The Best One Yet

Episode: 🥶 “Extreme Fear”— Bitcoin’s $92k Blizzard. Jeff Bezos un-retires. Meadow Lane’s Grocery Club. +Smell-vertising.

Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In today’s “T Boy Tuesday” episode, Nick and Jack deliver their signature blend of high-energy banter and pop business news, focusing on the top three stories in business:

• Bitcoin’s massive tumble (“Bitcoin Blizzard”) and what it signals about today's markets
• The wild launch of $17-smoothie luxury grocer Meadow Lane in NYC
• Jeff Bezos ‘un-retires’ to co-helm the mysterious Project Prometheus startup

The hosts also spotlight the rise of “smell-vertising,” tackle food inflation, and riff on why the new Mariah Carey season arrives earlier than ever.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of "Smell-vertising" (00:12–03:05)

Summary

• The episode opens with a fun, impromptu segment about Bath & Body Works transforming Grand Central Station into a scent-filled “Grand Central Cent Station” by diffusing pine scents through the subway.
• This is positioned as a larger marketing trend (“story smelling”), where brands use scents to engage consumers and create memorable experiences.

Notable Quotes

• Nick: “Bath Body Works is turning Grand Central into Grand Central Cent Station.” (01:33)
• Jack: “There’s no scent more tied to memory than smell.” (02:43)

Examples Discussed (02:16–02:43)

• McDonald’s in Europe: Scented billboards with French fry aroma.
• Rare Beauty: Scratch ‘n sniff perfume ads.
• Ricola: Scarf scented like their cough drops.
• Nostalgia for the scent-soaked Abercrombie & Fitch stores.

Takeaway

• Storytelling goes multi-sensory—“story smelling” is the next big marketing play. “Finally, the scent sense is getting some love.” (02:15)

2. Story 1: The Bitcoin Blizzard—Markets in "Extreme Fear" (05:53–09:51)

Summary

• Bitcoin has plummeted 27% in six weeks, now at $92k, and is negative for 2025, reversing expectations of its role as an “uncorrelated asset.”
• The hosts explain the “Fear and Greed Index” (quantifying market sentiment, 0 = fear, 100 = greed), which for crypto has been “below 20, which means extreme fear.” (06:49)
• The sell-off is broader than just crypto—stocks and gold are also down, as investors flock to cash amid uncertainty.
• A big driver: The Federal Reserve’s lack of rate cuts due to missing government data during a 45-day shutdown, likened to “driving in fog” and slowing down.

Notable Quotes

• Jack: “It’s not just a bitcoin blizzard. It’s an everything sell-off happening right now.” (06:02)
• Nick: “It sticks a number on the vibes.” (06:37)
• Jack: “Extreme fear.” (06:58)
• Nick: “When it gets foggy out, the drivers slow down and so does our central bank.” (08:52)

Market Context

• NASDAQ down 6%, gold down 7%, Bitcoin down 27% (08:00)
• “High beta” explained: Bitcoin moves amplified in direction of the market (08:11)

Takeaway

• The Fed’s pause on rate cuts changes market expectations, increasing risk for high-growth sectors like AI, and the overall market is “slowing down” in foggy conditions.

3. Story 2: Meadow Lane—NYC's Luxury Grocery Club (09:58–14:28)

Summary

• Meadow Lane, dubbed “the Erewhon of the East,” launches in Tribeca to massive hype and lines, selling $17 smoothies and even needing bouncers at the door.
• Highlighted as a symbol of the “K-shaped economy”: Socialists are calling for city-run groceries, while Meadow Lane sells $12 grapes and $65 olive oil.
• Meadow Lane’s founder meticulously built buzz for 17 months on social, documenting every phase (“founding journey”) and amassing 100k followers before opening.

Notable Quotes

• Nick: “If Trader Joe’s had a cult, then Meadow Lane has a club, and that club will buy $17 smoothies, baby.” (00:48)
• Jack: “There’s no better sign of our K-shaped economy than Meadow Lane.” (10:45)
• Jack: “Grocery stores have had cults for years, but now they have clubs too.” (11:54)
• Jack (on strategy): “If you build it on their For You page, they will come.” (13:23)

Key Observations

• Status signals now differ by class: cost-savers flaunt Kirkland memberships, high-earners show off extravagant smoothies.
• “Demand actually begins before supply”—social media hype hacks build fervor even pre-launch.
• Walt Disney parallel: TV special built demand for Disneyland before it opened.

Takeaway

• Meadow Lane’s opening success shows the power of pre-launch social storytelling: “Sometimes you can create the demand before there ever was supply.” (14:25)

4. Story 3: Jeff Bezos "Un-Retires" for Project Prometheus (16:28–21:10)

Summary

• Jeff Bezos, third richest person on Earth, is reportedly back in the startup world as co-CEO of Project Prometheus—an AI company (in stealth) focused on engineering and manufacturing for space.
• The venture, still mostly secret, already raised $6.2B and is co-led by Google X alum Vic Bajaj.
• Likely long-term vision: Move Earth’s “dirty” industries (like data centers/factories) into space, keeping Earth as a “garden” and space as its “garage.”
• The discussion taps a 2018 Bezos interview: “Our goal should be to move the polluting industries of Earth into outer space.” (20:03)

Notable Quotes

• Jack: “It sounds like a sci-fi horror movie…” (18:12)
• Nick: “If Earth is a garden, space can be its garage.” (19:52)
• Jack: “He wants to send our dirty stuff up there instead. Earth, the garden. Space, the garage.” (21:56)
• Nick: “We don’t know exactly what Jeff Bezos is up to with his new startup, but we think he’s trying to turn space into Earth’s garage.” (21:10)

Key Context

• Project Prometheus follows the trend set by SpaceX: e.g., communication satellites replace cell towers, so why not data centers in orbit?
• Potential to offload polluting infrastructure (factories, data centers, etc.) into space, leveraging infinite capacity.

Takeaway

• Bezos aims to solve Earth’s pollution/economic limit problem by making outer space the new site for industrial activity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Story smelling is the next big marketing move—we just gave you the new playbook.” (03:01, Nick)
• “A status signal for low and middle income is buying Kirkland peanut butter, but for higher income, it’s a $21 Hailey Bieber smoothie.” (12:42, Jack)
• “If you show them, they will come.” (13:23, Jack, riffing on Walt Disney and social buzz)
• “Our goal should be to move the polluting industries of Earth into outer space.” (20:03, Jack quoting Bezos)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• “Smell-vertising” Trend: 00:12–03:05
• Bitcoin Blizzard & Fear Index: 05:53–09:51
• Meadow Lane’s Grocery Club: 09:58–14:28
• Jeff Bezos & Project Prometheus: 16:28–21:10
• Rapid Headlines (Ford HQ/Trade War/Xmas Music): 22:03–23:32
• Best Fact Yet (Ink-saving font idea): 23:43–24:32

Additional Highlights

• Ford’s new HQ is basically “a Michelin-starred food court” to lure workers in. (22:07–22:36)
• Trade war’s economic impacts: Japan and Switzerland’s GDP shrink, US grows but slower (22:36–23:01)
• Mariah Carey “Christmas creep”: Top 100 on Billboard earlier than ever—November 15! (23:09–23:32)
• Best Fact Yet: Changing the federal government’s printing font could save $400 million/year (23:43–24:32)

Tone & Language

The hosts maintain their signature enthusiastic, pun-heavy, and witty delivery throughout. Quotes and segments retain the conversational, often playful banter—making business news approachable and memorable.

Useful for New Listeners

This summary captures the episode’s news, wit, and insights in a clear, structured way, with timestamps and context for each story, select notable quotes, and links between the lighter and serious moments embedded in the hosts’ conversational style.