Morning Brew Daily

Musk v. Altman Trial Begins & Adidas’ Supershoe Powers Sub-2Hr Marathoners

31 min
Apr 27, 20261 day ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Morning Brew Daily covers the opening of the Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial over OpenAI's conversion to for-profit status, a security incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and two marathon runners breaking the two-hour barrier in Adidas super shoes.

Insights
  • The Musk-Altman trial represents a pivotal moment for AI industry structure, with potential outcomes ranging from OpenAI reverting to nonprofit status to complete status quo continuation
  • Performance athletic equipment and advanced fueling strategies are enabling measurable athletic breakthroughs, but base training volume remains the fundamental driver of performance gains
  • Critical security vulnerabilities at high-profile venues persist despite historical precedent, creating opportunities for policy and infrastructure changes
  • Audience reception can dramatically diverge from critical reviews when content celebrates cultural icons, with parents actively seeking sanitized versions of controversial figures' stories
  • The AI competitive landscape is intensifying with major tech companies announcing significant layoffs tied to AI infrastructure spending, signaling market consolidation pressures
Trends
AI industry consolidation: Major tech firms (Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon) facing scrutiny over AI spending levels and workforce optimizationPerformance athletic wear market growing 13% annually to $8.1B, with premium super shoes commanding $500+ price pointsBiopic market disconnect: Critical pans increasingly fail to predict box office performance when celebrating beloved cultural figuresFed chair transition uncertainty: Kevin Warsh nomination progressing as DOJ investigation of Jerome Powell concludesDistance running records accelerating: Sub-2-hour marathons achieved through convergence of training science, nutrition optimization, and equipment innovationCelebrity litigation as media spectacle: High-profile tech founder disputes generating sustained media coverage and public interestVenue security reassessment: High-profile incidents driving demand for alternative, purpose-built event infrastructureStreaming and theatrical release strategies: Blockbuster box office performance for culturally significant content despite mixed critical reception
Companies
OpenAI
Central to lawsuit alleging breach of nonprofit mission; potential outcomes include reversion to nonprofit status or ...
Microsoft
Named defendant in Musk lawsuit; CEO Satya Nadella testifying; reporting earnings Wednesday with AI spending scrutiny
Adidas
Developed super shoes worn by both sub-2-hour marathon runners; claims 4% efficiency gain; competing with Nike in per...
XAI
Elon Musk's AI company that directly competes with OpenAI; potential beneficiary if Musk wins trial
Meta
Announcing layoffs and employee buyouts tied to AI infrastructure costs; reporting earnings Wednesday
Alphabet
Competing with OpenAI in AI race; reporting earnings Wednesday with AI spending under scrutiny
Amazon
Major tech firm reporting earnings Wednesday; AI infrastructure spending under market scrutiny
Nike
Competing with Adidas in performance athletic shoe market; congratulated Adidas on marathon achievement
Lionsgate
Smaller studio that acquired Michael Jackson biopic when larger rivals declined; achieved record musical biopic opening
Federal Reserve
Jerome Powell's final meeting as chair; Kevin Warsh nominated as successor; interest rate decision expected Wednesday
Anthropic
Competing with OpenAI in AI model development race
Google
Referenced as competitive threat that influenced OpenAI's for-profit structure decision
Vanguard
Sponsor offering low-fee investment funds and bond management services
iHerb
Sponsor providing authentic vitamins, supplements, and wellness products with direct brand sourcing
Built
Sponsor membership program offering rewards points on housing payments with travel and lifestyle benefits
Windmill
Sponsor offering air purifiers and window AC units with aesthetic home design focus
People
Elon Musk
Plaintiff in OpenAI lawsuit seeking $150B damages and removal of Sam Altman; co-founder of OpenAI
Sam Altman
Defendant in Musk lawsuit; accused of converting nonprofit to for-profit; grew up revering Musk
Hadass Gold
Expert guest providing trial preview and analysis; attending trial in person; discussed witness list and legal strategy
Greg Brockman
OpenAI co-founder testifying in trial; diary entries referenced as evidence of potential deception
Satya Nadella
Microsoft CEO testifying in Musk v. Altman trial; reporting earnings Wednesday
Sebastian Saway
Kenyan marathoner who broke 2-hour barrier with time of 1:59:30; paid $50K for enhanced anti-doping testing
Yomif Kajelka
Ethiopian marathoner who broke 2-hour barrier in first marathon ever; wearing Adidas super shoes
Elliot Kipchoge
Previous record holder for sub-2-hour marathon in exhibition; beaten by Saway's official time
Jafar Jackson
Michael Jackson's nephew cast as young Michael in biopic; underwent extensive training for role
Jerome Powell
Completing final meeting as Fed chair; DOJ investigation dropped; Kevin Warsh nominated as successor
Kevin Warsh
Nominated as next Fed chair; Senate blockade ending as DOJ investigation of Powell concludes
Tom Tillis
Key deciding vote on Senate Banking Committee; willing to end blockade of Kevin Warsh nomination
Cole Thomas Allen
Caltech graduate arrested after shooting incident at White House Correspondents' Dinner
Dana White
Business leader at White House Correspondents' Dinner; remained calm during shooting incident
Lloyd Blankfein
Attended White House Correspondents' Dinner; viral moment of continuing to eat salad during incident
Michael Glantz
Attended White House Correspondents' Dinner; viral video of eating burrata salad during shooting
Neil Freiman
Co-host of Morning Brew Daily podcast
Toby Howell
Co-host of Morning Brew Daily podcast
Quotes
"I grew up with Elon as a mega hero."
Sam Altman
"He calls him a liar, a swindler, and calls him scam Altman."
Toby Howell (describing Elon Musk's characterization of Sam Altman)
"I didn't get down. It was effing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in."
Dana White
"I'm a New Yorker. We live with sirens and activity happening all the time."
Michael Glantz
"Mileage, if you want to run faster, you gotta run more miles."
Sebastian Saway
Full Transcript
Good morning Brew Daily Show. I'm Neil Freiman. And I'm Toby Howell. Today, the bitter feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman heads to trial. Then not one, but two super shoe clad runners broke two hours in the London Marathon. It's Monday, April 27th. Let's ride. Good Monday morning. All right, need everyone to lock in because there's this viral hypothetical scenario I want you to think about. This weekend, Tim Urban posted a poll with the prompt, everyone in the world has to take a private vote by pressing a red or blue button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people who press the red button survive. Which button would you press? So, Toby, what would you press? All right, so your gut reaction is to push the blue button because it feels like the right thing to do. You're thinking of the greater good. Moralistically, it feels right. But from a reading comprehension standpoint, red is the only way to go. No matter what happens, if you press the red button, you survive. So personally, I think the moral answer is to click the red button where there's a 100% chance of personal survival. That being said, every single person I pose this question to, including you and indeed 57 percent of the 100,000 people who voted on Tim Urban's poll, picked blue, meaning everyone survived anyway. So what do I know? It's a very good hypothetical question to pose to your friends because I swear to God the first thought is blue, blue, blue. That just feels like the right thing to do. But I want to see which one of your friends has a little bit more self-interest in mind and picks red. And then you hit them with a, well, actually, and then explain what Toby just said. Exactly. And now a word from our sponsor, Windmill. Neil, have you ever noticed how ugly most home air appliances are? I don't know. I think my bulky window unit that's so loud I can't even hear my own thoughts has a little bit of character. You have a lot of great qualities, but interior design sense is not one of them. But you know what aren't ugly Windmill products? Whether it's their air purifiers or award-winning window AC, it all looks like real home decor. Their purifiers are designed to catch all the stuff you don't want in your air, like dust, pollen, bacteria, and even mold. They're whisper quiet too, so you don't even notice them. They come in two sizes and a lot of colors like real bamboo and sage. Neil, you strike me as a sage guy. I am. And Wimbled is offering MBD listeners a special 10% discount on their first order at windmillair.com slash MBD. That's windmillair.com slash MBD for 10% off. The White House Correspondents' Dinner was supposed to be a night of some hobnobbing between journalists, politicians, and celebrities, but the latest iteration this weekend descended into chaos instead. President Trump was evacuated from the Washington Hilton on Saturday night after a shooting erupted at the annual Black Tie Gala. Cabinet members ducked under tables. Oz Perlman, the celebrity mentalist, was performing a mind-reading trick on stage when Secret Service agents fanned out across the ballroom and whisked away important cabinet members, including J.D. Vance. President Trump, who was attending the dinner for the first time after years of skipping it, was shielded and escorted out unharmed. The suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, was carrying a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives and charged the security checkpoint with a firearm in his hand, hitting an agent clad in a bulletproof vest in the chest before being taken into custody. Allen is from California and a Caltech grad who has recently won a Teacher of the Month award and has been described as Trump as a lone wolf and a very sick person. In the aftermath, the Washington Hilton, which has hosted the event for 50 years, has come under scrutiny for its lax security policies. Trump has seized on the moment to advocate for his $400 million White House ballroom, which he says would be far more secure than a hotel. And Neil, lots of business leaders were also in attendance, including UFC CEO Dana White, the founders of the prediction market, Kalshi, and Gary Tan, who leads Y Combinator. What's been the reaction from the parts of the business world who were in the room? Well, some of them were remarkably zen or even excited. I mean, Dana White gave this interview couple minutes after this all happened. He said, I didn't get down. It was effing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience. Lloyd Blankfein, who is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, also had another viral story of him sort of sitting in the front as the confusion unfolded. He's right near the front of the stage where Trump was whisked away. He turns to a person next to him at the table and just says, are you going to finish that salad. And maybe the overall theme of these people who are more calm than others were that they were New Yorkers because there was a viral video of this guy sitting there in his tux and he was just eating his burrata salad as just things were turned over all around him and he's just calmly eating it. That turned out to be CAA super agent Michael Glantz. And when interviewed afterwards, he just said, I'm a New Yorker. We live with sirens and activity happening all the time. There are hundreds of secret servant agents hurtling themselves over tables and chairs and I wanted to watch. He also said that he is a hygiene freak. So there was, quote, no freaking way I was getting in my new tux on the dirty Hilton floor. Of course, for all of these people who are pretty zen, there's a bunch of other people who are rightfully freaked out about this. But I thought Brian Stelter kind of put this, who's the CNN media reporter, put this into perspective, which is that thousands of media political elites have now experienced what countless millions of other Americans have gone through in schools, offices, malls, hospitals, which is a lockdown shooter drill. Yeah, the security was the big question mark here because how did a gunman make it so far into the Hilton now? Of course, he was stopped before he made it into the ballroom itself. But many people said that there wasn't that much of a tight perimeter outside of the ballroom only. You made it very far into the hotel before even going through a metal detector. They were just flashing invitation tickets via paper. There wasn't a lot of, you know, biometric scanning or anything like that. So the Hilton is coming under fire for that. Because remember, this is the same Hilton where Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. back in 1981. So it's been nicknamed the Hinckley Hilton in Washington. So for it to have another security scare means that it has been an opportunity for Trump to push his agenda of getting this ballroom built, even though this $400 million ballroom probably won't host an event like the White House correspondent dinner. It seemed like this was the main talking point is let's try to push the ball forward here and try to get this ballroom built. So looking ahead, there's going to be a lot of questions. The investigation is still underway. Of course, what the shooter's motive was and why he came all the way from California to Washington, D.C. to carry this out. It looks like he was trying to target top government officials. Also, the security situation at the Hilton. This is a 2,500-person event, and it's not the only thing that happens at the Hilton, too. There's all these events going on. It's just a sprawling campus there. and the shooter was staying at the Hilton and how he got even remotely close to the top government officials will be under scrutiny. And then finally, Trump says he had a banging speech plan. He said it was really inappropriate and he was excited to deliver it. Initially, they wanted to continue the night after the shooting and continue the ceremonies. But he said that they are looking to have this event, the White House Correspondence Center, probably in a very different form, but within the next 30 days. Shakespeare couldn't have written a drama like this. Today, a trial kicks off pitting Elon Musk versus Sam Altman. Friends turned mortal enemies two of the most consequential and powerful business leaders in the world It is a deeply personal grievance that has enormous implications for the AI landscape This story starts in 2015 when Musk and Altman co the nonprofit OpenAI with the goal of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, putting the public good over commercial interests. But Musk says that was all a phony cover for a future for-profit money-making AI machine. After a bitter falling out that saw Musk leave OpenAI, he's accusing Altman of breaching that founding humanitarian principle, fooling him into providing money to a mission he did not agree to. Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and its main backer, Microsoft, as well as Sam Altman to be booted from his leadership position and OpenAI to revert back from a for-profit enterprise to a non-profit. OpenAI will argue that Musk's lawsuit is motivated not by his passion for safe artificial intelligence, but by business interests of his own. Since leaving OpenAI, Musk has created an AI company, XAI, that directly competes with OpenAI. A victory over Altman in this trial would deeply hamstring OpenAI and give rivals like XAI an opening to catch up. Toby, this is as close as tech will get to a reality TV reunion show, but the stakes are a bit higher, like AI supremacy. Yeah, I like that you described it as Shakespearean because obviously it's a massive business story, but also a very, very personal feud as well. Musk and Altman have never been that close, but Altman apparently grew up revering Elon Musk from December 2024. He said, I grew up with Elon as a mega hero. What has Elon said about Sam Altman? He calls him a liar, a swindler, and calls him scam Altman. So these are two massively important people who just really don't like each other. To get a better sense of all that is at stake here, we brought in some backup. up. We spoke with Hadass Gold, AI correspondent for CNN, who is heading to the trial today and will be in the courtroom boots on the ground. She helped us preview what we should be looking for. Here's our conversation with Hadass. Hadass, thanks for joining us. Happy to be here. Okay, so what does Elon specifically need to prove Sam Altman did to win this trial? So Musk needs to prove his claims are a breach of charitable trust and kind of unjust enrichment. And so he needs to prove or he needs to at least make the jury believe that they were tricking him. When he put in the millions of dollars, he says it's 44 million. Other people say it's 38 million to help fund OpenAI when they first were starting. That was the plan all along was to turn it into a for-profit and that he was tricked essentially into giving this money. And then he now deserves to essentially earn what it grew into. And what testimony specifically are you looking forward to the most and what secrets do you think might come out in this trial specifically? I mean, when you look at the witness list, it's a who's who of tech and AI. We're going to have Musk, we're going to have Altman, we're going to have Greg Brockman, we're going to have Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft. We're going to have a lot of other executives that if you're at all knowledgeable of this world, you're going to be interested, including the guy who runs Elon Musk's family office and including the mother of some of Elon Musk's children, Siobhan Zilas. I personally am really interested in Siobhan's testimony because we learned in deposition that they were in a romantic relationship at one point. This is at the same time where when she had his children, she claimed it was just a platonic IVF sort of situation. Elon's going to be asked about things like Burning Man and, you know, what kind of state of mind were you in at Burning Man when you were having some of these negotiations? And so I think what we're also going to see, and we've seen some of this in the evidence, is these personal messages and emails and personal diary entries of these people. And I think that's always fascinating. These people who are so powerful, who are, you know, creating and leading the technology that's going to change our world. What were they really thinking when they're texting one another or when they're writing in their diaries? And we're going to see that in the open. And when you've talked to legal experts ahead of this case, are they saying someone has the upper hand or is it kind of a toss up? It's not a clear winner, I think. I think it's really interesting that the judge, you know, allowed it to go through. Obviously, there is a case. The judge would have just dismissed it. And this judge, she is like no joke. She is intense. and she threw out a lot of his claims, the initial claims that he had, and it's down to, it was three, then he wanted to get rid of one. When you look at the evidence, you can see it going both ways. There is a personal diary entry that Greg Brockman wrote about how saying it's going to be hard to do this for-profit structure and that Elon will have a point in saying that, I don't know exactly that we weren't completely honest with him. That's not the exact words, but that's the sentiment. But then at the same time, OpenAI is pointing to emails where Elon is pushing for them to do a different structure, a for-profit structure, because otherwise they're going to lose to Google. The jury will be a jury of nine regular people from the Northern District of California, so they could easily be tech people, they could be not tech people. They will only decide on liability. They will only decide on was there a breach of this charitable trust and unjust enrichment. The remedies, which will be would Sam and Greg lose their jobs, will there be some payment or anything like that, that is all decided by the judge after, and the jury can't even hear about it. That's actually a bit of a detriment to Elon Musk, because Elon Musk has declared officially in court that any remedy, any money that is owed, he wants to pour back into the OpenAI nonprofit. But the jury's not going to hear that. So you can imagine a jury might sit there and be like, Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. Does he really need another $130 billion out of this? But they're not going to get to hear that or think about that. Now, I'm sure Elon Musk's attorneys in filing all this and getting press about that are hoping that the Jurors will have read that in the media before they sit down. Could you help us game out some possible outcomes? Like if Altman wins, X happens. If Elon wins, Y happens. If Elon gets everything he wants, OpenAI reverts to a nonprofit structure that it had before. So think about what that means for the IPO. Sam and Greg lose their positions. And $138 billion, give or take, you know, just a few billion, will then go back into the OpenAI nonprofit. Now, obviously, a judge doesn't have to agree with all that. And there can be different remedies. And of course, there will be appeals if this goes his way. But those are the differences. And that's going to change a lot for us. So like a nuclear bomb on whatever's going on in AI right now. At least. Sal Haltman gone, OpenAI non-profit, no IPO. OpenAI is seen as one of the leaders, you know, in a neck and neck race with Anthropic and Google when it comes to the best models out there. They're also obviously one of the biggest. And when anybody thinks about AI, often they think of ChatGPT. And if OpenAI wins, it's more of the same? Status quo continues? Yeah, status quo continues. I mean, I don't know what Elon would do next, but for OpenAI, they can continue with their current plan of their IPO. And then last question, shouldn't we just settle this in a cage match? Wouldn't that be easier? Well, I was thinking if, you know, Sam Altman, I don't think, has been through this before, so he might call up Mark Zuckerberg, who has been through this a bunch of times and probably has a lot more experience. And you're talking about people being stripped down to their human selves. Yeah, there you go. Trial by combat. Has more practice than pretty much any tech executive. He's going to come up in the trial his way, his text messages with Elon, where even after they were going to fight a cage match, they're scheming together to potentially buy OpenAI. So everything you can think about in the tech world is going to be in this trial. All connected. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Sadas. Excited to see how this drama plays out, and we will be following along. Neil, are you obsessed with helping people keep more of what they invest? No, but I'm really into sculptures made of little cheeses right now. Then you not cut out to be a financial advisor because that their job and Vanguard will help with that Vanguard is slashing fees again this time for more than 50 of its funds Low fees give Vanguard skilled bond managers more freedom to maneuver as they pursue out performance. Go see the record for yourself at Vanguard.com slash impact. That's Vanguard.com slash impact. All investing is subject to risk. Vanguard Marketing Corporation distributor. Toby, would you say you're authentic? You know I'm the real deal, Neil. Well, you and iHerb have that in common. iHerb is a trusted wellness specialty store that sources 100% authentic vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition, and so much more directly from brands with zero third-party sellers on the site or app. And iHerb stands behind every purchase. If something doesn't meet your expectations, they make it right with easy returns and simple refunds. Head to iherb.com for the real deal, not just a marketplace knockoff. That's iherb.com. Neil, do you have any idea how expensive the housing market is? You're just finding out about this? Yes, but thankfully, there's Built. Built is the membership for where you live that rewards you with points on every housing payment. Renters and owners can earn points to use toward Flights with United and Hyatt, Lyft rides, Amazon.com purchases, and so many more. Built members also get access to a neighborhood concierge. It can make restaurant reservations, book fitness classes, and find new local spots. Check it out at joinbuilt.com slash mbd. That's join b-i-l-t dot com slash mbd. Let's move on to our winners of the weekend, the segment where Neil and I pick two stories that had a better weekend than my friends Kate and Marwan that just got engaged. I won the pre-show game of who can fold and throw a paper airplane further, so I'm up first. And my winners of the weekend are the two mind-boggling athletes who broke two hours in the London Marathon yesterday. Kenya's Sebastian Saway and Ethiopia's Yomif Kajelka both dipped under the once unthinkable barrier, with Saway taking the win and the world record by covering the 26.2 miles in one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. That is an average pace of 4 minutes and 33 seconds per mile. No one had ever run a legal marathon in under two hours. The great Elliot Kipchoge had done it in an exhibition with controlled conditions and rotating pacers, but then yesterday, two athletes did it in the span of a minute, with Sawe beating Kipchoge's time trial by 10 seconds. Sawe was the favorite going in, but Kijelka was a surprise, considering it was his first marathon ever, which means he holds the title of being the only man to never run a marathon over two hours before. How did this quantum leap happen? First, let's address the elephant in the room. Distance running has been plagued by doping scandals lately, and Kenya's federation has 140 athletes currently suspended by the athletics integrity unit. Sawe wanted to remove any doubt of his legitimacy, so he approached the anti-doping agency and, along with his sponsor Adidas, paid $50,000 to ensure he would be tested as many times as possible. In the two months leading up to his last marathon victory in Berlin, he was tested 25 times and came back clean every time. Speaking of Adidas, both Sawe and Kajelka were sporting a new super shoe from the German brand that retails for $500 and weighs less than 100 grams. Neil, a combination of better training, better fueling, and better equipment, and maybe just some good old-fashioned racing means, in my opinion, we just witnessed the greatest running day in history. Wow, gives you goosebumps. The marathon is maybe the best distillation of humans getting more athletic over time because it's 26.2 miles. You can run it in 1,800. You can run it in 2026. And times have been going down. At the turn of the century, 2000, the best time for men was 2.05.42. So in 26 years, we've shaved off five minutes of the marathon time. I have a few questions for you. Just as a layperson, I know you're very into distance running. Number one, how crazy is a two-hour marathon? Like, put that into perspective. And number two, what impact do these Adidas shoes actually have? I mean, all you have to do is try to run for 30 seconds at the pace that they did for two hours, and then it gives you perspective. That's why running is such a good sport, because we all can run, but to do it at the speed and the distance that they do it in, it is mind-bending. Seriously, just crank up the treadmill to 13 miles an hour and see how long you last. It is very difficult to last one minute. I myself, who consider myself a runner, two minutes max. I can't even run one mile at that speed. So it is absolutely insane for the normal person to think about. And then two, a lot is being made of the shoes because that's easy to wrap your mind around. A new technology is powering these athletes to faster times. And there probably is some truth to that. Adidas claims it makes you 4% more efficient, which at the highest levels, that does lead to shaving off seconds and minutes. But I think fueling actually is the big breakthrough here because the amount of science that has gone into targeting specific athletes, fueling like preferences, the amount of carbs that we can now consume over the length of a two-hour marathon. There's been advances that allow these athletes to take in more fuel than ever before. I'm talking 115 grams per hour. To put that into perspective, they're drinking that amount of carbs. Imagine eating two bagels like throughout the marathon, four bagels actually throughout the entire marathon. That is the amount of, you know, food that they are taking in because these drink mixes have become even more efficient. So I think fueling even more so than shoes is the real breakthrough. Yeah, I was looking at that and I was like, oh, 115 grams of carbs per hour. But then I was like, oh, he only ran for two hours because he was so fast. But yes, a lot of spotlight has been on the shoes and this big rivalry between Adidas and Nike. And even Nike posted this tweet saying congratulations, kind of giving their flowers to Adidas. And both of these companies are really leaning into this performance shoe market because that's where the margins are. And they're trying to get away from the more lifestyle shoes toward the more athletic shoes. that's growing at least in the U S by 13% a year to $8.1 billion. That is the market for performance shoes right now. And it's only growing as marathoning and distance running becomes an even bigger sport. I just want to shout out to of all these like fueling advancements of all the shoe advancements. Sebastian Sawa was asked, what was the secret to, you know, breaking two hours in the marathon? And he said, mileage, if you want to run faster, you gotta run more miles. So at the margins, there are all these improvements, but Saway averages 115 miles a week. Like that is the way to get faster. You gotta run more. So you can get really into the weeds, really into the nitty gritty, or just run more. My winner is Michael, the controversial movie about Michael Jackson. Despite being panned by critics, audiences couldn't stop till they got enough. Michael had the best opening for a musical biopic ever, grossing $217 million globally this weekend. It is a stunning result that crushed analysts' wildest expectations. The New York Times called it one of the biggest disconnects between reviews and ticket sales in memory. Critics savaged the movie for ending its story before the child molestation claims against Jackson came out, sanitizing a key part of the entertainer's life and legacy. One reviewer, Sean Burns, wrote that it's kind of like ending an O.J. Simpson biopic with him winning the Heisman Trophy. On Rotten Tomatoes reviewers were just 38 positive Actual people seeing the movie though loved it giving it a 97 audience score and they came to the theater in record numbers So what behind this disconnect Perhaps it's because MJ was one of the most famous people on the planet, like a level of fame we cannot comprehend, and people just wanted to be around his music and aura again. But also, as The Times points out, the bad reviews in all likelihood boosted ticket sales. If you're a parent thinking about taking your kids to see Michael, you're probably going to go because of, not despite, the movie avoiding the more controversial plot points. Toby, this is a big win for Lionsgate, a smaller studio that acquired Michael when its bigger rivals shunned it, and a sequel is almost certainly coming. And it almost didn't happen at all. This movie had a last-minute derailment that almost scrapped the entire thing because much of the footage from the finished movie had to be scrapped and reshot because the final third of the movie deals with the 1993 lawsuit on behalf of the 13-year-old boy who alleged Jackson molested him. But then as they were getting ready to put this movie out to the world, they realized that Jackson's estate had signed a settlement with the boy's family that forbade using his story for commercial purposes. So all of a sudden, the ending of the movie had to be changed, and they ended up shifting it to a different ending. It had more to do with escaping the influence of his father. It made the movie go from three hours to two hours, but it was a costly mistake. but it's looking like it paid off because they are recouping that money in droves right now. Yeah, crazy mistake. It's almost bewildering. And the Jackson's estate had to put up 40 to 50 million dollars in extra shooting costs because they just had to scrap one third of the movie. But let's talk about its blockbuster box office ticket sales, because I mean, so much money, 217 billion dollars at the global box office dollars billion. Not quite yet. Yes. Yeah, It probably made a yeah, it may make a 217 billion over a slice band. But this is a formula that's worked in the movies and on Broadway. I saw MJ, the musical on Broadway, and that's packed. That's been going on since 2022. It's already one of the highest grossing musicals of all time. If you look at the top charts, it's like at number 15. It's made three hundred and twenty eight million dollars, not billion. And people just love Michael Jackson still. I mean, he's unfathomably famous, and they like shows and content that celebrate his life and kind of skirt all the other controversial stuff. And you mentioned that he's going to be big globally as well. Most of this money is expected to be made overseas because of just his global appeal. Apparently in Japan, a distributor paid big money to have the rights for it because he's just so universally loved in that country as well. So it's not just an America story. It's definitely a global story. It is big for the Jackson estate too because people forget back when Michael Jackson died, his estate was saddled with $500 million of debt just following various different things that happened towards the end of MJ's life. So this is them trying to claw out of that hole for sure. So going to make a lot of money. It costs a lot of money to make. But even beyond the cost, even beyond the reshooting, one of the most difficult problems this movie faced was how do you cast young Michael Jackson? because you need someone who can sing like him, who can dance like him, who can move like him and look like him ostensibly. So they found Jafar Jackson, who is Michael's nephew, who can do all of those three things. He went through a lot of training, a lot of rehearsals, but that's the number one issue. Whenever you have a biopic like this, it happened with the Bohemian Rhapsody as one. How do you get someone who can embody the very famous musical star? It looks like they found them in Jafar Jackson. Michael, the worst reviews of a movie I have ever read. compared to people seeing it in droves. Just an incredibly interesting disconnect. Okay, it's Monday, so here's what you need to know to stay ahead in the week ahead. Wall Street wants to fast forward to Wednesday already because that day might have the most financial fireworks of any in recent memory. It's like that one time you have two weddings on the same day and try to make both. The first huge event is the Fed meeting, not because the central bank is going to change interest rates, but because it's probably Jerome Powell's last as Fed chair, a position he's held for eight years. Then comes the tech earnings gauntlet to end all others. Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon report after the bell on Wednesday with their eye-watering AI spending levels under scrutiny. Toby, we're probably going to need a Celsius that day. I mean, I need a Celsius every single day, but song song for J-Pow means the beginning of the Kevin Warsh story. Senator Tom Tillis said over the weekend that he is willing to end his blockade of the new Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh because the DOJ finally dropped its criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. He was the key deciding vote on the Senate Baking Committee, so it looks like Operation Washing Machine is a go. You really want to make that happen. I know. It's going to happen. If you say it enough times, it's going to happen. As for the earnings, I am curious about Meta and Microsoft, who have just announced layoffs and employee buyouts, especially tied to the cost of their AI build-outs. So how will the market react to that? In sports, the first rounds of NHL and NBA playoffs enter their second week. And in basketball, the story of the postseason so far is LeBron James doing unbelievable things as the oldest player in the league, 41 years old. And then on Saturday, hope you can find your fancy hat from last year because the Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs, the first leg of horse racing's triple crown. The LeBron jokes have been amazing. He literally created a teammate to throw an alley-oop to in the playoffs. The Lakers won game three of the Rockets by four points. Bronny scored five in the game. So if LeBron doesn't have a child, They lose that game. Unfortunately, they did lose last night, so that series is still ongoing. For the Kentucky Derby, here's my one fact for you. Since 1995, 16 of the 31 winners have broken from gate 13 or higher, so maybe look for the higher gates that comes courtesy of John Fanta on X. That doesn't actually seem like that helpful because that is barely more than half. So do with that what you will. I don't know what's going on. We're going to need some way more intense Kentucky Derby analysis from you later in the week because I know you're monitoring the track conditions. For sure. All right, finally, Hathaway, Streep, Blunt, Tucci. You already know what I'm talking about. The Devil Wears Prada 2, the sequel to the 2006 classic, hits theaters Friday with most of the same stars returning from the original, plus the same writer and the same director. That's all. Stuck culture, Neil. I mean, I don't know if it's going to hit the same. It probably will. I will probably still watch it, and I will wear a blue shirt on the way. Sorry, a cerulean shirt to go watch that movie. Okay, that is all the time we have. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us and have a wonderful start to the week. Now, we talked with Hadass, the AI reporter from CNN, for a lot longer, actually, than we played for you in this audio podcast. So if you're interested in hearing more, the full interview is on our YouTube and it's all great stuff. We learned so much from her. She is going to the trial that starts today. So if you want to see more, I think it's about maybe 13, 14, 15 minutes. go to our YouTube and watch that entire interview. And if you'd like to reach us, send an email to morningbrewdaily at morningbrew.com or DM us on Instagram at mbdailyshow. Let's roll the credits. Emily Milliron is our supervising producer. Raymond Liu is our senior producer. Our producer is Olivia Graham and our associate producer is Olivia Lake. Hair and makeup is marathon training, getting in those miles. Devin Emery is our president and our show is a production of Morning Brew. Great show today, Neil. Let's run it back tomorrow. you