Morning Brew Daily: Amazon Outage Knocks Out the Internet & The iPhone 17 is Saving Apple

Date: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman & Toby Howell

Episode Overview

Neal and Toby tackle the ripple effects of Amazon's massive web outage, dissect Apple's remarkable comeback with the iPhone 17, and break down a viral Gen Alpha meme disrupting classrooms across the country. The episode balances accessible tech analysis with business headlines, a space race update, and quirky trends, all delivered with the show’s trademark wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amazon Web Services Outage: The Internet’s Achilles’ Heel

Timestamps: 02:18–07:24

• Scope of the Outage (02:18):
  A domain name service (DNS) error in Amazon’s key data center (US East 1, Northern Virginia) caused thousands of major websites to go offline.

  • Impacted services: Trading (Robinhood, Fidelity, Coinbase), airlines (United, Delta), AI chatbots (Perplexity), NYT Games, Amazon E-commerce, Ring Doorbells, Facebook, Snapchat, Fortnite, Roblox, and more.
  • Ripple effect extended beyond the US, hitting British government websites and other international platforms.

• Explaining the DNS Error (03:50):

  • Toby likens the DNS system to “the internet’s phone book,” connecting domain names to the numeric addresses computers use.
  • When DNS fails, devices “get the equivalent of a wrong number,” leading to widespread outages.

• Decentralization Irony (03:50):

  • Notably, “decentralized” services like Coinbase were brought down because of reliance on centralized cloud infrastructure, spotlighting the fragility of the modern web.

• Human Impact & Quirky Fallout (05:56):

  • Venmo went down, leading to jokes about delayed payments.
  • Wordle addicts lost streaks—one reported “all out body chills” after a 292-day run snapped, illustrating how deeply these digital habits are embedded.

• AWS’s Growing Dominance & Risks (06:43):

  • Outages have happened before (2017, 2021, 2023), but AWS now makes up $130 billion in revenue, up from $20 billion in 2017.
  • Accounts for nearly 20% of Amazon’s revenue, and 60% of its profit.
  • Single-point-of-failure concerns are growing, pushing the industry toward “multi-cloud resilience.”
  • Despite the glitch, Amazon stock rose in early trading—emphasizing the platform’s critical role.

Notable Quote:

• Neal: “Atlas style, just a handful of cloud providers…are holding up the entire Internet.” (02:37)
• Toby: “A lot of companies that are so-called in decentralized industries right in the spotlight…crypto’s entire value prop is decentralization, yet Coinbase went down due to a very centralized entity.” (03:50)

2. Apple’s iPhone 17: From Laggard to Leader

Timestamps: 07:24–11:18

• Turnaround Story (07:24):

  • Apple, previously underperforming among the Magnificent Seven, saw its stock hit an all-time high following the iPhone 17’s launch.
  • Sales up 14% vs. the iPhone 16 in the first 10 days; longer shipping times as a proxy for soaring demand.

• Why the Spike? (07:46):

  • Meaningful battery life improvement, camera upgrades, and, humorously, “a fresh orange paint job” were enough to entice upgraders.
  • A wave of upgrades is coming from pandemic-era iPhone users; 315M of 1.5B users haven’t upgraded in 4+ years.

• Future Potential:

  • Apple Intelligence (AI system) hasn’t launched yet, especially in China, so a second wave of growth could follow if/when it does.
  • Apple is now the most expensive Magnificent Seven stock after Tesla, valued at 32x forward earnings.

Notable Quote:

• Toby: “Who needs AI when you have an iPhone?” (09:27)
• Neal: “A lot of people have not had a new phone in four years. So they were due for an upgrade.” (09:54)

3. Space Race Drama: NASA v. SpaceX

Timestamps: 11:18–14:42

• NASA’s Ultimatum (11:18):

  • NASA head Sean Duffy announced he’s reopening bids for the lunar lander contract over concerns that SpaceX is behind schedule with Starship.
  • Urgency comes from the US desire to land on the moon before China.

• Technical Hurdles (12:38):

  • Starship’s biggest challenge is mid-orbit refueling (“inventing the technology on the fly”).
  • Even past NASA heads question the chosen approach.

• Who Else? (13:35):

  • Blue Origin is also attempting mid-space refueling with its lander—a similarly unproven tactic.
  • NASA’s Artemis 2 mission (moon flyby) scheduled for April 2026; landing mission set for 2027.

• Market Response:

  • Upon the news, shares in smaller space companies like Rocket Lab and Planet Labs rose, as investors speculate on contract shakeups.

Notable Quote:

• Toby: “The engineering feat is something that hasn’t been done before…they are literally trying to invent the technology to do this on the fly.” (12:38)

4. Toby’s Trends: The ‘6 7’ Meme Explained

Timestamps: 17:03–20:43

• What is ‘6 7’? (17:03):

  • Born from a viral song lyric and sports memes, especially around NBA player LaMelo Ball (who is 6'7"), “6 7” has become kids’ shorthand for in-group belonging.
  • Now, any mention of “6” or “7” in classrooms or sports sparks chaos, with kids chanting and laughing at confused adults.
  • Teachers have had to adapt by avoiding those numbers in instructions.

• Cultural Penetration:

  • Referenced in a “South Park” episode and by sports stars like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Paige Bueckers.

Notable Quotes:

• Toby: “The phrase is sort of an in-joke among the youth, whose power lies almost entirely in confusing adults.” (17:10)
• Neal: “Teachers are realizing how much you actually use the word 6 and 7…there is a chorus of kids who are saying 6, 7, disrupting the entire classroom experience.” (18:39)
• Toby: “Kids giggling while another group of people have no idea what’s going on…A tale as old as time.” (19:36)

5. Headlines Sprint (World, Biz, Science)

Timestamps: 20:43–26:23

- Japan’s Historic Move (20:43):

• Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first woman prime minister, also known for her heavy metal drumming and motorcycle riding.

• She’s hawkish on China, pro-military, wants stricter immigration—but her personal story bucks norms (her husband took her last name).

• Disney+ and Hulu’s Churn Crisis (22:47):

  • After pulling Jimmy Kimmel off air, both platforms saw record cancellations (3 million for Disney+, 4.4 million for Hulu).
  • Churn rates spiked: Disney+ at 8%, Hulu at 10%, compared to Netflix’s steady 2%.
  • Subscription prices for ad-supported and premium plans are rising immediately.

• Peanut Allergies in Decline (24:02):

  • New studies show food allergy rates in kids under 3 are down, linked to new guidance encouraging early introduction of peanut products.
  • Rates dropped from 1.46% to 0.93%—estimated to have prevented 60,000 cases.
  • The shift followed a landmark 2015 study upending previous advice.

Notable Quotes:

• On Japan:
  • Neal: “Her favorite bands are Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. Also, she loves riding motorcycles in her youth. Those are sort of the counterculture aspects people will focus on.” (22:29)
• On Disney:
  • Neal: “Another instance of a social media boycott that made its way to the real world — like Bud Light and Target.” (23:39)
• On allergies:
  • Toby: “When you introduce these allergens through the gut, it just makes you have a more robust defense against them in adulthood.” (25:40)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Amazon Outage Comedy:
  • Toby: “Wordle streaks disappeared…one person reported all out body chills. Not the most important part of the entire internet, but it was funny how certain pockets of the web were totally melting down.” (05:56)
• On Apple’s Comeback:
  • Toby: “For as much as people like to poke fun at the lack of a major hardware change, the iPhone 17, meaningful increase in battery life, camera upgrades and a fresh orange paint job were enough to convince plenty to upgrade.” (07:52)
• On ‘6 7’ Trend:
  • Neal: “A bunch of kids went to an In-N-Out and waited for order 67 to be called—then celebrated.” (20:43)
• Hosts’ Signature Banter:
  • Toby: “Great show today, Neil. Let’s run it back tomorrow.” (26:57)

Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Start | End | |-----------------------------------|----------|----------| | Amazon Outage | 02:18 | 07:24 | | Apple iPhone 17 Comeback | 07:24 | 11:18 | | NASA & Space Race Shakeup | 11:18 | 14:42 | | Toby’s Trends: ‘6 7’ Meme | 17:03 | 20:43 | | World/Biz/Science Headlines | 20:43 | 26:23 |

Conclusion

This episode deftly breaks down the fragility of internet infrastructure, Apple’s product cycle dynamics, a new twist in the space race, and why teachers across America are pulling their hair out over a viral meme. Delivered with humor and insight, it’s a snapshot of tech, business, and culture in 2025—quirks and all.