Transcript 0:00 The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but let's be real. Between family gatherings, endless plans, and trying to make everyone happy, they can also be overwhelming. 0:11 Sometimes the biggest win is setting a boundary. Maybe it's saying no to an event you don't have energy for, or choosing to stay calm during a stressful family conversation. 0:21 Those little moments can make a big difference. That's what growing feels like, and that's where Grow Therapy comes in. Therapy isn't just about navigating life's biggest challenges. 0:31 It's about those small, everyday moments that help you feel more grounded and in control. Grow Therapy makes finding support easier by connecting you with licensed therapists who fit your needs and accept your insurance. 0:44 Book your first session in minutes and start in as little as two days. Sessions average $21 with insurance. Some pay as little as $0, depending on your insurance plan. 0:54 Prepare for holiday glimmers instead of holiday stress. Visit growtherapy.com/acast to get started today. That's growtherapy.com/acast. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. 1:08 [upbeat music] Hi, everyone. My name is Boye Kolade, co-founder and president of The Future Party. Hey, and I'm Paul Urick, co-founder of The Future Party. 1:26 And welcome to The Future Forecast, a podcast where we explore the intersection between business, technology, and entertainment. 1:33 We've done the research so you don't have to, and we're here to give our opinions about news topics and have a thoughtful discussion of the shifting landscape of our culture. Today we've got a special guest, uh, Mr. 1:46 Paul Urick, as you've heard. Uh, unfortunately we do not have Chris today, uh, but, uh, Paul's gonna do his best to represent. Um, and- Hard to fill those shoes, Boye... um, indeed. 1:57 Uh, we've got a bunch of fun things to talk about. We're gonna talk about the iPhone Duo, uh, legendary bidding for Lionsgate, uh, this guy Gossip Goblin, who made an AI movie, all of the things. 2:11 Uh, but before that, um, what's up? I, I saw the other day- Yeah... you were trying on some Snap Specs. Uh, yes. I went to the Century City Mall, [lip smacks] 2:22 um, and I noticed that they had a pop-up, and, um, I had just saw a kind of long movie. Um, I went and saw La Bola Negra, which was fantastic, and- Mm... uh, needed to decompress. 2:37 So what better way than to try some, uh, new technology? And, um, [lip smacks] it was really cool. They had a, uh, 2:46 kind of kiosk whole activation at, in the center area, and they had, um, a pop-up store where you could buy them. But [coughs] 2:57 what they did was essentially you went to a booth, they gave you a s- wrote down your size of the glasses, they had you wait in a queue, and then you got inside the area. 3:09 And they had a personal, like, optician tech- technician fit you the glasses, and then they had a whole... 3:17 Uh, if you wore real glasses like myself, they had a whole, um, predetermined, like, lens prescriptions, and they had you try on different ones that matched your eye prescription, and they just magnetized onto the specs, and they gave them to you. 3:33 And they had- Interesting... someone walk around the kiosk with you as, like, a host. And they showed you how to use it. 3:42 They walked you through the setup, because there's always kind of, like, a setup, just like the Apple Vision Pro or anything else. And, um, they had different, um, activations that you could interact with. 3:53 They had a Harry Potter one. They had an NBA basketball one. Or you could just play with it yourself. And I would say I'm of two minds. Um, they're not as heavy as you'd imagine, uh, which is great. 4:09 They are- They look a little-- They look bulky, though. They are bulky. They're not... You... But when I first saw them, I was like, "Whoa, those look uncomfortable." Or, you know, "They don't look great." And 4:20 I actually found them comfortable. They fit on your head pretty nicely. They are bulky. Uh, I wonder over time if you're wearing them for a, a long period of time how they fit. But I'll just say this. 4:35 The tech is really cool. It's really awesome to see where we're able to go. They clearly pack a lot of technology into these glasses. But, and this is the big, the big but, I don't know who they are for. 4:52 I even went to the website after to see how they were marketing them. Mm. And beyond Robert Downey Jr. and the $100 million in stock they gave him to be the Ch- chief- Chief Customer Experience Officer... 5:06 Customer Experience- For specs... which I'm like, "What's that mean?" Like, I never... Uh, like, Robert Downey Jr.'s not checking on my experience with the specs. Like, what, what did that- I mean, we know what it means. 5:17 It just means- Yeah. I know... he gets to be the face of it. I know. I know. And he gave his two cents. I know. It's true. But, but, but tell me, tell me, like, what, what exactly... 5:26 I- is it, like, fully, truly AR when you put it on? It is fully, truly AR. Everything is overlaid into what you see. They have you, like, hold up your hand, and three little dots go onto it. 5:39 There's, like, a home screen settings, and you physically press your hand to, like, hit the home. And then you do one of these. There's, like, a little dot or that tracks with your hand. Mm-hmm. 5:52 And then you physically do, like, a pinch to open or pinch to slide. You, you do one of these. And after using Apple Vision Pro, and Chris would hate on me b- if he were here for saying this, but 6:09 he just, you know, thinks I love it. Um, the eye tracking is clearly the way to go if you can make that happen. This already feels antiquated. 6:19 But also, I think the biggest weak point, which is why I say, like, I don't know who this is for, is the keyboard is awful. Like, that was the- Mm... worst experience of the entire thing. Um- You know what I say... 6:33 you can't, you can't do this. You have to click and do this. Mm. And it takes forever, and it doesn't feel productive, which is why I say, who's this for? 6:46 If it can't be a straight productivity tool, then it's just for games. You can't really watch movies on it unless you're staring at a blank wall. Yeah. So like, what are you then... And it's not high res enough. 6:58 So what are you using it for? [smacks lips] I think that is ultimately my big question here. You know what I've said for a while? Mm. Is that Apple should acquire Snap. Yeah. And one of the reasons is because, 7:15 you know, I feel that what you've just mentioned, like we had smaller iterations of this before, like mainly with Google Glass. I, I know Meta has some version of this. 7:28 But it feels like Spiegel is always ahead of the curve but is unable to execute, and then Meta or Apple just comes in and takes his lunch. And I feel like this is gonna be another case- Yeah... 7:41 you know, where he's probably the first, like, more public tech company to come out with AR light glasses, and Me- Meta Ray-Bans will probably, and, and, you know, Meta glasses will probably just win. Um- Yeah... 7:59 so I don't know. It's interesting. I think two things need to happen, right? One is developers need to make apps for this thing, which is the big... They partnered with HBO here, NBA, or this, that. 8:10 Like, all fun things to sell it. But the problem is, is like, is Google gonna be developing work apps? Or are, like, are we gonna get all these different, uh, company- They will if-... making apps... 8:21 they will if consumers use it. Right. And at- They will if consumers use it... and at $2,200, I'm not sold that consumers are gonna use it, especially when you have to do this to type on a keyboard. Yeah. Yeah. 8:34 So we'll see. Yeah. I'm interested to see how it plays out. It was a lot more impressive than I thought. Um, and it was really cool, but I, I, I don't know how much life it has. It feels like a, kind of like a, a test. 8:51 [static] Well, so, uh, what I'm very interested in, it's been a big week of tech announcements. And, uh, going off the backs of, of Apple acquiring Snap, uh, they had their own big announcement with the iPhone Duo. 9:09 Mm-hmm. And, uh, the iPhone Duo is Apple's new phone. It sold out in hours. Uh, essentially it is a phone that flips in half, and, uh, the, the... When it's flipped, it's like smaller than a normal iPhone. 9:26 When it's open, it's almost like a mini iPad. Uh, this is not the first of its kind on, on the market. Uh, Google's been at this, Samsung, et cetera. 9:37 Uh, but once again, Apple likes to do things right and not necessarily always first. And so far it is, is having a huge ground swell, right? It sold out in hours. Uh, orders are up 30%. 9:52 Deliveries are out to, uh, into January. Uh, there's, there's, there's some cracked screens already. [laughs] Um, so, uh, essentially this is a, a moment for Apple and for John Ternus, its new, uh, CEO. Mm. 10:08 So, uh, Paul, I know, I know you got one. Yeah. Uh, I've, I've ordered mine. Uh, so I definitely wanna hear your, your thoughts- [laughs]... on it. Oh, pulling it up. Yep. Um- See, I got it taken, looking at my notes. 10:21 Nice. Like, so, uh, yeah. So what do you think? Um, look, I mean, I... When Apple announced this, I was like, "Oh, here we go." Like, I, I, I didn't see a need for it. 10:35 I felt like they were gonna have to sell me pretty hard. And of course, Apple did what they do, and they make a splashy announcement, and they make a phone that looks absolutely gorgeous. Mm-hmm. 10:44 And I was like, "Ooh, I kinda do want that." Uh, you know, I've had the same kind of long, the kinda normal shape iPhone since the very first one, and it, I thought it could be fun to have a change. 10:57 Um, look, clearly there's a lot of trade-offs. The Pro camera, the, you know, Face ID, which isn't as bad. The Touch ID is fine. I have missed it- Mm-hmm... in some instances, but, um, it's not the end of the world. 11:10 Mm-hmm. I think it's great for pro- productivity. I think it makes me think about what I'm doing on my phone, uh, more, and, like, how I'm using it. I love the small form factor. It takes some getting used to, but 11:26 overall I'm pretty happy with it. I know quality control has been a, a kind of a big thing when it comes to... I know they're trying, Apple's trying to get a lot of devices out. Mm-hmm. 11:37 And they've had reports that, you know, the, it's been slower because of quality control, and I think some of those cracks and things you read in the news about, you know, uh, there's, like, a mechanism in the hinge that has come loose, and it hits the screen, and that's why it ends up, like, splintering. 11:54 Um, I think that's a sign of like, hey, some of the quality control has got, slipped under and, you know, it seems like a hard device to make. I've never owned a f- a, a foldable phone before, so- 12:08 I don't have anything to compare it to, but it seems by, like, the reviews and stuff, they- they've gotten a lot right. Yeah. So I mean, look, I think, uh, I have a feeling it'll probably end up being successful. Mm-hmm. 12:23 Um, the, the thing that I'm most curious about is the impact Apple's going to have. You know? 12:32 It- people talk about software all of the time, but the reality is one of the biggest distributors in the world is Apple because of the hardware. Mm-hmm. 12:43 And, you know, we, we take for granted certain things, and we, we start to think of them more once Apple launches a new product. 12:54 Example, you know, how many times we've changed our chargers over time, or how quickly a car becomes obsolete because of, you know, th- their built-in charging USB or USB-C, whatever, right? Mm-hmm. 13:09 In this case, we now have a different way to look at aspect ratio. Mm-hmm. And it's, it's, it's the IMAX conundrum, right? 13:20 You know, where you have The Odyssey, an amazing new movie that is meant to be viewed on certain hardware, where, where does that leave the iPhone Duo when you have, uh, a new format, a new aspect ratio, where traditionally everyone is still using more or less the traditional iPhone, mobile phone camera that's vertical. 13:45 We even have whole industries like the vertical video industry, the micro drama industry that are built off of the backs... Even Snap, right? Instagram Stories. All this was built on vertical video, 14:00 and this new aspect ratio is not quite that. So fundamentally, I'm, I'm gonna be very curious, does how we consume content change again? 14:12 Will these, will these social media software content platforms bend to fit Apple's will? Mm-hmm. Or will Apple have to somehow bend to fit into what has already been established? 14:30 Yeah, I mean, you said a lot of really, um, important things here. I, I think, uh, it will be interesting to see. It already does feel like a success for Apple. 14:42 I mean, projecting, you know, 6 million units in one year in 33 by 27 is massive. Um, and it's gonna force adoption, you know? Um, that's usually what Apple does, as you alluded to. They force adoption. 14:58 Like, people just can't... They have no other choice. Um, and so I do feel that they are going to, uh, force people to think about this aspect ratio. Even, you know, even on the iPhone Duo, the screen, right? 15:16 Like, just the, the width of the screen, um- Wait, hold it, hold that up again. Let me see... is smaller. Wow. So, like, we- That's so cool... you open up Instagram, and there is a, um, smaller version of... 15:33 H- hilarious that, you know, there's a smaller version of the, the video. Mm-hmm. Right? Yeah. And so they've opted for that, um, aspect ratio to cut it off or slim it down- Mm-hmm... f- for the look. 15:48 And so I think, I think we're gonna see a lot of that in just how people are using it and adopting it. And, um- Mm-hmm... it's gonna be interesting to see ful- if they'll go actual, you know, full frame 16:01 or, or they'll end up cropping an image. Mm-hmm. I don't know. Um, it'll be... Yeah, it'll be fun to watch. Wild. Um, yeah, I think, uh, in a way, so, so Instagram just made, made their own announcement, uh- Yesterday... 16:19 yesterday. Uh, they are now going to start doing horizontal videos up to 90 minutes. Uh, podcasts, vlogs, interviews, et cetera. And, uh, this is huge, right? 16:29 Because traditionally Instagram has been short form photos, et cetera, and now this is, like, toe-to-toe with YouTube, right? Yep. And so to me, this is sort of almost 16:45 enabling the argument I just had of bending to Apple's will. 16:48 Like, in one sense it's like, yeah, like, this is a strategy maybe they should have done a while ago, but it, but it's coming at the same time that the way people consume content is becoming a little different, right? 17:03 Mm-hmm. Um, and now the Duo, the Duo's original content, right, if I shot something originally on a Duo, might fit better within an, an IG world. Totally. I mean, this is a 180 from what Instagram has always said. 17:21 You know, Adam Mosser- Mossari has always said, like, um, "We don't want any meaningful long form content," right? "We want it to be a place to connect with your friends." 17:33 But I think that's just, like, the opposite of what people want to consume on their phone, like, right? Like, we're trying to get off our phone, not spend more time absorbing less meaningful content. 17:46 I think the content that people want to explore has to be meaningful. Yeah. But also it's very clear now that YouTube is the leader of the content game at the moment. 17:57 We're seeing TikTok, Netflix, HBO, like, all these d- platforms kind of bending to catch up with YouTube, and now Instagram, right? Yeah. Long form content that is digestible, that's regular, it's consistent. 18:15 Um- With that being said, future forecast coming to an Instagram feed near you. [laughs] Yes. I don't know how this ends up displaying, but maybe, right? Like, it i- I think it, 18:26 doing this allows creators to think about Instagram differently, not just a place where you take clips, chop it up, and post it for visibility and promotion. 18:38 It's now a place where your content can live and people can engage with it. I personally find that really exciting. You know, it is, on one hand, it's another... 18:47 It's like, "Oh, great, it's another platform that you have to put your content on." Mm-hmm. But also, it could be a really great tool because at the end of the day, people do use Instagram. 18:59 Um, I am curious how it's, this whole thing is gonna play out. Yeah. 19:04 YouTube made more than 60 billion from ads and subscriptions in 2025, about 15 billion more than Netflix revenue, and 18 billion-plus in ads in the second quarter of 2026 alone, up 13%. 19:19 Uh, YouTube is at 13.8% of all TV time. So this is, you know, if I read this, I'm, I'm Mark Zuckerberg. I want a piece of this revenue, and it makes sense, so. They just need to pay creators. 19:37 [slurping] [electronic music] The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but let's be real. 19:47 Between family gatherings, endless plans, and trying to make everyone happy, they can also be overwhelming. Sometimes the biggest win is setting a boundary. 19:56 Maybe it's saying no to an event you don't have energy for, or choosing to stay calm during a stressful family conversation. Those little moments can make a big difference. 20:06 That's what growing feels like, and that's where Grow Therapy comes in. Therapy isn't just about navigating life's biggest challenges. 20:14 It's about those small, everyday moments that help you feel more grounded and in control. Grow Therapy makes finding support easier by connecting you with licensed therapists who fit your needs and accept your insurance. 20:26 Book your first session in minutes and start in as little as two days. Sessions average $21 with insurance. Some pay as little as $0 depending on your insurance plan. 20:36 Prepare for holiday glimmers instead of holiday stress. Visit growtherapy.com/acast to get started today. That's growtherapy.com/acast. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. 20:51 [electronic music] Now, we, we, we have sort of this recurring theme of tech and media colliding, right? Mm-hmm. 21:03 Uh, one piece of maybe optimistic news for those who are purists is this, these rumors of Legendary buying Lionsgate, right? 21:14 In a world where most studios now are owned by some tech overlord, uh, Lionsgate and A24 maybe are the last remaining, uh, mini major studios. 21:29 And, uh, currently, Legendary, uh, is supposedly, has supposedly submitted a takeover, uh, offer valuing Lionsgate at about $3.5 billion. 21:43 Now, um, obviously, whenever this happens, uh, usually, uh, most, most times shares will rise, so Lionsgate shares rose 15% on this news. Uh, the question really ultimately is, is this a good idea? 22:02 What does this mean? Will any other buyers enter the fray, right? We know Netflix failed with Warner Brothers. 22:09 The rumor is maybe they might go after Universal next, or does it make sense to go after Lionsgate before Legendary? Because Legendary buying Lionsgate would make Legendary really big, much bigger than they are now. 22:24 Um, one more thing I will leave you with, I just, this, this is coming to mind. Once upon a time, Skydance and, was not too dissimilar from Legendary, right? A major co-financier of traditional Hollywood with IP. 22:42 And Ellison had larger ambitions and essentially acquired the people he had come to as, um, an aide. Legendary traditionally has done the same. 22:53 Legendary has worked with, um, everyone from Warner Brothers to Universal, um, believe even Paramount, and, uh, they've always come with great IP, partnered with the studio, and now they become their own studio. 23:10 Will they now try to scoop up a Universal, you know, similar to Skydance, right? He did a quick Paramount, Warner Brothers one-two play. So I think this is bigger news than it may seem on the surface. Yeah. 23:24 Great, um, great summation there. Uh, I guess my question for you boys, how do you feel about this news? Like, how does this make you feel? Are you into this idea? Um, I, I love M&A. 23:38 Um, I'm, I believe, uh, in a, in a, in some sense I don't really have a, like, a horse in the, in the race. Um, I think there's two different camps, right? 23:49 Like I said, there's the, the purist camp, the, those who don't want things to change that much. 23:55 And so when you have a traditional entity, uh, like Legendary, who doesn't have as many redundancies as, let's say, another, like Sony buying Lionsgate, this may be an actual win, right? Now- For who? 24:11 It- Legendary [laughs] And that's my question. Who's it a win for? No, a, a win for the industry. Like, more, more content You know? Yeah. I can see it. Well, 'cause now Legendary can distribute their own content. 24:23 They don't have to work with, uh, any of the other major studios to do so. And they s- probably still could do whatever they wanted. Yeah. Um, but, uh, like, I would hardly call... 24:37 I mean, don't get me wrong, Legendary's big. I mean, Dune's gonna crush, but traditionally they've, they have worked with another player to distribute. 24:46 And so I don't know that that many jobs will be lost in a transaction like this. Uh, uh, yeah. I, I think what, what kinda gives me pause is, A, another consolidation. 25:00 We go from two places buying content to one, right? At the end of the day. Lionsgate, or I mean, Legendary, whether or not they have a partner or not, are gonna find ways to release their movies either way. 25:13 It's gonna happen. So this just feels like a lose to me for the industry. I don't see more, I see less. It, you know, when Disney bought Fox, we didn't see more movies, we saw less movies come out, right? 25:31 Like, I'm not saying they're the exact same thing, but these things happen. Um, you know, I, I do- But you have to remember, Legendary doesn't have distribution, so this is, it's different because 25:43 n- it, it, they're co- they're complementary of each other. They're not... It's not, like, the same thing, if that makes sense. Yeah. I know. 25:52 Again, I just feel like it could potentially mean consolidation in content, which is not... Like, how much more can we consolidate in this industry? I get what you're saying, and it's a win for Legendary, clearly. 26:05 I just don't know if I personally love the idea of two different companies coming together because it may mean less content and not more. I don't know that it necessarily means less content. 26:19 Um, again, just simply for how complementary they are, right? Sure. 26:26 Legendary is huge, massive sci-fi blockbusters, and Lionsgate's revenue is predicated on what they're already putting out year after year, right? Yeah, and they just had their biggest year- And so-... 26:41 with Michael, the Michael Jackson movie There you go, right? And so, um, I don't know. Like, I, I, I think this, this could actually create, uh, a bigger buyer in the ecosystem. 26:57 Uh, this could make Legendary a major studio, uh, this move. Yeah. And I think we need more buyers, right? Mm-hmm. Um, so, 'cause Legendary traditionally is not that big of a buyer. They, they are- Sure... 27:14 an IP factory. So now you, L- Lionsgate all of a sudden becomes a more interesting place for talent to go and make movies. Yeah. I guess we'll see. You make some compelling arguments here. 27:28 I, I'm always just, you know, a little bit more pessimistic about these things [laughs] But- Now, now if, like I said, 27:39 when Universal goes on market, which they will, if Legendary now becomes one of the people who bids, that becomes a big question mark of- Mm... if this is, is this going to be? 27:55 But also, like, I think we always blame the people who are buying, but, like, no one's blaming the sellers. You know? The sellers want this too. They want money. They want consolidation. 28:05 They want to sell for a reason, right? So I'm, I'm prob- I'm predicting Netflix will make a huge play for Universal, and honestly, uh, Legendary might be another, another buyer. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. 28:21 So Legendary's potentially entering the chat. Yes. And I'm gonna say this now, too. Uh, in that world where Universal's on the market, I think we might see, uh, we might see other tech companies bid. 28:37 I think we might see- Yeah... SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI bid for- Ooh... uh, Universal. Yikes. Dangerous. [slurps] So look, um, the, the movie landscape is changing. 28:55 You know, who would've thought we would be talking about Instagram as a big c- content maker, right? Movie and t- and television rather, not just movies. Mm-hmm. 29:04 Um, AI's been, uh, one of the topics for a long time as really sort of challenging traditional Hollywood, and this piece of, of, of news is something people should really pay attention to. 29:19 So there's a, uh, an individual, his name is Zach London, on YouTube and Instagram. He goes by the name of Gossip Goblin. Uh, if you've never checked out his stuff, it's actually really, really dope. 29:32 I, I follow him on IG. Um, he posts these short clips, uh, that look photorealistic, but are AI. And they're narrative stories. They're... 29:46 It's like watching, you know, Dune meets District 9, like, sort of vibe. Uh, have you ever seen any of his stuff? Uh, no, I haven't, actually. No. You gotta, you gotta check it out. 29:59 It's, like, genuinely really, really good. Gossip. Um, and, um, he made an, uh, animated sci-fi feature, uh, with AI. Did this in 10 months. 30:11 And, um, you know- He's getting a US theatrical release in December, and, uh, WME Independent is in on the deal. They're a very reputable sales agent in town. 30:27 And, um, I... Like I said, this is a really big piece of, of, of news. When you look at his work, genuinely, like, you are seeing, like, 30:40 the mind of someone who could, might create the next Star Wars, Dune-type, um, type franchise, to be honest. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, I see you looking at your phone. I don't know if you're seeing some of the- I, I did. 30:57 I looked at it. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's definitely, definitely a vibe. He has 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, more than a billion, a billion views across his shorts. 31:08 Um, he's got, you know, he's got a lot going for him, which is, which is really interesting. Yeah. Uh, this is gonna anger a lot of people. 31:17 Um, obviously there's a lot of strong feelings about AI, especially in, um, the entertainment filmmaking business. 31:25 I think, you know, have you ever seen those jokes on Instagram where people are, like, at the ticket counter and they're like, "You know, I can pick an AI movie or I can pick a movie made by humans"? [laughs] Mm-hmm. 31:36 And I kind of feel like this is- Mm... like the moment for, for that, right? Yeah. I guess I'm curious overall, like, how do you feel about this? And obviously this is a big tidal shift in our industry. 31:52 Like, what, what goes through your mind when you see something like this get made and people back it? So I think, I think there are two different semantics being thrown around when it comes to AI. Right. 32:08 Um, one is AI assisted versus AI generated. In Gossip Goblin's case, he's, um, really leaning into the AI assisted, right? Mm-hmm. Now, again, it's, it's semantics. 32:25 Like, when you look at, when you look at the work, it, it doesn't feel like general AI, like slop core. Like, it, it does feel, it does feel, it feels like an auteur. Like, it feels like- Mm-hmm... 32:40 really thought through, you know? So I, I buy that. Um, it doesn't anger me. Like, you have titans of industry now weighing in, um, from Ben Affleck to Ari Emanuel, Kathleen Kennedy. Everyone's talking about this. 32:57 Ge- genuinely, I think we are gonna get AI feature films, and, um, people are gonna watch them and they're gonna love them, and that doesn't necessarily discredit a, a human being doing the same work. Um, yeah. Yeah. 33:14 Yeah, it's tough. Um- I... Sorry. I, I watch, I watch a lot of AI, people call it slop core. There's some really cool, um, a- accounts that I really like, and they're beautiful. And- Share them with me... and honestly... 33:31 Yeah, I will. Um, one of them, uh, it's Vagabond, uh, Vagabond something. Let me see. Uh, I'll share that with you. But, um, it, it's the art that you can create. Like- Mm-hmm... 33:45 in a way we have to, like, understand that, for example, VFX let us imagine. A lot of these pe- a lot of what AI's doing is just shortening the workflow for VFX, right? Right. Right. 34:01 And, and so some of these accounts that I'm watching are just, they let me dream. They let me, they, they- Right... they make me excited 34:12 in a quicker, faster way than needing to watch, you know, one, some of my favorite sci-fi movies. And so when I think about that, I think, I think we will probably see more Gossip Goblins- Yeah... 34:29 who are just AI native directors that can direct TV shows and movies- Right... that many people watch. They just leverage, they leverage the technology. One more thing. 34:45 Right now there is a version of AI where human actors still act. Right. You just skin them 34:59 with different scenes, backgrounds, visuals. How is that any different than James Cameron shooting Avatar? Sure, yeah. You know? So you're... Th- there's a difference, right? 35:11 There's, like, AI assisted versus AI generated, right? 35:16 So I think I saw, correct me if I'm wrong, but there's, like, an actual crew of people who are employed for months at a time working with technology to create these projects as oppo- uh, as opposed to 35:33 no one being employed and the computer doing all the work. Am I right? That, I mean, that's what, that's what it used to be, right? Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar. Right. So- You know? Right. 35:46 It's doing a job that could take six months and shrinking it down to- Six minutes... or six minutes or whatever it may be, which 35:56 is really great for a lot of different reasons, and I would encourage everybody out there to learn the tools so that they don't get left behind and embrace them, but also become masters of them because that's how you stay in front of trends, and that's how you stay employed, and that's how you have a job, right? 36:15 Like, everything's gonna change no matter-... how much we try and stop it, or if we don't want it to, it's just gonna move on or, we're either gonna let, get left behind or we're gonna move with it. Yeah. 36:26 Um, I just want people to work, right? For the amount of movies that aren't being bought, right? You know, film sets are, employ a lot of people. 36:35 It's a big economy, and when we start shrinking that, it becomes difficult. And so for me, I, I think, I think these are great ways to create something if you don't have the resources. 36:46 But also, you know, I encourage people to use the resources, but continue to employ human beings so that, you know, we can all dream together, right? So, um, Ari Emanuel has gone on record and said this a lot. 37:00 He thinks AI is gonna do two things. It's, um, it's gonna create more entertainment, which will mean that we work less and we consume more. Mm-hmm. 37:11 And so there is a world where because of our ability to have, uh, to make content quicker, people actually just watch more, right? Mm-hmm. 37:24 And, and, and maybe we're more productive, but because AI is helping us do work, we're actually enjoying more. 37:31 That's w- that's his whole, the whole basis of his company Mari and him acquiring IRL businesses, and I believe that the, the same will be for movies and TV shows and, and et cetera. So- Yeah... 37:43 yeah, for me it doesn't... I- it's just inevitable. Like, I'm seeing, like, the most amazing ideas that I'm like, "This should be a TV show," in AI. 37:57 I don't care that I'm watching AI because d- it's becoming to, it's getting to a point where there's, like, no difference between, it's just, oh, a computer made it instead of a human being, but there's still a human being behind the computer. 38:11 The, he's just using a craft to create it. One, one that I recently, uh, came across, this guy, he created a concept called the Anywhere Hotel, and it's basically a never-ending hotel with different rooms. 38:27 And you see this guy going through there and, like, it's basically like an interdimensional, like, pit stop for people. Sure. And it's almost like a Doctor Who-esque vibe, and I love Doctor Who, right? Mm-hmm. 38:41 Like, all through AI. Like, it's just stuff like that is just- Yeah... I don't know. It's amazing. I, I'm wondering if people are gonna turn out for this f- this film. 38:51 Uh, and I guess we'll know when we can revisit the conversation. I think comes out December 4th or something like that. I, I, I am curious to see if this translates, right? 39:03 It's almost like wondering if TikTok musicians translate to concert ticket sales, or Spot- who, TikTok musicians who get really big on Spotify, right? Yeah. And have a lot of streams. Does that translate to concertgoers? 39:20 Yeah. Uh, this is almost kind of the same use case. So you ha- you, you actually bring up a really good point, which is at the end of the day, are people gonna go see, are they gonna go see this? And I don't know, right? 39:33 I don't know if he's got a, he's got a huge fan base, but I don't know if that fan base, you know, is deep enough where they wanna go, go watch it. Yeah. If you had to choose- Yeah... 39:43 what would you say over under it, it, it succeeds at the box office? Um, I'm gonna say under. Do you think? 39:49 I'm gonna say under, and not because I don't think it's gonna be good, just because I, I, I just think it needs to hit the cultural zeitgeist. Like, people fall in love with characters and concepts and stories. Yeah. 40:03 So it doesn't matter if this was made through AI or not. It's do people resonate with the character or story, right? Um, what, what I think he could have maybe done to more ensure is 40:19 analyze the, and maybe he did this, analyze the data, understand if characters he was creating people are loving. Um, a- you know, and look, he's posting all the time, maybe he's done that. But, 40:34 um, yeah, you, you bring up a good point. At the end of the day, it's, it's will people go see it? Uh, two things. Sure. One, the Instagram account you should check out is called Vagabond Diary. Okay. 40:45 Um, very vibey, cool- Mm-hmm... AI content. You'll, you'll understand what I'm saying about, like, like, I don't really care that this was, wasn't a human being. Like, this is just freaking magical, you know? Sure. 41:01 [static] The other, we were talking about the box office. I did see last night You Can See Everything. Yeah. And it was amazing. Shout out Jack Davis. Um, yes, shout out Jack Davis. 41:18 Very, very, very, very amazing. I g- I understand, you know, what everyone is, is saying. 41:27 I understand why it, you know, could very well be nominated in the Best Picture category because there are, there are scripted elements. Um, I don't wanna spoil it for anyone, um, because everyone should see it. 41:40 But it, like, you leave being so just, like, in your head, in your feelings. Yeah. 41:48 Um, without spoiling it, I, I've left, uh, more sympathetic to, um, Elizabeth Holmes, um, personally. Um, and, uh, it's, it's a wild ride. It's a wild ride. 42:05 I, that's, I was gonna ask you that. Well, number one, do you think it's one of the best documentaries you've ever seen? 'Cause I think it's close for me. Yeah. Yeah. 42:14 I- Like, I can't think of another documentary that's, like, completely subverted your expectations the way it, that one does, and really gets you thinking, and really cha- it's a chal- it challenges you in really unique ways. 42:27 Yeah. It r- it really is good and, and bravo to everyone involved. I think Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim. I think these guys are gonna be here to stay with more from them. It also just cements just how 42:46 epic A24 is as a studio. Yeah. I also- Yeah... I, I don't feel very sympathetic for her at the end of the day. I mean, she committed a crime, she lied, she made f- she had fraud. 42:56 I, I think it is sad that she cannot realize what she has done, or she chooses to not say it out loud, whether she knows it or not. 43:07 Uh, it w- you know, I, I, at the end of the day, it kinda does leave you feeling like, "Oh, bummer, she's, you know, in jail [laughs] and she has to, like, parent in this confined place." 43:18 But sh- it was her choice to have kids as she knew she was on trial and going through all this, you know, m- mess. And I think some say it was a strategic decision. Uh, you know, who's to, who's to really say and know? 43:33 But I also am just like, "Ah, man, you, you did a l- you did a lotta, you did a lotta things that were illegal, and you're paying the price for it," you know? 43:44 So- Unfortunately, no matter how sad that is that you have to be a parent while you're, you're paying for those crimes... this is pseudo spoiler alert. Uh- Yeah. Spoiler territory. 43:53 [laughs] Um, and, and I'll still be a little vague, but, like, those who continue to listen will understand. 44:00 The reason why I feel sympathetic, um, admittingly, I haven't, like, gone through the exact research into, like, what she was accused of, and really, the documentary didn't necessarily go into that either. 44:15 But what it does show is she's passionate, even still wanting to find a solution. Mm-hmm. That there was some level of accomplishment. Yeah. They were able to do some testing, not all. 44:32 That she's clearly neurodivergent- Yeah... like possible Asperger's, autism, something, where she doesn't understand what many people understand. And, and you see that she tends to 44:51 give away control to a significant other. Mm-hmm. And so I don't know. Like, uh, there is a world where she was j- I didn't leave being like, "Oh, she's some mastermind genius." 45:05 I left being like, "She seems a victim of, uh, a lot of things that led her to- Yep... this moment." Um- I'd, I, I'd agree with that 100%. I'd agree with that. I think you should watch Alex g- Alex Gibney's doc on her. 45:22 Um- Okay... that, I mean, there was actually no testing done, uh, which is funny because you're like, "Oh, it seems like there was." No, that was her thinking that there was testing done. There was none. 45:37 Um, I think the reason why she didn't get f- uh, she d- she wasn't found guilty on the fraud, uh, for her actual, uh, for the tests and whatnot is because they destroyed [laughs] the evidence before they w- they got, um, they went to trial and everything, so there was nothing to, um, find out. 45:59 Um, in fact, I even saw on, um, X that some of the workers who had worked at Theranos at the time said that the machine she shows Nathan Fielder was not the machine they were developing at Theranos. 46:14 It was, like, some newer version of it that they had that they were working on. 46:18 So, like, the fact that she was even trying to, like, explain to him this machine and give him and show him what they were working on but it wasn't the actual machine they were working on is really interesting to me because I almost feel like it was just a long con to confuse Nathan, and he didn't, I don't think he knew because no one knew. 46:38 I think to me the saddest thing is that this technology will become a thing someday, and honestly, even their applications that they were working on could be that model. But, like, I just think, 46:54 I think we will cont- they will continue to be a story. I, I- Yeah... think she will continue to be- 100%... 46:59 a cultural, I don't wanna say pillar, but a cultural node that when, uh, ex- for example, when this does become a successful technology, like, we're gonna look back at this and it's just... 47:12 I, I sense the sense of earnestness of her wanting to be the, the person to figure it out. You know what I mean? Yeah, definitely. And I... 47:21 Look, she's going to always be the, the cautionary tale of fake it till you make it or not make it, right? She was faking it so much at such a high level of risk that, like, she was endangering people's lives, right? 47:38 Mm-hmm. And your f- y- I mean, you're very familiar with the healthcare business. Your family's in it- Mm-hmm... whatnot. 47:44 Y- like, go l- look at what she was doing and you are going to be amazed and shocked by the l- level of, um, claims that she was making. 47:55 You're gonna be like, "Whoa, I, I can't even believe some of these things that are coming out of her mouth." Do I think she genuinely wanted to make them happen and will them into existence? Yes. 48:08 Can you do that with science and research, uh, without following science and research? Uh, no, you can't. 48:14 And so it's just an interesting, um, dynamic and that's why I find it really sad that she's gonna continue doing this but she has no idea what she did wrong or she doesn't even feel like she's done something wrong. 48:27 There's absolutely zero remorse in her, um, in her heart, in her mind, and in her, like, in her being, and that's dangerous... thing to, to walk away from, you know? She can't figure out why she was put in jail. 48:43 There's something- That's the whole point. I know, I know, I know. [laughs] I know. It really plays with the th- the idea of truth. It's great. Anyway, I mean, we could sit here and have- Yeah... 48:52 a whole pod on how amazing this film is. I- Yeah... I do wanna ask you one thing before we close, like, um- Yeah... and maybe this is for, uh, we talk about this next week, but, um, are you opening up Netflix a lot? 49:05 How do you feel about Netflix these days? 49:07 Because they, there were reports that they feel people aren't opening the app as much, and so I was just thinking about it and listening to, um, you know, Matt Belloni talking about it on The Town, and it was just got my mind thinking of like, we talk about Apple TV so much, we talk about all these things and we've talked about Netflix so, so often. 49:27 I'm curious. I wanted to do a temp check with you. 49:30 Like, are you going there on a weekly basis or on a daily basis to watch something, or do you feel like you're popping in and out when you feel like there's like an appointment viewing? Um, so it's a good question. 49:44 If I remember the data correctly, the interesting thing with all of this is that Netflix is actually financially a really strong company. Correct. They are the biggest streamer. 49:57 They are extremely profitable in the b- tens of billions of dollars. Uh, they, um, they just didn't grow as fast as they traditionally have. And 50:11 from a PR perception, ever since they tried to acquire Warner Brothers, things have kind of not gone well for them from a stock, uh, and Wall Street POV. 50:23 Now, when it comes to user behavior and myself, um, I do watch Netflix, but I feel like I go for specific shows, and it's their job to hook me into other shows that they have, right? 50:40 Um, so there are still shows, sometimes I'll wa- uh, many of them are I watch with my wife, Ashley, like Nobody Wants This. Um, I like some of their anime selection. 50:51 Um, you know, so I will go into the app and watch, but I wouldn't say I'm doing it more than other platforms or that I'm excited to watch it over- Right... other platforms. Right. Um- Do you feel like... 51:06 Like, I don't feel like they've had a show in a really long time that I, uh, that I've been like, "Oh," like, "I need to watch this." Like Slow Horses, every week checking in, being like, "Oh, I love Slow Horses." 51:18 Or like Lioness when it was on Paramount, we were like, "Have it-" Yeah... you know, "Have you seen that?" Or, you know, Widows Bay or whatever it may be, it's always, "Oh yeah, that's cool. I'll check it out." Right? 51:28 Yeah. And I think, uh, i- it's just interesting if they're, they're competing and they, they want more eyeballs, but also they, you know, like Nobody Wants This, I crushed it in like one weekend, and then it's done. 51:39 Oh, same. Uh, same with The Diplomat. It just came out. I was done within two seconds. Like, it's tough. It's like drinking from a fire hose. And like that works if they do more of those, right? 51:52 Um, but if they don't, then they really... I think what really worked for them was the volume. 51:59 It was like, okay, give, give people like four to five episodes, let them binge it for one weekend, and then two, three, four weekends later, give them another little quick hit. Yeah. That works. 52:13 I, I think it works okay, but you spend three years making an episode of Stranger Things, and you release, you release four episodes, and then everybody consumes it, and it's done. 52:24 No one's talking about it anymore, right? And you spend h- millions of d- hundreds of millions of dollars on it to not have any kind of cultural conversation. I think you and I have been saying this for years. 52:35 I w- I just wonder, like we've seen a lot of shifting in, um, in structure with Netflix. You know, they're putting Narnia out in theaters and all these things. Yeah. 52:46 I wonder if they're gonna go and do and change their model, uh- Everything's on the table... more to adapt it, right? Yeah. Uh, I would like- Um... 52:54 I would like them to make more content that I feel like I have to see, but we'll see. One of the, one of the anime shows I'm watching right now, it's called Steel Ball Run. Uh, it, they did 53:06 like four episodes, and then the rest were weekly. So it is weekly now, actually. Cool. Oh, look at that. Um- Okay... yeah, there's season two. So anyways, um, good chat and, uh- We did a lot of podding today... 53:20 w- we did a lot of podding, a lot of content. Um, you can catch us next week wherever you listen to podcasts. And subscribe, give us a like, give us a review. Uh, over and out. Yes. Peace. Bye. 53:37 [outro Jingle] Cash now, more later from Opendoor gives you cash upfront for your home, plus all the profit later. That's no chaos now, no cash left behind later. Skip the showings now, pocket extra profit later. 53:54 This is so simple now. This is so awesome later. Or sell fast now and pop the champagne later. Cash now, more later. Now available nationwide. Start your offer at opendoor.com/acast. 54:07 Profits calculated after fees and costs. Eligibility and offer price may vary. [outro jingle] This show is brought to you by The Future Party and Crosstalk Studios. Produced by Chris Sattel, Hoya Holiday, and Paul York. 54:20 Special shout-out to our production team, Araceli Rubalcava, Max Goolen, Shannon Klein, and Eli Tafur
