Latest news with #Levy
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Israel's top ballistic missile shield proved itself against Iran. Now, a next-gen update is on the way.
Israel's top ballistic missile defenses, the country's Arrow systems, will soon get a next-generation interceptor to keep pace with growing threats, the manufacturer told Business Insider this week. Since last year, Arrow has shielded Israel from three rounds of substantial bombardment by Iranian missiles — the most recent of which was only days ago — and many smaller-scale attacks by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. Boaz Levy, the CEO of state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, said in an interview that the company is working on developing a new interceptor missile for Arrow, and it's about to go into the production phase. Arrow is a highly advanced air defense system jointly produced by IAI and the US aerospace contractor Boeing. The first iteration of this system, Arrow 2, was deployed in 2000 and is able to intercept missiles in the upper atmosphere. The newer Arrow 3 became operational in 2017 and can hit targets in space. Both Arrow systems use a two-stage solid-fueled interceptor to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, and together, they make up the top tier of Israel's sophisticated air defense network, which also includes the well-known Iron Dome system and David's Sling. The system has been in service for many years now. Since Arrow 2 was deployed, IAI has continuously sought to increase its capabilities, first by supplementing it with Arrow 3, and now by working on the future Arrow 4 and Arrow 5, Levy, the Arrow chief engineer, said. "We have the production line, and we have the capability, and we also have the know-how to transfer to the operational unit," he said. The early concept work for Arrow 4 — which is a joint US-Israeli project like its predecessors — began in 2017. The interceptor is now in the final stages of development and will soon enter the initial production phase. Final production rates will eventually be decided by Israel's Ministry of Defense, Levy said. He declined to provide a timeline, though he did disclose that "we are about to conclude the development, and it's only a matter of time until we start the production." Arrow 4 will eventually replace the decades-old Arrow 2. Levy explained the system will have a more enhanced "shoot-look-shoot" capacity, referring to the air defense strategy of engaging a target, reviewing the results, and then engaging again if necessary. In many cases, operators may fire two interceptors to engage a single incoming missile. "This is the new generation," he said, sharing the new technology and electronics will increase Arrow's interception capabilities with the same system it's been using for years. Arrow 5 will eventually be even more advanced than Arrow 4. Israel's Arrow systems have seen extensive combat since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, most notably in three major clashes with Iran — in April 2024, October 2024, and then earlier this month. Tehran has launched at least 850 ballistic missiles at Israel over the course of these three clashes, and Arrow, alongside Israel's other defense systems and US forces in the region, intercepted most of the threats. The exact number of Iranian missiles that Arrow has shot down is unknown, but Levy said an initial analysis of the latest clash revealed the systems intercepted at least 90% of the threats it targeted. The Arrow systems have also frequently been tasked with shooting down missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen. All these engagements, from Iran to the rebel group, have provided IAI with valuable data to help it develop the new interceptors. "It's a regular procedure that we are doing. Of course, we are testing all of our capabilities through real-time simulations. And of course, any data available to us is a tool to analyze our system's capabilities," Levy said.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Tesla Stock (TSLA) Sees Rising Concerns Among Analysts on Q2 Deliveries Miss
Tesla (TSLA) stock fell about 4% on Wednesday as the electric vehicle maker's sales in Europe plunged 27% in May, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline. Concerns about the Elon Musk-led EV company missing the Q2 2025 deliveries expectations are rising among analysts. Specifically, analysts at UBS cautioned investors about Tesla falling short of the Q2 consensus estimate for deliveries by 10%. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Wall Street Sees Weakness in Tesla's Q2 Deliveries Tesla stock has declined about 19% year-to-date due to the company's weak Q1 results, growing competition in key EV markets, and backlash related to Musk's political activities. Analysts expect the slump in Tesla's deliveries to continue in Q2 2025. UBS analyst Joseph Spak anticipates that demand will remain challenging in the second quarter. He expects Tesla to report Q2 deliveries of 366,000 units, lagging the Street's estimate by 10%. While Spak suspects that the Q2 performance may not look great, he thinks that the earnings call presents an opportunity for Musk to highlight his future vision. Spak has a Sell rating on TSLA stock with a price target of $215. Also, Baird analyst Ben Kallo reiterated a Hold rating on Tesla stock with a price target of $320, noting that his 377,000 Q2 delivery estimate is below the FactSet consensus estimate of 392,800. Kallo noted weakness in third-party data through May and the 're-ramping' of new Model Y production, which lingered slightly into the quarter. The analyst contends that while an update on deliveries remains crucial, the recent launch of robotaxi and the excitement around this opportunity might gain more priority. Kallo is worried that the launch of a more affordable vehicle gives rise to a potential risk of net negative margin impact in the second half of 2025. Previously, Barclays analyst Dan Levy, who also has a Hold rating with a price target of $275, warned investors about Tesla's Q2 deliveries miss. Levy estimates TSLA's Q2 2025 deliveries to come in at about 375,000 EVs, well below consensus expectations. Levy's estimate reflects an 11% decline on a quarter-over-quarter basis and a 16% year-over-year fall. The analyst noted that Tesla's auto volumes continue to be impacted by tariffs, trade wars, and other macro headwinds. Levy thinks that the launch of a more affordable model by Tesla in the first half of 2025 could be a catalyst for solid volumes in the second half, though he noted a lack of details in this regard. What Is the Price Target for Tesla Stock? Overall, Wall Street is sidelined on Tesla stock, with a Hold consensus rating based on 14 Buys, 12 Holds, and nine Sell recommendations. The average TSLA stock price target of $287 indicates 12.4% downside risk from current levels.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
West Lothian visitor levy scheme could potentially bring in more than £1m a year
A visitor levy scheme for West Lothian could potentially bring in more than £1m a year into council coffers. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... But while councillors welcomed the start of consultations agreed this week, the Tories branded the proposals a tourist tax which would hit local business and discourage visitors. And councillors were concerned as officers offered a cautious two year path to an actual introduction following a similar decision taken by the council in Edinburgh last month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Councillor Sally Pattle, Lib Dem, Linithgow, asked how soon the levy could be introduced. 'How urgently are we moving on this, what is the time line given this is an easy revenue stream we can capitalise on.' A report to West Lothian's Executive outlined potential income based on the 298,000 visitors who stayed in the county in 2024 The meeting heard that there are statutory guidelines on the introduction of a levy demanding clear consultation. 'Are those conversations taking place already?' asked Councillor Pattle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jim Henderson, Business development manager said the conversation was in the early stages. Edinburgh last month agreed to impose a 5% levy from next summer. Glasgow, Argyll and Bute, and Aberdeen are all now in formal consultation stage. Other councils such as East Lothian, Stirling, Dumfries & Galloway, and others have been given approval for 'early engagement' work. Many cities across Europe now have visitor levies in place. A report to West Lothian's Executive outlined potential income based on the 298,000 visitors who stayed in the county in 2024. The most expensive accommodation, with an average spend of £100 per person per night would generate £1,342, 800 at a 5% levy. The lowest proposed levy of 2% would generate more than £500,000 in the most expensive accommodation. In a report to the Executive, Stewart Ness, Tourism and Town Centre Manager said: 'Whilst Visitor Levy is historically considered in areas of 'over-tourism', such as Edinburgh, it may be inappropriate to argue that this applies across West Lothian where some areas might benefit from an increase in visitors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There could be a risk that West Lothian is 'left behind' by neighbouring local authority areas that do use the ring-fenced funds raised through the introduction of a Visitor Levy to invest in tourism in their areas.' Stressing the need to establish consultation with local businesses Mr Ness added: 'Local authorities are encouraged to conduct early engagement before entering the consultation phase . 'Although not statutory, this engagement phase is considered by the guidance to be best practice. Learning from other local authorities' areas who have undergone the process is available and this could be used to guide the process in West Lothian. 'By engaging with the tourism businesses in this collaborative fashion, it will increase understanding for the scheme amongst those who will be responsible for collecting the levy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'By using already established networks, such as Visit West Lothian and Business Gateway, it should increase the participation rates of businesses in the engagement.' However Conservative group leader Damian Doran-Timson criticised a move to what he called a tourist tax which could damage local business. In an amendment he said: 'Given the importance of this tax on business and the negative impact this is likely to have on the tourist economy across West Lothian it is vital that all West Lothian Councillors are involved in the decision making on this extra tax.' The amendment welcomed the decision to engage with those in the tourism industry and added: ' [We] trust the Council will ensure those who will have to administrate the scheme are fully advised of the processes involved and the implications.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He told the meeting: 'This is a tax on people, a tax on businesses and a tax in individuals.' The amendment called for any future decision on the implementation of a levy to come back to full council because all councillors would have businesses in their areas which could be affected. The SNP group leader Janet Campbell welcomed the report but said : ' It doesn't seem to be moving forward at a pace we would have expected and, given that we are looking at more than £1m, which would almost cover the savings to be made on the community centres. It seems to be a bit of a no-brainer.' Councillor Pattle said: ' I welcome this report, but I have concerns about the lack of urgency, I hope that we are able to move forward with this easy income strategy at pace.' In a vote Councillor Doran-Timson's amendment demanding later decisions come to full council rather than the executive was defeated along with a similar amendment from the SNP.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
How Israel used Iran's massive attacks to enhance its top ballistic missile shield
Israel's top ballistic missile defense system, Arrow, has played a key role against Iran's missiles. Arrow's maker said it intercepted most of the missiles it engaged during the latest clash between Israel and Iran. The CEO of Arrow's manufacturer told BI that it has been upgraded since its first battle with Iran. Israel's top ballistic missile defenses — its Arrow systems — were just tested in their third-ever direct conflict with Iran. The first two battles last year helped the manufacturer prepare for this latest fight, the toughest yet. Boaz Levy, the CEO of the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, told Business Insider in an interview on Wednesday that the company is "analyzing each missile attack" against Israel on a case-by-case basis, whether it's a single shot or a barrage of fire. "We do have lessons learned about system operation, about threat capabilities, and more," he said. The highly advanced Arrow systems are a joint product of IAI and the US aerospace contractor Boeing. Arrow 2, which was first deployed in 2000, can intercept missiles in the upper atmosphere. The newer Arrow 3 became operational in 2017 and can hit targets in space. Both of the Arrow systems use a two-stage solid-fueled interceptor to destroy incoming ballistic missiles. Together, they make up the top echelon of Israel's vaunted air defense network, the most famous part of which is Iron Dome for combating rockets, mortars, and artillery. The Arrow systems have seen combat over the years, but they faced an unprecedented test in April 2024 when Iran fired some 120 ballistic missiles at Israel as part of a huge attack with cruise missiles and drones. Nearly all the threats were shot down. Arrow then defended against another large-scale barrage in early October when Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. And over the following months, the system has frequently been used to intercept missiles launched by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Levy, Arrow's chief engineer, explained that all these engagements ultimately helped prepare Arrow for its most significant test yet: the most recent conflict with Iran, which fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel over a 12-day stretch. He said IAI develops Arrow in a "building blocks mechanism, which means that, every now and then, we are upgrading the system capability, utilizing a new building block." "During this time, between April last year to this attack, we did have several upgradations of the systems," he said. "I believe that this is the right way to deal with it. So yes, we had lessons learned, and we improved the systems accordingly." "It's a software change that will lead us to a better capability," he added. The latest conflict began on June 13, when Israeli officials announced the start of a new operation to degrade Iran's nuclear program and its military capabilities. Israel then carried out sweeping airstrikes across the country over the next week and a half. Iran retaliated by launching over 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones at Israel, the latest Israeli government data shows. Most of those munitions were intercepted by air defenses. Levy declined to say how many Iranian missiles Arrow engaged. But he said an initial analysis revealed that the systems intercepted at least 90% of the missiles that it targeted since June 13. "I think that Arrow performed as expected," Levy said. Israel said the Iranian missiles have caused over 50 impact sites across the country. Some missiles are allowed to go through if the impact site is irrelevant, but Iranian weapons have also, at times, made it through to strike civilian areas. US Navy destroyers positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea also provided air defense support for Israel in the latest conflict, as have American ground forces based in the Middle East. Available air defense assets in the region include MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. US officials have not disclosed exactly how many Iranian missiles American forces shot down. Washington has provided air defense for Israel during all three of its clashes with Tehran. Levy hailed the air defense partnership between Israel and the US, describing it as "the right way to deal with a ballistic missile attack. I believe that this collaboration and coalition between allies is the right solution for that, especially when we are speaking about salvos," referring to large waves of attacks. The US military joined Israel's offensive campaign last weekend, using stealth aircraft and a guided-missile submarine to launch airstrikes on three of Iran's top nuclear facilities. Tehran retaliated on Monday by firing a volley of missiles at a major American base in Qatar. That retaliation was neutralized by the Patriot systems. Later that day, as Israel and Iran continued to trade attacks, President Donald Trump announced that the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire. Several days later, the fragile deal appears to be holding up.
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Business
- Time Magazine
How Ryan Reynolds Rewrote the Script for Celebrity Entrepreneurs
Pari Dukovic for TIME Ryan Reynolds is trying to focus on our conversation. But all he can think about is the script pulled up on his laptop. The screenwriting software Final Draft has frozen so he can't plug in his latest ideas for a project that he has asked me not to share. He reluctantly abandons his computer but can't help but fidget. Reynolds knows he'll only have a few hours later to return to the story before he's on dad duty. 'I'm obsessive,' he says. 'Even right now I'm thinking what I have after you, and if I can get back to it again.' His schedule after our interview is packed: a business meeting; someone is coming to fix Final Draft; then a walk-and-talk with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy to discuss Levy's upcoming Star Wars movie starring the other Ryan—Gosling. We're sitting in the Tribeca home Reynolds shares with his wife, actor and entrepreneur Blake Lively, and their four children. The living area is lit by lamps with fringed shades, and the walls are covered in moody paintings that evoke Madonna and Child. Even the TV sits in a museum-worthy frame. Behind him, a bottle of Aviation Gin, one of many now-lucrative companies Reynolds invested in, sits prominently on a kitchen counter. While most people know him as the sardonic superhero Deadpool, Reynolds is also a wildly successful businessperson. Plenty of celebrities attach themselves to products. But Reynolds' production company and marketing firm Maximum Effort is a viral content machine. He takes hefty stakes in seemingly disparate small companies, promotes them—and has them promote each other—with playful quick-turn ads he calls 'fastvertising,' and then sells the businesses for millions. He has invested in Aviation Gin, the discount telecommunications company Mint Mobile, Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC, and the cybersecurity app 1Password—to name a few. The companies he co-owns or has sold are valued at over $14 billion, according to Forbes . Reynolds has carried over his Hollywood playbook to the world of advertising: respect the audience's intelligence and have a little fun. 'Consumers know they're being marketed to, so acknowledge it,' he says. Levy, who has made three movies with Reynolds, believes that Reynolds' ability to create narratives for his businesses is his friend's superpower. 'He's really identified a core component to entrepreneurial success,' Levy says. 'And it connects back to our day jobs, which is storytelling.' He built this empire on his specific and identifiable brand: Reynolds is the popular guy, blessed with Canadian affability and a cynical sense of humor. He frequently collaborates with celebrities like Hugh Jackman and Channing Tatum with whom he seems to have developed genuine friendships. He and his famous wife flirt online. His social media is perfectly calibrated: he's either writing self-consciously sophomoric posts on social media about shots of monkey penises in a nature docuseries he's producing or pranking Wrexham AFC co-owner and fellow actor Rob McElhenney. He knows when to deploy snark and when to be earnest. And after years as a movie star, he's built a public profile that's less heartthrob and more everydad: He sports glasses gifted to him by David Beckham and loves to crack jokes about how, now that he's pushing 50, he won't always be able to squeeze into the skin-tight Deadpool suit. Reynolds does admit to a deep-rooted need to be liked—probably related to being the youngest of four brothers vying for validation from a withholding cop father. 'I am people-pleasing by default, as is my wife, as are our first two children,' he says.'The third was, you know, born flipping the bird. And the fourth is TBD.' Reynolds knows the trait is a double-edged sword: 'Your boundaries can kind of melt and that's not necessarily healthy.' When Reynolds drops his kids off at school, he likes to remind them, 'Disappoint one person today!'' Reynolds admits he struggles to follow his own advice. But at least he's figured out a way to channel this perceived weakness into a strength: He knows how to charm A-listers, CEOs, and—crucially—the consumer. In another life, Reynolds would have been the chief marketing officer of a Fortune 500 company. He just happened to become one of the world's biggest movie stars instead. Photograph by Pari Dukovic for TIME Buy a copy of the TIME100 Companies issue here Reynolds spent 45 minutes at college before he dropped out and drove to Los Angeles with dreams of joining the famed improv group The Groundlings, only to be told he'd need to pay for classes. Undeterred, Reynolds eventually found a steady gig on the sitcom Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place and established a reputation for playing smart alecs that carried over into comedies like Van Wilder and The Proposal . 'I didn't get famous until I was older,' Reynolds says. (For reference, he was named Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine at 34.) 'Thank God. I would be dead if it happened in my early 20s.' His transition to superhero, a rite of passage for leading men in Hollywood in the '00s, was rocky. He snagged supporting roles in Blade: Trinity and X-Men Origins: Wolverine . In the latter, he played Deadpool—a fourth-wall-breaking wiseacre that perfectly aligned with Reynolds' sense of humor—only for the writers to make the bizarre decision to sew the character's mouth shut. It took more than 10 years for Reynolds to push his version of the Merc With a Mouth onto the big screen—and only after test footage for a Deadpool solo film mysteriously leaked online and went viral, forcing the studio's hand. Fox granted Deadpool a relatively small budget. That was fine by Reynolds. After starring in the 2011 box office bomb Green Lantern he learned that bloat is the enemy of creativity. 'I saw a lot of money being spent on special effects, all sorts of stuff. And I remember suggesting, 'Why don't we write a scene the way people would talk? I don't know, it could be a fun exchange of dialogue that doesn't cost anything?'' The flop also taught him to take control of his own destiny. 'When it failed, it's not the director's name out there. It's my name,' he says. 'I want to be the architect of my own demise or the author of my own success.' Reynolds put his money where his (no-longer-sewn-shut) mouth was. He paid to fly the writers to the Deadpool set because he needed to work with them in person to finesse the movie's comedic tone. With a modest budget, Reynolds drove crowds to the 2016 movie with surprising strategies like advertising on Tinder. Last year, the third entry in the franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine , became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, grossing $1.3 billion dollars and saving the flagging Marvel Studios from a grim year at the 2024 box office. Despite Deadpool's massive cultural footprint, Green Lantern remains his toddler son's favorite film. Ryan Reynolds greets fans during the Deadpool & Wolverine World Premiere on July 22, 2024 in New York City. Noam Galai—Disney/Getty Images Maximum Effort, co-founded in 2018 with former Fox head of digital theatrical marketing George Dewey and named for a line in Deadpool , was forged from the bootstrap promotion of the first film. 'Maximum Effort' also serves as Reynolds' life motto. 'I can't say I've invested every cell of my body into something that failed,' he admits. 'The things that I've failed at, I usually didn't fully believe in.' That same year, Reynolds invested in Aviation Gin. Rather than just lending his face to the brand, Reynolds pitched a cheeky marketing strategy that riffed on his own persona—he filmed a Father's Day commercial in which he invented a cocktail called 'the vasectomy.' Maximum Effort's 50-some employees frequently collaborate with MNTN, the advertising platform for which Reynolds serves as chief creative officer. Mark Douglas, MNTN's CEO, recently had lunch with Reynolds and ambassadors from a brand. 'They were describing themselves and what they do, and right at the table he created a commercial in front of them,' Douglas says. 'He just imagined how he would tell this story in 30 seconds on television.' The year after Reynolds' investment, Aviation increased its volumes by 100%. The U.K.-based Diageo bought the liquor company for $610 million in 2020. Next, Reynolds bought 25% of Mint Mobile, a discount telecom company with little brand recognition. Mint Mobile raised revenue by nearly 50,000% from 2017 to 2020, according to TechCrunch, thanks in no small part to Reynolds' omnipresent ads. Mint sold to T-Mobile for $1.35 billion in 2023. Many actors care as much or more about building their brand as honing their craft. When I tell Reynolds that some skeptics object to the practice of pursuing commercial gain to the possible detriment of artistic achievement, he squints in surprise. 'You think that there are young actors who are like, 'I want to get famous so I can own a brand that sells lots of stuff?'' he asks. I do. 'I'm not saying I'm the exception to the rule, but I love marketing,' he says. 'It's diet storytelling. You can look at a commercial through the same prism you would look at a movie. I get a lot of creative fulfillment out of that. You cannot be as precious about it, because it's just a f-cking commercial. But as long as you acknowledge to the consumer they're being marketed to, then there's an authenticity to it.' That earnestness helps Reynolds stand out in a crowd of celebrity spokespeople. 'When people say, 'What's he really like?' I say exactly what you think,' says McElhenney. 'There's no higher compliment you can give someone in our business than they're exactly who they say they are because so many people create a public persona that is not congruent with who they really are. With Ryan, you don't feel like you're being sold a bill of goods.' __________________________________________ When Reynolds is stopped on the street, he doesn't just take selfies with fans. He asks who the most important person in their life is, and records a video for that person. He can't seem to help himself. Over the course of several weeks, I watch him walk into room after room and pitch jokes, marketing concepts, and movie ideas to anyone and everyone. He exchanges horror stories with a photographer about tantrums at school drop-off and compares notes with me about the techniques we learned in our respective toddler CPR classes. That approachability can create problems in his real life, like when he visits his kids' school and their classmates start asking him about Deadpool. 'I see my daughter's lips tighten,' he admits. 'I don't want to be closed off to the other kids. So I don't really know how to play it.' But it benefits his bottom line. When an ill-advised Peloton ad that featured a husband monitoring his wife's fitness journey went viral in 2019, Reynolds called up the actress and convinced her to appear in one for Aviation Gin. The commercial's star, Monica Ruiz, took a good deal of convincing. But Reynolds can talk anyone into just about anything. Or just about: After the photoshoot to accompany this story, Reynolds repeatedly pitched TIME's editors on a cover featuring the back of his head instead of his face. Ryan Reynolds behind-the-scenes at his TIME cover shoot in April in New York City. 'Oftentimes I create, perhaps too much, an accessibility,' he says. 'I don't like a filtration system. A game of telephone is a terrible way to communicate. They need to hear your voice. They need to feel your emotional investment. They need to feel your gratitude if they've done something great.' That instinct to build connections has served him well in turbulent moments. If you've glanced at social media in the last year, you probably know that Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of the film It Ends With Us in December 2024: According to a New York Times report, Baldoni hired a crisis PR manager who had previously represented clients like Johnny Depp. Baldoni then sued Lively, Reynolds, their publicist, and the Times for defamation and conspiracy to damage his career with what he said is a false accusation . A judge recently threw out Baldoni's countersuit, and is allowing Lively's suits to proceed. But the situation has taken on a life of its own in the tabloids and on TikTok. Even my celebrity-agnostic relatives asked about it when I mentioned I was interviewing Reynolds. The couple is declining to speak about it. Still, I ask Reynolds whether the tabloids and online discourse have impacted his bottom line. He is, after all, the face of all these companies. That visibility has perks—like being able to deploy Deadpool in commercials—but surely some CEOs get nervous about gossip. 'I can read something that says, 'He should be drawn and quartered. I could read something that says I should win a Nobel Prize. Both are meaningless,' Reynolds says. 'None of us are comprised of our best moments. None of us are defined by our worst moments. We are something in the middle.' A week later, when I push him on whether headlines can affect his brand and business relationships, he's more pointed. 'Accessibility and accountability are a big part of how I do things,' he says. 'The people that I work with know me, so there's never a question of anything like that. If you operate with some degree of core values and integrity, they're going to help you up. If you're an asshole, they're not. And that's pretty simple.' Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend 2025 TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2025 in New York. Paul Bruinooge—Just then, Lively pops into the room wearing leggings and an oversized shirt. She wants to check in with Reynolds about coordinating their schedules for 10 minutes of catch-up time. As they compare their calendars, Lively offers me her favorite snack, sour dried blueberries that she says taste like Warheads and begins to rummage through their drawers trying to locate them. Reynolds leaps up to help her. 'You're chewing into your time,' Lively jokingly scolds her husband. But Reynolds seems rather zen about any tumultuous turns in his public life. He attributes this perspective to an incident early in his life when he got into a brawl with a friend. 'I skipped rehab in my 20s and decided to go to conflict-resolution workshops in Santa Fe,' he says. 'Conflict resolution changed my life in a way that I can't quantify. You don't have to agree with the person. You can empathize, you can validate. You can do all those things and get closer to them without having to just blindly agree or win or lose.' __________________________________________ Reynolds has been on a hot streak lately. MNTN went public in May with a valuation of $1.2 billion. In April, Wrexham AFC made history as the first team to ever achieve three consecutive promotions up the ranks of a brutal British pyramid system. McElhenney pitched Reynolds on sponsoring a soccer team in 2020 during the pandemic. But when Reynolds heard McElhenney's larger vision for a docuseries about a downtrodden town whose fortunes were inextricably tied to the long-suffering club, he immediately knew the story had mass appeal. He suggested they buy the team together. 'Ryan's involvement took this from a very small endeavor to a very large endeavor overnight because he has the ability to connect with millions and millions of people,' says McEllhenney. 'And I don't just mean on social media. I mean spiritually.' McElhenney and Reynolds had never actually met in person, just texted about collaborating some day. 'I made sure to call around and talk to people he worked with, and you heard the same words over and over again. How optimistic he is, how driven and ambitious he is, but not at the cost of his own values. When things get dark, as they often do for everyone, he is a beacon of light I know I can count on. I think other people feel that.' Wrexham's revenue last year reached £26.7 million, a 155% increase on the year prior. Welcome to Wrexham , a show Maximum Effort produces chronicling the team's rise, has won eight Emmys in four seasons. While the project's mission was noble—to boost a struggling mining town—it also served as a Maximum Effort flex: It could make American consumers, historically agnostic toward soccer, care about a down-and-out Welsh football club. Wrexham players now feature in Super Bowl commercials for SToK Cold Brew with Tatum and make cameos in Deadpool movies. Betty Buzz, Lively's beverage company, became a sponsor for both the men's and women's teams, as did Aviation Gin. Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrate after Wrexham scores on April 26, 2025 in Wrexham. The team won against Charlton Athletic 3-0, earning a promotion to the Championship league. Martin Rickett—Reynolds claims he still knows very little about soccer, let alone the ins and outs of an IPO. 'I was a lousy student,' he admits. 'I was in remedial 10th grade math when I was in the twelfth grade. It was humiliating.' But it also taught him humility. 'We don't pretend to be football experts. The average four-year-old in Wrexham knows more about football than we ever will. But we can invest in players, invest in character over talent—that's more valuable than a poisonous person in a locker room who scores a lot of goals. And we can tell their story.' They hope to repeat the formula: McElhenney and Reynolds have now teamed up with Eva Longoria to invest in a Mexican soccer team that will become the basis for another series. They went in on an F1 team with Michael B. Jordan, and Reynolds just bought a sailing team with Hugh Jackman. Meanwhile, Wrexham is just one season away from competing at soccer's highest level. 'Thinking back to that first press conference there and saying, our objective is to make it to the Premier League. And you know, everybody tittering and laughing a little, and that's okay. I'm not judging them for that. But then now it's starting to look very, very real,' Reynolds says. 'I am feeling elation but also panic. Growing is great but growing too fast is a frightening proposition.' But Maximum Effort must grow. Next up, the company is producing a documentary about Reynolds' fellow Canadian comedian John Candy that will open the Toronto Film Festival. Reynolds isn't abandoning his acting career anytime soon. During our talk at the TIME100 Summit he teased that he 'thinks' Deadpool will show up in Marvel films again, though he believes that the character works better as a supporting player than a leading man: 'I'm writing a little something right now that is an ensemble.' At 48, his entrepreneurship is, perhaps, a buffer for the inevitable decline in fame. 'All those years living in LA, they will always take your name down from the marquee. That's going to happen like death and taxes,' he says. 'It's not a great feeling. That's why inevitably we are in New York because there's more than one industry here.' And when Reynolds' name is no longer in lights, he has, as McElhenney puts it, alcohol-baron money to fall back on. Reynolds insists his value isn't tied to any single venture. 'It comes from having four kids and a good marriage,' he says. Besides, he's too busy to worry about it. He's got a script to work on and a family meeting to squeeze in before his jaunt around Manhattan with one of Hollywood's most in-demand directors. 'My self-worth isn't farmed out to any one thing that isn't under the roof of my home.'
