⌚ “Clooney Dupe” — Swatch’s $50K watch drama. BuzzFeed’s fire sale. Inflation’s paycheck situation. +UFO ETFs

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet — “Clooney Dupe” (May 13, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this high-energy, witty episode of The Best One Yet, hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell tackle three of the hottest business stories for your morning pop-biz fix. The duo covers the unexpected luxury watch collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Swatch, breaks down the latest inflation woes in the US (and global economic quirks, including a Diet Coke shortage in India), and chronicles BuzzFeed’s dramatic downfall and acquisition. Alongside the main stories, Jack & Nick riff on UFO ETFs and sprinkle in their trademark millennial humor.

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Key Stories & Insights

1. Audemars Piguet x Swatch: The $50K Watch Drama

[05:33 – 10:22]

• Headline: The ultra-luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet (AP) is collaborating with budget-friendly Swatch to release a “Royal Pop” watch.
• Contrast: AP’s storied, $50,000+ luxury pieces (“Pairs well with your second yacht at your third house” – Jack [06:07]) versus Swatch’s mall-friendly, colorful watches for the masses.
• Details:
  • The new drop: A $500 watch, in stores this Saturday.
  • Jack quips, “It’s like if Ferrari and Toyota collabed on a vehicle.” [07:00]
• Industry Uproar: The move shakes the foundations of luxury branding—aspiration vs. accessibility.
  • “You can’t keep up a velvet rope if you’re a brand, and then let everyone inside the club." – Nick [07:50]
• Brand Rationale: AP’s CEO argues this isn’t dilution but education—to boost public awareness of the brand (which isn’t as ubiquitous as Rolex).
• Legal Angle: After failed trademark attempts (AP tried to protect its distinctive octagonal design, but both US and Japan trademark offices rejected it—“Sorry, Audemars Piguet, you didn’t invent an octagon” – Nick [09:58]), AP anticipates knockoffs.
• Strategy: Team up with Swatch—called “the first ever pre-duping” [09:05]—to monetize the style before copycats take over.
• Takeaway: "If you can't protect it, monetize it." – Jack [09:00]

Memorable Quotes:

• “When you look at the watch, it doesn't tell you the time, it tells you your net worth.” – Nick [06:25]
• “This is like if Julia Roberts started dating the guy holding the boom mic on the camera set. Pretty Woman.” – Jack & Nick [08:50-08:56]

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2. Inflation’s Paycheck Situation & Global Shortages

[10:22 – 14:52]

• Headline: April’s US inflation numbers are rough—prices rising faster than paychecks for the first time in three years (3.8% prices vs. 3.6% wages).
• Cause: War in Iran affects global oil, with a domino effect on broad categories—energy prices making up 40% of price inflation.
• “It gets weirder abroad”:
  • Japan: Potato chips now in black & white packaging because the dye chemical is stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. [12:13]
  • India: Diet Coke, which is only sold in aluminum cans, is basically unavailable due to aluminum shortages. One “superfan” hosts a Diet Coke party with rare imported cans. [12:42]
• Assumption Busted: Hosts expect the US to fare better than other countries (due to energy independence), but stats reveal the US now has the worst inflation among G7 nations.
• Key Factors: Domestic oil companies are exporting (to capture high prices globally), and recent gas taxes/tariffs exacerbate US price hikes.
• Policy Impact: New Fed chair Kevin Warsh faces the unthinkable—raising rates again to fight inflation.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Prices just passed your paycheck and India is out of Diet Coke.” – Nick [10:37]
• “April of 2026 was the first time in three years that prices rose faster than wages did.” – Jack [13:49]
• “Good luck to Kevin Warsh, who will be confirmed today by the Senate to replace Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve.” – Nick [14:38]

Timestamps for World Shortages:

• Japan/Chips Story: [12:08–12:19]
• India/Diet Coke: [12:28–12:54]

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3. BuzzFeed’s Fire Sale: From Viral King to AI Slaughter

[17:21 – 21:42]

• Headline: BuzzFeed is sold to Byron Allen for about $50 million, a 95% drop from its $1.7 billion peak.
• Context: Stock is down 99% since its SPAC IPO; founder Jonah Peretti steps down as CEO but heads BuzzFeed AI.
• Could’ve, Should’ve: In 2013, Disney tried to acquire BuzzFeed for $650M, but Peretti said no as the company soared higher. [18:39]
• What Made BuzzFeed Special:
  • Invented the concept of the “listicle” and kickstarted internet virality with custom Nike “sweatshop” shoes story.
  • Pivotal formats: Listicles (“12 things you’ll only understand if your mom loves the Kennedys”), hard-hitting journalism (Pulitzer!), multimedia phenomena (Hot Ones, Tasty/recipe videos, Try Guys).
• Downfall:
  • Reliance on ad revenue from website traffic undercut by Facebook, Google, then TikTok.
  • Crucially, an early bet on AI-written content in 2023 backfired spectacularly.
  • “It was the first AI slop before we even had the term AI slop. And it just didn’t connect...” – Nick [21:34]
• Takeaway: BuzzFeed is “the first victim of AI slaughter.” – Jack [20:53]

Notable/Memorable Quotes:

• “If your mom loves the Kennedys as much as Jack's mom does, we see you, Jennifer.” – Nick [22:23]
• “Buzzfeed, it’s both the most disruptive media brand of the last decade. But its final slap was on its own slop.” – Jack [21:42]

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Bonus Segments & Fun Moments

UFO ETF & Pentagon UFO Files

[01:04 – 02:39]

• The Pentagon released all UFO files—“Everything our government knows about extraterrestrials, we can all take a peek.” – Jack [01:17]
• A new UFO ETF (“UFO D”) launches, holding stocks like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and (jokingly suggested) Disney, Duolingo, John Deere.
• “E.T. didn’t phone home. He phoned his broker.” – Jack [02:34]

Quick News Hits

[22:30 – 23:43]

• Google unvelis an AI-powered “Google Book” laptop to combat the MacBook Neo.
• eBay’s board rebuffs GameStop’s wild $55bn takeover bid.
• Sam Altman testifies in the Altman-vs.-Elon billionaire beef trial (awkward moments ensue).
  • “I believe I am an honest and trustworthy business person, which he worded in a way that somehow managed to sound untruthful.” – Nick [23:40]

Best Fact Yet: College Waitlists

[23:53 – 24:33]

• It's now harder to get off a college waitlist than to get accepted outright; e.g., Boston University’s rate for the waitlist is 0.2%.

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Segment Timestamps Overview

• UFO ETF: [01:07–02:39]
• Story 1: AP x Swatch: [05:33–10:22]
• Story 2: Inflation report: [10:22–14:52]
• Story 3: BuzzFeed acquired: [17:21–21:42]
• Quick Hits/Bonus: [22:30–23:43]
• Fact of the Day (College Waitlists): [23:53–24:33]

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Notable Quotes Recap

• "If you can't protect it, monetize it." – Jack [09:00]
• “When you look at the watch, it doesn't tell you the time, it tells you your net worth.” – Nick [06:25]
• “April of 2026 was the first time in three years that prices rose faster than wages did.” – Jack [13:49]
• “It was the first AI slop before we even had the term AI slop.” – Nick [21:34]
• “Buzzfeed, it’s both the most disruptive media brand of the last decade. But its final slap was on its own slop.” – Jack [21:42]

---

Tone & Style

True to Nick & Jack’s style, the episode is loaded with pop culture references, puns, and quick-fire analogies (“It’s like Ferrari and Toyota collabed;” “Pairs well with a Pokémon card”). The conversation is fast, humorous, relatable, and always looping back to actionable or memorable takeaways.

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Summary Takeaways

• Luxury brands can’t rely solely on legal protections for iconic styles—if you can’t stop copycats, collaborate to monetize your aesthetic before fakes do.
• The US faces a new era where inflation outpaces wages and is now worse than peer economies, turning assumptions upside-down.
• BuzzFeed’s story is a cautionary tale: the same innovation that made them viral (and their hasty pivot to AI) ultimately upended them—timing and execution matter most.

Catch these business stories (and more) daily on The Best One Yet. For extra millennial nostalgia, ask your mom if she still loves the Kennedys.

Transcript

[A]

This is Nick, this is Jack.

[B]

It's Wednesday ceviche Wednesday, May 13th. And today's pod is the best one. Yeah, this is a T. Boy.

[A]

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

[B]

Okay, we have the best new baby name. We gotta share this. What is it, Jack?

[A]

Well, Edward L. Said on Spotify that baby boy name the top one in 2030, it's gonna be Claude.

[B]

Claude. And why is that?

[A]

Because they're gonna be in charge of

[B]

baby names, not us, but besties. Jack and I got the three coolest stories in capitalism. Jack, what do we got on today's pod?

[A]

For our first story, OD Piguet is collabing with Swatch for a wristwatch.

[B]

Besties. It's the most controversial collab since U2 and the iPod. But this story's really about laws and dupes.

[A]

For our second story, we just got the inflation report for April and oh yeah, looking bad here in the States.

[B]

But if you want to understand global inflation, then look at a Diet Coke can in India.

[A]

And our third and final story, Buzzfeed has been acquired by Rich Guy for 95% less than its peak valuation because

[B]

Buzzfeed is the first company to slip on its own AI.

[A]

But besties, before we hit that wonderful mix of three stories.

[B]

Fantastic mix. Love the mix on today's PodJack.

[A]

Last week the Pentagon released all the files they have on UFOs.

[B]

Finally, they are out there.

[A]

Everything our government knows about extraterrestrials, we can all take a peek.

[B]

Close encounters. From Roswell to flying saucers, 80 years of military secrets, we all got them.

[A]

Now, if a farmer thinks he saw something up in the sky and he's not sure what he is, but it was suspicious. Yeah, Jack, that picture's in the files.

[B]

But here is the real surprise, besties. There is now a UFO etf.

[A]

True story. An exchange traded fund just launched made up of companies that would benefit from the existence of foreign life.

[B]

It's basically Area 51 meets Wall street, right, Jack?

[A]

It's called the Tuttle Capital UFO ETF ticker symbol UFO D. Should have gone

[B]

with ET Feels like they should have gone with ET on this one.

[A]

Holdings of this ETF include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

[B]

So the brands in the UFO fund build IFO's, identified flying objects.

[A]

But we would add Disney to the UFO fund.

[B]

And why is that? J?

[A]

This ETF is for companies that would benefit if the aliens actually show up.

[B]

And if aliens actually show up. Yeah, Mickey's making a movie out of it.

[A]

We would toss Duolingo in there too, because we'd all have to practice speaking Chewbacca.

[B]

You don't want to lose your Gleepwarp streak, Jack.

[A]

How about John Deere? We would want crop circles to make them feel at home, right?

[B]

And you gotta do that with buying up a bunch of tractors.

[A]

So, besties, this isn't a recommendation to buy the first UFO stock.

[B]

But if it does turn out we're not alone in the galaxy.

[A]

E.T. didn't phone home. He phoned his broker.

[B]

Buy more Unilever stock.

[A]

That's not at all how ET dogs.

[B]

I don't know if you've seen the movie, Jack. I think it's been a while. Jack, Listen to three stars.

[C]

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 read to go we can't wait no more so just start the

[B]

show,

[C]

Start the show, start the show.

[B]

First, a quick word from our sponsor,

[A]

Monarch.

[B]

All right. Yetis. You're never going to be able to guess how many accounts Jack has linked to monarch.

[A]

31.

[B]

Are there even that many, like financial products out there? Yetis, he's got credit cards, checking accounts, brokerage Accounts, Retirement Accounts, 529 College savings

[A]

accounts for each kid. And my niece and nephews.

[B]

Nick. Okay, I'm rounding up. Does that get us to 31? Where are we?

[A]

Don't forget my mortgage, my house, the car I own. They're all linked. And all their values in Monarch. You see?

[B]

Besties. Jack actually linked everything to Monarch one year ago during a little bit of spring cleaning.

[A]

Until I used Monarch, I had a very messy, very chaotic spreadsheet. But now they're clean, synced and automatic.

[B]

Basically, Jack went full Marie Kondo on his finances. And he did it with Monarch, which can do your financial spring cleaning for you.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Use code [e-mail] to get your first year half off at just $50.

[B]

That's 50% off your first year at monarch.com with code T. Boy Netsuite by Oracle, Yetis. This is AI Nick.

[A]

That's kind of my R2D2 voice. Just kidding.

[B]

It's you and Nick and you and Jack. But you probably want to know how to make AI work for you and

[A]

have the output not feel R2D2 just malfunctioned on you.

[B]

Well, check out Netsuite by Oracle and you can put AI to work.

[A]

Today, NetSuite is the number one AI Cloud ERP. It's trusted by over 43,000 businesses.

[B]

It's a unified suite that brings your financials, commerce, HR and CRM into a single source of truth.

[A]

And now with NetSuite AI connector, you can use the AI of your choice that you're already using to connect to your actual business data. If you ask it a question about your business, it'll probably know the answer.

[B]

This isn't another bolted on tool. It's AI built into the system that runs your business.

[A]

It'll automate processes, deliver insights and keep you ahead of the competition.

[B]

Robotnik and robotjack both very impressed.

[A]

If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, get your free business guide demystifying [e-mail] tboy the guide is

[B]

free to use at netsuite.com tboy netsuite.com

[A]

tboi

[B]

for our first story, one of the world's most expensive brands is teaming up with one of the cheapest brands. And it's controversial as. How would the French say this, Jack?

[A]

I don't know, man.

[B]

Je ne sais quoi. It is so controversial.

[A]

The Audemars Piguet watch and Swatch are collabing and the reason is actually crazy.

[B]

Oh yeah. If you've ever been to a wedding, you know there are odd couples and then they're just awkward couples.

[A]

But we just had the most extreme example of awkward couples.

[B]

Yeah, we did, Jack.

[A]

And it's rocking the watch and fashion world to its core.

[B]

We're talking About Audemars Piguet, 151 years old, worn by royalty. Pairs well with your second yacht at your third. One of the most expensive timepieces on earth.

[A]

It's recognizable because of its octagonal frame with eight visible screws on that face and for its very high price tag.

[B]

When you look at the watch, it doesn't tell you the time, it tells you your net worth. On the other end of the spectrum though, we have Swatch.

[A]

The swatch watch, the 43 year old shopping mall brand worn probably by your little cousin, pairs well with a Pokemon card.

[B]

Pikachu, if you're lucky. Both of These yetis are Swiss watchmakers, but that it's the only similarity they have.

[A]

Until now, actually, because they just announced yesterday they're collabing on a new watch that they call the Royal Pop.

[B]

I'm sorry, Jack, pause the pot here. It's a $50 brand and a $50,000 brand making a $500 watch. What's happening?

[A]

This is like if Ferrari and Toyota collabed on a vehicle.

[B]

It's like if Grey Goose and Four Loko collabed on a liquor.

[A]

Or if Ritz Carlton and the Holiday Inn Express somehow collabed on hospitality.

[B]

One of these watches costs more than a car. The other watch costs the same as a Hot Wheels car.

[A]

They announced and unveiled this collab yesterday, and it drops this Saturday in stores only.

[B]

Basically, the plot of she's all that,

[A]

Right, Jack, the popular high school quarterback takes the nerdy outcast to prom.

[B]

Exactly. But Jack, I gotta ask for a sec, what time is it right now?

[A]

It's crazy time in Switzerland. The whole country is freaking out about their watch companies partnering up like this.

[B]

Bestie's entire industries are freaking out right now because this collaboration, it breaks our golden rule rule of luxury.

[A]

Aspiration and accessibility just don't work together.

[B]

You see, besties, you can't keep up a velvet rope if you're a brand and then let everyone inside the club,

[A]

you gotta pick one or the other. You're accessible or you're aspirational.

[B]

So Audemars Piguet's owners, who have dropped $100,000 on one of their watches, are not happy that this dilutes the brand value of their timepiece.

[A]

But Audemars Piguet's CEO has an interesting response. He says this isn't dilution, it's education.

[B]

Education. You see, he made the point that luxury brands can become too unattainable to the point that they're simply unk.

[A]

Like, you know what a Rolls Royce is? That's an aspirational brand. But you probably don't even know what Audemars Piguet is. Or how to pronounce it, for that matter.

[B]

Or how to write it. I mean, honestly, does anyone really know how to write it?

[A]

So Audemars Piguet would argue that they're collabing with Swatch not as a money grab, but to teach the public about who they actually are.

[B]

To boost the name recognition a bit, show that aspirational 25 year old that the dream isn't a Rolex, it's an Audemars Piguet.

[A]

But that's not the real reason that this top shelf watch brand is taking their talents down to the strip mall in a collaboration with sw.

[B]

The more I think about it, it's like if Julia Roberts started dating the guy holding the boom microphone on the camera set.

[A]

Pretty Woman.

[B]

Exactly. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies wondering about brands?

[A]

If you can't protect it, monetize it. Yetis, this is the world's craziest collab.

[B]

But it's also a crazy copyright situation because Audemars Piguet is doing this deal to preempt the dupes. That's right. It's the first ever pre duping. They duped themselves.

[A]

This story is all tied to Audemars Piguet's shocking trademark drama from last year.

[B]

We'll explain. You see this 50,000 Audemars Piguet watch? It has one distinct design feature that Jack mentioned earlier.

[A]

The eight sided octagonal face.

[B]

That's right. Just like Jeep's distinctive seven line grille or Coca Cola's silhouette bottle or Tiffany's robin eggshell blue. All of them are style distinctions, not function.

[A]

So Audemars applied to protect that distinctive style, the eight sided watch design with a formal trademark application.

[B]

And how did that go, Jack?

[A]

Both in the United States and in Japan, the application was denied. They were told that that's just not a unique enough design that you can claim to own.

[B]

Sorry, Audemars Piguet, you didn't invent an octagon. You can't just own geometry.

[A]

Another watch company can't trademark the circle either.

[B]

So the theory here is that Audemars Piguet's style is not protectable and it's only a matter of time before the market gets flooded with knockoffs.

[A]

So the strategy here is to get ahead of that wave of dupes by launching their own cheap version with a great brand like Swatch.

[B]

Because besties, if you can't protect it, monetize it. For our second story, we just got the celebrity of economic reports. The inflation report is out and it had two big, brutal milestones.

[A]

Prices just passed your paycheck and India is out of Diet Coke.

[B]

Eddie's checking the calendars here. Week 11 of the war. No regime change, no nuclear deal, and a whole bunch of nachos out there.

[A]

Not a chance. Hormuz opens for Americans.

[B]

The obvious impact of the war in Iran. It's oil and gas.

[A]

And we just got fresh data on Tuesday that we can put a number to it.

[B]

Jack's talking about the consumer price index, which is the measuring stick that we use for calculating inflation.

[A]

Here's the story. Prices rose overall in the economy by 3.8% in April compared to last year.

[B]

From beef to bras. That is bad. Biggest year over year price jump in three years.

[A]

40% of the surge in prices in this economy was directly caused by higher energy prices.

[B]

The other 60% of price pops, Jack,

[A]

Indirect price increases also because of high energy. Like airline flights which rose 21% last month compared to the year before.

[B]

Good luck kicking it in. Cabo Basti's gas is now at $4.50 a gallon nationwide on average.

[A]

And a gas tax holiday, if we pass one would only shave 18 cents a gallon off.

[B]

That gas will still be 43 bucks a gallon in California.

[A]

So Americans are feeling very gassy right now, especially our west coast brethren.

[B]

But here's what Jack and I find fascinating. It looks worse and way stranger in

[A]

the rest of the world because in other countries it's not just price that's the problem. They're suffering from bizarre and disruptive shortages. That would surprise you.

[B]

Jack, why don't you take us over to Japan and let's not do the business class ticket for this one.

[A]

The most popular potato chip company in Japan, basically their Frito Lays.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is now serving their chips in black and white bags. They're removing color from the packaging.

[B]

And the reason? Well, because the chemical needed to color those bags is stuck in the Strait of horizons.

[A]

Alright, let's go south and across one of those Southeast Asian oceans.

[B]

Yes, Jack.

[A]

To India, where Diet Coke is only sold in aluminum cans. In India they're not sold in plastic bottles.

[B]

Well, since the world's aluminum supply is getting choked up in the Strait of Hormuz, Indians cannot buy Diet Coke right now.

[A]

One Diet Coke superfan in India, however, found a special foreign supply of Diet Coke and hosted a party to celebrate this newly rare luxury Diet Coke cans.

[B]

When Indians can access a Coke and it's an event worthy of a rager,

[A]

I mean, it's a messed up global situation right now.

[B]

So Bessies, this was the point in our research when we assumed these unique shortages were part of a much larger inflation start.

[A]

And that inflation in the rest of the world would be much worse overall than inflation is here in the States.

[B]

Makes sense, right Jack? Like things would be worse over there than over here because we have so much oil.

[A]

Right. We're energy independent, so we don't need oil from the Strait of Hormuz. We're not dependent on oil. Well, we're better able to handle this oil crisis.

[B]

But then when Jack and I jumped in t boy style to our research, well, it turns out we were wrong. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies looking at the inflation situation?

[A]

In a complete reversal, America now has the worst inflation in the developed world.

[B]

Besties never thought we'd see it. April 2026. It'll mark two turning points in America's war against the Godzilla of inflation.

[A]

First, April of 2026 was the first time in three years that prices rose faster than wages did.

[B]

You see, throughout this inflation fight, the silver lining has been that our paychecks were rising faster than the prices were.

[A]

But not anymore. Prices rose 3.8% overall in April. Wages rose just 3.6%.

[B]

Now, the second surprise is that inflation is worse in America than in any of the other G7 countries.

[A]

Yes, we are energy independent, but our oil companies are exporting to the rest of the world to take advantage of high prices.

[B]

Plus, the way we tax gas and the tariffs we added last year make our inflation situation even worse.

[A]

So for the first time since 2022, America has the worst inflation of all the G7 countries right now.

[B]

Jack, let's look at the roster. The uk, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, France and China. Prices are not popping as much for them as they are for us.

[A]

So good luck to Kevin Warsh, who will be confirmed today by the Senate to replace Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

[B]

Because, Basties, if you're our central bank, you're not thinking about cutting interest rates anymore. You now have to think about raising interest rates to fight all of that inflation.

[A]

Because America now has the worst inflation in the developed world and it's outpacing our paycheck.

[B]

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[A]

Lisa Sleep all right, Yetis.

[B]

You may not notice this from Jack's voice, but he's become a nocturnal foam roller, haven't you, Jack?

[A]

Definitely don't notice that from my voice, but I will tell you that every morning I wake up with an uncomfortable back of my neck situation. So I preemptively foam roll to try to fix my bad neck. I know I'm gonna have.

[B]

Yeah, we record this podcast standing up. It's a standing pod. We can't afford like a nasty neck situation, Jack.

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But there's definitely a to my preemptive foam rolling. How about a Leesa mattress?

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Yeti Spring is the time to upgrade. And how about that thing that you spend a third of your life on?

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So with my new Leesa mattress, I sleep on my back and my neck crankiness is gone.

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Yeah, we both got these things. But first we picked it out after completing a short survey on Leesa.com because

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You take the sleep quiz from Leesa and you get recommended a mattress in two minutes. It's like talking to your therapist.

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But Nick, can we talk about how fun the unboxing experience is?

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for our third and final story. Buzzfeed has been buzz bought. The inventor of virality just sold for 95% less than peak valuation.

[A]

We'll tell you what went wrong, but also what went oh so right at buzzfeed.

[B]

Oh, Yetis, it is a millennial cringe moment for a bunch of our millennial brands, is it not, Jack?

[A]

Allbirds pivoted from sneakers to AI and Under Armour pivoted from Steph Curry to an all time low stock price.

[B]

Hold onto your avocado toast besties because we just gotta add Buzzfeed to that list. You see, Yeti's Buzzfeed is nearly bankrupt right now.

[A]

Buzzfeed stock is down 99% since they spacked onto the stock market in 20

[B]

at 77 cents yesterday morning.

[A]

But they just got acquired by comedian turned entrepreneur Byron Allen, who also owns the Weather channel.

[B]

So now BuzzFeed's founder, Jonah Peretti, is stepping down as CEO after 20 years, although he'll remain as head of BuzzFeed.

[A]

AI, so what Disney princess is BuzzFeed right now?

[B]

Where would we put them right now, Jack?

[A]

Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

[B]

Yeah, not Cinderella. Bell.

[A]

I like Belle. That rose was down to, like, one petal left.

[B]

Although it is a bit of a late Cinderella story because the stock jumped 90% yesterday from 77 cents to $1.40.

[A]

Speaking of Disney, there's a whole tragic side to this buzzfeed story with Disney as a main character.

[B]

Why didn't you enlighten us, Jack?

[A]

In 2013, Disney offered to acquire Buzzfeed, the hot new media brand of the time, for $650 million. But Jonah Peretti said no.

[B]

He said no, And a couple years later, it looked like the right call

[A]

because Buzzfeed hit a peak private market valuation of $1.7 billion. Good call turning down Disney's offer like Zuckerberg turning down Yahoo.

[B]

But Basties know when to hold them, know when to fold them, right, Jack?

[A]

Thirteen years after the Disney offer today, buzzfeed sold for one fifth of what Mickey Mouse was offering to pay 13 years ago.

[B]

So, Yetis, Jack and I find this fascinating because we interviewed Buzzfeed's founder once, and he told us the incredible story of when he invented virality.

[A]

Here's what happened. He tried to make customized Nikes with the word sweatshop stitched onto the shoe.

[B]

But then Nike refused to do that. So Jonah made it go viral by emailing everyone he knew.

[A]

It was the first case of virality, not cat algorithms catching email chains.

[B]

And that's how BuzzFeed began. They started with this formula that Jonah Peretti discovered.

[A]

Give a niche audience a hook topic and a headline that starts a curiosity loop.

[B]

Boom. Jonah's formula led to the invention of

[A]

the Listicle X number of things that only Y people will understand.

[B]

That formula was BuzzFeed's competitive advantage. 12 things you'll only understand if your mom loves the Kennedys.

[A]

Then you sent that article to everyone you know whose mom, like yours, wishes she'd married a Kennedy instead of your father.

[B]

And by levagni's, buzzfeed had pivoted from Low to high. It was wild.

[A]

They hired the editor in chief from Politico to pursue hard D.C. reporting.

[B]

Get this, Buzzfeed won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism.

[A]

Yeah, that Buzzfeed, the site famous for which Hogwarts House Are youe won an award for reporting about Muslim detention camps in China.

[B]

And that's not all. Around the same time, Buzzfeed incubated a whole new form of media.

[A]

The YouTube talk show Hogan Hot Ones

[B]

that started on Buzzfeed.

[A]

Try guys that launched on Buzzfeed too.

[B]

The 30 second food recipe videos without words that you're scrolling each day for that miso salmon glaze.

[A]

Buzzfeed's Tasty invented that format.

[B]

So ironically, besties, the content you watch on YouTube and TikTok was both Buzzfeed's creation and its downfall. So, Jack, can you whip up one takeaway for us for our buddies over at buzzfeed?

[A]

Buzzfeed is actually the first victim of AI slaughter.

[B]

Now yetis buzzfeed could turn around with this new owner. We hope it does, but if it doesn't, the cause of death is clear.

[A]

Its advertising dependent business model got eaten first by Facebook, then by Google, then by Instagram, and finally by TikTok.

[B]

See, nobody leaves their feeds these days. Advertising revenue sold on buzzfeed.com hasn't risen in years.

[A]

But the more recent problem that no one talks about, buzzfeed was actually an early mover in artificial intelligence.

[B]

But that bet on AI was actually wrong. Wrong, because in 2023, Buzzfeed pivoted to AI crafted articles to cut down on their costs.

[A]

Just after ChatGPT launched, Jonah bet early on AI in a desperate move to save the company and to save costs.

[B]

But the product, well, it was the first AI slop before we even had the term AI slop. And it just didn't connect with audiences.

[A]

Buzzfeed, it's both the most disruptive media brand of the last decade. But its final slap was on its own slop.

[B]

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

[A]

The most expensive and the most mainstream watch brands are collabing.

[B]

It's the first ever pre duping. Audemars Piguet can't protect their design, so they're monetizing it with Swatch.

[A]

For our second story, prices rose faster than wages for the first time in three years last month, according to the April CPI report.

[B]

Because of the war in Iran, inflation's worse in America than any other G7 nation.

[A]

And finally, Buzzfeed has a new owner. We Hope the inventor of virality and the Pulitzer Prize winner can turn things around.

[B]

If your mom loves the Kennedys as much as Jack's mom does, we see you, Jennifer. Have her setbuzzfeed.com as her homepage.

[A]

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

[B]

First, webounce gets the first AI laptop. Google just unveiled the Google Book, a successor to their Chromebook.

[A]

It's partly a response to the MacBook Neo, which is the lowest priced Apple laptop ever at just 600 bucks.

[B]

It's also a response to AI cause the Google Book has AI running through its veins in a freaky way.

[A]

Open this new Google LAPT and you'll get waterboarded with Gemini's AI assistant.

[B]

Okay, easy, Gemini. You know me a little too well. And second, ebay's board has rejected GameStop's $55 billion takeover offer, calling it, quote, neither credible nor attractive.

[A]

Reminder, GameStop is worth less than one fourth as much as ebay, and yet it tried to acquire it.

[B]

CEO Ryan Cohen now has to decide, does he go hostile and try to get ebay shareholders directly to vote to get sold to him?

[A]

Or will Ryan Cohn try to find another gimmick to try to rekindle the memevester fire it used to have?

[B]

And finally, last week of the billionaire beef trial, Sammy Altman has taken the stand. In his trial against Elon, two key

[A]

former colleagues of Sam Altman called him a liar under oath, which made Sam look visibly sad.

[B]

So then Sam Altman said this quote, I believe I am an honest and trustworthy business person, which he worded in

[A]

a way that somehow managed to sound untruthful.

[B]

Yeah, hear that line?

[A]

Who says that sentence?

[B]

Could have just said, I'm not a liar. Now time for the best fact yet. This one, sent in by Jeremy over in lovely Greenwich, Connecticut.

[A]

It is now harder to get in off the wait list than to get into college in the first place.

[B]

That's right, besties. College waitlists have gotten so long, their acceptance rate is now lower than the regular acceptance rate.

[A]

Baylor University, for example, has a 52% acceptance rate.

[B]

Okay, but to get off the waitlist is just a 2% acceptance rate.

[A]

UVA's waitlist acceptance rate rate is just 3%.

[B]

Jack, Boston University, 0.2% acceptance rate for the wait list.

[A]

Now, the reason is because, especially with the common application, kids are applying to like 30 schools to get into. So even if you accept a kid, the chance that they actually attend is low.

[B]

And then schools want to have options so they have these bigger wait lists which lead to a smaller percentage getting off the wait list.

[A]

Nick, when I applied to college, I applied to 11 schools, got into exactly half.

[B]

That would be five and a half schools, Jack.

[A]

I got in on the wait list on one of them.

[B]

Yetis. You look fantastic over there. Jack. You are glowing. Did you buy the ETF for the UFOs? Are we in on this? Are we not on this? Do we even believe it exists? We didn't clarify that. What did you say?

[A]

You gotta keep your streak of gleep glop language running on duolingo besties.

[B]

If this was our best one yet,

[A]

then tap to follow us so you

[B]

get us every single day. Drop down, give us a five star rating. And we love reading your reviews on Apple.

[A]

We are this close to 10,000 reviews

[B]

and if we hit 10,000 reviews, Jack's mom will make us her new homepage.

[A]

I thought you were gonna say Jack's mom will change her name to Kennedy.

[B]

Jack and I will see you tomorrow. And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti Daniel Ramirez, legendary Yeti turned 11 in San Jose, Costa Rica.

[A]

Happy birthday to Ashaan, our former colleague at Robin Hood, celebrating in London.

[B]

And A.J. richardson turning 38 in Norfolk, Virginia.

[A]

Happy birthday to Xander in Chesapeake, Virginia.

[B]

And Jamie Cohen in San Diego. We see you.

[A]

Happy birth. Happy birthday to Taylor, living it up in the best apartment on the lower east side of New York.

[B]

And John Braun, aspiring finance bro in South Burlington, Vermont. Happy birthday baby, just outside Burlington. And Diana Angelini enjoy the birthday doing logistics in Chicago.

[A]

And happy birthday to Carter M in Brooklyn, New York. And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T boy.

[B]

Celebrate the wins.

[A]

This is Jack. I own stock at Disney. Nick own stock. And we both own stock of Apple and Spotify. The drop by gnc.

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Yetis the wellness space moves fast every day an influencer is pumping some new product which is ironically named pump product

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There's creatine in the colostrum, in the protein.

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GNC actually has experts who cut through all of that and hand pick what's worth your attention.

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The new ingredients, new formulas and new brands, and health and nutrition you need to know about.

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The drop is the section of GNC that curates the newest product products to share with you what actually works.

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We're talking trending ingredients, breakthrough formula stuff that's actually going to move the needle

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Get a sneak peek at the newest formulas, flavors and brands coming soon to gnc.

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New drops launch regularly, so there's always something exciting to discover.

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GNC.com TheDrop is the destination to discover something new to try today.

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Get the facts you can trust on what's new and trending plan what's next?

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Browsing the coming soon calendar of [e-mail]

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drop the protein in the colostrum.