Ari Emanuel Says AI Will Spark 3-Day Workweeks, More Time to Party

Hollywood’s power broker Ari Emanuel is doubling down on live experiences, raising nearly $3 billion for a new venture designed for an age where artificial intelligence could make weekends longer — and leisure more valuable.

The longtime talent agent and sports mogul told the Financial Times that he believes AI will “shrink the working week,” predicting that society could soon move from four-day work weeks down to three as automation accelerates productivity. “There’s going to be more free time,” he said.

Emanuel’s new company, MARI, will house a growing portfolio of global cultural assets — from the Madrid and Miami Open tennis tournaments to the Frieze art fairs, as well as a majority stake in Barrett-Jackson, the world-renowned collector car auction company.

The venture signals his bet that as AI transforms daily life, people will increasingly seek authentic social experiences — music, sports, art — to reconnect with each other. “If you believe the premise that humans are social animals, they’re going to have to do something,” Emanuel said. “They can’t just sit at home, so they’ll go to music, they’ll go to sports, and they’ll go to my live events.”

Emanuel, who had a public rift with Kanye West three years ago, has raised $2 billion in equity from heavyweight investors including Apollo Global Management, the Qatar Investment Authority, Ares Management, RedBird Capital Partners, and IMI Media Group, alongside figures like Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.

He secured an additional $800–900 million in debt financing to fund MARI’s acquisitions and future expansion.

Among MARI’s high-profile partners are real estate billionaire Stephen Ross and Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai, who are investing alongside Emanuel in the Miami Open. Ross said the goal is to transform the tournament into a “premier sporting asset.”

MARI finalized its acquisition of Frieze, the global art fair and magazine brand with events spanning London, New York, Seoul, and Los Angeles. The deal — reported to value Frieze at around $200 million — was brokered by Goldman Sachs and LionTree Advisors.

In a statement announcing the launch of MARI, Emanuel said:

“Live events and experiences have never been more powerful. As people increasingly value experiences over things — and as hybrid work and AI give us more time to enjoy them — sports, art, lifestyle, and entertainment are becoming even more essential.”

MARI’s leadership team includes Mark Shapiro, president of WME and TKO Group (UFC, WWE, IMG), who co-founded the new company with Emanuel. The name “MARI” itself is derived from Mark and Ari.

Emanuel’s move follows his decision to step down as CEO of Endeavor earlier this year after its $25 billion privatization by Silver Lake. He remains executive chairman of WME and continues to lead TKO Group Holdings, home to UFC, WWE, and IMG.

With MARI, Emanuel is repositioning himself at the intersection of AI, culture, and entertainment capitalism — betting that when machines handle more of the labor, humans will crave live human connection.

His philosophy echoes that of Silver Lake itself, which is backing a proposed $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts, also on the belief that AI will unleash a new era of leisure-driven spending.