The Rundown: Uber Boosts Guidance, Disney’s Streaming & Park Growth, Market Tariffs, and Company Movers
Host: Zaid Admani | Date: August 6, 2025

Main Theme

This episode delivers a concise update on major market movers, focusing on new tariff threats under President Trump, corporate earnings—especially from Disney and Uber—and notable stock movements. It also spotlights economic trends affecting US and global markets, with actionable insights for investors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Recap & Tariff Threats

• Market Performance: S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped ~0.5%. S&P’s in a “bit of a funk” after 5 of 6 down days.
• Tariff Announcements:
  • President Trump announced potential tariffs on semiconductor and pharmaceutical imports (some as high as 250%), causing market volatility.
  • No update given on the expiring US-China trade truce (expires August 12).
• Market Outlook: Increased potential for volatility in coming weeks due to tariff uncertainty.
• Quote [01:04]:

  “The quote that probably had the biggest impact on the markets was when President Trump said that tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports would be announced within the next week or so. He followed that up by saying pharmaceutical tariffs could be up to 250%. So, that was a bit of a shocker.” — Zaid Admani

2. Disney Earnings: Streaming and Theme Parks Shine

• Financials:
  • Revenues up 2% YoY ($23.6B), Net income more than doubled ($5.9B).
• Streaming Division:
  • Profits up 6% to $346M; on track for $1.3B in 2025 operating profit.
  • 183M Disney+ and Hulu subscribers (combined).
  • “You gotta give it to Disney on the turnaround in streaming, because they used to lose billions of dollars a year, and now they’re expected to see over a billion dollars in profit.” [02:27]
• Parks, Cruises, and Experiences:
  • Revenues up 8%, profits up 13% to $2.2B.
  • Signals continued consumer demand for travel/entertainment spend.
• Challenged Divisions:
  • Traditional TV: Revenue down 15%, profits down 28%.
    • “Even my boomer parents watch more YouTube these days than traditional cable TV. I think the only reason they still have their cable subscription is to watch Wheel of Fortune.” [03:30]
  • Movie Studio: Lost $21M—even with ‘Lilo & Stitch’ success, other releases like Pixar’s ‘Elio’ and Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’ flopped.
• New Initiatives:
  • Standalone ESPN streaming launches this month ($30/mo).
  • New deals with NFL and WWE (exclusive WrestleMania rights starting in 2026).
• CEO Focus: Bob Iger doubling down on streaming and sports.

3. Uber: Beat Estimates, Buybacks & Autonomous Growth

• Financials:
  • Revenue up 18% ($12.6B, beat estimates), $20B share buyback announced.
  • User base up 15% (180M), rides up 18% (3.3B trips).
  • Guidance for Q3 bookings: $48.25B-49.75B (ahead of expectations).
• Growth Drivers:
  • Cross-selling between rides/food—12% of delivery bookings now originate in the rides app (about $10B bookings).
  • “You open up the Uber app for a ride, and the next thing you know, you’re ordering sushi from UberEats on your Uber ride home.” [05:03]
• Room for Expansion:
  • In top 10 markets, only 1 in 5 adults use Uber monthly—lots of runway left.
• Autonomous Vehicles:
  • 20+ global partners, including Waymo and Baidu.
  • Five new self-driving deployments coming in H2 2025.
  • Waymo vehicles in Austin already outpacing 99% of human Uber drivers in daily trips.
    • “The average Waymo vehicle is already doing more daily trips than 99% of human Uber drivers...” [06:36]
  • Expansion in Austin (with Waymo) and Abu Dhabi (with Weride).

4. Stocks on the Move

• McDonald’s:
  • Shares up >3%.
  • Snaps back after quarters of same-store sales decline—global sales up 6%, US up 2.5%.
  • Attributed to new menu launches (Snack Wrap), return to value messaging, social media-driven nostalgia.
  • Plans to introduce more new items like spicy chicken nuggets and McCrispy strips.
• AMD:
  • Shares down ~5%.
  • AI chip business slowed in Q2 due to China export restrictions.
  • Introduction of China-compliant MI350 chip, with ramp in H2 2025.
    • “Nvidia is the NBA, and AMD might be like your local rec league. That might be going a little too far.” [09:27]
  • Data center sales up 14% YoY (vs. Nvidia’s 70%).
• Snap (Snapchat):
  • Shares down over 15%.
  • Revenue rose 9%, but core ad business (87% of total) only up 4%—badly lagging peers (Meta, Google, Amazon, Reddit).
  • Q2 restructuring error led to premium ad slots sold too cheaply, directly impacting margins.
  • Subscription revenue grew 63% (now at 16M paid subs), but not enough to offset ad weakness.

5. Fun Fact: The Chrysler Building Up for Sale

• Why is it on the market? Owners don’t own the land (leased from Cooper Union), who plan to hike annual rent from $30M to $41M by 2028; owners already $21M behind on rent.
• Building maintenance expensive (built in 1930), and lease structure makes negotiations tricky.
  • “Like, what kind of leverage do you have if you’re the building owner, the landowner can just keep jacking up your rent. What are you going to do, move?” [11:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Streaming Success at Disney:

  “You gotta give it to Disney on the turnaround in streaming, because they used to lose billions of dollars a year, and now they’re expected to see over a billion dollars in profit.” [02:27]

• On Autonomous Vehicles at Uber:

  “The average Waymo vehicle is already doing more daily trips than 99% of human Uber drivers...” [06:36]

• On AMD vs. Nvidia:

  “Nvidia is the NBA, and AMD might be like your local rec league. That might be going a little too far.” [09:27]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00 – 01:30: Market Overview, Trump Tariff Comments
• 01:31 – 04:30: Disney Earnings Breakdown
• 04:31 – 07:25: Uber Earnings and Autonomous Expansion
• 07:26 – 09:20: McDonald’s, AMD Moves
• 09:21 – 10:33: Snap’s Earnings Miss and Ad Business Error
• 10:34 – End: Chrysler Building Listed for Sale

Summary & Takeaway

This episode covers how political uncertainty (new tariffs) and earnings volatility continue to drive markets, while highlighting resilience at Disney and Uber’s operational momentum—especially in streaming, parks, and autonomous tech. Contrasts in big tech and consumer behavior trends are outlined through the lens of AMD, Nvidia, McDonald’s, and Snap, offering direct, actionable perspectives for investors.