🏃 “We Met on Strava” — Strava’s $2B run app. Nuclear’s hot streak. Nespresso’s Frappu-pivot.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet Episode Title: 🏃 “We Met on Strava” — Strava’s $2B Run App. Nuclear’s Hot Streak. Nespresso’s Frappu-Pivot. Host/Authors: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell (Nick & Jack Studios) Release Date: May 28, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Best One Yet, hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell delve into three compelling business stories shaping the pop-business landscape. From Strava's impressive valuation surge to the unexpected boom in nuclear energy stocks, and Nespresso's strategic pivot to cold beverages, Nick and Jack provide insightful analysis peppered with humor and notable quotes from their lively discussion.

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1. Strava’s $2.2 Billion Valuation: The New Social Network for Hobbies

Timestamp: [06:00]

Overview: Strava, traditionally known as a running app, has achieved a monumental $2.2 billion private valuation. The hosts explore how Strava has transformed into a multifaceted social network catering to various hobbies, driving its exponential growth.

Key Points:

• Expansion Beyond Running: Strava now tracks over 40 different sports, including hiking and biking, positioning itself as "Google Maps meets Instagram" for fitness enthusiasts.

  Nick: "That's right. Google Maps meets Instagram meets the digital high five. That is what this running app, Strava is." [06:20]

• User Growth: With 150 million active users, Strava's user base has doubled that of Tinder and quadrupled that of Duolingo, reflecting a significant shift towards hobby-based social networking.

  Jack: "Strava just hit a personal record. It also is a personal record that's twice as many users as Tinder and four times as many users as Duolingo." [06:58]

• Financial Success: Strava is approaching $500 million in recurring annual revenue, showcasing robust financial health alongside its user growth.

• AI Integration: The app has incorporated AI to detect fraudulent activities, ensuring the integrity of user data and achievements.

  Jack: "Strava also announced that they're now using AI to identify cheaters." [07:31]

• Dating and Community Building: Strava is evolving into a platform where users form connections based on shared fitness routines, effectively becoming an alternative dating app.

  Nick: "They're meeting Mr. Right because he has the same running route as you." [08:08]

Takeaway: Strava exemplifies the evolution of social networks from general platforms to specialized, activity-based communities. By catering to specific hobbies, Strava not only enhances user engagement but also taps into niche markets, securing its position as a unicorn in the social media space.

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2. Nuclear Energy Stocks Surge by 35%: A “Hot Streak” Fueled by Executive Orders

Timestamp: [10:12]

Overview: Nuclear energy stocks have experienced a remarkable 35% surge following the issuance of two pivotal executive orders by President Trump. Nick and Jack dissect the implications of these policies and their impact on the nuclear energy sector.

Key Points:

• Historic Executive Orders: President Trump has signed two executive orders aiming to expedite the development and deployment of nuclear power in the United States.

  Nick: "President Trump just issued two executive orders on it." [11:07]

• Five Key Focus Areas:

  1. Speed: Mandates regulatory bodies to approve or deny new nuclear plant applications within 18 months.

     Jack: "Regulators must approve or deny an application for a new nuclear power plant within 18 months." [11:51]

  2. Space: Opens federal land and military bases as potential sites for new nuclear installations.

     Nick: "They're opening federal land and military bases as sites for potential nuclear power plants." [12:05]

  3. Incentives: Allocates up to $400 billion in loans to support nuclear developers.

     Jack: "The government is telling the Department of Energy to give loans to nuclear developers. Up to $400 billion worth of loans." [12:17]

  4. Scoreboard: Establishes a 2050 goal to quadruple nuclear energy capacity in America.

     Nick: "The government is setting 2050 as the goal to quadruple the amount of nuclear energy in America." [12:32]

  5. Safety: Lowers the acceptable radiation thresholds, streamlining safety regulations without compromising security.

     Nick: "The government is setting a lower acceptability threshold for radiation." [12:38]

• Market Reaction: Stocks of leading nuclear companies surged by 35% post-announcement, reflecting investor confidence in these new policies.

• Psychological Barriers:

  • Availability Heuristic: The hosts discuss how public fear, influenced by vivid media portrayals like the HBO series Chernobyl, disproportionately affects nuclear energy perceptions compared to its actual safety record.

    Nick: "We fear what we can picture, but not what's statistically most likely." [15:08]

  • Historical Context: Reference to the Three Mile Island incident and its long-lasting impact on nuclear energy acceptance in the U.S.

Takeaway: The executive orders signify a monumental shift in U.S. energy policy, prioritizing nuclear power as a cornerstone of clean energy. By addressing regulatory speed, site availability, financial incentives, and safety standards, the government is fostering an environment conducive to the expansion of nuclear energy, thereby reshaping the energy market landscape.

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3. Nespresso’s Frappu-Pivot: Transitioning from Hot to Cold Coffee to Captivate Gen Z

Timestamp: [16:55]

Overview: Nespresso is undertaking a strategic pivot to cater to the evolving tastes of Gen Z consumers by shifting its focus from hot beverages to cold coffee offerings. This move is designed to expand their customer base without alienating existing loyalists.

Key Points:

• Marketing Strategy Shift: Transitioning from the iconic George Clooney advertisements to partnering with contemporary artist The Weeknd to appeal to younger demographics.

  Nick: "Nespresso is the lead sponsor of The Weeknd, the musical artist and his coming concert tour." [19:29]

• Gen Z Preferences: Recognizing that Gen Z predominantly prefers iced coffee beverages, Nespresso is adapting its product offerings to align with these tastes.

  Jack: "Half of Gen Z drinkers first tasted coffee not as the hot stuff, but as iced coffee or a Frappuccino." [18:08]

• Product Innovation: Introduction of features like tapping twice on the machine to brew iced espresso, ensuring that the quality remains intact even when diluted by ice.

  Nick: "To brew iced espresso drinks, simply tap twice for ice." [19:11]

• Financial Growth: Nespresso's sales have doubled in growth compared to the rest of Nestle, reaching $7 billion annually, driven by strong performance in the U.S. market.

  Nick: "Sales grew at Nespresso twice as fast as sales growth at the rest of Nestle last year to $7 billion." [19:40]

• Subtle Branding Adjustments: Rather than an overt rebranding, Nespresso is making gradual changes, such as featuring iced drinks in traditional ads to seamlessly integrate the new focus without disrupting the existing brand image.

  Nick: "Nespresso is pivoting from hot to cold, subtly and slowly, like a frog in a pot of boiling water." [20:37]

Takeaway: Nespresso's strategic pivot exemplifies how established brands can adapt to generational shifts in consumer preferences. By embracing cold coffee trends and leveraging contemporary cultural partnerships, Nespresso not only attracts a younger audience but also ensures sustained growth by balancing innovation with brand continuity.

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Additional Insights

Fact Highlight: The Story Behind Heinz’s 57 Varieties While primarily focusing on the three main stories, Jack and Nick briefly touch upon the intriguing backstory of Heinz ketchup's "57 Varieties." They reveal that the number is a marketing invention inspired by a billboard Jackie saw in Paris, emphasizing the power of specificity in branding.

Jack: "It's psychology. Specific numbers sound deliberate, reliable, trustworthy, magnificent." [02:16]

Takeaway: This anecdote underscores the importance of strategic branding decisions and how seemingly arbitrary choices can have lasting impacts on brand perception.

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Conclusion

In this episode of The Best One Yet, Jack and Nick adeptly navigate through significant business developments with Strava, the nuclear energy sector, and Nespresso. Their insightful discussions, enriched with humor and noteworthy quotes, provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of these evolving industries. Whether it's the rise of hobby-based social networks, the resurgence of nuclear energy, or the dynamic shifts in coffee culture, this episode offers valuable takeaways for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Nick: "Google Maps meets Instagram meets the digital high five. That is what this running app, Strava is." [06:20]

• Jack: "Strava just hit a personal record. It also is a personal record that's twice as many users as Tinder and four times as many users as Duolingo." [06:58]

• Nick: "They're meeting Mr. Right because he has the same running route as you." [08:08]

• Nick: "President Trump may be about to create more clean energy than anyone else in history." [10:40]

• Nick: "The government is setting a lower acceptability threshold for radiation." [12:38]

• Nick: "We fear what we can picture, but not what's statistically most likely." [15:08]

• Jack: "Half of Gen Z drinkers first tasted coffee not as the hot stuff, but as iced coffee or a Frappuccino." [18:08]

• Nick: "Nespresso is pivoting from hot to cold, subtly and slowly, like a frog in a pot of boiling water." [20:37]

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Recommendation: For listeners eager to explore these topics further, especially the in-depth story on Heinz ketchup's 57 varieties, check out The Best Idea Yet episode linked in the episode description.

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Feel free to subscribe to The Best One Yet on your favorite podcast platform to stay updated with the latest in pop-business news, delivered fresh every day.

Transcript

[Jack]

This is Nick, this is Jack.

[Nick]

It is Wednesday ceviche Wednesday, May 28th. And today's pod is the best one yet. And this is the T boy.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

Jack, I'm looking at the numbers. Stocks jumped 2% yesterday. The Dow was up 700 points.

[Jack]

Here's the news. The U.S. and the European Union are talking to trade deal instead of trade tariffs.

[Nick]

If you want to know why I was in Paris, France over the weekend. It may or may not have been with this, you know, Jack, you know, eating escargot crushing crepe.

[Jack]

We are on the diplomatic channels all weekend.

[Nick]

Let's try and end the trade war in between espressos and ice cream. But Jack, three stories for today's show. What do we got on the T boy?

[Jack]

For our first story, it's Strava. The fitness app just hit a $2.2.

[Nick]

Billion valuation because running apps are the new social Media.

[Jack]

For our second story, nuclear energy stock surged 40% in the last few days on two executive orders, to quote both.

[Nick]

Mugatu and Oppenheimer Nuclear. So hot right now.

[Jack]

And our third and final story is Nespress. Nespresso is pivoting from hot to cold coffee.

[Nick]

But here's the key. Don't yell it, whisper it.

[Jack]

But yetis before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[Nick]

What a mix of stories. No one else is doing that mix.

[Jack]

Yet every summer there is one question that somebody asks at every American barbecue.

[Nick]

And no one knows the answer.

[Jack]

Why does it say 57 varieties on the Heinz ketchup bottle?

[Nick]

I mean, Jack, this is America's top condiment, Heinz ketchup. Why the 57?

[Jack]

Well, Nick and I did a deep dive 45 minute episode on Heinz to find out the answ.

[Nick]

Jack, is it the 57th Heinz product?

[Jack]

No, it is not.

[Nick]

Okay, is it like WD40, which is the 40th attempt at the product?

[Jack]

Nope. This was not the 57th attempt at ketchup. In fact, all Heinz products say 57 varieties on it.

[Nick]

Okay, does the 57 mean there are 57 ingredients?

[Jack]

Nope.

[Nick]

Does it take 57 years to make? Nope. Was Heinz born in 1957?

[Jack]

No. To all of those guesses. The answer is that Heinz just made it up.

[Nick]

Get this, besties. Mr. Hines was once on a train in New York City and saw a billboard ad for a shoe business.

[Jack]

The shoe business advertised that they had 21 different styles of shoes.

[Nick]

And that is when Mr. Hines realized that specificity sells.

[Jack]

It's psychology. Specific numbers sound deliberate, reliable, Trustworthy, magnificent.

[Nick]

So Heinz took his lucky number, which.

[Jack]

Is the number five, and his wife's lucky number, which is the number seven.

[Nick]

And then just put 57 varieties on the bottle.

[Jack]

So there aren't 57 varieties at all? No, it's just there are two lucky numbers.

[Nick]

But the FTC couldn't sue him for false advertising because the FT didn't exist yet.

[Jack]

So the reason the number 57 is on every Heinz ketchup bottle, it's because.

[Nick]

It'S a made up lucky number inspired by a shoe billboard.

[Jack]

It's basically an inside joke between the founder and his wife. And they got the last laugh because.

[Nick]

The rest of the Heinz story is even wilder.

[Jack]

And it involves a family bankruptcy, exploding ketchup bottles, and an intervention by President Teddy Roosevelt.

[Nick]

And that is the latest episode of our weekly show, the Best Idea Yet.

[Jack]

Tap the link in the episode description to listen to our tbiy episode on Heinz.

[Nick]

But Jack, today's episode of T Boy is fantastic. So how about we hit our three stories? 15 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 @ Liz, if you know, you know cuz we read to go we can't wait no more so just start the show, start the show, start the show, start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

Airbnb. Nick, can you share that wonderful quote about hospitality we heard recently?

[Nick]

Jack, I think I read this in the Danny Meyer book, but he said something like hospitality is anticipating someone's needs beyond expectations.

[Jack]

I love that quote. When I have a guest booked to stay at my place, I try to meet that hospitality standard. And and I do so by letting them know ahead of time events happening in the area.

[Nick]

Pro tip. Your favorite jam band is playing at your favorite burger place Wednesday night. Probably let your guests know about that one.

[Jack]

I also completed a full travel guide within my Airbnb listing, sharing my personal favorite recommendations and secret spots.

[Nick]

What kind of stuff's in that travel guide?

[Jack]

Jack, that swimming hole is so remote. You can definitely swim in the nude and you won't get any issues.

[Nick]

Yeah, I know. George Costanza Shrinkage that we know of. Yetis your actual house, your apartment, your condo is just one part of the Airbnb hosting experience.

[Jack]

I really enjoyed the soft parts of hospitality. Anticipating my guests needs beyond their expectations.

[Nick]

If this sounds your style and you enjoy a naked jump into a stream, you can become an Airbnb host, too. As long as you got a place.

[Jack]

I'm proud of my 4.92 rating, and my wife is proud of the revenue we're generating with that rating.

[Nick]

Yeti's, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host we are.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

Their chocolate flavored collagen powder turns a coffee into a mocha. It also adds 18 grams of protein and no sugar.

[Nick]

That's how I know you've been drinking this stuff. You caught that fact check right there, Jack. I'm a vanilla guy, though, and honestly, the vanilla flavor tastes like it was flown in from Tahiti on those beans.

[Jack]

Yetis, you don't want your body to fall into a collagen recession, especially after you hit 30.

[Nick]

No, you don't. Well, by taking collagen peptides daily, you can help support your hair, skin, nail, bone and joint health.

[Jack]

Get 20% off by going to vitalproteins.com and entering promo code T Boy at checkout.

[Nick]

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

[Jack]

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.

[Nick]

For our first story, Strava, the running app. It just hit a $2.2 billion valuation.

[Jack]

Because Hobby apps are the new social networks.

[Nick]

Yet is if you didn't track your run route on a map app, did you even burn a calorie?

[Jack]

Odds are you're posting all activities on Strava.

[Nick]

That's right. Google Maps meets Instagram meets the digital high five. That is what this running app, Strava is.

[Jack]

I have like three followers on Strava.

[Nick]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack]

And each of them congratulate me every time I burn a calorie.

[Nick]

I know when you run your routes on Saturdays, it starts to spell out a word. I feel like you're sending me a message from stravajack. But Yetis, the funny thing about Strava is it's an app that now tracks 40 different sports.

[Jack]

40?

[Nick]

Yeah, 40. Like hiking, biking, and anything that ends in ing. Ing.

[Jack]

Well, the Wall street an exclusive interview with Strava and determined that there are 150 million people using Strava to track their fitness.

[Nick]

That's up 50% in the last year. That's right. Strava just hit a personal record.

[Jack]

It also is a personal record that's twice as many users as Tinder and four times as many users as Duolingo.

[Nick]

And that's on the user side. On the financial side, Strava is now approaching 500 million bucks in recurring annual.

[Jack]

Revenue, which is twice the recurring annual revenue of Allbirds, which you wear while.

[Nick]

You'Re running on the Strava app.

[Jack]

Well, here's the news. Strava just hit a $2.2 billion private valuation.

[Nick]

That's right, Unicorns, they don't fly, they gallop on Strava.

[Jack]

Strava also announced that they're now using AI to identify cheaters.

[Nick]

Yeah, a little side note here, but Strava can now tell if you ran up that hill or if you took an electric bike up that hill.

[Jack]

Don't cheat to try to become an illegitimate comm.

[Nick]

Looking at you, buddy. Timmy. Yeah, looking at you. Yeah, we know what you did.

[Jack]

Now we can't believe that a fitness app is growing so fast, like five years after the pandemic.

[Nick]

Like, Jack's the only one using the Peloton app these days. No one else is. So we had to ask, why is Strava surging right now? And we think we know why.

[Jack]

Well, Strava's become a dating app.

[Nick]

Yeah, you're meeting Mr. Right because he has the same running route as you.

[Jack]

People have Tinder fatigue. They have for years. So they're meeting on alternative dating apps like Yelp, LinkedIn or Strava because it's.

[Nick]

More authentic to connect with someone who also runs the Central park reservoir every Saturday morning at 7am but not everyone.

[Jack]

On Strava is looking for love.

[Nick]

Although Jack, a sub 7 minute mile is a green flag.

[Jack]

Another reason Strava's users are still surging is run clubs.

[Nick]

That's right. We did a whole story on Nike last year, missing out on run clubs. And local run clubs have hit record high enrollment.

[Jack]

You're not doing happy hour at the bar. You're hitting a 5k after work with 23 random strangers.

[Nick]

But the latest reason Strava's growing. What is it, Jack?

[Jack]

They're more acquisitive than Napoleon.

[Nick]

That's right. Along with the Fundraise news, Strava also announced they're buying a cycling app and a British running app.

[Jack]

In the last three years, they've acquired four companies and gobbled up all those user bases. Honestly.

[Nick]

Side note here, maybe Nike should acquire Strava. That's what Jack and I are thinking.

[Jack]

I like the hot take. Although Under Armour, remember a decade ago they acquired Map My Run and that did not work out.

[Nick]

That's true, that's true. But Nike, you know, they could use it. They got $10 billion in cash and right now they're kind of just sitting down. They're not running anywhere, Jack. But that's not our takeaway. This is. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Strava?

[Jack]

The new social networks are are hobby networks.

[Nick]

Yetis. Fifteen years ago, social media pioneered a new behavior. Sharing and connecting with friends online about anything.

[Jack]

But the novelty of posting for the whole world to see is gone. Yeah, people are barely doing it these days.

[Nick]

Instead, people are socializing on online networks that are activity based, like Strava.

[Jack]

It's not just Strava. Goodreads, the book reading app, has 150 million users too.

[Nick]

This is one we should do a story on. One of the fastest growing apps right now is Palm street, which is a social community for selling and nurturing plants.

[Jack]

Plant daddies.

[Nick]

Yeah, proud plant daddies right here. Frankly, general post about anything. Social networks, they are shrinking.

[Jack]

The new social networks are activity based. They're hobby networks.

[Nick]

For our second story, nuclear stocks are going nuclear after two epic executive orders.

[Jack]

But the best way to promote nuclear energy in America, it's to ban people from watching Chernobyl on hbo. Yeah, we'll explain.

[Nick]

We'll explain. But before we explain, Jack, could you please sprinkle on some context now that I have my hazmat suit on.

[Jack]

Trump's first 100 days in office were all about oil and all against wind and solar.

[Nick]

That's right. President Trump was canceling government supported wind and solar energy and incentivizing fossil fuels instead.

[Jack]

But something he did Friday could create more clean energy than in the history of America.

[Nick]

We may have to just repeat that one, Jack. President Trump may be about to create more clean energy than anyone else in.

[Jack]

History because nuclear is clean energy, the.

[Nick]

Biggest source of carbon free electricity by far. And President Trump just issued two executive orders on it.

[Jack]

Wall street thinks those EOs are legit, by the way.

[Nick]

Yeah, they do. They do. Stocks of the four leading nuclear companies jumped 35% since that announcement.

[Jack]

Again, to quote Mugatu and Robert Oppenheimer, great combo. Plutonium so hot right now, Jack.

[Nick]

We should also point out Trump has signed 200 executive orders. They've been all over the place. They've covered a whole bunch of things.

[Jack]

Some are just symbolic and don't have substance. But these nuclear ones are the most legit that we've read thus far.

[Nick]

We actually organized these nuclear executive orders into five key areas of focus.

[Jack]

They're focused on speed, space, incentives, a scoreboard, and safety.

[Nick]

Yeah, we almost got five S's there. We were so close, Jack.

[Jack]

I went with incentives, Nick, which is kind of an S. First, the speed.

[Nick]

Regulators must approve or deny an application for a new nuclear power plant within 18 months.

[Jack]

Hurry up already.

[Nick]

Second is space. They're opening federal land and military bases as sites for potential nuclear power plants.

[Jack]

Fort Knox could get nuclear power.

[Nick]

That's right. And then we have incentives. The government is telling the Department of Energy to give loans to nuclear developers. Up to $400 billion worth of loans.

[Jack]

We've said it before. The United States government is history's greatest venture capitalist of all time.

[Nick]

All right, Jack. Then we have number four, the scoreboard. The government is setting 2050 as the goal to quadruple the amount of nuclear energy in America.

[Jack]

And finally, safety. These executive orders set a lower acceptability threshold for radiation.

[Nick]

Now, yetis, we know that's a little scary at first, you know, lower safety and nuclear power plants. But right now, nuclear power plants are actually too safe. Like, they're more safe than necessary, right?

[Jack]

Yeah, they are too safe. And if you want proof, nobody has ever died in America from nuclear anything.

[Nick]

Yeah, it's true.

[Jack]

No hedges, no caveats, full stop. Nobody's died in America from nuclear anything.

[Nick]

We can't even find evidence that someone sprained an ankle in a nuclear power plant.

[Jack]

On the other hand, with climate change killing people every day, we think we need to loosen requirements and get more nukes.

[Nick]

The only time someone's died in a nuclear power plant is probably because they choked on chick related to the nuclear bits.

[Jack]

It was a door dash delivery man's accident.

[Nick]

Yeah, they stubbed their toe and then they choked on the chicken.

[Jack]

But when it comes to safety, we don't want to loosen regulations too much. Because it's nuclear.

[Nick]

That's right, Jack. Which leads to our takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in nuclear?

[Jack]

The reason that nuclear is frozen in America? It's psychology. It's called the availability heuristic.

[Nick]

The availability heuristic. Besties. If you look at the numbers, it is clear that airplanes are way safer than cars.

[Jack]

And it's the same with nuclear power. It's way safer than oil, gas, or coal. In fact, more people die every day from the health impacts of fossil fuel than in the history of nuclear energy.

[Nick]

And yet we are more afraid of nuclear because we can picture what death by nuclear looks like, but we can't.

[Jack]

Picture death by natural gas, which has to do with like air pollution causing.

[Nick]

Lung issues and that distinction. That is why after the 1970, in the 1999 Three Mile island nuclear scare, America went 44 years without building a new nuclear power plant.

[Jack]

Even though nobody died in that Three Mile island incident, death by nuclear power plant entered our minds.

[Nick]

And it's the same with an airplane. Like your mind knows what death by airplane looks like and it is freaky. It is scary.

[Jack]

So you're more scared of a plane than you are of a car, Even though you're 100,000 times more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.

[Nick]

That is why Jack and I think the best way to promote nuclear in America, it's to ban people from watching Chernobyl, the show on hbo.

[Jack]

Although I should point out, Nick and I both watched Chernobyl. Great show, scary show. Yes, we're still pro nuclear, but we watched alone.

[Nick]

Like our wives wouldn't watch it with us.

[Jack]

It was a solo late night experience.

[Nick]

So if you want to understand why nuclear is so behind in America, look at the availability heuristic.

[Jack]

We don't fear what's statistically most likely. We fear what we can picture. Sorry, got my laugh.

[Nick]

The Yoda move at the end.

[Jack]

We're gonna keep you laughing, man.

[Nick]

Now, a quick word from our sponsor.

[C]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

It's treating customers like frogs in a pot of water, but it's freezing the water, not boiling it.

[Nick]

All right, Jack, I'm gonna read off a list of names here and you tell me what brings them all together. Nespresso, Nescafe, Nest, Tea, Nest, Quick, what do they have in common?

[Jack]

Nest.

[Nick]

Yeah, that's it.

[Jack]

They're all brands of Nestle, which is.

[Nick]

Actually the one original namer of brands.

[Jack]

Did you hear they're launching Nest Burger?

[Nick]

If you can add ness as a suffix, you may as well put in a group.

[Jack]

Well, in 1986, Nestle invented the world's and I quote, portioned coffee system.

[Nick]

A portioned coffee system which has 17 patents for it.

[Jack]

Portioned coffee system, by the way, is a sophisticated European way of saying coffee pods.

[Nick]

That's right. Nestle basically invented the technology for the coffee pod machine.

[Jack]

The goal was to let non baristas brew an espresso at home at a low price.

[Nick]

Pre ground beans, precisely portioned for 1 cup espresso. Keurig did the same thing with K.

[Jack]

Cups, but yet his Nespresso is bigger than you think.

[Nick]

Oh, wait.

[Jack]

They're doing $7 billion a year in annual revenue, which is more than American Airlines does.

[Nick]

Nespresso. They sold 15 billion pods last year. That's enough for two espressos per human being.

[Jack]

And now that they're recyclable, Nespresso's guilt has been absolved.

[Nick]

But Nestle's espresso division, AKA Nespresso, is an elder millennial. It needs to chase Gen Z. And so we were fascinated with this plan.

[Jack]

Despite being the market leader in at home espresso, Nestle just pulled off the biggest pivot yet to the Nespresso brand.

[Nick]

Nespresso is going from hot George Clooney to the cold weekend, literally.

[Jack]

Yetis. In 2015, Nespresso came to the United States with George Clooney in commercials, sipping a steamy mug of brown stuff.

[Nick]

Clooney Lake Como Espresso. It was a vibe.

[Jack]

Here's the problem. When Gen Z pictures coffee, it's neither steamy nor brown nor served in a mug.

[Nick]

Get this. Half of Gen Z drinkers first tasted coffee not as like the hot stuff.

[Jack]

You grew up with, but as iced coffee. Or a Frappuccino or something cold with ice cubes.

[Nick]

So, George Clooney, who is the two time world's sexiest man, 1997 and 2006. But people don't want hot anymore.

[Jack]

Pro tip from Nespresso, by the way. To brew iced espresso drinks, simply tap twice for ice.

[Nick]

Apparently, the extra concentrated portion of coffee holds up better as it gets diluted with the melted ice.

[Jack]

But Nespresso is not just telling people to tap twice for ice, are they, Nick?

[Nick]

No, they're not, Jack. Instead, they're telling people to tap the weekend.

[Jack]

Nespresso is the lead sponsor of the Weeknd, the musical artist and his coming concert tour.

[Nick]

And guess what, Yetis, we're seeing the results. What Nespresso is doing with this pivot is working.

[Jack]

Sales grew at Nespresso twice as fast as sales growth at the rest of Nestle last year to $7 billion, driven.

[Nick]

By double digit growth of Nespresso in the United States.

[Jack]

George Cloo. George Hooney.

[Nick]

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

[Jack]

To add new customers and not lose old ones. Do it like a frog in a pot of water.

[Nick]

So Yetis, the suits over at Nestle Corp. In Switzerland know that iced coffee is not a fad. Iced coffee is now 75% of Starbucks sales.

[Jack]

The future is iced. But a majority of Nespresso sales are still to older hot coffee lovers.

[Nick]

So to ensure that Nespresso doesn't lose that loving relationship to their George Clooney fans, Nespresso is pivoting subtly.

[Jack]

They're not shouting their transition to cold espressos, they're whispering it.

[Nick]

For example, in their latest George Clooney Nespresso ad, George is holding an iced coffee. But honestly, you can barely tell it's subtle.

[Jack]

Frogs who like it cold will like Nespresso more. Frogs who like it hot won't even notice the icing.

[Nick]

So, besties, Nespresso is pivoting from hot to cold, subtly and slowly, like a frog in a pot of boiling water.

[Jack]

But it's getting cold, not hotter.

[Nick]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for saviche Wednesday?

[Jack]

Strava just announced two new acquisitions. The same day, they announced a $2.2 billion valuation.

[Nick]

Because Hobby networks are the new social networks. Which means Jack wants you to follow him on Strava.

[Jack]

I really don't. But if you want to stock my runs, go right ahead.

[Nick]

Now. You don't want us to follow you? Jack, can you just make up your mind over there, man.

[Jack]

For a second story, nuclear power stocks are up 35% since Friday on two executive orders to accelerate nuclear.

[Nick]

The reason we stopped making nukes in 1979. The availability heuristic. We fear what we can picture for.

[Jack]

Our third and final story, Nespresso is pivoting from hot coffee drinks and George Clooney to cold coffee drinks in the weekend.

[Nick]

To add new customers and not lose old ones, do it like a frog in a pot of water, subtly and slowly.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

First, McDonald's is officially closing their craziest idea yet. Cosmc.

[Jack]

Last year we covered Cosmc. It's a wild beverage spinoff chain themed on outer space and aliens.

[Nick]

Yeah, it was basically like a McStarbucks making funky drinky concoctions for Gen Z. But apparently they're not gonna do it anymore.

[Jack]

They're closing all five locations. They might put a couple of the items on the full regular McDonald's menu.

[Nick]

And second, with bitcoin at an all time high, Square is finally letting you pay with bitcoin through bitcoin payments.

[Jack]

Instead of paying with a credit card, you can tap your phone to pay with a crypto wallet. Starting in Las Vegas right now, Square.

[Nick]

Terminals will convert US Dollars to bitcoin in real time and let you pay with your crypto balance.

[Jack]

It's rolling out to most of the country later this year.

[Nick]

So you can buy a hamburger with bitcoin today and then regret it immensely in five years when you could have bought a house with that money instead. And finally, we've got even more details leaked on the OpenAI secret. Jony, I've Device Jack, what's the scoop?

[Jack]

Sam Altman. And Jony, I've imagined a third device that's not supposed to replace your smartphone and laptop, but it's supposed to complement them.

[Nick]

Yeah. They also want to sell and ship 100 million of them faster than any company ever has in history starting next year.

[Jack]

What is this third device going to look like? Well, they're not glasses and they won't have a screen. They did say that.

[Nick]

Yeah. It kind of looks like maybe a pocky puck maybe. Or like it could fit in your pocket or. We don't know. We're just making stuff up as we go along.

[Jack]

Yeah, they haven't told us. I think they want Twitter to like, crowdsource design ideas for them.

[Nick]

Yeah, like you say your ideas and then, Jony, I've gonna be like, oh, yeah, That's. That's a good idea, Sam. Let's make that. Let's make that. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one Jack, whipped up by me in the 16th arrondissement of Paris over the weekend. You ready for this one?

[Jack]

I don't think you're gonna stop, so go ahead.

[Nick]

This one from a very, very kind petisserie. All right, here you go. There is a law in France that defines what a traditional baggage can be. Part of the 1993 regulation known as.

[Jack]

Decree Pain the bread Decree.

[Nick]

Yeah, that's it. Good translation. Your duolingo is working, man. All right, these are the legal definitions of a baguette. First, made on premises where it is sold. Second, it cannot have been frozen at any point in its journey. Third, it must be made only with wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. And finally, if there were any additives or preservatives added to the bread, then it is not a baguette, is a bad ette.

[Jack]

Okay, that was fine. So every piece of bread in France is like, incredibly local and delicious.

[Nick]

Long story short, there's legal bread and you gotta follow four rules.

[Jack]

Is that overregulation or just the right amount of regulation?

[Nick]

Yetis, you look fantastic for ceviche Wednesday. After this show, go and check out.

[Jack]

The best idea yet.

[Nick]

It is all about the of Heinz ketchup.

[Jack]

His name is Heinrich Heinz. He was a German immigrant to Pittsburgh. And it's a wild story.

[Nick]

He basically invented the FDA because of.

[Jack]

The exploding ketchup bottles.

[Nick]

Jack and I will see you there. And before we go, a congratulations to our buddy corporate Natalie, who just got engaged to the legendary Matt. Celebrate.

[Jack]

And big side shout out to Matt's dad, who Nick once went on a canoe ride with.

[Nick]

And corporate bro and Rebecca also have a new baby boy. Congratulations, guys.

[Jack]

Corporate baby is already hitting his sales target.

[Nick]

Promoted. And congratulations to Teddi and Lauren Kramer on their baby, beautifully named Eloise, the.

[Jack]

10Th grandchild in the Kramer fam. We're all very proud.

[Nick]

And a Happy birthday to Yeti Nicole Lawson. The golden birthday of 28 celebrating down in celebration St. Louis Blues.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Ezekiel Hernandez in Jurupa Valley, the best basketball handler for any fourth grader.

[Nick]

And Caleb Myers down in Dallas is flying up for our Chicago show. Caleb, can't wait to see you at the Chicago Live T boy.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Kevin Benjamin Pacman, who's 50 years old from San Mateo and listening to our show for seven years.

[Nick]

Oh, and finally, a fantastic early birthday shout out to Brett Taylor from lovely Rye, New Hampshire. Jack, what does Brett have in store.

[Jack]

Your girlfriend is taking you to Boston for a Red Sox game to celebrate your birthday.

[Nick]

That's right, you're from just outside Boston, so you're gonna celebrate just inside Boston.

[Jack]

Yawkey Way is on the way. This is Jack. Nick owns stock of Nike and Block and Nick and I both own a bitcoin name bit. If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery plus 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.

[C]

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