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BRIAN: PARLER IS GETTING THE
GREEN LIGHT.
APPLE APPROVING A SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANY’S RETURN TO ITS APP
STORE AFTER CHANGES WERE MADE TO
DETECT AND MODERATE HATE SPEECH.
HERE NOW TO DISCUSS IS CARLTON
ENGLISH, BARRON’S FINANCIAL
MARKETS REPORTER.
CARLTON, REALLY GOOD TO HAVE YOU
HERE.
LET’S START WITH PARLER.
IS THIS BIG NEWS?
PARLER’S BACK ON THE APP STORE.
GOOD NEWS FOR PARLER, OR IS IT
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE FOR THEM?
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
AND, YOU KNOW, PARLER IS BACK ON
THE APP STORE THE, I THINK WE’LL
GET A LOT MORE PEOPLE ON THE
PLATFORM.
BUT, OF COURSE, IT’S BEEN DOWN
FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS, DOWN ON
THE APP STORE.
ANYONE WHO’S FAMILIAR WITH
SOCIAL MEDIA KNOWS THAT YOU
REALLY NEED THAT MOMENTUM OF THE
PLATFORMS IN THOSE EARLY STAGES
TO BUILD USERS.
WHETHER OR NOT WHAT HAPPENED IS
ENOUGH REMAINS TO BE SEEN,
ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF SOME OF
THE CHANGES IN MODERATING
CONTENT, THE ABILITY TO REMOVE
CONTENT, WHETHER OR NOT THAT
MIGHT PUSH SOME USERS AWAY FROM
THE PLATFORM.
BRIAN: IT SORT OF FEELS LIKE A
RESTAURANT BEING OPEN AT 25%.
YOU GET TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF
BUSINESS, BUT THEY’RE NOT ON
GOOGLE’S PLATFORM.
OBVIOUSLY, AMAZON’S NOT WORKING
WITH THEM.
SO HOW MUCH CAN PARLER GAIN?
HOW VIABLE CAN THEIR BUSINESS BE
JUST STANDING ON THE ONE LEG OF
BEING AVAILABLE ON THE APP
STORE?
>> EXACTLY.
THE ISSUE THAT THEY FACE WITH
HOSTING THE AMAZON WEB SERVICES,
THAT’S HUGE.
THERE YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, THE HIGHWAYS THAT THIS I
STUFF RUNS ON.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN ACCESS
THE APP IS A DIFFERENT
SITUATION, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE
ABILITY FOR THE APP TO EVEN
WORK, I THINK, IS A MUCH BIGGER
QUESTION THAN WHETHER OR NOT
PEOPLE CAN USE IT.
BRIAN: ALL RIGHT.
BITCOIN, PRICES OF BITCOIN
TAKING A HIT OVER REPORTS OF
POTENTIAL GOVERNMENT REGULATION
ARE.
NOW, IF REGULATIONS ARE GOING TO
MOVE BITCOIN LIKE THIS, THEN IT
LOOKS TO ME LIKE A VERY BUMPY
ROAD AHEAD BECAUSE THERE ARE
MORE AND MORE GOVERNMENTS TAKING
WHAT LOOK LIKE COULD BE VERY
HARD-LINE POSITIONS.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?
THIS.
>> YOU HAVE A LOTT OF THINGS
WORKING AGAINST BITCOIN RIGHT
NOW.
IN THE U.S. THERE ARE POTENTIAL
REGULATORY CRACKDOWNS, IN TURKEY
YOU HAVE THE SITUATION WHERE
THEY’RE CURBING THE
CRYPTOCURRENCY FOR CONSUMER
REASONS AND ALSO BECAUSE
TURKEY’S CURRENCY IS ALSO
FAILING, SO THEY WANT CONTROL
THERE.
YOU ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH
MINING.
FOR BITCOIN, IT REALLY IS A
TOUGH TIME.
AS IT TAKES STEPS TO BECOMING
MORE MAINSTREAM AS MORE AND MORE
BANKS AND OTHER FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS WILLING TO USE IT,
THAT’S GOING TO START TO RAISE
REGULATORY RED FLAGS, HAVE MORE
PEOPLE LOOKING AT IT, MORE
SCRUTINY.
SO IT IS, AS YOU SAID, GOING TO
BE A VERY ROCKY ROAD AHEAD.
AND ALSO IT WAS AT $65,000.
SOME PEOPLE JUST WANT TO TAKE
PROFITS, AND YOU CAN’T BLAME
THEM.
BRIAN: WE SHALL SEE.
ROCKY ROADS IN THE PAST HAVE
TURNED INTO BIG GAIN
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BITCOIN.
I’VE GOT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON
THIS, PELOTON’S STOCK SINKING,
THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY
COMMISSION CALLING FOR USERS OF
PELOTON’S TREAD PLUS TREADMILL
TO STOP USING THE MACHINE
IMMEDIATELY IF THEY HAVE SMALL
CHILDREN AND PETS AFTER MULTIPLE
DANGEROUS INCIDENTS WITH THE A
MACHINE INCLUDING ONE CHILD’S
DEATH.
CARLTON, I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY
THIS IS AN ISSUE SPECIFIC TO
PELOTON.
IT SEEMS TO ME -- AND I’VE SEEN
THE VIDEO, IT’S HORRIFIC, BUT IF
THIS IS HAPPENING WITH A PELOTON
TREADMILL, ISN’T A RISK FOR ALL
TREADMILLS?
AT WHAT POINT DO YOU HAVE TO
ACCEPT THE RISK AND MANAGE IT
VERSUS TAKING A PRODUCT OFF THE
MARKET?
>> I THINK HAVING THAT VIDEO,
IT’S DEFINITELY ALARMING FOR
FAMILIES.
THERE’S NOW 20,000 TREADMILL
INCIDENTS IN A YEAR.
I MEAN, SOME OF THAT MIGHT JUST
BE ABRASIONS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
FALLING OFF AND MAYBE HAVING A
MINOR INJURY, NOT WHAT WE SAW
HAPPEN IN THAT VIDEO THAT
HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND.
BUT YOU DO RAISE A GOOD POINT
BECAUSE IS IT AN ISSUE WITH THE
PELL.
ON THE TREADMILL SPECIFICALLY,
OR IS IT THAT ALL TREADMILLS
HAVE SOME RISKS AND IF YOU HAVE
SMALL CHILDREN AND PENTS,
MAYBE -- PETS, MAYBE THERE NEEDS
TO BE BETTER SOFTWARE CONTROLS
OR BE IN A ROOM THAT’S LOCKED.
BRIAN: WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS
WITH THAT.
IN MY MIND, YOU’VE GOT TO UNPLUG
THAT THING EVERY TIME YOU FINISH
USING IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE
KIDS.
CARLTON, WE GOT THROUGH A LOT
THERE TODAY.