One Netflix To Rule Them All

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Welcome to Monday, Future Party. Last Friday, renowned architect Frank Gehry passed away at 96. For those who don’t know, the Canadian Gehry is responsible for some of the most recognizable buildings in the world — including the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation in Paris, and Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California — work that earned him the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Talk about designing a one-of-a-kind legacy.

Warner Bros. Discovery has accepted Netflix’s $82.7 billion takeover bid (in mostly cash!) for its studios and streaming businesses — setting the stage for the biggest Hollywood merger in history.

The Big Picture: Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery signals a major changing of the guard, with the streaming giant potentially swallowing the legacy Hollywood studio and taking control of the No. 3 streamer in the world. As you can imagine, antitrust alarm bells are blaring, so expect there to be significant regulatory hoops to jump through… if the deal is even approved.

Behind The Scenes: Despite saying over and over again that it was uninterested in major M&A, Netflix has changed its tune in a big way.

Here’s what to expect:

Final Deal: As expected, many prominent parties are opposed to the acquisition, including theater owners, guilds, A-list producers, members of Congress, and both domestic and international regulators — all highlighting decreased competition, unprecedented market power, and an existential threat to the theatrical-exhibition business. Additionally, rival suitor Paramount — run by the very eager David Ellison — decried the bidding process and is planning to take his offer straight to the WBD board in an attempt at a hostile takeover.

In other words, things are going to get complicated, with Netflix and WBD expecting a 12-to-18 month regulatory review before the deal gets the green light (but Sarandos has already met with President Trump about it). At least there’s a consolation prize for WBD if things don’t pan out: Netflix has to pay a breakup fee of $5.8 billion if the deal falls apart.

Coming Soon: If a deal does go through, it’s possible that Netflix could use Warner Bros. theatrical distribution as its super-premium outlet to win over top filmmakers who were uninterested in working in streaming.

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Gen Z is increasingly renting clothes they need instead of buying them outright.

Why It Hits: The clothing rental market is already valued at roughly $2.6 billion and is expected to hit $6 billion in the next decade, per research firm Future Market Insights. A continued shift toward renting — which gives consumers access to quality items at a discount — could have significant ramifications for the retail market and consumer brands.

Behind The Leases: Buying something is too big a commitment these days… so rental platforms are taking off.

Final Transaction: Consumer-insights research firm GWI found back in 2022 that one in five Americans would rather rent a piece of clothing for a one-off event than purchase it outright… and all signs show that percentage has significantly grown. That’s been fueled by a de-influencing trend online that supports spending less money and being more sustainable. Plus, a Gen Z habit of secondhand shopping and thrifting has naturally evolved into a rental mindset. People are looking for ways to save money and still look good.

That’s also great news for people wanting to make passive income. Isabella De Murguia, a 27-year-old who rents her clothes on Pickle, has already made over $25,000 this year renting out her closet.

The Future: Over the next decade, most young people may be able to fit everything they own into a literal suitcase… which will make moving between smaller and smaller apartments easier.

52.8% of you voted No, the hype has passed in Friday’s poll: Do you think the metaverse will become mainstream?

“The metaverse was a solution without a problem. It was hyped as an inevitability without any thought as to what the customers wanted and before it was a complete product.”

“A part of me hopes that NFTs will come back in a more practical way (not just useless art) and therefore give value to the metaverse.”

“It’s here. 🥴🧐😬”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🖊️ Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once co-director Daniel Kwan is tackling a new project — helping craft LA’s new city charter.

🎙️ Apple has crowned British podcast The Rest Is History as its 2025 Show of the Year.

🎸 AI music-generator Suno is increasingly showing up in the country-songwriting rooms in Nashville.

🚀 SpaceX is looking to launch an IPO next year at an $800 billion valuation.

🤖 Marc Benioff may pull a Mark Zuckerberg and rename Salesforce to “Agentforce” to reflect its AI ambitions.

🦾 SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son wants to use Japanese funds to build “Trump Industrial Parks” all across America.

👀 Facebook and Instagram created a new hub to optimize users reclaiming hijacked accounts.

📱 YouTube Shorts has allegedly changed its algorithm to prioritize views on newer Shorts.

🎮 Discord is rolling out “Checkpoint” — its own version of Spotify Wrapped.