Ari Emanuel - The Anti-AI Bet

**Patrick O'Shaughnessy** (0:00)
The best operators have a relentless focus on leverage, finding ways to multiply their impact rather than just working harder. But here's what I see happening in finance teams everywhere. Brilliant people getting buried in expense management busy work. If you think about it, you become a finance leader because you love strategic work, modeling scenarios, optimizing capital allocation, finding the insights that actually move the business forward. But instead, you're chasing receipts and categorizing transactions. It's the opposite of leverage. This is exactly why I'm so bullish on what the team at Ramp has built. Kareem and Eric understood that every minute spent on manual expense management is a minute stolen from high-leverage work, so they automated all of it. Automatic categorization, receipt matching, spending controls that actually work. I love the network effect that this creates. When finance teams at companies like Shopify and Stripe automate the mundane stuff, they free up cycles to think bigger, to ask bigger questions, spot patterns others miss, and make the kind of strategic bets that separate great companies from good ones. The math is simple. Get your time back. Focus on what matters. Check out ramp.com/invest and see what happens when you eliminate the busy work. Cards issued by Sutton Bank, member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. As an investor, gaining an edge means having the right tools, and one platform leading the way is AlphaSense. Trusted by 75% of the world's top hedge funds, AlphaSense is the market intelligence platform that gives institutional investors access to over 500 million premium sources, from company filings and broker research to news, trade journals, and more. And with its recent acquisition of Tegus, it also includes the world's largest library of expert interview transcripts, over 200,000 calls covering more than 24,000 public and private companies. All in one platform so investment teams can move faster, go deeper, and make high conviction decisions with confidence. Now AlphaSense is transforming the research process with the launch of its Deep Research Tool, part of the next generation of its AI-powered platform. Unlike other deep research tools, AlphaSense's version is purpose-built for investment research. It runs multi-step iterative analysis using AlphaSense's proprietary content, including those 200,000 expert transcripts, and in minutes, surfaces insights that would take multiple interviews and days of digging to uncover. It's like adding 10 analysts to your team, helping you accelerate analysis, deepen understanding, and make sharper decisions. See it in action at alphasense.com/invest.
To me, Ridgeline isn't just a software provider, it's a true partner in innovation. They're redefining what's possible in asset management technology, helping firms scale faster, operate smarter, and stay ahead of the curve. I want to share a real-world example of how they're making a difference. Let me introduce you to Brian. Brian, please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your role.

**Brian Strang** (2:32)
My name is Brian Strang. I'm the technical operations lead and I work at Congress Asset Management.

**Patrick O'Shaughnessy** (2:38)
How would you describe your experience working with Ridgeline?

**Brian Strang** (2:41)
Ridgeline is a technology partner, not a software vendor, and the people really care. I get sales calls all the time and I ignore them. Ridgeline sold me very quickly. We went from $7 billion to $23 billion and the goal is $50 billion. Ridgeline was the clear front runner to help us scale.

**Patrick O'Shaughnessy** (2:56)
In your view, what most distinguishes Ridgeline?

**Brian Strang** (2:59)
They reimagined how this industry should work. It was obvious that they were operating on another level.

**Patrick O'Shaughnessy** (3:06)
It's worth reaching out to Ridgeline to see what the unlock can be for your firm. Visit ridgelineapps.com to schedule a demo.
Hello and welcome everyone. I'm Patrick O'Shaughnessy and this is Invest Like the Best. This show is an open-ended exploration of markets, ideas, stories and strategies that will help you better invest both your time and your money. If you enjoy these conversations and want to go deeper, check out Colossus Review, our quarterly publication with in-depth profiles of the people shaping business and investing. You can find Colossus Review along with all of our podcasts at joincolossus.com.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:41)
Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of PositiveSum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinion of PositiveSum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of PositiveSum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit PSUMVC.

**Patrick O'Shaughnessy** (4:10)
My guest today is Ari Emanuel. Ari runs one of the most influential portfolios in global sports, entertainment and media. He oversees TKO, which includes the UFC and WWE, serves as the Executive Chairman of WME Group, and recently founded MARI, a new company focused on global events and live experiences. At the center of this conversation is Ari's anti-AI bet. As AI makes digital content cheaper and everyday work more automated, he believes that value will increasingly concentrate in live and physical experiences. He explains how he's building his portfolio around that belief, what defines a great live experience, and how he thinks about AI's impact on content and IP. Ari is best known as a deal maker, and he shares the principles behind his success, relentless follow-up, over-communication, velocity, and an obsession with making things happen, and how those things become the operating system he uses today. If you're listening to this, I recommend watching the video of this interview. Ari's energy is constant and visceral and gives a different dimension to this episode. Please enjoy My Conversation with Ari Emanuel.