The Pyramid

Chapter Forty-Three - THE BRAND ILLUSION

Section 43 of 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

THE BRAND ILLUSION

SO YOU THOUGHT you were safe.
You thought, "I don’t use Meta. I don’t trust Google. I don’t even have TikTok."
You thought, "I make my own choices. I’m off the grid. I only shop small."

Cool story.
But here’s the truth:

You live in a box.

And the walls of that box are made of brands.
Logos, products, and services.
You don’t see the owners, just the packaging.

But behind almost every app, channel, label, snack, movie, drug, account, device, and stream you touch… there’s a parent.

And behind those parents there are just a handful of names.

Let’s show you how deep it goes.

We’re not gonna give you commentary.
We’re not gonna argue.
We’re just gonna list the brands.

Then we’ll show you who owns them.

Welcome to the Mask Off chapter.

Let’s begin.

Alphabet is search empire behind the world’s questions and your every move.

Google Search
YouTube
Gmail
Google Maps
Google Drive
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Google Calendar
Google Chrome
Google Photos
Google Translate
Google News
Google Earth
Android OS
Google Play Store
Google Ads
Google Cloud
Google Domains
Google Fiber
Google Pay
Nest
Fitbit
DeepMind
Waymo
Waze
DoubleClick
YouTube Music
YouTube TV
Bard
Gemini
reCAPTCHA
Blogger
Firebase
And Pixel

Meta is the attention trap disguised as connection.

Facebook
Instagram
WhatsApp
Messenger
Threads
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Dating
Facebook Watch
Oculus VR
Meta Quest
Horizon Worlds
Meta AI
Spark AR
Novi
CrowdTangle
Giphy
Onavo
Atlas
Workplace
Portal
Facebook Ads
Meta Pixel
Meta Business Suite
And Meta Reality Labs

Apple is the walled garden you paid to live inside.

iPhone
iPad
MacBook
Apple Watch
AirPods
macOS
iOS
iPadOS
Safari
iCloud
iMessage
FaceTime
Siri
Apple Music
Apple TV
Apple TV+
Apple Arcade
Apple News
Apple Podcasts
Apple Fitness+
Apple Pay
Apple Wallet
Beats by Dre
Shazam
Final Cut Pro
Logic Pro
App Store
iTunes Store
iBooks
And iWork Suite

Amazon is the everything store that became the everything infrastructure.

Amazon.com
Whole Foods
Zappos
Audible
Goodreads
Kindle
Fire TV
Fire Tablets
Amazon Prime
Prime Video
Amazon Studios
MGM
Twitch
IMDb
Ring
Eero
Alexa
Amazon Echo
Amazon Fresh
Amazon Pantry
Amazon Music
Amazon Pharmacy
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Luna
Kuiper
Zoox
Amazon Robotics
Amazon Basics
Amazon Logistics
And Kiva Systems

Disney is the kingdom that owns your childhood and your future.

Disney
Pixar
Marvel
Lucasfilm
Star Wars
20th Century Studios
Searchlight Pictures
National Geographic
ESPN
FX
ABC
Hulu
Disney+
Hotstar
Star+
Freeform
Touchstone Pictures
Buena Vista
The Muppets
Avatar franchise
Indiana Jones
Pirates of the Caribbean
Frozen
The Lion King
Aladdin
High School Musical
Hannah Montana
Mickey Mouse & Friends
Marvel Studios
Marvel Comics
Marvel Television
Marvel Animation
ILM
LucasArts
Disney Parks
Disneyland
Walt Disney World
EPCOT
Disney Cruise Line
ABC News
ESPN+
Radio Disney
Club Penguin
Jetix
And Maker Studios

Comcast is the cable company that never stopped growing.

Comcast
NBC
MSNBC
CNBC
NBC News
Bravo
Telemundo
USA Network
Syfy
E!
Oxygen
Universal Pictures
DreamWorks Animation
Illumination
Despicable Me and Minions
Focus Features
Universal Studios Parks
Peacock
Sky
Xfinity
Xumo
Fandango
Rotten Tomatoes
Vudu
XClass TVs
DreamWorksTV
Golf Channel
NBC Sports
Philadelphia Flyers
Spectacor
Comcast Business
And Comcast Ventures

Warner Bros. Discovery is the ultimate content hoarder of drama, dragons, and DC.

Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Games
HBO
HBO Max
Discovery Channel
TLC
Animal Planet
Oprah Winfrey Network
Food Network
HGTV
Cartoon Network
Adult Swim
Boomerang
CNN
TBS
TNT
truTV
DC Entertainment
DC Comics
New Line Cinema
Turner Classic Movies
Wizarding World
Harry Potter
Game of Thrones
Friends
Rick and Morty
Looney Tunes
Mortal Kombat
LEGO Games
AT&T was a former parent
Eurosport
MotorTrend
Magnolia Network
Bleacher Report
Rooster Teeth
WB Games
NetherRealm
And Rocksteady

Sony is the sleeper giant from Spider-Man to PlayStation.

Sony
PlayStation
PlayStation Studios
Naughty Dog
Insomniac Games
Santa Monica Studio
Sucker Punch
Guerrilla Games
Bungie
Crunchyroll
Funimation (merged with Crunchyroll)
Sony Pictures
Columbia Pictures
TriStar Pictures
Screen Gems
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
RCA Records
Epic Records
Columbia Records
Sony Classical
Sony Pictures Television
AXN
SonyLIV
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Spider-Man film rights
Ghostbusters
Jumanji
Uncharted
Gran Turismo
The Last of Us
MLB: The Show
Ratchet & Clank
Horizon
God of War
Xperia phones
Alpha cameras
And Sony Financial

Microsoft is the OS behind the office and the world’s second brain.

Microsoft
Windows
Windows Defender
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Office
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Outlook
OneNote
OneDrive
Microsoft Teams
Skype
LinkedIn
GitHub
Xbox
Xbox Game Studios
Bethesda
ZeniMax
Mojang
Minecraft
Activision Blizzard
Call of Duty
Diablo
Overwatch
Candy Crush
King
Game Pass
Bing
MSN
Visual Studio
.NET
Azure
Microsoft 365
Dynamics 365
Surface Laptops and Tablets
HoloLens
Nuance
Yammer
Clipchamp
And Microsoft AI

Netflix is the new empire of attention and original everything.

Netflix
Stranger Things
The Witcher
Bridgerton
Squid Game
Black Mirror
The Crown
BoJack Horseman
Big Mouth
Cobra Kai
Wednesday
Outer Banks
Sex Education
13 Reasons Why
House of Cards
Orange Is the New Black
Narcos
Love, Death & Robots
Arcane
One Piece (Live Action)
The Queen’s Gambit
The Umbrella Academy
The Midnight Club
The Lincoln Lawyer
Shadow and Bone
Money Heist
Netflix Originals (dozens per country)
Tudum
Netflix Games
Oxenfree
Night School Studio
Boss Fight
Spry Fox
Next Games
Netflix Animation
Netflix Interactive
Knives Out franchise
Roma
Marriage Story
The Irishman
Glass Onion
And Rebel Moon

Tencent is the Chinese juggernaut, a digital octopus with global reach.

Tencent
WeChat
QQ
Tencent Games
Honor of Kings
PUBG Mobile
Riot Games
League of Legends
Valorant
Supercell
Clash of Clans
Brawl Stars
Major stake in Epic Games, Fortnite, and Unreal Engine
Former major stake in Activision Blizzard
Significant stake in Ubisoft
Grinding Gear Games
Funcom
Miniclip
Tencent Music
QQ Music
Kugou
Kuwo
Huya
WeBank
Tencent Cloud
Tencent Pictures
China Literature
Tencent Video
Penguin Esports
TiMi Studios
Tencent AI Lab
Sogou
Tencent Map
And Tencent News

Alibaba is the Amazon of China and then some.

Alibaba
Taobao
Tmall
Aliexpress
Alibaba Cloud
Cainiao
Lazada
Youku
UC Browser
DingTalk
AliPay
Ant Group
Ele.me
Alibaba Pictures
DAMO Academy
Alibaba Health
AliExpress Russia
Koala
Daraz
AutoNavi
Hema Fresh
New Retail
AliOS
Stake in Weibo
Stake in Bilibili
Stake in Lyft
And stake in Magic Leap

Bytedance is the attention monster behind the world’s favorite doomscroll.

ByteDance
TikTok
TikTok Music
Douyin (Chinese TikTok)
Toutiao
CapCut
Lemon8
Helo
BaBe
Lark
BytePlus
Pico
Moonton
FaceU
BuzzVideo
Flipagram
Musical.ly
Resso
And partnerships in gaming, fashion, and VR

Berkshire Hathaway is the old-money hydra, controlling essentials behind the curtain.

Berkshire Hathaway
GEICO
BNSF Railway
Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Lubrizol
Dairy Queen
Fruit of the Loom
Duracell
See’s Candies
Pampered Chef
Brooks Sports
Benjamin Moore
NetJets
Precision Castparts
Shaw Industries
Business Wire
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Nebraska Furniture Mart
Oriental Trading Company
Helzberg Diamonds
Johns Manville
Kraft Heinz major stake
Apple major stake
Coca-Cola major stake
Bank of America major stake
American Express major stake
Chevron major stake
Occidental Petroleum growing stake
And Moody’s major stake

Nestlé is the biggest food company on Earth and maybe the most hated.

Nestlé
Gerber
Purina
Nescafé
Coffee-Mate
KitKat
Toll House
Nesquik
Perrier
San Pellegrino
Poland Spring
Arrowhead
Ice Mountain
Zephyrhills
Deer Park
Acqua Panna
Maggi
Lean Cuisine
Stouffer’s
DiGiorno
Hot Pockets
Dreyer’s
Häagen-Dazs
Edy’s
Carnation
Boost
Garden of Life
Nature’s Bounty
Vital Proteins
Optifast
Sweet Earth
Nestlé Professional
Nestlé Health Science
Nestlé Skin Health
Merrick Pet Care
Alpo
Fancy Feast
Friskies
Beneful
Felix
Nestlé Waters
Osem
Buitoni
Libby’s
Milo
Cerelac
Lactogen
NAN
Illuma
And Wyeth Nutrition

Proctor & Gamble is the king of your bathroom and probably your parents’ too.

P&G
Tide
Downy
Gain
Bounce
Ariel
Pampers
Luvs
Always
Tampax
Bounty
Charmin
Puffs
Gillette
Venus
Braun
Oral-B
Crest
Scope
Head & Shoulders
Pantene
Herbal Essences
Aussie
Old Spice
Secret
Safeguard
Vicks
Pepto-Bismol
Metamucil
Align
Prilosec
Clearblue
SK-II
Olay
Ivory
Joy
Mr. Clean
Febreze
Swiffer
Ambi Pur
Cascade
Dawn
Fairy
Dreft
Daz
Lenor
And ArielPods

Unilever’s the one where if it goes on your skin, hair, plate, or armpit, they probably made it.

Unilever
Dove
Axe
Degree
Vaseline
Pond’s
Suave
TRESemmé
Nexxus
St. Ives
Simple
Lifebuoy
Lux
Sunsilk
Clear
Toni & Guy
Dermalogica
Schmidt’s Naturals
Q-Tips
Seventh Generation
Persil
Surf
Comfort
Cif
Domestos
Sunlight
Hellmann’s
Best Foods
Knorr
Lipton split with PepsiCo.
Ben & Jerry’s
Breyers
Magnum
Klondike
Cornetto
Popsicle
Wall’s
Vaseline
Slim-Fast
The Vegetarian Butcher
Dollar Shave Club
Sir Kensington’s
Maille
Colman’s
Marmite
Bovril
Ragu
Pure Leaf
And Brooke Bond

Blackrock is the world’s largest asset manager. It holds significant stakes in almost every company mentioned so far.

Alphabet
Google
Meta
Facebook
Instagram
WhatsApp
Apple
Microsoft
Amazon
Nvidia
Berkshire Hathaway
JPMorgan Chase
Bank of America
Citigroup
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley
Wells Fargo
Visa
Mastercard
Johnson & Johnson
Pfizer
Moderna
Eli Lilly
Procter & Gamble
Unilever
Nestlé
PepsiCo
Coca-Cola
McDonald’s
Yum! Brands
Taco Bell
KFC
Pizza Hut
Disney
Comcast
Netflix
AT&T
Verizon
ExxonMobil
Chevron
Shell
BP
Lockheed Martin
Boeing
Raytheon
Northrop Grumman
General Dynamics
Walmart
Target
Home Depot
Lowe’s
CVS
Walgreens
Costco
Johnson Controls
3M
GE
FedEx
UPS
Delta
United
American Airlines
General Motors
Ford
Tesla
Toyota
Uber
Lyft
Airbnb
Booking.com
Salesforce
Adobe
Oracle
IBM
Palantir
Coinbase
Blackstone
Carlyle Group
KKR
Cargill
Monsanto Bayer
DuPont
Dow
Kraft Heinz
Mondelez
Starbucks
Sony
Nintendo
Activision Blizzard
Roblox
Epic Games via Tencent

And thousands more.

Vanguard is the quiet giant. Second-largest asset manager on Earth and the largest shareholder of BlackRock.

Everything BlackRock owns
Everything else

Most of the time, if BlackRock holds the #1 stake in a company...
Vanguard holds #2.
And vice versa.

They operate as index fund overlords. Using ETFs, retirement plans, and passive funds to own everything without ever making a single product.

State Street is the third horseman. Not as flashy, not as loud. But it’s in the room.

They hold major institutional shares across most S&P 500 companies
Often the #3 stakeholder behind BlackRock and Vanguard
And they manage trillions in global assets. Mostly through custodial funds, pensions, and retirement accounts

State Street isn’t trying to be famous.

It’s just trying to hold everything.

They don’t sell you soda.
They don’t make your phone.
They don’t run newsrooms.
They don’t make bombs.

They just own the companies that do.

Look back. That’s 20 major shells and most of the brands you’ve seen your entire life.

So yeah.
I think you get the point.