Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel didn’t hold back in his recent interview with Freakonomics Radio host Stephen J. Dubner. He discussed everything from his company’s almost $1 billion investment in the new LIV Golf tour to his projection that COO Mark Shapiro will take over the company when he eventually steps down. Despite his busy schedule, Emanuel said he’s still enjoying himself and will know when it’s time to step away.
Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE and merger with UFC is part of a diversification strategy to make the company less dependent on representation business. Emanuel also discussed UFC chief Dana White’s negotiating style and resourceful pivot during Covid. While he’s been vocal about condemning anti-Semitism and other objectionable actions and statements by figures like Kanye West or Mel Gibson, he hasn’t publicly weighed in on White or former WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
Emanuel also shared his thoughts on the competition between WME and CAA, saying that unlike UTA or CAA, WME has a whole other world they can pull from. He even said he would pay the salaries of CAA co-chairs Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane to stay in the job, calling it the “greatest competition of all time.”
Sports has been a major arena for Endeavor, and Emanuel discussed the firm’s ties to golf and its almost $1 billion investment in LIV Golf. However, after a call from the PGA, Endeavor decided not to invest in the controversial new alternative to the PGA Tour, which was ultimately underwritten by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Emanuel described the original Saudi investment in Endeavor as the result of a series of meetings, including with MBS, and while he didn’t rule out doing business with the Kingdom in the future, he did return the $400 million investment with interest after the state-sanctioned murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
