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Elon Musk Takes His Son To Work in Weird Oval Office Presser | Pivot

February 14, 2025 / 47:58

This episode of Pivot covers topics such as Elon Musk's recent Oval Office meeting with President Trump, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and rising inflation rates. Hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss the implications of Trump's negotiations with Putin, the state of Tesla in the competitive EV market, and the latest inflation numbers.

Swisher and Galloway analyze Trump's phone call with Putin regarding Ukraine, highlighting the unrealistic expectations for peace and the potential consequences for Ukraine's sovereignty. They also touch on Secretary of Defense Pete Heg's comments about NATO membership for Ukraine and the evolving military landscape in Europe.

The hosts shift focus to the inflation rates, particularly the significant rise in egg prices, and how these economic factors may affect political narratives. They critique Trump's response to inflation, emphasizing the need for the Democratic Party to propose forward-looking solutions.

In a lighter segment, Swisher and Galloway discuss Musk's appearance in the Oval Office, where he casually introduced his child. They express concern about the appropriateness of bringing children into such settings and critique Musk's influence on government decisions.

Finally, the episode touches on the competitive landscape for Tesla, with insights from economist Alice Han about the challenges Tesla faces from Chinese EV manufacturer BYD. The hosts reflect on the future of Tesla and the broader implications for the EV market.

TL;DR

Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss Trump's Ukraine negotiations, inflation rates, and Musk's Oval Office visit, highlighting Tesla's challenges in the EV market.

Video

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turn off the electricity and let's dance let's [Music]
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dance hi everyone this is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Box media podcast Network I'm Cara swisser and I'm Scott
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Galloway how you doing Scott what's going on I'm doing okay I'm I just um hauled
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up five flights of stairs my 14-year-old's uh a beverage refrigerator cuz what is a
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14-year-old without his own beverage refrigerator I like a bever I just bought a beverage refrigerator yeah you
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know yeah I we renovated our house we're moving back in and I thought I need a bever refrigerator in my little pod room
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I created a pod room you know that I have my own home pod Studio like you I'm trying to keep up with you it's very
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nice yeah but I got one of those old retro ones and it's blue what do you think oh really yeah uh I I'm in favor
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of retro blue fruit I'm just I'm actually very much an evangelist for es
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also also uh U yeah was it one of those like cool what do they call it Smeg it's
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not Smeg actually Frid a they someone bought the frigidere name and it has frigidere across it in that script I'm
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very pleased I'm very pleased with my refrigerator I love a refrigerator I've always had beverage refrigerators and my kids have too I think it's important
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I've went in San Francisco uh on my I I had a haul mine up the stairs too anyway
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uh we have a lot to get to today my God this the news is insane Scott I have to tell you it's nuts um besides that weird
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Elon Oval Office presser with a kid saying whatever he was saying um we have also how deep seek is threatening uh
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Tesla dominance we've got a million of things of course it's all about [ __ ] Elon so tired of him but he's right in the middle of everything so what are we
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going to do what are we G to do what are we gonna do but first uh president Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir
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Putin have agreed to start negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine Trump and Putin had what was described as a
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lengthy and highly productive phone call and when wnes Trump later spoke with Ukraine's president zalinski defense
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secretary Pete Heth offered some insights on what Ukraine can expect from a peace deal way to go PE Pete telling
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the people what we're going to do before we negotiate but go ahead we will only end this devastating war and establish a
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durable Peace by coupling Allied strength with a realistic assessment of
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the battlefield we want like you a sovereign
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and prosperous Ukraine but we must start by recognizing
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that returning to Ukraine's pre-24 borders is an unrealistic
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objective chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more
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suffering so heg has also noted that NATO membership for Ukraine is not on the table I mean they just they just
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Russia sort of won at at devastating cost to itself and to Ukraine um but they're essentially saying well they got
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the land they got and this is where we do and I get that on some level at the same time it's kind of Putin's kind of
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won because he was willing to put up with all those losses on his side and
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and the the damage that they did to Ukraine on the other side this this could have been written
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by Sergey lavaro who the equivalent of their Secretary of State or
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propaganda um the what what might be interesting of the wild card here is I'm not sure Europe is down with
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acquiescing to another murderous autocrat invading Europe and just saying okay it is what it is I mean what what
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secretary hex has said is probably pretty accurate it's very unlikely we're going back to the traditional borders
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that's correct but at the same time the time you negotiate you want to negotiate from a place of strength and what you've
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seen across Europe and you could argue that's one of the benefits of not only not only the
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invasion of Ukraine but also quite frankly of trump who signaled I'm sick of supporting or giving everyone this
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very expensive uh military umbrella but you have seen a dramatic increase in
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military spending across the EU y y so I'm not sure the EU is going to say you
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know Ukraine if you can't if you don't want to if you don't want to bend the knee at this moment courtesy of whatever
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Trump and hexat say we've got your back and what's just remarkable about Ukraine
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is in every conflict there's a new there's a new weapon that kind of rears
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up uh whether World War I it was tanks and Banes World War II radar and yeah
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this is all about drones and it's just incredible what they have been able to do with substantially less uh resources
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so I think you negotiate from a position of strength and when you start off with this type of rhetoric you're basically this this could have been
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written by the Russians yeah I agree I think it's really you know this is what they said they were going to do so it's not a surprise but heg said is just
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reading from a card by the way I don't think he has a a fresh idea in his head ever I think he's just handed things
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like the TV host that he was um uh I heard he consulted with Jack
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Daniels zalinsky who's basically been sidelined here posted on X after the Trump call writing no one wants uh peace
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more than Ukraine I would imagine so given the devastation of his country and it's just I I the question is can you
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can Europe have does Europe have this is the goal Trump had which was Europe should pay more of its own Freight
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presumably um after we have been suppor of them for so so long and what he's doing is he's he's he's acting like this
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is a real estate deal right well they're here a deal but here's the other wild
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the other wild card people AR talking about is you know who doesn't want peace China yeah China was a real beneficiary
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of the war cuz they get oil at dramatic you know know on sale because Russia
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because they've been essentially shunned by every other major oil consumer and then another country just went off of
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your of Russian oil the other day they turned on the lights they had kind of a weird Eurovision event and they were
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like [ __ ] you Russ a rave party it's like like let's drop some Molly and turn
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off turn off Russian gas and let's dance dance yeah and now we dance I loved it
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it was pretty you know it's this idea of giving into to Russia this is a rale politique
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right all right they're there and we this NATO thing on top of it it's like they should be in NATO they want to be
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in NATO they're a European country um they are so Innovative speaking of drones I mean this is this was a
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Technologic this was a to me in 10 years there'll be tons of Technology going on there when this is all settled which is
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a good thing right they'll create a really Innovative interesting country but if they want to be in NATO let them
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in be in NATO and the fact that excepted this is you know we all want this war to end obviously for especially for the
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people of Ukraine Russia gets what it gets cuz it invaded I'm sorry for people who died in the Russians but I'm not
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because they did it right so they have to pay their price but you know to be attacked like this and then have us
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throw them under the bus is just not a surprise not a surprise you brought a you brought a key a key point
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and that is while at the end of the day we might end up with some sort of commitment to not let Ukraine join NATO
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because there is you talked to Professor Jeffrey saaks of columia who I disagree with on almost every foreign policy
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Viewpoint he would argue that we invited that Russia was backed into the corn a corner because of the prospect of
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Ukraine joining NATO and maybe ultimately you know that you're not going to let them join NATO and America
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for the most part gets to make that decision but you don't offer it up before the negotiations you maybe even say and one way we'll guarantee their
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security moving forward is incorporating the new Ukraine into NATO and then Russia freaks out says okay if you take
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you know if you give back 60 70 80% of the territory you don't you don't show up and negotiate against yourself and
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offer that up before you need to so that's why you do all the negotiating for us because I'm always saying what I think on the top of my head that's why I
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like working with you you're always like and then we do this I'm like what oh all right okay fine like I don't know anyway
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it's a shame and I have to say I have a lot of gr for Vladimir uh zalinsky and not so much he's the most trillian
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character of this Jam him out that's the next thing they're going to find a way to get rid of him and put a pro-russian
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government in there no question anyway and with the help of Pete I I would say
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I have more confidence actually in the EU uh I I don't think keep in mind the EU is a large economy they have
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dramatically increased the military budget and quite frankly they still remember what happens when an autocrat
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is let when you give him when you say okay uh here you can have Poland or you
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can have feels very Chamberlin doesn't it feels very Anthony Chamberlain to me anyway well we'll see where it goes uh
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but Pete heg that just reads things on a card just so everybody knows Anthony Chamberlain wasn't it Neville or was it
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Neville chamber nry chamber I'm sorry not Anthony Neville chamber uh thank you for checking my historical references
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it's so rare It's usually the you're usually tell me I got I was thinking of a different Anthony because there's so many Anthony people in Richard
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Chamberlain from The Thorn Birds with with one of the hottest women
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ever Rachel Ward we need to redo God I love I just talked about The Thorn Birds
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with someone when I was being interviewed this week from Australia because I'm going to Australia in a week you know I'm going A Love Affair his
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commitment to God I'm like dude just tell God to putu just tell yeah oh my
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God take that [ __ ] down and let us watch I know put it on put it on cable and let
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them go at it you're not going to believe this I mentioned it to one of the interviewers from Australia I'm like I love Australia Thorn Birds and
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literally this person was maybe 12 years old they're like What's that an Australian I was like I need to go now
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you don't know Thorn Birds I need to leave now it was such a I watched that entire thing I ate that right up that
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was so good that show anyway the book was to by the way um anyway we'll move on from that I don't know how we got to
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Thorn Birds from Ukraine but there we are uh okay the latest inflation numbers are out and they're higher than expected
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inflation Rose uh 3% in January the fastest monthly increase since August of 20 uh 23 the surging price of eggs was a
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big factor in the increase up 53% from last year which is fine with Cara as I noted I'm not an egg fan um president
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Trump was quick to point a finger at these numbers calling them Biden inflation up sorry dude you own the you
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own the car right now and for those expecting lowered interest rates fed chairman Jerome poell says inflation numbers show there's more work to be
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done so Jerome was right and Trump was wrong and now he's he said he didn't fix the price of eggs on day one which he
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promised several times and now says it's Biden's and it'll take longer um what do
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you think about inflation right now obviously we talked about it a lot in the Biden Administration it was a big factor in his loss well I I mean first
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off to be fair you can't pin egg prices going up 53% it's it's the Aven flu or
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whatever it is but if you look at if you dig in inflation is sort of a crude number because there's core inflation
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and if you if you really get to the nut of it the thing that drove a lot of this kind of uncomfortable number and is
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probably the reason why the FED is now pulling back on what they thought were going to be rate or the market thought anticipated be rate Cuts is shelter
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housing costs including hotel and motel rooms Rose 4% last month and I've always
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I've always thought that and the Democrats need to get off their heels and whining and bitching and being
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outraged and get onto their toes and start proposing some really dramatic forward-looking
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Solutions because I think one of the I think one of the reasons we lost Cara was that we were seen as a party of the
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past and everything's fine and let's hold on to our tradition and the republ that essay did you did you get that
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essay I sent you I don't read anything you sent me um it it takes too much time and it's usually it's usually
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exceptionally it's like 140 you're articulating exactly what that being 140
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pce smeared over very woke toast um 140 IQ it's very smart was like an economics
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anyway go ahead anyways so I do want to listen to that podcast here with the three economists but anyways the the
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really exciting thing would be all right how do we Implement a chips likee act
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for housing because if you unleash the real economy there's a lot of great housing builders out there py you know
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there's a ton of and say to them all right I don't know if it's 3% 5% 10% tax
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subsidy and also make it more difficult um for residents to sequester new
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housing permits one of the biggest tragedies in American history I believe was we took housing permits out of the
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hands of actually the bureaucrats were trying to fire and we put it into the hands of housing owners who all of a
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sudden decided if I own a house I don't want any more new houses built n n but a dramatic I would love the Democrats to
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propose a dramatic increase of tax subsidy whatever it might be that increases housing Supply well beyond its
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current demand and says within the next 10 years we're going to bring housing prices uh down think Trump would do this
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Mr real estate right stud he like playing games in Ukraine it has such a huge psychological impact on our youth
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because and not only that housing formation I don't know about you when I when I was younger and trying to figure
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out a way like not to get married I said okay let's get a dog and then I was like okay let's get a house and when you get
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a house it's really a commitment to each other and you start saving it's a great means of of creating more cementing a
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bond with somebody should you and I get a house together uh let me think uh no
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okay no my housing strategy is very straightforward it's a 0.1% strategy
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wealthy people are the most homogeneous boring people in the world and that is I'm convinced essentially income
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inequality is only going to get worse and the 0.1% are incredibly boring they all wear Aires ties they party in St
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Barts they drive Range Rovers and they want to live in one of six or seven places sounds like you but go
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ahead invest what you know yeah um and you know boner pills um and two-headed
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glass dildos I'm still looking for an investment there anyways but back to real estate yeah uh the 0.1% all want to
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live in Dubai London New York Palm Beach Aspen um certain certain parts of LA and
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then there's maybe two or three close seconds and they're all crowding into a small number of homes and in addition
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those places the secondary benefit is I want to make it such that my boys can't avoid me it's like well we can go to Tijana and eat cheap Lobster we could go
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hang out with my dad's place but we have to have lunch with them anyways I don't know how we got here but Trump the
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Democrats need a housing act all right but here's the thing would will this
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inflation stuff going to stick to there's the tariffs everything else although they they're kind of a paper
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tiger in that regard for for now at least um is it going to stick to him
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this this because he made so many problems about [ __ ] eggs he went on and on about eggs is that going to stick with stick on him well my my heart says
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yes but my brain says based on all previous track nothing ever sticks this guy if he can be found liable by a jury
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of his peers selected by both his defense and the prosecution and be found
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uh be found liable of sexual abuse I'm not sure inflation's going to stick to him so I would think but what I probably
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know or what I feel is yes what I know based on fact patterns is no yes so we have to offer positive things going
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forward I agree with you all right let's go on a quick break we come back president musk takes center stage in the
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Oval Office Scott we're back Elon Musk joined president Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss his work at
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Doge which I'm now calling doggy he gave a very casual explanation of what he's been up to Let's listen it's just common
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sense it's not it's it's it's not Draconian or radical I think it's it's
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really just saying let's look at each each of these expeditures and say is this actually in the best interest of
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the people and if it is it's approved if if it's not we should think about it actually when the best interest of Elon Musk according to a lot of reporting by
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the way a lot of these Cuts have to do with his businesses and a lot of these attacks are mostly around things that
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affect him um he said speaks to Trump almost daily and checks with him before making decisions meanwhile Trump signed
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an executive order giving doggy even more power uh the order requires the doggy team I like saying it like that to
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be uh stationed at every government agency to oversee hiring decisions now and will only allow Ang to hire one
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employee for every four that depart aside from that that was the weirdest visual I've ever seen his his
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four-year-old was there uh looking what what Elon used to call this kid a cute prop and that's what it was and kept
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talking to the president who seemed out of it uh Elon was casually dressed sort of pontificating saying he made so what
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if he made him mistakes about the Gaza condoms who cares uh he makes mistakes
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uh it was the strangest thing I've ever seen and Trump looked like he was drugged or something but I don't know
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what how were your thoughts on that I'm a big fan of bringer Elon to work days I
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I think it's I I I was praying that the little kid would start Goose stepping I think
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that would have that would have been fitting
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to Papa tomorrow belongs to me oh no don't make cute jokes keep it out keep
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it out even Grimes was like that kid should not have been in public you think you mean the same oh hold on I don't I
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think it's the same kid he put on his shoulders as he walked through the gates that said work will set you free at Al oh my okay all right okay all right talk
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to me about this that's true yes he did you're right he used his kid he used his kid as a prop at awood anyways I don't I
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I'm a big I I I think it's great when people bring their kids to work but when
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you use your kids as it feels like the kid is a bit of a prop right now and
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he's called it that and look I don't it all again is like the Gulf of
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distraction and that is uh the Inspector General who was looking into musk's um
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uh payments and business activities has been sarily fired right and I'm putting out a post
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tomorrow basically what people don't realize is it's just so incredibly cynical because arguably one of the biggest welfare Queens in history is
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Elon Musk if you look at where a lot of these payments have gone so a lot of this large s so I find like it's pretty
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obvious I have a bias against the guy but I didn't I thought it was smart for for Trump visually to be sitting like
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I'm more important and to have him there standing um I thought Elon looked good
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I'm trying to be I thought I thought he had I thought that fashion was kind of cool the black hat and like the the the
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um you know the the the jacket but I thought and I actually thought he
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handled the questions relatively well so you know probably probably a win for
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them but I I have a difficult time just absorbing and processing I did I had an exact opposite I was like what is going
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on here this is so string with the kid saying things to Trump I mean a lot of people put words in the kids's mouth one
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was you need to shush now was real do you know I don't know I don't I'm not even going to go he was
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talking to the president saying something he was saying something and um he shouldn't have the kid shouldn't have
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been there it it's such a weird thing to do that and I don't care you can attack me all you want this is not an appropriate place for a kid largely for
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the kids sake not for you shouldn't have kids at work or whatever it's just it's
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weird it's weird and the the kid is going to suffer for it no I don't I'm going to make that parenting declaration
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right now and his own mother said the same thing by the way um uh but whatever
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musk wants to do it and he gets to do whatever he wants it was disrespectful to the office of what they were doing I
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still believe that I still believe in that even if you don't or necessarily or people don't I do um let me just finish
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secondly I thought Trump looked old next to musk and it looked like musk was running the government that I thought
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that's the visual I got out of it but maybe that was I I think I think actually Trump given the fact that he is
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that old I think Trump is remarkably robust and good-looking for sure is so why was he sitting down and just looking
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out of it and saying nothing I think it was sort of a power move but a couple things come up one the kid was totally
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distracting for me and he's doing I do the same thing I I put out pictures on
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social of my dogs one because I think they're great and they are beautiful dogs and two I think it makes me more
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likable I do the same thing so I understand what he's trying to do the thing that propped up in my mind is I
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have good friends who uh and I got this practice from them every 5 years they
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sit each other down and they say Logistics and money aside which is a position of privilege what would you
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what could we do that would make you really happy and my friend said I think
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it was about five years ago I'd like to sail around the world with a family so they spent two years planning how to
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homeschool their kids on a boat how to build a boat that could could circum navigate the globe and they did it they
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circumnavigated the globe and there were some exceptionally scary moments be
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involving pirates rough Seas when you got like a seven-year-old on the boat if the seven-year-old goes over there's no
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getting him back and then and what they said to me was I said would you do it
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again I I tried to talk them out of it these are good friends I'm like I just don't think this is a good idea I wouldn't do it and there's certain
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bodies of water I would just take a plane you don't need bragging rights you're both incredibly impressive people and I said ould you do it again and they
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said Not until our kids could give consent' because they said there were just some moments where that were very
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scary and I feel the same way about this if you're the president and you have children it's one thing to have those
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moments but I I don't know do you really take your kid to a concentration camp focused on the kids I I I'm focusing on
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Elon I agree this kid should not have been there um the whole thing was so [ __ ] weird it was weird it was just a
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weird thing and I thought Trump did look agent I don't think he looked powerful I thought he looked like the kid and he were just over playing with blocks over
00:22:27
here and Elon was running the government and anyway um open AI CEO Sam mman has some harsh thoughts about Elon Musk
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after his bid for the company there's a lot been lack lot of legal Back in Forth this week by the way about this there's
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a lawsuit and then musk made a a bid which seems like a fake bid either it's a fake lawsuit or a fake bid I can't
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tell but let's listen to Sam Alin you think musk's approach then is from a position of insecurity about xai
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probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity I feel for the guy you feel for him I do actually I
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don't think he's like a happy person I do feel for him the backhanded compliment well done Sam
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um in a court filing open a said the bid contradicts legal claims musk made in lawsuit against the company last year in
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fact it does musk now says he's willing to drop the bid if open AI remains a nonprofit by the way there are emails
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where musk indicates he wanted it to be a profit um company so he's just whatever works for him he says at the
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time as of Tuesday Alman told employees the board hadn't received an official off offer from musk which is probably
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true I'm going to believe Alman here over Musk um you know he's just trying to slow him
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down that's what it seems like he'll say whatever he takes to slow open air and drag it into controversy and take
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advantage of people either have left open AI or who have ill feelings towards Alman Etc which there going to be many
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yeah I think so I think Sam has shown a great deal of discipline around his comms and his brand I think he I think
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he's screwed up here I think that whether it's true or not it might have felt good to say I feel for the guy and
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yes he's insecure he just I think he just should have said the you know the offer isn't a serious offer and I can't
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I you know I have no idea what's going on with Elon Musk I don't I don't want to he Sam has taken so far the high road
00:24:10
around this and he should continue to take the high road he shouldn't take the bait and say this that's basically saying he's insecure and it must have
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felt good and I get why he would do it he's probably so sick of this guy I think so that wants to deploy laer
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instead of actually competing against him and is like this Poltergeist who will not go away for all of us
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that's absolutely fair but Sam's brand is he's Sam comes across as the adult in
00:24:35
the room and he's very restrained and he airs on the side of taking blows and I I
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I don't think you should go there and say you know I mean that was a that was that was passive aggressive minus the
00:24:47
passive part oh no that was like what an [ __ ] yeah I I watched how he did it he's I've seen him do it before um you
00:24:54
know these sideways attacks and they're funny and he's very he's like oh I feel sorry for him he's such an [ __ ] I
00:24:59
feel sorry that he's an [ __ ] yeah but I think I think the bright answer would have been of course we had our lawyers look at it we don't think there's any
00:25:04
Merit on it we're focused on building great products so I'm I'm not here to psych analyze which one do you think
00:25:10
this is just about slowing down both of us think that but it's just about slowing down open AI not a real not a real lawsuit and not a real
00:25:17
bid Poss could be though yeah but the only thing is if you're a public company
00:25:23
and someone makes a bid for a certain class of shares is the way I would describe this then you have a food share
00:25:28
obligation to put together a special committee and look at and I don't know if they have debt if that changes
00:25:33
anything it's not clear because it's a nonprofit if they have a special responsibility but go ahead but when you're basically a private company and
00:25:39
everyone's making so much money I just unless there's someone on the board of the nonprofit that also hates Altman
00:25:46
which might be the case and wants to create trouble stacked it with friends of this then they can pretty much do
00:25:51
whatever they want they don't a public company has an obligation the board has an obligation to get the highest offer
00:25:57
and look at everything thing a private company is basically a private company and they can kind of do you know the
00:26:03
shareholders the shareholders as represented by the board can kind of do whatever the [ __ ] they want and I can't
00:26:09
imagine any of them are going to go like yeah let's bring Elon in well in the case of Twitter there was a really good
00:26:14
um there there there's been very good reporting when uh the CEO at the time said we have to look at this offer it's
00:26:20
an offer it's a huge offer I'm sorry to say we don't have a choice even if he's an [ __ ] essentially like and then
00:26:26
they had to take it because it was so good and ridiculous and so above their thing in this casee they can do whatever
00:26:31
they want and it's not that far above it and maybe the nonprofit gets more money or something like that but they'll be
00:26:37
lost he'll just keep throw listen Elon mus has two moves I'll buy it or I'll sue you these are his two like big moves
00:26:44
and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't right he doesn't have the money to buy because if he were to buy it he
00:26:49
would have to Ma look the more interest actually the more interesting kind of thing that no one w i i actually read or
00:26:56
looked at um which is latf for had one of my analysts read um the earnings call
00:27:02
from SoftBank and a bunch of people asked questions about this anticipated investment in open AI at a 340 or300
00:27:09
billion pre-money valuation and basically in so many words they said what the [ __ ] are you thinking can you
00:27:15
please explain this and what will be the structure of the investment so I'm now beginning to think that that investment
00:27:20
might be at risk because a lot of the analysts on the call were what are you doing this makes no sense so for the
00:27:27
first time I'm now wondering if if SoftBank actually reduces their commitment to that round right yeah well
00:27:33
that's exactly what musk wants to happen right that's exactly what he wants to do he wants to cut them off at the knees he's very clever that way all right uh
00:27:40
Scott uh let's go on a quick break how deep seek is threatening Teslas next Scott we're back Chinese electric car
00:27:47
company byd is bringing deep seek technology to its vehicles of course the EV maker is added Advanced Driver
00:27:53
assistance systems in most of its Vehicles including a model that costs under $10,000 they're also continue to
00:27:58
be adorable the cheapest Tesla Model on the market is $30,000 Tesla stock is down 177% in the last month because
00:28:05
people are actually doing math but I'm not thinking that musk will that musk is musk ascendants will benefit Tesla
00:28:12
necessarily um you know he's a CEO but he's focused on a lot of other things um
00:28:19
Scott this week you talked to Alice Han Chinese Economist and director at greenmantle about this very thing let's
00:28:25
listen how is our player Tesla domestically who has its own Manufacturing in China fairing against
00:28:31
byd domestically in China not well at all I mean the fact that Tesla is still
00:28:36
there surprises me somewhat um given its price point and the fact that all these
00:28:42
companies including Tesla have had to cut prices over the last few years because of the extremely competitive uh
00:28:47
price War landscape uh I think it's only a matter of time before that share starts to diminish even further it's
00:28:55
going to be an open-end question and now this is going to be uh based on the politics of it all whether or not Elon
00:29:00
Musk gets these autonomous vehicle licenses so explain that in better explain what she was saying there and by
00:29:06
the way her accent is fantastic oh I cannot tell you how impressed I am how impressed I am with
00:29:13
this with Alice H she's my find occasionally you find somebody and you think this person is is a genius and I
00:29:20
want to give them more sunlight and she's one of those people anyways she's essentially said that I mean if you look
00:29:26
at what's happened to Tesla in Europe it's not much better in China in uh
00:29:33
January retail sales of Tesla and China were 16% lower year on year why wouldn't
00:29:39
you buy a byd they're great cars they're great and get this 60% lower than in
00:29:45
December so I mean byd and byd is now the number one EV car manufacturer in
00:29:50
the world um I'm and and going to a much
00:29:55
broader Point here I think think that the most important relationship that
00:30:01
could evolve hopefully in the next three years let's assume that musk or Trump
00:30:07
supposedly he desperately wants a Nobel Prize and so let me go to advising the president in a hopeful way the most
00:30:13
obvious way would be to solve the Civil War in Sudan threaten both sides work with both sides and Stop The Killing the
00:30:19
other way would be if China in the US uh kiston made up the I mean have you seen
00:30:27
these cars these cars are $110,000 EVs and as long as they're safe there they're going to raise question I've
00:30:32
I've had people write me about whether they're safe or not they like okay I'm just saying they have to be if they're
00:30:38
here for another $2 or $3,000 you can install a lot of airbags and a lot of safety features in an addition I would
00:30:44
even go further than that I would create a bilateral AI commission where we I
00:30:50
mean supposedly 38% of AI Engineers are Chinese in the US I and when we don't
00:30:55
cooperate with them they develop their own ships they they have incentive to do things kind of in and around us I would
00:31:03
I would have a bilateral AI similar to what oppenheimer's Vision was for nuclear where we share everything with
00:31:08
each other but we also commit to ensuring that AI is not used to create bioweapons by Third parties or Bad
00:31:15
actors because all we're doing is motivating the other to figure out workarounds to attack the other the most
00:31:22
important relationship in terms of aong right now would be the first and second largest economy talk about these a
00:31:27
autonomous vehicle licenses he needs them in China right if he can get these from the Chinese yeah but here's the
00:31:35
Chinese Playbook and it's happening to Tesla the Chinese Playbook is very simple oh Google oh meta come on in and
00:31:43
then they watch listen and learn and then they steal their IP and prop up a local entrepreneur and capture the most
00:31:49
of the value for the domestic market and I think the same thing is happening to Tesla do you I can't imagine a lot of
00:31:56
that IP from Tesla didn't end up at I do think that CH I I am of the feel feel I
00:32:02
agree with you about sort of uh the fast follower right the planes are covered with the bodies of pioneers that kind of
00:32:07
thing that said I do think there's a ton of innov I think you can see it through Tik Tok I think what what um Alibaba has
00:32:14
done there's a lot of innovation there too of their own but they definitely weight watch and then innovate lead
00:32:19
batteries too yeah I don't think they necessarily steal every minute of the day um but there is that but it's it's
00:32:26
these cars are very different than anything I've seen so it's not like They're copying right they're sort of
00:32:31
copying but there's also Innovations around it that I I have never wanted to buy a car more than a byd car and I love
00:32:37
my Ford uh I love my my bolt as you know and I do I think it's adorable BD sales plummet they after podcast you you have
00:32:45
the worst taste in col I know but have you seen them I like they're inexpensive beautiful they're super and they're cool
00:32:51
and if you're a young person you'd want one um 100% in a second they look like I don't mean they're they're kind of like
00:32:57
it's like the V it's like the new VW Bug but cars you know like when I forg to
00:33:02
unic I buy 10 10 10 shirts I like they love them and I have to say I love them
00:33:08
I don't think I'm using them as just throw them out they're just inexpensive and adorable I just I mean I look
00:33:14
adorable it's the car equivalent of fast fashion it is we have figured out supply chain to just bring you something for
00:33:19
dramatically less money and and is as long as they figure out the safety which they'd have to in this country I agree I
00:33:26
think he's just here's the deal musk does not make cars that are interesting anymore that's all it's an interesting
00:33:31
car it was an innovation he hasn't you have to update these things for consumers and he's he does I don't think
00:33:36
he cares about the cars anymore that's my feeling some better news for Tesla and Marco Rubio uh in a totally normal
00:33:43
deal that had no strings attached the state department procurement forecast for 2025 includes $400 million in
00:33:49
armored Tesla vehicles at least someone is buying them besides douche nozzle men
00:33:54
they tried to hide it they they had Tesla on there um they change it to armored vehicles
00:34:00
and their T their their their cyber trucks um nobody else wants to buy them
00:34:06
consumers don't seem a small group of consumers do of course uh as there would be but it seems like it's a you know one
00:34:13
of those things people buy because it's weird and interesting um but nobody is
00:34:18
uh buying them and there are very few people are buying them and now the government is buying them another gimme
00:34:23
for Elon Musk the grift keeps grifting I feel go ahead yeah that's that's exactly
00:34:29
right we're the the only thing propping up Tesla's stock right now is um and his
00:34:35
wealth is this basic the market has said this is now cracy and your proximity to power is more important than your
00:34:41
Innovation right so they're buying them from him yeah and also firing people who are investigating the company and
00:34:47
getting getting rid of them and guess that's a plus yeah it's even
00:34:53
unfortunately it's even and this isn't in the script but I'm just curious to get your quick reaction have you been
00:34:58
following what's going on with mayor Adams yes yes please do I mean just
00:35:04
paper flet he's not going to be mayor soon that's the thing he's out I don't you think I feel like he's not gonna be
00:35:10
God I hope so oh come on nobody in New York likes I agree I no I'm I I said I
00:35:17
hope so yeah I mean essentially what's effectively happened is he's instructed the doj or the to drop all uh
00:35:25
prosecution efforts against U mayor Adams and in exchange mayor Adams has agreed to comply with all uh efforts by
00:35:33
Ice to uh capture or retain or detain and Deport so what you have is I'll I'll
00:35:40
make sure that you are not subject to the same laws that every other citizen is subject to if you agree to go against
00:35:48
your constituents and let our ice people into who knows churches or schools I mean this is really [ __ ] it's utter
00:35:56
you know what Eric Adams you're crook like you're a crook you're a shitty crook by the way you don't you only want
00:36:02
tickets to istan buul like what a loser he's I you know I know you're backing a particular candidate in New York I
00:36:08
forget who it was who was it who Whitney Tilson yes um but there's a bunch of people running you know there's a bunch
00:36:14
of well the guy who will probably win is when Andrew Cuomo actually announces that he's he's in the race there's a
00:36:19
bunch of very good candidates who are not it's a bunch of out of control progressives one pragmatist named wh
00:36:26
Whitney Tilson who is a pragmatist would be a great mayor but probably doesn't have the name recognition Governor Cuomo
00:36:32
is going to come in and probably just lock it but but Kathy hok has I believe
00:36:38
the power to remove remove mayor Adams and she should this is really this is this is this is corruption at the
00:36:44
highest level just because make an example of them 100 this is really and by the way I was a suppor of May Adams I
00:36:51
thought the case I thought the case against him was quite frankly overdone I
00:36:57
I I you know I don't I I did not think what he did Rose to the level of um I
00:37:06
don't know how the media was portraying it but this is this is this is just I
00:37:11
think he's grifty McGriff from the start from the go he wasn't living there everything came out of his mouth was a lie this guy and he's such a ridiculous
00:37:18
peacock and surrounded himself with such gr I I get New York mayor has to be like a little bit grifty but this guy was
00:37:25
like grifty is grifty is you know they all are I mean come on I mean but you know like he's just he's an
00:37:32
embarrassment for a great City he want a little greatness out of a mayor of of U you know even back in the day Rudy was
00:37:39
not actually you know what I didn't support Rudy he was the thug to a lot of people this is but this is it's so damaging to the Democratic brand because
00:37:46
the Democratic brand unfortunately has been tarred with a broad but fairly Fair brush of every democratically run City
00:37:53
on the west coast is a [ __ ] [ __ ] show they ignored drugs they ignored crime
00:37:58
and there there the quality of life is awful I said two years ago if Fox if I were Fox I would just broadcast live
00:38:04
from downtown San Francisco every day and so the the center of democratic branding for politics moved to New York
00:38:11
which is actually performing quite well and still offers is still the best place
00:38:16
in the world to go in terms of a crush of opportunity culture nightlife New York really still is the best city in
00:38:22
the world and represents the best of America and thereby the best of the Democratic Party and now we have this
00:38:28
[ __ ] yeah so it's really damaging on a lot of levels C I think governor hokel should move in and say to do a press
00:38:34
release and S I'm removing him as mayor you know who they should make you know who they should do it Hillary Clinton just
00:38:40
make no you know who I would ask that's a good question I just thought of it I would ask Mayor Bloomberg to step back
00:38:46
in good May for 6 to 18 months until there's a special election great idea
00:38:52
love it all right Kathy get on it all right last thing the Gulf of Mexico is now the Gulf of America at least on Google and Apple maps in the US
00:38:58
apparently are consequences for not using the new name Associated Press reporters have now been barred from multiple White House events after AP
00:39:05
continues to use Gulf of Mexico in its reporting um uh the AP is calling this a
00:39:10
violation of the First Amendment but press secretary carool uh levit also known as Tracy flick says we reserve the
00:39:15
right to decide who gets into the oval go gets to go into the Oval Office oh my God it's so stupid distraction
00:39:22
distraction distraction I'm going to call it the Gulf of Scott I don't give a f what people do to
00:39:27
you saw you saw my thread or whatever is I can't keep track I just put out Gulf of distraction that's all this is I
00:39:32
don't you know what what who cares I don't I don't fine call it that I I just
00:39:39
don't it's so stupid it's so stupid it's so manifestly stupid and I'm sure I
00:39:44
don't even think like Oh yay we're calling at the Gulf of America whatever whatever yeah we'll show them we'll show
00:39:50
them I I got to tell you I I'm loving the the the new president of Mexico so much she's such a badass I'm going to
00:39:56
try to inter shine bomb she's like [ __ ] you you know but at the same time she deals she's a
00:40:03
dealer too anyway uh it's a distraction googie you look like wimps but whatever
00:40:08
you nobody looks good I'm going to call the Gulf of Scott that's the end of it all right everybody I appreciate that golf of dog gol of dog dog golf do dogy
00:40:16
no dog golf of dog no I like golf of Scott no golf of Galloway sounds good
00:40:21
right Gul of Galloway it feels like real make America Scottish again it feels like ponon would have named it that of
00:40:27
Galloway anyway all right it's time for this week's threads poll this one's open-ended what do you wish Democrats
00:40:33
would do in response for to the Trump administration's actions what do you wish we've had our opinions on that
00:40:40
something besides standing in front of a building and yelling that's for sure visit us on threads at pivot podcast
00:40:46
official to answer by the way have you noticed AOC is not outside of the buildings she's not have you noticed
00:40:52
that she's very calculating she's very she does great online stuff I'll tell you that sh her and Pete are killing
00:40:58
them killing she does she's not going to be on the go to the alumni cheerleading day where they have all these very cute
00:41:04
95 year-olds dressed up in pom poms she's an actual cheerleader she's a gangster she's and she and ke Buddha
00:41:11
jedge I have to say are very appealing it's two different they're in the background managing their brand really
00:41:17
strongly with an eye on 28 and they're not going to like go down in some sort
00:41:23
of like Angry near zombie apocalypse movie um yeah they're they're they're
00:41:30
too smart well we would love our listeners to write in what do you think they should do and no violence please if
00:41:36
you don't mind all right Scott one more quick break we'll be back for predictions okay Scott let's hear a
00:41:43
prediction uh so you know a broken clock can be right I had I I was a prediction
00:41:49
machine last night and I wrote a bunch down you did what what happened what were you taking no I was actually I was
00:41:55
actually sober which is kind of frightening um even when I was when I was talk when
00:42:00
I was talking about when you said that that [ __ ] Mary kill thing and I was talking about making sweet love to Mark
00:42:05
Zuckerberg and I thought you're still thinking about it aren't you oh my God I can't get off it grabbing that chain riding him like a dog and singing Who
00:42:12
self Haring now you one ton [ __ ] oh my God my nipples are getting hard and at
00:42:18
that moment at that moment I thought maybe I don't need drugs maybe I don't need
00:42:24
drugs anyways ah this is all going to come crashing down Cara anyways uh last night
00:42:30
I'm getting notes from Lara saying no no no but I say yes yes yes and therefore oh if that's wrong we don't want to be
00:42:36
right we don't all right go ahead prediction anyways I besides you and Mark uh I think Tesla's about to
00:42:42
experience its real first major existential crisis sales off oh gosh
00:42:48
here you go again they're off here I go again I can't help it I can't I'm an addict uh they're off 20 to 60% across
00:42:55
European countries they're off 50% in China um Eevee demand has appears to be
00:43:02
uh plateauing they are getting the [ __ ] kicked out of them by uh byd they
00:43:08
haven't really released a new Mass adoption product in about seven years
00:43:13
have I been saying that I have been saying that and they have what is right now the worst brand
00:43:20
ambassador um uh in the world for the people that want to buy those cars for
00:43:26
the very people who want to buy those cars and then my more boring one is I really think Google is gonna you're
00:43:33
about to hear a lot of uh stories about Google search share falling below 90% at
00:43:40
the hands of perplexity chat GPT and also uh Reddit and I was even thinking
00:43:46
just as YouTube has become the ultimate distribution platform in 2025 I think in 26 is going to be
00:43:52
Reddit there's just a bunch of like there's so many moons lining up right now I I'm really um anyways I
00:44:01
think that Tesla is about to have uh I can't help it I'm just going to say it now Tesla's stock is going to below be
00:44:07
below 200 in the next six month there you're fine you're going there again more to the breach Scott Gallow at
00:44:14
some point I'll be at some point I'll be right well the numbers are the the math is math right look they're do they're
00:44:20
before they were on the upswing in terms of like the quality of cars what they were releasing instead they're they're
00:44:25
forced to sell things to mark Rubio who has to do whatever everybody says because he's such a such a beta um just
00:44:31
so you know on that thing about um search uh Atlantic Politico Vox Jim bov
00:44:36
sent me this and other major Publishers are suing AI startup cohere for copyright and trademark infringement
00:44:42
escalating the news battles legal a battle over the technology that's from The Wall Street Journal is a Canadian
00:44:47
company it's valued at5 billion dollar and they're using thousands of copyrighted Works to train its large
00:44:52
language model anyway they're suing Tim bankof on
00:44:57
the attack Atlantic Politico they must have coordinated it all together um uh
00:45:03
all right so you those are your two that that searches those are good those are big ones those are Big Ideas we'll see
00:45:08
right yeah yeah we'll see someday you're going to be right anyway you are right you were right before on terms of the
00:45:14
numbers it just didn't matter in this case we'll see we'll see what happens but you have any thoughts any predictions um I predictions um no I
00:45:23
don't I I I predict I will buy yet another EV this year I will the key is
00:45:29
getting a little long in the tooth um and I I'm trying to debate whether to get the hybrid which I think is really
00:45:34
hybrids are growing like crazy um oh you know what we should do what and I'm serious about this Alice Who I Really
00:45:41
respect I would even call her a friend China analyst Alan she said Scott you should really I haven't been to China
00:45:47
since 2019 and I was saying I was so excited about China and I went there probably two three times a year and I haven't been back since
00:45:53
2019 and she said I'll take it it'll be a ton of fun and you'll meet with some people you and I should go to China and
00:45:58
you should pick up your byd and see if you can get it back to the US oh interesting and pay the import pay the
00:46:04
tar I in China let's go to China I bet we're popular in Hong Kong I bet we're popular there you know we did we did my
00:46:10
one of my conferences here when I had a stroke there as you know last time I was there I had a stroke yeah the international tourism board is not
00:46:17
that's not going to be on any boards we should go to China we should all right let's do it let's do pivot in China want a stroke come to shenen no let's go to
00:46:24
China let's do it that would be really interesting China China we want to come visit you and we're going to bring we're
00:46:29
going to drive we're going to drive it across the ocean reach out to us reach out to us
00:46:34
we're coming to China we'll do an event whatever you want yeah and I've heard that the CCP is actually a good organization because I can't find anyone
00:46:40
who would say anything else bring us to China let's do it in 2025 after we see Wicked after we see we're going to see
00:46:46
Wicked my friend we could see we we could see Wicked in Beijing that' be interesting are they they let people
00:46:51
it's all about a surveillance economy I wonder how big it is interesting noidea do you know what what are you doing this weekend anything interesting what am I
00:46:58
oh yeah I'm going to uh um it's funny I pause there because I feel like I rub my wealth in people's face I'm going to I'm
00:47:05
going to zermat on Saturday all right that's not very I'm really excited supposedly we have this ridiculously hot
00:47:11
ski instructor so okay you know where I'm going I'm going to SNL's uh 50th
00:47:16
concert really is it a concert or a show there's a no there's going to be a show on Saturday I'm just going to the
00:47:21
concert the night before it's at Radio City Musical what do they do at it so what does that like Miley Cyrus and all
00:47:27
everyone who's Bad Bunny I think is there there's like everyone on it's a crazy crazy crazy thing so I'm going to go see it where is that that sounds
00:47:34
really cool in Radio City Musical anyway we want to hear from you send us your questions about business Tech or whatever's on your mind go to nymag.com
00:47:40
Pivot to submit a question for the show or call 85551 pivot okay Scott that's the show
00:47:46
thanks for watching pivot be sure to like And subscribe to our channel on the tube we'll be back next week

Episode Highlights

  • Inflation Numbers Rise
    Inflation rose 3% in January, driven by soaring egg prices. Trump blames Biden for the increase.
    “You own the car right now.”
    @ 10m 42s
    February 14, 2025
  • Elon Musk in the Oval Office
    Elon Musk joins President Trump to discuss his business ventures, including Doge. Musk's casual demeanor raises eyebrows.
    “It was the strangest thing I've ever seen.”
    @ 17m 12s
    February 14, 2025
  • Elon Musk's Insecurities
    Sam Altman shares his thoughts on Elon Musk's approach, suggesting it's rooted in insecurity.
    “I feel for the guy.”
    @ 22m 49s
    February 14, 2025
  • Mayor Adams Under Fire
    Discussion on the corruption allegations against NYC Mayor Eric Adams and their implications.
    “This is really damaging on a lot of levels.”
    @ 38m 28s
    February 14, 2025
  • Tesla's Existential Crisis
    Predictions suggest Tesla is facing a major crisis with declining sales and demand.
    “Tesla's stock is going to be below 200 in the next six months.”
    @ 44m 01s
    February 14, 2025
  • AI Legal Battles
    Major publishers are suing AI startups over copyright infringement, escalating legal battles in tech.
    “They're suing AI startup Cohere for copyright and trademark infringement.”
    @ 44m 36s
    February 14, 2025
  • Exciting Plans for China
    A discussion about a potential trip to China and the excitement surrounding it.
    “We should go to China!”
    @ 45m 47s
    February 14, 2025

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Beverage Refrigerator00:22
  • Inflation Discussion10:23
  • Elon in Office17:12
  • Scary Moments21:27
  • Insecurity22:49
  • Corruption Allegations38:24
  • Sobriety Realization42:18
  • Trip to China45:47

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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