Disney + OpenAI?, The $100B Studio Fight, and Robert’s AI Music Experiment (510)

Joe and Robert open the episode with major breaking news: Disney is reportedly finalizing a $1 billion investment in OpenAI along with a licensing deal that would allow creators to use select Disney IP inside OpenAI tools.

The boys unpack what this actually means—

• Why Disney is making this move now

• How this could transform creator workflows

• What Disney gets strategically vs. what OpenAI gains

• Whether this is the first domino in a wave of entertainment–AI partnerships

The $100 Billion Battle for Warner Bros. Discovery

Next, Joe and Robert dig into the increasingly chaotic race for Warner Bros., as Paramount, Skydance, and Netflix position themselves for what could be a $100B mega-deal.
They discuss:

• Who really has the leverage

• Which bidder makes the most strategic sense

• Potential antitrust concerns

• Who stands to win (and who almost certainly loses) if this deal happens

Australia Moves to Ban Social Media for Kids Under 16

The conversation shifts to Australia’s new legislation banning social media access for children under 16. Joe and Robert debate:

• Will it work?

• How would it even be enforced?

• Are governments finally becoming serious—or is this political theater?

• What responsibility platforms have in the mental-health crisis

Special Segment: Robert’s AI Music Persona, Lyla Rae Hightower

A highlight of the episode, Robert takes listeners behind the scenes of creating his AI-powered music persona.

He details:

• The creative spark behind the character

• Tools and workflows he used to bring the music to life

• Unexpected challenges in the process

• How he’s distributing and promoting the project

• Why this experiment signals a new frontier for creators

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/09m7OjGKcL1aOKKqyhZjui

 

Apple Music

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/lyla-rae-hightower/1857062007

 

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDwdVLXGCWaO-SMOLuhSE8Q

 

Website

https://lylahightower.com/

Winners & Losers

• Marketing Loser of the Week: Salesforce — Joe walks through the company’s confusing decision to consider a name change and what it signals about the brand’s broader struggles.

• Rants & Raves: Joe ends with commentary on Kara Swisher’s reporting around Apple possibly buying Disney—and whether such a deal is even remotely plausible.

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Get all the show notes: https://www.thisoldmarketing.com/

Get Joe's new book, Burn the Playbook, at http://www.joepulizzi.com/books/burn-the-playbook/
Subscribe to Joe's Newsletter at https://www.joepulizzi.com/signup/.

Get Robert Rose's new book, Valuable Friction, at https://robertrose.net/valuable-friction/ 
Subscribe to Robert's Newsletter at https://seventhbearlens.substack.com/

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This Old Marketing is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork