Power Players with Brian Sozzi

Latest Episodes:

How Hilton’s CEO built a global hotel empire Nov 29, 2025

Show notes

Spotting a legendary CEO amid a sea of titans. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Hilton (HLT) CEO Chris Nassetta. Nassetta is one of Corporate America's longest-serving CEOs, having assumed the top position in 2007 after leadership positions at Host Hotels. He has managed through a host of major hotel industry challenges ranging from the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Nassetta has helped to significantly grow Hilton around the world. Today, it operates more than 9,000 hotels spanning 25 brands. Nassetta shares what’s next in the storied Hilton story, and how long he plans to stay leading the company.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

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Why everyone got bitcoin wrong, according to Coinbase Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

Just like that, the crypto bears have resurfaced. The fall has brought a bear market for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Experts cite a range of factors. For one, the Fed's lack of enthusiasm for a December rate cut has reduced investors' risk appetite. Crypto is still one of the riskiest assets in the game. And two, a questionable presidential pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has cast new scrutiny on the cast of characters continuing to linger in the crypto space. How long will the bear market continue? Have institutions lost interest in crypto after a year of significant upside catalysts? Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Coinbase (COIN) head of institutional strategy John D’Agostino. D’Agostini takes Sozzi inside the latest thinking of institutions on crypto and stock, and what 2026 may hold for the industry.

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The biggest investing risk? Not investing! Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

With more than $2.1 trillion in assets under management, BNY (BNY) remains one of the heavyweights in the financial services industry. It also has the distinction of being America’s oldest bank! As one might imagine with such a distinction, BNY has witnessed a range of market cycles and new technologies over the decades. Keeping the company at the leading edge of industry changes today, such as AI and cryptocurrency, will require nimble management and an unwavering focus on clients. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Jose Minaya, Global Head of BNY Investments. Minaya stock his personal story from growing up in New York and his investment philosophy. He breaks down how BNY is spending on AI and the impact it will have on the future of investing.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The surprising sector shielded from government shutdowns Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Keeping the United States safe comes with its share of investment opportunities for the financial services industry. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Capitol Meridian Partners co-founder Brooke Coburn. Coburn was a founding member of the tech, media, and telecom practice at private equity powerhouse The Carlyle Group. Coburn co-founded Capitol Meridian Partners in 2021 with longtime colleague Adam Palmer. Meridian aims to invest in companies across the defense industry, from aerospace players to those developing government software. Coburn shares his investment philosophy as the sector sees renewed interest amid investments by the Trump administration.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the Savannah Bananas turned absurd baseball into big business Nov 08, 2025

Show notes

Doing the game of baseball differently. Think an 11-rule system, one of them being that if a player bunts, they are automatically out. If a fan catches a ball, the player is out. All-in-ticket pricing means that food and your seat are included in one price. Players dancing out of the blue in the outfield. A person pitching while being on stilts. A two-hour time limit for the game. If you think this all sounds ridiculous, you are right — the thing is, it's being done already! Enter the Savannah Bananas, an independent baseball team founded officially in 2016 by Jesse Cole. The Bananas have gone from a sports sideshow to the real deal, filling out stadiums reserved for pro teams and appearing on ESPN. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with founder and owner Jesse Cole. Coles shares why he views Walt Disney as one of his ultimate business inspirations and how he got a business like the Bananas off the ground in a competitive sporting arena. Cole also details what’s next for his company after a transformational 2025.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wikipedia's founder explains social media's trust problem Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

Wikipedia has something in common with your local electric plant: both are utilities that are protected in their own right. Wikipedia was founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Since then, the site has operated as a nonprofit, with posts on people, places, and things edited by volunteers. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, attracts billions of visits every month and has also increasingly come under attack for alleged left-leaning bias, as seen in comments from billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk. So what does the future hold for this digital utility in the new norm of political backlash and AI proliferation? Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, who is out soon with a new book called The 7 Rules of Trust. Wales takes Sozzi inside the founding of Wikipedia and how he views the platform’s place in society today — and into the future.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Royal Caribbean’s longtime CEO on the next big wave in cruising Nov 01, 2025

Show notes

One of the longest-serving CEOs in Corporate America is embarking on retirement, but not without imparting some wisdom to the next generation of leaders. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with former Royal Caribbean (RCL) CEO Richard Fain, who is out with a new book called ‘Delivering the WOW.' Fain served as the CEO of Royal Caribbean for 33 years, stepping aside in 2022. Fain helped grow Royal Caribbean into the world’s most valuable cruise line operator by building ever larger ships and doubling down on customer service. He also led the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, a historic time for the cruise industry that saw operations come to a sudden halt for an extended period. Fain shares his secrets to business success and reveals his predictions for the future of the cruise industry.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How HYROX built $100M business with no outside funding Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

The business of pushing your physical max is lucrative. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with HYROX co-founder and CEO Christian Toetzke. HYROX was co-founded by Toetzke in 2017 and has grown rapidly ever since. The fitness competition isn’t for the week of mind and heart, and will test one’s endurance. That’s likely why alphas and the average Joe have taken to the sport to test themselves to the max. This year, the fitness competition will have 83 events that welcome 650,000-plus athletes. The events are held in 11 countries, and the company is on pace to post $140 million in sales. Toetzke takes Sozzi inside the HYROX business and looks at what may be next for the fitness brand.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves, and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor, before the stock market opens. Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com. Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only 10% enjoy shopping for clothes — Stitch Fix wants to change that Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Retail turnarounds aren’t easy. That’s especially the case now as the Trump administration tariffs weigh on apparel margins and consumer sentiment. Can one be pulled off successfully against this uncertain backdrop? Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi discusses the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with Stitch Fix (SFIX) CEO Matt Baer. Baer joined Stitch Fix in June 2023, after spending time in e-commerce leadership positions at Macy’s and Walmart. He arrived at a company with numerous challenges, including a bleeding market share, a recently ousted CEO, and poor employee morale after a material restructuring. Baer has leaned into technology to lay the groundwork for better days at Stitch Fix, such as AI stylist assistants and soon style visualization tools. While business trends have improved, Stitch Fix has a long way to go to reclaim the stock’s 85% value loss over the past five years.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race to build the next trillion dollar company Oct 25, 2025

Show notes

They were private companies before the hot 2025 class of IPOs like CoreWeave (CRWV) and Gemini (GEMI) came to market. These companies had leaders who had to raise capital to fuel their growth ambitions on what they believed to be bold industry opportunities. Much of that capital that flows into private companies comes from the coffers of venture capitalists who aren’t afraid of making big bets on upstarts. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi talks on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast with one of those risk-takers, M13 co-founder and partner Carter Reum. M13 has invested in over 200 companies with 52 exits and 15 unicorns like Coinbase (COIN), Lyft (LYFT), and ClassPass. The company boasts more than $1.3 billion in assets under management. Reum shares his perspective on a red-hot year for markets and where asset prices may be headed next. He highlights several key investing trends he is leaning into with his firm’s capital.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Opening Bid Unfiltered at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/opening-bid/.

Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Please email us at yfpodcasts@yahooinc.com.

Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid Unfiltered is hosted by Brian Sozzi and produced by Langston Sessoms.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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