a Foundation for Trustworthy Computing: Jake positions Urbit as essential infrastructure for the AI age because its 30,000-line codebase (versus Unix's three million lines) can be understood by individual humans. Its deterministic, purely functional, and strictly typed design aims for eventual ossification—software that doesn't require constant security patches. This "tiny and diamond perfect" approach addresses the fundamental insecurity of systems requiring monthly vulnerability patches. In an era of AI agents and potential prompt injection attacks, having verifiable, comprehensible computing infrastructure becomes existentially important rather than merely desirable.7. Nockchain Creates a Global Repository of Provable Truth: Jake's vision for Nockchain combines ZK proofs with blockchain technology to create a globally available "truth repository" where verified facts can be programmatically accessed together. This enables smart contracts or programs gated on combinations of proven facts—such as temperature readings from secure devices, supply chain events, and payment confirmations. By using Nock's abstract, simple design optimized for ZK proof generation, the system can validate complex real-world conditions without exposing underlying data, creating infrastructure for coordinating action based on verifiable private information at global scale.

Here is a FAQ Video on the Courses: https://youtu.be/0F7imrzjXWs Here is a deep dive into which course is best for you: https://youtu.be/JM_jgS8M-iU https://www.b2bRevenue.com - Get Your Free E-Book on How Companies make Decisions. FAQ: 1 YEAR ACCESS, PAY MONTHLY OR ANNUALLY NOT A SUBSCRIPTION OFFICE HOURS EVERY  OTHER WEEK VIA ZOOM. 1 HOUR GROUP Q&A. UNLIMITED 1-ON-1'S  ARE FREE AS LONG AS THEY CAN BE SHARED IN THE COURSE. 1-ON-1 ARE FULL ACCESS ON DAY ONE - NOTHING IS GATED OR TIME RELEASED. ALL CONTENT IS VIDEO BASED AND SELF PACED I RECOMMEND TAKE COURSE ONCE WITHOUT NOTES OR APPLYING IT SO YOU UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE FIRST. THEN TAKE AND APPLY IT STEP BY STEP. YOU START WHEN YOU WANT AND GO AS FAST OR SLOW AS NEEDED.   Email me additional questions: briangburns@me.com     — SAMPLE EMAIL TO EXPENSE THE COURSE MGR,   I have been listening to the brutal truth about sales podcast for X months and it speaks to the issues we face.   They currently offer a course that includes video instruction, group Q&A and One-on-One coaching. I'm committed to my own personal development and would like your help in expensing the course.   It would pay for itself if I closed only one new deal of $X value.   Please let me know by Friday if I can move forward with this 1 year course.   Thanks, ME Here are some student interviews from the courses:      ———————————————————————————————————— Audible 30 day Free Trial: http://www.audibletrial.com/BrutalTruth  

In this episode of the Game Deflators podcast, hosts John and Ryan discuss their recent game pickups, including horror titles and RPGs, and share insights on the gaming industry, including Sony's monetization strategies and the closure of Bluepoint Games. They also review Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, highlighting its gameplay and nostalgic value, while addressing broader industry trends and controversies in fast news segments. 00:00 Introduction to the Game Deflators Podcast 01:27 Recent Game Pickups and Discussions 06:00 Current Gameplay Experiences 10:12 Fast News and Industry Insights 24:53 The Necessity of Mini Games in Storytelling 27:50 Monetization Strategies for PS5 33:00 The Closure of Bluepoint Games 38:42 Michael Jackson's Moonwalker: A Retro Review   Find us on TheGameDeflators.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/GameDeflators Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheGameDeflators Instagram - www.instagram.com/thegamedeflators   The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of the author. The content within these recordings are property of their respective Designers, Writers, Creators, Owners, Organizations, Companies and Producers. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted. Permission for intro and outro music provided by Matthew Huffaker http://www.youtube.com/user/teknoaxe 2_25_18

As we prepare for the 2026 Player Development Summit in Detroit, Michigan (May 29–30), this episode gives you a clear and honest look at what this experience is really about.This is not just another conference.This is a room built for the people doing the unseen work in athletics.In this episode, you'll hear:• A 2026 Summit insight explaining exactly who this event is designed for• A powerful speaker spotlight from the 2025 Summit• A real attendee reflection from Kansas City that captures the heart of this community

BBC SHARES INFORMATIONhttps://www.bbccshares.com/formBITCOIN PROGRAMSCALL OR TEXT 941-413-8080ALL BITCOIN BEN'S PROGRAMShttp://bbccprograms.comJOIN THE BITCOIN BEN CRYPTO CLUBS AND WEBSITEhttps://bitcoinbencryptoclubnashville.com/clubsCLAIMING YOUR CLUB SHARES VIDEO LINKhttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/81113673520?pwd=BFyIgqBIBoOHzWHg55kpk7Bpql6NNX.1CALEB AND BROWN LINK SAVE 30% ON EVERY BUY/SELL FEEShttps://www.calebandbrown.com/affiliates/bitcoin-benPRIVATE SERVERhttps://substack.com/@bitcoinben?utm_source=profile-pageFOLD APP LINKhttps://use.foldapp.com/r/BITCOINBEN2OZLO SLEEP EARBUDShttps://refer.ozlosleep.com/mQIhHLaCALIX SOLUTIONS CRYPTO AND LIBERY LAPTOPS!!!CALL OR TEXT (702) 845-8276 OR EMAIL info@calixsolutions.io OR HITTHIS LINK TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE WEBSITEhttps://calixsolutions.io/crypto-laptops/XPATCHES EMAIL AND TELEGRAM CHANNELBitcoinBensXpatches@gmail.comhttp://t.me/BitcoinBensXpatchesSALT BITCOIN LOANhttps://borrower.saltlending.com/register?referralCode=1UzYRShbxBITCOIN BEN SWAG LINKhttps://www.miniadaydesigns.com/collections/bitcoin-bens-private-collection?_pos=2&_psq=bitcoin+ben&_ss=e&_v=1.0FOUNDERS GROUP MEMBERSHIPS WEBSITEhttps://foundersgroupworldwide.com/join/ OR Call our officeBECOME A TRADEMARK LICIENCED DEALER AT THE BITCOIN BEN SILVERCOMPANY!! GET MORE INFORMATION ON OUR TELEGRAM CHANNELhttps://t.me/BitcoinBensSilverChatGroup

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Mateo Bryant, CFO of Minted. They break down Minted's life-event flywheel and decades-long LTV, managing extreme seasonality when half the year happens in one month, and balancing long-term CAC with short-term monetization. Mateo also shares lessons from scaling Uber and Amazon globally, localization missteps, and making marketplaces work in emerging markets.—SPONSORS:Abacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you're scaling on an ERP that wasn't built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjTabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run—LINKS: Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNMateo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryantmatt/Minted: https://www.minted.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Peter Oey, CFO of Grab:https://youtu.be/tdq0AZO0dLU—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro03:16 Fixer to CFO05:32 Mexico City Startups09:00 Minted Flywheel10:24 LTV Expansion11:04 Entry Points12:18 CAC and Cohorts13:42 Sponsors: Metronome | RightRev | Rillet17:06 Wedding Lifecycle19:49 Holiday Forecasting22:23 Retail Calendar24:03 Cash Flow Swings25:05 Marketing Over Sales26:06 Email Limits27:41 Sponsors: Tabs | Abacum | Brex31:02 Retail Strategy35:08 Global Experience40:47 Uber Cash Economics46:04 Cost of Not Localizing50:19 Importer of Record53:17 No Google Lesson55:34 QBR Mistake56:48 High Leverage Hours59:03 Finance Stack59:50 Seven Day Cruise Expense#RunTheNumbersPodcast #MarketplaceStrategy #EcommerceFinance #GigEconomy #CFOInsights

Feel the chill of the Winter Games—and the heat of the lab—where medals are measured in milliseconds and built on decades of design. We pull back the curtain on the quiet inventions that make elite sport possible, from fluid-dynamic swimsuits to carbon-plated marathon shoes, from the hinged brilliance of the clapskate to the high-speed vision of tracking and timing systems. The story isn't scandal; it's structure. We trace how ideas move from a whiteboard to the world stage through patents that document methods, invite competition, and help set the boundaries that keep sport both fair and thrilling.We start in the pool, where bonded seams, compression maps, and hydrodynamic panels turned “just a suit” into a system—and where rule updates redirected, not punished, progress. On the roads, we break down the mechanics of energy return: foam that rebounds, plates that guide, and filings that map curvature and geometry so rivals can design smarter. On the ice, the clapskate's heel hinge extends blade contact and power transfer, proving that tiny mechanical shifts can reshape an entire discipline when paired with rigorous disclosure and iteration.Fairness gets its own engineering arc. High-speed cameras, calibrated sensors, and photo finish systems transform human limits of perception into trustworthy data. Companies refine optics, synchronization, and algorithms, then publish their methods through patents—fuel for a healthier ecosystem where accuracy becomes a form of respect. Along the way, we share five clear takeaways: innovation is part of sport; patents structure progress; rules and tech evolve together; precision builds trust; and small structural changes can move mountains.If you love sport and love ideas, hit play, share with a friend who obsesses over gear and split times, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find us.Send a textCheck out "Protection for the Inventive Mind" – available now on Amazon in print and Kindle formats. The views and opinions expressed (by the host and guest(s)) in this podcast are strictly their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the entities with which they may be affiliated. This podcast should in no way be construed as promoting or criticizing any particular government policy, institutional position, private interest or commercial entity. Any content provided is for informational and educational purposes only.

Plus is Roku a buy right now?

The Supreme Court is taking up a landmark climate case this fall, pitting a medium sized county against fossil fuel corporations. The AP's Jennifer King reports.

Is test prep a lifeline or a scam? Jessica Wynn reveals who's really cashing in on your SAT anxiety here on Skeptical Sunday!Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we're joined by writer and researcher Jessica Wynn!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1288On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:The test prep industry is a multi-billion-dollar machine built on manufactured anxiety — not better education. Companies exploit the fear that a single test determines your entire future, turning parental stress and student panic into a lucrative marketplace where confusion plus fear equals profit.The same corporations that create standardized tests often sell the prep materials to pass them — a staggering conflict of interest. It's vertical integration at its most cynical: they've engineered both the problem and the solution, and students pay on both ends.Standardized tests like the SAT don't predict college success as well as high school GPA does, and access to expensive prep widens inequality rather than leveling the playing field. Kids in the top 1% of income have a 1 in 4 shot at elite schools — kids in the bottom 20% have a 1 in 300 chance.Social media has supercharged test prep anxiety, turning studying into a performative competition. Students spiral comparing their materials and scores to strangers online, and prep companies profit without even advertising — the students do it for them through posts and affiliate links.You don't need to spend a fortune to prepare well. Start with official practice tests and free resources like Khan Academy, use proven techniques like spaced repetition and the Feynman method, and remember — one good resource used properly beats five expensive ones you never open.Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!Connect with Jessica Wynn at Instagram and Threads, and subscribe to her newsletters: Between the Lines and Where the Shadows Linger!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: HexClad: 10% off: hexclad.com/jordanBombas: Go to bombas.com/jordan to get 20% off your first orderWayfair: Start renovating: wayfair.comHomes.com: Find your home: homes.comThe President's Daily Brief: Listen here or wherever you find fine podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.