Streaming giant Netflix has never been shy about rewriting the rules of entertainment. But this time, it’s not just a new series or an algorithm tweak – it’s a move that could redraw the entire Hollywood map.

The company has agreed to acquire the film studio and streaming businesses of Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valued at about $72 billion in equity, with an enterprise value north of $80 billion. Wikipedia

If completed, the transaction would bring iconic brands like Warner Bros., HBO (via HBO Max), DC Studios and TNT Sports under the Netflix umbrella – and give the streamer one of the largest film and TV libraries on the planet.

Wall Street’s reaction, however, was split:

• Netflix shares slipped as investors digested the sheer scale and cost of the deal. Yahoo Finance
• Warner Bros. Discovery stock jumped, as shareholders eyed a potential payday and fresh start. Yahoo Finance

As one analyst quoted by CNBC put it, the math “is going to hurt Netflix for a while” – but it could also cement the company as the undisputed superpower of streaming if the integration works.

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Trump steps into the frame – and questions the deal

Just when the industry was still catching its breath, Donald Trump added his own twist.

According to Reuters and CNBC, the U.S. President said he would be “involved” in reviewing the Netflix–Warner Bros. transaction, after senior administration officials signalled “heavy scepticism” about the merger. Reuters+1

That means the deal isn’t just a boardroom and Wall Street story anymore – it’s now a political and regulatory drama as well:

• Antitrust regulators at the U.S. Department of Justice and possibly the Federal Trade Commission will scrutinise whether the combination gives Netflix too much power over what the world watches. Wikipedia
• Lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren have already raised alarms about an “anti-monopoly nightmare” in the making, warning of fewer choices and higher prices for consumers if one platform controls such a huge slice of streaming. Wikipedia

For now, the deal remains proposed and pending, with months – if not longer – of regulatory review ahead. But the political tone suggests this could be one of the toughest tests yet for Big Media consolidation in the streaming era.

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From FIFA Peace Prize… to renaming “football”?

The Trump twist doesn’t stop at antitrust. In a separate, very on-brand moment, Donald Trump used the stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. to float an idea that instantly lit up social media:

Maybe, he suggested, soccer should officially take the name “football” in the United States – and the NFL should find something else to call its version.

In his remarks at the draw, where he also received the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino and FIFA, Trump joked that it “really doesn’t make sense” that the sport the rest of the world calls football goes by a different name in America.

It was classic Trump: part showman, part culture-war commentary, and perfectly timed as the United States prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico. Reuters

A rebrand of the National Football League is, of course, wildly unlikely – but the comment underscores just how intertwined sports, politics, media rights and streaming have become. After all, the World Cup is one of the main prizes that platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Apple and traditional broadcasters all covet.

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Markets keep one eye on Netflix – and the other on the Fed

While the entertainment world obsessed over Netflix’s mega-move, investors were tracking a second storyline: the state of global markets and the coming decision from the Federal Reserve.

On Friday:

• The S&P 500 logged its ninth winning session in ten, continuing a strong late-year run. Reuters
• Gains were modest, but the broader tone remained cautiously optimistic as traders weighed the odds of one more interest-rate cut before year-end.

Tools like the CME FedWatch – which tracks rate expectations using futures markets – have swung back toward seeing a December cut as more likely, after weeks of hawkish talk from Fed officials had briefly pushed expectations below 50%. Reuters

Around the world, the ripple effects are already visible:

• In Asia-Pacific, markets traded mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 inching up even as fresh data showed the Japanese economy shrinking faster than expected in the third quarter. Reuters
• In China, exports for November surprised to the upside, rising 5.9% year-on-year in U.S. dollar terms – but shipments to the United States plunged almost 29%, underscoring how geopolitical and trade tensions still hang over the recovery.

Put simply: the Netflix–Warner Bros. news may grab the headlines, but the cost of money, set in Washington by the Fed, still writes the script for global risk appetite.

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A world watching deals… and waiting for peace

The CNBC Daily Open also highlighted another big story that risks being lost in the noise: a Ukraine peace deal may be “really close”, according to Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine.

Two major sticking points remain:

• The future status of the Donbas region
• Control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

If talks advance, the outcome will shape energy markets, defence spending, and Europe’s economic outlook – all of which feed directly into the same global investment story that traders are watching through the lens of the S&P 500 and the Federal Reserve.

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What this all means for viewers, investors and voters

Taken together, the past few days feel like a snapshot of how tangled our world has become:

• A single streaming deal could alter how billions of people watch dramas, sports and news – and concentrate more power in the hands of Netflix.
• A U.S. President who can joke about renaming “football” is the same leader whose administration could approve or block that mega-merger.
• Central bankers at the Federal Reserve will decide, within days, how expensive it is for companies like Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery to borrow the money they need to make these bold bets.
• And in the background, diplomats are trying to move from war to peace in Ukraine – a change that could shift commodity prices and global growth more than any single corporate deal.

For now, viewers just see a headline: Netflix wants to own more of the stories we watch. But for investors and policymakers, it’s a reminder that in 2025, entertainment, economics and geopolitics are all part of the same sprawling, binge-worthy series.

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In a story reflecting a growing shift among young professionals, Bart Dziedzic, a 27-year-old former investment banker, has revealed why he walked away from JPMorgan Chase, taking a 50% pay cut to join the creative empire of YouTube megastar MrBeast.

Dziedzic told Business Insider that while his job on Wall Street was financially rewarding, it left him exhausted, uninspired, and longing for a more meaningful career path.

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From Wall Street Prestige to Creator Economy

Raised in Darien, Connecticut, Dziedzic grew up admiring entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. After graduating from Fordham University, he secured a job at JPMorgan — a dream for many young finance professionals.

“It was prestigious, and the money was good,” he said.
But behind the prestige was a demanding schedule: 80-to-100-hour workweeks, long nights, and a relentless Manhattan pace.

“If you break it down to the hourly rate, it’s not a ton of money. And the noise of the city was starting to wear on me,” he added.

Despite climbing the ranks, he felt the corporate structure left little room for innovation or personal growth.

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Enter MrBeast: A Different Kind of Opportunity

Dziedzic learned through a VC partner that MrBeast was looking for “smart, obsessive, athletic people” to join his rapidly expanding team. The YouTuber, known for massive-scale productions and philanthropic stunts, runs one of the biggest creator businesses in the world.

The opportunity came with major lifestyle changes:

• A 50% salary cut
• Relocating from New York to Greenville, North Carolina
• Leaving friends and family
• Taking a leap into an industry he had never worked in

Yet, he believed the risk was worth taking at his age.

“I don’t have a family or mortgage. Everyone knows the MrBeast name. I saw the chance to learn, add value, and be part of a brand growing very rapidly,” Dziedzic said.

He joined the team in February 2024.

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First Taste of the Creator World

His introduction to the creator economy came through an enormous MrBeast shoot involving contestants aged 1 to 100 — a production worth millions.

The scale shocked him.
The pace thrilled him.

Soon after, Dziedzic was handed one of his biggest challenges:
planning and executing a MrBeast theme park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

He negotiated deals, designed attractions, managed operations, and compared the experience to helping his father with construction projects in his childhood.

The theme park opened ahead of schedule, drawing 7,000 visitors on the first day.

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Back to New York — But With a New Mindset

Now working as Manager of Strategy and Operations for MrBeast’s holding company, Dziedzic has moved back to New York — this time on his own terms.

The transition reinforced a belief he now shares with other young professionals:

“Do something exciting, risky, with a good leadership team. Learn as much as you can early on. The further you get into your career, the harder it is to pivot.”

His journey mirrors a broader trend:
talented young workers increasingly leaving rigid corporate cultures for the flexibility and creativity of the creator economy.

And for Dziedzic, trading a prestigious bank for YouTube’s biggest creator may have been the best investment of his career.

In a development that could reshape America’s autonomous transport landscape, Tesla has quietly obtained a “transportation network company” permit from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The approval, confirmed this week, allows the electric carmaker to take its next step toward launching a full-fledged ride-hailing service—possibly even its long-teased robotaxi fleet.

But as insiders point out, the real question now is whether Elon Musk can finally deliver on a promise he has repeated for nearly a decade: cars that drive themselves safely and commercially at scale.

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A Big Step… But Not the Final One

According to ADOT, Tesla applied for the permit on November 13 and received approval just days later. While this allows the company to legally operate a ride-hailing service in Arizona, Tesla still needs additional approvals before launching fully driverless robotaxis on the state’s roads.

The timing is crucial. In Austin, Texas, Tesla has already begun a robotaxi pilot program—though the vehicles currently run with human safety drivers and remote operators. The company hopes to remove human monitors in Austin before the end of 2025, a move that would signal Tesla’s first “true” autonomous deployment.

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A Race Tesla Isn’t Leading

Despite the hype, Tesla is trailing substantially behind rivals in the autonomous ride-hail sector.

Alphabet’s Waymo already operates 400+ driverless vehicles commercially in Phoenix and surpassed 10 million autonomous trips earlier this year—a milestone Tesla is nowhere near.

Meanwhile, in China, Baidu’s Apollo Go is recording explosive growth, reporting 3.1 million fully driverless rides in Q3 2025 alone, a 212% year-over-year surge.

Compared to them, Tesla’s pilot—still dependent on safety drivers—looks like an early prototype rather than a mature service.

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Safety Concerns Still Loom Large

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that Tesla vehicles equipped with automated driving systems were involved in seven reported collisions since the pilot began in Texas. While no major injuries were reported, the incidents have heightened scrutiny as Tesla attempts to expand autonomy testing to cities like Phoenix.

Experts agree that the company must demonstrate consistently safe performance before regulators approve true driverless operations.

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Musk’s Big Vision: ‘Text, Sleep and Drive’

At Tesla’s 2025 shareholder meeting, Elon Musk reiterated his long-standing dream of cars that can drive while passengers “text and drive” or even “sleep and drive.”

Yet even Musk acknowledged the technological gap that remains:

“Before we allow the car to be driven without paying attention, we need to make sure it’s very safe… We’re on the cusp of that.”

It wasn’t the first time he made such a claim—and critics note that Tesla has missed similar autonomy deadlines since 2016.

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What Happens Next?

If Tesla successfully clears Arizona’s remaining regulatory barriers, Phoenix could become one of the first cities to host both Waymo’s and Tesla’s driverless fleets—setting up a real-world comparison of two very different approaches to autonomy:

• Waymo: sensor-heavy, super-mapped, fully driverless
• Tesla: camera-based, AI-first, still transitioning away from human oversight

For now, Tesla has the permit, the ambition, and the backing of the world’s richest and most outspoken tech CEO. What it doesn’t have—yet—is the proven track record of true autonomy that competitors already showcase.

But with the new Arizona approval, the clock is ticking.

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