You can’t have missed it - the Women's World Cup has come to town! And the big conversation in the lead up to this world cup has been around prize money... cause FIFA offers women one-quarter as much money as the men. The 2023 World Cup has a total prize pool of $110m, compared to $440m for the men’s World Cup last year. We’re not here to make a case either way. Instead, we thought we could do our job as a business podcast and add some more numbers to the conversation. So you have some more cont...
Jul 20, 2023•19 min
Bad news everyone - we might need to go outside! In a world where most of us are spending some part of our day glued to a screen… our constant stream of content might be slowing down. For the last few months, Hollywood writers have walked off the job. And just last week, actors have also ‘downed tools’ for lack of a better word. It's not like there's not work to be done - Sascha has at least 5 streaming services! What exactly is the issue? Today, Alec and Sascha discuss the economics of the Holl...
Jul 18, 2023•25 min
We look forward to a password-less future.” Those were the world’s of Apple’s VP of Internet Technologies, Darin Adler, at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Apple isn’t the only company planning for a password-less future. In fact, as far back as 2004, Bill Gates envisioned the death of the password. Yet, almost 20 years later, the password remains undefeated in internet security. But when Apple sets its mind - and considerable resources - to something, it is often successful. So m...
Jul 16, 2023•23 min
In the future, obesity may be a choice. That is the bold claim being made by the pharmaceutical companies behind a generation of new weight loss drugs. If you’re a follower of Hollywood, you may have heard of the big one - Ozempic - but it is just the tip of the iceberg. Because recent trials of new drugs have yielded even better results than Ozempic. What was just last year a miracle drug, may soon be old news. Today Alec and Sascha chat about what is happening with the rapid developments of we...
Jul 13, 2023•19 min
Did you grow up hearing stories about the space race between the USA and USSR? Laika the space dog, Neil Armstrong, the Apollo missions... these moments and stories have quickly become modern legends. But all those decades ago... That was a space race was between two governments. Today, we’re in the midst of a new space race. Just this time it isn’t governments building the rockets and footing the bills, it is billionaires. Simon and Sascha ask - what’s driving this new race, to space? Want more...
Jul 11, 2023•16 min
In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg said it Twitter, “[It] is such a mess - it's as if they drove a clown car into a gold mine and fell in.” But hang on, ten years later, he’s mining for that gold. Mark Zuckerberg the billionaire founder of Facebook is no doubt an incredible entrepreneur. But his critics are fixated on one thing - he has a habit of copying his social media competitors. Threads is probably the most salient example of that last week - cause let’s face it - it's a Twitter clone. It has been t...
Jul 09, 2023•22 min
We know Sascha is a sucker for pop-culture news, and isn't too ashamed to admit that she clicked on all the headlines announcing the end of Spotify’s deal with a certain royal couple. But this snarky celebrity headline is part of a much much larger pivot. We’ve seen an end to similar personality-led podcast deals - last year, the Obama’s quietly stepped away from renewing their agreement, and instead took their production company Higher Ground across to Audible. And last month Spotify announced ...
Jul 06, 2023•20 min
It’s one of our favourite episode styles today - unpacking three short, sharp headlines that have stopped us in our tracks this week… So, what's on the list? Shein - a fast fashion company that’s famous for its scale and speed - (it produces over 70 times the amount of styles as H&M) - has just announced an IPO. John McEnroe might be joining you in your living room for every Wimbledon match this season - thanks to the power of AI. And… a new company has finally reached the $3 trillion club. ...
Jul 04, 2023•19 min
Did you know there’s a Barbie movie coming up this summer? If your answer is no. Well you’ve clearly not got the same social media algorithm as Sascha. That weekend is circled in her calendar. It's been hard to avoid - the owner of Barbie - Mattel - has inked more than 100 partnerships in the lead up to the film which lands 21 July - everything and everyone from Airbnb to Target to Microsoft are all collaborating with the toy company in preparation for the release. But there is a bigger story at...
Jul 02, 2023•16 min
Do you have a little one in the house? You'll need no introduction to Bluey, the seven-year old Blue Heeler - and her family, Bingo, Bandit and Chili, premiered on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. The Australian preschool animated television series has well and truly become a global phenomenon. It's beloved by famous faces around the work, and is now available internationally on Disney+. Today Simon and Sascha ask - how big really is the business of Bluey? Want more Equity Mates? Click here . In the ...
Jun 29, 2023•15 min
Over the weekend, The Wagner Group, led by outspoken Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a rebellion that seized two Russian cities. But it was a blink and you miss it moment, almost over as soon as it began. Reaching a deal with the Kremlin, Prigozhin ordered his soldiers to stand down and fled to Belarus where he will retire. The whole saga left us with a lot of questions. So today, Alec and Sascha ask - what is the business of private mercenary groups like The Wagner Group? Want more Equity Mates? Clic...
Jun 27, 2023•21 min
It was heralded as the next big global trend… but now it appears meatless meat , it turns out, seems less a world-changing innovation than another food trend whose novelty is wearing thin. Today Alec and Sascha consider - where did it all go wrong with fake meat? Want more Equity Mates? Click here . In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of The Dive acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. ...
Jun 25, 2023•16 min
We’re living in the Golden Age of television - inundated with choice. Netflix alone has 17,000 titles on offer. - and then there’s Paramount, Disney, Stan, Binge, Prime. When we were in the states recently, I watched Jury Dury - that runaway hit that everyone’s talking about - available on Prime here - but in the states I watched it on FreeVee - Amazon’s ad supported streaming service. It’s a new app in a new ecosystem called FAST - free ad supported streaming television. The surprising thing I ...
Jun 22, 2023•16 min
Here's a headline: 4 week old AI startup raised $113 million dollars. That's the amount for a company with no revenue, and no product, they managed to convince investors to put in more than $100 million dollars. It feels like the lyrics of a Dire Straits song… Money for nothing. Today Alec and Sascha ask if they're missing something here... or is this a sign that AI hype is reaching fever pitch? Want more Equity Mates? Click here . In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the host...
Jun 20, 2023•14 min
In a changing economic climate - amidst all of this conversation of interest rate rises, and cost of living pressures - one thing seems to always be the same - the price of property ticks ever upwards. But why? Only a few months ago, reports had prices falling with the rising interest rates. But now, there's a lot of headlines with phrases like, ‘prices surging’ and ‘record highs’. Today Alec and Sascha ask, is there ever going to be a path to affordability in the Australian property market? And...
Jun 18, 2023•25 min
Over the last year, there’s been a drama unfolding in the headlines. Two war-ing factions who’ve been sledging each other in the courts and the media, there’s been allegations of betrayal, and hypocrisy, and most notably - huge amounts of money have changed hands. Then, just last week, almost as suddenly as it started… a truce was declared. The scene for this melodrama isn’t reality TV, it’s not even politics - it’s the golfing green. The PGA and LIV Golf - after 12 months of public fighting - d...
Jun 15, 2023•20 min
A number of notable companies have been using carbon offsets to achieve climate goals. I mean, the starting point here is that no company is truly carbon neutral. If you use computers, transport any physical goods or use electricity - you’ve got emissions. So, how do companies achieve carbon neutrality? They buy offsets. For each tonne of carbon emitted, they buy a credit that offsets their carbon emission - making them neutral. Carbon credits are big business. According to Morgan Stanley, the m...
Jun 13, 2023•18 min
The last few weeks have been dominated with headlines around the PricewaterhouseCoopers tax scandal. The consulting firm have found themselves under fire over revelations some senior partners misused confidential information provided to them. They used this information to assist and seek other clients - telling them they could avoid paying more tax. The company’s Australian CEO has quit, nine senior partners have been stood down, and as more is revealed, more questions seem to surface. So, it se...
Jun 11, 2023•19 min
Apple launches are huge. When the company announces a new product - it's becomes both a technological and cultural touchpoint. Think about some of the big trends in years past - the iPod, the iPhone, Airpods! Cause when Apple tells us something is cool - we tend to believe them. This week, Apple revealed it was launching its first big product in over a decade. The anticipation was high. So, what’s the hot new product we’re all going to be lining up to get our hands on? A Mixed Reality headset. T...
Jun 08, 2023•23 min
We're back! Did you miss us? Today Alec and Sascha discuss a legal debacle involving a lawsuit against Colombian airline, Avianca. Plaintiff Roberto Mata claimed to be injured by a serving cart during a flight, but a brief presented by his lawyer, Steven Schwartz, created chaos. The brief, prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT - an AI program - cited several non-existent court cases. Schwartz admitted to his reliance on AI for legal research, sparking a discussion about the reliability of arti...
Jun 06, 2023•19 min
Take your mind back about 18 months. The buzz word at the time in the tech world was the Metaverse. Investment was flowing. Any company that mentioned they were getting into the Metaverse was attracting attention. Facebook literally changed its name to Meta. But now... It's all come crashing back to earth. So... was the metaverse just a phase? Or is it like many other disruptive technologies that just take time to develop? Today Darcy and Sascha want to know, what’s happened to the Metaverse? Te...
Apr 30, 2023•14 min
What came as a shock to some of the people in the office - Tupperware is actually a brand - not just a plastic container. So when we heard last week that shares in Tupperware tumbled nearly 50 per cent and the company has revealed it engaged financial advisers to help it secure financing, we were intrigued. The company is in such dire straits it’s in danger of being delisted by the New York Stock Exchange. Today we want to know - what has brought on the demise of such an iconic brand? And what’s...
Apr 27, 2023•16 min
You’re in the market for a new car. You’re a forward thinking, environmentally conscious individual, so you buy a brand new electric vehicle. It’s not a small amount of money you decide to part with either - the most affordable electric cars in Australia are still upwards of 45k. Luckily the Australian government is on your side - they introduced legislation last year to help knock a bit off the price of cars. But you’re happy with the decision. For one thing - you’re not paying what you used to...
Apr 25, 2023•13 min
A recent report from the International Monetary Fund has reached a stark conclusion for Australia: out of the 27 countries they analysed, Australia's housing market is the second riskiest. Tune in to today's episode of The Dive to hear Bryce and Ren unpack the IMF's findings and what it might mean for Australian homeowners. After that, Bryce and Ren unpack two more stories that caught their eye: South Korea is paying reclusive children $500 a month to go outside and Ghana has become the first co...
Apr 23, 2023•15 min
What’s the best animated film ever made? There's a myriad of options… Frozen, Finding Nemo, Aladdin… The Lion King. But there’s one name now that tops them all: The Super Mario Bros Movie. It’s not been a critical success - but that hasn’t stopped the film being a juggernaut. It took in $377 million USD in its opening weekend in cinemas and broke the opening weekend record for two categories of films - video game adaptations, beating Warcraft’s $210m, and animated films beating Frozen 2’s $358m....
Apr 20, 2023•18 min
We all know we Australians are obsessed with a property story. It’s certainly been hard to avoid the resounding chorus of news reports about the housing crisis. In fact we already covered this topic in an episode at the beginning of the year - forecasting this very situation - that the availability of homes would get a lot worse before there was any sense of relief. Lately there’s been headlines that attribute another cause as the primary rationale for the cause of the rental crisis: We have a r...
Apr 18, 2023•12 min
Join Sascha and Darcy as they travel through three headlines that have them intrigued. Apparently, Twitter no longer exists, one million people are going to be given free vapes in the UK. Lastly - a pair of trainers were sold for $2.2 million dollars. But these aren't just any trainers, and their sale broke a record in this division. Tell us what you think of The Dive - email us at thedive@equitymates.com. Follow our Instagram here, or find out more here . Stay engaged with the Equity Mates comm...
Apr 16, 2023•17 min
ChatGPT is one of the fastest growing applications in history. It has set off a frenzy of competitors trying to play catchup and release their own versions of generative AI. But the standout still is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, backed by Microsoft. But not everyone is a fan. ChatGPT has recently been banned in Italy, and it might not be the last country to do so. We’ve also seen Elon Musk and Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak sign a petition calling for a pause in developing these AI models so greater safety...
Apr 13, 2023•17 min
Still catching your breath from Succession this week? If you’re joining us for the first time - welcome! This is the second episode of a two part series we’re releasing on The Dive. Last episode, Sascha spoke with Sarah Ellison - staff writer at The Washington Post - about the case beginning on the 17th April - Fox News v Dominion Voting Systems. Closer to home, there’s another defamation case playing out. Lachlan Murdoch personally filed defamation proceedings against Crikey, an online news out...
Apr 11, 2023•21 min
Are you also obsessed with Succession? The HBO drama is the topic of choice around the office watercooler, and we can't get enough of the show loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty. At the same time this show is all over our television screens, the real life family are facing two very high profile court cases, on two different continents. One that's scheduled to take place at the end of the month in the USA, is Fox News V Dominion Voting Systems. The other is here in Australia - where Lachlan Mur...
Apr 09, 2023•14 min
