TOGETHER WITH
Hey there weekday warrior. Here’s what’s on tap today… Tim Cook hard launches his relationship with Sundar, J-Poww got the people fired up, and Meta has a new recruit with a fire résumé.
Enjoy the next 3 minutes and 29 seconds of blue-chip news and commentary.
Keep on snapping necks and cashing checks,
PS, I sent out a 5-minute survey over the weekend with one goal in mind: making TWC even better. If you didn’t have a chance, I’d really, really appreciate it if you took just a few minutes to complete it. Help me help you.
PPS, interested in advertising with TWC? Reply directly to this newsletter or fill out this form, and I’ll be in touch ASAP.
I choose you
Google $GOOG ( ▲ 1.11% ) just swooped in and stole OpenAI’s lunch money… again.
Turns out, like most AI users, Apple $AAPL ( ▲ 0.31% ) has a full-blown chubby for Gemini. Apple/Google released a joint statement yesterday declaring their undying love for each other.
Apple “Intelligence” features, including an upcoming Siri upgrade, will use Google Gemini and cloud technology for its “Foundation Models” (read: Apple AI never really worked).
Friendly reminder that Sundar and co. already shell out billions annually to be the iPhone’s default search engine.
It’s still unclear what this deal means for OpenAI and its integration into Siri/Apple AI… but it can’t be good…?
“ChatGPT who?” -Tim Cook, probably
GOOG shares (obviously) popped on the news.
Matter of fact, Alphabet joined the $4T market cap club today (sup Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple).
The cuatro, cuatro coma club, if you will.
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+ “I’m not happy, Bob. Not. Happy.” - everyone in DC
Remember over the weekend when DJT’s DOJ launched an investigation/witch hunt into J-Poww and the $2.5B(ish) renovation of the Federal Reserve building? Well, as predicted by your favorite publication, everyone is big mad about it today.
First, a who’s who of previous Fed chairs and Treasury secretaries (think: Bernanke, Yellen, Greenspan, Paulson, etc.) all got together to sign a statement of support for Jerome, calling the investigation: “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks to undermine that [Fed] independence.” Whole crew’s sticking together on this one.
Then, a buncha bipartisan Congresspeople went on a PR tear. Statements were flying left and right (from the left and the right) that the investigation is an attempt to control the Fed. Which, fair.
Meanwhile, the Street was like… did you say lower rates, sooner?
+ Meta goes full Let’s Make a Deal
Zuck’s recruiters are at it again. This time, they locked in a Wall Street whale. Former Goldman Sachs $GS ( ▼ 1.2% ) exec and deputy national security advisor to #47, Dina Powell McCormick is stepping in as Meta’s $META ( ▼ 1.7% ) new President and Vice Chairman.
Friendly reminder that Dina sat on the Meta board from April - December of 2025. She’ll be overseeing Meta’s $600B infrastructure build out over the next decade. Remember that one time Zuck pulled that number out of his a**, but then it became the real number?
Have the kind of confidence that Paramount $PSKY ( ▼ 0.08% ) has in itself. Yesterday, nepo baby David Ellison and his team of lawyers moved on to the “sue your b*lls off” phase of negotiations.
Paramount Skydance launched its proxy fight for board control and filed a Delaware lawsuit to force Warner Bros $WBD ( ▲ 1.62% ) to engage with its offer. Dude, she’s just not that into you.
> Betterment Customer Data Accessed in Online Crypto Scam Attack (Bloomberg) // “Your data has been compromised, please reply with your full seed phrase to recover your wallet.”
> Mortgage rates fall below 6% for first time since 2023 after Trump orders $200B bond buying (NY Post) // In this economy?
> Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code (TechCrunch) // Welp, that’s a wrap, white collar workers…
> Yeah, right…
+ US stocks “rallied off their session lows, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting new all-time highs as investors shook off the Department of Justice opening a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.” (CNBC)
+ The 10-year yield “moved higher on Monday as investor worries around the Federal Reserve’s independence spurred volatility in the stock market and following the 10-year auction.” (CNBC)
+ Oil “steadied Monday after recent gains as investors weighed the risk of supply disruptions from escalating unrest in Iran against the prospect of additional barrels returning to the market from Venezuela.” (Reuters)
+ The “smart” money (prediction markets) thinks there’s only a 13% chance that J-Poww is federally charged by June 30. (Polymarket)
⏪ Yesterday…
+ The four-day JPMorgan Healthcare Conference began in San Francisco
+ The National Retail Federation's Big Show got underway in New York
⏩ Today we’re keeping an eye on…
+ JPMorgan Chase, Delta Air Lines, and Bank of New York Mellon report before the bell
+ Denny's shareholders will vote on the deal to be taken private by TriArtisan Capital Advisors
+ The Consumer Price Index report for December will drop
Yesterday, I asked, “You find a great deal on a home in an area you want to move to. It's picture perfect, BUT... there's a nuclear power plant less than 1 mile away. Are you moving in?”
50.5% of you said, “Yes, nuclear power plants are safe.”
Here’s what some of you guys had to say…
Yes, nuclear power plants are safe: “We'll never have to worry about brown outs, the price is gonna be f*cking bomb, and maybe I can score a sweet Homer Simpson-esque gig. Of course we're moving there.”
Other: “I'm a total "not in my backyard" hypocrite... I want more nuclear but I don't think I would move my family anywhere near one. ”
Hell nah, I'm not moving my family in next to that: “I just got done watching Chernobyl. No Way.”
Yes, nuclear power plants are safe: “People who say no will gladly live near knife-carrying bums though.”
Hell nah, I'm not moving my family in next to that: “There are many "picture perfect" homes that are not near nuclear plants, Keep looking.”
Here’s today’s question…
After an unwatchable Golden Globes, I gotta know... what actor/actress did you like in movies/TV but now you can't watch because their real life personality is unbearable?
Oh, and one more thing…
What did you think about today's newsletter?
Sent from my Amazon Fire Phone. Please excuse any mistakes and typos.
Does this look like the face of a guy you should take financial advice from?
No, it’s the face of an individual who is financially irresponsible/dumb enough to be talked into spending money on a family photo shoot that he could have just done with his iPhone. So, act accordingly...
This is not financial advice. Nothing in this newsletter is an investment recommendation. All content is created for entertainment, educational, or informational purposes only. Do your own research, or do yourself a favor and hire a professional.