2025 Laws Take on Social Media and Minimum Wage & Tesla Suffers First Sales Slip

Key takeaways

2025 will see significant social media regulations, particularly aimed at protecting minors.
Tesla reports its first sales decline, raising questions about its traditional business and future viability.
Squid Game Season 2 sets records for Netflix, showing strong audience demand despite previous fears about interest waning.
Norovirus outbreaks are on the rise, especially linked to cruise ships, drawing concern about public health.
The film industry continues to favor sequels, dominating the box office, reflecting audience preference for familiar content.

Summary

2025 Laws Overview

Neil and Toby discuss major laws coming into effect in 2025, addressing topics such as social media regulations, minimum wage increases, and unique state-specific laws. In Florida, a controversial law bans children under 14 from having social media accounts, shifting the responsibility onto platforms to enforce this regulation. Additionally, 21 states have raised their minimum wage, with states like Washington, California, and Connecticut exceeding $16/hour. Other notable laws include Illinois gyms allowing online cancellations, California's protections for child influencers, and new age-verification laws impacting access to adult content websites.

Tesla's Struggles

The podcast shifts focus to Tesla, which is facing its first sales decline in over a decade, with a 2% drop from the previous year, missing its own growth estimates. The decline reflects challenges from increased competition, particularly from Chinese automakers, and a stagnant traditional vehicle lineup. CEO Elon Musk aims to pivot the company towards a self-driving, AI-driven future; however, the current struggles in the traditional EV market may hinder those ambitious goals.

Squid Game Season 2 and Norovirus

In a fun segment, Toby discusses the massive success of Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2, which racked up 68 million views in the first four days, becoming Netflix's biggest premiere ever. Amidst the entertainment banter, Neil highlights a troubling surge in norovirus cases, particularly on cruise ships, calling it the 'Dog of the Week,' while they both reflect on the overwhelming nature of these outbreaks.

Headlines Roundup

The episode wraps up with a variety of headlines, including a lawsuit settlement with Apple over privacy concerns related to Siri, and a recap of the box office trends where nine of the top ten highest-grossing films of 2024 are sequels. Also noted is Arrow, Mexico, which topped the list of on-time airlines for the year.

Show notes

Episode 489: Neal and Toby recap the major laws on AI, social media, guns, and cannabis that go into effect in 2025. Then, both the New Orleans attack and Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion were vehicles rented on the car-renting app Turo, which raises the company’s vetting process. Also, Tesla has its first-ever annual sales decline in over a decade. Meanwhile, Squid Game Season 2 is this (short) week’s Stock of the Week, and the norovirus outbreaks is the Dog of the Week. Lastly, a headline roundup to get you through the weekend.

Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app.

Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD

Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow

00:00 - Ins/Outs of 2025
02:00 - New Laws in 2025
07:45 - What is Turo?
12:40 - Tesla Sales Drop
16:00 - Stock of the Week
19:30 - Dog of the Week
22:30 - Headlines
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices