📀 “DJ VC” — The Chainsmokers’ VC fund. Uber’s robo-chauffeur. The Fed’s situationship.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet | Episode: “DJ VC” — The Chainsmokers’ VC Fund. Uber’s Robo-Chauffeur. The Fed’s Situationship

Release Date: July 18, 2025
Host/Authors: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell, Nick & Jack Studios

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Introduction

In this episode of "The Best One Yet", hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell delve into three pivotal business stories shaping the current landscape. From Uber's strategic investment in luxury electric vehicles to the escalating tension between former President Trump and the Federal Reserve, and the unexpected entrepreneurial leap by the EDM sensation, The Chainsmokers. The hosts provide insightful analysis, peppered with engaging anecdotes and notable quotes, ensuring listeners are well-informed and entertained.

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1. Uber's $2 Billion Investment in Lucid: The Dawn of Robo Chauffeurs

Key Points:

• Strategic Partnership: Uber has announced a significant $2 billion investment into Lucid Motors, a premier luxury electric vehicle manufacturer known for its high-performance EVs.
• Robo Chauffeurs Vision: This investment is not merely financial but strategic, aiming to integrate Lucid’s self-driving technology with Uber’s expansive ride-sharing network.
• Product Innovation: The collaboration will bring self-driving Lucid cars, branded as "Uber Chauffeur," to select U.S. cities starting next year.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack (00:56): “Uber’s Lucid deal is really about robo chauffeurs.”
• Nick (07:03): “It’s a menage a torque.”

Analysis: Jack and Nick highlight how this partnership signifies Uber’s pivot from an asset-light model to a more integrated approach in the autonomous vehicle space. By committing to purchase 20,000 Lucid cars over six years and investing $300 million for equity, Uber positions itself strategically regardless of which self-driving technology ultimately dominates the market. This move aligns with Uber’s long-term vision of becoming a provider of premium, autonomous transportation services, fulfilling founder Travis Kalanick’s original dream of a personal chauffeur service.

---

2. The Fed's Situationship with President Trump: Implications for Economic Stability

Key Points:

• Political Tensions: The episode discusses the strained relationship between former President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, highlighting Trump's recent threat to fire Powell.
• Fed's Independence: Emphasis is placed on the importance of the Federal Reserve's autonomy in maintaining economic stability, free from political pressures.
• Historical Context: This tension is unprecedented, as no previous president has threatened to dismiss the Fed Chair, underscoring the fragility of this "situationship."

Notable Quotes:

• Nick (10:22): “The Federal Reserve's situationship with President Trump reveals the ballast that keeps our economy from tipping over.”
• Jack (12:13): “Donald Trump may hate Jerome Powell right now, but he used to love him.”

Analysis: The hosts explain that the Federal Reserve’s role in regulating interest rates to control inflation and unemployment is crucial for long-term economic health. Trump's public disparagement of Powell and his legal inability to remove Powell without cause highlight the delicate balance between political authority and economic governance. Jack and Nick argue that maintaining an independent Fed is essential to prevent short-term political motivations from destabilizing the economy, serving as the "ballast" that ensures steady economic progress.

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3. The Chainsmokers Launch a $100 Million Venture Capital Fund: Blurring the Lines Between Music and Investment

Key Points:

• Entrepreneurial Leap: The Chainsmokers, beyond their success in the music industry, have established a substantial presence in venture capital with their latest $100 million fund.
• Innovative Approach: Their venture capital firm, Mantis, employs a unique blend of celebrity influence and traditional investment strategies, managing a total of $225 million across three funds.
• Active Engagement: Unlike typical funders or passive investors, The Chainsmokers maintain an active role in their investments, leveraging their network and industry insights.

Notable Quotes:

• Nick (19:13): “They're not founders, but they're not angel investors. What they've done is create a bona fide venture capital firm.”
• Jack (19:56): “How do they do it all? Timeboxing, because your schedule limits your scale.”

Analysis: Jack and Nick admire The Chainsmokers for pioneering a novel entrepreneurial model that merges their entertainment brand with venture capital. By implementing "timeboxing"—a method of allocating specific time slots for different activities—they effectively manage dual careers in music and investment. This disciplined approach allows them to oversee their portfolio while continuing to produce music, demonstrating that strategic time management can enable significant achievements across multiple domains.

---

Additional Highlights

While the primary focus was on the three main stories, the hosts briefly touched upon other notable events:

• Crypto Legislation: The House passed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and the Genius Act, aimed at regulating stablecoins, with expectations that Senate approval could drive Bitcoin to new highs.

• Corporate Scandal at Coldplay Concert: A viral incident involving a tech CEO and his HR head engaging in inappropriate behavior during a concert, highlighting issues of workplace ethics and public relations.

• NBA Expansion Plans: The NBA is considering expansion for the first time in two decades, with potential new teams in cities like Las Vegas, Seattle, or even international locations such as London or Shanghai.

Notable Quotes:

• Nick (22:13): “If they [crypto bills] do, we predict a new bitcoin all-time high.”
• Jack (22:28): “They're probably having an affair. It's gonna end up being a case study in some kind of crisis management.”

---

Conclusion

In this episode, Jack and Nick offer a comprehensive analysis of transformative business moves and their broader implications. From Uber's futuristic vision with Lucid and the autonomous vehicle industry to the critical discussion on the Federal Reserve's independence amidst political pressure, and The Chainsmokers' innovative venture into entrepreneurship, the hosts provide valuable insights into how these developments are shaping the business world. Their engaging dialogue, supported by timely quotes and detailed explanations, ensures listeners are both informed and entertained.

---

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from "The Best One Yet" podcast episode titled “DJ VC” — The Chainsmokers’ VC Fund. Uber’s Robo-Chauffeur. The Fed’s Situationship, originally released on July 18, 2025.

Transcript

[Jack]

This is Nick, this is Jack.

[Nick]

It's Friday, the real Friday, July 18th. And today's pod, out of all the pods is the best one yet. It's a T boy.

[Jack]

The top three pop business news stories you need to know today.

[Nick]

Yeties, if you're coming to our live show in Chicago, we are doing our first ever T boy earnings call.

[Jack]

Yes, we are. And just like Wall street, publicly traded firms, we're doing a Q and A and taking analyst questions.

[Nick]

Your questions.

[Jack]

So DM us or leave a comment wherever you're listening. But we're for taking live questions from the audience in Chicago.

[Nick]

That's right. First ever podcast to do a quarterly earnings.

[Jack]

Hey, scc.

[Nick]

You're welcome, Jack. Three stories for today's show. What do we got on the D boy?

[Jack]

For our first story, Uber is investing $2 billion into Lucid, the luxury soon to be self driving electric car.

[Nick]

But this Uber lucid deal is really about robo chauffeurs.

[Jack]

For our second story, President Trump and the Federal Reserve are in a situationship and Wall street is watching this soap opera.

[Nick]

So Jack and I will tell you why an independent Fed is the ballast of our economy's boat.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is the Chainsmokers. They're not just an EDM music duo. They just closed a $100 million venture capital fund.

[Nick]

And the Chainsmokers secret to making music and making investments. It's all about the schedule.

[Jack]

But yetis before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[Nick]

What a mix perfect mix.

[Jack]

To go into a weekend with Superman's greatest skill isn't X ray vision super strength or the ability to fly.

[Nick]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Superman's greatest skill is puppies adopting puppies.

[Jack]

Because the latest Superman movie has caused a surge in pet adoption nationwide.

[Nick]

That's right. Superman is saving strays out there.

[Jack]

Here's the context. The film in theaters right now is the eighth Superman, and it's already set an opening weekend record for the man of Steel.

[Nick]

But Jack and I noticed the real star of the film ain't Clark Kent. It's Krypto Krypto with a K. Like.

[Jack]

K, this is Superman's powerfully cute puppy.

[Nick]

I mean, Jack, not many pooches can take down a super villain and save the world.

[Jack]

But crypto basically is because get this, since the film's debut, Google searches for adopt a dog near me are up 513%.

[Nick]

We repeat, rescue dog requests online are up 6x in the last week.

[Jack]

And it's all because of Superman's Cute little rescue puppy.

[Nick]

Oh, yo go boy.

[Jack]

Oh, yo, go boy. Now, it's unclear what planet Crypto is from, but it looks like some kind of a terrier schnauzer mix.

[Nick]

We always said it would take a mutt to save the world, man.

[Jack]

Although we should point out Krypto's not a real dog.

[Nick]

Right? He's a CGI dog, a computer animated canine.

[Jack]

But he's still brave. And I think somewhere in the plot, he saves the day.

[Nick]

So, besties, add it all up. And you walked in for a popcorn, but you're walking out looking for a poodle.

[Jack]

It's the super pup adoption pop. It's a bird.

[Nick]

It's a plane. No, it's a rescue.

[Jack]

We know, we know. Superman didn't rescue the dog. The dog rescued Superman.

[Nick]

Jack, let's hit our three stories.

[Unknown]

Fifteen years before this song, Two boys from the northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet. But the best is the norm. Jack.

[Nick]

Nick.

[Unknown]

That's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%. That's a fat tip. T Boy City on your @ Liz, if you know, you know. Cause we read to go. We can't wait no more.

[Nick]

So just start the show.

[Unknown]

Start the show.

[Nick]

Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

Airbnb.

[Nick]

Yetis, there is nothing more powerful in life or in business than the double dip.

[Jack]

Dip that chip twice and don't end it.

[Nick]

But the ultimate money double dip hosting on Airbnb. Jack's talked so much about being a host, his friends are asking him about it. I'm getting asked about it all the time.

[Jack]

Buddy is about to get married. He has no kids yet. He wants to travel the country dink style with his new wife. How is he going to pay for it? He's going to list his house on Airbnb.

[Nick]

So, Basties, if you're going on vacation this summer, join the millions who host on Airbnb.

[Jack]

Host your whole space. Host your extra space. Host any space.

[Nick]

The income from putting your home on Airbnb could pay for your whole vacay.

[Jack]

I've been doing it for three different.

[Nick]

Properties now, and it's easy to set booking availability. And then when the booking comes in, Jack, you always say it just shows up in your Google calendar.

[Jack]

And if you're not sure what to price your place at, check Airbnb and look at similar listings. It's very easy.

[Nick]

You can double dip that chip.

[Jack]

Your home might be worth more than you think? Find out how [e-mail] host audible t boy Trivia.

[Nick]

Here we go. Yetis, what is the biggest thing you can pack for vacation but not have to check your luggage?

[Jack]

I think it's a leading question based on my Audible I just said a second ago. Yeah, yeah.

[Nick]

The answer is the Audible app. It's the Audible app.

[Jack]

Audible has the deepest selection of audiobooks, podcasts and Audible originals all in one app.

[Nick]

You gotta stick all your clothes in a suitcase, but you get thousands of audio titles in your pocket.

[Jack]

Right now I'm on a World War II kick. I'm listening to Doris Kearns Goodwin on FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, how we created.

[Nick]

The arsenal of democracy. It is Jack's Roman Empire right now.

[Jack]

Now when we're packing for our summer vacation, we don't forget our toothbrush and we don't forget our Audible.

[Nick]

There's more to imagine when you listen.

[Jack]

Sign up for a free 30 day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free.

[Nick]

Visit audible.comt Boy, that's audible.comtboy.com for our first story, Uber just announced a $2 billion investment into Lucid, the most luxurious electric car brand.

[Jack]

What they plan to do with Lucid goes back to Uber's first ever pitch deck. Not robo taxis, robo chauffeurs. All right.

[Nick]

Hey ChatGPT, Jack, what exactly is Lucid? Define it for us.

[Jack]

Founded in California, Lucid is the Rolex of electric vehicles.

[Nick]

It's about 100,000 bucks per car. But the Lucid drives 450 miles on one charge that is top in the industry.

[Jack]

That is a long enough range to go from your beach house all the way to your ski house.

[Nick]

Founded by a Tesla executive who kept arguing with Elon, this guy decided, you know what, I'm just going to do my own thing.

[Jack]

And he got bankrolled by Saudi Arabia to launch Lucid.

[Nick]

Now Bestie's Lucid stock was down 95% from its SPAC four years ago.

[Jack]

But on Thursday, the stock jumped 38% on news that Uber is putting $2 billion into the company. Here are the details.

[Nick]

Uber pledged to buy 20,000 Lucid cars over six years and invest $300 million to get equity into the company.

[Jack]

By our math, that's $2 billion.

[Nick]

Oh, and by the way, those Lucids are going to be self driving cars thanks to a software company named Neuro.

[Jack]

So there's three players hooking up in this deal. It's basically a self driving EV throuple.

[Nick]

Yeah, Jack, it's A menage a torque.

[Jack]

A menage a torque. And the CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that starting next year, one lucky US city will be able to hail these self driving luxury lucids using the Uber app.

[Nick]

He even teased a picture of this new self driving Uber lucid gravity car. Jack, what would you say this thing looks like?

[Jack]

It's not an suv, it's an fuv. Looks like a future utility vehicle. It's got sensors all over it, it's black, it's pretty steamy.

[Nick]

But besties Jack and I found this to be fascinating because it represents a major pivot in Uber Uber's self driving strategy.

[Jack]

Back in April we covered that Uber's self driving strategy was to be Switzerland.

[Nick]

Yeah, we call it the Switzerland strategy.

[Jack]

Because like Switzerland during both world wars, Uber is now the neutral party, happy to work with any self driving car company.

[Nick]

Now remember, Uber quit trying to build its own self driving car back in 2018.

[Jack]

Instead its app is the asset light tool for other car companies to use.

[Nick]

So now Uber has arrangements with Waymo, Volkswagen, General Motors, Mitsubishi Aurora and like a half a dozen other car brands.

[Jack]

Uber has partnered with every self driving car company except Tesla.

[Nick]

And so to continue our Swiss strategy analogy here, Jack, basically what Uber is doing is non aggression packs.

[Jack]

Uber is telling every car company if you create a self driving car, you can put it on the Uber app and find riders because we have so many riders on our app.

[Nick]

And here's why that's clever. That way whoever wins the self driving race, Uber wins too, because they're going to list any one of those vehicles.

[Jack]

On their app, everyone's welcome. Which means Uber will win no matter who wins.

[Nick]

But now this is an interesting plot twist because Uber is kind of picking a favorite here, right? With Lucid.

[Jack]

Yeah, Uber's still mostly neutral, but not purely neutral because they have skin in the game. With Lucid, it'd be like if the.

[Nick]

Swiss discovered some code about the Germans and like shared it with a couple CIA spies in America.

[Jack]

I think it'd be like if the Swiss allied with Saudi Arabia who was like barely, you know, not really in the world wars or just made some.

[Nick]

American soldiers some hot chocolate. Either way, Yetis, Uber is now the number two shareholder of the luxury EV brand Lucid, right behind the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our Swiss strategy buddies over at Uber?

[Jack]

Uber can finally achieve its founder's original vision. Uber chauffeur. Yeti's.

[Nick]

Ah, a chauffeur. The ultimate status symbol. A butler for your Buick.

[Jack]

Was Richie Rich a good driver? Nobody knows because he had a chauffeur.

[Nick]

Well, this actually reminds us of something Travis Kalanick, Uber's move fast and break things founder, said a decade ago his.

[Jack]

Dream was that Uber would become your personal chauffeur someday.

[Nick]

Exactly. Well, new technologies often start high end before they go mainstream, like robo taxis.

[Jack]

And with 20,000 luxury Lucids spread across the top 20 cities in the world, Uber can offer just that.

[Nick]

The most premium, most expensive option in the Uber app, it's not Uber Black, it'll be Uber Chauffeur, a self driving.

[Jack]

Lucid that will come pick you up.

[Nick]

For our second story, the biggest drama on Wall street this week. Well, it's the independence of the Fed.

[Jack]

The Federal Reserve's situationship with President Trump reveals the ballast that keeps our economy from tipping over.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, if we're gonna talk economics, let's go back to a 2017 Cosmo magazine, if you please. Yeah. Cosmopolitan magazine coined a new phrase called the situationship.

[Jack]

Hopefully you've never been in one.

[Nick]

And if you haven't, Jack, how would you define it?

[Jack]

An ambiguous hookup relationship with no labels. But one side wants labels, the other side doesn't want the labels.

[Nick]

Well, the way Jack and I see it, our nation's central bank, the Fed, and our President Trump are in a situationship right now. It's defined, but it's also undefined.

[Jack]

First, let's sprinkle on some context. What is the purpose of the Fed? To keep unemployment low and keep inflation low, too.

[Nick]

And what is the policy tool the Fed uses? It's interest rates. Raising rates lowers inflation. While cutting rates lowers unemployment.

[Jack]

Legally, the Federal Reserve is an independent agency of the government.

[Nick]

Yes, it is.

[Jack]

It operates with autonomy from the rest of the government.

[Nick]

But technically, the President appoints the chair of the Fed and the Senate confirms them.

[Jack]

Legally, the Fed chairman cannot be fired, but he can be fired for cause.

[Nick]

More on that in a second.

[Jack]

Hence the situationship.

[Nick]

The Federal Reserve and the President are involved together, but they're also independent.

[Jack]

It's complicated.

[Nick]

Yeah, it's complicated. Which makes the latest news so soap opera awkward.

[Jack]

Donald Trump has been threatening to fire the Fed chairman, Jerome Powell.

[Nick]

Like we said, awkward. For years, President Trump has insulted Jerry Powell, the Fed chair, calling him a major loser, a numbskull, and clueless. J.

[Jack]

In 2019, in his first term, he even went as far to say as Jerome Powell being a bigger threat to the United States than China.

[Nick]

And this week, we had the Biggest escalation in this drama yet, right, Jack?

[Jack]

According to New York Times reporting, Donald Trump wrote a letter firing Jerome Powell and asked his allies if he should send it to him.

[Nick]

Now, we should point out, because firing the Fed chair would be against the law. The Fed chair has never been fired in history.

[Jack]

And no president before has threatened to or even mused about firing the Fed until Trump has.

[Nick]

But since Trump wants to fire his chair of the Fed, if he had to do it, he thinks he could find cause to do it.

[Jack]

What qualifies as cause to be fired? Well, a major renovation on the Fed's headquarters in Washington D.C. has gone way over budget and I guess it's Powell's fault.

[Nick]

But besties, we saved the best for last. Here's the plot twist in the whole situationship.

[Jack]

Donald Trump may hate Jerome Powell right now, but he used to love him.

[Nick]

That's right, because get this, President Trump is the man who, who appointed Jerry Powell to lead the Fed in the first place in 2018.

[Jack]

So why has Trump gone so sour on the man he handpicked himself for this job.

[Nick]

Well, because President Trump wants interest rates to be cut and Jay Powell hasn't done it yet.

[Jack]

We should point out every president always wants interest rates to be cut because low interest rates juice the economy and boost the President's approval rating.

[Nick]

And that is exactly why the Fed is independent of and exactly why we whipped up this takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies staring at the Fed situation?

[Jack]

Chip, an independent Fed is the ballast of our economy. Without it, we will tip over.

[Nick]

Yeti's politics is driven by two to four year election cycles. And if the President controlled our central bank, it would be very short term.

[Jack]

Motivated, but free of politics. The Fed focuses on the long term health of the economy, not midterm elections.

[Nick]

Now, there are many reasons why our markets and economy in the United States are the envy of the world. We have strong rule of law, our capital markets fund innovation, and we just.

[Jack]

Have the top universities, just to name a few reasons. But underlying it all is the Fed. The Fed, the watchful guardian that's not trying to get elected. They're just trying to keep our economy balanced and strong.

[Nick]

Now, President Trump has never acted on his threats to fire the Fed chair, probably because he knows the markets would freak out if he did.

[Jack]

We think his insulting and critiquing of Jerome Pence Powell is probably to set up a scapegoat. So if there's any future economic weakness, Trump can blame it on Powell.

[Nick]

Now, in the meantime, Chairman Powell's term ends next year running the Fed. And we hope President Trump picks a replacement who won't simply take the President's.

[Jack]

Orders because an independent Fed is the ballast of our economy. Without it, we'll tip.

[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

This musical duo has created a whole new form of entrepreneurship. But their secret is their schedule.

[Nick]

Yetis Mike Posner took a pill in Ibiza. But the chain smokers, they took a pitch deck to Ibiza.

[Jack]

Very true. Alex Paul and Drew Taggart. They began making music together in New York City in 2012 and they chose the name the Chainsmokers. Even though neither of them Smokes.

[Nick]

But today, they're the most financially innovative music group in our opinion since Beethoven's 9th IPO.

[Jack]

They chose the Chainsmokers because it was a cool name and it had good SEO.

[Nick]

That's right, and that's why you're listening to them. After eight years of getting famous with EDM Beats, they raised their first venture capital fund in 2020.

[Jack]

But they just closed their third venture capital fund this week. They now have $225 million under management as VCs.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, let's jump in T boy style to the portfolio. They've done 170 deals so far.

[Jack]

The Chain Smokers invested in Liquid Death and Coinbase before Coinbase went public.

[Nick]

And now the founders of these companies love the Chainsmokers because they host parties with VIPs and can distribute.

[Jack]

We read in TechCrunch that the Chainsmokers have played private shows for the majority of the Fortune 500 companies. They've played private gigs at 250 companies at least. Yetis, if you did your holiday party and the Chainsmokers performed live, let us know in the comments.

[Nick]

To quote the Chainsmokers, Jack, I want something just like this.

[Jack]

But each of those corporate shows is a networking opportunity for fundraising and deal flow.

[Nick]

They're raising millions off the gift. In fact, you want to know how deep into venture capital the Chainsmokers Music Group is. How deep, Jack?

[Jack]

Their last concert in San Francisco drew one of the Chainsmokers held up a big sign to the audience telling everyone to follow Alex on LinkedIn. They're LinkedIn VC thought leaders, so you.

[Nick]

Can listen to their songs on Spotify, but then get their hot takes on product market fit on LinkedIn.

[Jack]

But here's why we wanted to cover this story. The Chainsmokers are pioneering a new form of entrepreneurship.

[Nick]

Now, Yetis, Jack and I have told you about the celebripreneurship industry before, but we see it as having two different models, the founder model and the funder model.

[Jack]

The funder model is what Ashton Kutcher does.

[Nick]

He's an angel investor in Uber and Airbnb, but he's passive in those investments.

[Jack]

The founder model is more active, like Kim Kardashian.

[Nick]

She's not just an investor and owner in Skims. She's an active creator in the Skims brand.

[Jack]

But the Chainsmokers have found a third type. They have institutionalized their celebrity for entrepreneurship.

[Nick]

Like, they're not founders, but they're not angel investors. What they've done is create a bona fide venture capital firm and it's named Mantis.

[Jack]

Mantis has a team of analysts, an office in San Francisco just like every other vc and they've built their own.

[Nick]

Proprietary technology for assessing companies that they're going to invest in.

[Jack]

Kim, Kardashian and Ashton, they put up their own money to launch and fund startups.

[Nick]

But here's the distinction. The Chainsmokers venture capital firm invests other people's money as VCs and they still.

[Jack]

Have time to drop a beat at PepsiCo's Christmas party this year.

[Nick]

So Jack, what's the takeaway? And I don't mean the song takeaway that the chainsmokers dropped in 2019. What's the business takeaway for our buddies over at the Chainsmokers?

[Jack]

Your scale is limited by your schedule.

[Nick]

Yetis when Jack and I study successful people, we're always curious about seemingly mundane details in how they do their days.

[Jack]

Seemingly mundane details like their schedule. Because often those details can be key to success.

[Nick]

Well, the Chainsmokers did a great interview with Bloomberg and in the interview Alex talked about how he approaches his day. And how does he do it?

[Jack]

Jack, the first half of the day he focuses completely on vc. He meets companies, he reviews decks, he goes through startup strategies.

[Nick]

Then in the afternoon that's when he shifts to his music gear. When he writes songs, prep shows and actually does performances.

[Jack]

It's called Timeboxing. We do it for our daily show too.

[Nick]

We do.

[Jack]

We only take meetings from 9 to 11 because we have to focus on this show from 11 to 6.

[Nick]

But we also only take meetings on certain days. Like we'll only do business meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays because we box. The time we spend on different things.

[Jack]

When do we do our second show? The best idea yet? On Tuesdays we are time boxing extraordinaires.

[Nick]

Everything and timeboxing. Timeboxing is how the Chainsmokers can run a Grammy Award winning band and a vc. Jack, could you whip up the takeaway.

[Jack]

For the real Friday? Uber made a big investment in Lucid, the luxury EV company to bring self driving lucids to the Uber app next year.

[Nick]

And if they succeed, they'll be delivering what Travis Kalanick first dreamed of. Uber chauffeur.

[Jack]

For our second story, Donald J. Trump reportedly had a letter to fire the Fed chairman this week, although he did say Wednesday he wasn't going to do it.

[Nick]

It's a situationship, but an independent Fed is the ballast of our without it, we'll tip.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is the Chainsmokers. They're not just a DJ duo. They're the heads of a bonafide VC too.

[Nick]

So how do they do it all? Timeboxing, because your schedule limits your scale.

[Jack]

But yetis, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today.

[Nick]

First, happy end of Crypto week to all those who celebrate, including our buddy Timmy. The House just passed a major crypto bill yesterday in celebration of the week, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

[Jack]

The House also passed a second crypto bill yesterday, the Genius act, which is focused on stablecoins.

[Nick]

Now it is the Senate's turn to vote on each of those much hyped crypto weak legislations.

[Jack]

If they do, we predict a new bitcoin all time high.

[Nick]

And second, a wild story from the latest Coldplay concert over in Boston.

[Jack]

The CEO of a tech company and his head of HR were caught on the kiss cam during the concert.

[Nick]

But here's the key. They're both married and not to each other.

[Jack]

The video went viral as both of them quickly stopped holding each other. And Chris Martin commented that they're probably having an affair.

[Nick]

So not only were they caught in an affair, it was definitely a violation of the company's HR policy. It's gonna end up being a case study in some kind of crisis management.

[Jack]

And finally, the NBA confirmed they're looking to expand for the first time in 20 years.

[Nick]

The commissioner says nothing's been determined, but he's gonna be adding a couple bas.

[Jack]

One of the teams could go to Vegas, which recently got a baseball, football, and hockey team in the last five years.

[Nick]

Or it could go to Seattle, which famously lost the Supersonics. And Gary Payton has been crying ever since.

[Jack]

Last year we said that the NBA should go intercontinental.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Jack]

Give us a European team. It'd be exciting.

[Nick]

Would it kill you to add a London team? Maybe a Shanghai team?

[Jack]

The London Towers.

[Nick]

The story writes itself. You know what?

[Jack]

The Berlin Walls, Buenos Aires ballers.

[Nick]

We could go all day. Yeah, Just drop some comments. We could. Some names.

[Jack]

Idea below.

[Nick]

Now time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Dan Spangeman from Lovely Oceanport, N.J. this week.

[Jack]

We talked about the cup holder effect. Remember that?

[Nick]

Yeah. And we told you how the Toyota Sienna minivan was the queen of the cup holders with 18 in one car.

[Jack]

But who's the king of the cup holder?

[Nick]

Fun fact, according to Dan, it's the Subaru Ascent.

[Jack]

Not only does this Subaru have 19.

[Nick]

Cup holders, a sneaky one right in the very back seat.

[Jack]

I think the engineers were like, we need the record. So put one more in the trunk.

[Nick]

But four of those cup holders can successfully hold a large Stanley tumbler.

[Jack]

Which means they're not cup holders, they're jug holders.

[Nick]

Yetis, you look fantastic today. Jack, celebrate the wins. We got a live show in less than a week, man. I'll see you next time we. I know.

[Jack]

I'll see you Monday in Chicago.

[Nick]

Can't wait to see you Monday in Chicago. And in the meantime, if you adopt another puppy, I'll know you just saw Superman.

[Jack]

I heard the next Batman movie has.

[Nick]

An adopted iguana or adopted bat.

[Jack]

Jack, where's my puppy?

[Nick]

By the way, Yetis, check out our weekly show, the best idea yet. We got a story this weekend on the Michelin star. You're gonna love it.

[Jack]

Nick and I will see you next week from Chicago.

[Nick]

Can't wait. And before we go, a happy birthday to to Taco Bell's Crunchwrap supreme, which turns 20 years old today.

[Jack]

And happy belated birthday to Disneyland, which turned 70 yesterday. Sorry, Walt.

[Nick]

We can't believe we forgot it. And Wyatt Hicks, Happy first birthday down in Marietta, Georgia. You're looking fantastic. And you sound fantastic, too. And congrats to the parents.

[Jack]

Happy 30th birthday to Caroline Giles McLaughlin, who's turning 30 on the Upper east side of NYC.

[Nick]

And Kaylee Anderson over in Denver, Colorado is celebrating the best birthday in the mountains yet.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to He Manchu Aurora in the Bay Area of California.

[Nick]

And Nathan Wu. Happy birthday. Celebrating on Long Island.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Kranthi Enum Pudi in Atlanta, Georgia.

[Nick]

And Lere over in Englewood, New Jersey. Happy birthday. Make it the best one yet.

[Jack]

Congratulations to Joy from Washington, D.C. for leaving their job and starting a fellowship over in Taiwan.

[Nick]

Congratulations to Stephen Chomolewski, who's not only leaving his job to move to the Big Apple, he's gonna do it to become an actor. Can't wait to see you on Broadway. Steven.

[Jack]

Congratulations to Adam Goldblum for getting a promotion in White Plains, New York.

[Nick]

And Cordell Zelinsky over in Noel, Missouri, is the bacon merchant at Sam's Club and is winning the most bacon.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Leah Evans in the Bay Area of California.

[Nick]

And Brian and Gemma from Montclair, California. They just completed their first trail run 5k at the Mountain Baldy 5000. Guys, ice those hammies and we'll see you Monday.

[Jack]

And to anyone else who's celebrating something today, make it a T, boy.

[Nick]

Celebrate the win.

[Jack]

This is Jack. Nick and I both own some bitcoin and I have a rescue dog. Sorry, the rescue dog has made. If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Nick]

Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Jack]

And before you go, tell us a little bit about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey we want to.

[Nick]

Get to know you.

[D]

In the summer of 1925, a small Tennessee town became the battleground for the fight between science and faith in America's public schools. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, host of Wondery's podcast, American Historytellers. We take you to the events, times and people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles and our dreams. In our latest series, when a young science teacher agrees to participate in a test case orchestrated by the ACLU to challenge Tennessee's ban on teaching evolution, he lands in the center of a raucous the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial. Legendary attorneys Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan face off in a sweltering Tennessee courtroom as the world watches fundamentalist Christianity clash with modern science, setting the stage for battles over education and religious freedom for decades to come. Follow American Historytellers on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad free and be the first to binge the newest season only on Wondery. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today.