🗣️ The Trillion Dollar Men

 NEWS YOU CAN USE

Turn headlines into talking points.

💸 Trillions: The New Billions

Remember when a million sounded huge?

When The Six Million Dollar Man was basically sci-fi pornography for accountants — “We can rebuild him… for six million dollars”?

Fast-forward to now, and six million’s what startups spend on beanbags and kombucha.
Even billions feel passé.

The Trillion Era is here — where numbers sound like typos and egos come with their own GDPs.

🟢 $5 Trillion Man (NVIDIA)

NVIDIA just hit $5 trillion, powered by every AI model, self-driving car, and questionable “AI companion” app you definitely didn’t download using their chips.

They’re printing money faster than China can clone their chips, and CEO Jensen Huang’s black leather jacket collection probably has its own neural network by now.

🤖 $1.4 Trillion Dream (OpenAI)

OpenAI’s lining up an IPO at $1.4 trillion — despite still not making a profit.
Apparently, profit’s an outdated concept when your product forgets basic maths but writes perfect filthy limericks on demand.

🚀 $1 Trillion Man (Elon Musk)

Elon could pocket $1 trillion if Tesla sells 20 million cars by 2030.
Minor hitch: his new far-right bromance just scared off a million potential buyers.

Who knew “free speech” could cost so much market share?

🇯🇵 Meanwhile, in Japan…

In a country where CEOs bow for raising prices, trillionaires aren’t trending.
When ZOZOTOWN founder Yusaku Maezawa (only a billionaire) flaunts his fortune, Japan mostly rolls its eyes.

Here, humility still beats hype — for now.

DECODE THIS

OpenAI wants to go public at a $1.4 trillion valuation.

But what does IPO actually stand for (besides “Investors, Please Overpay”)?

Answer at the end. 👇

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FAMOUS WORDS

“To make a million, start with $900,000.”
(Morton Shulman, Canadian politician, 1925-2000)

🎬 Can you name the film?

💰 30 days to spend $30 million…

Answer at the end of the issue.

WORD WISE

📈 Big. Bigger. Bazillion.

Hyperbole (hy-PER-buh-lee, not “Hyper-bowl” — that sounds like a high-tech Japanese toilet or an American football game) means exaggeration for effect. And when numbers get stupid-big, language does too.

“Zillion,” “gazillion,” “squillion,” “bazillion”… all nonsense, all brilliant.

They're not in financial reports (yet), but in conversation, they tell your listener something real: this number is absurd.

It's emotional maths.

💡 PRO TIP: When the facts feel flat, play with exaggeration. Hyperbole adds colour — “I’ve told her a million times” lands better than “I’ve told her repeatedly.”

⛔ DON'T SAY: “Technically, a gazillion isn't a real number.” (Thanks, Captain Obvious. You must be fun at parties.)

 THE CULTURE CODE

🍕 Pizza Power

If my eldest were a megalomaniac CEO, she'd eat pizza every day (pineapple and ham, no apologies).
But pizza’s come a long way, from humble 16th-century street food in Naples to a global icon in a market nearing $300 billion.
Next time you’re sharing a slice, drop one of these fun facts and watch jaws (and cheese) drop.

• 🇺🇸 Americans eat 49 slices each per year (give or take…probably take.)

• 💰 The $1.1 billion pizza — In 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas worth $41.
  Today? Over $1.1 billion. May 22nd is now Bitcoin Pizza Day (or Laszlo Hanyecz heavy drinking day.)

• 🛡️ The Pentagon Pizza Index — When the CIA starts ordering extra-large, the world starts worrying.
  In 1990, 21 pizzas landed at the Pentagon the night before Iraq invaded Kuwait. In 2025, Domino’s deliveries spiked before Israel hit Iran.
  Forget stock tips — follow the toppings.

• 👑 Royal approval — The Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil) was baked in 1889 for Queen Margherita of Savoy to match the Italian flag. Lucky she wasn’t German.

• 🤯 What the…?! — Hawaiian pizza? Invented in Canada. By a Greek guy (drops mic…)

💡 PRO TIP: Food’s a universal connector — and pizza’s proof you can unite the world with bread, cheese, and mild judgement over toppings.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “One pizza forever – which one?”

⛔ DON'T SAY: It’s called PIE! (The world’s bigger than New York.)

TALK TOOLBOX

🚀 How to S.T.A.R.T. Any Conversation

Pizza all finished? Now you have to actually talk to someone? 😳

Nervous? Yup, been there.
English not your first language? I understand.

I've got something that really works.

It's called S.T.A.R.T.

Connect with confidence, wherever you are.

Read the full framework here (6 min read)

BECAUSE THE ROBOTS ARE COMING

🍳 Iron Chef

Remember Unitree? The company that makes $16,000 robots that do kung fu and ballet?

Turns out, cooking’s a tougher gig.
This one tried to make breakfast, and it was kitchen carnage.

This one dropped the pan, slipped in its own omelette, and possibly filed for workers’ comp.
And yes, the owner dressed it in a French maid outfit…

Chefs, your jobs — and dignity — are safe.

💬 FOLLOW UP: Remember the word “clanker?” Looks like it’s sticking! Have you seen it used anywhere?

ANSWERS

What does IPO mean?

IPO = Initial Public Offering — when a company invites the public to buy in for the first time (right before the insiders cash out…)

🎬 Name the Film: Brewster’s Millions (1985)

A broke minor-league baseball player inherits $300 million — but only if he can spend $30 million in 30 days without keeping any or telling anyone why. Harder than it looks.

🌎 Cultural Impact: the go-to metaphor for reckless spending — long before tech bros made it a lifestyle.

🧠 Deep Dive: Since the novel was written in 1902, there have been 13 film versions. Time for a new one?

💬 Your Turn: What’s your favourite film about money?

LAST WEEK

🗳️ POLL: Would you swallow a robot for a health check?

A) 🤖 Absolutely — if it helps catch things early
B) 😬 Maybe — if it doesn’t crawl back up
C) 🚫 No chance — I’ll take my chances with the scope

💬 Your Two Cents

A.C: “If it stops bad things from happening in my ass, then I'll happily agree to have something weird stuck up my ass for a few minutes! (Wow, did I really just type that?)”

S.Y: “Would want to know it deactivates and ‘naturally’ leaves the body after a while.”

Thanks so much! I’m coming for you, Joe Rogan…🤣

THIS IS THE END

That's it for #44.

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