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February 17, 2022
In light of today's beer story, here are some crazy beer facts: 1) Humans consume 50B gallons of beer per year; 2) Beer soup was a common breakfast in Medieval Europe; 3) The strongest beer in the world, "Snake Venom," has an ABV of 67.5%. Also, hops are plants so... is beer technically a salad?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Today's Wrap continues the Peloton story with its roller-coaster pandemic. Let's ride (no pun intended).
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Disney Launching Storyliving
Overview
- Disney is launching a business of planned residential communities so “you can be part of Disney all of the time”
- Disney says “Storyliving by Disney” will be “an energetic community with the warmth and charm of a small town and the beauty of a resort”
- Disney announced that the first location will include 1,900 housing units in California's Coachella Valley. “Every single element of these communities will be steeped in a story,” the company says
- A third-party firm will construct the communities, while Disney will market and brand them
DIG DEEPER
It follows past investments in residential projects, including 2 in Florida: Master-plan community Celebration opened in 1996; resort community Golden Oak, where homes sold for $1.6M+, opened in 2011.
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Beer Prices to Soar
Overview
- Heineken's CEO said his company will raise beer prices by a “courageous” amount due to “off the charts” inflation
- “In my 24 years in the business I’ve never seen anything like it, not even close,” he said of prices. “Across the board we are faced with crazy increases"
- Since January 2021, aluminum prices are up 50%, barley prices are up 100%, and shipping costs have boomed
- Heineken is the latest drink company to warn of rapidly-rising prices, following Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, and dozens of others that face steeper transport and input costs
DIG DEEPER
Heineken is based in the Netherlands. Besides its namesake brand, its properties include Amstel, Tiger, and Red Stripe.
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Russia-Ukraine Confusion
Overview
- On Tuesday, Russia released videos showing tanks withdrawing from near Ukraine. Then on Wednesday, NATO, the US-led military alliance, said, “We have not seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues its military buildup”
- The US had warned that Russia may invade Ukraine on Wednesday; 130,000+ Russian troops surround Ukraine
- Russia has demanded that NATO limit its operations in Eastern Europe. NATO has rejected the demands, sparking fears of a war
- Russia says some troops will be withdrawn within a week; NATO believes they are preparing for invasion
DIG DEEPER
While diplomats have been shuttling back and forth between capitals and Ukraine's president has been traveling around his country in fatigues, Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is no need to be alarmed. Some border clashes broke out on Thursday morning, sending tensions higher.
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Elon's Big Donation
Overview
- Elon Musk became America's largest philanthropist after Bill Gates and Bill’s ex-wife Melinda
- In November, Musk donated 5,044,000 Tesla shares to various charities. The shares were worth $5.7B at the time; today, they're worth $4.4B
- The donations came after Musk said he would sell and donate $6B in Tesla stock if the World Food Programme (WFP) could explain how the money “will solve world hunger”
- Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, does not take a cash salary. All his compensation is stock. He is the world's richest person with an estimated net worth of $250B
DIG DEEPER
The names of the charities to which he donated are not public, and the WFP would not say if any of Musk's donations reached the organization.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver pushed back on NYC's vax mandate, questioning why it only applies to home players like Kyrie Irving
- Barbieverse expands: SNL's Kate McKinnon is joining the A-list cast for Barbie. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling will also star
- No vax, no masks, just vibes: The Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals will have no Covid-related barriers to entry
Business
- Big Mac Index ain't looking great! The Big Mac’s price is up a whopping 40% over the last 10 years, far outpacing inflation
- Holy mother of booking! Airbnb revenue has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. 175k guests booked stays for at least 3 months in 2021
- Mark Zuckerberg wants his employees to call each other 'Metamates' amid Meta's ongoing rebrand. Metamates reporting for duty!
Wildcard
- The Dallas Cowboys paid a $2.4M settlement to members of their cheerleading squad after voyeurism allegations against executives
- One of America’s last family-owned Gilded Age mansions (lavish estates built by late 19th-century business titans) has hit the market for $100M
- NFT-ception? A Bloomberg report finds that the buyer of Melania Trump's NFT for $185k may have been the former First Lady herself
- Charles Barkley says he wants a life beyond broadcasting, remarking that he doesn't want to be "sitting by fat-a** Shaq [waiting] to drop dead"
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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Peloton was a made-for-pandemic company: Beyond providing a needed workout for people locked inside, it gave them a community. Soon after March 2020, the company literally couldn’t produce enough bikes to meet demand. Over the year, Peloton’s sales surged 172%, the company became profitable for the first time, and revenue nearly doubled to $1.8B.
Flush with cash, Peloton acquired fitness-equipment-maker Precor, expanded into yoga and strength classes, and invested huge amounts to produce more equipment. Investors loved it: Peloton stock rose nearly 400% in 2020.
For Peloton in the early pandemic, the good times were rolling like the wheels of a spin bike at -2% resistance. Yet one question loomed: What would happen when the pandemic ended?
A taste came in November 2020, when Peloton stock fell 25% on the news of an effective Covid vaccine. But that was only a blip: Within a month, Peloton stock was up another 60%.
From early 2021, though, the stock went on a downward slide as vaccinations spread. Investors worried Peloton wouldn’t be able to sustain its growth with people spending more money outside the house and itching to get back to gyms. The company had bet big on manufacturing and logistics, expecting demand to remain high. When that didn’t happen, inventory backed up and losses mounted. "It is clear that we underestimated the reopening impact on our company and the overall industry," CEO John Foley told shareholders.
Beyond that, the company faced the supply chain crisis, which delayed bike shipments and would eventually force Peloton to charge an additional $250 per delivery. It also faced steeper competition from other at-home fitness companies.
And Peloton had a press crisis. In May, it recalled 125,000 treadmills after the company reported 72 injuries and the death of a child because of them. Regarding one treadmill model, "adult users, children, pets and objects can be pulled underneath the rear of the treadmill, posing a risk of injury or death,” the company said; another had a problem with falling display consoles. The recalls sent the stock down 14%.
The stock then continued to fall. In November it crashed 53% on the back of disappointing subscription and revenue numbers. A month later, a Sex and the City character died on one; the next month, a character on the show Billions had a heart attack on one. Days before that, Peloton announced it would be freezing some production as it reassessed its strategy.
For Peloton’s founder and CEO, John Foley, the writing was on the wall. After becoming a billionaire in September 2020, his net worth had fallen to $400M. The company’s market cap was down from $50B to $9B. Investors were calling for Foley to leave; some wanted the company to sell.
Early this month, news broke that both Amazon and Nike were considering buying the company. A week later, Peloton announced it was laying off 2,800 workers (20% of its workforce), and that Foley was being replaced by Barry McCarthy, a former CFO of Spotify and Netflix.
McCarthy, who says he’s “here for the comeback story,” inherits a company whose bikes are owned by 2.5M people, to whose content 4.5M people subscribe, and whose personalities have millions of loyal followers. With his help, will Peloton’s ride overcome a roadblock, or has it hit the finish line?
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Did this person live in the 20th century? Being alive for just one year during the 20th century counts...
- Mark Twain
- Billie Eilish
- Jake Paul
- Susan B Anthony
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Better way to sign off on an email?
Best: 64.1%
Warm Regards: 35.9%
Yesterday's Question:
What is the dumbest popular conspiracy theory? Debunk it.
Greg from Michigan: "Flat Earth, besides all of the scientific proof, wouldn't the edge of the world be a major tourist attraction? There's no way Disney would pass up that sort of money."
Renee from Canada: "The "Paul is dead" theory, alleging that Paul McCartney died in the 60's and was replaced by an imposter. It's mostly stupid because the "fake" Paul is arguably better than the "real" one, and has still managed to maintain an extremely successful, decades-long career."
Michelle from Colorado: "The dumbest conspiracy is that birds are not real. I have chickens. They are real. No need to debunk. Ask any farmer. Hell, I am sure there are videos on you tube of how to process a chicken, duck or quail."
General Feedback:
Andrew: "Backyard Baseball reference = fire"
Jaden: "I followed your Instagram for around a year or so and love seeing news in a bulleted factual format that allows the reader to make his or her own informed decision."
Sarah: "Love the newsletter! Thanks for making it fun to read the news"
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20 Questions: 16-20
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers.
16. Does Lake Michigan count as the beach?
"Only if you live there"
"Yes, lake shores totally count"
"Uhh no"
17. Favorite ocean animal?
"Manatee"
"Turtle"
"Dory" (just keep scrolling)
18. Would you ever do a polar plunge?
"YES"
"Absolutely no"
"I have. 10/10 wouldn't recommend"
19. Better beach movie: Pirates of the Caribbean or Jaws?
"Jaws even though you won't want to swim after"
"Jack Sparrow is the correct answer"
"Pirates of the Caribbean, but let's just call a parlay"
20. Do you know Larry the Lobster?
"Yes he's my buddy"
"Who?"
"Underrated SpongeBob character"
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Games Answer(s):
1. Yes (d. 1910) 2. No (b. 2001) 3. Yes (b. 1997) 4. Yes (d. 1906)
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― Final Thoughts
We've got some big news here at Roca: Yesterday, our newest employee joined the Roca team. Josh, a die-hard Rider, left his job at Google to help us destroy legacy media and develop the best news app the world has ever seen. So everyone give Josh a big Roca welcome, and have a wavy Thursday.
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is on the finding of a 6-yo girl who had been missing for the last 2 years. Get the SHOCKING true story, only @RideTheNews.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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