👻 “Halloween Canceled” — Spirit’s trade war-ning. Fortune 500’s founder fun. Pizza Hut’s reading app.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet Hosted by Nick & Jack Studios | Release Date: June 5, 2025

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Episode Overview: “Halloween Canceled” — Spirit’s Trade War-Ning. Fortune 500’s Founder Fun. Pizza Hut’s Reading App

In this episode of The Best One Yet, hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell delve into three compelling business stories shaping the current landscape. From Spirit Halloween's strategic cancellations to significant shifts within the Fortune 500, and Pizza Hut's innovative literacy initiative, Nick and Jack provide insightful analysis and engaging commentary throughout the 20-minute runtime.

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1. Spirit Halloween Cancels Annual Preview Party

Timestamp: 06:00 – 10:18

Summary: Spirit Halloween, a prominent seasonal retailer, announced the cancellation of its highly anticipated annual Halloween preview show. This decision is intricately linked to ongoing trade war-induced supply chain disruptions, highlighting broader economic challenges.

Key Points:

• Economic Impact: The cancellation isn't solely due to tariffs but stems from compounded supply chain issues resulting from the trade war.

• Trade War Analogy: Nick and Jack compare the trade war to a monster with "sharp teeth" (tariffs) and a "heavy tail" (ripple effects on the supply chain), emphasizing the multifaceted challenges businesses face.

• Supply Chain Delays: Orders have been delayed due to factories holding or shifting production away from China, leading to significant backlogs reminiscent of pandemic-era disruptions.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack (06:18): “Steve and Dana are not roommates. Because Steve and Dana are a gay couple.”

• Nick (09:05): “First we got bitten by the trade war head. Next we get smacked by the trade war tail.”

Insights: The hosts underscore the enduring consequences of international trade tensions, illustrating how even reduced tariffs (from 145% to 50%) are insufficient to mitigate the lingering supply chain woes. This situation serves as a cautionary tale for businesses reliant on global manufacturing networks.

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2. Fortune 500’s Founder and Women CEOs on the Rise

Timestamp: 10:18 – 14:08

Summary: The latest Fortune 500 list for 2025 reveals significant trends: a surge in companies led by women CEOs and a notable increase in founder-led enterprises. These shifts reflect evolving leadership dynamics and the growing influence of technology-driven entrepreneurship.

Key Points:

• Women CEOs: The number of female-led companies has doubled since 2018, reaching 55—a historic high.

• Founder CEOs: There are now 24 companies run by their original founders, a 50% increase from 2020.

• Sector Representation: California leads with the most Fortune 500 companies, predominantly in tech, followed by Texas in energy and New York in finance.

• Leadership Dynamics: The rise of founder CEOs, especially in the tech sector, is attributed to strategies like "super shares" that ensure founders retain control over their companies.

Notable Quotes:

• Nick (12:05): “Jack and I want to respect our buddies over at Fortune and point out that by publishing this list every year, it's the changes in the list that are an opportunity to reflect on bigger changes in the economy.”

• Jack (13:40): “As tech continues to boom, founder CEOs will too.”

Insights: The increase in women and founder CEOs signifies a positive trend towards diversity and entrepreneurial leadership. The hosts highlight how founder CEOs, equipped with innovative management styles and control mechanisms, are reshaping the corporate landscape, particularly within the booming tech industry.

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3. Pizza Hut’s Book It Literacy Initiative Evolves into an App

Timestamp: 17:00 – 22:36

Summary: Pizza Hut celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Book It literacy program, which incentivizes children's reading habits by rewarding them with free pizzas. The program is transitioning from physical certificates to a digital app, aiming to enhance engagement through gamification.

Key Points:

• Program History: Initiated in the 1980s in response to a call for corporate involvement in education, Book It has successfully encouraged millions of children to read by offering free pizzas as rewards.

• Gamification Strategy: The transition to an app leverages modern technology to streamline the reward process while maintaining the program's motivational structure.

• Impact and Scale: Over 70 million kids have participated, with 600,000 classrooms involved, showcasing the program's widespread influence.

• Business Benefits: Beyond promoting literacy, the initiative drives family spending at Pizza Hut locations, demonstrating effective use of soft power in business strategy.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack (21:12): “In business, there's power in soft power.”

• Nick (20:13): “There are no bells and whistles in this Pizza Hut app. Like we looked at it. And it's a very simple reward structure. That's it.”

Insights: Pizza Hut's Book It program exemplifies how businesses can foster social good while simultaneously benefiting their bottom line. By gamifying the reading experience, Pizza Hut not only promotes education but also enhances customer loyalty and encourages family dining, effectively blending corporate responsibility with strategic marketing.

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Conclusion and Takeaways

Timestamp: 22:00 – 22:36

Summary: Nick and Jack recap the three main stories, emphasizing the interconnectedness of economic challenges, evolving leadership, and innovative business strategies.

Key Takeaways:

1. Spirit Halloween's Cancellation: A stark reminder of how trade wars and supply chain issues can disrupt even the most established seasonal businesses.

2. Fortune 500 Leadership Trends: The rise of women and founder CEOs highlights a shift towards more diverse and entrepreneurial leadership in major corporations.

3. Pizza Hut’s Book It Evolution: Demonstrates the effectiveness of soft power and gamification in creating impactful and mutually beneficial business initiatives.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack (22:00): “For the new Friday spirit, Halloween canceled their summer event to show off all their new Halloween costumes.”

• Nick (22:17): “The reason founder CEOs are booming, because tech founders have super shares and they learned how to manage.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The Best One Yet offers listeners a nuanced understanding of current business trends, blending economic analysis with cultural insights. Nick and Jack's engaging dialogue and strategic use of analogies make complex topics accessible and relatable, providing valuable takeaways for both casual listeners and business enthusiasts.

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Feel free to subscribe to The Best One Yet for more insightful discussions and stay updated with the latest in pop-business news.

Transcript

[Nick]

This is Nick, this is Jack. It is Thursday, the new Friday, June 5th, and today's pod is the best one yet. And this is a T Boy.

[Jack]

Here's the top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Yetis.

[Nick]

You are listening to one of the top 50 podcasts in the world. We just got the numbers from last week.

[Jack]

Yeah, we started spiking on the Apple charts. It's all thanks to your listening. So thank you, besties.

[Nick]

Thanks for being a part of it. Top 50 shows in the world in the overall category.

[Jack]

Overall, not like pop business Newspod, hosted by former college roommates. Top 50 overall.

[Nick]

So thank you, besties. Jack, three stories for today's T Boy. What do we got on this show?

[Jack]

For our first story, Spirit Halloween just canceled their Halloween preview party.

[Nick]

Because the scariest part of the economy right now isn't the tear of teeth, it's the trade war tale.

[Jack]

For our second story, the Fortune 500 list for 2025 just dropped this week and we found the two most interesting numbers.

[Nick]

We hope the number of women CEOs keeps rising, but we know the number of founder CEOs.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is Pizza Hut. Their most powerful product isn't pepperoni pizza. It's a book club.

[Nick]

That's right, book it. The popular summer reading challenge for kids is Pizza Hut's Soft Power.

[Jack]

But Yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[Nick]

Whoa. What a mix of stories. No one else is doing that mix. Love the mix, Jack.

[Jack]

1994 was a wild year for the world.

[Nick]

I mean, Jack, you had the O.J. simpson car chase. You had Michael Jordan quitting basketball. And you had Jeff Bezos founding Amazon in 1994.

[Jack]

You also had Ikea, a commercial on television.

[Nick]

So, Jack, let's pause the pod for a sec and talk about that IKEA commercial.

[Jack]

In the commercial, a couple of guys are buying furniture.

[Nick]

Very nice.

[Jack]

Steve is more country. He likes a farmhouse furniture vibe.

[Nick]

Dana is more modern. He prefers sleek, dark rugs and some heavy curtains.

[Jack]

Here's the thing. Steve and Dana are not roommates.

[Nick]

That's right, Jack. Because Steve and Dana are a gay couple.

[Jack]

And in 1994, this was the first time a commercial on American television showed that.

[Nick]

We repeat, Ikea. We was the first brand in America to explicitly show a gay couple in a commercial.

[Jack]

The network was so worried about this commercial they wouldn't air it during primetime.

[Nick]

They actually waited until 9:30pm when kids were asleep before they showed it.

[Jack]

They treated it like R rated content.

[Nick]

That's right. It was A couple of dudes shopping for sconces in an Ikea.

[Jack]

Now, today, every pharmaceutical ad has, like, six different and diverse couples that appear in it.

[Nick]

I mean, odds are that that thytastrosal commercial stars a lesbian couple in wheelchair reality.

[Jack]

But big change always starts with the first one.

[Nick]

And in 1994, Ikea was that one.

[Jack]

So, happy Pride Month.

[Nick]

Yetis and besties, if you've got the best Pride fact yet, hit us up. We want to get it on the pod.

[Jack]

We dropped a link in our episode description to that IKEA commercial.

[Nick]

In the meantime, Jack, let's hit on 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. 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 ready to go. We can't wait no more. So just start the show. Start the show.

[Nick]

First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

Monarch Money.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, can I tell you about my smh? What is that? That stands for my stupid money habit. You ready for this? I just realized I spent $412 last month on taxis.

[Jack]

Nick, that's a car payment.

[Nick]

I know. I could have probably just bought another car at this point.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

Monarch. It isn't just a budgeting app. It is like a personal cfo.

[Jack]

Now I'm using Monarch Money, too. My favorite part.

[Nick]

Yes, Jack.

[Jack]

I've actually retired my net worth spreadsheet. Serious. Because I have every single financial account I own linked to Monarch Money.

[Nick]

You can immediately see your net worth because Monarch Money refreshes all your account balances instantly.

[Jack]

So to help you track and build your net worth, Monarch Money is offering 50% off your first year for listeners of this pod.

[Nick]

And it's not just us. Over a million households already use Monarch Money.

[Jack]

The Wall Street Journal already named it the best budgeting app of 2025. Yeah, we're not even halfway through the year.

[Nick]

No, we're not. And I think I just spent 10 more dollars on a taxi. So, besties get control of your overall finances with Monarch Money.

[Jack]

Even though Nick apparently can't use code.

[Nick]

[e-mail] in your browser for half off your first year.

[Jack]

That's 50% off your first year. If you go to monarchmoney.com and use code T. Boy, Airbnb now.

[Nick]

Yet it is. Jack mentioned his favorite skinny dipping spot. Where is that again?

[Jack]

I did a bunch of people ask me about that, but, Nick, there's nothing better than swimming in Mother Nature with the outfit Mother gave you.

[Nick]

I mean, you know what they say. It's not the summer unless you're outside naked at some point and nobody knows it.

[Jack]

Now, another way to do that is an outdoor shower. And I should mention, my place has one of those, too.

[Nick]

And how is it possible you have an outdoor shower, Jack?

[Jack]

Because I'm an Airbnb host.

[Nick]

True.

[Jack]

Now, I usually spend my Airbnb hosting income on travel for the family, but this time, we earmarked it for a home upgrade.

[Nick]

Now, Jack, I should point out I'm no carpenter, but outdoor shower, it ain't cheap. You got the cedar wood install, you got the copper pipes, the French drains.

[Jack]

But with the money we're making on Airbnb, it was affordable. We put it in last year. Well played, yeti's. I'm an Airbnb host. With my current chalet, and with two previous apartments, I. I can tell you it's very easy to use.

[Nick]

Besties. Millions don't realize their space could be an Airbnb. You already have an Airbnb. You could be yodeling naked outdoors with fresh shampoo in your hair in the.

[Jack]

Outdoor shower paid for by your guests.

[Nick]

Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host for our first story. Spirit Halloween's annual Halloween preview show has been canceled, and it serves as a.

[Jack]

Warning about the tail whip of the trade war.

[Nick]

We got the perfect analogy for you here. It involves a monster. But yetis first Halloween 2025. If you're not keeping a list of costume ideas in your Apple notes, then you're already behind.

[Jack]

All right, here's what I got. White robe.

[Nick]

Yes.

[Jack]

White Sox hat.

[Nick]

Check.

[Jack]

Tincture of oil.

[Nick]

Oh, you going to.

[Jack]

I'm the new Pope.

[Nick]

I thought you were gonna do a bloody Birkenstock again.

[Jack]

What?

[Nick]

We'll save that for the following Halloween. But the greatest Halloween party of the year, Jack, where is it and when is it?

[Jack]

It's in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and it's actually this summer.

[Nick]

But, besties, this is not a block party. This is a business party because it's hosted by Spirit Halloween.

[Jack]

Every summer, Spirit Halloween does what's basically a fashion show showing off the new costumes that are coming to Spirit Halloween this Halloween season.

[Nick]

It's kind of like the Victoria's Secret Runway show, but it's fewer thongs and more fake hair.

[Jack]

Like, this year, you might have a possessed AI Chatbot who's taking over your computer.

[Nick]

Or like a haunted LinkedIn influencer or a sexy direwolf.

[Jack]

Because direwolves are back.

[Nick]

Whatever you're into, Jack. But besties, here's the news. Spirit just canceled it.

[Jack]

That's right. Their annual Halloween costume show is officially off.

[Nick]

So, Jack, how about we sprinkle on a little context to what's going on with Spirit Halloween?

[Jack]

Well, spirit brings in $400 million every year, even though they're only open three months of the year.

[Nick]

That's right.

[Jack]

They have those pop up temporary stores where Ames department store used to be.

[Nick]

And that's how Spirit sells one out of every five Halloween costumes in America.

[Jack]

And their cancellation of their show raises a big question. Is the trade war gonna kill the holidays?

[Nick]

Because back in April, we noticed that the Halloween Costume association, an independent organization, real, real official thing, by the way, they warned that tariffs could, quote, unquote, wipe out Halloween and severely disrupt Christmas.

[Jack]

Because every Halloween costume and every string of Christmas lights is made in China.

[Nick]

I mean, Jack, the sewing, the stitching, the printing of that Catwoman costume. It needs five months of lead time in order to make it to you by October 31st.

[Jack]

And guess what? We're less than five months away from Halloween. Yeah, so even if we secure a trade deal, Halloween could get messed with.

[Nick]

Jack can't go as Catwoman again. You know Target, they're not ordering Christmas tinsel yet because tariffs are too volatile.

[Jack]

And Spirit hasn't received their shipment of sexy zombie costume yet because the sexy zombie costume is switching factories.

[Nick]

Now, we should point out besties that Spirit isn't canceling Halloween. Right, Jack?

[Jack]

Like, they just canceled the annual prep party.

[Nick]

And tariff levels on China have come down from 145% to 50%.

[Jack]

But Spirit didn't blame tariffs at all. They didn't even mention tariffs or the trade war in their press release announcing the cancellation.

[Nick]

Instead. Interestingly, Spirit canceled the event because of international disruptions and supply chain challenges related.

[Jack]

To the trade war. Yeah, but not exactly the same kind.

[Nick]

Of code for the trade war. We're still kind of scared. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Spirit?

[Jack]

First we got bitten by the trade war head. Next we get smacked by the trade war tail.

[Nick]

Yetis, one way Jack and I like to think about the trade war. It's like a monster. It's got Sharp teeth and it's got a heavy tail.

[Jack]

Picture where the wild things are. Yeah, because the price of the tariffs that we have to pay, that's the teeth. And that gets all the attention from US consumers.

[Nick]

But even though tariff levels have come down, we're still facing the next issue of the trade war. We get hit by the tail.

[Jack]

The tail is the chain reaction of shocks that ripple through the supply chain.

[Nick]

Because for a month orders weren't placed, factories were on hold, ships were stuck.

[Jack]

In their ports, and companies were moving production mostly from China to non Chinese Asian countries.

[Nick]

And Jack, what was the result of all that?

[Jack]

The supply chain of getting stuff to us is backed up and delayed.

[Nick]

Honestly, it's kind of like during the pandemic, supply chain issues caused years of disruptions.

[Jack]

Remember, months and years after the lockdowns were over, we still had supply chain issues from the pandemic.

[Nick]

So add it all up, besties and spirit is a warning. Consumers are all worried about the trade war head the tariffs.

[Jack]

But businesses are just as concerned about the tail, the supply chain.

[Nick]

For our second story, the Fortune 500 list for 2025 dropped this week. But two numbers out of the 500 stood out to us.

[Jack]

24 Fortune 500 companies are run by their founders and 55 are run by women.

[Nick]

More on those two numbers in a second. But in the meantime, a little bit of a secret here. Yetis the Fortune 500. It's way simpler than you think.

[Jack]

It is simply a list of the biggest companies in America by revenue.

[Nick]

Shocker. Number one is Walmart for the 13th year in a row.

[Jack]

There's very little movement in the top 10 from year to year.

[Nick]

Yeah, like California has the most companies on the list with 58. And yeah, they're mostly tech companies.

[Jack]

Texas has 54. They're mostly energy companies.

[Nick]

Of course.

[Jack]

New York has 53. They're mostly finance companies, naturally. And 14 states, including sadly, Vermont have zero companies on the Fortune 500.

[Nick]

South Dakota, no offense, we still respect you.

[Jack]

Healthcare actually had eight of the top 25 companies in America by revenue this year because we spend so much money on healthcare.

[Nick]

But again, Jack, we should point out this list was basically a foregone conclusion. Right?

[Jack]

It's all publicly available information. We could have looked this up before the list was published.

[Nick]

Jack and I actually could have published a pre Fortune 500 list like the day before they did with the same information on the Internet. Right now.

[Jack]

I know there's no secret sauce whatsoever.

[Nick]

It's like the New York Times announced the list of 50 most populated states. Like you could have just googled it, you know? But Jack and I do want to respect our buddies over at Fortune and point out that by publishing this list every year, it's the changes in the list that are an opportunity to reflect on bigger changes in the economy.

[Jack]

And the biggest change in the list this year is the number of founder CEOs and the number of women CEOs within the Fortune 500.

[Nick]

Jack, let's go back to 1995, right as bleached hair and the Spice Girls were hitting the scene.

[Jack]

Back then, not a single company in the Fortune 500 had a female CEO.

[Nick]

That's right.

[Jack]

Today, 55 do. And that's a record.

[Nick]

To sprinkle on more context, 55 CEOs is up more than double from 2018.

[Jack]

For comparison, 55 women CEOs beats the 50 CE bros named John, James or David.

[Nick]

Yeah, those James, they're always gunning for the top over there.

[Jack]

By the way, we included John spelled both John and Jon.

[Nick]

We're thinking ahead. And if you use a silent G, we have to have other discussions.

[Jack]

Side note, the first woman CEO on the list was Mary Barr, CEO of General Motors, which is number 18 on the Fortune 500.

[Nick]

But Jack, let's now turn our heads to the founder CEOs on the list.

[Jack]

There are 24 Fortune 500 companies still run by their founder.

[Nick]

That's right. And that includes Meta with Mark Zuckerberg.

[Jack]

Nvidia with Jensen Huang, Tesla with Elon Musk, Airbnb with Brian Chesky.

[Nick]

In fact, that number of 24 founder CEOs it's actually up 50% from 2020, back when just 16 companies were still founder led.

[Jack]

To sum it all up, the Number of women CEOs in the Fortune 500 has doubled since 2018. And the number of founder CEOs has grown 50% in the past five years.

[Nick]

But Jack and I want to look ahead on this, and we hope the number of women CEOs keeps rising. But we know the number of founder CEOs definitely will.

[Jack]

Reason is our takeaway.

[Nick]

Yes, it is. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies? Who are everyone looking at the Fortune 500?

[Jack]

As tech continues to boom, founder CEOs will too.

[Nick]

Yetis, for a long time, Wall street wanted founders out. You needed to install a trained MBA in a suit with a tie at the top.

[Jack]

Because coming up with a great idea to start a company is very different than running a huge organization. Yeah.

[Nick]

That's why when Facebook went public, investors wanted Jack Donaghy. To replace the hoodie wearing Zuckerberg.

[Jack]

But that didn't happen.

[Nick]

No, it didn't.

[Jack]

And Zuckerberg's success shows why founder CEOs are on the rise.

[Nick]

Because tech is booming. And the trend is that tech founders give themselves something called super shares.

[Jack]

Mark Zuckerberg only owns 14% of Meta, but he has 51% of the voting stock. That's key, which makes him the emperor of the company. He will always be the CEO. There's nothing Wall street can do about it.

[Nick]

And honestly, tech founders have become great operating emperors. If you think about it like, they know how to run businesses right now.

[Jack]

And Zuck is the example. Zuck isn't an awkward, pimpled college dropout anymore. He is a ruthless manager CEO.

[Nick]

Zuck and Elon, they have proved the founder to CEO funnel. They will fire, hire, acquire, and conspire to ensure success. That a builder can still be a boss.

[Jack]

As tech continues to boom, which we're pretty sure it will, their founder CEOs will too.

[Nick]

You can go from coding to the corner office now. A quick word from our sponsor. We are supported by vital proteins.

[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]

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[Jack]

The best one yet is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, let me set the scene for you. My birthday dinner, we did a pizza party. I rented out a whole spot called the Dough Room in San Francisco. You mess with the pizza dough while you make it.

[Jack]

I know. And then what comes next is the most San Francisco thing ever. Basically group therapy over dinner.

[Nick]

So all three people on my side of the table were in therapy and all of us were talking about each other's therapy. You know, like one person was saying how their therapist helped them through a co worker battle. Another was talking about, like, the future of fatherhood with their therapist. They were stressed about becoming a dad.

[Jack]

It's not just San Francisco. Society's views on therapy have changed across the world.

[Nick]

True.

[Jack]

It's evolved to the point where you had a birthday dinner. Learning from each other's therapy sessions.

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[Nick]

For our third and final story, Pizza Hut's top product right now ain't Pizza. It's actually an app that gets kids to read books.

[Jack]

We're talking about Pizza Hut's Book it literacy initiative, and it's one of the original examples of gamification.

[Nick]

Oh, Jack. The greatest threat to summer vacation for a kid. What is it, man?

[Jack]

Summer reading list, 8th grade.

[Nick]

How many did you have on your list, man?

[Jack]

18 books. And I tried to start reading them. Like, three weeks left. I read like one.

[Nick]

Are you kidding me, Jack? They assigned us Anna Karenina once. You know what that's like. It took me three summers to finish it.

[Jack]

I'm a very slow reader. You know that. I just finished the Brooklyn Bridge book.

[Nick]

Which was written when they started the Bridge. But besties, few know that one corporation had a bigger impact on reading than any other, and that company is Pizza Hut.

[Jack]

Pizza Hut's book it program just turned 40 years old.

[Nick]

Basically, you read a book, you earn a free pizza.

[Jack]

It was invented by Pizza Hut after President Reagan in the 80s called on American business to get involved in the country's education.

[Nick]

And they came up with an idea that was both simple yet incentivized.

[Jack]

And crucially, the idea got schools involved.

[Nick]

So here's how Pizza Hut's book it goes down. First, teachers get a stack of paper certificates. And after a child finishes a book, they got a sticker.

[Jack]

And when that certificate has five stickers on it, it is valid for one free pizza at your local Pizza Hut.

[Nick]

Oh, ching, ching, ching. You finished Pride and Prejudice. Boom. That's a pepperoni to kill a mockingbird Boom.

[Jack]

Meat lover's pie.

[Nick]

Catcher in the Rye. That's a sausage pie. Little Johnny, come on down.

[Jack]

And when the child got that certificate and filled it up with stickers, it was like a million dollar bill to them.

[Nick]

Yeah, they would look up and hand it to the waiter with enormous pride. Finished the books, got the calories.

[Jack]

It's a huge achievement.

[Nick]

It is, actually.

[Jack]

In one year, the Book it program reached 14 million kids through 600,000 participating classrooms, K through 6.

[Nick]

Honestly, we could not find another education source for kids that is reaching that.

[Jack]

Scale besides maybe Sesame street and the public school system.

[Nick]

And here's the news. After 40 years, Pizza Hut is transitioning and launching the Book it program as an app.

[Jack]

Although we hope they keep those paper certificates because kids love paper certificates.

[Nick]

Everyone loves a Lisa Frank, but Jack, pause the pod for a second. Um, Pizza Hut trading books for pizza.

[Jack]

From a parenting perspective, that's called a bribe.

[Nick]

But from a tech perspective, that's called gamification.

[Jack]

Before duolingo gamified language learning, Pizza Hut gamified book reading.

[Nick]

That's right. Pizza Hut is basically one of the earliest examples we can find of true tech gamification. And Jack, my favorite professor from business school, wrote a whole book on exactly this issue.

[Jack]

Professor Warbach, you've told me about it.

[Nick]

I love Professor Warbach. Down at Wharton. Well, he had this great quote about gamification. He said, a well designed game is a guided missile to the motivational heart of the human psyche.

[Jack]

Gamifying isn't adding bells and whistles that don't mean anything like confetti every time you execute a trade.

[Nick]

No, it needs to be intrinsic. Gamification is about manipulating what you find to be fun for a real world objective.

[Jack]

And there's nothing more fun and motivational at the heart of a 10 year old than pizza.

[Nick]

Also, Jack, there are no bells and whistles in this Pizza Hut app. Like we looked at it. And it's a very simple reward structure. That's it.

[Jack]

Five bucks, one pizza. Actually, you can change the ratio of rewards. We should point out.

[Nick]

And honestly, the way we see it, this separates Pizza Hut's Book it program from other child focused food products like McDonald's Happy Meal.

[Jack]

Because when it comes to the pizza, you've earned this pizza, it also shows the kid the value of hard work.

[Nick]

Although we should point out, Jack, there's also an interesting benefit for Pizza Hut, isn't there?

[Jack]

When the kid brings in that certificate to redeem their pizza, they don't come to the restaurant alone, do they? Nick.

[Nick]

That's right, Jack. Pizza Hut gives out the free pizza to the kiddo. But then they sell two more pies to the rest of the family for.

[Jack]

Dinner, plus sodas, plus cheesy bread and the salad bar.

[Nick]

One sec, Jack. I just gotta finish the giver so I can get a four cheese pie. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Pizza Hut?

[Jack]

In business, there's power in soft power.

[Nick]

Yetis a big topic in politics right now is the concept of hard power versus soft power.

[Jack]

Hard power is use of force.

[Nick]

A classic example of this is the military.

[Jack]

Soft power is the use of influence.

[Nick]

An example of that is the Peace Corps doing volunteer work abroad.

[Jack]

And a similar concept exists in business. Advertising your product is like a form of hard power.

[Nick]

But Pizza Hut's book app is the perfect example of soft power.

[Jack]

Overall, the book app is a force for social good. It promotes child education.

[Nick]

But it's also a benefit for Pizza Hut's bottom line. It indirectly earns love and family spending.

[Jack]

So it's a strategy from politics that's working in business. There's power in soft power.

[Nick]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us?

[Jack]

For the new Friday spirit, Halloween canceled their summer event to show off all their new Halloween costumes.

[Nick]

What? It wasn't the tariffs. It's. It's the supply chain. It's not the head of the trade war. Watch out for the tail.

[Jack]

For our second story, the Fortune 500 has a record number of women CEOs and a record number of founder CEOs.

[Nick]

The reason founder CEOs are booming, because tech founders have super shares and they learned how to manage.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is Pizza Hut's BookIt campaign. It's 40 years old and 70 million kids have participated. And now it's got an app.

[Nick]

And that is an example of soft power in business.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

First, we got a payday for the 401k baby. Americans are saving a record amount of their income in 401k retirement accounts.

[Jack]

Financial advisors say you should save 15% of your income to prepare for retirement. Full disclosure, I have never saved that high a percentage.

[Nick]

According to Fidelity, we're actually closer than we've ever been. The Average saver puts 14.3% in, which is really impressive.

[Jack]

That's up nearly a full percentage point from 2020. If you're saving 14% of your income, you get an A plus. In our book, 70 year old you is gonna be making it rain.

[Nick]

70 year old loves you. And second, Elon has continued his divorce with President Trump with more public trolling.

[Jack]

On Wednesday, he began a campaign to try to tank the Republican budget bill because it adds so much debt and spending.

[Nick]

The latest Elon has urged Americans to call their congresspeople to oppose the big beautiful spending bill.

[Jack]

And he's amplifying it x the platform he controls.

[Nick]

All of this, according to Speaker Johnson, has quote unquote, pissed off the President.

[Jack]

And finally, OpenAI's bored drama from a couple years ago. Spoiler. It's gonna become a movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

[Nick]

Yeah, like remember when Sam Altman was pushed out and then rehired like four days later?

[Jack]

It all happened over my paternity leave.

[Nick]

I think it was insane. Well, since art imitates life, that drama is becoming a real life movie.

[Jack]

The movie is gonna be called artificial and it's being done by Amazon, mgm.

[Nick]

Michael Cera is gonna play Sam Altman. Just calling it right now.

[Jack]

Written and directed by ChatGPT.

[Nick]

That's not true though. That was a hallucination. Now time for the best fact yet, which is a correction from our buddy Alec B. Who wrote into the pod.

[Jack]

We told you how Costco pioneered the big box gas station. They now have 719 of them.

[Nick]

Well, one thing we didn't mention is that Costco also has electric vehicle charging, not just gas stations. With more of them to come.

[Jack]

By our count, 27 locations are now electrified. Call them Kirkland Kilowatts.

[Nick]

Which leads to a trivia question I just spontaneously wanted to drop on Jack. Jack, which big box store actually has the most electric chargers in America?

[Jack]

My head.

[Nick]

One sec. Drake, we play a little jeopardy Music, please. There we go.

[Jack]

Thank you.

[Nick]

Good token.

[Jack]

My head is telling me Walmart. Cause that's actually where I charge my rivian off.

[Nick]

Jack, what does your heart tell you?

[Jack]

My heart tells me rei. Is it rei?

[Nick]

Trey, can we get a buzzer and noise?

[Jack]

Is it neither of them?

[Nick]

The correct answer was already mentioned on this show. Jack.

[Jack]

That's the hint spirit Halloween.

[Nick]

Can we get another ant noise. The correct answer for the most number of electric chargers at a big box store in America is IKEA.

[Jack]

Wow.

[Nick]

Yeah, they got over 300 of them.

[Jack]

Fantastic.

[Nick]

Not too shabby.

[Jack]

IKEA's like winning the hearts and minds of the yetis and besties right now.

[Nick]

Yetis, you look fantastic.

[Jack]

That's soft power, by the way. That is soft power.

[Nick]

Yetis, you look fantastic right now. Thanks for helping us become one of the 50 biggest pods in America. And remember, if you haven't yet, tap to follow us so you get t boy every day.

[Jack]

Nick and I, we'll see you tomorrow.

[Nick]

Can't wait. And before we go, a happy birthday to yeti Juliana Aguirre over in Munich, Germany. Danke, Juliana. And happy birthday.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to a stink Darwin Martinez. By stink, we mean single, triple income, no kids. He's a developer and a small business owner in the Dominican Republic, Although I think there's a third income source he hasn't told us about yet.

[Nick]

Sounds like he's got a lot of side hustles. And Travis Wilde read 30 books for pizzas in Pizza Hut's Book it program. Congratulations, Travis.

[Jack]

And a big shout out to Trevor Taylor in Orange, New Jersey, who launched an online store, Top down apparel.

[Nick]

And Andres Ricardo, an inventor and listener of the best idea yet and the best one yet. Andres, fantastic to have you with us for both.

[Jack]

And finally, we just got the results of our poll on Spotify about whether you zext with your spouse.

[Nick]

Yeah, are you zexting? Are you sending Zillow listings to your spouse? Well, here are the answers.

[Jack]

78% of us Zexed often.

[Nick]

That's hot.

[Jack]

This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon. And Nick and I both own stock of Airbnb and Apple. 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]

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