Becker Business Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Peloton, Starbucks, & Lucid Motors 10-7-25
Host: Scott Becker
Date: October 7, 2025

Overview

In this concise episode, host Scott Becker dives into the current status and business updates for three notable companies: Lucid Motors, Peloton, and Starbucks. Becker touches on recent stock declines, underlying challenges, and future prospects for each company, offering sharp insights into their financial and strategic positions as of October 2025.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lucid Motors: Sales Struggles Amid High Hopes

• Current Performance:

  • Lucid Motors’ stock declined roughly 10% on the day.
  • The company is only selling about 20,000 cars annually—a volume characterized as unsustainably low for the auto industry.

• Financial and Strategic Backing:

  • Lucid benefits from the deep pockets of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, providing a financial safety net and potential runway.

• Outlook:

  • Despite current struggles, Lucid is banking on new product launches (“next Peloton drops”) and the support of its investors for a long-term turnaround.

  "Lucid continues to struggle. They're only selling about 20,000 cars a year. You can't really build a car company there. But they do have the Saudis sovereign wealth fund backing them up."
  — Scott Becker [00:23]

2. Peloton: Persistent Downturn

• Recent Market Movement:

  • Experienced a 10.5% drop in stock price on the day.
  • Year-to-date, Peloton shares are down 14%.

• Challenges:

  • Company remains stuck “in the doldrums,” unable to stage a significant recovery.
  • Continued decline has cast doubt on Peloton’s ability to regain momentum.

  "Peloton drops about 10 and a half percent today. It's down 14% year to date. Can't seem to get itself quite out of the doldrums yet."
  — Scott Becker [00:36]

3. Starbucks: Leadership Change & Ongoing Struggles

• Leadership Update:

  • Noted the recent transition, highlighting new CEO Brian Nicole (formerly of Chipotle), brought in the previous year and widely lauded.

• Stock Performance:

  • Starbucks' stock fell 5% yesterday, and is now down 10% for the year.

• Challenges & Prospects:

  • Despite the leadership shakeup, Starbucks continues to face significant operational and financial struggles.

  "Starbucks... brought in widely lauded Brian Nicole as CEO this past year from Chipotle... dropped 5% yesterday and is down 10% year to date. Still struggling very, very much. So."
  — Scott Becker [00:48]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Lucid’s low sales:

  "You can't really build a car company there."
  — Scott Becker [00:25]

• On Peloton’s persistent malaise:

  "Can't seem to get itself quite out of the doldrums yet."
  — Scott Becker [00:37]

• On Starbucks’ challenges under new leadership:

  "Still struggling very, very much. So."
  — Scott Becker [00:53]

• Celebrating Podcast Success:

  "Thrilled to note that we just passed 8 million downloads on the podcast. So God bless that. God bless America. Gentlemen, start your engines."
  — Scott Becker [01:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05 — Lucid Motors overview, struggles, and the role of sovereign wealth backing
• 00:36 — Peloton: Stock drop, YTD decline, and business challenges
• 00:48 — Starbucks: CEO appointment, stock performance, and ongoing issues
• 01:03 — Closing remarks and podcast milestone announcement

Episode Tone

Scott Becker’s tone remains straightforward, analytical, and brisk, providing high-level business insight with a touch of optimism and personality, especially in his signoff and celebration of his podcast’s milestone.

This summary captures the essential content and highlights for listeners seeking quick, actionable business intelligence from Scott Becker's analysis.