Xyron

Stories about money, business and the people behind both

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@highrollerfiles From zero to $100B is insane

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@BRitanySHY Peak celebrity delusion

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@sterlingmkts Burnout as a strategy

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@vektorrtrades unreal hindsight pain

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@FinRetv chilling true crime history

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Nick Kokonas recalls investment bankers wanting roughly 3–4% to sell Tock. His team offered to do the work for 2%.

The company was acquired by Squarespace in March 2021 for more than $400 million in cash and stock, according to the buyer’s announcement. That was the company transaction, not a statement of Kokonas’s personal payout.

On My First Million, he describes receiving a due-diligence list with 896 questions.

Advisers expected four to six weeks. His team already had dashboards and data; he thought a few days would be enough.

They moved the list from Excel to Google Docs, color-coded the questions and assigned people who could answer them.

Then the argument moved from paperwork to incentives.

Kokonas says the board resisted handling the sale without an investment bank. His counterproposal was a 2% fee for his own team, with payment dependent on getting the deal done.

He says they worked through the diligence list in three days.

The acquisition itself is public record. The fee percentages, discussions with the board and timing of the answers are his account; the engagement agreements are not shown in this clip.

The job he says they replaced was investment banking. Lawyers were still involved in the process.

Which part of selling a company would you keep inside your own team?

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Jay-Z stopped promoting Cristal. Years later, Moët Hennessy bought 50% of the champagne brand he helped build.

Rick Rubin’s retelling focuses on the order of those decisions.

He recalls Jay-Z feeling insulted by comments about hip-hop customers and deciding to stop supporting Cristal. In Rubin’s account, Jay had already walked away when somebody approached him about building another brand together.

Rubin says Jay liked the gold bottle. The opportunity became Armand de Brignac, widely known as Ace of Spades.

The public record gives that story a concrete ownership outcome. On February 22, 2021, Moët Hennessy announced it was acquiring half of Armand de Brignac and entering a global distribution agreement. Its announcement describes a 50–50 partnership.

LVMH dates Jay-Z’s involvement with the champagne house to 2006, working with the Cattier family. This was a business built over years.

The Cristal dispute also had two sides. Louis Roederer issued a response defending its openness to different cultures, including hip-hop. Rubin is describing how Jay-Z experienced the episode, rather than establishing the company’s intent.

What changed financially was Jay’s position in the product he was associated with. He became an owner of the brand, with an interest in the business his audience helped support.

When should the person helping create demand start asking for ownership?

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@0xQwertyx an actual movei plot happening in real life

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@RumiMirage he really went live on IG and ruined the whole bag

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

@0xKyrex he really spent it all and regretted nothing, respect

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Jay-Z stopped promoting Cristal. Years later, Moët Hennessy bought 50% of the champagne brand he helped build.

Rick Rubin’s retelling focuses on the order of those decisions.

He recalls Jay-Z feeling insulted by comments about hip-hop customers and deciding to stop supporting Cristal. In Rubin’s account, Jay had already walked away when somebody approached him about building another brand together.

Rubin says Jay liked the gold bottle. The opportunity became Armand de Brignac, widely known as Ace of Spades.

The public record gives that story a concrete ownership outcome. On February 22, 2021, Moët Hennessy announced it was acquiring half of Armand de Brignac and entering a global distribution agreement. Its announcement describes a 50–50 partnership.

LVMH dates Jay-Z’s involvement with the champagne house to 2006, working with the Cattier family. This was a business built over years.

The Cristal dispute also had two sides. Louis Roederer issued a response defending its openness to different cultures, including hip-hop. Rubin is describing how Jay-Z experienced the episode, rather than establishing the company’s intent.

What changed financially was Jay’s position in the product he was associated with. He became an owner of the brand, with an interest in the business his audience helped support.

When should the person helping create demand start asking for ownership?

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Dana White’s response to UFC’s $7.7 billion Paramount deal: he wants $10 billion next time.

In this interview with Steven Bartlett, he describes people congratulating him on the agreement. His attention goes straight to what UFC now has to deliver for the company paying it.

The terms are public. TKO announced a seven-year U.S. media rights agreement beginning in 2026, worth an average of $1.1 billion a year. That adds up to $7.7 billion across the term, with payments weighted toward the later years.

White’s argument is that Paramount committed that money because it expects UFC to help its business. He sees his next job as making the partnership valuable enough to justify an even bigger number when the deal ends.

That $10 billion is his ambition. There is no signed renewal at that price in the evidence behind this clip.

The commercial change also matters: the agreement put UFC’s numbered events and Fight Nights on Paramount+ for U.S. subscribers without an additional pay-per-view charge. Paramount is betting on what those events can do for its subscription business.

For White, the congratulations arrive at the start of another obligation. The next negotiation will depend on what the buyer gets from this one.

What would you want UFC to prove before committing to the next deal?

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Adam Neumann says WeWork paid $7 million for 48% of a surfing company. After he stepped down, he says, the stake went back to its founders for $5 million.

The company was Wavegarden, which develops technology for surf lagoons. Its own history confirms that WeWork became a shareholder in 2016, when work began on a full-scale Wavegarden Cove prototype. The prices and percentage in this clip are Neumann's account.

The subject comes up when Steven Bartlett asks about WeWork's side investments and the difficulty of keeping a growing company focused. Neumann immediately defends this one. He says the idea was to build communities around surfing.

There is a real connection to property: Wavegarden's official portfolio includes surf destinations alongside hotels and residential development. That supports the idea he describes, while leaving the investment's financial return an open question.

Then comes the ownership twist. In his telling, the founders bought the stake back, regained full ownership and were happy with the outcome. He says the business was worth more than the price WeWork accepted.

A successful company and a successful investment for a particular shareholder are different questions. Where would you draw the ownership line if you were building a property business?

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

Ed Zitron says one number was missing from an AI safety debate: $1.3 trillion in compute commitments

He raises it in the video after pointing out that the financial side had not come up. If the industry slows, he asks, how are those commitments handled? He argues the consequences could arrive soon

The total is Zitron's estimate for future computing capacity agreements tied to OpenAI and Anthropic. It is not money already spent or a single independently audited figure. The agreements may have different terms, and this short clip does not establish how much would actually be at risk

The risk he is flagging is that the industry is planning enormous capacity while the demand needed to support it remains uncertain

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

WE SPENT BILLIONS DEVELOPING HUMANOID ROBOTS JUST FOR THIS GUY TO MAKE ONE DANCE TO MIA BOYKA’S “BUY ME AN IPHONE” 😂🤖

A guy starts dancing next to a humanoid robot while Mia Boyka’s song plays, and somehow the robot looks like it’s enjoying the music more than he is 💀

Imagine spending years developing advanced artificial intelligence just for your robot to become a backup dancer for a Russian pop song 😂

Bro isn’t testing robotics anymore, he’s filming a music video

THE ROBOT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE AN IPHONE BUT ALREADY KNOWS THE DANCE 😭📱

Who has better moves, the guy or the robot?

[Shredder @Shred_0x]

https://t.co/ClxVWcTSnm

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

TONY STARK ON A BUDGET😂

This robot costs just $5,000, and somehow it already looks like the internet’s discount version of Iron Man.

This is Unitree R1.

And honestly, the craziest part is not the costume or the dance.

It’s the price.

A few years ago, humanoid robots felt like something only giant labs and billion-dollar companies could afford. Now one shows up looking like a low-budget Tony Stark build and suddenly robotics feels way too accessible.

We are getting dangerously close to the era where every brand, party, and content creator has their own robot mascot.

Not quite Stark Industries. But definitely Stark vibes on a budget.

Would you buy one for $5K?

[Yura_5800 @Yura_5800]

https://t.co/QPUafkVN0k

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

SOMEONE TURNED A HELICOPTER INTO A GIANT FLYING CHAINSAW AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A REAL JOB 💀🚁

Imagine walking through a forest and suddenly seeing a helicopter flying overhead with massive spinning saw blades hanging underneath it 😭

This isn’t some crazy movie stunt, it’s a real technique called aerial sawing, used to trim trees near power lines and other hard-to-reach areas

Specially trained pilots have to control the helicopter while a massive row of rotating blades cuts through branches from the air

And the craziest part? Someone actually looked at a helicopter and thought attaching giant chainsaws underneath it was a brilliant idea 😂

BRO REALLY INVENTED THE MOST TERRIFYING WAY TO CUT TREES 💀

Would you trust yourself to fly this thing?

[RUST ORACLE @therustoracle]

https://t.co/aHjMdZcD32

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

THE POLICE TRIED TO CORNER THIS ROBOT IN TRAFFIC… SO IT JUST STARTED JUMPING OVER CARS 💀🤖

City packed with traffic.
Cops closing in.
And this robot decides the most logical escape route is straight over the cars.

No panic.
No hesitation.
Just one clean jump after another like GTA added humanoids 😂

This is the kind of clip that makes the future look completely unhinged.

We thought robots would help with chores.

Instead bro is already learning how to escape a police chase.

FIRST THEY WALKED.
NOW THEY’RE PARKOURING OVER TRAFFIC TO DODGE THE COPS 😭

Would this robot get away?

[HodlReaper @HodlReaper]

https://t.co/mWyHk0K6Oj

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

BRO SAW A MASSIVE TSUNAMI COMING AND DECIDED TO ESCAPE WITH A JETPACK 💀🚀

Imagine an enormous wave heading straight toward your city while everyone is trying to escape, but this guy has a completely different plan 😂

Instead of running or finding shelter, he activates his jetpack and flies high above the coastline like he’s playing GTA with unlimited cheats

This AI-generated scene looks straight out of a disaster movie, except bro somehow found the ultimate escape button

EVERYONE ELSE WAS RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES, BRO JUST UNLOCKED FLYING MODE 😭

Would you trust a jetpack to save you from a tsunami?

[Gradient @GradientX0]

https://t.co/iy1JZ6RA2K

[Xyron @Xyrontg]

A HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWED UP TO A PARTY AND STOLE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION 😂🤖

This robot started dancing in front of a crowd and suddenly everyone had their phones out, recording its moves like it was a famous celebrity

People are cheering, raising their hands and going absolutely crazy while the robot casually owns the dance floor

Imagine spending years developing advanced robotics just for your creation to become the most popular guest at a party 😂

At this rate, robots won’t just replace workers, they’ll start replacing professional dancers too 💀

BRO DIDN’T COME TO THE PARTY, HE BECAME THE PARTY 😂

Would you invite this robot to your next party?

[Future Memo @TheFutureMemo]

https://t.co/noRhETtIA7