The Octus Download delivers bold, unfiltered conversations that break down complex financial markets while connecting them to the world we actually live in. Hosted by Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt, this bi-weekly podcast cuts through the noise with insightful analysis, expert interviews, and just the right amount of personality. Each episode explores major trends in credit markets, dives deep into corporate finance, unpacks financial chaos, and examines how these developments impact both Wall Street and Main Street. But we don’t stop at the numbers we also explore the cultural forces shaping business decisions and the occasional bizarre intersections of finance with everyday life. Whether you’re tracking market movements, curious about investment strategies, or just want smart financial conversation with some pop culture thrown in, The Octus Download delivers market intelligence that’s both valuable and entertaining. Join us every other week as we connect the dots between money, markets, and modern life one episode at a time.
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The Octus Download delivers bold, unfiltered conversations that break down complex financial markets while connecting them to the world we actually live in. Hosted by Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt, this bi-weekly podcast cuts through the noise with insightful analysis, expert interviews, and just the right amount of personality. Each episode explores major trends in credit markets, dives deep into corporate finance, unpacks financial chaos, and examines how these developments impact both Wall Street and Main Street. But we don’t stop at the numbers we also explore the cultural forces shaping business decisions and the occasional bizarre intersections of finance with everyday life. Whether you’re tracking market movements, curious about investment strategies, or just want smart financial conversation with some pop culture thrown in, The Octus Download delivers market intelligence that’s both valuable and entertaining. Join us every other week as we connect the dots between money, markets, and modern life one episode at a time.
EP 20 | Sonder’s Chapter 7 Meltdown, Meta’s Scam Economy & The Pluribus Hive
The Octus Download
45 minutes
1 week ago
EP 20 | Sonder’s Chapter 7 Meltdown, Meta’s Scam Economy & The Pluribus Hive
Jason Sanjana and Kevin Eckhardt open with Sonder’s spectacular implosion, where a Chapter 7 filing and a broken Marriott integration turned hotel stays into evacuation drills. At (02:45), they unpack why guests were kicked out mid stay, how the deal fell apart, and why travel bankruptcies always hit consumers the hardest.
At (12:07), they turn to Meta’s scam economy. Fake celebrity ads, counterfeit products, crypto traps, and a moderation system that quietly profits from the gray zone between “real” and “obviously fake.” Jason and Kevin break down how misinformation spreads, why victims blame themselves, and why Meta would rather price scams than block them.
The show shifts at (17:04) to the rise of fake news aggregators, including a phantom auto lender bankruptcy story that fooled half the internet. The hosts look at how recycled content and algorithmic boosts have made disinformation feel routine.
Trend Watch hits at (24:36) with the national coffee shop shakeout. Red Bay, Switchback, Cup of Austin, Compass Coffee, and others are sliding toward Chapter 11 as bean costs, climate shocks, tariffs, labor, and rent all spike. Even Starbucks is trimming. Demand isn’t gone. Margins are. At (29:04), this weeks Unofficial Sponsor: The Collective Hive, the only lifestyle brand that promises freedom from decision making by eliminating your ability to have any.
Culture Corner begins at (30:05) with Pluribus, the Apple TV series where a viral alien gift turns humanity into a blissed out hive mind. Everyone joins except Carol Sturckow, who still feels grief, irritation, and a very human urge to run. Jason and Kevin debate whether the hive is salvation or annihilation, and whether individuality is overrated anyway.
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Hosted by Jason Sanjana and Kevin EckhardtProduced and Edited by Tanya HubbardA Production of The Octus Podcast Network
The Octus Download
The Octus Download delivers bold, unfiltered conversations that break down complex financial markets while connecting them to the world we actually live in. Hosted by Jason Sanjana & Kevin Eckhardt, this bi-weekly podcast cuts through the noise with insightful analysis, expert interviews, and just the right amount of personality. Each episode explores major trends in credit markets, dives deep into corporate finance, unpacks financial chaos, and examines how these developments impact both Wall Street and Main Street. But we don’t stop at the numbers we also explore the cultural forces shaping business decisions and the occasional bizarre intersections of finance with everyday life. Whether you’re tracking market movements, curious about investment strategies, or just want smart financial conversation with some pop culture thrown in, The Octus Download delivers market intelligence that’s both valuable and entertaining. Join us every other week as we connect the dots between money, markets, and modern life one episode at a time.
