How Meta’s Muse Changed the AI Debate
The Synopsis Podcast
14,337 views
In this episode of The Synopsis, we talk to Mostly Borrowed Ideas on how Meta's Muse signifies the beginning of a potentially very disruptive AI transition that leaves many businesses worse off. We touch on Airbnb, Booking, Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon, among others.
Mostly Borrowed Ideas, or MBI, was one of the earliest stock analysts to write his thoughts publicly. He has over 150k followers on X and tens of thousands investors regularly read his stock commentary.
~*~
Drew Cohen Capital
Learn more about advisory services offered through Davidson Kahn Capital Management here: https://www.drewcohencapital.com/
Speedwell Research
For full access to Speedwell Research's in-depth reports and stock updates, become a member here: https://speedwellresearch.com/subscribe/
Fiscal.AI
Free trial and 15% off of a Fiscal.AI subscription through this link here: https://fiscal.ai/drewcohen/
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Show Notes
0:00 — Changed Airbnb Opinion
12:33 — Airbnb Advantages Over AI Agents
23:24 — How AI Agents Affect Direct Traffic for OTAs
31:52 — Does Agentic AI Shift the Airbnb Thesis?
42:59 — Airbnb vs Booking in Agentic AI
52:34 — The Rise of Proactive Commerce
55:08 — Do Hotels Need Booking?
59:14 — Rebuttal to AI Breaking Booking
1:07:42 — Uber & DoorDash Impact from AI Agents
1:20:42 — E-Commerce impact from AI Agents
1:34:54 — Where You Can Find MBI
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Podcast background:
In this podcast we share our insights from hundreds of hours of investment research and various topics Drew Cohen has covered on his YouTube Channel and Five Minute Money Newsletter.
Most business podcasts are superficial and assume their listeners are unsophisticated. In contrast, The Synopsis trusts listeners are interested in learning about complex, business-specific issues, and want to know the deep details. We approach investing from the perspective of business owners, instead of Wall Street Commentators. Start listening today to become a better analyst, investor and business-person.
Drew Cohen is an investment manager and financial advisor at Davidson Kahn Capital Management. He also is the founder of Speedwell Research, an equity research business which produces in-depth research reports for hedge funds and asset managers. He also has his own YouTube channel @DrewCohenMoney . You can learn more about him here: https://www.drewcohencapital.com/
Alex is an unpaid host.
~*~*~*~*~
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lGqHRK...
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Disclaimer
Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discussed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in companies discussed. This may change without notice. Please see Speedwell's and Drew Cohen Money's full disclaimers here: https://speedwellresearch.com/disclai... https://www.drewcohencapital.com/disc...
#investing #stockmarket #finance
18 Comments
First, while people certainly want to become more efficient, even the laziest among us still want to do some things ourselves. Travel, in particular, is a major decision for all the families. If someone truly doesn’t care and is willing to let an AI handle an entire trip with one click, from planning to booking, that person is probably wealthy enough to already have a personal assistant or travel agent managing the itinerary. In that case, why would they need an AI agent in the first place?
Second, interacting with an AI agent also has a cost—in time and effort. If you have to spend 30 minutes explaining exactly what kind of hotel you want, then repeatedly correct the AI when it misunderstands you, while the same task could be done on an OTA website by simply checking a few boxes and applying some filters, a lot of people are going to say, “Forget it. I’ll just do it myself.”
Third, AI agents also have real computational costs. Suppose someone uses an AI agent to research and select flights and hotels, but then still goes to an OTA website to make the actual booking. In that case, the AI agent has essentially spent resources doing unpaid work for the OTA. I suspect this will happen quite often.
Fourth, OTAs are not going to sit still. They can, and will, embed AI agents directly into their own websites and apps. Priceline has already moved in this direction, reportedly using Claude. I tried its AI feature yesterday, and it worked very well. An OTA plus an embedded AI agent is, in many ways, a natural combination: the AI can save users time while the OTA interface still allows them to maintain control over the decision-making and booking process.
Finally, there is currently too much commentary suggesting that AI can eliminate every middleman, or at least “eat everyone’s lunch.” That view does not make much sense from the perspective of how businesses evolve, how people actually behave, or how legal and regulatory systems work.
The more realistic outcome, in my view, is that most industries will continue to exist in recognizable form, but companies and consumers across those industries will increasingly use AI to improve efficiency. AI companies, meanwhile, will make money by charging for the AI services they provide.
BTW, I think AV, as a technology, is going to be commoditized in the future. It's Uber who can best aggregate the supply and the demand and can continue to strengthen its already-strong network-effect-moat who has the best chance of winning or at least maintaining its current dominant position in the entire online-taxi industry.
How Meta’s Muse Changed the AI Debate
The Synopsis Podcast
14,337 views
In this episode of The Synopsis, we talk to Mostly Borrowed Ideas on how Meta's Muse signifies the beginning of a potentially very disruptive AI transition that leaves many businesses worse off. We touch on Airbnb, Booking, Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon, among others.
Mostly Borrowed Ideas, or MBI, was one of the earliest stock analysts to write his thoughts publicly. He has over 150k followers on X and tens of thousands investors regularly read his stock commentary.
~*~
Drew Cohen Capital
Learn more about advisory services offered through Davidson Kahn Capital Management here: https://www.drewcohencapital.com/
Speedwell Research
For full access to Speedwell Research's in-depth reports and stock updates, become a member here: https://speedwellresearch.com/subscribe/
Fiscal.AI
Free trial and 15% off of a Fiscal.AI subscription through this link here: https://fiscal.ai/drewcohen/
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Show Notes
0:00 — Changed Airbnb Opinion
12:33 — Airbnb Advantages Over AI Agents
23:24 — How AI Agents Affect Direct Traffic for OTAs
31:52 — Does Agentic AI Shift the Airbnb Thesis?
42:59 — Airbnb vs Booking in Agentic AI
52:34 — The Rise of Proactive Commerce
55:08 — Do Hotels Need Booking?
59:14 — Rebuttal to AI Breaking Booking
1:07:42 — Uber & DoorDash Impact from AI Agents
1:20:42 — E-Commerce impact from AI Agents
1:34:54 — Where You Can Find MBI
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Podcast background:
In this podcast we share our insights from hundreds of hours of investment research and various topics Drew Cohen has covered on his YouTube Channel and Five Minute Money Newsletter.
Most business podcasts are superficial and assume their listeners are unsophisticated. In contrast, The Synopsis trusts listeners are interested in learning about complex, business-specific issues, and want to know the deep details. We approach investing from the perspective of business owners, instead of Wall Street Commentators. Start listening today to become a better analyst, investor and business-person.
Drew Cohen is an investment manager and financial advisor at Davidson Kahn Capital Management. He also is the founder of Speedwell Research, an equity research business which produces in-depth research reports for hedge funds and asset managers. He also has his own YouTube channel @DrewCohenMoney . You can learn more about him here: https://www.drewcohencapital.com/
Alex is an unpaid host.
~*~*~*~*~
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple, and anywhere else you get your podcasts.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3lGqHRK...
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Disclaimer
Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discussed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in companies discussed. This may change without notice. Please see Speedwell's and Drew Cohen Money's full disclaimers here: https://speedwellresearch.com/disclai... https://www.drewcohencapital.com/disc...
#investing #stockmarket #finance