Cutting Through the BS on Economy Shifts, Crypto Trends, Luxury Disruption, and the Future of Business

Summary

Right About Now with Ryan Alford: Episode Summary
Episode Title: Cutting Through the BS on Economy Shifts, Crypto Trends, Luxury Disruption, and the Future of Business
Release Date: January 10, 2025

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1. Introduction and Personal Updates (00:00 - 04:12)

The episode kicks off with Ryan Alford welcoming listeners to the show and exchanging New Year greetings with co-host Chris Hansen. Ryan shares personal anecdotes about his recent trip to the Dominican Republic, highlighting family time and the enjoyable weather:

• Ryan Alford (00:43): “Happy New Year again.”
• Ryan Alford (02:50): “I dropped like 20 pounds before the old doctor trip. So I was feeling pretty good.”

The hosts discuss their New Year’s resolutions, fitness routines, and dietary habits, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Ryan mentions adhering to a carnivore diet, preferring steak as his mainstay:

• Ryan Alford (04:12): “I think I'll stick with the carnivore diet that I like, which is just steak all the time.”

2. California Wildfires and Their Impact (04:12 - 05:54)

Ryan expresses concern over the devastating wildfires in California, acknowledging the loss and hardships faced by many:

• Ryan Alford (04:25): “We want to send thoughts, prayers, and just, you know, an acknowledgment that that sucks.”
• Chris Hansen (05:24): “My sister was flying back to California yesterday when it all kind of started happening...”

Both hosts empathize with those affected, sharing personal connections to the disaster and hoping for a swift end to the turmoil.

3. Meta/Facebook’s Policy Shifts and Censorship Debate (05:54 - 19:07)

A substantial portion of the episode delves into Meta Platforms Inc.'s (formerly Facebook) recent changes in content moderation policies. Ryan discusses Meta's decision to eliminate third-party fact-checkers, replacing them with user-generated community notes:

• Ryan Alford (09:34): “Mark Zuckerberg donated 1 million to Trump's inauguration fund and had personal engagements with him. What do you make of that? Smart business.”

Chris and Ryan debate the implications of these changes, reflecting on past instances of censorship and the balance between free speech and content moderation:

• Chris Hansen (10:44): “I think Zuckerberg had to adapt because people were pissed off. Everyone knew there was a lot of censorship going on.”

They further discuss Meta's collaboration with UFC CEO Dana White, highlighting the strategic appointment aimed at diversifying leadership and potentially influencing content policies:

• Ryan Alford (13:15): “Dana White expressed excitement about contributing to AI and emerging technologies. He's known for advocating free speech.”

The hosts analyze Meta's broader business strategies amidst evolving political landscapes, especially with the upcoming U.S. presidential changes:

• Ryan Alford (16:28): “We're exploring rockets too, because the future of mobility shouldn't be limited to just Earth or one car company for that matter.”

4. Toyota’s Investment in Space Technologies (19:07 - 23:40)

Transitioning from social media to space exploration, Ryan highlights Toyota's surprising $7 billion investment in Interstellar Technologies, a Japanese startup focused on developing orbital rockets:

• Ryan Alford (20:16): “Toyota is exploring rockets... They want to get in on that government money, right? That's what this sounds like.”

Chris questions the rationale behind an automaker venturing into rocket technology, pondering the practicality and future implications:

• Chris Hansen (22:15): “This is my question. ... are any of us looking at rockets as mobility in our near future?”

Ryan interprets Toyota's move as a strategic step to diversify into emerging industries and compete globally with companies like SpaceX, emphasizing the race for attention and innovation in the tech landscape:

• Ryan Alford (23:14): “They're spending real money on real technology and real rockets. But this stuff is not going to impact probably for the next 20 years.”

5. Record-Breaking Bluefin Tuna Auction in Japan (23:40 - 26:17)

In a lighter segment, Ryan and Chris discuss the auction of a massive 600-pound bluefin tuna that sold for an astounding $1.3 million at Japan's Toyosu Market:

• Ryan Alford (22:47): “A 600-pound bluefin tuna sold for 1.3 million at Toyosu Toyoso Market's first auction of 2025.”

They marvel at the high price, debating whether the size of the tuna correlates with its taste and quality, drawing parallels to premium products like fine wines:

• Chris Hansen (24:56): “I would guarantee you people could taste the difference. There's probably...”

This discussion serves as both an interesting business anecdote and a reflection on luxury consumer behavior.

6. Automation at Chick-fil-A and the Future of Work (26:17 - 28:40)

The conversation shifts to automation in the fast-food industry, specifically Chick-fil-A's move to automate lemon squeezing in their restaurants. Ryan highlights the company's claim of saving 10,000 work hours and reducing workplace injuries:

• Ryan Alford (27:23): “Chick Fil A's moving to a factory that automates the squeezing of their lemons saying they're going to save 10,000 hours of work...”

Chris and Ryan debate whether automation diminishes the quality or authenticity of tasks traditionally performed by humans:

• Chris Hansen (27:27): “Is it still considered fresh squeezed if it's not done by a human?”

They conclude that while automation increases efficiency, it may lack the personal touch associated with manual processes.

7. Sponsor Mention and Closing Remarks (28:40 - 30:23)

The episode includes a brief acknowledgment of the sponsor, Exponent, praising their plant-based energy products. Ryan encourages listeners to support the sponsor, highlighting the quality and natural flavors of their offerings:

• Ryan Alford (28:43): “They do fuel Ryan Alford and right about now. So we appreciate them. Check them out at Drink Exponent on Instagram and their website.”

In the closing segment, both hosts motivate listeners to stay committed to their goals and resolutions for 2025, emphasizing positivity and community:

• Ryan Alford (29:49): “Let's make 2025 the best year yet. The best is yet to come on this show in life and in general.”

• Chris Hansen (29:43): “Everyone, have a great weekend. Kick off the year to a great start and hit the ground running.”

Ryan provides information on accessing show highlights and sponsorship opportunities via their website, ryanisright.com, before signing off.

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Key Takeaways:

• Meta’s Strategic Shifts: Meta is actively modifying its content moderation policies in response to public criticism, aiming to balance free speech with platform integrity by introducing community-driven fact-checking mechanisms.

• Diversification into Space: Major automakers like Toyota are investing heavily in space technologies, signaling a broader trend of traditional industries exploring emerging sectors to stay competitive.

• Luxury Market Insights: The staggering price of luxury goods, such as the $1.3 million tuna, reflects consumer behavior and the value placed on exclusivity and quality in niche markets.

• Automation vs. Human Touch: While automation in industries like fast food enhances efficiency, it raises questions about the loss of personal interaction and the quality perceived by consumers.

• Community and Positivity: The hosts emphasize the importance of resilience, goal-setting, and community support as listeners navigate the new year’s challenges and opportunities.

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This episode of Right About Now with Ryan Alford weaves together diverse topics ranging from social media policies and space exploration to luxury markets and automation, providing listeners with insightful discussions and thought-provoking debates. Through engaging dialogue and relatable anecdotes, Ryan and Chris offer both entertainment and education, staying true to the show's mission of making listeners think and smile.

Transcript

[Ryan Alford]

This is Right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over 1 million downloads a month, taking the BS out of business for over 6 years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts right about now.

What's up, guys? Welcome to right about now. It is January 10, 2025. Our weekly marketing and business news of the week. I am Ryan Alford, your host. I'm joined by Chris Hansen down in Miami. What's up, Chris?

[Chris Hansen]

What's up, Ryan? How are you, brother?

[Ryan Alford]

Good. Happy New Year again.

[Chris Hansen]

Again.

[Ryan Alford]

I know. I think. Can you say happy New Year like more like you keep saying it all January. Is it only good like the first, you know, 10 days of January?

[Chris Hansen]

I read yesterday someone said you can't say it after the seventh. I don't know. Okay, well, I'm gonna.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, hey. We buck trends around here. Happy New Year. Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you're listening, come to you from the studios here at my place called Social House in Greenville, South Carolina. That's where we do this show. I got a co work lounge here in Greenville. If you visit this wonderful city, stop by and see us. You can co work, you can drink, you can watch games, you can hang out, mixed use. And of course, the studio of your number one marketing and business show on the planet is right here. So come and see us. You know, Chris, just getting back into the groove. Back from the old doctor Dominican Republic. Had a nice week with. With the fam wife and kids. Yep. Nicole and I had good time with the boys and did the beach thing on the doctor and the resort and all conclusive and all that stuff. So you look a little tan. Yeah, I got a little tan, A little brown. It's funny, I didn't realize that. I know it's sort of their winter time there, but obviously the temperature is still like 85. The sun wasn't quite as strong as it normally is, which is nice. We haven't gone in January in a long time, but we had a good time. Little fun, little sun, little Coco bongo. Nah, we didn't do that. We did hang out of the resort. Lots of Mexican beer. El presidente. Hey, not a bad beer. I did kind of miss my ultra though. My craft. My craft beer in the States. Yeah, Ultra high end, Mick.

[Chris Hansen]

Ultra.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly. So I hope wherever you are, whenever you are listening, I hope the new year has kicked off. I hope you haven't blasted through any of Your New Year's resolutions yet? You know, if you're having a dry January, sorry for you. If you're, you know, working out, hope you'll be sticking with it. I don't know. What are all those resolutions? Has the gym been more busy for you?

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, it. It wasn't for the first couple days, but then yesterday was out of control busy. It was packed.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. So has to be.

[Chris Hansen]

Saw some new faces. Yeah. Hopefully they stick with it. Man, I hope so.

[Ryan Alford]

I know I just do it every, you know, I'm a four to four, four time, four to five a week guy. You know, if you just make it a lifestyle, you got to make it just your lifestyle. And look, some days only get 20 minutes in, but you got to do it, you got to get the heart pumping, show up. Yeah, it's what we do. And I just try to make it. I don't know, I. I've been at my whole way I grew up. I think it's thankful that my parents were kind of that way. They got in that early 80s, you know, 90s thing with people starting to work out. So I guess it's in our blood. And my sister and I have always been kind of that workout crew, so I don't have to sit the resolutions around working out. What I might have to do though is set it on, you know, maybe cutting back the carbs or something. I had to dial back the carbs sometimes, but I dropped like 20 po before the old doctor trip. So I was feeling pretty good. I feel pretty good now. Just gonna stick with it. I think I'll stick with the carnivore diet that I like, which is just steak all the time.

[Chris Hansen]

Give me a bug, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

That's what I brought for lunch today. I'm like, just give me that steak. Steak and you know, like some chips and stuff or carbs or rice. Yeah, it's nice, but if I got a good steak or a piece of meat, I am the true like, dude, like meat and potato guy. How it is, we want to send our love to everybody in California and LA is impacted by the, the, the fires that are just out of control there. You obviously we pre record this before the Friday release, but it is not pretty. And so I don't. You just never know. We take a lot of things for granted and, you know, the wind meets fire over there and it is just an ugly scene. A lot of people losing homes and cars and valuables and lots of, you know, and life, I'm sure will be taken. I don't know what the. The toll is. Exactly. But definitely want to send thoughts, prayers, and just, you know, an acknowledgment that that sucks. And yeah, we'll see where it lands, but it hasn't looked pretty. Chris, I know you have family that's been impacted.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, my sister was flying back to California yesterday when it all kind of started happening from Florida and now and she lives in the neighborhood where it's all going down. So I know, like, right before we got on the show, I got a text that they're trying to get a flight back here to just get out of there because it's going to be an apocalyptic, you know, burn zone after this is all said and done. So definitely thoughts and prayers with everyone out there and hopefully it comes to an end soon.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, for sure. So everything we talk about on the show is an article of some format, usually from our friends at Google, if we're being honest. You know, googling business news, seeing what's happening. But when we want to talk about politics, we want to keep it straight down the middle as much as possible. Stay independent. It's like because you get, you get pushed one way or the other when you're reading news too far left, too far right. We want to keep it straight line. That's why we partner with Independent Center. I was reading one of their articles that was talking about the tax cuts and, and jobs report and everything that's happening now with sort of the battle between Congress, left, right. All of these complex things. They're sometimes hard to understand. You hear about it, you think you should care about it, but you don't understand. Exactly. That's why Independent center brings to you articles that really tell you exactly what's happening, how to interpret what the right or the left might be saying to you. You got to go to independent center.org independent center.org Sign up. You get articles, surveys, all kinds of data into your email box. That's independent. That tells you what's happening in politics without The Spin. Independent Center.org Official Sponsor of Right about now. Lots of random news here this week, I think kind of a kind of lump these into two for one here with meta, slash Facebook and, and old, old Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg. Hey Zuck. I give credit to anybody that can change, right? We can judge him. I mean he's one of the most wealthy guys on the planet, owns one of the most, I don't know, used known platforms on, on the face of the earth, right? And you know, sometimes we go a little far with things I think they say what I say. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. So the filtering and the holding back of information that's happened, the censorship that's been prevalent on the social media channels is being dialed back because his, he acknowledged himself literally that our fact checkers were politically biased. I mean, while, while I was saying no, I was applauding him. So two things can be true. It could have definitely gone too far. But I can applaud you for at least acknowledging it, making me up for it. Now it's interesting when Mark starts hanging out with all the UFC guys, which we'll get to the second part of that news. He, he's toughening up a little bit and I. This isn't about, okay, who's tough and who's not. But it's like it is. We're in America and it should not be censorship. You don't have to like. Everything you hear is the bottom line. I hear a lot of shit I don't like, but it doesn't mean that I could tell someone not to say it or hold it back or start censoring it. Especially when you have platforms as big as this is. So they're eliminating third party fact checkers across Facebook, Instagram and threads, replacing them with user generated community notes, similar to what Elon is doing with X. Mark stated that fact checkers, fact checkers have been too politically biased and caused more harm than good.

[Chris Hansen]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford]

You think about this a round of.

[Chris Hansen]

Applause because I, I remember on 2020, right, the election, then you had covet stuff and you had all these doctors getting flagged for misinformation.

[Ryan Alford]

Yep.

[Chris Hansen]

It was really eye opening. Honestly, that was the first time as an American I've ever felt like, holy, like what is going on?

[Ryan Alford]

Yep.

[Chris Hansen]

So yeah, it is interesting. I mean at that point I thought Mark Zuckerberg was a tool, but I don't know, man. The guy started competing in jiu jitsu and doing mixed martial arts and seems to have changed. Changed.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I mean it's sure there's other factors. This is some. One of the notes that says the move aligns with a broader shift to the right and Meta's leadership and comes as President elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. How about we just say it moves instead of like being. It moves closer to what is right by the American law, not right or left.

[Chris Hansen]

And I don't know if you've been on X. The community notes change they've done is awesome.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

I mean you real time have people fact checking. Right. But it's it's not politically biased and it's not. You're not being just shut down. I feel like that was the other part of Meta too. Right. Is they were just censoring and shutting down accounts, completely removing your voice.

[Ryan Alford]

Obviously the other side and other people feel like it's political pandering. And I just feel like, when is.

[Chris Hansen]

More censorship better ever?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, when. When is that? It's. And I get. And even in Mark acknowledge, we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down. You know, so there are trade offs, but there are trade offs when you have free speech and when you have freedoms. And, you know, for the most part, we've got to live with the good and the bad. It's what makes this and. And more good happens than bad when you don't censor.

[Chris Hansen]

Right. And make it make sense. I know they changed like, or on the topic. I just thought of this. I know they changed some other policies. You know, this is relevant to Ryan and I. We have another company called Vacay with hemp products. There was heavily censorship on Instagram and Facebook with those types of products. Cannabis, medical marijuana. They changed policy on that too. I saw. Because I know even when we've dealt with that, it's like there's some really vile stuff you can look at on Instagram. God forbid we post a sleep gummy jar. You know what I mean? And I think that's where now too, we're coming to more of a balanced approach of quote unquote censorship. Like, maybe the sleep gummy is okay, but the naked girls could be censored a little more if we're gonna do anything. Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's funny how, you know, the, the lines get drawn. It's just.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Follow the money. A lot of times it brings me.

[Chris Hansen]

Back to the whole, like, you need to be vaccinated, but also my body, my choice. It's like, all right, well, which, which.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, which is it? You know, but that's. But it's better for everyone else if. If, you know, like, everybody's spinning something, you know, let's just admit it. And so let's all be able to, you know, put our spin on it and have the community notes, like, okay, it needs that. That's fine. But don't I look at the community.

[Chris Hansen]

Notes as like the town hall that you're giving the people a voice? Because my understanding. Community notes, I think works where people can vote on the fact checkers response. And based on that, that's what becomes the community. No.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Chris Hansen]

So it's a collective agreement, not just some third party saying no, false. Because I don't believe in this.

[Ryan Alford]

I think I'm just gonna strike this up to Mark coming to his senses a little bit here and evolving as a business leader along that same thing. UFC boss to join the board of Facebook.

[Chris Hansen]

Wild.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Several appointments to Meta. Meta's board. I mean, just a quick note here. How many people still call Meta Facebook and how many people still call X Twitter? There's been like the worst changeover in names of all time ever.

[Chris Hansen]

I've never called it meta and I tip.

[Ryan Alford]

And for the most part I, I like the guys that, you know, have done it, but like it just shows you that's a hard genie to put back in the bottle or to change.

[Chris Hansen]

It's like a hard rebrand.

[Ryan Alford]

Hard rebrand who? I mean, what percent of people truly call Meta Meta and what percent call employees?

[Chris Hansen]

The people that work there? Probably that's it, I would assume.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Because even why isn't the app say meta? It's also Facebook.

[Ryan Alford]

Like I think they know. Yeah, yeah. And I think if Mark had to do that one over again, he probably would. I don't know that Elon would because he's kind of had at least some rationale around X for a long time. Owned like X.com for like 10 or 15 years or something like that, but it's like that's gone well.

[Chris Hansen]

Named X2.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Yes, he does think soda and seven. No, that was from Seinfeld. That was his favorite. That was George's favorite names. Soda and seven. Anyway, random names and cupcake. UFC CEO Dana White, John Elkin and Charlie Songhurst. Elkin is the head of Exor Song. Hurst is an ex Microsoft executive and they're all on the Meta slash Facebook board. Zuckerberg highlighted their expertise in AI, wearables and future technologies. Dana White, a close ally of Donald Trump, transformed UFC into a global business. White expressed excitement about contributing to AI and emerging technologies. He's known for advocating free speech. White has faced controversies, including a viral exchange over anti LGBT remarks by UFC fighters. It's like they gotta throw this in there like anything. Yeah, that goes. Who wrote this article? Oh, okay. Yeah, I know why. Mainstream media. All left leaning. Meta Trump relations. Meta's recent moves signal improved relations with Trump after a history of tension, especially post January 2021's Capitol riot. Mark Zuckerberg donated 1 million to Trump's inauguration fund and had personal engagements with him. Were you aware of that? The million dollar Trump's inauguration fund.

[Chris Hansen]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. What do you make of that? Smart business.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah. Politics. I want to attribute all of it to. To jiu jitsu and a change of heart, but I just think there's a lot more moving parts.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Then that going on.

[Ryan Alford]

I think so. So we can call that what it is, but at the same time, I can appreciate that he's getting some tougher points of view on the board. Yeah. You know, Dana White won't take any. He's gonna speak his mind, you know, like it, love or leave it. And he's built a global empire with ufc. You know, probably. I don't know if it's the fastest growing, but it's one of the most popular sports in the world right now, across the board. I mean, I know soccer is always a behemoth and American football here, but UFC is kind of universally. I mean, it's blasted boxing, you know, like, geez. Boxing is kicking out his own way with cheating scandals, bad judges, and who knows what, and fights taking too long to put together. Dana gets the out of the way. It's like, all right, here we go. Got one. You don't have all these organizations. It's just the usc, right. Middleweight, heavyweight, bantamweight, whatever it is. You don't have the ibf, wbo, wbc. Good God. All they do is get in the way of boxing. Geez. Dana knows how to build business, streamline it, build a global brand, put the players or. And, or the fighters, you know, as the champions and putting them out there, their personal brands and all that stuff. So he gets it. We'll see what kind of impact that has. But hats off to Mark. Didn't know if. I don't know if I'd ever say that on the show, you know, kind of panned the metaverse for so long, which he, you know, is still not really come to fruition, that I wasn't sure that I would ever agree with anything Mark Zuckerberg did. But you know what? We can all change. And I'm not just saying change because he came to my belief side or something like that. These are just common sense things to me. There's some politics going on here. Yes. But I think the board stuff, you know, some smart people with diverse backgrounds, I think that's the way you got to grow. Right.

[Chris Hansen]

You got to. And they know they needed a change there. I mean, people were pissed off. Everyone knew there was a lot of censorship going on.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

So, and we've talked about it, I think Facebook's numbers are, they're not growing. Right. I mean most people are using different platforms. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook's. If it was my cloud.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I mean they had such a high percentage like, you know, they got 300 million users, something like they got 70% of the US or something like that. It's hard to grow on top of that base. There's only one direction to go. And with other platforms growing, you're losing attention. I mean it's all a battle for attention and time on site. Why they want time on site because they have ads and everything else that they're selling. So if you're in a battle and a race for, for the mind share of attention and people spending time on the platform, you've got to continue to evolve that platform to what you're seeing and feeling and what's again, acknowledging things that went a little too far. So we'll see. I, I, I, I think it will have an, I mean these are things that will have an impact on people, I think coming back to the platform, should it come to fruition, the way it's laid out here. Right. Next up here we've got Toyota is exploring rockets. Just rock.

[Chris Hansen]

Natural progression. Tacomas, Tundras and rockets.

[Ryan Alford]

No as well EVs, batteries, not rockets. Like we're, we're out with the out. Okay. No gasoline. We're going to electric. Nah, we're going straight to rockets, baby. They announced a 7 billion dollar investment in Interstellar Technologies, a Japanese startup developing orbital rockets, expand mobility beyond Earth and compete with companies like Elon Musk, SpaceX. The future of mobility shouldn't be limited to just Earth or just one car company for that matter. So Toyota stated at CES this past week the start, the startup that they bought conducted seven launches of its suborbital MOMO, not FOMO MOMO rockets reaching space for the first time in 2019. Says plans include developing the 0A DECA rocket lines to deliver satellites into orbit. Hey, they want to get in on that government money, right? That's what this sounds like. And you know, they don't want Bezos being the only one launching rockets in it.

[Chris Hansen]

I mean everyone's launching rockets. We're like, what are we launching? Where are we going? Are we all going to be riding in rockets soon? Because I'm a little confused.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes. It says Toyota's move into space technologies reflects growing interest among automakers to diversify into emerging industries like space exploration. Yeah, but like how do you really go into space. Like, you hear about like a hand.

[Chris Hansen]

Richard Branson and like Jeff Bezos and his friends.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. The investment is a strategic step to compete in Japan's growing private space market and on the global, global stage with companies like SpaceX. I don't know if this is just PR and like, they're obviously making real money. I mean, $7 billion.

[Chris Hansen]

This is my question. Yeah, because they have a quote here, right? We're exploring rockets too, because the future of mobility shouldn't be limited to just Earth or one car company for that matter. Okay, well then why aren't our aeronautical and airplane companies making this? Like, why is it our car companies? Why isn't Boeing announcing? You know what I mean?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Chris Hansen]

Not that I'm sure Boeing is working with companies like X and contracting and whatnot, but it's just like, are any of us looking at rockets as mobility in our near future?

[Ryan Alford]

No, not, not in our lifetime, buddy.

[Chris Hansen]

And even if it was, how many people? Like, yeah, dude, let's go. Where are we going? Mars?

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, this is not a consumer news bit here. It's like business. Like, it's interesting though, and it's, it just shows you. So the influence of Elon too, with what he's doing with SpaceX and all that, like, they're just like, I want to get in on that. They don't want to lose the, the PR war either. Of all the news cycle.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, even when Elon's not talking About Tesla and EVS, SpaceX is in the news. And so it's mind share again. Attention share, brand share. And yeah, they're spending real money on real technology and real rockets. But this stuff is not going to impact probably for the next 20 years, so it matters. But this is, this is like, yeah.

[Chris Hansen]

Dude, look at my Prius. We're building rockets now too, bro.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Okay, Somebody's sitting in a room somewhere going, look, we got all these articles written about the rockets. You know, that's the, that's the win right now. Lots of zeros on that, that check they're writing. Speaking of lots of zeros, massive Tuna sold for 1.3 million at Japan auction. 1.3 million. I need to start fishing, man. I think I got to get that big rod out. Gotta start fishing. A 600 pound bluefin tuna sold for 1.3 million at Toyosu Toyoso Market's first auction of 2025. It was made by the Ondera Group, a Japanese company operating sushi restaurants and other business. That's A lot of sushi, man. 600 pounds bluefin. But that must be some expensive stuff. Like, it better be tasty. I. I wouldn't mind having a little of that, A little bite of that. 1.3.

[Chris Hansen]

I feel like I've tried it before somewhere.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, I've had bluefin tuna, but I don't know if it's this special place, you know, that like.

[Chris Hansen]

Well, they're saying star restaurants, and it's definitely some fancy. Because my question is, does the tuna taste better if it's 600 pounds versus 300 pounds?

[Ryan Alford]

I don't know.

[Chris Hansen]

Is a $1.3 million tuna tastes better than a $600,000 tuna would.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, in a taste test. Yeah, just like wine, like, line them up. Thousand dollar bottle, $500 bottle.

[Chris Hansen]

I would guarantee you people could taste the difference. There's probably. You know what I mean? It's like you and I drinking coffee and there's people like, oh, you can't taste the difference in the beans.

[Ryan Alford]

Am I gonna be frowned upon for having rice and soy sauce on this?

[Chris Hansen]

Yes. You put wasabi on this.

[Ryan Alford]

Is this like the equivalent of putting like a one on your steak? Yeah, yeah. And I don't even do that. I don't do that. Oh, you do. You're a one guy.

[Chris Hansen]

Not, not at a. Not like Ruth Chris or something, but.

[Ryan Alford]

Because they won't give it to you.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, they'll be like, get out of here.

[Ryan Alford]

Get out of here. I don't like to kill the. Like, I put a little salt, pepper, some seasonings, different things on the mirrored, like on the outside of the steak, like the char. But then I don't really want anything else, you know, maybe butter, like, I know that's Ruth's Chris saying, but butter.

[Chris Hansen]

Patty almost depends on the cut and how it's prepared.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, you know, I get a, you know, cheap steakhouse, like old school. Ryan's Quincy Steakhouse.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, I might want some.

[Ryan Alford]

A1. Give me some. 57 on Heinz 57, ketchup and mustard mixed together. Whatever it is. Their secret sauce.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, whatever it is.

[Ryan Alford]

Every secret sauce is a combination of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise mixed with just in different ratios and vinegar. It's like, oh, here we have the.

[Chris Hansen]

Heinz 57 barbecue just has more. More mustard than ketchup.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly. Secret sauce. I wonder. There's no secret sauce here for the 1.3 million bluefin. And in our automation story of the week, Chick Fil A is moving to a factory that automates the squeezing of their Lemons saying they're going to save 10,000 hours of work from the workforce and a lot of fingers that are. They get smashed up squishing those things. And Chris and I had debate before the the show. Is it still considered fresh squeezed if it's not done by a human? I guess fresh still means it's a fresh squeezed lemon. No matter if it's a robot, a machine or a human, you know, but I mean, if you're not, the blood, sweat, tears are squeezing those things with your hand, you know.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah. That human energy love isn't going.

[Ryan Alford]

I will say Chick Fil A's got some good lemonade now.

[Chris Hansen]

Like they have great lemonade. And. And we also said, I'm impressed it's not concentrate. I'm impressed that they're actually squeezing lemons.

[Ryan Alford]

Yep. So fresh lemons, water and sugar and. But even that diet lemonade is pretty good. Linda or whatever, craving it now.

[Chris Hansen]

Dude, I might need to make a run after this. Going to meet me and Ryan's doctor. Be like, hey, brother, let's make a quick stop at Chick fil A. He's gonna love that.

[Ryan Alford]

He's like, you get the diet lemonade.

[Chris Hansen]

Like really ordering sugar water right in front of me, dude.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, that. You know, we've already talked about how they pull the wool over your eyes. You know, Chick Fil A's fooled everybody. And thinking that's acts like the healthy choice for the kids.

[Chris Hansen]

Right?

[Ryan Alford]

Still French fries and fried chicken, but you know, it's Chick Fil a baby, so it's got to be good.

[Chris Hansen]

Yeah, but we believe in God, so.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, they're like, yeah, doing God's work. And I do love Chick Fil A. I like to. I like people there like the brand had their former CMO on the, on the show in our weekly interview episode. And good guy. But no more squeezing the lemons by hand. Just evolution here, Chris. Everything changes. The robot's coming.

[Chris Hansen]

It's coming. Take note.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, take note. Raleigh's fired up here on the show. Thank our sponsor, Exponent. X marks the spot for energy plant based. All the good stuff, none of the bad stuff. They do fuel Ryan Alford and right about now. So we appreciate them. Check them out at Drink Exponent on Instagram and their website. That's the feed. Find them and you will thank me. It's. It's like, it tastes healthy. It tastes like, you know, we're talking about the, the natural lemon flavor. Their flavors taste like the flavor you would think it would. It doesn't taste artificial. That's what I like about them. And it, it feels healthy. It's a clean energy. And all the best products that go into ingredients. So appreciate exponent. Appreciate them. That's all we got for this week. Send our love to California. Let's get that taken care of. Chris, any final thoughts?

[Chris Hansen]

Everyone, have a great weekend. Kick off the year to a great start and hit the ground running.

[Ryan Alford]

There we go. Hey, stick with those resolutions, whatever they are, just stick with goals. Get your goals together. Let's make 2025 the best year yet. The best is yet to come on this show in life and in general. Be positive, stay safe, look out for one another. I appreciate Chris Hansen. I appreciate you for listening to this show. We know you have choices. Thank you for making us number one. Ryanisright.com, you'll find all the highlight clips, links to our sponsors, and links to social media. We'll see you next time. Right about now, this has been right.

About now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast network production. Visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.