Sherwood got satellite imagery of Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory, where the Cybertrucks are made.
 

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Hey Snackers,

Can you smell what TKO is cooking? It’s a deal with ESPN for a reported $1.6 billion for the five-year streaming rights to 10 of the wrestling giant’s biggest events, including WrestleMania (which recently had record-breaking viewership), Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam. If true, that would be way, way above what Peacock reportedly paid for the same package in a previous deal, which certainly deserved a “woo!” from TKO shareholders but instead saw the shares hit the mat yesterday. In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin: “What?”

Tuesday’s drop was just another opportunity to buy the dip on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Nasdaq 100 outperformed with a 1.3% advance, while the Russell 2000 once again bucked the trend, dropping 0.2%.

 
CYBER INSECURITY

Where have all the Cybertrucks gone?

First Pete Seeger asked, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” then Paula Cole wondered, “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and now Sherwood News’ Rani Molla is looking into the seeming disappearance of Tesla Cybertrucks from its Gigafactory lot.

This spring, Sherwood got satellite imagery of Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory, where the Cybertrucks are made. Scans of lots that hold finished Teslas quickly revealed hundreds of Cybertrucks stashed outside the factory — their large rectangular profiles making them easily recognizable from space.

Already sales of the Cybertruck had begun to flag, so it seemed Tesla was stuck with the extras.

But when we checked satellite images of Tesla’s Texas parking lots again this summer, however, the stainless steel behemoths were no longer so apparent, as this cool interactive slider shows.

So, what happened? 

  • Tesla is making fewer Cybertrucks, as our chart up top shows. 
  • Tesla is selling fewer Cybertrucks, too. Rivian has replaced the Cybertruck as the “it” car in the tony Hamptons, and the Tesla trucks themselves have been the subject of vandalism across the country, which has likely also dampened demand.
  • Of course, Tesla may have concluded that storing Cybertruck inventory in a single spot is noticeable by smart people like Sherwood’s Molla and so now it’s mixing the Cybertrucks in with the rest of the lot.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tesla has certainly faced a bumpy road lately. Its most recent earnings report showed that overall automobile revenue dropped 16% year on year to $16.6 billion. It’s not just Cybertrucks: the EV maker sold 60,000 fewer vehicles in the second quarter than the same period the year prior. But it’s not all doom and gloom for Tesla, as its board recently approved a nearly $30 billion pay package for CEO Elon Musk to “recognize the extraordinary value that Elon created for Tesla shareholders” and keep him locked in as chief, which investors cheered.

Compare the satellite images yourself here.

 
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PIVOT TO VIDEO 

In the world of podcasts, YouTube is the elephant in the room

Earlier this week, Amazon announced it would be restructuring its Wondery podcast business as the landscape increasingly shifts toward host-centric, video-integrated shows. The decision comes as the podcast industry reinvents itself and signals that Amazon’s $300 million bet on the medium is getting more focused.

The elephant in the recording room is YouTube — the viral internet video giant that became a TV, music, advertising, and now podcast giant. An April survey revealed that 39% of all weekly podcast consumers use YouTube as their primary platform, more than double the share from late 2019. In February, the company estimated that more than a billion people a month are watching podcasts on the platform.

  • That’s right: watching. Podcast listeners across generations consume the medium differently — nearly three-quarters of respondents said they watch podcasts more often than listening to them. 
  • YouTube’s domination echoes its success in TV, where it’s routinely beating out Disney, Netflix, Paramount, and NBCUniversal.
  • Host-centric podcasts have been topping the leaderboard consistently, with some names you can guess grabbing six of the top 10 spots. 

THE TAKEAWAY

The days of the biggest podcasts being true crime shows and serialized investigations are long gone. Now, podcasts are things you can watch, listen, or multitask to — a bit like the late-night talk show format that is, ironically, struggling so much on linear TV.

Read more
 
THE BEST THING WE READ TODAY

Gen Z wants to go back to the office, actually

A recent survey found that fully remote work was least popular with Gen Z among all age groups surveyed, with only 23% saying they preferred working from home full time, whereas working on-site is least popular with this generation.

Why Gen Z doesn’t want to go fully remote: some theories.

 
OFF THE CHARTS

While Snap’s ad revenue growth is slower than its peers, which site saw the greatest jump in ad revenue last quarter?

Answer here.

 
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