Why are some of the world’s biggest technology companies investing so heavily in Formula 1, football, and global sports fandoms?

At the F1 Miami Grand Prix weekend, Kevin Baron sits down with Vivian Odior, head of marketing for Meta Consumer Apps — including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Creators — to discuss why WhatsApp partnered with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Premier League powerhouse Arsenal, and what those partnerships reveal about the changing role of global sport in technology, influence, culture, and business.

The conversation explores:

• AI and technology partnerships in modern sport

• How sports increasingly function as global platforms for connection and influence

• Why "Mercedes runs on WhatsApp”

• How encrypted messaging became part of Formula One storytelling in Netflix’s “The Seat”

• Why WhatsApp became deeply embedded in markets like India and Brazil

• Why Meta still sees WhatsApp as a challenger brand in the United States

• The globalization of fandom

• The rise of women and younger audiences in Formula One

The United States, host to the largest sporting event in history, "just invaded one of the participants and killed their their leader." That's unprecedented. For episode 3, we stop and ask what this means for sponsors, leagues, teams, athletes, and spectators. Is America ready for the decade of global sport?

Not yet, says Travis Murphy, CEO of Jetr Global Sport + Entertainment, which operates across sports, immigration, business, policy, and diplomacy. Travis, a former official in the State Department's sport diplomacy division, talks to Kevin Baron about today's challenges facing the U.S, why sports diplomacy has become way more than "soft" power and how stakeholders are navigating geopolitics and war on the way to the playing field.

For Episode 2, we went to Austin, Texas, for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, where one company called Code 19 Racing is developing some of the fastest moving AI on the planet — and demonstrating it for the U.S. Army.

"You have to be able to react at 150 mph, within a few inches," said O.G. Wells, chief operating officer of the veteran-owned company.

“The world’s first professional autonomous motorsports team” is that and much more, thanks to partnerships with NVIDIA and Booz Allen, and a purpose-driven mission to develop young talent.

We hung out with O.G. at Austin's Capital Factory tech hub over F1 race weekend, and with Code 19 Racing CEO Lawrence Walter on a visit to Booz Allen in Washington, D.C. Here's what we learned.

For exclusive updates and insights, visit www.elevation-live.com.

Produced by: Human Biography