Elon Makes Buffett Look Small
June 19, 2026
Doug Leyendecker
Welcome to This Week’s Leyendecker View
I try to live a life of joy, not happiness. Happiness is a reaction: The kids are happy, I’m happy. Joy comes from within.
– Former Houstonian now TIAA CEOThasunda Brown Duckett
THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP
FAVORITE READS OF THE WEEK
Panic over AI data centers is wildly exaggerated
The news “creators” sensationalize everything.
The justice department restores equality
No more reverse discrimination.
TikTok is the new Disney Channel
And it brings a big downside.
THE RANDOMS
High oil prices brought Trump to his geopolitical senses, or was it his knees?
There is really good news about the Iran deal. Criticism has been so overwhelming that our media-obsessed president isn’t likely going to let Iran slip up on its commitments.
Given that Iran has proven it never abides by a negotiated settlement, odds seem very high this new deal won’t prove any different. Might team Trump already expect this? Might they have back-up plans ready to execute?
Putin really is destroying Russia. His attacks on Ukrainian civilians, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and now one of its revered cathedrals are making Russia a pariah to most everyone in the world.
In the end, will data center resistance save us enormous amounts of capital and economic pain because AI will soon teach itself how to use significantly less energy?
Meta goes all in on AI after it went all in on the Metaverse. Does Mark Zuckerberg really have a strategy, or is he just lucky his social media platforms are addicting?
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump both want Big Tech and Big AI to give some of their equity to Americans. South Korea’s labor minister wants something similar.
The middle class is shrinking, but it’s because more people are getting wealthy. However, many former middle-class people not benefiting from tech and or financial asset gains are struggling.
Canada commits $2B to their AI strategy. Two billion? Wow! We better watch our backs!
ECONOMIC NEWS
Economy
America’s trucking slump is over
Fed signals a rate increase
The wealth-and-wage gap grows
Corporate profits mirror government deficit spending
Labor
US jobless claims fall
“Microshifting,” the new work style
AI threatens women-held jobs
Are you a high-impact individual contributor?
The Lone Star
SoftBank buys 4,700 acres in central TX
Another Austin defense tech unicorn
Houston space company raises $525MM
BUSINESS
Finance
Private credit takes over a software company
Investors pile in to UK buy-low opportunity
Middle-market PE is going to shrink
Many banks announce job cuts
AI sucks the air out of Bitcoin
Real Estate
What the home of the future looks like
Housing shortage is driving new thinking
How to give your kids real estate
Tech
Our tech world is a hacker’s paradise
Apple finds a scapegoat to raise prices
Not every city wants Waymo
Are flip phones making a comeback?
AI
Google wants in on Nvidia chip market
Amazon does, too
Cheaper AI is coming
More Americans are using Chinese AI
Railroad boom dwarfs AI boom
The SpaceX Juggernaut
Musk’s wealth is staggering
SpaceX wild post-IPO ride
SpaceX makes $60B AI coding acquisition
Is a merger with Tesla the next deal?
Energy
Argentina green lights big NGL plant
Handicapping the small nuclear reactor designs
A new, cheaper way to extract lithium
THE NATION
Politics
A home for the politically homeless
Pro-worker conservatives are on the rise
Policy
Trump is at odds with Congress
Trump seeks to jump-start more military spending
Success stories on reducing homelessness
Trump starts negotiating USMCA deal
Trump wants at least 50% of an auto USA made
Culture
World cup visitors embracing US culture
Abridge, the AI system for health care
The most iconic landmark in every state
GEOPOLITICS
Global
US and Venezuela team up against bad guys
E-waste to become a bigger global problem
Putin is thwarted in Armenia
Africa is ready to adopt nuclear energy
Mexican cartels are responsible for the screwworm
Europe
How Britain became as poor as Mississippi
Europe squanders their Ukraine opportunity
Europe finally takes migration seriously
Ukraine
Ukraine bombards Moscow
After Russian attack hits Ukrainian cathedral
Britain seizes Russian oil tanker
Ukraine crimps Crimea’s energy supply
Middle East
Hilary Clinton endorses Trump’s Gaza plan
Will the Iran deal hold?
Additional talks already on hold
China
Huawei’s big comeback
BYD wants to dominate the auto industry
China turns on underwater data center
Putin is not feeling the China love
War Creep
Air Force buys new generation of drones
America can’t build for war anymore
GM wants in on military parts biz
Germany and Japan are rearming
A hypersonic missile on a beer budget
MAKING A BETTER YOU
Mind
How to find your purpose
Humans cannot stand a meaningless life
Embrace the dull moments in life
Body
The best in-between-meal snacks
Strength training, the key to a longer and healthier life
Sleep sweet spot is not 8 hours
FUN STUFF
The Extraordinary
Why is the universe still expanding?
Making drugs in space looks real
Rescued animals don’t forget
Music That Found Us
Carmen: “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”
A ska cover of “Rage Against the Machine”
Stanley & Quiggle, “I Was Young When I Left Home”
Worth a Watch
Disclosure Day
The Odyssey
Supergirl
The Yum Yums
Some World Cup watch party recipes:
Sangria mocktail
Cucumber mint spritzer
Peach iced tea
Avocado hummus
Classic guacamole
Classic bruschetta
Peppers stuffed with pimento cheese
Grilled shrimp kabobs
Spiced salmon kabobs
Mini berry cream pies
PARTING THOUGHTS
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
–Michael Jordan
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The SpaceX IPO Black Hole
June 12, 2026
The Leyendecker View
June 5, 2026
Pondering Green Shoots
May 29, 2026
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