Tuesday Feb.18, 2020

🍃Canopy Growth saves cannabis

_"Those our sales numbers? Nice."_
_"Those our sales numbers? Nice."_

Hey Snackers,

Pro tip for WeWork ex-CEO Adam Neuman: Don't put your $37.5M NYC penthouse on the market like you just did — just turn it into a coworking apartment.

Stocks rose last week despite a worsening coronavirus situation (the death toll is now higher than SARS').

Rise

Canopy Growth's surprise earnings hint at a cannabis turnaround

Cue the "high" jokes... Canopy Growth, Earth's biggest cannabis company, whipped up a surprise Friday: Stronger-than-expected revenues and a smaller-than-expected loss. Sales were up 62% from last quarter, and operating expenses were down 14%. That combo forms a soothing CBD balm on the bruised cannabis industry:

  • Canada's green wave: In October 2018, recreational weed was legalized nationwide in Canada, making Amsterdam feel Puritan.
  • The Willy-Wonka-moment investor dream: By early 2019, Aurora Cannabis, Tilray, and Canopy rocketed to multi-billion dollar valuations — everyone wanted to own a piece of the legal cannabis factory, which was expected to boom.
  • The buzzkill reality: Consumer demand didn't meet those sky-high expectations — and enthusiastic cannabis co's found they'd over-produced. Didn't help that the US legalization trend (11 states so far for recreational pot) seems to have stalled.
  • The popped bubble: Those top Canadian pot stocks started 2020 down by ~60% from the highs they reached just a year before — Tilray's fallen nearly 90%.

Aaaand exhale... Canopy's strong earnings lifted its own stock 13% on Friday. Then it passed the fun to the right — pot peers Aurora and Tilray both jumped almost 8%, and so did smaller cannabis companies in the US and Canada.

Is this the end of the dip?... Despite the bubble-hype, cannabis can still sit back and enjoy some trends in its favor: It's seen as a safer alternative to opioids, US states have legalized, and CBD-infused-everything is killing social stigma. Young industries just need time to mature, hash out their issues, and self-select leaders. But every cannabis company is different — Canopy rival Aurora just reported an almost $1B loss over just 3 months.

Highs

Who's up...

It's like Ben & Jerry's giving up dairy... 98% of Delta's hefty carbon footprint is jet fuel, so it's announced a new bold move: Become the world's 1st carbon neutral airline by 2030. Delta's splurging $1B starting in March to get there, but the plan is mostly through carbon offsets (paying for a certificate for someone else to plant trees or install solar panels). Sustainability pressure on a majorly polluting industry just hit a fresh milestone.

Wedding bells... T-Mobile and Sprint won approval from a judge for their long-delayed merger marriage — 13 states had sued to block the mega-merger, saying it would reduce competition and lead to pricier phone bills. But the judge doesn't think it's so clear. If this decision stands, we're left with a three-opoly of major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and the new T-Mobile.

Lows

...and who's down

Everybody hurts... even $1.4T Apple. On Monday, it revealed it doesn't expect to meet its 2nd quarter revenue forecasts — that's less than a month after posting its biggest quarterly profit. Ever. Coronavirus has slowed Apple's iPhone supply chain as factories shut across China. Plus, sales in China are already suffering as locals stay home instead of heading to work or shopping for new noise-cancelling AirPods.

Brand is everything... Ecommerce startup Brandless is shutting down after failing to build a brand without a brand. The Softbank-backed company tried to make products cheaper for consumers by saving on marketing costs, cutting out grocery stores, and deleting logos. But its no-frills, health-conscious go-to's ($3 organic cashew butter, cruelty-free moisturizer, etc) weren't able to compete in the crowded direct-to-consumer space where brand wins.

What else we’re Snackin’

  • Ask: The 5-word question to ask before leaving every meeting (and avoid endless "meeting drift")
  • Travel: The best-kept secret tourist spots in every state (for when you wanna be that edgy tourist)
  • Write: How to revive the hand-written love letter
  • Defined: You're probably living in it, but what really is capitalism?
  • Wonder: A mysterious radio source in deep space is sending signals to Earth in steady 16-day cycles

This Week

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World

Do you want to run the State Department of McDonald’s?

A couple of days ago, a tweet making fun at McDonald’s hiring a “Manager for Diplomatic Relations” went viral.

At first glance, the idea that McDonald’s, a burger franchise known for its double quarter pounders and perfectly salted fries, is expanding its diplomatic influence with policy makers in Foggy Bottom and the world at large sounds comical. But it’s actually crucial.

There are more than 40,000 McDonald’s locations spread across 115 countries around the world, and 90% of these stores are independently owned and operated franchises that pay royalties to the parent organization to operate. Tens of thousands of franchises operated by different owners with different beliefs, priorities, and values can get complicated, fast.

As we noted in Snacks in February, McDonald’s received heavy backlash from franchisees in countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan after McDonald’s Israel donated thousands of free meals to IDF personnel. But it wasn’t McDonald’s, as an entity, that made the donations. It was the owner of the company’s Israel franchises, who was acting under his own volition.

There are more than 40,000 McDonald’s locations spread across 115 countries around the world, and 90% of these stores are independently owned and operated franchises that pay royalties to the parent organization to operate. Tens of thousands of franchises operated by different owners with different beliefs, priorities, and values can get complicated, fast.

As we noted in Snacks in February, McDonald’s received heavy backlash from franchisees in countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan after McDonald’s Israel donated thousands of free meals to IDF personnel. But it wasn’t McDonald’s, as an entity, that made the donations. It was the owner of the company’s Israel franchises, who was acting under his own volition.

Nuke stocks up on AI excitement

For most of humanity, the thought of “nuclear-powered AI” sends a shiver down the spine. But the stock market is all for it! Just check out the list of top performing S&P 500 stocks this year. Just behind established AI plays — Super Micro Computer and Nvidia, you’ll find Constellation Energy, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S. NRG Energy, which also operates nuclear plants, isn’t far behind. Bloomberg reports that CEO of power distributor Exelon — which spun off Constellation in 2022 — says in the Chicago area alone, AI could drive a 900% jump in demand for energy from data centers.

Tech

China makes Apple remove WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram from app store

In its latest move to restrict foreign tech, Beijing has ordered Apple to remove a number of popular messaging apps from its app store there, including WhatsApp, Threads, Signal and Telegram.

These apps had only been available through VPNs but were popular nonetheless, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Apple said the Chinese government asked them to remove the apps in the iPhone maker’s second biggest market over “national security concerns.” Last week, China told its state-owned telecoms to phase out the use of US chips by 2027.

Apple said the Chinese government asked them to remove the apps in the iPhone maker’s second biggest market over “national security concerns.” Last week, China told its state-owned telecoms to phase out the use of US chips by 2027.

Business

Tesla's recall reveals just how bad Cybertruck delivery numbers have been

Thanks to a recall of Tesla’s Cybertrucks, we now know how many of them have actually been delivered: 3,878 since the EV company began releasing them to customers in November.

In its third and fourth quarter earnings report, Tesla said that its current Cybertruck production capacity was greater than 125,000 a year. Musk had previously said he expected to produce 250,000 Cybertrucks a year by 2025.

Either way, that’s a lot more than the roughly 775 it’s delivered each month so far.

The recall is over an issue with the gas pedal pad that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says when pressed, “may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal.” The cause of the issue: “unapproved” soap that the manufacturer used to aid in getting the pad on the pedal.

A Cybertruck customer this week posted a TikTok about a terrifying incident in which this happened and “held the accelerator down 100%” in his 6,000+ pound vehicle. Thanks to some quick thinking where he held down the brake and put it in park, he wasn’t injured.

This is the long-awaited Cybertruck’s second recall since it came out five months ago.

Either way, that’s a lot more than the roughly 775 it’s delivered each month so far.

The recall is over an issue with the gas pedal pad that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says when pressed, “may dislodge, which may cause the pedal to become trapped in the interior trim above the pedal.” The cause of the issue: “unapproved” soap that the manufacturer used to aid in getting the pad on the pedal.

A Cybertruck customer this week posted a TikTok about a terrifying incident in which this happened and “held the accelerator down 100%” in his 6,000+ pound vehicle. Thanks to some quick thinking where he held down the brake and put it in park, he wasn’t injured.

This is the long-awaited Cybertruck’s second recall since it came out five months ago.

Markets

Cocoa hits $11,000

Cocoa prices are breaking records on an almost daily basis — with cocoa futures closing at (another) all-time high of $11,020 per metric ton yesterday.

That’s up 158% since the start of the year, and over 4x on the typical prices seen in 2022 — as crop production continues to fall short of demand.

Major cocoa-producing nations like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which between them grow about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, have seen excessive tree failure due to disease, changing weather patterns, and hot, dry conditions causing devastating droughts.

As such, consumers are starting to see the effects of the largest cocoa supply deficit in over 60 years: “shrinkflation” and reduced-cocoa recipes might soon hit your favorite chocolate bars, and Hershey stock was recently downgraded. Unfortunately, the worst may still be yet to come: the International Cocoa Organization expects production to lag behind demand by 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season.

Cocoa prices

Major cocoa-producing nations like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which between them grow about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, have seen excessive tree failure due to disease, changing weather patterns, and hot, dry conditions causing devastating droughts.

As such, consumers are starting to see the effects of the largest cocoa supply deficit in over 60 years: “shrinkflation” and reduced-cocoa recipes might soon hit your favorite chocolate bars, and Hershey stock was recently downgraded. Unfortunately, the worst may still be yet to come: the International Cocoa Organization expects production to lag behind demand by 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season.

Cocoa prices

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Power

World out of balance: It costs the US 3¢ to make 1 penny

The cost of producing the US penny rose 13% in fiscal 2023 to 3.07 cents. Yes, that means that Uncle Sam loses more than two cents for every cent it produces. (And no, you can’t make it up on volume.)

For the record, that’s the 18th-straight year the penny’s face value has been below production costs, fueling calls for abolishing the lowest value denomination coin. Canada started to phase out the penny in 2013, joining Australia, Brazil, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Israel, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

3.07¢
Business
Rani Molla
4/18/24

Netflix is going to stop sharing subscriber numbers

After posting subscriber numbers that beat expectations today, Netflix says it’s no longer going to share those numbers starting in the first quarter of 2025. That’s a big deal since subscriber numbers have long been one of the main metrics that investors have looked at.

“In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential,” its shareholders letter read. “But now we’re generating very substantial profit and free cash flow.” The company said that it will focus on revenue and operating margin as its main financial metrics, while it will look at time spent on the platform to gauge customer satisfaction.

Another way to read this? They’ve hit market saturation and just aren’t going to be growing that much anymore, and they thought they’d end on a good note. Going forward they’re focusing on how to get more money out of the customers they do have.

They’re doing so by cracking down on password sharing and charging for extra members. They’re also pushing people to ad tiers, which are more profitable than non-ad tiers.

“Scaling ads to become a more meaningful contributor to our business in ‘25 and beyond,” Netflix said.

Netflix’s ads membership grew another 65% in Q1 over the previous one, after rising 70% the quarter before, and 40% of signups in ad markets continue to be for those ad plans.