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Hey there weekday warrior,
Here’s what’s on the agenda today…
Soho House is going private, Intel gets a massive investment, and Chamath is back with another SPAC.
Enjoy the next 4 minutes and 18 seconds of blue-chip news and commentary.
Keep on snapping necks and cashing checks,
PS, loving The Water Coolest? Forward it to someone who is definitely going to invest in Chamath’s new SPAC. If you CC me ([email protected]), I’ll send you both something.
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Private parts
Everyone: “Soho House couldn’t get much douchier…”
Soho House: “We’re adding Ashton Kutcher to our board.”
The company that monetized “who do you know here?” is going private after a pretty piss poor showing as a publicly traded company. Soho House $SHCO ( ▲ 14.92% ) will delist as part of a $2.7B deal led by MCR Hotels… and like $850M of debt financing via Apollo.
Each bagholder shareholder will get $9 per share, which is a roughly 18% premium to its closing price on Friday.
Oh, and for some reason (presumably because no A-listers were willing to be associated with the brand), the company is adding Ashton Kutcher to the board of the preferred private club of people who couldn’t get into Zero Bond.
Where did Soho go wrong?
Well, for starters, turning a profit has proven more difficult than finding an available bathroom stall at Soho House at 1 AM on a Thursday. It wasn’t until Q1 of this year that the club eked out a profit, thanks partially to pumping the brakes on expansion.
Speaking of which… the 200k+ strong club has been taking heat for being about as exclusive as your mom in college. Its quick expansion pissed off the same kinda people who complain about overcrowding in airport lounges.
Just how bad did things get?
Well, shares have lost more than half of their value since going public in 2021. And just a few years after taking its talents public, the company established a committee to explore take-private offers.
Former Zillow exec targets $1.3T market
The wealthiest companies tend to target the biggest markets. For example, NVIDIA skyrocketed nearly 200% higher in the last year with the $214B AI market’s tailwind.
That’s why investors are so excited about Pacaso.
Created by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso brings co-ownership to a $1.3 trillion real estate market. And by handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, they’ve made $110M+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
No wonder the same VCs behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso. And for just $2.90/share, you can join them as an early-stage Pacaso investor today.
Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.
+ Intel just got a yuge investment courtesy of the United States of America Softbank…
Masa Son’s Softbank is investing $2B in Intel $INTC ( ▼ 3.66% ), which makes sense since it’s the WeWork of chipmakers. It’s probably just a coincidence that Uncle Sam is reportedly considering taking a 10% stake in the Temu-Nvidia by way of the Chips Act.
+ “Cash discount available.” - handwritten sign at sketchy bodega Novo Nordisk
I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news, diabetics. The bad news? You still have diabetes. The good news? Ozempic just got a whole lot cheaper if you’re paying out of pocket.
Novo Nordisk $NVO ( ▲ 3.71% ) is cutting prices like a greasy used car salesman who’s late on his child support payments. The Big Pharma is offering its diabeetus drug for just $499 per month. Friendly reminder: the MSRP is $1.35k monthly.
But uninsured adults with type 2 diabetes seeking to improve blood sugar control aren’t the only winners here. GoodRx $GDRX ( ▲ 37.27% ), a drug discount platform, collabed with Novo to implement the pricing. Shares popped nearly 40% on the day… and they are undoubtedly planning to change their name to GreatRx.
+ What in the public access television is this logo?
It appears MSNBC’s budget for a rebrand was “an intern with a free ChatGPT account.” Don’t believe me? I’ll just leave this right here…
MSNBC, is losing the “NBC” and the Peacock logo as Comcast $CMCSA ( ▼ 0.06% ) preps to split NBC’s cable and streaming platforms. The cable biz, which will include MS NOW, will be called Versant.
Fun fact: the MS originally stood for Microsoft (think: MS Paint). Microsoft’s MSN and NBC created the channel as part of a joint venture back in the 90s.
+ “It’s so f*cking big.” - you, probably
All signs point towards a Fed rate cut in September. That means girthy interest rates on high-yield savings accounts will likely start to come down. But there’s still time to take advantage. And the experts at FinanceBuzz just ranked the best HYSAs available this month (you can earn up to 4.25% on some of them). Find the high-yield savings account that’s right for you. [FYI, this is a partner post]
+ Today in “things not to say when you’re trying to raise billions of dollars for your AI startup…”
Sam Altman told reporters that there’s probably a bubble in AI (… but f*ck it, we ball): “When bubbles happen, smart people get overexcited about a kernel of truth. Are we in a phase where investors as a whole are overexcited about AI? My opinion is yes. Is AI the most important thing to happen in a very long time? My opinion is also yes.”
+ Recession is canceled…
+ Sad news to report: Chamath Palihapitiya has relapsed after being clean for nearly 3 years. It’s important to remember that this is a disease and we must treat him with compassion during this difficult time…
That’s right… the All In co-host is back with a new SPAC. He filed the paperwork for a new $250M blank check offering called American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. A.
Friendly reminder: Chamath did 6 SPAC deals back in 2021 and 2022. Only one (SoFi) is trading above its IPO price. You’ve been warned…
+ US stocks “closed the session little changed on Monday as investors turned their focus to a high-stakes US-Ukraine meeting, kicking off a week dominated by a Federal Reserve speech that could define the outlook for interest rates.” (Yahoo! Finance)
+ The 10-year yield “ticked slightly higher on Monday as traders gear up for the Federal Reserve's annual symposium and the release of its July meeting minutes.” (CNBC)
+ Oil “prices settled 1% higher on Monday after talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart in the wake of an inconclusive U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on Friday.” (Reuters)
+ The “smart” money (prediction markets) thinks there’s a 26% chance Colbert gets a Netflix show this year. (Kalshi)
⏪ Yesterday…
+ Palo Alto reported after the close
⏩ Today we’re keeping an eye on…
+ Home Depot, Medtronic, and Xpeng report before the open
Yesterday, I asked, “Do you tip housekeeping at a hotel?”
45.3% of you said “Never.“
Here’s what some of you guys had to say…
Never: “When housekeeping is every 3ish days and you don't stay long enough to reap the reward, I think it's okay to not tip. but only in that instance!”
Yes, always: “I am not a big hotel visitor but once I realized it was a thing I always do. $10 a night and I throw out any trash along with putting all the used towels in a pile.”
It depends: “Only if they leave a mint on my pillow and the towels are folded into animals”
Never: “Were we supposed to be tipping?!”
Never: “I don't tip, but I also don't let them in the room. I'm fully ok with using the same towel and making my own bed during my stay.”
Here’s today’s question…
Another one from a weekday warrior…
Do you leave reviews (Yelp, Amazon, Glassdoor) or are you a normal person?
Where does one acquire a private railcar?
TIL amtrak will let you attach your own private car to one of their trains and they charge you per a mile
— #typedfemale (#@typedfemale)
8:42 PM • Aug 18, 2025
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.