💎 “Diamond Discount” — De Beers’ secret deal. OpenAI’s whispering office. Gyms vs Bars. +Middle Child Recession

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet

Episode: 💎 “Diamond Discount” — De Beers’ secret deal. OpenAI’s whispering office. Gyms vs Bars. + Middle Child Recession
Date: July 13, 2026
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell

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Overview

In this episode, Nick and Jack deliver three essential and entertaining business stories of the day:

• De Beers’ secret diamond discount tactics in response to lab-grown competition
• OpenAI’s new voice feature that could reshape the modern office
• Why gyms are becoming the new bars for Gen Z, reflecting a shift in the “burnout economy”
  Plus, they kick off with a cultural riff on the vanishing “middle child” and close with some bonus news and fun facts.

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Key Stories & Insights

1. The Middle Child Recession (00:57 – 03:02)

Theme: The decline of middle children in the U.S. due to lower birth rates.

• Americans have moved from 3+ child families to a 2-kid norm, making middle children increasingly rare.
• Middleborns have statistically higher odds of discipline issues, but also tend to be more risk-tolerant and entrepreneurial.
• “Middle children, statistically speaking, are more open to risk, creativity and innovation.” — Jack (02:14)
• Notable middleborns include Abe Lincoln and Mark Zuckerberg.
• Joke: “Add it all up. Yetis and middlers are now an endangered species. They’re a disappearing asset.” — Nick (02:40)

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2. De Beers’ Secret Diamond Discount (05:45 – 10:49)

Theme: De Beers quietly slashes natural diamond prices as lab-grown diamonds capture half the engagement ring market.

Discussion Points:

• Lab diamonds are now 90% cheaper and make up 50% of ring sales. E.g., a 2-carat ring at Walmart for under $300.
• De Beers’ response: Secret price cuts to wholesalers, without announcing discounts publicly—maintaining the premium mystique.
• “Behind closed diamond doors, they’re desperately making half-off deals.” — Jack (08:55)
• Three types of diamonds for buyers:
  1. Natural (inflated De Beers price)
  2. Natural (real/discounted price via secret deals)
  3. Lab-grown (cheapest)

Memorable Quotes:

• “De Beers is the closest thing we've ever had in real life to a James Bond villain syndicate.” — Jack (06:40)
• “Natural diamonds have one perfect advantage that lab-grown diamonds never will.” — Nick (09:30)

Key Innovation: Turning Imperfection into Perfection

• De Beers markets “imperfect” amber-hued natural diamonds as fashionable “desert diamonds” akin to “distressed denim,” making flaws a feature.
• Celebs like Taylor Swift & Doja Cat are boosting the trend.
• “What was once imperfection is now perfect.” — Nick (21:00)
• Takeaway (09:46): “The perfect plan is imperfection.”

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3. OpenAI’s Whispering Office – Voice Tech Breakthrough (10:49 – 15:03)

Theme: OpenAI adds real-time voice capability to its chatbot, allowing it to talk and listen simultaneously—a leap in natural conversation.

Discussion Points:

• OpenAI’s “ChatGPT Voice” can seamlessly crosstalk using natural affirmations (“uh huh”, “yeah”)—previously a human-only feat.
• Enabled by a new “duplex” LLM, GPT Live, simulating a brain with two “floors.”
• Demo features grandmas bantering with the bot and each other.

Memorable Moments:

• “The most important word that this voice AI knows is huh.” — Jack (11:42)
• “Talking and listening at the same time was a feat that humans had over computers—but not anymore.” — Nick (13:09)

The Big Change for Work:

• Voice input is 3x faster and yields 20% fewer errors than typing, per Stanford research.
• Offices may soon buzz with whispered dictation as “voice-pilled” workers ditch typing for talking.
• “It sounds like whispering.” — Jack (15:02)
• Workers are installing desktop mics, turning offices into “high-end call centers.”

Takeaway (13:50):

• As voice AIs get better, office life is set to change fundamentally—expect the constant background noise of whispered conversations.

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4. Gyms Are the New Bars: The Burnout Economy (17:21 – 20:47)

Theme: Gen Z ditches nightlife at bars for evenings at gyms and boutique fitness studios.

Discussion Points:

• Gyms are packed at 8pm—lines, bouncers, and “club” energy are the new norm, particularly at upscale studios.
• Fitness memberships and time spent at the gym are up among under-40s.
• The gym has replaced the bar as the post-6pm social scene:
  • “The world has changed. We used to spend discretionary income going out. Gen Z does the same working out.” — Nick (18:15)
  • “The bar tab is now for bar class.” — Jack (18:35)
• “The $45 stretch class is cheaper than two martinis.” — Jack (19:49)
• Boutique studios offer “nightlife” packages: private parties, bachelorette specials, etc.

Connection to Burnout:

• Persistent hustle culture burns people out, so self-care and “recovery” are now the biggest health trends.
• Young adults increasingly prioritize early nights and group fitness over party culture.
• Takeaway (20:01): “It’s a reaction to the burnout economy.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Middle Child Recession:

  • “Add it all up… middlers are now an endangered species.” — Nick (02:40)
  • “Abe Lincoln, middle kid.” — Nick (02:25)

• On Diamonds:

  • “We need a refund over here. This is insane.” — Nick (07:44)
  • “De Beers gets together with their big jewelry distributors and tells them, don’t you tell anybody how much I’m selling you these diamonds for.” — Jack (08:35)

• On AI Voice:

  • “Real life people can talk and listen at the same time. Like a duplex.” — Jack (12:51)
  • “Some people are installing desktop wands with microphones… It’s a brand new type of office electronic accessory.” — Jack (14:34)

• On Gyms vs Bars:

  • “The new competition for bars isn’t nightclubs. It’s gyms.” — Nick (19:14)
  • “When Friday night arrives, you’re not looking to party. You're looking for self-care—but you also want it to be social.” — Jack (20:33)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:57] — Middle Child Recession: Cultural/behavioral trends & stats
• [05:45] — De Beers’ Secret Diamond Discounts & market tactics
• [09:46] — Key takeaway on diamond imperfection = value
• [10:49] — OpenAI’s whispering, voice-powered AI
• [13:50] — Takeaway: Voice-pilled future offices
• [17:21] — Gyms replacing bars & the burnout economy
• [20:01] — Takeaway: Wellness socializing replaces partying

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Brief “What Else You Need to Know” (21:23 – 22:49)

• Netflix’s new MLB coverage (Home Run Derby, Field of Dreams Game)—sports, but only “special” games.
• Major federal housing bill became law: Aims to build millions of homes and end “rentflation.”
• Ivy League AI scandal: Huge disparity between take-home exam scores (AI-cheating suspected) vs. in-person (real) test results.

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Fun Fact (22:49 – 23:28)

• Trivia: The only lake in the Americas with sharks is Lake Nicaragua—home to bull sharks that thrive in both salt and freshwater.

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Conclusion & Tone

This episode blends humor (“imperfection is the new perfection”), actionable business news, and cultural observation, all in the lively, accessible style that defines Nick & Jack’s show. They riff, banter, and keep the tone light even on serious topics, making complex trends vivid and memorable.

Transcript

[A]

This is Nick, this is Jack. Welcome back. It is Monday, July 13, and today's pot is the best one yet. This is a T boy.

[B]

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

[A]

Andy. Stocks are almost at all time highs, but the vibes on this show already at all time highs. Let's get to our three fantastic stories there at H&Jack. Three fantastic stories. What do we got on the best show in biz?

[B]

For our first story, De Beers has been secretly slashing the price of natural

[A]

diamonds to compete against lab grown perfection is imperfection.

[B]

For our second story, OpenAI just launched the most powerful chatbot ever because it can say uh huh.

[A]

Uh huh.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Because of that, the future of your office is whispering.

[B]

And our third and final story. Gyms are replacing bars. 8pm isn't for pregames, it's for pilates.

[A]

But it ain't just a say hello to the burnout economy but yetis before

[B]

we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[A]

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

[B]

We're flipping open Hoarder's Almanac. Turning to week 328.

[A]

Ah, things we're running outta in this economy. Jack and I have been keeping track for you this week.

[B]

We're running out of middle kids.

[A]

Middlers like Jan Brady, Michael Bluth, Lisa Simpson, Kevin McCallister, if you will.

[B]

No, Kevin McAllister is the youngest.

[A]

Are you kidding? No, no, no, no. What about the one who. He's in his bed. He's.

[B]

He's a cousin, I think.

[A]

Nice fact, Jack.

[B]

Nick, you almost just nailed the Mount Rushmore of fictional middle children.

[A]

But besties, Malcolm in the Middle, he would be MIA today, wouldn't he, Jack?

[B]

Because three kids to have a middle child.

[A]

In the 1970s, the average family had three kids, but today it's down to just two.

[B]

With America's birth rate at all time lows, so are the number of middle children.

[A]

Yeah, we're in a middle children recession right now.

[B]

But interestingly, the numbers suggest that middleborns tend to be misfits.

[A]

That's right. According to an MIT study, second born boys are most likely to face discipline issues in school.

[B]

Picture Prince Harry. Yeah, he was always up to no good.

[A]

Yeah, because the oldest and the youngest, they're sucking up all the attention from the family.

[B]

So the middle kid gets away with misbehavior. Zuck was a middle child and he

[A]

got kicked out of Harvard because the oldest and the youngest, they suck up all the attention in the family.

[B]

So the middle kid tends to get away with misbehavior and the parents don't even notice.

[A]

But besties. There is a flip side to all this middle kid mayhem.

[B]

Middle children, statistically speaking, are more open to risk, creativity and innovation.

[A]

The majority of American presidents. Middle children, mid kids run the world.

[B]

Yeah, literally.

[A]

Abe Lincoln, middle kid.

[B]

But in this economy, Nick, having a middle child, it's gonna cost you some money.

[A]

Babysitters, they're charging extra for each marginal kid.

[B]

And do you know how expensive a third row vehicle is? It's like an extra 20 grand if there's a third row.

[A]

Add it all up. Yetis and middlers are now an endangered species.

[B]

They're a disappearing asset.

[A]

So, Ron Weasley, we need you more than ever.

[B]

Full disclosure.

[A]

Yeah, Jack.

[B]

This is Jack. And I'm a younger middle child.

[A]

That's why we can't lose you. You're precious.

[B]

I'm not Goldilocks. I'm not right in the middle. Yeah, I'm the bottom middle.

[A]

You're like in the middle. Middle of the midd. Let's hit our three stories.

[C]

Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused 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 at Liz if you know, you know. Cause we read to go. We can't wait no more.

[A]

So just start the show,

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Start the

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[A]

Disclaimer 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, De Beers is secretly slashing diamond prices right now.

[B]

But to beat lab grown diamonds, natural stones have a surprise plan.

[A]

This is good.

[B]

An imperfect plan.

[A]

Now yetis, before we go any further. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with us.

[B]

You're gonna propose, aren't you? We know you've been hiding that ring inside a box, inside a sock, inside that random drawer no one ever checks.

[A]

Happy Almost engagement to all those who secretly celebrate.

[B]

Are you gonna ask her on Labor Day? That's a good time to do it.

[A]

Not too shabby. Well, the diamond industry. They've been historically controlled by Da beers. Da beers.

[B]

A 138 year old mining monopoly. Yeah.

[A]

Or Jack, how do you like to describe De Beers? I love this.

[B]

De Beers is the closest thing we've ever had in real life to a James Bond villain syndicate.

[A]

Now they did coin the phrase diamonds are forever. We should point that out.

[B]

Yeah, they should be in the advertising hall of fame. But they've controlled the global diamond market for 100 years with controversial tactics and duffel bags of cash.

[A]

That's right. We're taking a life risk by even saying all this. But De Vere's sales are down by 2 billion bucks in the last year. And why is that, Jack?

[B]

Lab grown diamonds.

[A]

Yeah, lab grown diamonds. They're now 50% of the ring market because they're 90% cheaper.

[B]

Last year we covered a viral diamond that Walmart was selling. A two carat engagement ring for $299.

[A]

Yeah, it was the bling du jour, Jack.

[B]

But Nick, I'm looking at Walmart right now.

[A]

Hit me.

[B]

That same URL is now selling a ring for $286. So cheaper than 299. And they've increased the carats from two to two and three quarters.

[A]

My hands can't even carry that kind of a thing, Jack.

[B]

Nick, when I was proposing to Alex a three carat diamond ring, that must have been like 30 grand. And today it's $286.

[A]

We need a refund over here. This is insane. Bestie is now gen is driving a whole ring a sance bling assance out there.

[B]

Young people who are proposing today have bigger rings than Nick and I were able to afford for cheaper prices.

[A]

But besties, here's the news that no one's talking about.

[B]

De Beers is secretly slashing the prices of their natural diamonds.

[A]

Besties, if you got a buddy who's about to buy a ring, send him this ASAP before he gets down on one knee.

[B]

Now to sprinkle on some context please. Jabeers has historically sold their diamonds at 50% higher prices than the rest of the market.

[A]

That's right, you pay a premium for the De Beers brand.

[B]

But according to business of fashion magazine, De Beers has been under pressure to increase sales and do so by lowering prices. But they don't want to lower prices publicly.

[A]

So De Beers is lowering diamond prices. In secret sales meetings with wholesalers, literally,

[B]

De Beers gets together with their big jewelry distributors and tells them, don't you tell anybody how much I'm selling you these diamonds for.

[A]

Oh, and then they're distorting the prices more by selling in batches making a per diamond price really hard to compute.

[B]

Why are they doing this?

[A]

Why, Jack?

[B]

Publicly, De Beers keeps diamond prices the same. High price, the highest they can possibly put out there.

[A]

Ah, the De Beers premium.

[B]

But behind closed diamond doors, they're desperately making half off deals.

[A]

Yeah, they're discounting like J. Crew. So this is no joke, besties. No joke at all.

[B]

If you're about to propose, bring this story up with the jeweler that you're talking to right now in the diamond district of New York.

[A]

You could shop around 47th street, make sure you're getting the market price, not the fake inflated diamond price.

[B]

So there's actually three types of diamonds on the market right now?

[A]

Yeah, let's add it all up, Jack.

[B]

There's natural diamonds with this inflated De Beers price that they refuse to lower. That's a lot. There's natural diamonds with the real market price, which is lower. And then there's lab grown diamonds for a really low price.

[A]

But besties, this is what Jack and I find fascinating. Natural diamonds have one perfect advantage that lab grown diamonds never will.

[B]

Wouldn't call that advantage perfect, Nick.

[A]

Jack, I think this is the plot of Uncut gems too. So what's the takeaway for all our buddies buying diamonds?

[B]

The perfect plan is imperfection Yetis.

[A]

Back in the 1980s, De Beers realized that 80% of their diamonds were not perfectly clear.

[B]

Instead of selling those not perfectly clear diamonds at a discount, they marketed these cloudy, amberish, almost honey ish diamonds as champagne diamonds.

[A]

They turned what was considered a potential flaw into a virtue.

[B]

And now De Beers is doing the same thing again. They're marketing those imperfect rocks with an amberish, warmish hue as desert diamonds.

[A]

And those natural desert diamonds, they can't grow that type of diamond in a lab.

[B]

Because the thing about lab grown diamonds, they're all perfectly clear. So in some ways, they're all the same.

[A]

But those desert stones with the natural blemishes, each one is really unique.

[B]

They were historically considered imperfect because they weren't clear, but now they're perfect because they're unique.

[A]

Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Bad Bunny. They've all been buying up these desert diamonds lately.

[B]

The diamond industry is borrowing the idea from distressed denim.

[A]

Yeah, Jack. Like how people will always pay more for a pair of ripped jeans.

[B]

The imperfection is actually perfect in the consumer's eyes.

[A]

And that could save De Beers for our second story. OpenAI launched an AI that does something only humans can do. Speak and listen at the same time.

[B]

GPT voice gives a sneak peek into the future of office life. Whispering Everywhere.

[A]

Whispering everywhere. Yeti's. For a year now, OpenAI has been overhauling itself. Soup to nuts to copy and zuck its rival, Anthropic.

[B]

Last week they finished their Control Claude control paste project by launching their super app. Ah.

[A]

OpenAI's chatbot coding product and web browser, all now in one application.

[B]

But they also launched something last week that Anthropic actually doesn't have.

[A]

What is that?

[B]

ChatGPT Voice.

[A]

ChatGPT Voice. They built directly into the ChatGPT app.

[B]

It's a super app, Nick. Super app.

[A]

And it's a conversational voice AI.

[B]

And the most important word that this voice AI knows is huh.

[A]

Huh.

[B]

We'll explain what we mean in a second.

[A]

But it's uh huh.

[B]

The OpenAI demo gives you a taste of of this new product where three grandmas are talking to chat on their phones. Let's push play. Nick, I need to know if it's gonna rain this afternoon.

[A]

Checking BART and the weather. I'm not seeing any current advisory for

[B]

6 admission right now. Okay, great.

[A]

So I'll be on time.

[B]

How about the rain? Good news. No rain expected to San Francisco. Yeah, okay. And how are my dates? Besties?

[A]

You notice the crosstalk there?

[B]

The hms.

[A]

The.

[B]

Yes, a little bit of the uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah.

[A]

See, those small words are actually a

[B]

bunch a big deal because those little words are things you say when you're actively listening to someone, right?

[A]

A human ability to both talk and listen at the same time.

[B]

This, you say it when you want the person to know that you're listening.

[A]

That's a breakthrough in AI. But how is all of this breakthrough, huh? Is possible, Jack?

[B]

Well, the new LLM OpenAI launched, it features a duplex. They basically gave the AI a second brain, a duplex.

[A]

This LLM, this large language model is called GPT Live because it feels like a real live person is in the room with you.

[B]

Real life people can talk and listen at the same time. Like a duplex. It's like there's two floors of your brain.

[A]

And what's the result, Jack?

[B]

It's the closest AI has gotten so far to something that feels like a human being.

[A]

Exactly. Because talking and listening is a better way to communicate than typing and reading.

[B]

It's just faster and more natural for us.

[A]

But talking and listening at the same time, that was a feat that humans had over computers, but not anymore.

[B]

So now you can interrupt ChatGPT if they're like answering a question and going in the wrong direction.

[A]

And ChatGPT can now interrupt you just like an argument with your mother.

[B]

So basically this is the Siri that we've always been promised. Like a true human like assistant that can be helpful and.

[A]

But Jack, as we told the besties on Friday, there is no money in consumer AI like this.

[B]

Yeah. So this voice application, it's really for workers ultimately, not Williams Correction, Jack.

[A]

It's for whispering workers because of our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies with this new conversational AI?

[B]

Are you voice paled? If you are, you've quit typing and you only talk now.

[A]

Yetis years ago, a Stanford study found that speech input was three times faster than typing on your smartphone.

[B]

That same study found that we make 20% fewer errors when we dictate instead of type.

[A]

Okay, three times faster. 20% fewer errors. Jack, why are most office workers typing these days when you hear that?

[B]

We don't think they will be for long because voice AI Super Siri and that little talk to type button on your iPhone keyboard, each is training us on the magic of dictation.

[A]

People are seeing the light, pledging to only type when they must. They have been voice pilled.

[B]

And once you're voice pilled, you're constantly talking to your computer and your phone, but you're doing it quietly to respect office etiquette.

[A]

So now some people are installing desktop wands with microphones so the mic is positioned right by their face at work.

[B]

It's a brand new type of office electronic accessory that you're gonna start seeing more of.

[A]

As the Journal found, workspaces are starting to look like high end call centers with everyone just chit chatting, whispering, incessant

[B]

buzz of people whispering into their phones and computers because. Because that's how they're doing their work now. They're not typing anymore.

[A]

So Yeti's OpenAI's new voice feature is a peek into the future of the office. And what does it sound like, Jack?

[B]

Sounds like whispering.

[A]

Jack, let's hit the brake. And we'll see the Yetis after the commercial. Now a quick word from our sponsor,

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[A]

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for our third and final story, gyms are replacing bars as the place to hang out on a Saturday night.

[B]

And it's all because of the burnout economy.

[A]

Yet he's a funny thing. Molly and I were grabbing dinner at ABC 19th street in the Flatiron district the other night and we noticed a line outside the nearby Equinox. Jack.

[B]

A line to get into the gym.

[A]

I mean, Jack, you pull up to any Pilates studio in Soho these days looks less like a gym, more like a members club.

[B]

The smoothie bar is packed, the bass is bopping. There's even a bouncer, literally.

[A]

And then jack in Walk 4020 somethings and matching aloe sets for the 8pm Reformer class.

[B]

Eight hours later, it's Saturday morning and the same scene is emerging outside the 6am class.

[A]

Speaking of scenes, Jack, could you set the scene for what we were doing 10 years ago in this situation?

[B]

10 years ago, this age group, which was Nick and me, would be pounding PBR tall boys.

[A]

But now you're sipping PB protein smoothies out of designer water bottles at the same spots.

[B]

The world has changed. We used to spend discretionary income going out. Gen Z does the same working out.

[A]

But the through line here for both, it's a social activity.

[B]

Yes, yetis. We've covered the liquor law, the beer bust. Americans under 40 were ghosting alcohol.

[A]

But we have not talked about where that money is going. And it appears the bar tab is now for bar class.

[B]

According to Mintel, 30% of Gen Z consumers are spending more on gym memberships this year than last year.

[A]

And crucially, you're spending more time at the gym, especially in the evenings.

[B]

Now, of course, meeting people at the gym isn't anything new. There's a great Seinfeld episode about ELAINE Hitting on JFK Jr. At the gym.

[A]

Yeah, you ask your buddy Timmy to come spots you on the bench press so you could be your new best friend.

[B]

What's new is the timing and intention tension of social interactions at the gym.

[A]

Exactly. The gym is now the post 6pm social activity.

[B]

The group sauna session has replaced happy

[A]

hour, and spinning with co workers has replaced drinking with them.

[B]

More bluntly, the new competition for bars isn't nightclubs.

[A]

It's gyms now, besties. Another way to think about this. Millennials made Athleisure socially acceptable to wear

[B]

during the day, but Gen Z has embraced athleisure at night.

[A]

Oh, and the boutique studios out there charging 45 bucks for a stretch class, they're catching on.

[B]

$45 for a stretch class?

[A]

These glutes, Jack. I'll pay it any day.

[B]

You literally just need a table and you can stretch. Or a floor.

[A]

I don't think you've been stretched.

[B]

I don't think you've been stretched.

[A]

Well, one Pilates studio over in London is doing nightlife at their studio.

[B]

Private parties, corporate challenges, bachelorette specials. You can book the studio from 7pm to close for $2,000.

[A]

I mean, the $45 stretch jacket's cheaper than two martinis, Nick.

[B]

I've never been stretched, but let's hope that that changes soon.

[A]

And I got a big butt. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies replacing bars with gyms?

[B]

It burnout economy.

[A]

Yetis, everyone's maxing these days. From screen maxing to protein maxing to token maxing.

[B]

The very fact that maxing is now a ubiquitous meme says it all.

[A]

You see, hustle culture has created a hangover, and now we're redirecting money to cope with it.

[B]

Sleep tourism is trending.

[A]

Vacation specifically to pay down your sleep debt.

[B]

Supplements are surging, dropping more money on

[A]

functional powders and pills.

[B]

And now people are going to bed early on Friday night so they can be up at 6am for a fitness class.

[A]

Oh, and it's not just you besties. The word recovery. It is the top trending term in health and wellness. Right?

[B]

When Friday night arrives, you're not looking to party. You're looking for self care. But you also want it to be social.

[A]

That $50 8pm yoga with your roommate, your boyfriend, and your three buddies from work last Saturday night.

[B]

It's a reaction to the burnout economy.

[A]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us over there to kick off the week?

[B]

De Beers is desperate not to drop prices of their natural diamonds, but they're doing so in secret, in the face

[A]

of lab grown diamonds. What was once imperfection is now perfect

[B]

for our second story. OpenAI's new voice. AI can talk and listen at the same time. Uh huh. Mm.

[A]

Jack.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

Yeah, it's a sign of what the future of the office sounds like. It sounds like whispering.

[B]

Nick, I said no more whispering. Heebie jeebies. And finally, bars are now competing with gyms for nightlife. Gen Z has swapped the bar tab for bar class.

[A]

It's all a response to the burnout economy.

[B]

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

[A]

First, tonight is baseball's Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, but it's happening on Netflix.

[B]

This is Netflix's first year having MLB rights, but they only do very not regular games.

[A]

Yeah, Netflix had the opening day for the Yankees versus Giants. Now they got the Home Run Derby. And in August, they're getting a Field of Dreams game played in an Iowa cornfield.

[B]

Netflix's strategy. We'll do sports, but only special games.

[A]

And second, remember that housing bill we covered two weeks ago on this show? Well, guess what? It became law on Friday it became

[B]

law without the president's signature, like we predicted, as he neither vetoed nor signed it.

[A]

And it's the biggest housing bill that's been passed by Congress in 35 years.

[B]

The goal? Build millions of more homes, to end rentflation once and for all.

[A]

And finally, the scandal rocking the Ivy League. Smoking gun evidence of widespread AI cheating.

[B]

One Brown professor published a report about two exams he gave to his students. There was a take home midterm exam and an in person final exam.

[A]

Okay, get this. The average score on the take home exam was 96%. Wow.

[B]

Professor must have liked it. I should have made the test harder.

[A]

Pretty smart, kids. Okay. But the average score on the in person was a historic low. 48%.

[B]

The takeaway here, if students have access to electronics, they will use them to let AI do the work. Let AI write the essays, and let AI decide which of these four multiple choice questions is correct.

[A]

It's always C. Now time for the best fact yet. This one's some T boy trivia sent in by Renee Aroliga from lovely Raleigh, North Carolina.

[B]

What is the one lake in the Americas that has sharks in it?

[A]

What is the only well documented freshwater lake in the Americas with sharks? I would give you a beat to drop your answer in the comments.

[B]

You know, we should have done earmuffs. We should have for people who have, like, shark nightmares. It is a trigger warning because I swim in lakes all the time. Like, I'm upset already by this.

[A]

Oosta swim in lakes all the time, Jack. So what's the answer, Jack? What do we got for the T boy trivia?

[B]

Lake Nicaragua in Nicaragua.

[A]

That's right. The large freshwater lake of Nicaragua is home to bull sharks, the only shark species able to survive in both the saltwater and the fresh water. Yetis, you're looking fantastic over there. To the middle. Children, you're also all looking fantastic over there. You guys don't hear it enough. Jack. You guys don't hear it enough.

[B]

Dude, we hear it plenty. We hear it plenty.

[C]

We're.

[B]

We're good. We're good. I don't know what to say. I didn't expect, like, family therapy to be discussed on the bus.

[A]

It sounds like you need a good stretch right now. Besties, if you haven't yet, drop down to give us five stars. We love reading your reviews and that helps us grow the show.

[B]

Nick, I'm gonna be with you next week. I expect a full group stretch with you, and I'm not paying 45 bucks for it.

[A]

I'll show you what you've been missing out on. Oh, and drop this in your group chat because that helps the pod.

[B]

Nick and I will see you tomorrow.

[A]

Can't wait. And before we go, happy birthday to Laura Lynn Xu, turning three years old in Irvine, California, listening to T boy since she was in her mom's belly

[B]

and all is gutted. Zum Gewurztown to Anastasia Elena in Dusseldorf, Deutschland.

[A]

Yeah. And Kyana say in Lake Worth, Florida's got the best 21st birthday yet.

[B]

Happy birthday to Arnaldo Ventura in El Paso, Texas, listening with his son Nico right now.

[A]

And Lean Alisma has got a birthday and a new job in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Congratulations.

[B]

Happy birthday to Matt Clark, the Wharton man of Richmond, Virginia.

[A]

And Eric Osorio has got a belated birthday in St. Pete's Florida.

[B]

And happy birthday to Kelsey Black, the legendary yeti of Austin, Texas, AKA Pflugerville's finest.

[A]

Hope you got a great book to celebrate kfc. And Cole Bryan proposed to his girlfriend three years ago today. Congratulations on the extra anniversary.

[B]

Wait, we're doing proposerversaries now?

[A]

You know, it was kind of a theme on the show with the diamonds. It felt right.

[B]

And finally, a big congratulations to Mike Muhney, a former member of the T boy team who has graduated to work at a Hollywood studio.

[A]

Congratulations, Mike. We're pumped for you.

[B]

And to anyone else celebrating something today, make a difference.

[A]

Celebrate the wins.

[B]

This is Jack. I own stock of Netflix beer o premium non alcoholic beer.

[C]

All right.

[A]

Yet he's a little behind the scenes here. Before our New York City live show back in April, Jack and I went sober for two weeks. True story.

[B]

Couldn't risk getting sick. I didn't want to be groggy. I couldn't afford a hangover. It was New York, baby.

[A]

Okay, but Jack, celebrating the wins is what we do. And so for our live show, we crack open something special.

[B]

So we drank beer o the premium non alcoholic beer brand co founded by Tom Holland.

[A]

Yeah, actually first saw it at my grocery store. Delicious. Tastes like a celebration. Feels fantastic and looks legit. More on the looks in a sec.

[B]

And if it's good enough for the actor who played Spider man, it's good enough for us.

[A]

You see, it pairs well with a pickleball game, a profitable earnings report, or with the best podcast.

[B]

So, yetis, if you want to celebrate the wins with all the taste of a premium lager or ipa, but none of the alcohol, there's no better choice than beer.

[A]

Okay, pause the pod. Did we mention the can is straight up gold this thing will stand out at every one of your next parties. Trust us, we've done it.

[B]

Only beer we know that actually upgrades the scene like a promotion.

[A]

So, Basties, if there's a win, you're celebrating every day. Beer O is the non alcoholic brew brand you gotta bring.

[B]

So use code t boy for 20% off your first [e-mail].