WOW! Musk Slams Trump Deal & Trump Demands Public Apology After "Radical Left" Bishop Budde Sermon
PDS Published 01/22/2025
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We gotta talk about why Donald Trump is demanding an apology from a bishop.
And specifically, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who’s the first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.
Right, yesterday, she spoke at the inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral – along with more than a dozen religious leaders from various faiths.
All this, of course, coming a day after Trump became president again and issued a flurry of controversial executive orders – including some dealing with transgender rights and immigration.
And, with that, Bishop Budde had a message for him.
At the end of her sermon, taking a breath, and looking directly at the new president of the United States:
"In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families — some who fear for their lives. And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals — they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples.” (BYTE: 1:10-2:12)
And from there, she actually kept going a bit.
For example, also asking for mercy for “parents whose children fear that their parents are going to be taken away” –
As well as calling on Trump to “help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution.”
And Trump? He clearly wasn’t happy, speaking to reporters after the service and saying this:
“I didn't think it was a good service. No.” (BYTE: 0:19-0:21)
“They can do much better.” (0:24-0:25)
And if you thought that was it, boy, were you wrong.
Right, because shortly after midnight, you had doubling down on his negative review in a a lengthy post on Truth Social, writing:
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
And going on to accusing her of being “nasty in tone”, saying she wasn’t compelling or smart, and claiming that she failed to mention the, quote, “large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people.”
With him also claiming that “many were deposited from jails and mental institutions” and that “It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA.”
And finally, saying that she and the church owe the public an apology. []
And now, first thing, as usual, I think it’s important to just do a quick fact-check when Trump says things without providing evidence.
And so, for one, the idea that a large number of individuals have entered the country illegally and killed people?
Well, on one hand, it’s subjective and any number could be considered “large.”
But notably, there’s no evidence that migrants of any kind commit violent or other crime at higher rates than citizens.
In fact, some evidence suggests they commit crime at lower rates.
There’s also no evidence of “mental institutions" or prisons being emptied into the country. []
And as far as a “giant” crime wave? In general, FBI data suggests that’s not the case.
But secondly, I will say, Trump’s not wrong that Bishop Mudde has a history of criticizing him.
In 2020, for example, she wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times saying that she was “outraged” by Trump’s posing with a bible at St. John’s Church after officers used tear gas against racial justice protesters nearby.
With her accusing him of using “sacred symbols” while “espousing positions antithetical to the Bible.”[]
And in fact, she’s not the only prominent religious figure to criticize him.
I mean, just this weekend, Pope Francis called his mass deportation plan a “disgrace”
But with all that, we’ve seen some serious backlash against Bishop Mudde especially.
Fox News, for example, highlighting criticism from conservative commentators and right-wing pastors.
With one claiming the sermon is "just the beginning of Democrats' desperate attempts to race bait America back into the pernicious grips of DEI." []
And adding:
"The fact that President Trump demanded that God remain as the foundation of America should have received non-partisan praise from all of our nation's clergy.” []
And another striking a similar tone, saying:
“Unity can only be achieved through a commitment to biblical truth, not cultural assimilation. Her sermon was indicative of the heresy being taught by mainline denominations.” []
And so, of course, some might say it all sort of highlights some of the extreme views and Christian nationalism underlying support for Trump –
As well as feeding what some see as an ongoing attack on the principle of separation of church and state and religious freedom.
With some also arguing anyone who has a problem with Budde’s sermon isn’t really preaching Christian values (1, 2, 3)
One Texas-based pastor, for example, responding to comments by a Newsmaxx host on X, writing:
When you worship power, a sermon on the love and mercy of Jesus sounds like “spewing hate.”[]
And with that, people also highlight what they see as hypocrisy in the response in terms of secular American values.
Right, and with that, one of the wackiest and most criticized responses to Budde’s sermon coming from Georgia Congressman Mike Collins, with him writing on X:
“The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”[]
With then, people pointing out the obvious hypocrisy and just insanity to that idea, writing, for example:
“To be clear, you're calling for a New Jersey-born bishop to be deported because you don't like that she exercised her First Amendment right by delivering a sermon in accordance with her faith imploring Trump to show empathy to people?”[]
But with all that, I gotta pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this?
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Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is well underway.
Right, on top of the executive orders (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) we talked about yesterday, his administration is already issuing new and specific guidance aiming to follow through on his promise of mass deportations.
And of course, activists, some cities, and a few states?
They’re fighting back.
But with that, one of the biggest new policies?
It’s actually the nationwide expansion of an existing process known as "expedited removal." []
Right, basically, it’s a process streamlining the deportation of unauthorized immigrants by just bypassing the lengthy and massively backlogged immigration court system.
And if those identified for expedited removal don’t request asylum or are deemed as not having a legitimate asylum case?
It’s not always that simple, but in theory, they can go ahead and be sent back to where they came from.
Right, notably, without ever having the chance to make their case before a judge.[]
And like I said, this isn’t totally new.
And in fact, it’s long been criticized by immigration advocates.
With people like the president of the nonprofit Immigrant Defenders Law Center claiming:
“Expedited removal is a deeply flawed practice that often denies immigrants a fair opportunity to access relief, separates families unnecessarily and makes a mockery of the right to access counsel.”
But with all that, in the past, the process was limited to unauthorized immigrants detained within 100 miles of an international border and who had been in the country for less than two weeks. []
Now, it reportedly applies to any unauthorized immigrant, anywhere in the country who can’t prove they’ve been here for at least two years.
And notably, Trump similarly tried to speed up deportations during his term, but not until 2019 – the third year of his presidency.
And the ensuing legal battle kept the rule from going into effect until late 2020 when a federal appeals court allowed him to move forward with the plan while the lawsuit continued.
But then, not much later, the Biden administration came in and undid the policy.
But of course, this time, Trump’s making these moves in his first week in office.
With all of this pointing to something we talked about in a previous deep dive we did into his mass deportation plans –
Which is that he and his administration are just way more organized and way more prepared than last time.
And with that, we gotta move onto another big immigration policy shift –
Which is that immigration authorities can now enter places like schools, healthcare facilities, and places of worship to conduct arrests.
With the Department of Homeland Security rescinding what it described as the previous administration’s guidelines that “thwart” law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas. []
In fact, the “sensitive areas” policy was first enacted under the Obama administration in 2011.
And notably, it mostly stayed intact during Trump’s first term.
And then, in 2021, the Biden administration updated and expanded the policy creating so-called "protected areas" –
With the basic idea being that immigration enforcement operations shouldn't “be taken in or near a location that would restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities.” []
But now, with the end of that policy, you have a spokesperson for the DHS saying:
“The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”[]
But on the flip side, you have people like the interim executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy saying:
“This action could have devastating consequences for immigrant families and their children, including US citizen children, deterring them from receiving medical attention, seeking out disaster relief, attending school, and carrying out everyday activities.” []
And with that, let’s just focus on schools for a minute, right, that’s where a lot of the attention has been…
And it may be because there are an estimated 733,000 school-aged children in the country without legal status, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
And of course, many many more have citizenship but their parents don’t.[]
Which is worth pointing out because Trump has suggested deporting entire families with mixed immigration status.
And with that, you have outlets like the Associated Press reporting that some families are now wondering whether it’s safe to send their kid to school.
With several schools saying they were getting calls from worried parents about rumors that immigration agents would try to get inside –
Though, of course, it’s too early to tell for sure whether large numbers of families are or will end up keeping their children home.[]
And, of course, it may vary depending on where the school is located.
Right, education officials in some states and districts have vowed to stand up for immigrant students.
In Chicago, for example, the Board of Education passing a resolution within days of Trump’s victory.
With it asserting that schools wouldn’t assist ICE in enforcing immigration law –
Saying agents would only be allowed in with a criminal warrant. []
And then, in California, the attorney general recently issued guidance advising immigrant families of their rights and reminding schools of state law limiting local participation in immigration enforcement.
And New York? It’s issued similar guidance, as well as offered “know your rights” training sessions for immigrant families and staff.
And of course, adding to all that, this is just one example of the pushback we’re seeing in various parts of the country.
Right, for example, attorneys general from 22 states have already sued to block Trump’s executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship.
And you can bet your ass more lawsuits from both states and advocacy groups are on their way.
And then, besides school districts, you have many local police departments issuing statements about how they’ll deal with immigration authorities –
And of course, this all kind of lends itself to this broader conversation about so-called sanctuary cities.
Right, LA, for example, being one of the biggest to approve a sanctuary city law in November that forbids city employees and resources from being involved in federal immigration enforcement.
But then, on the other side of that, some cities who embraced the sanctuary city label last time?
They’ve been much more hesitant to do so this time around.
New York and LA, for example, being highlighted in some recent reporting from NBC News.
And that may be because Trump has promised to make rebellious cities pay, and he seems to be following through on his word.
Right, one of the executive orders he signed Monday?
Something we didn’t get a chance to unpack, it calls for the AG and homeland security secretary to, quote:
“evaluate and undertake any lawful actions to ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary” jurisdictions’ which seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations, do not receive access to Federal funds.” []
And with that, you have the LA Times reporting, for example, that the order could threaten the city’s access to federal money needed for disaster relief and recovery from the fires –
Which, by the way, aren’t over.
With also a search still underway for an estimated 22 people who remain unaccounted for.
But in any case, this isn’t the only threat we’ve seen against sanctuary cities.
For example, White House border czar Tom Homan telling CNN yesterday that agents are focused on migrants considered a public safety threat.
But at the same time, claiming that there is “nothing” in the law that says a person has to be convicted of a serious crime to be removed from the country.
And with that, saying arrests of migrants without a criminal record could also be swept up by ICE – especially those living in sanctuary cities.
"There are going to be more collateral arrests in sanctuary cities because they forced us to go into the community and find the guy we are looking for.” (BYTE: 2:54-3:01)
“When you release a public safety threat out of a sanctuary jail and they won’t give us access to him, that means we have to go to the neighborhood and find him, and we will find him, but when we find him, he may be with others. Others that don’t have a criminal conviction and are in the country illegally. They will be arrested too.” (2:25-2:41)
But ultimately, we’re gonna have to see how this all plays out.
Right, what’s gonna happen with these lawsuits? Will sanctuary cities keep up the fight? What else will Congress be able to get done on the immigration agenda?
Only time will tell.
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Trump has just unveiled what he calls “the largest AI infrastructure project in history.”
Right, the initiative in question is a joint venture with OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle that will invest in data centers and computing technology for AI.
And while the venture — called Stargate — will start with an initial investment of $100 billion, Trump and the tech partners say it could reach as much as $500 billion over the next four years.
And specifically, those three massive companies will help fund these investments, but the venture will be open to other investors as well.
With Trump claiming that Stargate will create more than 100,000 jobs “almost immediately.”
And, as a result, the president has championed this as a massive success in his first days in office, painting this as a vote of confidence in his administration, saying:
“This monumental undertaking is a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential under a new president.”
But, very notably here, despite Trump’s claims, the initial plans for Stargate actually reportedly go back to when Biden was in office.
Right, back in March of last year, the tech outlet The Information reported that Microsoft and OpenAI were working on plans for a $100 billion data center called “Stargate.”
A fact that many right-leaning outlets neglected to mention, instead presenting this as a major victory for Trump.
But even at the press conference announcing the initiative, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said that construction for 10 data centers was already underway, indicating that this was already in the works before Trump.
But, that said, Trump has made it clear that he intends to go much further than Biden when it comes to AI.
Right, this announcement comes after Trump — as one of his first acts in office — rolled back an executive order on AI Biden had enacted that aimed to reduce risks the technology presents to consumers, workers, and national security.
And during the presser yesterday, the president also said he would remove barriers to allow for more data centers to be built.
Vowing to make “emergency declarations” to expedite the project’s development and allow Stargate to generate its own electricity.
Though, very notably here, he didn’t provide any details about how exactly he would justify doing that or what powers he has to achieve those goals.
So, as a result, critics have raised concerns about plowing ahead with these AI efforts full speed and the risks that poses to consumers, the environment, and national security.
Right, as we’ve talked about many times before, these AI data centers use MASSIVE amounts of energy — mostly fossil fuels.
Hell, just last month, the Department of Energy estimated that energy demand for U.S. data centers TRIPLED over the last decade and is expected to double again just in the next four years.
But the enormous energy required for these centers doesn’t just increase pollution — it also strains resources.
With the North American Electric Reliability Corporation finding in a recent report that nearly half the ENTIRE country is at an increased risk of power supply shortfalls over the next 10 years as power consumption increases for AI data centers and other needs.
But, in addition to the usual conversations about the environment and security that always crop up with big AI ventures, some of the backlash we saw coming from this announcement came from unexpected places.
Like, for example, Elon Musk — a fervent champion of both Trump and AI.
With Musk responding to a post by OpenAI announcing Stargate and writing:
“They don’t actually have the money”[]
Then adding, “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.”
But, notably here, we saw OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praising Musk as “the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time” but then hitting back at his claims, writing:[]
“wrong, as you surely know. want to come visit the first site already under way? this is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you'll mostly put [America] first.”[]
Right, and Musk’s comments here are super notable because, according to The Wall Street Journal:
“Musk’s comments marked the first time he has raised questions about a Trump-led initiative since the president put him in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency.”
But that could also be because this is one of the first times Trump has done something to benefit a rival of Musk’s.
Right, even though Stargate seems like it could also benefit Musk’s AI company, xAI, he has long had it out for Sam Altman.
Initially, Musk was an early investor in OpenAI, but he has since sued the company, alleging that it put profits before “the benefit of humanity.”
Claiming that OpenAI tricked him into becoming an investor by promising to keep its status as a nonprofit organization but then later changing to become a for-profit company.
With it also being reported that sources close to Musk have said he openly despises Altman.
But beyond that, we also saw some unexpected backlash from other Trump supporters.
With many specifically taking issue with remarks made by Ellison — the Oracle CEO — at the press conference announcing Stargate.
And there, Ellison was talking about the uses of AI that this investment will fuel when he said this:
“One of the most exciting things we’re working on — again, using the tools that Sam and Masa are providing — is a cancer vaccine.” 00:01 - 00:09
“All of our cancers — cancer tumors — little fragments of those tumors float around in your blood. So you can do early cancer detection. If you can do it using AI, you can do early cancer detection with a blood test and using AI to look at the blood test.” 00:15 - 00:35
“Then beyond that, once we gene sequence that cancer tumor, you can then vaccinate the person — design a vaccine for every individual person that vaccinates them against that cancer. And you can make that vaccine, that mRNA vaccine, you can make that robotically, again using AI, in about 48 hours.” 00:48 - 1:14
But, with that, you had a lot of Trump supporters hearing the term “mRNA” and losing their shit, with the phrase trending high on X this morning and people writing things like:
“I’m sorry I am MAGA, but I hear MRNA vaccine and that’ll be a no for me.” []
Other’s also saying they voted for Trump but this crosses a line, urging him to stop this effort.[][][]
And we even saw major conservative voices chiming in, like conservative YouTubers the Hodge Twins, who tweeted:
“So y'all know we are 💯 against the $500b MRNA Stargate AI vaccine program We said Make America Healthy Again not load us up with experimental shots that are gonna kill us” []
But that’s where I’m going to end this one, and while we’ll be keeping an eye on how all this plays out, I’d really love to know what you make of all this in those comments down below.
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President Donald Trump just made good on a campaign promise to Libertarians and crypto fans by giving a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht . [pronunciation]
Ulbricht founded and ran The Silk Road, an online, dark-web marketplace where essentially anything could be bought and sold that generally used Bitcoin.
While legitimate transactions did take place on the platform, it became infamous for facilitating drug trades and other illicit activity to the tune of $214 million.[]
And that’s what got him on law enforcement’s radar, leading to an arrest in 2013 and two life sentences (+40 years) in 2015.
For years, Libertarians and Bitcoin fans alike have demanded his release and claim he was unfairly targeted and received a completely out-of-proportion sentence.
That led Trump to promise to commute Ulbricht’s sentence while speaking at the Libertarian National Convention in what many saw as a strategy to win over Libertarians and Libertarian-adjacent lawmakers.
(Overall that maybe had mixed results as he was also booed at the convention)
Somehow that turned into a full pardon, possibly because Trump sees a bit of himself in Ulbricht’s prosecution.
Don’t take my word for it, just look at what he wrote on Truth Social yesterday:
“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross. The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” []
But whether Ulbricht’s sentence was really because of “lunatics” in the government or because of Ulbricht’s actions probably depends on your political leanings.
Some felt the prosecution got it right, saying:
“Ross William Ulbricht stole hundreds of millions of dollars & ran a massive dark web narcotics scheme as the drug epidemic destroyed lives. He was convicted. Trump just gave him a full & unconditional pardon. Remember this when Trump blames immigrants for drugs & economic harm.” []
Those who support his prosecution will point out that even if going after the Silk Road was politically motivated, it doesn’t excuse some of Ulbricht’s other actions.
Like the fact that he allegedly solicited the murder of several people that “threatened” the security of the site. []
To be clear, it doesn’t look like anyone was actually murdered because of this, but it’s still illegal to solicit murder.
On the other hand, critics of Ulbricht’s prosecution have a lot to say.
They point out that he wasn’t convicted for solicitation of murder, and their general sentiment is that the entire prosecution was government overreach:
“So they gave Ross Ulbricht 2 life sentences for creating a website that other people used for illegal activity… But they won’t go after the creators of p*rn websites that knowingly show child p*rn, r*pe, other s*xual assault & human trafficking. Got it.” []
Then there’s the whole crypto angle, with people saying:
“...the government gave him two life sentences without parole for nonviolent charges, including money laundering—just for using Bitcoin. They relied on questionable evidence and made him an example.” []
“As a developer who has worked with Bitcoin for years, this always felt personal. I didn’t build a marketplace, but it could have been me—or any of my friends—targeted by the government. Ross’s case was a warni ng shot at
For many, the Silk Road and its embrace of bitcoin as a way to end economic “coercion” embodied what a successful marketplace and world with decentralized currencies could be.
So they felt that the government going after Ulbricht was a clear attack on the entire premise of cryptocurrencies in its infancy. []
Regardless of how anyone feels though, the reality is that Ulbricht is a free man right now.
And as for what happens next who really knows, although some people have jokingly made predictions like:
“Heartbreaking: Trump condemns man to 20 years of libertarian podcast appearances.” []
This could also be a sign that Trump is more serious about keeping his promises to crypto people.
Right, he said that he wanted to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet.”
It’s a little unclear how exactly that will happen, but we’re also just a few days into his presidency and we’ve already seen a crazy amount of stuff being signed and moved on.
So we'll have to just keep an eye out.
In the meantime, do you think Ulbricht had an unjust sentence?
And even if he did, do you think a full pardon was reasonable? Or should it have just been clemency?
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Right, over the past week or so MrBeast has made various posts about the prospect of buying TikTok, but tons of people were not sure how serious he really was.
Because obviously he’s rich, but not buy-a-multibillion-dollar-company rich.
But yesterday we saw reports that he is part of a group of investors led by entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley that announced a formal offer.
According to the law firm representing them, they submitted “an all-cash offer to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations and various assets from ByteDance.”[]
Also adding that the investor group is made up of “institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.”
Though the statement does not name anyone outside of Tinsley and MrBeast.
But this morning, MrBeast’s role in this became a lot more confusing after a spokesperson told the Associated Press he has not officially joined any bids, explaining:
“Several buyers are holding ongoing discussions with Jimmy. He has no exclusive agreements with any of them.”
Then not long after that comment was made, MrBeast tweeted:[]
“The leading groups who are all credible bidding on Tik Tok have reached out for us to help them, I’m excited to partner/make this a reality. Big things cooking.”
So it seems he is involved with something, it just is not clear what.
Which is interesting because he was not only named in the law firm’s statement, but Tinsley himself shouted MrBeast out as one of the investors he is working with in a tweet this week. []
With Tinsley also writing that he planned to meet with Trump to discuss the offer, adding that his goal is to:
“ensure TikTok stays accessible, thriving, and aligned with the values that make America great.”
And this obviously comes as Trump just signed an executive order seeking to delay the TikTok ban, essentially pausing enforcement of the law for 75 days to give his administration time to find a way to save the app.
And while there are questions as to whether or not a president can actually use an executive order to halt enforcement of a federal law, TikTok has notably applauded Trump for his efforts. []
As did Tinsley, who gave a statement to Bloomberg saying:[]
“As President Trump re-establishes America’s dominance, our group stands ready to partner with the US government to acquire TikTok and help secure and stabilize the platform for hundreds of millions of Americans to safely enjoy.”
So even though MrBeast’s role here is unclear, it seems Tinsley’s bid is still legit.
And there are murmurs about more bids to come.
Billionaire Frank McCourt and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary have expressed interest.
Just yesterday, Trump said he would be open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying it if they were interested.
Though, it is unclear if either will follow through on that.
But it comes as this TikTok limbo period is making headlines for other reasons, right, with companies like Meta trying to pounce on its creators since its future is uncertain.
Launching a “breakthrough bonus” program that gives creators up to $5,000 in 90 days for posting to Facebook and Instagram Reels.
And it seems like it is specifically designed to scoop up American TikTok creators since, in order to be eligible, you have to be based in the US and have a presence on a third party social app and link to it in the application.
On top of this, reports also say Meta is looking to ink “content deals” with some TikTokers to help them grow on Instagram and Facebook.[]
As TikTok went dark over the weekend, Instagram also announced a CapCut competitor called Edits.
So even though TikTok users have a generally sour attitude towards Reels, to put it lightly, it is clear they still want to be the successor app in the event TikTok goes away.
But I would love to know your thoughts on any and all of this, whether it be about MrBeast, the idea of TikTok selling US operations, Trump, any and all parts to this, I would love to know.
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Netflix is hiking prices yet again!
Right, yesterday Netflix announced that they are raising the prices of their premium, standard, and ad tiers. []
Hiking the ad tier from $6.99 to $7.99, the standard from $15.49 to $17.99, and the premium tier is going up 2 dollars to a whopping $24.99 a month. []
And the real kicker here is that alongside this announcement, Netflix also outlined their numbers from last quarter. []
Saying their revenue went up by 16% and they added nearly 19 million subscribers.
Which is the biggest jump that Netflix has ever seen and reportedly brings their total up to 302 million subscribers worldwide. []
Now, for their latest bump, Netflix thanks season 2 of Squid Games and live shows like the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight. []
And they’ve since taken on more live events like the Christmas Day NFL games and WWE broadcasts.
With the company saying in a letter to their investors,
“As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix.” []
And those investors are completely onboard - with Reuters reporting that Netflix’s stock surged 13% in extended trade, lifting its stock market value by almost $50 billion. []
But the members that the company is asking to “pay a little more” are less enthused.
With many people reacting VERY negatively online, saying things like,
“Once again @netflix bends over their customer base so their executives can buy another luxury yacht, another house, and a fancy vacation... all while the majority of people are just hoping to have food and heat. Greed is destroying the US.” []
And as for “re-investing to further improve Netflix” - many online are saying that the content on Netflix just isn’t worth the price anymore.
With even more saying that this is the final straw and they’re either ready to or already have canceled their subscriptions.
But it is worth noting that there was a similar reaction when Netflix stopped password sharing and the last time they hiked prices.
But the company still pulled out ahead back then and, according to these numbers, they’re still doing so now.
So unless there is real action to back up the words this time, I can’t imagine things are going to change.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - are you planning on canceling your subscription over these price hikes?
Or will you drop down to the ad tier? Will you change anything at all?
Let me know in those comments down below.
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