MARI

MARI rests on one thesis: AI cannot replace live events. Ari Emanuel took the idea from Elon Musk, who told him the one part of entertainment that cannot be disintermediated by AI is live. Ari started MARI with Mark Shapiro about a year ago to own live events, alongside TKO's sports business.

MARI now owns the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, Escape from Alcatraz, Barrett-Jackson and Collectcon. Musk had been talking to Ari about AI as early as 2007.

David Senra▶ 52:25

When the fundraise got scary, Ari told his CFO to keep calling. MARI's CFO grew anxious during the new company's fundraise. Ari told him to stop telling himself stories and keep making calls, since the thesis was right and the product good. The CFO calmed down.

Ari borrowed the idea from Brene Brown that the stories in our heads are not reality. It mirrors his wider habit of rolling constant calls and moving through fear rather than waiting for certainty. "All we got to do is just keep on making the calls."

David Senra▶ 35:40