The John Johnston Lounge

The Art of Value host JJ reacts to how stand-up comedian and comedy podcaster Stavros Halkias recently addressed whether or not people should think of him as a “Joe Rogan of The Left”, and other topics to do with comedians getting political in their work. As mentioned in the video, do leave me a voice message if you want. I’d love to hear from you! https://www.speakpipe.com/johnjohnston Referenced...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how serious comedian and astute political commentator Jon Stewart might be about throwing his hat in the ring to run for president in 2028, and under what political circumstances he might actually be tempted to run. Related episodes: ICE Recruiting Effort FAILING as Americans Get FED UP https://youtu.be/kwyDyMM73xQ Kimmel Fired as MAGA Embraces Cancel Culture C...

The Art of Value host JJ reacts to some of the latest grand claims from Elon Musk in the latest Tesla Earnings Call. Among them, Elon claims the Tesla autonomous car “will feel like it’s a living creature”, that it might have too much intelligence for a car and that “it might get bored”. He says Tesla Optimus robot at scale “is the infinite money glitch”. He says that Optimus “will be an incredibl...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how the Trump administration’s ICE force seems to be failing in its efforts to recruit competent people for the jobs, despite a huge amount of funding available. At the same time Americans on the  ground are obviously getting fed-up with ICE, with many examples of individual and group protests, some with humorous results.  Related episodes: Joe Rogan Blasts Tru...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how Joe Rogan and his comedian friend Andrew Schulz are having a melt-down over the increasing amount of criticism of their Austin “Rogansphere” comedy scene, and the diminishing gatekeeping power of Rogan’s podcast.   Related episodes: Joe Rogan Fires Back at Marc Maron’s Rogansphere Criticism https://youtu.be/ruD3xSNv8ag Comics Keep Roasting Rogansphere Austi...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that Tesla has released a “Mad Max Mode” for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software that allows Tesla FSD to ignore speed limits. This development comes amid multiple existing investigations into horrific accidents involving Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software. Related episodes: Tesla Faces New NHTSA Probe of ‘Almost Sentient’ FSD  https://youtu.be...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the drama of how Joe Rogan in his podcast has just fired back at fellow comedian Marc Maron’s recent criticism of Rogan and his Rogansphere group of “anti-woke” comedians. Rogan thinks that Maron’s criticism is because he has a lot of long-standing professional jealousy, rather than valid comedic criticism and explains why. Related episodes: Comics Keep Roastin...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s new obsession with the the concept of the antichrist, and how he thinks that certain people who are against any regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), which he happens to have a vested interest in with tech company Palantir, could be antichrist figures. Thiel has been giving a series of serious lectures on the topic. What is...

The Art of Value host JJ reacts to various comedians brutally roasting Joe Rogan and his so-called Rogansphere Austin comedy scene, including Tim Dillon, Dan Soder, Shane Gillis, Bobby Lee, Andrew Santino and more. Related episodes: Rogansphere Collapsing as Comedians Brutally Roast It https://youtu.be/uNSidcH5q2E Rogansphere "Anti-Woke Comedy" Cult is Crumbling https://youtu.be/CFUZg__h...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that Tesla’s Cybertruck model is not selling as well as hoped by Elon Musk. Cybertruck sales in Q3 plunged over 62% year-on-year. With such low sales, is Tesla going to be able to keep producing the Cybertruck, or is it nearing the end of the line? Related episodes: Teen Burned Alive Due To Cybertruck Design, Lawsuit Claims  https://youtu.be/eXvPEmdiGA...

The Art of Value host JJ reacts to what Joe Rogan just said about the US “immigration situation” that we are all seeing play out on our screens. Rogan thinks Trump’s ICE is now being too brutal and cruel, and that the Trump administration is going too far in rounding-up too many people. We also look at how some prominent podcasters are reacting to what Joe Rogan has said about ICE going too far. R...

The Art of Value: Politics host JJ comments on some of the top news stories, including:  Trump puts extra 100% tariff on China imports, adds export controls on ‘critical software’ Stocks tumble in Wall Street’s worst day since April after Trump threatens more tariffs on China Peter Thiel calls Greta Thunberg, AI critics ‘legionnaires of the Antichrist’ Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado dedicates aw...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that Tesla is facing a new investigation over its Full Self-Driving (FSD) traffic violations. The NHTSA is reviewing incidents and accidents in which FSD-enabled Teslas blew through red lights or traveled the wrong way down roads. We look at some very recent examples, with the very new V14 version of FSD (Supervised) making errors while driving, while...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the new trends that has humanoid robots in combat with each other, and with humans. It’s a way for the increasing number of humanoid robot companies, including Tesla’s Optimus robot, and Unitree’s latest humanoids, to show the agility and responsiveness of the robots in intensely physical situations like boxing and kung fu matches. Related episodes: Tesla Robot...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how Rogansphere comedian and Podcaster Theo Von seems to be abandoning his MAGA support recently, partly due to the Trump Administration using one of his video clips in a Homeland Security propaganda video without his permission, putting his personal security in jeopardy. Although seeming to back away from MAGA support, Theo Von has also been know to play both...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that a new lawsuit is blaming the Tesla Cybertruck design, specifically the door handles, for the death of teens in the tragic Cybertruck crash on Thanksgiving Eve, 2024, in Piedmont, California. Related episodes: Tesla’s Dangerous Doors: Manual Release Game of Hide-n-Seek https://youtu.be/6ZH1k5GzF5Q Tesla Being Investigated Over Model Ys Trapping Occ...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how, every week now there seems to be more comedians calling out and roasting Joe Rogan’s Austin “Rogansphere” comedy and podcasting scene, for being tired, unfunny, and hackneyed. We take a look at what these fellow comedians have been saying, and JJ reacts to them. Related episodes: Rogansphere "Anti-Woke Comedy" Cult is Crumbling https://youtu.be/C...

The Art of Value host JJ  breaks down the news that Tesla has finally had a good EV sales quarter, but it may be the last one for a while. Tesla was expected to have a good quarter before the expiring federal incentives for EV purchases, but the future is a lot less certain..  Related episodes: Marques Brownlee Cancels Vaporware Tesla Roadster https://youtu.be/0ih5uak-uAg Hyundai IONIQ 5 Gets Big...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) news that although the $7,500 EV tax credit has now expired, Hyundai is reducing its 2026 IONIQ 5 prices by almost $10,000, while extending the tax credit for the current model year. We also look at other, similar US deals and reductions, following the expiration of the EV tax credit.  Related episodes: Look Out Tesla! Slate’s Und...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that Elon Musk’s companies are continuing to be hit by an exodus of senior staff over burnout and Elon’s divisive politics. Staff churn at Tesla and xAI comes amid disillusionment with Elon’s political activism, business pivots, and mass lay-offs. Related episodes: Musk vs Altman: Worst People Feud for Chatbot Domination https://youtu.be/6XgZSusl7TE Ca...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the latest news about Alibaba Co-founder Jack Ma coming back to the company, the reasons for the massive Alibaba stock (BABA) price resurgence year to date, and Alibaba’s AI initiatives driving new growth.  Related episodes: Alibaba Stock: Is The Bottom In? Chairman Joe Tsai Interview! https://youtu.be/eZ4x8z2qjII Jack Ma Returns to ‘Make Alibaba Great Again’ h...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how prominent tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has finally cancelled his Tesla Roaster pre-order, after waiting since 2017 for it to be manufactured by the company. Carrying out the cancellation was not easy, and Tesla didn’t give him the full amount back. After almost eight years since the Roaster announcement from Elon Musk, Tesla’s new Roadster still s...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that the latest automotive industry numbers in Europe have been released for August  2025, confirming that Tesla’s sales decline has been continuing, with Tesla down 22%. The most concerning part for Tesla is that it happened at the same time that battery-electric vehicle sales were up 30% in the month, so the overall EV market is relatively healthy. ...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down the news that electric vehicle startup TELO Trucks, the maker of a tiny electric pickup truck, as big as a Mini, announced they have raised $20 million, with Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning as one of the lead investors. Related episodes: Look Out Tesla! Slate’s Under $20K EV Has 100K Reservations https://youtu.be/F5FJNwHwT5Y Can Ford Really Make a $30,000 EV P...

The Art of Value host JJ breaks down how some of Joe Rogan’s fellow comics are starting to heavily critique Rogan and his “Rogansphere” Austin comedy scene, including the vibe and “unfunny comedy” at his comedy club The Mothership. Rogan himself seems to be backpedaling on his “anti-woke” comedy stance in response to the criticism.  Related episodes: Rogansphere "Anti-Woke Comedy" Cult i...