Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet

Episode: 🪨 “Michelangelo Millionaire” — Italian Marble’s resurgence. Apple’s Pixar Lamp. 8 Sleep’s $1B not-mattress.

Date: August 20, 2025
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell (Nick & Jack Studios)

Episode Overview

In this energetic morning episode, Nick and Jack dive into three key business stories with fresh, insightful takes:

1. Apple’s rumored next big product—Project Bubbles, an AI-powered Pixar lamp style home robot.
2. The incredible resurgence and evolution of Italian marble in the global luxury market.
3. Eight Sleep’s $100 million fundraise, smart-bed tech, and how it’s making a play for the sleep economy.

Each segment is delivered with the witty banter and memorable quips unique to Nick and Jack, making complex business news punchy and relatable.

Key Stories & Insights

1. Apple’s Next Big Thing: “Project Bubbles”—The Pixar Lamp Robot

Starts at 05:34

• Story:

  • After a decade of blockbuster hardware launches (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods), Apple’s innovation momentum has slowed. The latest “leak” is Project Bubbles: three home robots, including one that resembles the Pixar lamp—an iPad perched on a robotic arm that moves and follows you.
  • Integrations: Meant for FaceTime, YouTube, or as a kitchen companion that turns to face you as you move (07:44).
  • Also revealed: An Amazon Astro-style rolling home robot, and hints of a fully Apple-integrated smart home (08:00).

• Apple’s Changing Playbook:

  • Old strategy: Announce only when ready to ship; keep everything secret.
  • New strategy: Pre-announcing and leaking products years before launch to keep up appearances of innovation and to appease investors (08:38–09:39).
  • Quote:
    • “Apple used to deliver, now they just promise.” — Jack (08:38)
    • “From delivering to promising, to over-promising, to empty promises.” — Jack (09:51)

• Takeaway:

  • The way Apple launches products now reflects a shift from real innovation to managing investor expectations, and in the process, dilutes its magic formula of “surprise and delight.”

2. Italian Marble’s Modern Renaissance

Starts at 10:00

• Story:

  • Carrara, Italy, has mined marble since 30 BC—so long that Julius Caesar and Michelangelo were once customers (10:34–11:09).
  • Today, marble sells for $1200/ton—the highest since the Roman Republic (11:16).
  • Pivot: Traditionally sold for building and sculpture, but now the marble business is diversifying:
    • Selling quarry experiences (weddings, runway shows, music videos) (14:06).
    • Marketing marble less as a commodity, more as high-end fashion—color, vein, and source matter a lot (12:40).
  • Quote:
    • "It's like gold, but you're willing to eat off of it." — Nick (11:36)

• Surprising Profit: Marble Dust

  • After slicing marble, the leftover dust (calcium carbonate) is processed into toothpaste, cosmetics, paint, paper, even Tums, and is often worth more per pound than the marble block itself (14:24–14:46).
  • Quote:
    • “There’s diamonds in that dust.” — Jack (14:56)
    • “Don’t blow away that dust.” — Nick (14:56)

• Takeaway:

  • This ancient industry is thriving by finding value in what was once considered waste—a model for legacy sectors everywhere.

3. Eight Sleep: Tech's Billion-Dollar Sleep Solution

Starts at 16:48

• Story:

  • Eight Sleep, an Italian-founded start-up in NYC, makes a $3,000 smart mattress cover that tracks sleep, controls temperature, and even reduces snoring. Recently, they secured $100M in new funding, just shy of a $1B valuation.
  • Its high-profile users? Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who have both sung its praises online (17:52–18:05).
  • Unlike Casper (the original mattress-in-a-box darling that flopped post-IPO), Eight Sleep doesn’t make mattresses, but rather “not-mattresses”—add-ons with high margins and recurring subscription revenue for features like sleep tracking and temperature control.

• The Economic Play:

  • $3,000 price tag, plus a $20/month subscription, justified by claims of dramatically improved rest and performance (19:19; 20:00).
  • Quote:
    • “The pitch: that’s the difference between a B student and an A student. An all-star and an alternate. A promotion and a demotion.” — Nick (20:05)

• Building Belief:

  • To justify its price and claims, Eight Sleep is going all out: celebrity tech endorsements, referral incentives, investing in showrooms so people can try before buying, and likely extending free trial periods (20:38–21:13).
  • Quote:
    • “Because if your brand promises benefits, you gotta transform that into belief.” — Jack (21:19)

• Takeaway:

  • Eight Sleep’s real challenge isn’t making you sleep better—it’s making you believe it’s worth the investment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Apple:

  • “Apple’s newest product will be inspired by a character in a Toy Story preview.” — Jack (07:39)
  • “I’ve been promised amazing before.” — Nick (08:33)

• Marble:

  • “The only time the business was paused was when the barbarians invaded in the seventh century.” — Nick (10:44)
  • “Marble is differentiated based on their colors, their veins, their styles. You charge a different price.” — Jack (12:46)

• Eight Sleep:

  • “Apparently the only thing everyone in tech agrees on is what they sleep on.” — Jack (18:14)
  • “No content moderation policies to worry about when it comes to your mattress.” — Nick (18:19)

Mini-Stories & Extra Segments

• (00:40) Cold Open: Apple’s decade of wild innovation; what’s next?
• (01:38) Humanoid Robot Olympics: 16 countries, 280 teams in China—robots race, do long jump, play soccer, and (badly) box. “The only thing missing here, man, a Jamaican bobsled team of bots.” — Nick (02:13)
  (04:00) Musical intro
• (22:15) Intel and SoftBank: Intel stock soars after SoftBank invests $2B, White House interest (22:19).
• (22:42) Robinhood’s Apocalypse Squad: 150 employees on emergency response in the event of disaster (22:52).
• (23:05) Louis Vuitton’s $160 Lipstick: First-ever LV beauty product: “That sounds expensive. But it’s a lot cheaper than a $1,000 Louis Vuitton scarf.” (23:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Apple’s Pixar Lamp & Promise Problem — 05:34 to 10:00
• Italian Marble’s Resurgence & Profit in Dust — 10:00 to 15:06
• Eight Sleep’s Smart Bed & Believability Gap — 16:48 to 21:19
• Speed-round news (Intel, Robinhood, LV) — 22:15 to 23:25

Conclusion

Nick and Jack wrap up with classic takeaways:

• Apple is trading innovation magic for investor management.
• The age-old marble business is more valuable than ever by not wasting its byproduct.
• The sleep economy is real, but Eight Sleep must convert claims into widespread belief.

They keep it light, punchy, and memorable—making business news not just digestible, but entertaining.

“There’s diamonds in that dust.” — Jack (14:56)

For more, listen to the full episode or catch highlights at the timestamps above.