Morning Brew Daily — “MSNBC Dumps the Peacock Logo & Job Certs Don’t Actually Pay Off”
Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: Neal Freyman and Toby Howell
Episode Overview
Today’s episode covers a series of punchy business and cultural stories, with special focus on MSNBC’s headline-making rebrand (ditching both the “MSNBC” name and the classic peacock logo) and a reveal that most non-degree job certifications don’t actually result in better pay. Additional segments include Soho House going private, a trend about sitcoms on TikTok, and a lively run-through of quick headlines ranging from Air Canada strikes to new additions in the Cambridge Dictionary.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Rise of “Disney Adults”
[01:02]
- Neal kicks off with a surprising stat from Disney expert AJ Wolf: “42% of people in line to meet Buzz Lightyear were adults without kids,” with similar trends across other characters.
- Toby relates, humorously noting:
“I come to this stat not with judgment but with understanding because there are Disney adults everywhere.” (01:42)
- Discussion touches the booming market of “kid adults” — adults and teens now make up over a quarter of toy sales.
- Toby notes the brand longevity:
“Other consumer companies would kill for this level of fandom. So that spans decades.” (01:42)
MSNBC’s Rebrand: From MSNBC to “Ms. Now”
[03:43]
- MSNBC is rebranding to “Ms. Now” (“My Source News Opinion World”) as NBCUniversal spins off cable networks.
- Will lose the iconic peacock logo; the change is positioned as necessary to avoid brand confusion with NBC News.
- CEO Mark Lazarus stated:
“This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities and establish an independent news organization.” (Paraphrased at 04:32)
- Hosts note the need for MSNBC (now Ms. Now) to build its own newsroom, hiring 100+ positions, due to losing NBC News support.
- Toby shares online reaction:
“It was roasted up and down the Internet… It forfeits brand equity that you had without replacing it with anything better.” (05:07)
- Critique the generic nature of “Ms. Now”; an “acronym for acronym’s sake.”
- Design subreddit reaction:
“You can tell how little they care about the company by their lack of personality and originality in the design. Too cheap for an artist means they’ll skimp on the content too.” (05:40)
- Neal notes the business rationale:
“The idea is to shed those cable networks that are hemorrhaging money so that Comcast can achieve a higher valuation on the public markets…” (06:23)
- CNBC will keep its name, thanks to distinct editorial operations.
Notable Quote:
“Perhaps they could have done [the rebrand] a lot better than they did, but the NBC Universal guys were like, we're keeping the peacock. We're keeping the NBC stuff. You guys have to change your name...” — Neal Freyman (06:23)
Soho House Goes Private
[09:03]
- Soho House is leaving the public markets in a $2.7 billion deal after struggles as a public company — losing money, stock down nearly 50% from IPO.
- Private ownership means less pressure for constant growth, returns exclusivity to the core offering.
- Neal cites Warren Buffett:
“When you have to report quarterly earnings to investors, it creates a lot of noise within your financials.” (10:19)
- The hosts question if Soho House can effectively turn around away from public market scrutiny.
- Toby on dilution of exclusivity:
“Do you really feel that exclusive if you’re one of 270,000? At the time of its IPO, it was still 119,000.” (11:18)
- Jokes about Soho House opening in places like Nashville and the Yogi Berra quote:
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” (12:15)
Do Job Certifications Pay Off?
[12:25]
- Study analyzed 23,000+ alternative credentials: only 1 in 8 delivered a “non-trivial” pay increase within a year.
- Example: Harvard Extension’s Project Management certificate ($14,000, 1.5 years)—no substantial pay difference.
- Industry for non-degree certificates has tripled since 2018 to more than 1 million credentials.
- Toby analogizes to car shopping:
“When you buy a car from Mercedes, you know what you’re going to get… When you go online to buy a course, you have no idea if it’s actually going to lead to those outcomes that you want.” (13:43)
- Huge quality disparities, even within programs in the same field (e.g., top data science options vs. bottom ones).
- Top-performing credentials can offer $5,000+ annual boosts; most do not.
- Neal notes there’s now a “nutrition facts” portal by Burning Glass Institute and AEI grading credentials (15:46).
Notable Quote:
“The top 10% of data science credentials actually did grant graduates an average income boost of $5,500 a year. But the bottom 10% saw no new earnings income at all.” — Toby Howell (13:43)
Toby’s Trends: Brand-Sponsored Sitcoms on TikTok
[17:19]
- Brands are now producing TikTok-native sitcoms: Example: “Roomies,” produced by fintech startup Bilt.
- The series has 7+ million views, 140,000+ followers; Bilt is quietly mentioned, not overtly pushing products.
- Toby explains:
“We don’t want branding to get in the way of storytelling. It’s about earning attention and curiosity rather than demanding it.” (Citing Bilt’s Cyrus Ferguson at 18:07)
- Neal questions ROI:
“Are you actually acquiring new users from this? …That’s probably why it’s popular because people don’t know a credit card company is behind it.” (19:04)
- Toby contextualizes the trend as a “Trojan horse for ads” that’s existed for decades.
Quickfire Headlines & Memorable Moments
Air Canada Strike Ends
[21:37]
- Tentative agreement reached after thousands of flight cancellations.
- Two main points: wage increases and “boarding pay” for attendants.
Ozempic Price Cut
[22:38]
- Novo Nordisk will halve the price of Ozempic for cash patients, aiming to undercut unauthorized knockoffs and increase accessibility.
- Neal paraphrases company’s stance:
“If even a single patient feels the need to turn to potentially unsafe and unapproved knockoff alternatives, that’s one too many.” (22:53)
- GoodRx (telemedicine platform) stock jumps 40% as discounted Ozempic gets offered on their site.
CIA’s Kryptos Sculpture Solution for Auction
[24:00]
- The artist of “Kryptos” at CIA HQ will auction off the decoded secret of its infamous unsolved fourth panel.
- Bidding could hit $500,000+; winner could reveal or keep the secret—hosts draw comparisons to Wu-Tang’s infamous album auction.
New Words in the Cambridge Dictionary
[26:00]
- Added terms: Skibidi (meme), Tradwife, Delulu (“delusional”), among others—all with TikTok roots.
- Neal on Delulu’s origin:
“It emerged more than 10 years ago as an insult directed to K-pop followers…” (27:08)
- Toby jokes about Scrabble moves with “Skibidi.”
Notable Quotes
- “Other consumer companies would kill for this level of fandom. So that spans decades.” — Toby Howell [01:42]
- “It was roasted up and down the Internet… It forfeits brand equity that you had without replacing it with anything better.” — Toby Howell [05:07]
- “When you have to report quarterly earnings to investors, it creates a lot of noise within your financials.” — Neal Freyman [10:19]
- “Do you really feel that exclusive if you’re one of 270,000?” — Toby Howell [11:18]
- “The top 10% of data science credentials…$5,500 a year. But the bottom 10% saw no new earnings income at all.” — Toby Howell [13:43]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Disney Adults: 01:02–02:42
- MSNBC Rebrand: 03:43–09:03
- Soho House Goes Private: 09:03–12:25
- Do Credentials Pay?: 12:25–15:54
- Toby’s Trends – TikTok Sitcoms: 17:19–19:45
- Quick Headlines: 19:45–28:03
Tone & Style
Witty, fast-paced chatter between two knowledgeable hosts, blending business analysis with cultural commentary and plenty of humor. They move nimbly between business headlines, industry trends, and tangents about pop culture and language, keeping it conversational, accessible, and lighthearted throughout.
This summary delivers all key insights and memorable moments from the episode, along with notable quotes and timestamps—making it easy to catch up for anyone who missed the show!