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If the Musk-Trump feud is a marketing scheme, everyone’s overspending

Some believe Elon Musk’s public feud with President Trump on Thursday is an elaborate marketing scheme.

Max Knoblauch

The bitter breakup of President Trump and his “First Buddy” Elon Musk cost the Tesla CEO $33.9 billion of his own personal wealth on Thursday (per Bloomberg), but some folks aren’t buying it.

Since yesterday, several viral posts on X and TikTok have theorized that the feud is fake news, or an act of kayfabe by the White House and(/or) Musk.

Essentially, the theory is that the spat, during which Musk called for Trump to be replaced by JD Vance, is all an elaborate marketing scheme: a reputational cleanup that will enable Musk to return to the good graces of his shareholders, boards, and customers.

And look, Trump and Musk are both masters of attention and have certainly collabed on some marketing together in the past. But the sheer volume of money lost — enough to purchase about 500,000 Cybertrucks — makes the likelihood that this is something that’s all going according to plan very slim. Not to mention, you know, losing investors $152 billion isn’t exactly the best mea culpa.

Viewed as a single-day marketing expense, Musk’s loss on Thursday would be just $8 billion shy of Amazon’s total advertising spend in 2024 and 2023 combined, and more than Coca-Cola has spent on marketing since 2018.

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Max Knoblauch

Netflix is down amid reports it’s leading the Warner Bros. bidding war as Paramount cries foul

Netflix’s charm offensive appears to be working.

Netflix is reportedly emerging as the leader in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after second-round bids this week, edging out entertainment juggernaut rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

Paramount questions Warner Bros. Discovery on 'fairness and adequacy' of sale process: Read the full letter

Paramount questions Warner Bros. Discovery on 'fairness and adequacy' of sale process: Read the full letter

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

Hyunsoo Rim
PEAK CONSULTING?
12/3/25
After three decades of pretty constant growth, the consultancy boom just hit an AI-shaped wall

Accenture has a new deal with OpenAI — did ChatGPT’s launch top-tick consulting employment?

Human hand and AI hand on the yellow background
business
Max Knoblauch

Delta says the government shutdown will cost it $200 million in Q4

The 43-day government shutdown that ended last month will result in a $200 million ding for Delta Air Lines, the airline said in a filing on Wednesday.

That’s about $100,000 per shutdown-related canceled flight. (Delta previously said it canceled more than 2,000 flights due to FAA flight reductions.) When the company reports its fourth-quarter earnings, the shutdown will lop off about $0.25 per share.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

Delta Air Sees $200 Million Hit from Shutdown Fallout

Delta Air Sees $200 Million Hit from Shutdown Fallout

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

Tom Jones
amassed media
12/3/25
Netflix reportedly made a mostly cash offer for Warner Bros. Discovery over the weekend

The WBD bidding war is heating up — what will the winner get?

WBD studio lot gate 2
Claire Yubin Oh
Ready to pounce?
12/3/25
With Puma’s stock under pressure, Chinese giants are circling the storied brand

With 77 years of history behind the brand, 2025 might just be Puma’s worst, as losses have piled up over the last year. At least the company’s new elite running shoe is a winner.

Beijing, China. Glowing Company Logo Of Puma Close Up View. Puma Se Is German Multinational Corporation Who Design And Manufacture Athletic And Casual Footwear. Sports Lifestyle

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