Latest from Forbes
Forbes
17 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Advances In LiDAR And Radar Accelerate Driving Autonomy
17 June 2025, Hamburg: Anjes Tjarks (Alliance 90/The Greens), Hamburg's Senator for Transport and ... More Mobility Transition, speaks at the presentation of the autonomous "Volkswagen AD" in Hamburg's Hafencity. Volkswagen is presenting the series version of its autonomous electric van ID Buzz for the first time in Hamburg. Prototypes are already being tested on the streets of Hamburg by the ridesharing subsidiary "Moia", so far still with a safety driver on board. Photo: David Hammersen/dpa (Photo by David Hammersen/picture alliance via Getty Images) Volkswagen recently announced the launch of the L4 (Level 4 autonomy with no human driver in designated locations, times and driving conditions) AD microbus. The business model is to work with existing transportation and mobility companies (private and public), by providing the hardware (vehicle, sensors, compute) and autonomous driving software stack (including fleet management software). The first set of 500 vehicles is slated for delivery in 2026 to Uber for ride-hailing trials (with a human driver) in Los Angeles, Fully autonomous ride hailing is planned for 2027. The AD is currently offering ride share services In Hamburg, Germany, through MOIA, a 'technology company of the Volkswagen Group which develops on-demand ride-pooling services to redefine mobility for people in urban areas'. Volkswagen has attempted to enter the autonomous mobility market since 2020 with ambitious plans and $Bs in investments - both, internal (the CARIAD software division), and external (co-investment in Unfortunately, these were delayed or dissolved, led to board tensions and senior executive changes, and slowed the effort. This is similar to the experience at other OEMs like Ford and GM Cruise. Volkswagen is re-entering the space at a time when technology giants (Waymo-Alphabet, Zoox-Amazon and Tesla) are already significantly ahead. Even the Sam Altman-led OpenAI, (the company that started off as a non-profit venture and now also has a for-profit division) announced recently on a podcast that 'We have some new technology that could just do self-driving for standard cars' (see minute 6 of the podcast). So can a century old automaker (and other automakers) prevail in this market, dominated by technology companies? In Volkswagen's case: Valeo As a global, publicly listed (~$25B/year in revenues), Tier 1 supplier to automotive OEMs, Valeo supplies a wide range of products in electrification, driving assistance systems, interior cabin experience and lighting groups. Products include mechanical, electrical, sensing and electronic components, spanning from motors and lighting assemblies to ultrasonic, camera, radar and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The SCALA™ series of LiDARs is one of these products, with the second generation (SCALA 2) version designed into the Mercedes S-Class (see Figure 1) to support its L3 autonomy (self driving under certain conditions with human driver ready to take over in 10 seconds) feature (Drive Pilot) at a maximum speed of 95 km/h (60 mph). SCALA 2 achieves a 80 m range for brick and tire debris size objects and 300,000 pps (points per second, a metric akin to resolution or pixels in a camera) in a ~ 600 cm³ volume with a square optical format. Figure 1: 05 May 2022, Berlin: Mercedes is the first manufacturer in Germany to start selling a ... More system for highly automated driving that can completely take control in gridlocked traffic on the autobahn. Photo: Carsten Koall/dpa (Photo by Carsten Koall/picture alliance via Getty Images) Valeo's next-generation version, the SCALA 3, uses a similar platform as the SCALA 2, but delivers significantly higher range (200m) and resolution (12.5M pps) performance in a ~1200 cm³ volume, with a 45 mm height and rectangular format, suitable for roof or behind-the-grill mounting, see Figure 2). Figure 2: SCALA 3 LiDAR (Left) and Point Cloud Image for Rooftop Mounted Version (Right) The higher performance of the SCALA 3 is expected to increase the allowable L3 speeds for the Drive Pilot to 130 km/h (80 mph). SCALA 3 is expected to start production in 2025, and has been selected by Stellantis (launch of Stella AutoDrive for L3 at initial speeds of 37 mph in 2026). It has also been selected by 3 other global OEMs to support L3 and L4 autonomy features. Per Antoine Claudepierre, V.P of LiDAR Business Development, one of these is a leading Asia-based automotive OEM (to start production in 2026 for L3 vehicle). Valeo has previously supplied LiDAR for Honda's L3 efforts. On the imaging radar front, Valeo announced a design win with a leading European OEM, with production slated for 2028. The goal is to increase allowable speeds for unsupervised Highway Pilot to 130 km/h. Apart from the imaging radar, the sensor suite will also use a LiDAR (supplier evaluation ongoing). Given the discussion above, its seems likely that this is for the Mercedes Drive Pilot. As a Tier 1 supplier, Valeo has collaborated with Mobileye since 2015 on front-facing cameras and other driver assist solutions. In September 2023, the companies announced a collaboration to industrialize imaging radar for autonomy where 'automakers gain access to the latest cutting edge technology from Mobileye that they can trust will exceed industry expectations as we have proven before, while benefiting from the customization, industrialization, testing and support capabilities brought by Valeo'. The two companies have also collaborated on delivering ADAS features to OEMs like Volkswagen, with Valeo as the Tier 1 and Mobileye as the Tier 2 supplier. Mobileye has been developing its imaging radar (Mobileye Imaging Radar™) since 2018 and separately announced a design win with a major OEM for L3 capability (at or > 130 km/hr) to launch in 2028 (Mercedes again??). More on this later in the Mobileye section. Innoviz Technologies Innoviz has been chosen as the LIDAR supplier for L4 autonomous driving in the Volkswagen microbus. With launch of this capability planned for 2026 in select cities like Los Angeles and Hamburg, Innvoiz is currently ramping up production of its InnovizTwo short and long range LiDARs. Each will use a total of nine InnovizTwo LiDARs (6 short and 3 long range). Innoviz uses 905 nm SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diodes) based detectors and edge emitting laser arrays, along with MEMs (Micro Electro Mechanical) mirror scanners in the InnovizTwo LiDAR family. The InnovizTwo short range LiDAR has a range of 100 m and a high vertical Field of View (FoV) of up to 90°. The long range version has a range of 300 m, a 120°x43° maximum FOV, minimum angular resolution of 0.05°x0.05°, 20 Hz frame rate and a physical volume of 825 cm³. Figure 3 shows the InnovizTwo, and point clouds at short and long range: Figure 3: InnovizTwo (Left), Point Cloud at Short Range (Middle), Point Cloud at Long Range (Right) InnovizTwo is also resilient to optical path obscurations (mud, rain, insect splatter), a critical requirement for autonomous operation. Per Mr. Kielaf, having such capabilities in an L4 vehicle (no human driver) is an absolute requirement since loss of perception at high speeds can be lethal. The optical design of the InnovizTwo LiDAR ensures redundancy in the optical path for the transmit and receive path for each pixel. As an example if the window is 25% covered, no single pixel will be 'dead' and some pixels will lose about 7% of the range performance. Innoviz was selected by Audi (a Volkswagen brand) to deliver LiDAR as a Tier 1 supplier in 2023. Achieving this designation has many benefits - direct relationships with the OEM, transparency and integration smoothness, visibility into other program opportunities, direct performance and product feedback, higher profit margins and credibility for other OEMs. But it has its own challenges as well - intensive audits on multiple fronts - manufacturing, costs, quality and production strategy. Innoviz has a manufacturing facility in Israel. However, it is not automotive-certified, and achieving this takes time and investments. Innoviz announced a partnership with Fabrinet, a publicly listed contract manufacturer with automotive grade certification, and a specialist in high volume manufacturing of precision opto-mechanical-electrical products. Its factories in Thailand can scale manufacturing to automotive volumes and quality as demand grows. This positions Innoviz to deliver as a Tier 1 supplier to the Volkswagen L4 program as it scales up. Apart from the Volkswagen and Audi selection, Innoviz is also the preferred LiDAR supplier to Mobileye for their different autonomy applications. The company also announced recently that 'it has signed a Statement of Development Work (SoDW) agreement with a Top 5 passenger automotive manufacturer. Through this SoDW, Innoviz will supply advanced LiDAR units for the OEM's L3 highly automated series-production program with target SOP of 2027'. Mercedes Again?? According to Omer Kielaf, CEO of Innoviz, the company's success in getting designed into major OEM platforms 'are our history of deep working relationships, disciplined project management, investing in becoming a Tier 1 designated supplier, the cost-performance-durability-size of the InnovizTwo LiDAR, and the ability for customers to source short and long range lidars from the same supplier'. Mobileye One of the biggest success stories of high tech from Israel in the last decade, Mobileye is today a Nasdaq listed company (occurred in 2022 after its spin-off from Intel which had acquired the company earlier). With a market capitalization of ~$15B and revenues of $1.8B/year, it is easily the leading player in the pure play autonomy landscape. Its customers include 50 automotive OEMs who use their ADAS-based solutions (cameras, chips, software) across 1200 car models and 190M cars. The goal is to support ADAS, L2, L3 and L4 capabilities through a combination of semiconductor chips, crowdsourced data from its mounted camera units, sensor integration (internal and external) and AI based software for path planning and drive policy. These products are listed below: Mobileye had a development program for a proprietary 1320 nm FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) which it presented at CES 2023. In late 2024, it discontinued this effort claiming that this development was less essential to its future efforts, and 'that the availability of next-generation FMCW lidar is less essential to our roadmap for eyes-off systems'. It cited as reasons the progress on its EyeQ6-based computer vision perception, performance of its imaging radar, and better-than-expected cost reductions in third-party time-of-flight (ToF) LiDAR units. The Mobileye Imaging Radar™ draws on IP during its tenure within Intel. Mobileye believes that its imaging radar is a perfect complement to cameras, especially in bad weather and will play a big role in compensating for loss of LiDAR and camera sensitivity. The core of the radar is the proprietary design of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFIC), embedded in a unique architecture where the entire radar signal is sampled and digitally processed by a dedicated proprietary processor. It has 1500 channels (virtual antennas), 20 Hz frame rate, 100 dB dynamic range and an angular resolution of 0.5°. The resolution is twice that of other imaging radars on the market enabling small object hazard detection, segmentation and identification at 130 m range (at speeds of 130 km/hr, presumably for L3 or L4, this is an OEM requirement). Larger objects like pedestrians and traffic poles can be detected at a 300 m range. Costs are expected to be in the $100 range. At short range, a combination of these radars can address a 360° FoV. In essence, this radar delivers essentially the same type of 3D point cloud and axial velocity information as a FMCW LiDAR, but at 100X lower angular resolution. It can detect most objects and their axial velocities, but not identify or classify them. The big advantage of course, is that performance is not degraded in bad weather and it costs 5-10X lower than a LiDAR. It is also more compact and can be gracefully designed into the vehicle body. Figure 4 shows a point cloud generated by the imaging radar. Figure 4: Point Cloud (dots) Superimposed on a Camera Image from Mobileye Imaging Radar. Colored ... More Dots Represent x-y-z Position. Doppler Velocity for Each Point is Also Provided. According to Dan Galves, Chief Communications Officer, 'Our imaging radars were designed as a key technology pillar to enable high-precision hands-off, eyes-off driving in both robotaxis and privately-owned vehicles, with a cost that supports scale. By adding a perception layer based on imaging radars, fully independent of cameras and LiDAR, Mobileye delivers a scalable, safe and cost-efficient solution to support the global deployments of consumer AVs and robotaxis - no matter where they drive.' Automotive OEMs are entering the autonomous car revolution once again. The challenge for them is not the technology - that exists. It is to find business models that unleash meaningful revenues and profits demanded by their shareholders (unlike the tech giants who have massive profits on their core business, and autonomous driving is just another BET). On the L3 front, it is a feature they can sell to consumers by the millions, and at reasonable cost and profits. Leveraging this into L4 capability for autonomous ride-hailing services will require competing aggressively with technology giants already deep in the game. It will be interesting to see how this war unfolds.
Forbes
24 minutes ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Make Bravery The Norm—Advice To Graduates (& Leaders) From JB Pritzker
Galesburg, IL June 8, 2025 Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers commencement address We're at the end of graduation season, with its outpouring of advice dispensed from podiums across the country. My heart was full of joy and hope for my eldest daughter as she graduated from Knox College, a small liberal arts college in rural Illinois. But I'll admit, I anticipated the graduation speech by Governor J.B. Pritzker with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. For one thing, this is a tough world our kids are graduating into—with the unemployment rate for 20-24-year-olds at 8.2%—more than double the 3.4% unemployment rate for those 25 and over, significant economic uncertainty, and heightened geopolitical risk. What could anyone say to equip and encourage them on this occasion? And in any case, hasn't it all been said? I've heard my share of commencement addresses, and few of them have transcended the usual platitudes. In addition, I am naturally skeptical of very rich guys in positions of political leadership and I worried the Illinios governor and potential presidential hopeful might politicize the speech or make it more about his agenda than the graduates. But when he took the stage in front of these young people and their parents, the governor won me over as he offered some wisdom to the graduates that many of our leaders in business and government could also benefit from. As Gov. Pritzker warmed up, he started with some mild self-deprecation (appropriate, as he was standing where Abraham Lincoln took a stand against slavery in the Fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 1858). He cracked a few jokes and offered some 'dad advice'—turn off the lights when you leave a room, put air in your tires, don't subscribe to too many streaming service subscriptions—very practical, and served up with a dose of humor. The crowd was with him. But then he moved into the heart of the address with three pieces of advice that should speak to us all: Show Up. A leader, grounded in values, shows up for people when it matters, and knows that in many cases what they say or do is less important than the support provided by just being there. The governor touted the importance of showing up for others—attending funerals and soccer games and award ceremonies. 'In a world where TikTok and Instagram tells you to be selfish with your schedule, I am telling you: Be generous with your time. Showing up is a unique and meaningful thing only you can do.' This advice may seem to contradict much advice (including my own) about setting boundaries. But Pritzker's advice is not fundamentally about time management. It is about presence—not about transactions or outcomes—and our commitment to the people in our lives. Doubt. In an increasingly complex world, we may feel the urge to cling to certainty, but certainty offers only a false security and is antithetical to innovation. Pritzker encouraged the graduates to cultivate doubt, because 'doubt makes us curious. Doubt keeps us humble. Doubt makes us seek when it would be so much easier to sit idle. Doubt prompts us to ask good questions. Questions like: am I looking at ALL the facts or just the ones I want to see?' As leaders, our experiences, mental models and the playbooks that we relied on in the past may not be equal to the task of scaling in a complex world. They require constant updating and iteration. Doubt invites leaders to be vigilant about confirmation and other biases, seek out divergent points of view, welcome challenges to assumptions, and be open to experiment. Be Brave. Finally, Gov. Pritzker exhorted the graduates to make courage the norm, not the exception. 'When we tell the stories of history, we often excuse the atrocities of our ancestors by suggesting that they were merely acting on what was popular at the time. Because we understand in our core, whether we want to admit it or not, how much easier it is to live a life that chases popularity rather than courage. Occasionally we are confronted with stories, like the founding of Knox College [established in 1837 by abolitionists committed to educating women and people of color]Pritzker urged the graduates to 'expect bravery' of themselves and their communities rather than accepting passivity that it rooted in fear. In this time of uncertainty and even chaos, it is tempting to double down on fear, to hesitate and wait to see which way the wind blows. Instead, it is not just our newly-minted graduates who we are called upon to show up with the curiosity and humility borne of doubt, and be brave. It is all of us.
Forbes
25 minutes ago
- Business
- Forbes
Lucky's Steakhouse Replaces Beloved East Hampton Restaurant
A steak dinner at Lucky's Steakhouse in East Hampton A 25-year-old California institution is expanding to the East End. Lucky's Steakhouse will open its fourth location at the end of June, expanding its presence beyond Montecito, Malibu, and Soho to yet another ritzy locale: East Hampton. The California-based restaurant is replacing the recently shuttered Cove Hollow Tavern at 85 Montauk Highway. Following the Ina Garten-lauded restaurant's final service on May 31, 2025, Lucky's retained the staff of the former institution, honoring local ties and ensuring familiar faces at the front of house (hiring peak season in the Hamptons is also a notable challenge). Fans of Cove Hollow Tavern can find some of the restaurant's beloved dishes at their sister restaurant, Vine Street Cafe, on Shelter Island. Lucky's Steakhouse was founded by Gene Montesano of Lucky Brand Jeans, along with his friends Herb Simon and Jimmy Argyropoulos, Herb's daughter Sarah Meyer Simon is leading the brand's East Coast expansion. A seafood tower at Lucky's Steakhouse in East Hampton 'We opened Lucky's in Montecito in 2000, creating a place where friends could enjoy a great meal in a comfortable atmosphere and be treated like family," shared Herb Simon. "Two decades later, we brought that same spirit to Malibu. In July 2024, SoHo followed—a small neighborhood restaurant with great food and atmosphere. Next up is East Hampton, where I have a home and spend my summers, and needless to say I'm excited to bring the Lucky's experience to the Hamptons.' Dining at Lucky's Steakhouse East Hampton East Hampton has no shortage of great spots for steak (East Hampton Grill, The Palm) and Lucky's will join the steakhouse selection with dry-aged USDA Prime steaks and more menu items familiar to their guests in California and SoHo. Highlights include Gene's Filet (filet mignon, fresh horseradish, red-wine sauce), the Lucky's Salad (romaine, shrimp, bacon, avocado & Roquefort), and Skinny Onion Rings (thin frizzled onions). Hamptons-exclusive plats du jour, inspired by the local fare, plus a raw bar, will also be served. A white tablecloth dinner service at Lucky's Steakhouse To drink, tableside martini service, an extensive wine list, and full bar, of course. The East Hampton Lucky's is very much inspired by the original Montecito location. Longtime artistic collaborator Peter Horjus painted Jazz Age-inspired murals of East End scenes to adorn the space along with new furnishings crafted by French atelier Maison Gatti. Lucky's East Hampton will be open on weekdays from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. on weekends. Reservations available via OpenTable, and walk-ins are welcome.
Forbes
33 minutes ago
- Business
- Forbes
Strong Trump Support For Patent Rights Could Promote U.S. Innovation
An image of 7 light bulbs from the patent infringement court trials brought by the Edison Electric ... More Light Company in 1893 that are part of a collection of technology artifacts at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois, May 5, 2010. (Photo by J. B. Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago/Getty Images) Recent Trump Administration actions point to enhanced support for patent rights. This could help accelerate American innovation in a time of growing international competition. Background As I explained in a previous Forbes article: 'The United States has the world's largest and most innovative economy, and our patent law framework has played a major role in this success story. At the beginning of the 21st century, the U.S. maintained the strongest system for patent protection. It was the envy of the world, but soon thereafter, it came under attack from problematic judicial and executive branch actions. The weakening of American patents has coincided with growing international challenges to U.S. technological leadership, particularly from China. Th[e] . . . administration . . . should reverse course and, in tandem with Congress, reinstitute a strong patent-policy framework to promote vibrant, innovation-driven American economic growth.' Congress is considering 3 bipartisan pro-patent bills that would: (1) limit abusive post-grant patent challenges, (2) clarify what is patentable, and (3) restore the presumption that a patent holder can enjoin (block) infringers from wrongfully using its patented technology. Passage of these bills would raise incentives for beneficial patenting that drives innovation. Patent legislation is, however, difficult to pass – similar reform bills have been repeatedly introduced in prior Congresses. Opponents of strong patents, including implementer companies that benefit from obtaining patented technology 'on the cheap,' have successfully opposed enactment of these proposals. Nevertheless, even absent statutory change, the executive branch can take valuable steps to promote stronger patents through policy pronouncements. Recent actions by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and the Justice Department (DOJ) suggest that the administration has taken this reality to heart. Administration Takes Pro-Patent Steps Curbing Abusive Post Grant Challenges. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board is a subsidiary body within PTO that is empowered to review already issued patents at the request of third parties that seek to have the patents extinguished. It was created by Congress as part of broader patent legislation in 2011. It was hoped that PTAB would allow quicker resolution of patent disputes as a substitute for federal court litigation. Instead, PTAB proceedings, which allowed for repeated challenges to different patent claims, became a wasteful and costly add-on to judicial lawsuits. It reduced certainty as to whether patent claims would ultimately be struck down. This disincentivized beneficial R&D directed at obtaining patents. As a leading patent law expert, Scalia Law School Professor Adam Mossoff, explains: '[D] iscretionary administrative decision-making at the PTAB and its highly unbalanced decisions in canceling patents have shaken the formerly reliable, stable, and effective legal foundation of the U.S. innovation economy—patent rights. . . . It also undermines patents as a stable legal platform by which companies can develop new commercial systems for efficiently delivering incredible new products and services to consumers, like today's smartphones.6 Instead, all patents today have the pall of the PTAB hanging over them—what lawyers call a cloud on the title—threatening to cancel their property rights willy-nilly.' U.S. PTO Acting Director Coke Stewart has taken multiple actions in recent weeks to rein in the PTAB's excesses: O She issued a March 2025 memorandum that emphasized her role in issuing discretionary denials of requests for PTAB patent challenges and expanded the factors that could be weighed to deny PTAB reviews (including 'settled patent holder expectations' when a patent has been long in force). O In a June 2025 address, she placed greater emphasis on early challenges to validity and seeking to 'migrate away from' late PTAB challenges. O On June 6, in issuing 'discretionary denials' blocking PTAB review of 5 patents, Stewart relied heavily on 'the failure of the petitioner to challenge the patent[s] sooner and the 'settled expectations' of the patent owner.' O On June 25, Stewart denied 3 petitions for PTAB review, finding that it would be 'an inefficient use of resources to review a challenged patent that has been dismissed with prejudice from . . . [parallel] litigation.' She had also invoked the pendency of a parallel court proceeding in a May 2025 denial of PTAB review. O Also on June 25, Stewart vacated PTAB decisions to review 2 patents, finding that the PTAB 'abused its discretion in granting institution of two petitions challenging the same [patent] claims in this instance.' According to patent policy analyst Eileen McDermott, these recent developments reflect a new 'trend of patent owner-friendly decisions in PTAB proceedings.' Supporting patent holders' ability to get injunctions. Until 2006, patent holders could presumptively obtain a court injunction that ordered infringers to stop using their invention (akin to a landowner's legal right to eject trespassers camping on their property). But the Supreme Court's 2006 decision in eBay v. MercExchange eliminated that presumption in favor of an uncertain four-factor 'balancing test.' A study by Professor Mossoff finds that eBay 'resulted in a significant reduction in availability of injunctive remedies for patent infringements, especially in the context of patents on standardized technologies, such as standard essential patents covering WiFi or 5G telecommunications technologies in mobile devices.' This means a slowdown in key R&D needed to bring forth next generation innovations that drive American technological prowess. The Biden Administration DOJ did not support interpretations of eBay that favor injunctions. The new Trump DOJ, however, seems to have reversed course by putting forth new justifications for injunctive relief. On June 24 DOJ, joined by PTO, filed a 'Statement of Interest' (SOI) in Radian Memory Systems v. Samsung. Radian Memory Systems claimed that Samsung had purposely infringed Radian's flash drive technology patent. The SOI agreed with Radian that the firm had been 'irreparably harmed,' a key factor supporting the grant of an injunction under the eBay holding. The SOI stated that a valid patent is 'a unique asset . . . with the rights (like the right to an injunction) that the [patent] statute prescribes.' The SOI added that '[i]n cases of unique assets, courts have commonly found irreparable harm when damages are difficult to calculate[,]' as is the case here. The SOI also noted that an injunction gives patent owners important protections on how and to whom a license to their patented technology is given. What's more, the prospect of an injunction deters infringement by firms that otherwise would think they 'had nothing to lose' other than the risk of having to make future royalty payments. As noted patent law expert Gene Quinn puts it: '[I]t seems clear that the Trump Administration is advocating a new path forward and a return to the possibility of an injunction issuing to patent owners—even a preliminary injunction. And with the DOJ and USPTO intervening in this case so early, whatever the ruling, the case seems destined for the Supreme Court.' Next Steps Recent actions by the PTO and DOJ limiting PTAB challenges to patents and supporting the broader issuance of court injunctions for patent infringement are significant. They signal a move back toward the more patent friendly approach of the first Trump Administration. These changes, particularly if coupled with appropriate legislative reform, could give a strong boost to patent-based innovation – and thereby enhance the prospects for future American technological leadership.
Forbes
40 minutes ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Creators Turned Political Campaigns Into The Ultimate Battleground
The 2024 U.S. Presidential election, apart from being a seismic result in favor of former and current President Trump, marked a major change in the business of campaigns. The first time utilization and mobilization of major content creators by both party machines was immortalized at Trump's election victory party at Mar a-Lago by the UFC Founder Dana White in his deep praise of the prominent Podcasters instrumental in tipping the scales and delivering the winning campaign when she stated: 'I want to thank the NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With The Boys. And last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan'. The business of politics and campaigns - like a number of legacy industries, is now played out on the distribution platform that is relevant: social media. People under 40 years of age rush away from linear television, newspapers and radio airwaves that once defined media consumption. Online streaming grew to account for 40% of U.S. TV usage – in comparison to cable television sitting at an anemic 27%. Newspaper circulation dropped by 12.7% in 2024 Audio numbers have grown with the rise of Spotify and Apple Music and those consuming podcasts through video (like on Youtube). Seventy percent of Americans above the age of 12 have listened to a podcast, and 73% above the age of12 have consumed a podcast in audio form or video — underscoring the growth of the medium as a means of messaging and entertainment. The relatively nascent Twitter app was used during Obama's first run for the presidency to acquire new audiences and disseminate new messaging. Now, it's owned by the world's wealthiest man: Elon Musk. His change of heart around President Trump aside, the election result remains the same. and now along with Truth Social are the preeminent presidential mouthpieces and appear set to be the main standards of announcement around the office of the White House throughout this presidential term. While so many people became obsessed over the first presidential race to be set in the heart of the AI revolution – it was audio and YouTube that created the intimate bond to voters. Over the course of 2024, both Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris traded podcast and YouTube appearances on the aforementioned NELK Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von and perhaps most prominently the world's biggest podcaster Joe Rogan where he preferred a more 'unscripted' style approach to win voters. Harris, on the other hand, sat down with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper and reportedly turned down an appearance on Rogan wanting the Texas based podcaster to come to Washington. She also appeared on 'All the Smoke' with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson while completing interviews with Howard Stern and Charlamagne tha God. The contrasting publicity choices seems to tell a very clear story. The Joe Rogan and Trump podcast amassed 59 million views on YouTube and his sit-down with Theo Von amassed another 16 million views. By comparison, Kamala Harris's effort with Cooper contrastingly didn't crack 1 million views and sits, at the time of publication, at a comparatively meagre 992,000. These YouTube view counts don't even factor in the many 'cut downs' versions of the films that were distributed as bite sized pieces on platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube shorts. Beyond the presidential race, the hotly contested New York democratic primary race between former governor Andrew Cuomo and the fast-rising underdog Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has seen one candidate embrace both Instagram and Tik Tok for his campaign messaging. Delivering made-for-platform short form clips of the 33-year-old interviewing regular people on the street and speaking in Hindi with smash cuts of Bollywood films as well as collaborations with pages like the Gaydar Show humorously talking about LGBTQI specific issues and popular creators like Hasan Piker to illustrate relatability and authenticity over more scripted and polished fair which traditional politicians tend to embrace. Mamdani counts over 600,000 followers on Instagram and 275,000 on Tik Tok whilst his chief opposition Cuomo held a relatively meagre 196,000 on Instagram and 2600 on Tik Tok, With a victory in the democratic primary, Mamdani's embracing of social, short form and creators surged past the more well established and better funded Cuomo. The unapologetic embracing of social platforms and creators has also resulted in a record $8 Million raised from donors to help continue the slick social messaging push to November's General Mayoral election. The US election cycle is now fully embracing this new standard of message distribution as each Party battles to get its propaganda in front of new and ever evolving audiences. Mark my words, as more and more content creators develop into the podcast world, YouTube and Live Streaming – it's clear that they hold more sway than ever before. Multiple talent managers who represent talent that have completed content partnerships with both sides of the political aisle reinforced the sentiment that the growth of political spending on creators represents the most tangible way to access younger voters who have long since tuned out of legacy media. As you would expect, campaign finances are also being distributed very differently today as well. $5.5 billion was spent on the Presidential campaign in 2024 and that number trebled to $15.9 billion with congressional races factored in too. Daniel Bee, a Publicist and Communications expert in Los Angeles said: 'It's pretty safe to say we should anticipate continued growth in political spending in the USA and that a huge chunk of that money will be spent working closer with content creators and their huge and growing audiences. You have to meet the audiences where they are'. The mass spending begs the question where future campaign dollars will be funneled off the back of the growth of Podcast and social media appearances for candidates. Paid ads on social media are nothing new but it opens up the high likelihood of more and more money being spent on Podcast appearances, sponsored creator content, political rallies featuring more creators and livestreams are set to become part of the fabric of campaigning for years to come. Will 2028 bring the first Presidential Mr. Beast games…only time will tell
