Is Netflix building a House of Cards? | Netflix borrowed yet another couple billion dollars | Do you think Netflix might one day be acquired by Google (or Apple)?
You are an important, busy person. Your colleagues need your input and look to you for guidance. And yeah, we get it. You’ve also developed a bit of a news addiction, so you sneak a peek at the news way too often to see what’s happening. But going down that rabbit hole sometimes ends with you on random sites reading about random things.
Guess what? We’ve solved that for you by creating While You Were Working SmartBrief. In WYWW (While You Were Working) we go down the rabbit holes for you and -- most importantly -- show you which rabbit holes to avoid! Check out today’s issue below and sign up for WYWW SmartBrief.
Is Netflix building a House of Cards? Stranger Things have happened... (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Netflix borrowed yet another couple billion dollarsWhy it matters: This means Netflix has tapped debt markets for roughly $5 billion in just the last year. A billion here... a billion there... pretty soon we'll be talking about a lot of money. Oh wait, we already are. That is a lot of cash to burn in the name of acquiring content and subscribers, especially considering Netflix's stellar subscriber growth can't last forever. What happens when all the competition catches up to Netflix and subscribers no longer want to pay a premium for all that content it is spending billions to produce/acquire? Unlike Amazon, Apple and Google, Netflix doesn't have many other revenues streams on which it can rely. In fact, if there is one hole in arsenal of offerings from Google (aka Alphabet), it is content. Which leads me to ask ... Reuters (10/22)Do you think Netflix might one day be acquired by Google (or Apple)?
The website for that big investment conference in Saudi Arabia was hackedWhy it matters: The images are not pretty. But neither is this entire story. Neither governments nor corporations have stepped up to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, so hackers and other alternative groups are filling the void. Expect such actions to continue until governments and corporations start withdrawing investments and canceling deals. Skipping a glitzy conference isn't enough. Newsweek (10/22)Rules of engagement for cyber warfare were floatedWhy it matters: Rules of engagement for conventional warfare were established long ago. And while those rules are sometimes ignored, at least they exist. Cyber warfare is the warfare of today, but no one really knows when one side "crosses the line" or "takes things too far." Leaving cyber warfare rules open to interpretation was OK back when cyber attacks were rare. They're not anymore. Financial Times (subscription required) (10/22)
Seen and Heard
This migrant caravan is coming to the US You will be hearing more and more about the migrant caravan that is on its way to the US right now via Mexico. With the caravan set to knock on the door of the US just ahead of the midterm elections, expect tempers to flare and violence to follow.
A wind turbine bigger than the Empire State Building Whoa! This wind turbine yuuuuge. Researchers are studying palm trees so they can design bigger turbines capable of withstanding extreme weather like hurricanes. With states like Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa leading the way on wind, the US already taps renewables for 11% of its energy. Technology like this is why that percentage is bound to grow. Marketplace (10/22)Tony Reali in 2020?!?! ESPN's new set for "Around the Horn" might be cool or it might not. I am not someone who cares about the sets on which live TV shows are filmed - even if they do feature virtual and augmented reality. The only reason I am linking to this story is so you can read the sidebar in the piece that is host Tony Reali talking about how he finds new talent for the show and what happens when that talent hits the big time. His Good Will Hunting is pure gold. SportsBusiness Journal (10/22)
Palm to Forehead
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A $1 million "internship" We now live in a world were teenage athletes can secure three-month internships that pay them $1 million. Well, only special teenage athletes. This whole situation is silly. This kid - and New Balance - have to go through this charade simply because the powers that be don't want athletes to go straight from high school to the NBA. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson probably wish they had gotten this "internship" instead of one at Google. Yahoo (10/22)
Fun with Headlines
Aren't unicorns supposed to be rare? At some point the investing world will have to come up with a new moniker for startups that reach a valuation of $1 billion because ... I mean ... unicorns are supposed to be rare. How about Dragons? Or maybe Sasquatch? Email me your suggestion for a new nickname for billion-dollar startups and I will publish the best one in tomorrow's edition of WYWW. Crunchbase (10/22)
Happy Hour Fun
Before you go home with that hottie from the bar A new study found people who have only had sex with their spouse tend to be happier in their marriages. The study suggests numerous reasons for such bliss ranging from geography to religion. But it also stands to reason that people who have only had sex with their spouse are happier simply because they can't miss what the never had. The Atlantic (10/2018)
About the Editor
Your humble WYWWer
My name is Sean McMahon and since I joined SmartBrief in 2003, I have produced content on a variety of topics including finance, energy, infrastructure, politics, telecommunications and international development. I'm a Libra who likes long walks on the beach, traveling and playing, coaching and watching soccer. Go Barca! Today's edition of WYWW was edited whilst listening to "Big City Life" by Mattafix. If you like WYWW, hate WYWW or want to submit a story, shoot me an email. Yes, I actually read them.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool.
