The Best One Yet — November 10, 2025 🦺 Vest Szn. Duolingo’s Owl Mistake. Air Travel’s Expedia Moment. +AI Dog Pawdcasters

Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell

Podcast: The Best One Yet (formerly Snacks Daily)

Date: November 10, 2025

Overview

In this fast-moving 20-minute episode, Jack and Nick serve up three critical business stories with a light-hearted, conversational tone:

• Why Expedia is booking record travel despite economic anxieties
• How Duolingo's social media silence hurt its business
• The deep (and surprisingly complex) history of vests—now the uniform of Wall Street and Silicon Valley
  Plus: A viral AI dog podcast and reflections on the value of group belonging and branded swag.

Notable Opening: Family, AI Dogcasts, and Canine Humor

• Jack recaps his family trip to NYC, setting a casual, personal tone (00:16–01:32).
• The duo riff about the surging popularity of an AI-hosted dog podcast, “Dog Pack,” and how leaning into the absurd is more palatable than deceptive AI:
  • “When AI pretends to be a real human, we don't like that at all. But if the AI is being clearly absurd like it is with these puppies, we actually embrace it.” — Nick (03:47)
  • The “dogcast” spurred 2M users for the app and landed a talent agency deal (03:24–03:39).
  • “If Chewy doesn't buy these guys, they must be cat people over there.” — Jack (03:39)

Main Story #1: Expedia’s Soaring (Despite Air Turbulence)

[06:49–10:40]

Context & Surprise

• Despite 1,100 flight cancellations (worst travel day of the year), Expedia stock jumped 17% to an all-time high (06:49–07:33).
• “We’ve covered the weak jobs market… Gen Z’s basically not even buying Chipotle anymore… but the miles are calling and I must go, apparently.” — Nick (07:42)

Key Points

• Expedia's profit was its best ever, with $31B booked in the past 3 months across Expedia, Hotels.com, and VRBO (08:04–08:18).
• Americans are staying longer and booking further ahead; demand crosses income levels (08:26–09:02).
• CEO forecasts 6–8% revenue growth for Q4, pending government shutdown resolution (09:09–09:16).

Insight: The Travel Money Multiplier

• “You don’t just travel from A to B, you travel from A to B to C to D, then back to A.” — Jack (09:24)
• One trip sparks spending in flights, accommodations (Airbnb’s record), rides (Lyft’s record), and entertainment (Live Nation: nine “record”s on their earnings call) (09:41–10:18).
• Demand for real-world experiences remains powerful—post-pandemic “IRL” is strong (10:18–10:28).

Main Story #2: Duolingo’s Social Media Silence = No Bueno

[10:40–15:03]

What Happened

• Duolingo stock plunged 23% in a single day—its worst ever (10:40).
• The catalyst: CEO Luis von Ahn posted an AI-hiring memo on LinkedIn, stating only roles AI can’t do would get human hires.
  • “Kind of looked heartless.” — Jack (12:01)
• Internal blowback led the company to “put the unhinged owl on pause” (social media dark for weeks) (12:21-13:10).

Why It Matters

• Duolingo’s quirky, slightly menacing green owl on TikTok is integral to its identity:
  • “The uncomfortable Duolingo owl has amassed a very real 17 million TikTok followers. No other brand is even close.” — Jack (12:43)
• When the owl stopped posting, likes dropped from 90M/month to 5M; DAU growth fell from 50% to 36% quarterly (13:19–13:46).
• Direct connection: less viral owl = less app use = financial pain.

Bigger Insight

• High-level social media managers now command $342K salaries, matching top engineers (14:26–14:37).
  • “The most important team at a tech company can actually be its social media team.” — Jack (14:14)
  • “Your top team may actually be your TikTok team.” — Nick (15:03)

Main Story #3: Vests — The Quiet Symbol of Belonging on Wall Street and Beyond

[17:04–21:15]

Cultural Phenomenon

• It’s “Vest Szn”—from Wall Street to tech to commercial real estate, vests = status.
  • “The vest is kind of a career flex. A little bit of a status symbol.” — Nick (18:10)
• Brands, types, and logos denote seniority, aspiration, and tribe: Arc’teryx for VPs, Zara for juniors, Cotopaxi for the eco-conscious (18:10–18:25).

Origins & Explosive Growth

• Invented by King Charles II of England in 1666; formalwear for centuries; Patagonia made it a corporate climber staple in 1979 (18:54–19:26).
• Exponential growth: Moosejaw’s vests up 700% from 2015–2018 (19:38).

Three Reasons Vests Took Over

1. Air Conditioning: Cold offices needed easy layering; vests solved the chill (19:51–20:06).
2. Gifting Regulations: Finance can’t give >$100 gifts, but $95 logo vests are perfect (20:09–20:24).
3. Visual Group Identity: Vests are billboards—conveying status and group membership (21:03–21:10).

Broader Takeaway

• “Brands want to out, but people want to be in a group.” — Jack (20:29)
• Psychonomics: Vests, hoodies, and notebook branding are how industries signal tribe and achievement.
  • “The vest can become a tiny billboard of industry and achievement. Fashion’s business card signaling that you belong.” — Nick (21:03)
• “Finance has the vest. Because in every industry, there’s a craving to signal you’re part of the tribe.” — Jack (21:15)

Quick Hits & Fun Moments

• AI Dog Podcasts’ success highlights public embrace of absurd AI, but unease about deepfakes (03:47).
• Expedia’s travel multiplier: “One trip looks like five trips to Wall Street.” — Nick (09:33)
• Duolingo’s Owl: “You stop being unhinged on Instagram and people stop using the language app.” — Nick (13:53)
• Vest as status: “Any sector adjacent to cash flow—you’re going to see guys wearing vests.” — Nick (18:40)
• Personal anecdotes: Jack’s family gets a mysterious slice of cake from a “silent angel” diner patron (24:07), driving home generosity and community.
• Factoid/Trivia: Who twists open Oreos more—men or women? Answer tomorrow! (23:29–23:53)

Notable Quotes With Timestamps

• “When AI pretends to be a real human, we don't like that at all. But if the AI is being clearly absurd like it is with these puppies, we actually embrace it.” — Nick, on AI dog podcasters (03:47)
• “The uncomfortable Duolingo owl has amassed a very real 17 million TikTok followers.” — Jack (12:43)
• “The most important team at a tech company can actually be its social media team.” — Jack (14:14)
• “The vest is kind of a career flex. A little bit of a status symbol.” — Nick (18:10)
• “The vest can become a tiny billboard of industry and achievement.” — Nick (21:03)
• “Brands want to out, but people want to be in a group.” — Jack (20:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:34] — AI Dog “Pawdcast” & App Virality
• [06:49] — Expedia’s travel surge & multiplier effect
• [10:40] — Duolingo’s owl, AI memo, and social fallout
• [17:04] — Vest season: history, boom, and meaning
• [23:29] — T boy Trivia: The Oreo mystery
• [24:07] — The “cake angel” story

Summary Takeaways

1. Expedia is defying economic gloom. The company’s record results are a “travel multiplier” story—one trip catalyzes multiple spending events and industries.
2. Duolingo’s social owl isn’t just for laughs. Their entire growth engine ties to a viral, “unhinged” mascot—proving social media teams now rival engineering in value.
3. Vests are more than utility. They’re wearable business cards, group signals, and subtle status symbols in corporate America—an intersection of psychology, fashion, and office regulation.

Final thought:
Whether it’s playful AI, travel’s network effects, or the power of a branded vest, “the best one yet” reminds us that business, at its core, is always personal and tribal.