Boardroom Briefing: Disney x OpenAI, productivity crisis, IAG acquisition
and you could own a Picasso for $120
We hope you’re all beginning to slow down before the Holiday period! But for those of you powering through, we have you covered. This week, we dive into price-gouging laws, the “productivity crisis” Aussie CEOs are worried about, the Disney x OpenAI collab, Kim Kardashian x Fortnite collab, The Top 50 Hotels, Regulators taking a deeper look into Australian M&A deals, and how ‘taste’ is becoming the skill to embody.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by the deeply tragic events in Bondi yesterday. Stay safe and take care of each other <3.
🎙️ ICYMI
Boardroom Briefing
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announces new price-gouging laws to hit very large retailers, including Coles and Woolies, from July 2026. Penalties per breach range from $10 million; three times the value of the benefit derived, or, if that value cannot be determined; 10% of the company’s turnover during the preceding 12 months. (via News.com.au)
The federal government unveiled a support package for Rio Tinto’s Tomago aluminium smelter - one of the country’s largest industrial employers - to secure energy contracts and drive decarbonisation. It signals a broader shift toward protecting key industries amid rising energy costs and global competition. (via Reuters)
CEOs warn Australia is facing a productivity crisis. Nearly 80 top business leaders across sectors - retail, mining, banking - agree that slow productivity and overlapping regulations are holding back economic growth, wages, and competitiveness. Many are calling for urgent policy reform to streamline processes and encourage investment. (via The Australian)
Thanks to a $1.5B deal, OpenAI users will be able to use 200+ Disney Characters via Sora and ChatGPT. The Hollywood writers’ union has described the deal as allowing “theft of our work”. (via TDA)
Australians are largely comfortable with sharing personal data if it will improve our emergency services. With recent critical telco failures over the last year, would you be happy to incorporate more AI into ‘000’ calls and processes? (via ABC)
IAG has hit a major setback after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruled its proposed A$1.35 billion acquisition of RAC Insurance in Western Australia would substantially lessen competition, though IAG disputes the assessment. (via Business News Australia)
Flight Centre Travel Group has upgraded its FY26 profit guidance after agreeing to acquire UK online cruise specialist Iglu for up to A$255 million, accelerating its global cruise expansion and boosting total cruise transaction value to over $2 billion ahead of schedule. (via Business News Australia)
Culture & Influence
We are in awe of Maggie Seller Reum’s announcement: Steven Bartlett is backing her company, Hot Smart Rich, with a seven-figure investment. We feel so excited to have been a tiny part of their journey - as their first co-hosted event in Australia - and can’t wait for what is to come next. (via Instagram)
Airwallex closes a massive $US330m Series G at an $US8B valuation, apparently the second-largest VC raise in Australian history, brushing aside fresh controversy over alleged China-linked data access concerns. (via Airwallex)
Reddit has lodged a High Court bid to overturn the under 16 year old social media ban. (via The Australian)
Democratic US lawmakers have released nearly 100 photos from the Epstein files. US President Donald Trump, Bill Gates, former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon are among the high-profile figures featured in the photos. The White House called the release a “Democrat hoax” against Trump that has been “repeatedly debunked”. (via BBC)
Kim Kardashian parodies iconic reality TV moment in Fortnite collab. Fortnite officially announced Kardashian’s arrival on the Battle Royale Island. The game also revealed that players will have a chance to unlock the skin early through a competitive event. (via Instagram)
Martha Stewart has opened her first stand-alone retail store under her own brand name anywhere in the world - and she chose Dubai for the debut. (via WWD)
The Top 5 Hotels of 2025, as voted by 50 Best Hotels is here
1. Rosewood, Hong Kong: The best view of Hong Kong Island is from the Manor Club, 40 floors up, where privacy and service make the city below feel gloriously chaotic.
2. Four Seasons, Bangkok: Jean-Michel Gathy’s design transforms the hotel into a contemporary art gallery; even a walk to breakfast becomes a cultural excursion.
3. Capella, Bangkok: Riverfront views aside, the real draw is Côte by Mauro Colagreco, bringing French Riviera finesse to the Chao Phraya without touching street food.
4. Passalacqua, Lake Como: Dramatic interiors and terraced gardens descend to the water, where the vintage launch Didi awaits - far more cinematic than arriving by car.
5. Raffles, Singapore: While tourists linger at the Long Bar, the Palm Court offers manicured colonial calm- perfect for reading Somerset Maugham, who once sat here.
Beauty & Fashion
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has been appointed Fashion Director of FWRD.
An enduring fashion icon known for her effortless practicality, polish, and confidence, the move feels both strategic and culturally astute. At a time when many luxury e-commerce players are struggling to differentiate, FWRD’s decision signals a clear intent to elevate - not just through product, but through taste, authority, and point of view.
Shopify has launched Agentic Storefronts, allowing brands to syndicate their product data directly into AI-powered shopping experiences. As discovery shifts away from traditional search and into conversational interfaces, this positions Shopify as the infrastructure layer brands will rely on to control how their products appear, speak, and sell across an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Word of the day: Agentic. Systems designed to act on a user’s behalf - making decisions, taking steps, and completing tasks autonomously, rather than simply responding to prompts.. (via Vogue Business)
It’s not just your imagination: a growing number of brands are rolling out product collaborations with influencers, hoping to tap their marketing prowess and give customers - both existing and new - a reason to shop. The result: limited drops that drive hype, traffic, and sales, while giving brands a fresh, authentic voice. (via Business of Fashion)
💌 ANONYMOUS TIP
A Picasso, within reach
The art market is proving that heritage is the ultimate currency. Now, a Picasso valued at $1.2 million could be yours - for the price of 100 euros. Two weeks ago, we spoke about how in the art market, old is cool again. This is your chance to buy in.
A French charity is experimenting with an extraordinary approach: raffling Picasso’s 1941 gouache-on-paper portrait Tête de femme, with proceeds supporting Alzheimer’s research. Painted during the final, turbulent years of his marriage to Olga Khokhlova, the work comes from Opera Gallery’s collection and will be transferred to the winner upon official validation.
A rare intersection of history, artistry, and purpose - offering one discerning collector a chance to own a masterpiece while making a meaningful impact.
📝 DEEP DIVE
The New Power Skill: Taste
Let’s be honest. Hard skills used to be the flex. Knowing the framework. Owning the model. Being the person who could “just do it faster.” But in 2025, that advantage is disappearing fast. AI can build the deck, write the email, and spin up ten ideas before your second coffee. So what actually sets people apart now? Taste.
As Matt Gottesman Substack puts it, when everyone has access to the same tools, the real currency becomes what you choose. What you back. What you ignore. Taste is knowing which idea is worth running with and which one looks good on paper but will flop in the real world.
AI is incredible at execution however, it is you that provides the context. It doesn’t know when something feels off and can’t read the room. It doesn’t know what your audience is tired of or secretly craving next. That’s where taste comes in.
This is why the most powerful people in the room aren’t always the loudest or the busiest. They’re the ones who say, “No, that’s not it,” and then land on the one thing that is. They don’t create more, they choose better.
You can see this shift everywhere. Editors are becoming strategists. Creative directors are running P&Ls. Product leaders are being hired for instinct, not just delivery. The people rising fastest aren’t doing the most work, they’re making the clearest calls.
And here’s the part that matters for us. For a long time, taste was treated like a “nice to have”. Subjective. Feminine. Soft. Meanwhile, execution and optimisation were framed as serious. But in an AI-powered world, taste is becoming the hardest skill to replace and the most commercially valuable.
Taste is also why curation is winning. We don’t want more content, more tools, more noise. We want someone to say, “Here’s what matters. Here’s what you can skip.” That’s why newsletters, niche media, stylists and editors are thriving. The value isn’t in producing, it’s in filtering.
But taste isn’t magic. It’s built. Through reading things outside your industry. Paying attention to culture. Noticing patterns. Being intentional about what you consume instead of scrolling everything. It’s knowing when to lean in and when to hold back.
The best leaders I’ve seen aren’t obsessed with outputs. They’re obsessed with direction. They set the bar. They shape the narrative. They make decisions under ambiguity and stand by them. That’s taste in action.
So yes, learn the tools. Use AI. Be efficient. But don’t confuse output with impact. Because in a world where everyone can create anything, the real flex is knowing what’s worth creating at all.
So what for Mode girls?
Protect your attention like it’s an asset. Develop a point of view. Practice saying no without over-explaining. Taste isn’t soft. It’s strategy. And it might just be your biggest career advantage.
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See you next week,
Adrianna & Maddi x
Excellent analysis! The Disney x OpenAI collab is truly fascinating; I keep wondering about the innovation scale we're about to see there. And those price-gouging laws sound like such a neccessary step for consumer protection. Makes you really think about the global ripple effects, especially with that productivity discussion.