Cofounders Nik

OpenAI Paid $6.5B for Johnny Ive—I'm Skeptical Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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Apple: nikonomics.info/Liz528Ap
Spotify: nikonomics.info/Liz528Sp
nikonomics.info/Liz528YT

So the real question:

Is Jony Ive the next Bob Iger?

Or the next Marissa Mayer?

He’s got the track record, the taste, and the resources.

But he’s stepping into a very different world with faster cycles, less patience, & no Steve Jobs at his side.

Marissa Mayer = the bad hire:

- Background: Google prodigy
- Mistakes: $1.1B Tumblr deal, strategic chaos
- Outcome: Yahoo sold for scraps to Verizon

She is brilliant but wrong fit, wrong bets, wrong time.

Bob Iger = the good hire:

- Background: COO of ABC
- Wins: Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox
- Disney market cap 4x’d under his watch

He didn’t just buy assets. He knew what to do with them.

But here’s the catch:

Big splashy hires like this?

They’re a coin flip.

• Bob Iger turned Disney into a global IP machine
• Marissa Mayer burned billions at Yahoo

Visionary talent doesn’t always translate to execution.

Why now?

Because the AI wearables market is exploding:
- Market: $48.8B in 2025
- Projected: $260.3B by 2032

But wearables are a different kind of tech. OpenAI needs trust, design, taste & someone who can make AI desirable.

Enter Ive.

Now, OpenAI is betting $6.5B that he can do for AI hardware what he did for consumer electronics.

The idea?
An AI wearable that feels like magic. Right now, most of them feel like science projects.

Think less “Google Glass,” more “Iron Man’s JARVIS.”

So how valuable was Jony to Apple?

Let's look at Apple's market cap when he became head of design vs when he left:

1997: $2.3 billion

2019: ~$1 trillion

That’s a 43,000% increase.

He designed the most profitable era in Apple’s history.

You may not know Jony Ive by name but you definitely know his work.

Here are just a few of his hits:
🖥️ iMac G3 – saved Apple
💻 MacBook Air – pulled from a manila envelope
📱 iPhone – redefined phones
⌚ Apple Watch – jewelry 🤝 tech

And Apple's $5B spaceship-shaped campus

Johnny Ive helped turn a bankrupt tech company into the first $1 trillion business.

OpenAI is betting $6.5B he can do it again, with AI wearables.

Could be Silicon Valley's smartest hire ever...

Or a $6.5B Marissa Mayer moment.

Is one man really that valuable? 👇

I talk to the SMB weirdos quietly building what’s next

If you’re ready to stop watching & start building with AI while it’s still early, follow me @cofoundersnik.bsky.social

The next wave isn’t coming. It’s already here
nikonomics.info/BsNews

We’re not late
We’re early

1996 = Internet
2001 = SaaS
2009 = Mobile
2020 = Cloud
2025 = AI

The opportunity isn’t in watching AI go mainstream:

It’s in learning to build with it now, before everyone else catches on!

AI 1.0 was:
→ Prompt toys
→ Cool demos
→ Vibes

AI 2.0 is:
→ Agents running ops
→ Real workflows
→ Real revenue

It’s no longer a playground
It’s infrastructure & it’s still EARLY

Now it’s 2025.

VC is down. Layoffs are back.
AI feels “overhyped.”

Perfect.

This is the part of the movie where everyone will get distracted

But a few people quietly build the next $100M companies

2020: Pandemic chaos.

Everyone paused... Except the builders.
→ Zoom became mission-critical
→ Remote work went default
→ GPT-3 launched quietly

Cloud + AI 1.0 = new stack

A few saw it but most missed it

Sound familiar?

2008: Total financial collapse.

Most froze but mobile exploded.
→ Uber (2009)
→ WhatsApp (2009)
→ Instagram (2010)

iPhone was barely a year old but the future was already getting built in your pocket

Recessions prune... But they also plant

2001: Dot-com crash.

The hype died. The tourists left.

But SaaS was just getting started:
→ Salesforce launched CRM
→ Intuit doubled down on QuickBooks Online
→ Basecamp tested monthly billing

While the market flinched a new model was forming:

SaaS = recurring > one-time

1991: Recession. Layoffs.

Most gave up on tech.
But PCs quietly crossed 100M units.

Then came:
→ Yahoo (1994)
→ Amazon (1995)
→ Google (1998)

The internet stopped being a toy & started becoming oxygen

Builders didn’t wait for recovery

You don’t see it yet, but the next downturn has already started

While most freeze or panic, the ones who thrive will start building

Every major tech wave starts this way

This time it’s AI

Move now (while it’s quiet) & you won’t just survive. You’ll lead.

Let me show you👇

Nikonomics Exploring The Economics of Small Business

Want to avoid a $50K mistake?

Use this framework:
Clarity. Control. Stability.
→ Buy what you know
→ Avoid owner traps
→ Pick cash-flowing, operationally sound businesses

That’s how I added $11.6M in value.
nikonomics.info/BsNews

What I avoid like the plague:

- Highly cyclical industries
- Trendy businesses tied to consumer “vibes”
- Anything with huge skilled labor gaps + declining demand

Those deals might work but they don’t fit my buy box.

💻 Boring Tech & Tech-Enabled Services

Not VC-backed rocket ships.

Think:
• Niche software
• SEO/PPC agencies
• CRM consultants

They solve real problems, have sticky customers, and are easier to run than people think (if you understand the tools).

🩺 Healthcare

Think:
• Home Health
• Hospice
• Assisted Living
• Medical Billing
• MedSpas

Demographics are in your favor.
Margins can be juicy.

And most operators don’t optimize systems.
(Ask me how I know.)

What I actually like right now:

🛠️ Home Services

• Fragmented markets
• Recurring needs
• Easy operational wins (tech, marketing, systems)

Think: HVAC, pest, roofing, plumbing, windows.
I’ve seen guys go from $0 to $1M+ cash flow just by tightening ops.

Stability = Avoid distressed deals (unless turnarounds are your thing).

Too many people buy chaos hoping they’ll "fix it."

If you want cash flow, start with:
• Consistent revenue
• Profitable history
• Loyal customers

Boring is beautiful.

Control = Avoid owner-dependent businesses.

If the biz falls apart when the founder leaves, congrats: you didn’t buy a company. You bought a job.

Look for:
• A team (even a small one)
• Documented processes
• Something you can improve, not replace

Clarity = Buy a business you understand.

Worked in healthcare? Buy healthcare.

Know construction? Go home services.

It’s not cute or clever. But when you know the space, the red flags pop faster and the upside is obvious.

Most people overcomplicate this.

They chase trends. Try to “disrupt” something.

But the path to a great acquisition is simple and repeatable.

It’s built on 3 pillars:
Clarity. Control. Stability.

Here’s how they work...

I lost $50K betting on a searcher.
He lost EVERYTHING to the SBA. Brutal.

After 200 interviews, one thing is clear:

Buying a business isn't what makes you fail.
Buying the WRONG one does.

Here’s the simple framework I used to buy my first biz & create $11.6M in value👇

That would actually be a good thing, no? Reducing our interest?

But do you really think he’s playing 4D chess?