Gary Sheng - Ty Williams: Lael Alexander Business Concerns Discussion

Overview

Critical conversation between Gary Sheng and Ty Williams (introduced through Beef Jones) regarding serious concerns about Lael Alexander's business practices, unfulfilled commitments, and patterns of behavior discovered through Gary's production work and Tulsa community research.

Major Revelations

Netflix Deal Crisis

Gary's production team invested $10,000 of their own money creating a sizzle reel for Lael's Netflix documentary project. The project has stalled because:

• Lael has not signed the required attachment agreement with Gary and Beef Jones
• Netflix is requesting definitive answers by end of week or they will cancel the project
• The Netflix production company represents major projects (Snowfall sequel) and will be unavailable once those projects are greenlit

Gary explained the dual purpose of the investment:

"On Netflix's side, it was supposed to, it gave them some tape on Lyell, so they could start moving toward a deck and coming to visit him... On Lyell's side, he wants to do more long-form content, like, I guess he's helping rebuild this black town and other things he wants shot."

Tulsa Business Community Warnings

Gary's business partner Brian, a Tulsa native with extensive local connections, conducted research that revealed disturbing patterns:

Chamber of Commerce Warning:

• Head of Tulsa Chamber of Commerce specifically warned about doing business with Lael
• Advised: "if you do business with him, make sure you've got paperwork and that he follows through"

Cannabis Dispensary Owner Testimony: Hassan, a cannabis dispensary owner, worked with Lael for three years:

• Did door-to-door sales for Lael for two years
• Third year: Lael stopped paying him
• Hassan stayed around just to see how the situation would end, fascinated by the pattern

Black Wall Street Revival Failure:

• Lael was supposed to participate in Black Wall Street revival project
• Tito Jackson was involved before his death
• When money was due from Lael, he disappeared and never responded
• Project participants are still in Tulsa and confirmed this pattern

Pattern of Disappearing Acts

Multiple sources described identical behavior:

"Both have said basically the same. It's a nice promise of buildup. When the money's due, things need to be signed. He disappears. Stops answering calls. Nobody can find him."

Gary's business partner attempted multiple contact attempts:

"We would call them every day for some more information. Most times they wouldn't answer. He would go up there, the gate would be locked. He couldn't get in."

Previous Production Company Failures

Gary discovered that 3-4 other production companies had attempted to create documentaries about Lael before them:

• Two of the previous companies had Netflix deals
• All failed to complete projects due to similar issues

Suspicious Financial Arrangements

Gary expressed concerns about the legitimacy of Lael's wealth and assets:

Source of Wealth Questions:

"How do you get this warehouse, to get those trucks, to get that Italian sports car? How do you get this? Being a black person and nobody knows. You can't have black people work in America. Every rich black person you know about, you can easily find them."

Mysterious White Male Presence:

"So when we shoot, when we sat around him, when me or my business partner was around him... There's always three white guys, three older white guys. They're just there... My partner has gathered that these three white men are probably fronting him the money until he gets the real one."

Rob Peter to Pay Paul Dynamics:

"There's been some investment. He said these products are worth a certain amount, which I'm sure they are, but he also needs to sell them and get out. Rob and Peter pay Paul."

Ty Williams' Spiritual Assessment

Character-Based Concerns

Ty Williams, who has been considering formal involvement with Lael, expressed deep spiritual concerns:

Biblical Foundation:

"But he already has so many commitments that he needs to wind down, honestly. If he wants to do this Netflix thing with you guys, he has to really commit to that in a spiritual way, honestly. Because that's, like, and what I mean by that is, like, the Bible speaks very clearly that let your yes be a yes and no be a no, right?"

Spiritual Stakes:

"More money and attention and access to, quite candidly, very unclean power is not going to help an unhealed man, right? So, and I say this with deep humility and empathy for the experience of being a brilliant black man."

Potential for Transformation vs. Disaster

Ty recognized the high stakes of the situation:

Transformational Potential:

"Of that level of consequence, that he could be so consequential, not just for black people, but for humanity, if he gets some of these great issues resolved."

Disaster Scenario:

"If he does not express a deep willingness to do that, then I do not want to be part of the blow-up... Otherwise, it's pure greed and it's the biggest you know, it will history will just remember this as like the biggest failure."

Operational Dysfunction Analysis

Minimal Staffing Structure

Gary noted the suspiciously minimal operation for such claimed scale:

"You got two to run this big thing, this big system that you got?... You ever seen any major manufacturing with a bunch of people in there for how big it is?... That many businesses, that many things you can do based on two people. It's got to be built that way or run that way for a purpose."

Josh's Dual Role Concerns

Both participants noted Josh's unclear role:

• Described as "the tech guy" but seen doing household tasks
• Gary questioned: "How does he work at your warehouse in your house? On Sunday, I've seen Josh doing things around the house."

Cycle of Distrust and Isolation

Ty analyzed the systemic operational problems:

"There's a extraordinary level of, it's like it seems like a web of like it's been like a self-reinforcing like cycle of not trusting people and not letting them in to be able to help them grow things."

Gary's Business Ultimatum

Dual Deadline Structure

Gary established firm deadlines for both major opportunities:

Netflix Deal:

• Lael must sign attachment agreement by end of week
• Netflix needs definitive answers or they move to other projects
• Production company will be unavailable once Snowfall sequel is greenlit

Product Sales Opportunity:

"On the other side, with the business, and actually selling the things that he has, that can reap him at least a couple hundred grand, I have a week on that because he has a better son, and those people don't sit still long."

Risk Management Strategy

Gary explained his protective approach:

"So, if they sniff something funny on the other side, I have to be out before that, because I'll be part of the sniffing. If they sniff something for themselves, that means I'm part of it... So, I have to create a deadline before it gets to them."

Strategic Assessment Framework

Gary's Business Philosophy

"If I don't know the play, then I'm the fool. If I'm the only one that doesn't know what's going on in the room, then that means I'm the fool. So that means I need a deadline on this."

Ty's Intervention Framework

Ty outlined his approach to potentially helping Lael:

"I do think man, I don't even know what the right way to bring this all up is. It's been on my heart, man. It really has... this is a spiritual matter."

Shared Recognition of Pattern

Both participants acknowledged the challenging reality:

"Do you understand the position that you and I are both in is like, oh my God, we, we, we really wanted this guy to be more than he is right now, at least, right?"

Timeline and Next Steps

Immediate Actions (July 14-19, 2025)

• Tuesday Evening: Ty to call Lael upon his return from D.C.
• Wednesday: Potential Ty visit to Tulsa for assessment
• Friday: Gary's deadline for both Netflix deal and product sales

Decision Points

• Ty evaluating whether to formally engage with Lael
• Gary's business partners (Brian and Beef) want to continue but Gary stepping back from front-facing role
• Netflix and product buyers requiring definitive commitments

Character Analysis Insights

Lael's Potential Motivations

Gary's assessment of Lael's psychology:

"I think he has the ego and he's smart enough which he is, he's smart enough to think that whatever story I tell folks is a story that will be kept... You don't need to look beyond this. If you start asking questions, you got to go."

The Documentary Strategy

"I think he wanted a production company that would basically allow him to say only what he wanted to say... Tell his story. You start laying me on that, that's when the trouble comes, right? That's when he stops answering calls."

Community Impact Considerations

Broader Implications

Both participants recognized the significance beyond individual business deals:

• Impact on black community perception and opportunities
• Potential waste of extraordinary talents and capabilities
• Historical significance if transformation or failure occurs

Spiritual Warfare Perspective

Ty framed the situation in spiritual terms:

"God sent the shockwave to my system this past week. It was basically like this is a spiritual matter. That of course cascades to all other you know, like the more earthly operational legal contracts everything."

Key Unresolved Questions

1. Source and legitimacy of Lael's current wealth and assets
2. Identity and role of the three white men consistently present
3. Whether Lael can demonstrate genuine change in commitment patterns
4. Viability of any partnership given documented history of unfulfilled obligations

Conclusion

The conversation revealed a critical juncture where Lael Alexander's pattern of unfulfilled commitments has reached a breaking point with multiple serious business opportunities. Both Gary and Ty recognize the extraordinary potential but are grappling with documented evidence of problematic business practices and the spiritual/character issues underlying them.

The next 72 hours (July 15-17, 2025) represent a decisive moment where Lael's response to these ultimatums will determine whether transformation is possible or whether multiple parties will walk away from what could have been transformational partnerships.