David Meier, an investment analyst at The Motley Fool, joins to share insights on Alphabet’s revenue streams and their ambitious projects. He discusses the overwhelming impact of Google’s cloud business, despite recent earnings disappointments. YouTube's advertising strategies are revealed as key to its dominance, utilizing algorithms to enhance user engagement. Later, Jordan Harper highlights the role of PR firms in shaping public perceptions, stressing the importance of critical media consumption and recognizing bias in news narratives.
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insights INSIGHT
Cloud Computing's Growth
Alphabet's cloud revenue miss isn't concerning long term.
The cloud market is expanding, and short-term misses are expected.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Evaluating CapEx
Compare capital expenditures by analyzing return on invested capital, not absolute dollars.
Evaluate revenue, profit, and cash flow generated from investments.
insights INSIGHT
YouTube's Secret Sauce
YouTube's success stems from understanding viewer preferences and providing relevant content.
This personalized approach drives engagement and informs content creators.
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Catch and Kill is a detailed and gripping narrative of Ronan Farrow's investigative journalism that exposed Harvey Weinstein as a serial sexual predator. The book chronicles the intense resistance and intimidation Farrow faced, including surveillance by high-priced lawyers and elite spies, as he delved deeper into the story. It also explores similar cases involving other powerful men like Donald Trump and Matt Lauer, highlighting the systemic corruption and cover-ups that allowed these abuses to continue. The book is a testament to the bravery of the women who came forward to expose the truth and spark a global movement against sexual abuse and harassment.
L.A. Confidential
James Ellroy
L.A. Confidential is a complex and dense crime novel that spans nearly a decade. It follows the lives of three Los Angeles Police Department officers: Edmund Exley, the straight-laced son of a prestigious detective; Jack Vincennes, a celebrity cop who advises on a police TV show; and Bud White, a brutal enforcer with a traumatic past. The story begins with the 'Bloody Christmas' police brutality scandal and escalates into a massive conspiracy involving a mass murder at the Nite Owl coffee shop, organized crime, political corruption, heroin trafficking, pornography, and the dark underbelly of Hollywood. The novel is known for its unique style, using clipped sentences and a stream of consciousness narrative that immerses the reader in the gritty and corrupt world of 1950s Los Angeles[1][4][5].
Everybody Knows
Jordan Harper
In 'Everybody Knows', Jordan Harper crafts a gripping mystery that exposes the corrupt and depraved world of Los Angeles' powerful elite. Mae Pruett, a 'black-bag' publicist, and her ex-boyfriend Chris Tamburro, a former cop turned enforcer, find themselves entangled in a complex web of murder, sexual perversion, and other unsavory dealings. After Mae's mentor is murdered, they secretly work together to uncover the truth, navigating a landscape of influencers, crooked cops, and private security firms that protect the rich and powerful by any means necessary. The novel is praised for its sharp writing, propulsive plot, and insightful look into the moral morass of its characters[2][3][5].
Google – all its apps, smartphones, and the cloud business – is responsible for 99% of Alphabet’s total revenue. But Alphabet is toiling away on quite a few moonshot projects. What if one of them works?
(00:14) David Meier and Mary Long break down earnings from Alphabet and Palantir. They also discuss:
- Why cloud computing isn’t going anywhere.
- YouTube’s secret sauce.
- What Palantir really does.
Then, (17:45), Ricky Mulvey talks with television writer and novelist Jordan Harper about how PR firms shape public opinion and how to spot their work when consuming the news.
Motley Fool Money 
