Motley Fool Money – Episode Summary

Title: Investing After Cloud Outages & The End for Electric Vehicles?
Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Travis Hoyam
Guests: Lou Whiteman, Jason Hall

Episode Overview

This episode explores the implications of major cloud outages (specifically AWS), the current state of electric vehicle (EV) investment and momentum—using GM’s earnings as a springboard—and the trend toward co-CEO structures in tech. The show closes with a spirited "Stock Market Jeopardy" segment and radar stock picks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AWS Outage: Business Risks and Investment Perspective

• Incident Recap: AWS experienced a rare but impactful outage on Monday morning, pausing business operations for numerous companies (00:40).

• Industry Impact & Reliability:

  • Jason Hall acknowledges that while outages now are global events, they remain less frequent than when companies self-managed infrastructure (01:18).
  • Lou Whiteman calls AWS “so critical” and says, “If you want the bullish take here, we found out just how critical AWS is to everyone’s infrastructure, just how big a market share they have.” (01:56)
  • Hall notes past outages—such as Fastly and Cloudflare in 2020-2021—are quickly forgotten by markets (02:54).

• Investor Reaction & Future Risk:

  • Lou: “It’s not a big deal until it becomes a pattern.” (02:19)
  • Amazon’s stock price was unaffected, underscoring AWS’s resilience and market strength (02:15).

• Multi-Cloud and Redundancy:

  • Multi-cloud as a risk strategy is debated. Jason: “I think it’s mostly the cost of doing business. The bigger bullish reality is just the pure demand.” (04:21)
  • Lou is skeptical of real-world benefits: “Redundancy ... sounds better on the PowerPoint than it does in real world...” (05:05)

• Regulatory Considerations:

  • Lou wonders if outages are so critical that regulation is needed, but struggles to see how that would be implemented (07:15).
  • Jason argues against regulating for outlier events: “If we start trying to regulate around the exception, everything gets more expensive and innovation gets slowed down.” (08:00)

Memorable Quote

“If you want the bullish take here, we found out just how critical AWS is to everyone’s infrastructure...”
– Lou Whiteman (01:56)

2. GM Earnings & The EV Slowdown

• Earnings Recap: GM reported 8% volume growth, better-than-expected despite industry headwinds (09:34)

• EV Market Realities:

  • Lou summarizes: “The EV momentum is dead... GM told us that $1.6 billion charge related to underused or unused EV capacity. They’re going to assemble about one third of the EVs this year that they once forecast they would.” (09:34)
  • Jason emphasizes customer reluctance, not just range anxiety: “If you want people to change, the incentives have to vastly outweigh all of the perceived negatives.” (10:37)
  • Travis points out financial and logistical challenges in converting large, profitable vehicles to EVs: “The vehicles that sell the most and make the most money are massive vehicles and those make the least sense to put massive, massive batteries in them.” (11:31)

• Recurring Revenue Model:

  • GM’s strategy to build subscription and add-on revenue (Super Cruise, OnStar) discussed.
  • Lou: “2 billion today, they’re still saying 20 to 25 billion by 2030. So they see this as a huge growth opportunity.” (12:35)
  • Skepticism remains on whether consumers will pay for features previously included for free (12:51).

Memorable Quotes

“The EV momentum is dead... they’re going to assemble about one third of the EVs this year that they once forecast.”
– Lou Whiteman (09:34)

“If you want people to change, the incentives... have to vastly outweigh all of the perceived negatives.”
– Jason Hall (10:37)

3. The Rise of Co-CEOs in Tech

• Trend Discussion:
  • Netflix, Spotify, and others have moved to a co-CEO model (14:08).
  • Lou initially resists but concedes: “It is just too big of a job for one person.” (14:47)
  • Jason and Lou agree success hinges on complementary skills and strong culture; founder involvement as “referee” helps (16:47, 19:04).
  • Concerns remain over decision-making and blame assignment when times are tough: “This all works so well when things are going well... if it looks so good, then the…” (18:22)
  • Succession planning is highlighted: what happens after a founder departs is an open question (19:04).

Memorable Quote

“CEO has become this strange catchall title that means different things... It is just too big of a job for one person.”
– Lou Whiteman (14:47)

4. Stock Market Jeopardy! (20:42–32:42)

A lively trivia segment testing the panelists’ investing history and company knowledge.

• Notable Q&As:
  • Largest EV manufacturer (BYD, not Tesla or Nio) (21:33)
  • Number of $1 trillion+ companies—now up to 11 (22:43)
  • Netflix streaming launch: January 2007 (23:38)
  • Founders of GE (Thomas Edison) and Facebook (Five founders: Zuckerberg, Savarin, Moskovitz, McCollum, Hughes) (26:13, 28:14)
  • Nvidia’s IPO in January 1999; one share would be worth ~$85,000 today (30:09)
  • Current largest company by market cap: Nvidia ($4.4 trillion) (32:10)

Memorable Quote

“Money was still worth something in 1970, Travis.”
– Lou Whiteman, on Walmart’s $5m IPO (25:49)

5. Stocks on Our Radar & Apple Discussion (37:05–end)

Apple and Netflix Briefs:

• Apple: Recent news suggests possible return to growth driven by the iPhone 17 (32:53). Lou doubts a new upgrade “supercycle,” likening iPhones to durable kitchen appliances replaced only as needed (34:40). Jason warns Apple could lose younger users if its closed ecosystem keeps them out (35:29).
• Netflix: Earnings miss due to tax settlement; underlying engagement continues rising. Stock’s high valuation means the market expects a lot (33:50).

Notable Quotes

"The iPhone has become the same as the dishwasher or whatever appliance in your kitchen..."
– Lou Whiteman (34:40)

“As time passes, Apple is at risk of losing the next generation of users, maybe forever.”
– Jason Hall (35:29)

Radar Stocks:

• Jason Hall:
  • BB Foods (Tiendas Tres B, Mexico): High-growth discount grocer (3000 stores, potential to 5x store count) with strong revenue and margin performance; “the perfect blocking and tackling business that’s trading for a reasonable valuation.” (37:05)
• Lou Whiteman:
  • GE Aerospace: Freed from legacy baggage post-split, delivering strong performance. “Aftermarket spare parts... turns out that’s a pretty good competitive position to be in.” (38:29)

Winning Pitch:

Jason’s BB Foods pick wins Dan Boyd’s (producer) vote.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you want the bullish take here, we found out just how critical AWS is to everyone’s infrastructure...” – Lou Whiteman (01:56)
• “Redundancy... sounds better on the PowerPoint than it does in real world.” – Lou Whiteman (05:05)
• “The EV momentum is dead... they’re going to assemble about one third of the EVs this year that they once forecast.” – Lou Whiteman (09:34)
• “If you want people to change, the incentives... have to vastly outweigh all of the perceived negatives.” – Jason Hall (10:37)
• “CEO has become this strange catchall title... it is just too big of a job for one person.” – Lou Whiteman (14:47)
• “Money was still worth something in 1970, Travis.” – Lou Whiteman (25:49)
• “The iPhone has become the same as the dishwasher or whatever appliance in your kitchen...” – Lou Whiteman (34:40)
• “As time passes, Apple is at risk of losing the next generation of users, maybe forever.” – Jason Hall (35:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Topic | Start Time | |------------------------------------------------|------------| | AWS Outage, Cloud Risks & Multi-Cloud Debate | 00:40 | | Investing Impact and Regulation Discussion | 05:53 | | GM Earnings & EV Industry State | 09:34 | | Recurring Revenue in Autos (Super Cruise, etc.) | 12:35 | | Co-CEOs: Trend and Theories | 14:08 | | Stock Market Jeopardy! | 20:42 | | Largest Companies, IPOs, Founders Trivia | 22:43 | | Apple & Netflix Recaps | 32:53 | | Stocks on Our Radar | 37:05 |

Closing Thoughts

This episode provides valuable context for investors regarding the limits of cloud reliability, the cooling of electric vehicle market enthusiasm, the nuances of corporate leadership evolution, and the ongoing importance of recurring revenue for legacy companies. The trivia and radar segments ground the show’s insights in both historical perspective and actionable stock ideas.