Boeing Caught in US-China Crossfire & Zuckerberg Takes The Stand

Summary

Morning Brew Daily: Episode Summary
Title: Boeing Caught in US-China Crossfire & Zuckerberg Takes The Stand
Release Date: April 16, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman and Toby Howell

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1. US-China Trade War Escalation: Boeing and Rare Earth Metals

Timestamp: 00:55 – 07:11

Neal Freyman and Toby Howell delve into the intensifying trade war between the United States and China, focusing on two critical areas where China is exerting its economic might: rare earth metals and Boeing aircraft.

Rare Earth Metals Supply Crunch
China has heightened tensions by halting the export of rare earth metals, which are essential for various high-tech industries, including electric vehicles, smartphones, wind turbines, and military applications. "China controls 90% of the world market," Neal emphasizes at [05:05]. Specifically, 99.9% of the world's dysprosium, vital for Nvidia’s capacitors, originates from China. This scarcity poses significant risks to American manufacturing and national security, as rare earths are indispensable for defense contractors. Neal underscores the strategic vulnerability by stating, "every F35 fighter contains around 900 pounds of rare earth materials" ([06:17]).

Impact on Boeing
China's strategic move also targets Boeing by halting deliveries of Boeing airplanes to its domestic airlines. Considering China is projected to account for 20% of global aircraft demand over the next decade, Neal highlights the severity: "If it can't sell its planes to China, a massive market, that would be a huge financial blow" ([05:05]). Boeing’s stock reacted negatively, reflecting the anticipated financial distress and the broader implications for US aviation.

Strategic Implications
Toby adds, "China is like, listen, we have Airbus too," pointing out that China can mitigate the impact by relying on alternative manufacturers. However, the real concern lies in the broader supply chain for rare earths, where even if the US secures raw materials domestically, the lack of refining capacity in China renders them nearly useless. This dependency highlights a critical vulnerability in the US’s strategic infrastructure ([05:05] – [07:11]).

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2. Meta's Antitrust Trial: Zuckerberg's Damning Emails

Timestamp: 07:35 – 11:21

The hosts shift focus to the high-stakes antitrust trial involving Meta (formerly Facebook) and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. The trial centers on allegations by the FTC that Meta engaged in anti-competitive practices by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp.

Key Revelations
During the trial, a surprise witness presented internal emails from Zuckerberg. At [07:35], Toby notes, "One of the key emails called a smoking gun by the government was a message sent to then CEO Sheryl Sandberg in which Zuck talked about the rise of Instagram and the importance of, quote, neutralizing a potential competitor." Zuckerberg admitted that Instagram's rapid growth necessitated its acquisition for $1 billion, indicating a deliberate strategy to eliminate competition.

Internal Strategies
Further complicating Meta’s defense, Toby reveals that Zuckerberg proposed spinning off Instagram as a separate company even before the FTC initiated the investigation. This tactic was perceived by the FTC as Meta preemptively addressing anti-competitive concerns: "He was looking at the regulatory landscape... he was taking the initiative and suggesting it, which is, you know, supports their case" ([08:58]).

Market Definition Dispute
A significant hurdle in the trial is the definition of the social media market. The FTC argues that Meta operates within a narrow "personal social network," directly competing only with platforms like Snapchat and MeWe. However, Meta contends that it also competes with giants like TikTok and YouTube. Neal points out the inconsistency in Meta's stance by highlighting the significant user spike on Instagram when TikTok was down, demonstrating direct competition ([10:09] – [11:21]).

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3. Luxury Market Shake-Up: Hermes Tops LVMH

Timestamp: 12:27 – 15:42

The discussion transitions to the luxury goods sector, where Hermes has overtaken LVMH to become the world's most valuable luxury company.

LVMH’s Decline
Neal explains that LVMH's stock plummeted by 8% following an earnings report that missed expectations, leading Hermes to seize the top spot. "LVMH, because it owns 75 brands, is seen as the industry bellwether," he notes at [12:27]. Factors contributing to this decline include reduced Chinese consumer spending and the impact of ongoing trade tensions with the US, which introduced significant uncertainty into the market.

Hermes' Success
Conversely, Hermes has maintained its exclusivity and desirability, with iconic products like the Birkin and Kelly bags selling at premium prices. "They’ve maintained this aura of exclusivity around these products," Neal comments ([14:52]). Hermes' focused portfolio, despite being smaller, has positioned it favorably against the diversified yet challenged LVMH.

Strategic Insights
Toby adds that LVMH faced unique challenges last year, such as heightened demand from Chinese shoppers in Japan exploiting a weak yen—an advantage that didn't continue this year. Additionally, weakening consumer sentiment in the US has further strained LVMH’s sales, particularly in segments like Sephora and wine and spirits, which are not the high-end sectors that typically drive luxury sales ([13:42]).

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4. The IP Law Debate: Zuckerberg and Musk’s Controversial Stance

Timestamp: 15:47 – 21:26

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the burgeoning debate over intellectual property (IP) laws, spurred by controversial statements from Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk.

Controversial Call to Action
Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, recently tweeted, "Delete all IP law," a sentiment echoed by Elon Musk, the platform's new owner. Neal discusses how this has ignited a debate on the future of IP law in the age of artificial intelligence. "Mark Zuckerberg himself suggested spinning off Instagram a year before the FTC even opened its first antitrust investigation," Toby remarks, linking Meta’s legal troubles to broader IP concerns ([15:47]).

AI and IP Law
The hosts explore how AI companies are challenging existing IP frameworks. AI models rely heavily on vast datasets, often comprising copyrighted material, to train algorithms. "For AI companies, not having to worry about IP law could streamline model training," Toby explains at [19:03]. However, critics argue that weakening IP protections could stifle creativity and innovation, as creators might lack the incentive to produce original work without adequate protection.

Balanced Perspectives
Neal emphasizes the foundational purpose of IP laws: "They encourage creativity and innovation... to make sure inventors and creators have exclusive rights to their work." On the flip side, Toby acknowledges the urgent need for reforming outdated IP laws to accommodate technological advancements, stating, "the current system was not built for this new age" and highlighting the blurred lines around what constitutes fair use in AI training ([20:14] – [21:26]).

Potential Consequences
Neal warns of severe repercussions if IP laws are dismantled or significantly weakened, including reduced output from creators and broader economic impacts. This ongoing debate presents a critical crossroads where technology and legal frameworks must adapt in tandem to foster both innovation and protection of creators’ rights.

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5. Final Headlines

a. American Airlines Introduces Free In-Flight Wi-Fi

Timestamp: 21:26 – 23:12

American Airlines has announced plans to offer free Internet on flights starting January 2026, becoming the last major US carrier to implement this feature. "Free Wi-Fi is no longer a perk from airlines. It's table stakes," Toby asserts ([22:31]). While JetBlue has been offering free Wi-Fi since 2013 and Delta since 2023, Southwest remains the outlier, providing limited connectivity options. The move underscores the evolving expectations of modern travelers for connectivity at 30,000 feet.

b. OpenAI’s Model Naming Controversy

Timestamp: 23:23 – 25:11

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has criticized the confusing naming conventions of the company's AI models, such as "GPT-4.001 Mini" and "GPT-4.1 Nano." "If you fire up ChatGPT, you can choose which model you use... it's so bad, I can't even get them out," Neal comments ([23:23]). Altman has indicated plans to overhaul the naming system by summer to reduce user confusion. The controversy reflects broader challenges in AI development and user interface design, as well as competitive dynamics with platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

c. Ken Griffey Jr.’s Transition to Sports Photography

Timestamp: 25:11 – 27:44

Former MLB star Ken Griffey Jr. has successfully transitioned to a career in sports photography, capturing significant moments such as Rory McIlroy’s emotional Masters victory. "Pretty cool for Ken Griffey Jr.," Neal praises, highlighting Griffey’s passion for photography sparked by his desire to engage more with his family ([25:11]). This career shift exemplifies how athletes can leverage their fame and interests to pursue fulfilling post-sports careers, contrasting with the trend of athletes launching commercial ventures like alcohol brands.

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Conclusion

Neal Freyman and Toby Howell provide an insightful and engaging analysis of the intersection between global trade tensions, high-stakes legal battles in the tech industry, shifts in the luxury market, and the evolving landscape of intellectual property law amid AI advancements. Their comprehensive coverage ensures listeners are well-informed on the most pressing issues impacting business, technology, and the economy.

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Notable Quotes:

• Neal Freyman ([05:05]): "If it can't sell its planes to China, a massive market, that would be a huge financial blow."
• Toby Howell ([07:35]): "Mark Zuckerberg himself suggested spinning off Instagram a year before the FTC even opened its first antitrust investigation."
• Toby Howell ([22:31]): "Free Wi-Fi is no longer a perk from airlines. It's table stakes."

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For more detailed insights and daily updates, tune into the next episode of Morning Brew Daily on your preferred podcasting platform or YouTube.

Transcript

[Toby Howell]

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[Neal Freyman]

Yeah, I do.

[Toby Howell]

Now, where did I put my keys? You will find them where you left them. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, llc. Member nyse, SIPC.

[Neal Freyman]

Good morning Brew Daily Show. I'm Neal Freyman.

[Toby Howell]

And I'm Toby Howell.

[Neal Freyman]

Today, Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk want to eliminate all IP law. But should we?

[Toby Howell]

Then China turned the trade war up another notch by halting the export of rare earth metals. It's Wednesday, April 16th. Let's ride.

[Neal Freyman]

So our co workers found this fun website that tells you how much precious progress we've made in the year so far and puts that into context in other areas. As of this morning, we are 29% of the way through 2025, which means in a 40 hour workweek it would be 12:33pm on a Tuesday. In a marathon, you'd have about 19.2 miles left to run. And in the book the Hobbit Bilbo would be performing riddles in the dark.

[Toby Howell]

Honestly, I took a lot of optimism from this because I don't want the year to fly by. It still feels like we're in the early inn. I want to have 19 miles left of the marathon. That is 2025 and I want it to be early afternoon on a Tuesday. There's still so much to get done in so many podcasts to record. Neal. Though I will say the first part of the year has definitely felt like a Monday. But yes, a very fun site. You should do have the URL on.

[Neal Freyman]

You put it in the show notes.

[Toby Howell]

We'll put it in the show notes. Go check it out. It's pretty fun to just, you know, mess around. And now a word from our sponsor, Planet Oatmeal. Neil, you ever notice how some puzzle pieces just click into place?

[Neal Freyman]

Oh, that sweet little snap. I'd like to add a little tap, tap, tap for good measure. That's the sound of destiny.

[Toby Howell]

You're one of those types of puzzlers. But that feeling of satisfaction is exactly how it feels when you pour planet out into your coffee or your cereal or your smoothie. It doesn't just mix, it belongs.

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And if you're after some indulgence, the Barista lovers ver was literally crafted under the watchful eyes of baristas. It steams and frost like a dream. So if you're looking for the missing piece in your morning routine, it's planted oat. Get your hands on the oat milk that has it all. Visit planito.com for more. In the high stakes geopolitical poker match between the two biggest superpowers, China might have the stronger hole cards. Over the past few days, the US's chief trade adversary has pulled two major levers. The first was suspending exports of so called rare earth metals which are critical to a range of technologies from electric vehicles and smartphones to wind turbines and missiles. These materials are often turned into powerful magnets crucial to heavy industry. And China controls 90% of the world market. When you zoom in further to sector specific needs, it gets even more concentrated. 99.9% of of the world's dysprosium, for instance, which Nvidia uses to create capacitors on its chips, comes from China. So any reduction in supply has the chance to cripple critical industries. If exerting its iron fist over rare earth elements wasn't a big enough warning shot, China also ordered its domestic airlines to stop taking deliveries of Boeing airplanes. For Boeing, whose self inflicted issues could fill lots of overhead bin space, this marks a major setback in in one of the world's most important aviation markets. China is projected to account for 20% of global aircraft demand over the next decade. So Neil, you have China moving to limit these all important metals, which could lead to disastrous consequences for everything from American manufacturing to military power and hitting a struggling US manufacturing giant while it's down. In other words, it's fighting back.

[Neal Freyman]

To bring the poker metaphor back, this is China sitting next to the United States and maybe bleeding a little bit, showing its cards that it can play because these are extremely powerful cards. Boeing is the largest exporter by dollar value in the United States. Nearly a quarter of all of its output went to China, which is a huge aviation market. Bank of America strategist came out yesterday and said we see this, we don't see this as sustainable. The Trump administration can't ignore Boeing. Boeing stock fell on the news yesterday. It looks like this is just going to be part of a broader negotiation. It's a bargaining chip that says we can block Boeing. Now, it might not last that long and it'll be part of broader negotiations. But it would just be so devastating for Boeing, which yes, has had its own internal issues, but if it can't sell its planes to China, a massive market, I mean, that would be a huge financial blow.

[Toby Howell]

And China is like, listen, we have Airbus too. They buy more of their planes from Airbus anyway. So, yes, it would impact China's ability to, you know, sustain its growing airline industry. But they're saying we could probably get by without Boeing for a while. So, like, we don't necessarily need you. We have this other manufacturer to step in and fill the gap. I do want to talk about these rare earth metals, though, because they are very important. They impact so many aspects of your life. A good proxy for how it might impact your life if it beats, if it beeps. It probably depends on these rare earth minerals. And it's not just the metals themselves, like literally getting them from the earth. It's the refining capacity that China has that makes it such an integral part of the supply chain. Even if you have deposits within your country, which some countries do. Ukraine has been one that has been tossed up a lot in negotiations where Trump is like, we can source a lot of our minerals from there, but if you don't have the refining capacity that China has, then these minerals are functionally useless. You need to turn them into these powerful magnets that are used in things like batteries, wind turbines, LED light bulbs, semiconductors, like the list goes on. So it's not just that they have the supply, they also have the ability to turn them into something useful.

[Neal Freyman]

And the US does have one rare earth mine, just one. It's in California. But as you said, we can extract the rare earths from that particular mine, but they still need to send it to China in order to get refined into magnets that are used in all of these various products. So they are working. This mine in California is working on developing a refining process, but it's going to take years. The big question here is what this, what this means for national security and the military, because defense contractors are warning that if there's no supply of rare earths, then, you know, they won't be able to make weapons. Obviously, China is a big geopolitical adversary. One incredible stat is that every F35 fighter contains around 900 pounds of rare earth materials. And some submarines need more than £9,200 of the material. So you can't really make these things without China, which is a huge problem. Yeah.

[Toby Howell]

And these, these weapons are the cornerstone of kind of Americans military. So if you lose the cornerstone, you can see why the Department of Defense is all up in arms trying to figure out our own domestic supply chain, our own domestic ability to refine these things. Because without them. You're right. It takes a lot of metal to create the US Military and we are just massively exposed to China, which is why they're pouring, pulling this all important lever.

[Neal Freyman]

Matter's landmark antitrust trial against the government kicked off on Monday in federal court. And it unearthed some past emails Mark Zuckerberg would probably not want everyone to see. As a reminder, the FTC is accusing Metta of illegally stifling competition in social media through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp back in 2012 and 2014. And once those two behemoths spun off, this is pretty much existential for Metta, given that Instagram accounts for over half of its ad revenue and WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on planet Earth. As the trial kicked off, a surprise witness took the stand. Zuck himself, the government's lawyer, presented him with a binder of past correspondence. And like anyone who scrolled many years back on their Instagram feed, he probably thought, well, I regret sending this. One of the key emails called a smoking gun by the government was a message sent to then CEO Sheryl Sandberg in which Zuck talked about the rise of Instagram and the importance of, quote, neutralizing a potential competitor. In another email to Sandberg, Bloomberg post Instagram acquisition, he wrote, messenger isn't beating WhatsApp. Instagram was growing so much faster than us that we had to buy them for $1 billion. That's not exactly killing it. The FTC claims these comments were a crystal clear example of matter pursuing a buy or bury strategy that cemented its unfair dominance in social media. And Toby, these emails weren't the only big revelation so far from the trial.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah, I would call there was a smalling smaller smoking gun within the larger smoking gun, and that was Mark Zuckerberg himself suggested spinning off Instagram a year before the FTC even opened its first antitrust investigation into the company. He suggested internally the, quote, extreme step of spinning Instagram out as a separate company. He wrote that while most companies resist breakups, the corporate history is that most companies actually perform better when they've been split up. So the FTC was licking their chops and saying, listen, he's almost arguing our case for us right here. But the reason why Zuck was kind of proposing this pretty drastic step is that he was looking into the future and saying, hey, there is. And they sorry. His words a non trivial chance we will be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps website WhatsApp in the next five to 10 years. He was looking at kind of the regulatory landscape, especially with the Democratic president coming into office, he mentioned that as one of the big factors as well. So that was something the FTC was definitely looking at saying. Like, he clearly knew that maybe they were toeing the line here of antitrust scrutiny and that he was taking the initiative and suggesting it, which is, you know, supports their case because they're arguing for a very similar thing right now.

[Neal Freyman]

These emails were honestly only just about the only good news that the FTC has so far in this trial. It's been two days because legal experts say this is going to be an uphill battle to get Meta to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp. And one of the biggest challenges that has come to the fore so far is the definition of the social media market that Metta plays in with Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC says that the market is a personal social network, so you just communicate with your friends and your family. So that means Metta doesn't compete with tik tok or YouTube or iMessage. It competes with only Snapchat and a company called MeWe, which even Zuck said he hadn't heard of. So it's this tiny competitor. So it is accusing Meta of playing in this very small sandbox. Metta has responded by saying, come on, like, we compete with TikTok, we compete with YouTube. And for an example of this, the lawyer for Metta showed that In January, when TikTok was down for 12 hours, he pulled out data that showed that Instagram got a huge spike. And he's like, this is exactly. We directly compete with them. No TikTok. Then people go over to Instagram.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah. And I will say the defense is kind of getting some laurels on social media, too, because the slide deck they've been using has been, you know, animated. And he's making jokes. The lawyer is making jokes. Like that slide that you just depicted, like a boxing ring with app logos in it. So they're almost taking it, like, saying they're, like, laughing at the suit, basically, and injecting humor into their defense, because it's so laughable to think that they're only competing with me, we and Snapchat, when there is just this massive overall landscape, that of apps like TikTok, that you can switch interchangeably between Metta in them. And then the final just kind of like, funny detail that has come out so far is that in that smoking gun email later in the chain, you scroll down and for some reason, Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg start discussing catan playing and Sheryl Sandberg is like, hey, I'd love for you to teach me one of these days. So if you're scrolling through headlines about Meta and you see Catan mentioned, it really was just because in this very important moment in the company's history, somehow settlers of Catan came up. So if you are a Katon fan, press the button. Katon mentioned in this story the king.

[Neal Freyman]

Of luxury has been dethroned. Yesterday, France's LVMH was surpassed by Hermes as the most valuable luxury company in the world. The abdication of the golden throne came after LVMH had a howler of an earnings report reporting that revenue dropped 2% from the same period last year, much lower than expectations. That caused its stock to drop 8%, its worst one day performance since March 2020, clearing the way for crosstown rival Hermes to take the top spot. This is about more than a changing of the luxury guard, though. It's a warning shot across the entire sector and perhaps the economy more broadly. LVMH, because it owns 75 brands, is seen as the industry bellwether. It sells champagne, Tag Heuer watches, Dior jackets, Tiffany engagement rings. If there's something you want to buy, but a store manager needs to grab a key to go unlock the case, it's prob lvmh, to be sure, luxury has been stumbling in the years following the pandemic, but now it's facing a potentially daunting double whammy. Chinese consumers, a key clientele, are pulling back and President Trump's trade war has injected a massive dose of uncertainty across the economy. LVMH CFO said tariffs put the company in, quote, unknown territory.

[Toby Howell]

The unknown territory is an interesting place to be because is it structural where people just don't want these goods anymore, where they think the economy is crashing? Or is there something else going on here? And LVMH kind of tried to push analysts towards the latter because one thing they called out was the Japanese market had this huge boom in demand last year from China shoppers coming over and taking advantage of the weak yen to buy very cheap luxury goods. We I mean, if you thought everybody in your life went to Japan these past few years because of the weekend, you weren't imagining that a lot of people did go over there. And so the CFO said, we are not having the benefit of the push this year. So that's one issue that was kind of just a one off thing last year. But you're right, like the US Is facing very weak consumer sentiment and a lot of the deceleration in the US came from specifically, not the higher end, but like Sephora and their wine and spirits division. Those are not necessarily like the upper echelon of goods that LVMH offer. So the US is definitely a warning sign facing weaker consumer sentiment as well as the Chinese market, which you're right, is also facing headwinds of their own within their own economy.

[Neal Freyman]

Meanwhile, I mean, let's just talk about Hermes, because now it's the most valuable luxury company in the world. It's running a stellar playbook. I was very surprised by this because LVMH has 75 brands. And I was, I was saying, like, does Hermes have any other brands? But no, it's literally that. But they sell the Birkin bag, they sell the Kelly bag, which you know, is very high end. And you have to, they've maintained this aura of exclusivity around these products. We have to wa months and interview to get these, these bags that cost, you know, more than $8,000. And so kudos to them are just running the luxury playbook super well. And the final note on this story, which is, you know, somewhat adds to the lore, is that Bernard Arnault, who is the godfather of LVMH, tried to buy Hermes back in 2010. He was unsuccessful and now he's getting laughed by them.

[Toby Howell]

He is. Up next, let's talk IP law.

[Neal Freyman]

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[Toby Howell]

Jack Dorsey set the social media site. He invented a titter this past week when he posted four simple words, Delete all IP law. Then the new owner of his site, Elon Musk, added fuel to the fire by replying, I agree. The seemingly casual exchange between the former and current owners of the site now known as X deserves scrutiny because what where is this anti IP sentiment coming from? And why do some of the most powerful people in tech agree on this issue? It's not totally clear what compelled Jack to log on and start some discourse, but his thoughts do come against a backdrop of AI companies staring down multiple lawsuits claiming they violated copyrights when they feed content to train their AI models. OpenAI and Microsoft are currently locked in a battle with the New York Times for the unpermitted use of their articles to train its large language models. So the AI industry has begun to mount a counterattack. In the uk, AI companies are pushing to reform copyright protections in order to make owners opt out if they don't want their work to be used to train AI systems rather than the other way around. Also in Jack and Elon's corner are some pro AI believers who say that automated IP fines for AI infringement may become the substitute for putting poor people in jail for cannabis possession, as tech evangelist Chris Messina put it. But critics have fired back Delete IP law and you delete one of the main incentives to create at all. Ed Newton Rex, a former executive at Stability I told Fast Company so Neil, it was just a simple post, but it set off this very serious debate on how to handle IP law in the age of AI is a very.

[Neal Freyman]

Sensitive issue right now because of what generative AI is doing and how it is trained. I mean, just the concept of IP rights. Let's just take a step back. Why are they important? Why are they established? It's because they encourage creativity and innovation. You have to give inventors and creators exclusive rights to their work. They need to know that it will be protected in order to make that, and they will be able to make money by licensing that. If you know you don't have any copyright protections, what's the incentive for you to make something if it's just going to be stolen? That is the argument of IP law to begin with, and it is actually dates back to the U.S. constitution. The U.S. constitution says establish copyright and patents in order to promote the progress of science and useful art. So doing what Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk are saying by deleting all IP law is certainly an uphill climb, but it has sparked a discussion about whether, you know, copyright protections could be loosened in order to give AI companies an easier pathway to train models. They say it's a national security issue because China doesn't care about that. And the us, you know, has, has these stringent laws and so does the uk, but it's certainly coming up in, in governments and legislators right now.

[Toby Howell]

Yeah, so some of the arguments for reforming or I mean, deleting is a little extreme. IP Law, 1, the current system wasn't built for this new age. There's so many legal gray areas. Is scraping the Internet for training, data fair use or is it theft? The law doesn't really know yet. So there probably should be some level of reform there. And you're right, creativity can't really scale up if everything is locked up. If every piece of content needs licensing, innovation is going too slow. So in this arms race against China, that is one of the main reasons for just freeing up these AI companies. And then like the third kind of, I don't know, metaphorical or philosophical approach to this is that I can't necessarily copy in the traditional sense. They don't memorize or reproduce exact text, or at least they don't do it intentionally. They synthesize patterns. So the argument I've seen is like saying that a writer can't read books before writing a book of their own. Of course, it's just an input and then you create this different output. So those are some of the reasons for why tech people and AI evangelists say that we need to change the current system, because right now it's far too onerous, far too much of a burden on innovation in these very important space right now.

[Neal Freyman]

On the other hand, artists, inventors, creators, on the other side, you know, could not be more upset about this and say that, you know, we will produce less. We will just like the impacts of people creating less. If IP law is scrapped or watered down as these AI executives want, will just be, you know, so catastrophic for the artistic community, for the creator community, for anyone who wants to invent something. Huge ripple effects across the economy. Let's sprint to the finish with some final headlines. American Airlines is finally joining the mile high WI Fi club, announcing plans to offer free Internet on flights starting in January. It will be the last of the major US Airlines to let you browse the web at no charge while up in the air. JetBlue has offered it for years. Delta started free wi fi in 2023, and United is currently outfitting its fleet with satellite wi fi from Starlink. Americans will be powered by Intelsat and via Sat and made available to members of its Advantage loyalty program, which is free. Toby, Free WI fi is no longer a perk from airlines. It's table stakes.

[Toby Howell]

I just want to shout out JetBlue here because without JetBlue, I don't know if we get to this point where it is table stakes because they pioneered the perk, really. They've been offering free wi fi since 2013. The only outlier here, or the only major outlier here is Southwest now, who just loves doing things differently and still has not said whether they are considering adding free WI fi on board. They give you texting, they give you the ability to stream their movies, but they still don't let you browse the Internet for free. So we'll see if kind of the laggard of the industry, though the, the, the duckling that's always try to do things differently falls in line or if they still just want to be, you know, unique and different like they always have been in the past.

[Neal Freyman]

The crazy part of the story for me was when they said that they're going to, you know, introduce this in January. It's, that's January 2026. Yeah, we're speaking of, speaking of the progression of time.

[Toby Howell]

What's in a name? Shakespeare once mused, and now Sam Altman is doing the same, mainly because the names that his company OpenAI uses for its models stink. Yesterday, Altman posted on X, how about we fix our model naming by this summer and everyone gets a few more months to make fun of us, which we very much deserve. Until then. What's he referring to? Well, if you fire up chat CBT, you can choose which model you use. There's GPT4.001 mini. Oh, one mini deep research. There's also a new class of models named GPT Dash 4.1, GPT Dash 4.1 Mini and GPT 4.1 Nano it's so bad Neil, I can't even get them out. Obviously these conventions have led to a lot of confusion amongst users, especially those unfamiliar with what separates one model from another. But based on Altman's tweet, it looks like change might be coming as soon as this summer.

[Neal Freyman]

I mean, the one rule for naming is don't make it bad. It doesn't need to be good. Just don't make it bad and confusing where you're actively harming yourself. And it seems like that is exactly what Open Air OpenAI does. I don't think he even likes the name Chat cbd. In fact, Sam Altman has said no marketer ever would have picked ChatGPT as a name for this, but maybe stuck with it because of how ubiquitous it is now. I really hope OpenAI gets its act together before it releases a new product. That is rumored. Yesterday multiple reports said that it is going to be launching a social media competitor to Instagram and X. And obviously the subtext of that is that Sam Altman and Elon Musk hate each other. So if Sam Altman launches a product that goes against or that competes against X, I mean, that could even lead to more fireworks. But you know, do not name it anything that you've named anything of your other model.

[Toby Howell]

You want to know what the funniest timeline here is? That Jack Dorsey is arguing to delete all IP law. So then Sam Altman goes and names his new social media site Twitter and say how you like apples Jack Dorsey. Let's see if you like IP law. Now finally, if you, like me, have been combing through every single photo of Roy McElroy's victory at the Masters. You may have noticed an interesting name on the byline of some of those picks. 13 time MLB All Star Ken Griffey Jr. Yes, the former big league slugger who played 22 seasons and hit the seventh most home runs of all time, is now a credentialed sports photographer. And he's good. His photo of McIlroy hunched over on the 18th green of Augusta, screaming into the turf as he let out years worth of emotion and frustration perfectly captures the burden lifted from golf's biggest star. Griffey Jr. Picked up photography after hitting his mid-30s to be a good dad, his daughter said. Wanted to make sure dad is paying attention so he started bringing a camera to her games. Since then he shot everything from the NFL to MLS games before capturing Rory's cathartic Masters victory. Pretty cool post baseball career.

[Neal Freyman]

Very cool. And it's always a breath of fresh air when an athlete doesn't launch an alcohol brand like so many have. So very cool for Ken Griffey said he was really nervous. He said, you know, how would these guys feel? He's talking about other photographers. How would these guys feel if we all got into a batting cage and I was sitting there critiquing them? So, you know, he had butterflies going into this Masters. It was his first one. He has photographed all of these other events. But, you know, Sunday at the Masters is just another level. He's also not the only former baseball player, former MLB player to take up photography. Randy Johnson, the big unit, that big lefty, has also taken up photography in his post baseball life. He is, you know, I've seen him take pictures of wildlife and other things. So you can see Randy Johnson in the prairie photographing gazelles. Very cool for these guys. And the thing is, they are good at it, which is, which is super awesome. Let's wrap it up there. Thanks so much for starting your morning with us and have a wonderful Wednesday. You're well over 29% through this week. For any questions, comments or feedback, send an email to Morning brew daily@morning brew.com let's roll the credits. Emily Milian is our executive producer. Ravenloo is our producer. Our associate producers are Olivia Graham and Olivia Lake. Garrett Peck is on audio, hair and makeup would beat Zuck in Catan. Devin Emery is our president and our show is a production of Morning Brew.

[Toby Howell]

Great show today, Neil. Let's run it back tomorrow.