🍔 “Supercharge me” — Tesla’s drive-in movie diner. YKK’s zipper monopoly. WNBA’s salary drama.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet – July 22, 2025

Hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell from Nick & Jack Studios

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Introduction

In this episode of "The Best One Yet," hosts Jack and Nick delve into three captivating business stories shaping today's pop-biz landscape. From Tesla's innovative ventures to YKK's ubiquitous zipper dominance and the WNBA's intense salary negotiations, this episode offers a comprehensive look at significant developments across diverse industries.

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1. Tesla’s Drive-In Movie Diner and Supercharging Station

Timestamp: 05:33 - 09:02

Tesla has unveiled a groundbreaking concept in Los Angeles—a fusion of a drive-in movie theater, diner, and electric supercharging station. This innovative establishment not only serves classic diner fare like burgers and milkshakes but also offers an immersive movie-watching experience right from your vehicle.

• Design and Experience: The diner boasts a futuristic design reminiscent of “The Jetsons,” featuring a spaceship-like central building and humanoid robot servers named Optimus Prime. Each of the 75 parking spots doubles as a Tesla Level 3 supercharging station, allowing customers to charge their vehicles while enjoying a movie on a large screen overhead.

  Jack: “The design looks like it's worthy of an Architectural Digest award right here.” (06:29)

• Inclusivity for All EVs: While optimized for Tesla vehicles with their seamless integration, the facility is open to all electric cars, ensuring broad accessibility.

• Brand Strategy: Tesla’s initiative is likened to Apple’s venture into original content with Apple TV. Although not primarily a revenue driver, it's a strategic brand halo play aimed at enhancing Tesla's reputation and fostering brand loyalty.

  Nick: “This is Tesla's Ted Lasso moment. An expensive non-core project to boost the brand halo.” (07:52)

Takeaway: Tesla is leveraging this novel establishment to elevate its brand presence, creating a unique customer experience that reinforces its position as a leader in innovation and lifestyle integration.

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2. YKK’s Zipper Monopoly and Business Strategy

Timestamp: 09:02 - 14:40

YKK, a Japanese company, holds a remarkable position in the global market by manufacturing half of the world's zippers. Their dominance spans various industries, from high-fashion brands like Chanel and Levi's to essential products in automotive and aerospace sectors.

• Market Penetration: YKK’s zippers are ubiquitous, present in approximately 50% of all garments worldwide. Their machinery is a silent backbone in manufacturing, ensuring consistent quality and customization.

  Nick: “YKK is the zipper of choice for 40% of the world's apparel brands.” (10:57)

• Innovative Business Model: Unlike traditional manufacturers, YKK doesn’t just produce zippers—they lease specialized zipper finishing machines to apparel companies. This approach allows clients like Levi's to tailor zippers to specific garment needs, driving YKK’s revenue growth exponentially.

  Jack: “They lease zipper machines to nearly half of the world's clothing brands. And that is why it's a seven billion dollar business.” (14:34)

• Economic Insight: YKK’s strategy mirrors the "iceberg analogy" by Sigmund Freud, where the visible aspect (brand presence) is supported by a substantial underlying business (machine leasing). This model ensures sustained profitability without the need for aggressive marketing or advertising.

  Nick: “A great business can be like our minds. The biggest part is the part we can't see.” (14:40)

Takeaway: YKK exemplifies how a company can achieve monopolistic dominance through innovative business models and strategic market penetration, maintaining profitability with minimal public visibility.

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3. WNBA’s Salary Drama and Labor Negotiations

Timestamp: 14:40 - 20:53

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is currently embroiled in critical labor negotiations, sparking significant debate over player salaries and revenue sharing.

• Protests and Demands: Players marched into the All-Star Game sporting T-shirts demanding fair compensation, specifically advocating for a 50% share of league revenues—a standard benchmark in major sports leagues like the NBA and NFL.

  Jack: “The women's number one demand. We want 50% of the league's revenues, just like men get in their pro sports.” (19:19)

• Financial Discrepancy: Currently, the WNBA operates with a 9% revenue share for players, starkly lower than their male counterparts. Despite a surge in viewership and team valuations, the league reported a $50 million loss last season due to rising costs and relatively lower revenues.

  Nick: “So, lower revenues but comparable costs is why the WNBA lost money last season.” (20:21)

• Growth Potential: Advocates argue that the WNBA is a growth industry, drawing parallels to burgeoning tech sectors where companies invest heavily despite current losses due to future potential. With revenues tripling over the past five years and team valuations increasing significantly, the league seeks to reposition itself as a viable, expanding enterprise deserving of greater financial investment.

  Jack: “The WNBA is actually a Growth industry.” (21:40)

Takeaway: The WNBA is at a pivotal moment, balancing current financial challenges with substantial growth opportunities. The negotiation outcome could set a precedent for gender pay equity in professional sports, reflecting broader societal shifts towards fairness and recognition of women's athletic contributions.

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Additional Highlights

Trivia Segment: The Rise of Pokémon

Timestamp: 01:26 - 02:36

Jack and Nick explore why Pokémon has become the most valuable fictional franchise, surpassing giants like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Originating from a founder’s passion for bug collecting, Pokémon's multifaceted engagement through TV, gaming, and merchandise has cemented its legacy.

Nick: “Pokemon is the highest grossing franchise in history.” (01:38)

Fun Fact: Latin Pronunciation Insights

Timestamp: 24:02 - 24:33

A voicemail highlights how ancient graffiti reveals the true pronunciation of Latin, debunking the myth that it's entirely a "dead" language. For instance, "Veni, Vidi, Vici" was pronounced “Veni witti vici.”

Nick: “Latin was a dead language, so you didn't know how to pronounce it. But we forgot about that graffiti that was 2000 years old on the Colosseum.” (24:18)

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Conclusion

In this episode, Jack and Nick provide an insightful analysis of Tesla’s innovative branding strategies, YKK’s stealthy market dominance, and the WNBA’s fight for equitable compensation. Through engaging discussions and compelling data, they illuminate the intricate dynamics shaping these industries today.

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Notable Quotes:

• Nick: “A great business can be like our minds. The biggest part is the part we can't see.” (14:40)
• Jack: “It's a classic brand Halo play. It is intended to enhance Tesla's brand overall angelically.” (08:52)
• Nick: “What was the wild stat we discovered about cars?” (13:15)

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This comprehensive overview encapsulates the key discussions and insights from "The Best One Yet" podcast, offering listeners a thorough understanding of the topics even without tuning in.

Transcript

[Nick]

This is Nick.

[Jack]

This is Jack.

[Nick]

It's Tuesday, T Boy. Tuesday, July 22nd. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T Boy.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

All right, get this. The S and P, it's at an all time high. Nasdaq also at an all time high. What's going on?

[Jack]

I think we arrived in Chicago, which is the financial capital of the Midwest.

[Nick]

Stocks hit record highs. When we land, we already ran into a yeti, and we just got here. We made a left off Michigan Ave. Boom. There's a bestie. Tommy, thanks for saying hi, man. But, Jack, we got three stories for today's T Boy. What do we got on the pod?

[Jack]

For our first story, it's Tesla. Tesla. Tesla just opened a movie theater slash diner, supercharging station right in Los Angeles.

[Nick]

And the burgers for this Tesla diner are served by robots.

[Jack]

It's real. It's open today. And we'll explain.

[Nick]

Yes, we shall.

[Jack]

For our second story, one company makes half of the world's zippers. It's called ykk, and it's the most global business on earth.

[Nick]

YKK is the myst. Behind your zipper. So we studied its zipper. Monopoly.

[Jack]

And our third and final story, the WNBA is in the middle of a critical labor contract, and the players protested big this past weekend.

[Nick]

So Jack and I whipped up all the numbers to find out if the WNBA is facing a flagrant foul.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

Fantastic mix of stories. Love the mix. For a T boy Tuesday.

[Jack]

Jack, yesterday we asked you a simple trivia question.

[Nick]

What is the most valuable franchise of all time?

[Jack]

What fictional characters have generated more revenue than any other fictional characters?

[Nick]

Actually, you almost all got it wrong.

[Jack]

The most valuable fictional franchise of all time is Pokemon.

[Nick]

Pokemon is the highest grossing franchise in history.

[Jack]

Pikachu is a $100 billion pocket monster.

[Nick]

That is more than Star wars and Harry Potter combined. Holy bulbasaur.

[Jack]

And it wasn't movies. It was tv. It was playing cards. It was a Nintendo video game.

[Nick]

But here's what we find fascinating about Pokemon's story actually begins with a guy obsessed with bugs.

[Jack]

That's right. Pokemon was invented by a Japanese man who loved collecting beetles. And what did he say about bugs? Neck.

[Nick]

He would say, gotta catch them.

[Jack]

The wild tale of Pokemon is the latest episode of our weekly show. The best idea yet.

[Nick]

In fact, Pokemon was also the most requested subject for us to do for that show.

[Jack]

So many of you left comments asking for us to deep dive On Pokemon.

[Nick]

So we did it. The link is in today's episode description. After today's T Boy, you gotta go.

[Jack]

Check it out because you gotta catch em all.

[Nick]

Literally. But today's episode. Jack, this is a fantastic one. What do you say we hit the T Boy?

[Jack]

Let's hit it.

[Nick]

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, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%. That's a fat tip. T Boy city on your atlas if you know, you know. Cause we rip to go we can't wait no more so just start the.

[Jack]

Show.

[Nick]

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

[Jack]

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[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.

[Nick]

It with the ultimate money. Double dip. Hosting on Airbnb. Jack's talked so much about being a host. His friends or ask him about it. I'm getting asked about it all the time.

[Jack]

One 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 gonna pay for it? He's gonna 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 show 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 now, quick break. Switching topics to one of our favorite sponsors, Vital Proteins.

[Nick]

All right, Yeti. So Jack has become an extreme collagen user. This guy's adding vital proteins collagen to each morning coffee. And Jack drinks a lot of morning coffee, I should point out.

[Jack]

Yeah, I have three cups a day. I have a tub of mocha and a tub of chocolate. Both make my coffee taste chocolatey.

[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]

That's vitalproteins.com promo code T Boy for 20% off.

[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. For our first story, Tesla just opened its first Tesla diner, an electric charging drive in movie theater.

[Jack]

Tesla is completely reinventing the gas station. And it reminds us of Ted Lasso.

[Nick]

Now, Yetis, in order for us to tell this tale, let's go back to 2021. When Tesla filed a trademark to enter the restaurant service.

[Jack]

Elon got too excited to keep it a secret. Yeah, so he leaked it and we covered it on our pod four years ago.

[Nick]

It's not just a diner. It is a drive thru movie theater supercharging space themed diner in the middle of lovely Los Angeles.

[Jack]

We'll explain more what all that means.

[Nick]

But in the meantime, I'm looking at Google Maps. Jack, this thing is right off Santa Monica Boulevard.

[Jack]

And yesterday, suddenly it opened out of nowhere. And the details are even wilder than we expected. It's a drive in movie theater with a diner and a supercharging station run by robots.

[Nick]

That's right, it's run by bots. More on that in a sec. But the design, I mean, the design looks like it's worthy of an Architectural Digest award right here.

[Jack]

The whole design of the experience is a unique mix of both nostalgia and futurism.

[Nick]

It's giving Jetsons. Like if George Jetson drove a Model Y, he would go there before picking up his boy Elroy.

[Jack]

In the center of this property is a giant building that looks like a spaceship, but they're serving diner food. Milkshakes, burgers, French fries. But the servers are humanoid Tesla robots.

[Nick]

And then there's the drive in movie theater on top of the diner.

[Jack]

So while you're sitting in the car eating your food and charging your car, you can watch a movie on a big screen. Each of the 75 parking spots is a Tesla Level 3 supercharging station.

[Nick]

Now, we found that fascinating, but we were also curious about this. The key to Tesla's drive thru diner electric vehicle charging station is that it's not just for Tesla, right, Jack, it's.

[Jack]

Open to any electric car.

[Nick]

And now we should point out Tesla drivers are going to enjoy the experience, just better, right?

[Jack]

Tesla's cars are ridiculously connected. It is truly like an iPhone on wheels.

[Nick]

I would order my burger and it would just charge my card automatically without me having to swipe anything.

[Jack]

I can order it on my Rivian, but I don't know how I'm going.

[Nick]

To do that now. While I'd be watching the Goonies on the big screen. Jack. The movie would also be playing on the screen in our Tesla as well.

[Jack]

Other electric cars will have to just look up at the big screen and then set their radio to a certain FM station to listen to it. Just like any other old school drive in.

[Nick]

And now, besties. We mentioned Elon filed a trademark for restaurant services. So here's what the restaurant is going to be serving.

[Jack]

Like we mentioned, diner food. Old school diner food. But burgers are going to be served, get this, in cardboard cybertruck boxes. And they're going to be served by Tesla's Optimus prime humanoid robots who make up the wait stack.

[Nick]

And Elon confirmed on Monday he's not just doing one of these for fun, he's building a whole crew of them.

[Jack]

In major cities around the world, as well as at the supercharging sites on long distance routes.

[Nick]

Now we know what you're thinking. Yetis. And what is this Jetsons charging station, dinner and a movie situation really gonna be?

[Jack]

Probably not a big revenue driver.

[Nick]

Yeah, for the business. This is an amazing brand play.

[Jack]

It'll give Tesla that Hollywood je ne sais quoi.

[Nick]

Which leads to our je ne sais takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Tesla?

[Jack]

Tesla is building a diner for the same reason Apple built a Hollywood stud.

[Nick]

Yetis. This is a classic brand Halo play. It is intended to enhance Tesla's brand overall angelically.

[Jack]

As a result, it could get Tesla buyers to continue buying Teslas in the future. Or it could win over some Tesla curious to finally pull the trigger and buy a Model 3.

[Nick]

But as Jack and I analyzed it further, it really reminds us of Apple. It reminds us of Apple developing original content for Apple tv.

[Jack]

Apple streaming business doesn't make a profit.

[Nick]

But Apple's streaming service does win Oscars and Emmy awards and that elevates Apple's brand.

[Jack]

So this Tesla diner is Tesla's Ted Lasso.

[Nick]

Yeah, it's the Ted Lasso.

[Jack]

It's an expense to delight fans and win recognition and boost the brand positively.

[Nick]

I Should also point out, Jack, kind of funny that both Apple and Tesla built these brand plays in Los Angeles.

[Jack]

Yeah, it's a vanity town.

[Nick]

It's the place to how you look.

[Jack]

A stronger brand lets you price a little bit higher and win a tiny percentage more customers.

[Nick]

So Tesla is building in a diner for the same reason that Apple built a Hollywood studio.

[Jack]

For.

[Nick]

Our second story, one company makes half the world's zippers.

[Jack]

That's right.

[Nick]

Japan's YKK is the most globalized business on earth.

[Jack]

But this zipper giant secret. It's not making zippers. It's making zipper makers.

[Nick]

Now, Jack, why don't you kick us off on this one? Because what were you curious about?

[Jack]

So I wanted to see how ChatGPT could answer like a consulting inter.

[Nick]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack]

So I asked ChatGPT how many garments in the world have zippers on them?

[Nick]

Okay, what kind of numbers are we talking about?

[Jack]

Well, they walk me through the thought process. 100 billion garments are produced each year, and about half have zippers. And a clothing's life cycle is about 10 years before it gets tossed in the trash.

[Nick]

I'm following.

[Jack]

That means 500 billion garments in people's closets right now have zippers on them.

[Nick]

And half of the world's 500 billion zippers have three letters on them, Jack.

[Jack]

YKK.

[Nick]

YKK. Because besties, this brand makes half of the world's zippers.

[Jack]

YKK is the zipper of choice for 40% of the world's apparel brands.

[Nick]

We're talking Patagonia to Chanel to Levi's. One sec, I'm just looking at my J. Crew khakis. I'm not kidding. Jack, look at this.

[Jack]

I don't want to look at your crotch right now.

[Nick]

It's up, and it's a YKK zipper.

[Jack]

If one one side connects the other with interlocking metal teeth, there's a 50, 50 chance it's YKK.

[Nick]

Now, Jack and I jumped in T boy style to the numbers, and this company is doing $6.9 billion in revenue a year on zippers.

[Jack]

Just sprinkle on some contacts, Lisa. That's about the same as Ferrari. But why is this zipper giant in the news right now, Nick?

[Nick]

Well, Jack, it's because of the trade war.

[Jack]

According to a deep dive profile in Bloomberg, YKK has 500 factories in 70 countries.

[Nick]

And that makes YKK the most globalized inter many we've ever covered on this.

[Jack]

Show and the company most vulnerable to tariffs.

[Nick]

But yetis, this is what Jack and I found fascinating about this zipper giant, YKK doesn't make its money selling zippers.

[Jack]

Founded in Tokyo, Japan, in 1934, YKK did not invent the zipper. An American company did.

[Nick]

That's right, a US Company invented the fastener, which is the zipper, and basically disrupted the button.

[Jack]

What YKK did invent years later was a machine to custom cut a zipper down to size.

[Nick]

And that's the key. They realized that was the more valuable.

[Jack]

Business, not making zippers, leasing zipper finishing machines to apparel companies.

[Nick]

For example, let's look at your Levi's jeans. You know, 100% of the zippers on Levi's are YKK zippers.

[Jack]

Here's what YKK does with Levi's. They make an enormous bulk amount of zippers in like a giant wheel that they'll send to the Levi's factory. But then they'll also send Levi's a zipper finishing machine to customize to each garment they lease.

[Nick]

Levi's. That machine. Because Levi's sometimes needs to make a shorter zipper for like a back pocket or like a longer zipper for some big 501s.

[Jack]

And because each customer can adapt the machine to their own zipper needs, the YKK client base exploded.

[Nick]

Get this. In 1978, after YKK started leasing these zipper machines, their revenues jumped 5x in just a few years.

[Jack]

And now YKK's machines are in every industry. You.

[Nick]

But we're not just talking about khakis, baby. We're talking about saving your life, Medical.

[Jack]

Devices, astronaut suits, even cars.

[Nick]

What was the wild stat we discovered about cars, Chad?

[Jack]

The Average car has 20 YKK fasteners somewhere in that machine.

[Nick]

Why do you think your front seat attaches to the chassis? It's YKK zippers.

[Jack]

Without any marketing blitzes, without any ad campaigns, without any Labubu doll collabs.

[Nick]

Oh, no.

[Jack]

This has just become the zipper company making zipper machines and giant wheels of zip.

[Nick]

It's like the invisible infrastructure behind wardrobe, Jack. It's like wifi for your wardrobe, Nick.

[Jack]

As they say, xyz, examine your zipper because there's a monopoly hidden in your fly.

[Nick]

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at YKK Zippers?

[Jack]

As Sigmund Freud once said, our mind is like an iceberg, only aware of the fraction above the water.

[Nick]

Yetis Sigmund Freud, famous psychologist, created the iceberg analogy for how we humans think.

[Jack]

Our conscience. Thought is just a small part, right? Most of what's going on in our head is the unconscious feelings, the instincts, and the stuff we can't even articulate.

[Nick]

And that's the way Jack and I think about YKK's zipper business and that's the reason it's so successful. It's the iceberg analogy.

[Jack]

Above the water, YKK's name is present on half of the world's zippers.

[Nick]

But under the water, what you can't see, that's the real business, the profit puppy, the leasing of zipper machines.

[Jack]

They lease zipper machines to nearly half of the world's clothing vans. And that is why it's a seven billion dollar business.

[Nick]

So to Jack and I, it's a reminder that a great business can be like our minds. The biggest part is the part we can't see. Now, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

Ah, speed and quality, not typically a combo you get together.

[Jack]

I mean Nick, you can get a fast food hamburger, but we hope you like it well done.

[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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That's ziprecruiter.com tboy ziprecruiter the smartest way to hire. Yes it is. AT&T business yetis starting your own business. It ain't easy. When we first got our daily newsletter off the ground that led to this podcast a decade to go, we definitely did not get everything right.

[Jack]

Remember, we initially bummed WI fi off of hotel lobbies.

[Nick]

Classic move.

[Jack]

And then the concierge kicked us out. So coffee shop free WI fi became our godsend. Another latte shout out to all the small business cafe owners. Your wifi is the real hero.

[Nick]

What's the code to the bathroom again? Honestly, if we could do it all over, we would probably invest in our own less bootleggy Internet.

[Jack]

If you need to connect your small business, you need AT&T business. They make connecting easy. Actually, they make so many things Easy.

[Nick]

Which is the main thing you want in a provider. Less time stressing, more time for you to work on your business.

[Jack]

And yetis, there's never enough time.

[Nick]

So start a business, live your dream, and wake up to the power of ATT business business. Att.com for our third and final story. The WNBA is in the middle of a high stakes labor negotiation and the players just wore protest shirts to the All Star game.

[Jack]

They're saying, pay us what you owe us.

[Nick]

It's on the shirts.

[Jack]

So Nick and I tried to calculate that number.

[Nick]

Jack, 2024, March, national championship game, Iowa versus South Carolina. Who you have?

[Jack]

That game already happened. South Carolina won. But 19 million people watched that game, according to Nielsen.

[Nick]

19 million people. 2. New York City's worth of viewers for women's basketball.

[Jack]

19 million viewers is more than any men's basketball game, pro or College, since 2019.

[Nick]

And Jack, why the sudden surge in viewership to watch?

[Jack]

Caitlin Clark and the eyeballs have followed her into the WNBA too.

[Nick]

You've got new teams in the WNBA like Toronto and Portland getting them next.

[Jack]

Season thanks to the Caton Clark effect. You have Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia getting WNBA teams.

[Nick]

After that, there'll be 18 total. Plus you're getting new fans. Three teams sold out season tickets this year.

[Jack]

No WNBA team had ever done that prior to this season.

[Nick]

And now we should point out there already were great players in the wnba, but Caitlin Clark has had a Taylor Swift like effect on the business. You just can't explain it.

[Jack]

This year, viewership in the WNBA is up 23%. Attendance is up 26%. Merch sales are up 40%.

[Nick]

Jack, those are Lisa Leslie numbers right there.

[Jack]

The WNBA is the growthiest growth league in all of sports.

[Nick]

And yeah, that's more than pickleball and more than F1.

[Jack]

And yet. But here's the shocker. The minimum salary for WNBA players is just $66,000.

[Nick]

And Jack, what is it for their male counterparts over in the NBA?

[Jack]

The NBA minimum salary is $1 million, 17 times higher than the WNBA besties.

[Nick]

That leads us to this weekend's WNBA All Star Game in Indianapolis where the players warmed up in a very particular T shirt.

[Jack]

All the players in a united stands wore a black T shirt that said said, pay us what you owe us.

[Nick]

And then dramatically, when the game ended, what did the fans start chanting?

[Jack]

Pay them. Pay them.

[Nick]

Pay them now. The reason for all this high drama is that the players union is in the middle of negotiating a critical multi year labor contract for the players and.

[Jack]

The women's number one demand. We want 50% of the league's revenues, just like men get in their pro sports.

[Nick]

Now, 50% is a really specific number because the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, all the major sports leagues, when they make money, half of it goes to the players.

[Jack]

It's a revenue share deal.

[Nick]

Exactly.

[Jack]

But for women's professional basketball, the revenue share is just 9%.

[Nick]

So, besties, we know what you're thinking here. Is this a flagrant financial foul happening to the WNBA?

[Jack]

Well, despite 9% being much smaller than a 50% revenue share, it's not as discriminatory as it may first seem.

[Nick]

We jumped in further to the numbers here. And the WNBA has a much smaller TV deal, smaller ticket sales and smaller concession revenue than those other sports leagues.

[Jack]

But despite having lower revenues, the costs for the WNBA are comparable to the NBA, Right? Both leagues need arenas, both leagues need staff.

[Nick]

You need a ball boy wiping up the sweat over in the paint, Jack, if you're going to play either game, WNBA or NBA.

[Jack]

So lower revenues but comparable costs is why the WNBA lost money last season. $50 million, according to the Washington Post.

[Nick]

So based on those numbers, it's not ideal for the players to ask for a raise when their league is currently losing money.

[Jack]

The NFL's revenues are so big, big owners can pay them half the revenues and still make a profit.

[Nick]

But if WNBA team owners paid half the revenue to players, they'd all be losing even more money.

[Jack]

But those women actually have a rebuttal if you value the WNBA like a startup.

[Nick]

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in the wnba?

[Jack]

Growth companies require higher multiples, even if they're unprofitable.

[Nick]

Yetis Marky Mark Zuckerberg is paying AI engineers $100 million despite AI being a huge llama for his company, Meta.

[Jack]

Why? It's because AI has huge growth potential, huge profit potential in the future. So it's okay if they're losing money on it right now.

[Nick]

Well, that same techie framework works right now for the wnba. Revenues have more than tripled since the last contract five years ago.

[Jack]

So owners are telling players, we can't pay you 50%. We'll lose money if we do.

[Nick]

But here's the key. Players can tell owners they're actually in a growth industry. And you can see the proof of that in the team valuations.

[Jack]

According to Sportico, the average WNBA team today is worth 180% more than the same time last year.

[Nick]

So the women of the WNBA are reframing the negotiation. The WNBA is actually a Growth industry.

[Jack]

And growth companies require higher multiples even if they're unprofitable.

[Nick]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for T boy Tuesday?

[Jack]

On Monday, Tesla opened its first Tesla diamond which is also a drive in movie theater and supercharger station.

[Nick]

This is Tesla's Ted Lasso moment. An expensive non core project to boost the brand Halo.

[Jack]

For our second story about half the world's clothing companies use YKK's zipper fitting machines.

[Nick]

It's a zipper monopoly and it reminds us of Freud's iceberg. The genius of YKK's business is hidden beneath the surface.

[Jack]

And our third and final story as they negotiate a labor contract. WNBA players wore pay us what you owe us shirts to the all Star.

[Nick]

Game because growth companies require higher multiples even if they're unprofitable.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

First we got an update on Coldplay's Kiss Cam. That's right, the CEO has officially resigned.

[Jack]

Astronomer is the AI company who whose CEO's affair was outed on the Jumbotron at the Coldplay concert.

[Nick]

But while the CEO is now gone, the scandal could actually be a boom for Astronomers business because had you ever.

[Jack]

Heard of Astronomer before this scandal?

[Nick]

I thought it was just someone who looked at the stars. Now I know it's a company. Jack.

[Jack]

Second, we have one big announcement and one big leak.

[Nick]

The announcement is that Starbucks says pumpkin spice lattes will return on August 26th.

[Jack]

Second is the leak. Apple's next iPhone will be folded like an iPhone when it's folded up and an iPad when it's folded open.

[Nick]

Although Samsung did do this like seven years ago. Adds up Apple.

[Jack]

And finally Snoop Dogg just added the biggest asset yet to his investment portfolio. A Welsh soccer club.

[Nick]

That's right, the rapper is now a co owner of Swansea City, second tier club located in the uk.

[Jack]

Swansea City is actually a rival to Wrexham fc, the Welsh club co owned by Ryan Reynolds.

[Nick]

So Snoop is hoping his off field ownership gets this club club on the field promoted. Now time for the best fact yet. This one. A voicemail left for us from Christian Miles in lovely Princeton, New Jersey.

[Jack]

Push and play. Did you know that we do have.

[Nick]

A good idea of how Latin was pronounced? We can infer this from graffiti around the Roman Empire. For example Julius Caesar or Julius Kaiser's famous quote of Veni vidi vici was actually pronounced as veni witti vici In Latin a V was a W. C's.

[Jack]

Were hard and J was a Y as a couple examples.

[Nick]

Thanks and be well or Gradius wallae. We said Latin was a dead language, so you didn't know how to pronounce it. But we forgot about that graffiti that was 2000 years old on the Colosseum.

[Jack]

Which apparently had a phonetic pronunciation.

[Nick]

And we have been proven wrong. Gratis, Christian, gratis. Oh, and before we go, a quick correction from yesterday's pod when we covered three crypto bills.

[Jack]

The genius act we covered yesterday. That's the one about stablecoins. That is law now because it was signed by the president on Friday.

[Nick]

The other two crypto bills only passed. The House are expected to get some changes by the Senate, and they might.

[Jack]

Not pass at all. We'll let you know.

[Nick]

Yetis, you look fantastic for T Boy Tuesday. And now that you finish the show, we know exactly what you gotta catch.

[Jack]

I think that cryptic reference is to Pokemon, because we have that awesome episode of the Best Idea yet.

[Nick]

So, Yetis, channel your inner ash ketchum and go check out the best idea yet for our full episode that you requested on the podcast.

[Jack]

A link's in the episode description, and Nick and I will see you tomorrow.

[Nick]

Cause the Pokemon are beating Harry Potter. And before we go, a shout out to Yeti Tommy and his wife Tara from Boston. Just outside Boston, we just ran into Tommy in Chicago. Tara, you got an incredible husband. We can't wait to see you at our next live show.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Patrick meehan, who's turning 41 in Bradenton, Florida.

[Nick]

And Bhavani, in lovely D.C. is volunteering and celebrating the best birthday yet. And before we go, I should point out, you know, a happy half birthday to me, Jack. I know. I noticed you didn't bring a present. Did you bring a present for my birthday? Cause we're hanging out. What do you think? For my half birthday? Oh, man. Oh, you must have brought a half present, right? Because that would have been half as hard to do. Oh, you forgot.

[Jack]

It was giving me such a hard time.

[Nick]

Well, since it's my half birthday, I brought. I brought you a present. What? Yeah, I got you something.

[Jack]

What is this? You just trying to make me feel bad?

[Nick]

Well, remember, for your quarter birthday, I promised to get you a yak sweater. I delivered the yak sweater.

[Jack]

Oh, my goodness.

[Nick]

Yak sweater. And a happy half birthday to Yetis Melody Bryan John Lucky, and Madeline Siginger. Keep celebrating, Jack. Try on the sweater. Let us know how it feels.

[Jack]

I'm gonna try on the sweater as your half birthday.

[Nick]

You can get me on my three quarter birthday. Jack.

[Jack]

This is Jack. I own stock of Disney and Levi's. Nick and I both own stock in Apple and ETFs of the S&P 500. 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.

[C]

Get to know 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 Lindsey 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 spectrum. 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 in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today.

[Jack]

Say.