Sure. You need for the buying community, I mean for the selling community, you need more.
You need because the definition of monopoly is when you're making a deal and that person that you're making a deal with says, "Oh, how much are you making on advertising at the UFC?" After that point, we want 5% because it's us. So having been an owner and realizing those conversations, depending on how big you are and how much leverage you have, that's not a good thing for anybody in the creative community. So that's why you want more bidders.
I want more bidders so that my clients and my competitors' clients can have more power in the market.
Are you at all worried, one, about the debt, two, about the implications of CNN? I know you suggested the nonsensical editorial board.
No, but here's what I'm going to say to you about that.
No, no, you don't even know what the [__] I'm going to say.
I know what you're going to say.
So, tell me, non... I want to ask you a question.
So, you're nervous that he's going to reach down to CNN and he's going to put his point of view on CNN.
No, I'm nervous that he's a [__] about media, but go ahead.
So, I 100% disagree with that. Okay. So here's a guy that let Jon Stewart do what he did, and Jon Stewart has been banging away at the president and the administration. Matt and Trey on South Park have been incredible. Right. These are the examples you used. Yeah. And he had somebody in late night for one year because if he really wanted to stop them from talking, he would just yank them off. Even though that business, as funny as he is, Late Night is losing approximately $50 million. I don't think he's going to do anything as it relates to reaching down and putting his hand on that situation. I don't, you know, I think it's very easy to talk about political interference. What it is is someone who doesn't fundamentally understand media suggesting the editorial board. Journalists don't need monitors, they need competent managers. That's... and I think they have one in Mark.
Okay. Yes. If that continues, right? Are you here to tell us that's going to happen?
I don't know. You'll wait and see.
But Mark is a really talented executive, the guy who runs CNN. He's incredible. Came from the BBC, New York Times. He's great. So, and we're waiting for his proprietary.
So, the two things I think I'm more focused on is I don't think they will necessarily. It's that they could. And there have been many credible reports about pleasing Trump. And there's obvious, obvious suck-up behavior.
I just told you in three instances that that is a false narrative. These were people who were there before, so they didn't... but if he wanted to, he could have taken Colbert off late night. Yeah. He let them there for a year. Jon has been pounding away, and that whole show has been pounding away, rightfully. So has South Park been hysterically funny. Has not done anything.
All right. Those are three comedy shows. I would wonder... one's a... two are kind of hit on news. Different way to form news and the way news is perceived and accepted from a generation.
I don't know. I would rather work.
You just don't have an argument. You just hate to say yes to me.
I just... I've watched what's happened in the things that I think they're incompetent.
So, here's where you and I... You know what? Also, here's where you and I are different here. I don't want to... I think they're dumbasses and I don't want to work for them.
Okay. Here's my point. Well, you don't have... you have this as your own business. You could just do this. That's great. Correct. That's why I have. So, I would say to you the following. I don't want to live in an echo chamber. I've said this. I know you have said, and I don't want... just because I'm friends with people doesn't mean I agree with them or abide by what they say. So, I would rather, like with you, we have great discussions. You actually... I don't want to give you any props, but you actually influence me and you make me think about stuff. I think the same is true that you can have a conversation and influence David. He is that guy that you can talk to, knowing him for 10 years, representing him.
Are you worried at all that a lot of Hollywood creatives, thousands, publicly opposed the merger, and the people in favor tend to be very wealthy, including a group that includes foreign investors, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, right? They hold almost half the company owners.
And I think we will see in a little bit of time. I think the create... he's going to do, he said it and he's put it in the documents: 30 movies, you know, 170 series, spending 30 billion to 31 billion a year. Fantastic. It's great for the community.
What if it doesn't come to pass? What if...
What if my bubby has a beard?
That's not the same. That's the cute line, but it's kind of... What if... What if I don't know? Yeah. And you trust these people to do that?
I believe in David a lot.
Okay. Okay. We'll see what happens. I'm not going to argue with you. You're wrong. So what you do say, the movie business is never dying and that people have always overreacted to change, but LA County has lost 57,000 entertainment jobs in the last four years. Productions filmed in California have been in steady decline.
That's a different conversation. It has nothing to do with David.
Well, he's promising to help her. He first he threatened to leave and then...
I understand, but it was stupid. It was also dumb.
Whatever. He got what he... I mean, he won.
Yeah. Okay. I think he looks like a doofus.
Okay. But it's a dumb threat.
It makes me think he's dumber. Okay. What?
Fine. Great. Good for him. Yay. Wow. A rich kid just got richer. I'm so pleased for him.
From your point of view, he's in debt. He's never going to come out of debt. Maybe he got poorer.
Yeah, that's true. That's true. All right, so pick a side. Okay, I have picked a side and you should let me go where I want to go. What happens next after this? Because these are all really economically challenged businesses here in California, particularly, and the movie industry, which...
It's one of the things I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get a rebate. First of all, it's just crazy. I mean, I had productions that had to move to Atlanta. It's just not right. I'm trying to get President Trump, and I've been on the phone with Adam Schiff. I've been on the phone with Hakeem Jeffries. I'm trying to get a call with Senator Scott and Leader Schumer about getting the tax rebate for the country. And I think it has a really good shot, probably in lame duck, to get passed. And then I think we all, with the next governor, have to really work hard to put a serious plan in place to get a rebate here, and then they sit on top of each other, and then I think production will stay, and I think everybody wants that.
Certainly, but one of the problems, of course, is many of the owners will be tech owners, people like the Ellisons who can afford these yachts. Now AI has put them under siege, it's very clear. There's 130 lawsuits have been brought against OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Meta, XAI, Perplexity, Nvidia, Suno, and other developers.
What does this have to do with my book?
I want to know how you think about AI because you're thinking about what's coming next.
Here's what I'm thinking about. So, I think in 2016, I believe sports was going to go where it was. We were the crazy that we bought UFC, highest price of all time, and now it looks cheap. And I believe sports is still up and to the right, right? Live is up and to the right. Sports, music, and events. Started a live events business. I also think... my youngest, I have my two, my middle son and my eldest son, Noah and Ezra are here. My youngest son and my middle son said, "Dad, you know what they call Thursday? They call it baby Friday." So I believe if you look at hotel reservations, travel times, bunch of data, Thursday night people are starting to go out and they're coming in late on Monday. So you have a lot of free time. And if AI works, let's just go with that premise, and we get GDP up to three to three and a half percent, we're going to be out of a deficit, and there's going to be like you're going to have a lot more free time. We're going to be consuming a lot of entertainment live, but also with AI, as we just saw in some of the box office movies, it's going to become cheaper and there's going to be a lot more content out there. There's going to be a lot more content is going to be defined in a lot more ways. You're going to have micro dramas. Your social is going to be big. It's just going to be a great number of pieces of content being created. And I think that's just great for all of us and it's going to be at a price. Now there is going to be some dislocation. Some people are going to lose their jobs. I think it's always happened with technology. That's not a good thing. But I think there's going to be a lot more content and I think that's a great thing for our community and for creative people. As Steve Jobs once said, humans were the slowest movers across the land and then the bike came in and with their legs they moved. And I think AI is going to help us in entertainment. So you look at AI as helping humans and not killing... have a 10% chance.
I'm hoping that that is the case with the current pinky promise in Washington. I'm nervous about it. But I do think if we could put some guardrails in it, it could be incredible.
Well, let's get back to your book then because one of the things, I mean, we could talk about you calling Barry Diller just a mage of old farts and bad ideas.
Well, he's just not relevant anymore.
Barely. Okay. Okay. Whatever. Um, he... What's he smart about? So, here's what he said. Here's what he said. He said during COVID, the movie business was dead, and then he tried to buy Paramount. I mean, shut the [__]. Pick a lane. Yeah. Okay. And stop trying to be relevant.
Yeah. Okay. All right. Because you've never been wrong, Ari.
No, I've been wrong a lot. I actually point out in the book I've actually been wrong a lot.
Yes, I know. And you said Jeffrey Katzenberg makes everyone yawn and look like, boy, look at the time. You called Katzenberg a glad-handing phony and a [__] putt. You compared him to a golden retriever.
I know a golden retriever was better.
