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Open Weights vs Closed Labs

Why hyperscalers want free models — and Anthropic doesn't, $80 oil, and a page-by-page Cash Flow Memo hunt

Hunt, Mike, and Jason walk the Cash Flow Memo for value in a still-expensive market — with Iran re-heating the oil tape, open-weights politics reshaping who captures AI rents, and a full-page scan of who benefits from cheaper tokens.

The Cashflow Memo

7 27 26 20 Pager
592KB ∙ PDF file
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Key Takeaways

  • Iran–US flare-up leaves Hunt more uncertain than any week since February, but base case stays oil in the $80–90 band (not $120–150); US pullback looks like the only workable option versus ground troops or deeper infrastructure strikes.

  • Open-weights models favor hyperscalers (Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, SpaceX) that already sunk CapEx in chips and avoid model-margin rent; Anthropic/OpenAI lobbying for restricted access is the opposite trade.

  • Apple’s low CapEx and cash buy optionality, but Siri still needs a real model (open weights or Gemini) and the stock is hardware-defended; hosts note NVIDIA GPU purchases for Gemini after long Nvidia–Apple bad blood.

  • Value hunt across the memo: most businesses get AI as a sustaining productivity boost; Uber is the standout disruption risk (Tesla/Waymo autonomy); oil E&P trade early-teens EV/FCF vs a normal 8–10x; midstream 6–8% yields with ~3–4% dividend growth are bond-like (~11%) vs the 15% double-in-five hurdle.

  • Next week teed up: AI impact on healthcare (page 19 skipped) plus where value sits in Tesla and SpaceX after large drawdowns; Starlink V3 and robotaxi-as-base-station ideas pressure cable/wireless ROIC.

Show Notes

[00:00] Intro & Cash Flow Memo Download the memo at telltales.us; 30 minutes on energy, technology, and healthcare cash flows.

[00:00:20] Exhibits A–C: Iran, Gas, Deficit Iran–US ceasefire frays; Hunt sees pullback as the only workable path and keeps oil in an $80–90 investment band with more uncertainty than since February. Permian oil growth is pressuring 2027 gas futures under ~$3.50. Deficit path still points at healthcare as the only real spending lever.

[00:06:17] Open Weights vs Closed Labs Hyperscalers align against restricting open-weight models (no model margin to pay); Anthropic/OpenAI lobbied for gatekeeping. Apple’s low CapEx looks fine on hardware cash, but Siri still needs a model — and NVIDIA GPUs for Gemini show the hardware path.

[00:11:25] Memo Hunt: Compute Beneficiaries Uber/DoorDash/Airbnb/Five Below — most get sustaining AI productivity; Uber faces autonomy disruption from Tesla and Waymo. Industrials (copper, lithium, fertilizer) and logistics IT departments stand to gain; copper in racks may stay relevant longer as optical interconnects lag.

[00:16:43] Financials, Energy & Retail Multiples Banks as capital-light cash generators once regulatory risk is met; oil E&P early-teens EV/FCF vs normal 8–10x after the war bid; midstream yields as bond substitutes short of a 15% hurdle. Costco’s scale-economies-shared model at ~50× FCF; Walmart Labs already deep in AI merchandising; PayPal framed as a change-management opportunity.

[00:26:33] Cable, Wireless & Next Week Charter/Comcast trade like telcos as Starlink V3 and space-based capacity raise competition; Elon’s robotaxi-as-base-station idea. Coming attractions: AI in healthcare, plus Tesla and SpaceX valuation levels after drawdowns.

Subscribe for the weekly Cash Flow Memo walkthrough — download the memo at telltales.us and join us next Wednesday.

Cashtags

AAPL 0.00%↑ ABNB 0.00%↑ ALB 0.00%↑ AM 0.00%↑ AMZN 0.00%↑ CELH 0.00%↑ CHTR 0.00%↑ CMCSA 0.00%↑ COP 0.00%↑ COST 0.00%↑ CVX 0.00%↑ DASH 0.00%↑ DE 0.00%↑ EQT 0.00%↑ ET 0.00%↑ FAST 0.00%↑ FDX 0.00%↑ FIVE 0.00%↑ GNRC 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ GS 0.00%↑ HD 0.00%↑ IINN 0.00%↑ JPM 0.00%↑ KMX 0.00%↑ LEN 0.00%↑ LNG 0.00%↑ LOW 0.00%↑ META 0.00%↑ MS 0.00%↑ MSFT 0.00%↑ NEE 0.00%↑ NKE 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑ PYPL 0.00%↑ T 0.00%↑ TGT 0.00%↑ TMUS 0.00%↑ TSLA 0.00%↑ SPCX 0.00%↑ UBER 0.00%↑ UPS 0.00%↑ VZ 0.00%↑ WMT 0.00%↑ XOM 0.00%↑


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