The Capitalist Investor - Episode 121 Elon Musk transfixed Twitter once again. But in a new type of way he’s ever done before. How will Musk change the scope of social media now that he’s taken a position and will serve as a board member for Twitter? He’s shown his power and what he’s capable of, hopefully he’s capable of finally bringing an edit button to the world. This week, Derek, Luke, and Tony cover the niche topics and events of the week and fill in on the news as it unfolds. Musk’s new stake in Twitter, the revival of cruises, and the excitement surrounding the Masters Tournament this weekend –– are a sample of topics that the guys go beneath the surface of. Episode #121 of “The Capitalist Investor,” tackles what everyone’s been talking all while giving a glimpse on what they will be talking about.Outline of this Episode:[2:45] Elon Musk moves in big ways[9:20] The summer of cruises[15:50] The Masters will always be about Tiger Woods[21:45] Masters picks and oddsFrom owning on Twitter… to being an owner of TwitterElon Musk has always been a vocal figure and one that speaks his mind about government, policy, politicians and well, social media. Over the years, he’s continued to gain notoriety and spark debate on social media platforms, particularly Twitter. Since the beginning of the Tesla CEO’s Twitter escapades, the world was slowly witnessing Musk tweet his way onto Twitter’s board of directors and be the platform’s largest outside shareholder. This past week, it was announced that Musk took a 9.2 percent position in Twitter –– about a $3 billion investment. Are we surprised? If you’ve been following Musk at all, whether it be at Tesla, his SpaceX company, or even simply actively following him on Twitter –– you can understand why the world’s richest man’s decision to take a passive stake in Twitter is quite surprising. But if not, we’ll explain. Simply put, Musk and Twitter never had the best relationship. Just recently, he openly criticized the platform’s ways of obstructing free speech principles and harming democracy. He widely condemned its way of banning users and censoring information. It wouldn’t make sense –– knowing who Musk is and the active roles he seeks out –– that he would assume a passive stake in the company. Passive investors are those who do not plan to change or influence the company they have a stake in. But then by Monday night it all made sense when Musk posted a Twitter poll asking users if they wanted an edit button –– a long-time debate and feature that many have called for. It was revealed that Musk had intentions of bringing some change to the platform. By Tuesday, Musk accepted a seat on the platform’s board of directors and refiled the disclosure of his investment to classify himself as an active holder. No matter what his investment intentions are –– it was riveting to see the events unfold in real time and see Musk use his capital power to debate the platform’s practices. He works in such large ways. Maybe Musk’s newest stake in Twitter could be a good thing. At least the hope of having an edit button seems more possible now. Cruises are back–– but this will be the year of traveling for both cruise lovers and hatersCarnival announced it booked more cruises this week than it has ever booked before. There seems to be two types of people out there: cruise people and non-cruise people. There doesn’t seem to be too much in between. But whether people identify as one or the other –– people want to travel again. It’s a beautiful thing to see. After the CDC removed the Covid-19 cruise ship warnings, cruise liners have been offering enticing deals more affordable than usual –– they’re just trying to bounce back from the last two years and attract people again. And for the most part, they’re succeeding. This goes with all travel though; it’s going to be an outstanding summer for the industry. People are eager, there’s just a steep demand to travel and take vacations without all the restrictions. But it will probably all happen all at once for the industry –– and then it won’t so much. Everything is much more expensive these days, people are looking to spend the discretionary income they have for traveling this summer and it might just revert to the mean. Despite the possibility of a short-term run –– there are some good deals to be had and opportunities to enjoy some normalcy again. Connect With Mark TepperTwitter: @MarkTepperSWPFollow Mark on LinkedInSend Mark a message hereThe SWP Connect YouTube ChannelConnect with Derek GabrielsenTwitter: @DerekGabrielsenFollow Derek on LinkedInSend Derek a message hereCheck out Derek’s YouTube channel!Connect With Luke LloydTwitter: @LloydBoyLukeFollow Luke on LinkedInSend Luke a message hereThe SWP Connect YouTube ChannelSend your questions and comments to us at info@SWPConnect.comSubscribe to The Capitalist Investor
