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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.

6/6/25 11:50AM

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.

Nia Warfield

19m

Paramount Skydance reportedly preparing an Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover bid, sending shares soaring

Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reported, sending shares of both companies surging. The Journal’s sources say the deal is backed by the Ellison family, led by David Ellison.

WBD shares were up 30% on the report, while Paramount Skydance jumped 8%.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming & studios, the other for its traditional cable/TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

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If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

Max Knoblauch

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As tariffs take root, August new vehicle prices climb by the most in more than 2 years

According to data from Cox Automotive, 17 vehicle brands raised prices of their new vehicles by more than 3% in August.

Ford Issues Recalls On Some Of Its Mach-E Mustangs And Aviators

Nia Warfield

9/10/25

Netflix taps Amazon to sell streaming ads in new partnership

Starting this fall, brands will be able to access Netflix’s premium ad slots using Amazon’s buying tech.

Millie Giles

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Bank branches are still closing at breakneck speed in the US

Institutions like Chase and Wells Fargo closed 76 locations in just six weeks over the summer, per the OCC.

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Fox and News Corp slide as investors digest $3.3 billion Murdoch succession settlement

Fox and News Corp shares dropped on Tuesday after Rupert Murdoch’s heirs agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement to resolve a long-running succession drama.

Under the deal, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James Murdoch will each receive about $1.1 billion, paid for in part by Fox selling 16.9 million Class B voting shares and News Corp selling 14.2 million shares. The stock sales will raise roughly $1.37 billion on behalf of the three heirs.

The new trust for Lachlan Murdoch will now control about 36.2% of Fox’s Class B shares and roughly 33.1% of News Corp’s stock, granting him uncontested voting authority over both companies for the next 25 years. Originally, the Murdoch trust was designed to hand over voting control of Fox and News Corp to Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James after his death.

Investors are weighing the trade-off. Clear leadership under Lachlan may resolve conflict internally, but the share dilution, executed at a roughly 4.5% discount, means long-term investors now hold slightly less clout than before.

Both companies’ stocks were trading close to all-time highs prior to the announcement.

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

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