Becker Business Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Google & Macy’s Soar, Starbucks & Lucid Group Struggle
Host: Scott Becker
Release Date: September 3, 2025

Main Theme

In this succinct business news update, Scott Becker provides insights on the day’s big market movements, highlighting the soaring performances of Google and Macy’s, the ongoing struggles at Starbucks, and the dramatic setbacks faced by Lucid Group. He closes with an observation on billionaire wealth in the United States and its social perception.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Google’s Market Surge

• Antitrust Ruling Impact:
  • Quote: “Google is way up. It’s up about 9% today and that’s based on an antitrust ruling that didn’t go as badly as some people might have feared for Google.” — Scott Becker [00:31]
  • The antitrust case outcome was less severe than anticipated, fueling Google’s significant stock increase.

2. Macy’s Rally

• Strong Retail Performance:
  • Quote: “Macy’s is also up almost 20% today. It feels like forever since we’ve seen that.” — Scott Becker [00:43]
  • Rise attributed to “improvement in same store sales and improvement in their business,” not to mergers or speculative deals.
  • Quote: “Not based on a sale deal or anything else, just basically that’s what’s going on there.” — Scott Becker [00:52]

3. Starbucks’ Ongoing Struggles

• Leadership & Performance Challenges:
  • Quote: “Starbucks keeps struggling. It’s on a few percent today. It’s down about 4% year to date. Still hasn’t quite rebounded as they’d like it to after they brought in the CEO from Chipotle.” — Scott Becker [00:59]
  • Despite leadership changes, the performance rebound post-CEO transition has not materialized as hoped.

4. Lucid Group’s Decline

• Impact of Regulatory Changes:
  • Quote: “Lucid is getting crushed. It’s down 40%, 41% year to date, down 15% this week.” — Scott Becker [01:14]
  • The absence of EV credits is amplifying difficulties for Lucid and other electric vehicle makers.
  • Quote: “It looks like, you know, without EV credits, there’s going to be more and more pain for some of the EV makers and we’ll see how that goes.” — Scott Becker [01:23]

5. U.S. Billionaire Trends and Social Commentary

• Wall Street Journal Article Reference:
  • Quote: “There’s an article in the Wall Street Journal today about there being 1,135 billionaires in the country.” — Scott Becker [01:33]
• Perspective on Wealth Disparity:
  • Quote: “No one would really care about these billionaires and all they have and all they do other than the fact that it makes the rest of us feel so poor.” — Scott Becker [01:38]
  • Quote: “The unfortunate thing about all the glory of the billionaires is it doesn’t really matter as long as we’re all doing okay, but it does make the rest of us feel like such slops. It is what it is.” — Scott Becker [01:46]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Macy’s recovery:
  “It feels like forever since we’ve seen that.” [00:43]

• On Lucid’s fate:
  “Lucid is getting crushed… without EV credits, there’s going to be more and more pain for some of the EV makers.” [01:14–01:23]

• On billionaire culture:
  “It makes the rest of us feel so poor.” [01:38]
  “It is what it is.” [01:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Google’s Market Performance: 00:31–00:43
• Macy’s Growth: 00:43–00:52
• Starbucks Update: 00:59–01:12
• Lucid Group’s Slump: 01:14–01:23
• U.S. Billionaires & Wealth Perception: 01:33–01:53

Tone & Style

Scott Becker’s delivery is direct, slightly wry, and pragmatic, using approachable language and candid reflections on business trends, leadership challenges, and broader economic divides.

This summary captures the essential news and Becker’s insights for business listeners seeking a quick yet substantial understanding of the day’s market drivers and sentiment.