🪞 “Mirror, no Mirror?” — Aritzia’s mirrorless fashion. Nobel’s Creative Destruction prize. Strava’s Garmin lawsuit. +Failure Day

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best One Yet

Episode Title: 🪞 “Mirror, no Mirror?” — Aritzia’s mirrorless fashion. Nobel’s Creative Destruction prize. Strava’s Garmin lawsuit. +Failure Day
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell
Release Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nick and Jack serve up their signature take on three of the biggest business news stories of the day: Aritzia’s unconventional approach to retail, Strava’s upcoming IPO and legal showdown with Garmin, and the Nobel Prize in Economics awarded for the concept of “creative destruction.” The episode also touches on International Failure Day and why failure matters as part of the path to success. As always, the hosts deliver lively banter, memorable metaphors, and practical business insights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aritzia: The Mirrorless Fashion Gamble

[05:25-10:38]

• Background & Rapid Growth

  • Aritzia, a Canadian women’s fashion retailer from Vancouver, is booming in the U.S., set to add 200 new stores, none with mirrors in the dressing rooms.
  • The brand is known as "ambitious women's workwear and ambitious women's workout wear"—like “Anthropologie and Tory Burch had a retail baby.”
    — Nick [06:03]
  • Store count up 25% in the last year, sales up 34% in the last quarter, profits tripled in 3 months. (Aritzia valued at $10B CAD / $7B USD.)

• Their Standout Strategy: No Mirrors

  • Dressing rooms offer four blank walls—no mirrors. If you want to see yourself, step out to a communal mirror; the policy pushes shoppers into shared spaces and conversation.
  • “Aritzia wants you to come out of the dressing room and show off what you’re wearing, maybe have a conversation with a stylist or with other shoppers and get their opinion.”
    — Jack [08:35]
  • Some vocal dislike online, but sales suggest the minority is loud, not large.
  • “Aritzia says it’s about how you feel, not how you look.”
    — Jack [09:10]

• The Red Sock Rule Takeaway

  • Aritzia’s mirrorless policy is their “Red Sock Rule”: in men’s fashion, a red sock differentiates you in a world of black suits. In business, one bold, memorable distinction is worth having, even if divisive.
  • Examples: Robinhood’s confetti, Southwest’s no seat assignments, Chick-fil-A’s closed Sundays.
  • “For Aritzia, it’s the mirrorless dressing room. Something completely unique just to them that’s talked about and remembered, whether good or bad.”
    — Nick [10:24]

---

2. Strava vs. Garmin: Cardio Apps Go to Court

[10:38-15:15]

• Strava’s Explosive Growth & IPO Hopes

  • Strava is preparing for an IPO with skyrocketing growth—13M new users this year (total: 50M). Fitness is especially hot with Gen Z.
  • “2025 is their best year for growth yet.”
    — Jack [11:23]
  • Strava’s next challenge: a $2.2B IPO valuation.

• Garmin Lawsuit: Patent Dispute or Power Play?

  • Strava is suing Garmin, a former ally, over “heat maps”—features showing popular running routes. However, similar tech existed prior to Strava’s patent.
  • “Strava’s patent infringement claim in this lawsuit is unlikely to stand up in court.”
    — Jack [12:53]
  • The deeper issue: Garmin’s expanding app, Garmin Connect, now directly competes with Strava, with half as many monthly active users.

• Customer Overlap & Industry Drama

  • Over half of Strava’s paid users own Garmin devices. Now that Garmin is a direct competitor, Strava’s lawsuit is interpreted as a defensive move.
  • “Basically like throwing thumbtacks behind you in the middle of a race.”
    — Nick [14:08]
  • The big lesson? “The courts will decide the case, but customers will ultimately decide the winner.”
    — Jack [15:03]

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3. Nobel Prize for Creative Destruction: Why Growth Can’t Stop

[17:01-22:09]

• What is Creative Destruction?

  • Nobel awarded to three economists—Yoel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt—for demonstrating how “creative destruction” explains persistent economic growth.
  • For most of human history, living standards were flat; since the Industrial Revolution, growth has become “as reliable as gravity.”
  • “Inventing the wheel, harnessing fire, those were like the iPhones of a couple millennium.”
    — Nick [17:37]

• Innovation: Building on What Came Before

  • Breakthroughs (steam engine, light bulb, internet, AI) stack on prior innovation. Growth is driven by new winners displacing old ones.
  • “One innovation building on the last innovation... resulted in a never-ending cycle of innovation and progress for us all.”
    — Jack [20:07]

• The Takeaway

  • “If a society is not willing to destroy, it will never create or innovate.”
    — Jack [20:44]
  • Examples: horse industry displaced by autos; DVDs displaced by streaming.
  • Societies must manage short-term losers (with safety nets) and maintain openness to innovation to keep growth going.
  • “The economy itself has been the opposite [of stable]; every couple decades, our economy completely transforms.”
    — Jack [20:57]

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Failure Day:
  “Failure is the fuel for future success. So we commend the Finns for encouraging opening up about failure, not just success.”
  — Jack [01:44]

• On Aritzia’s strategy:
  “A red sock can be divisive. But for better or worse, it’s how you stand out in that world of black suits... It’s the same in business.”
  — Nick [09:54]

• On Strava vs. Garmin:
  “Tell me you’re gearing up for an IPO without telling me you’re gearing up for an IPO.”
  — Jack [12:18]

• On Creative Destruction:
  “You can’t take innovation for granted.”
  — Jack [17:15]

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Important Timestamps

• [05:25] – Aritzia’s retail growth and no-mirror policy
• [07:10] – “Effortless pants” and Aritzia’s fashion context
• [08:14] – Details on the mirrorless dressing room controversy
• [09:30] – The Red Sock Rule and its application to business
• [10:38] – Strava IPO aspirations and growth metrics
• [12:29] – Details of the Strava vs. Garmin lawsuit
• [13:32] – Implications for customers and platform overlap
• [15:03] – Takeaway: Social vs. satellite network, customer decides
• [17:01] – Nobel Prize: Explaining creative destruction
• [18:08] – Industrial Revolution as the turning point in economic progress
• [20:44] – Takeaway: "If a society is not willing to destroy, it will never create or innovate."

---

Episode Tone

Fast-paced, metaphor-filled, and witty. Nick and Jack’s conversational style makes business stories feel practical and digestible, using pop culture references ("Zoolander," Robinhood’s digital confetti, “Red Sock Rule”) and irreverent analogies to drive home concepts.

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For Those Who Missed It

This episode of “The Best One Yet” is a tour through innovative business strategies and the economics of progress—anchored by Aritzia’s headline-grabbing mirrorless stores, the battle for workout data supremacy, and the big-picture forces that transform economies. Key lessons: differentiate boldly, understand your network effects, and never take innovation for granted—because, as the Nobel Prize winners prove, the future belongs to those willing to destroy and create.

Transcript

[A]

This is Nick.

[B]

This is Jack.

[A]

It's Tuesday, t boy. Tuesday, October 14th. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T Boy.

[B]

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

[A]

Yetis, welcome back to America's favorite business show. Jack, what do you say? Should we hit our three stories? They're so good.

[B]

For our first story, it's the fastest growing fashion retailer in America, and it's from Canada. Yeah, it's Aritzia.

[A]

Hey, Aritzia's clothing is thriving right now, even though their dressing rooms have zero mirrors.

[B]

For our second story, Strava just announced it's interviewing banks for its ipo. But first, it is suing Garmin.

[A]

I'm sorry, Jack. Two fitness tracking companies in a lawsuit. That's a cardio clash in the courtroom, baby.

[B]

And our third and final story is the Nobel Prize in Economics. It just got awarded to three professors for their work on creative destruction.

[A]

Ah, creative destruction. It sounds scary, but it's the reason your income is a hundred times more than your great, great granddaddy's.

[B]

But, Yetis, before we hit that wonder.

[A]

Like we said, love the mix for T Boy Tuesday.

[B]

Jack, today's POD is actually the worst one yet.

[A]

Basties, this ain't a T Boy. It's a T Boy.

[B]

Because today is the International Day of Failure.

[A]

Yes, it is.

[B]

True story. A full 24 hours focused on failing in Finland.

[A]

Failure Day. It's a national holiday. The Finns celebrate a whole day of doing the wrong thing, but here, it's.

[B]

Just a podcast intro. Yes, it is. Our government doesn't recognize Failure Day.

[A]

Yetis.

[B]

Lord Brotman, a listener to the show, first told us about this wonderful Finnish tradition years ago.

[A]

Now it is an annual T Boy.

[B]

Tradition, and we recently interviewed the founder of Waymo, who told us that failure.

[A]

Is the fuel of success.

[B]

Failure is the fuel for future success. So we commend the Finns for encouraging opening up about failure, not just success.

[A]

Because for every fundraise, there were also 100 fundraise fails.

[B]

So, Yetis, if a chatbot stole your big idea today.

[A]

Yeah, that's fine if you sold your.

[B]

Nvidia stock back in 2019.

[A]

Don't worry about it.

[B]

It's cool if you were the one who redesigned the Cracker Barrel logo. Oh, don't worry.

[A]

All is forgiven today.

[B]

In fact, Nick and I made the biggest Failure Day fail of all. Yeah, because International Failure Day isn't today. It was actually yesterday.

[A]

That's right. We forgot about Failure Day, which is.

[B]

The ultimate way to honor this holiday.

[A]

So, besties, a happy failure day.

[B]

To all those who celebrate, and especially to all those who, like, forgot to celebrate.

[A]

Celebrate the wins by celebrating the losses. And now, Jack, let's hit our five stories.

[B]

You mean three stories.

[A]

Exactly. Let's hit it.

[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 at Liz. If you know, you know. Cause we read to go. We can't wait no more.

[A]

So just start the show.

[C]

Start the show.

[A]

Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[B]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[A]

You know, Jack, something I thought about in therapy last week. If I were a therapist, I would need my own therapist.

[B]

Think of the questions, the venting, the complaints, the tears that we all bring into that leather couch.

[A]

I mean, therapist me would need a break from me. You know, relieving other people's trauma. Trauma every day for work. That could be pretty traumatic.

[B]

It's secondhand trauma. Now.

[A]

They do get paid to hear it.

[B]

But still, I appreciate how welcoming my therapist is to hear all my issues.

[A]

Good point. Good point, Jack. Good point.

[B]

I appreciate how welcoming my therapist is to my dirty laundry.

[A]

So, besties, since October 10th is World Mental Health Day, we'd like to thank those therapists, our therapists, Better help.

[B]

Therapists have helped over 5 million people like us on every issue you could imagine.

[A]

And we've learned that simply saying out loud what we could have never articulated before, that could Change your life.

[B]

BetterHelp has 12 plus years of helping people say what they've only thought but never said.

[A]

So just fill out a questionnaire and betterhelp find you the right fit. From 30,000 therapists this world Mental Health.

[B]

Day, we're celebrating the therapists who've helped millions of people take a step forward. If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey.

[A]

Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.comt boy that's BetterHelp.

[B]

H E L P.comtboy Airbnb yetis full disclosure.

[A]

We're already thinking about holiday vacation. You gotta book these things early these days.

[B]

Are you kidding? I booked my holiday vacation six months ago. I do it like the Germans. Right after my Christmas vacation. I book next year's Christmas vacation for 2028.

[A]

Okay. But also, full disclosure, Eddie, I'm jealous here because I'm paying for my whole trip. But Jack, you have money from your Airbnb helping pay for yours.

[B]

It's my side. Hustle, profit, puppy, besties.

[A]

You can host your entire place or just your extra space.

[B]

Really satisfying feeling, by the way, when my guest messages me that their first night went wonderfully, it just puts me at ease. And it's like, wow, I am making money right now and somebody's having a great time.

[A]

So you're going to give day away for free?

[B]

No, I wouldn't say that yet.

[A]

He's your home. Might be worth more than you think.

[B]

Find out how [e-mail] host.

[A]

For our first story, the fastest growing apparel retailer in America. It's Canadian. And it's Aritzia.

[B]

Aritzia, the women's clothing brand, is adding 200 stores across this country, but none of them will have mirrors.

[A]

More on that in a sec. But in the meantime, Jack, can we go full Anna Wintour on the prediction here and say, British Columbia, Canada, fashion.

[B]

Capital of the world, EH Milan. Never heard of you. British Columbia. Vancouver specifically has Lululemon, Arcteric and Aritzia all in Vancouver.

[A]

Yeti's Aritzia. It is like anthropology and Tory Burch had a retail baby.

[B]

It's Gen Z's baby. Female J.

[A]

Crew. Yes, it is. Ambitious women's workwear and ambitious women's workout wear. That's what you get at Aritzia.

[B]

Aritzia is actually 41 years old, but they are blossoming right now.

[A]

Let's talk numbers, Jack. Store count up 25% in the last year.

[B]

Sales up 34% in the last quarter.

[A]

Profits more than tripled in just the past three months.

[B]

Now, Aritzia is a publicly traded company worth $10 billion on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which translates to $7 billion in US dollars.

[A]

Yeah, I could sprinkle on some EH fashion context for us, please.

[B]

Aritzia is twice as valuable as Abercrombie Fitch or American Eagle. And it's the same valuation as Levi's and the Gap.

[A]

It's twice as valuable as the Maple Leafs. Yeah, those Maple Leafs.

[B]

If you grabbed a Starbucks double digit latte with your Kate Spade clutch under your arm on the way to a TedX talk. Yeah, Ted is based in Vancouver too. Yeah, Jack, then you were probably wearing Aritzia's effortless pants that you bought for $148.

[A]

And we know because the Wall Street Journal did an entire Article specific pants.

[B]

So Yetis, Nick and I are really gonna flex this liberal arts degree right now. After oil hockey players and Justin Bieber, Aritzia is Canada's greatest export.

[A]

Get this, the stock of aritzia, it's up 70% this year. So Jack and I jumped in T boy style. And Jack, what are the variety of strategies Aritzia's pulling this off with?

[B]

The first is that Aritzia is a house of brands.

[A]

Interestingly, Yetis, Aritzia gives you a false sense of variety. What do we mean by this?

[B]

Man, they're filled with different brands that you can browse through, but they're all owned by Aritzia.

[A]

For example, Babaton is Aritzia's workwear label. TNA is their sportswear label, and Wilfred is their romantic dress label.

[B]

They all look different. They all have their own styles, but they're all owned and designed by Aritzia.

[A]

Jack, would you say that's why they're a profit puppy?

[B]

Are you gonna push the button? I'm already ahead of you, man. But the bigger strategy that caught our attention is more controversial. Yeah, the mirror strategy.

[A]

Or should we say the lack of mirrors?

[B]

Right, because Aritzia has no mirrors in the dressing rooms. Yeah, just four blank walls in there.

[A]

For example, if you're trying to try on that Babatin satin blouse, what's gonna happen when you go in the dressing room, Jack, you have to hold your.

[B]

Arm way out there for a selfie or step outside and ask an associate how you look.

[A]

That's exactly the goal of this strategy by Aritzia.

[B]

Aritzia wants you to come out of the dressing room and show off what you're wearing, maybe have a conversation with a stylist or with the other shoppers and get their opinion.

[A]

Now, yes, we know in some Aritzia stores, they have one communal mirror that you can go and look at yourself at.

[B]

But still, if you go and look at yourself, you're coming out and turning it into a communal experience.

[A]

Now, we also should point out that a lot of people hate the zero mirror policy.

[B]

I checked Aritzia on Reddit. All I'm seeing is hate for the lack of mirrors in the dressing rooms.

[A]

But clearly that hate is coming from the loud minority, given the sales a boom over at Aritzia.

[B]

So Aritzia says it's about how you feel, not how you look. That's why there's no mirrors.

[A]

And now they're Planning to add 200 more stores across the US on top of the 70 they already got here.

[B]

They're gonna order a bunch of paint, bunch of fabric. Mm. But no mirrors.

[A]

Not a single mirror. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Aritzia?

[B]

The Red Sock rule of fashion applies to all businesses.

[A]

Now, yetis, little pro tip here from Jack and I, a couple of fashionistas. There is a rule in men's fashion known as the Red Sock rule.

[B]

When we worked in banks, it was hard to differentiate how we looked. Everyone was wearing a suit and tie. But you can differentiate your wardrobe as a man with one standout item, often colored socks.

[A]

A red sock can be divisive. But for better or worse, it's how you stand out in that world of black suits.

[B]

And it's the same in business. We think it's worth having one standout differentiator that no one else has, even.

[A]

If it's hard to legally protect that differentiator. Like Robinhood. They were the only trading app for a while that celebrated the trade with Confetti.

[B]

Southwest was the the only airline that would not do seat assignments.

[A]

Chick Fil? A, the only fast food chain not open on Sundays. Equinox, the only gym without clocks.

[B]

And Zoolander, the only male model who couldn't turn left.

[A]

And for Aritzia, it's the mirrorless dressing room. Something completely unique just to them that's talked about and remembered, whether good or bad.

[B]

The Red Sock rule of fashion. And it applies to all businesses.

[A]

For our second story, Strava, the running app, they are gearing up for an ipo. You know how we know? They told the Financial Times.

[B]

We also know because they're lawyering up. Strava just sued Garmin earlier this month in the biggest cardio clash of all time.

[A]

You're gonna want to hydrate for this one, Yetis. The last time we covered Strava, the running app had started looking kind of like a dating app, right, Jack?

[B]

People would be like, kudos on that hill climb. I could be your next challenge.

[A]

But the real boom for Strava is as a fitness tracker.

[B]

The pandemic was a big boost to Strava.

[A]

Okay, but this year, Jack, Strava's usage has accelerated like a young Carl Lewis. Can we talk numbers here, please?

[B]

2025 is their best year for growth yet. They have 13 million new monthly users, bringing the total to 50 million.

[A]

Bestie Strava, founded in 2009, but 15 years in, they are just hitting their growth stride.

[B]

And why is this the moment for Strava? Because fitness is booming more than ever, especially among Gen Z. Who prefers a priority to a PBR?

[A]

Get this. A record 1.1 million people applied for the 2026 London Marathon. That's up 31% from last year.

[B]

And probably all of those marathoners are paid Strava users. And now the CEO told the Financial Times that they're talking to banks about.

[A]

An IPO, a $2.2 billion valuation. Strava's next challenge. It's an initial public offering.

[B]

Limber up. Eat some pasta. Mm. Cause we're going to New York.

[A]

You're going to stretch the hammies for when you ring the bell. But hold the horses for a second, Jack. And first, can we talk about the lawsuit?

[B]

Man, tell me you're gearing up for an IPO without telling me you're gearing up for an ipo.

[A]

Vessis, if you had brunch this weekend with a couple of buddies in a run club. Yeah. This lawsuit was the topic because earlier.

[B]

This month, Strava sued Garmin. Garmin, the longtime friend of Strava, has become a frenemy. You see, here's the deal.

[A]

Strava claims that they invented the heat map back in 2014.

[B]

The heat map, which shows one of the most popular routes that I should probably check out next, Strava says that.

[A]

Garmin stole that idea. But Garmin, map my run, and even the New York Times, they've all used heat maps before 2014.

[B]

So Strava's patent infringement claim in this lawsuit is unlikely to stand up in court.

[A]

So I gotta ask, Jack, what is this Strava Garmin drama really about?

[B]

It's about the fact that Garmin has switched from friend to Strava to frenemy of Strava.

[A]

You see, Yetis, for over a decade, serious runners and cyclists use Garmin's watches or other devices to track their runs.

[B]

You would sync your Garmin running data to Strava after you get back online so you can brag, I mean, post about your epic hill climb.

[A]

No big deal. I did a reservoir run 12 times in a row. Get this.

[B]

More than half of Strava's paid users track all of their runs on their Garmin devices.

[A]

Jack, that is a critical, overlapping customer base, man.

[B]

It's been Kumbaya for 10 or 15 years. They've both been rising at the same time. But now, instead of helping Strava, Garmin is starting to herd it.

[A]

Yes, it is.

[B]

With Garmin Connect, a direct competitor to the Strava app.

[A]

In fact, get this. According to third party data, Garmin Connect now has 50% as many monthly active users as Strava does.

[B]

So it used to be Kumbaya. Now it's Strava versus Garmin. Both fighting for the same fitness freaks.

[A]

And that is why Strava is using a lawsuit to slow down their new competition.

[B]

Basically, like throwing thumbtacks behind you in the middle of a race.

[A]

I was gonna say banana Jack, but.

[B]

Let'S go with thumbtacks.

[A]

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are runners looking at this wild tech drum?

[B]

It's Strava's social network versus Garmin's satellite network.

[A]

Now, Yetis, this is a risky lawsuit by Strava. You see, they're messing with a company beloved by their customer base.

[B]

Runners on TikTok hearing about this lawsuit, they're like, have you seen the news that mom and dad are fighting?

[A]

Yeah, this isn't fun. But Garmin is threatening to cut out Strava now and take the whole runner relationship.

[B]

So Strava based in San Francisco, they've got a great social network focused on fitness.

[A]

Yes, they do.

[B]

Garmin, based in Kansas, has a literal satellite network helping fitness freaks navigate.

[A]

Yes, they do. So, Jack, who will win? And what can we learn about this for any other drama conflict like it.

[B]

The courts will decide the case, but customers will ultimately decide the winner.

[A]

Now a quick word from our sponsor.

[B]

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[A]

Yetis, what does the future hold for business?

[B]

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[A]

That'S netsuite.com tboy netsuite.com tboy Now a quick break.

[B]

Switching topics to one of our favorite sponsors, vital proteins.

[A]

Now Jack, my mom does not use most of the products we promote. Building a website. She's not downloading a stock trading app.

[B]

No, she's not.

[A]

But she did call me this weekend and here's what she said. She said, I need to know the promo code for your collagen peptide sponsor because I just bought more of it.

[B]

It was Vital proteins and their no sugar added collagen peptide products are delicious. Especially the new 30 gram protein shake.

[A]

Now I don't know if my mom's into the taste or the health benefits or she's trying to get jacked, but she's got healthy hair, skin, nails and joints right now.

[B]

Dude, I'd say it's all of them. So, yetis, go to www.vitalproteins.com to and where to buy? Get 20% off your next order by entering promo code T boy at checkout.

[A]

For our third and final story. The Nobel Prize awarded to this, but no, not this podcast, but to three economists who sing the gospel of creative destruction. Jack, what is creative destruction?

[B]

Well, the takeaway is that you can't take innovation for granted.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. But yetis, let's start with some historical context. For most of humankind's history, living standards didn't really change from one generation to the next, right Jack?

[B]

From King Tut to Leonardo da Vinci, it was pretty much the same way to live. Like you did some farming, you tried to find some food and you tried to survive frankly.

[A]

Inventing the wheel, harnessing fire, those were like the iPhones of a couple millennium.

[B]

Those were nice one off inventions. But economic progress was still pretty much flat for an entire millennia. Until the industrial revolution.

[A]

The industrial revolution which led to a never ending cycle of innovation and progress.

[B]

Hello, locomotive. The result? The last 200 years we've had incredible quality of life improvements. We've had longer lives to live and we'd have way more leisure time, which has been great for like the arts.

[A]

Now you may look back fondly on the 1950s by chance, but laundry day.

[B]

In the 1950s was an all day event. So you'd be giving up a lot of innovations and quality of life improvements.

[A]

So this year's Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to three men who are splitting the 11 million Swedish kroner prize of $1.2 million.

[B]

Yoel Moker got half of the award and Philip Aguion and Peter Howitt split the other half. So it was basically a fractional Nobel.

[A]

Prize because this trio brought a scientific framework to understand innovation. More importantly, they're Making sure it doesn't stop.

[B]

And the key buzzword that these guys figured out is creative destruction.

[A]

Okay, but Jack, first these professors want to stress how good we actually have it today, right?

[B]

Because for the last couple hundred years, actually the economy, the stock market, real estate, growth in those economic markets has been as reliable as gravity.

[A]

I mean, just look at the charts you grew up with. Everything was arrows up and to the right with a couple of hockey sticks in there.

[B]

But there was a time that that wasn't the case at all. In fact, these economists look at data from 1300 to 1700 in that 400 year stretch, there was no economic growth.

[A]

Like zero. Like, yeah, okay, Gutenberg gave us the printing press, which was cool. That was cool. But like, that was it.

[B]

It was cool. But people's quality of lives did not improve from inventions during that 400 year stretch.

[A]

But then starting in Great Britain with the birth of the Industrial revolution, we.

[B]

Get the steam engine, which enabled transportation, that drove people and commerce and ideas across the country and the world, which.

[A]

Led to light bulbs, telephones and cars.

[B]

Which led to airplanes, computers and the.

[A]

Internet, which led to biomedicine, robotics, and now artificial intelligence.

[B]

An absolute explosion in innovation, technology and inventions.

[A]

And here is the key variable. It was one innovation building on the last innovation.

[B]

And that resulted in a never ending cycle of innovation and progress for us all.

[A]

The result? Everyone's living longer and better, albeit with big inequality.

[B]

These professors don't want us to forget why growth is the new normal in our economies.

[A]

And their term for this is creative destruction.

[B]

Yes, climate change is a problem and AI could be different. But they urge us not to take innovation for granted if we want economic growth to continue.

[A]

But still, besties. Jack and I got more curious about creative destruction, so we whiffed up this takeaway. Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who just won the Nobel Prize?

[B]

If a society is not willing to destroy, it will never create or innovate.

[A]

Now, yes, while the economic growth in the world has been stable for 200 years, the economy itself has been the opposite.

[B]

Because every couple decades, our economy completely transforms, it seems, with new winners replacing the old winners.

[A]

And that is creative destruction. It is the driving heart of sustained economic growth.

[B]

For example, a massive horse industry getting replaced by Honda car production, that's creative destruction.

[A]

Oh Jack, what about this? A massive pile of DVD players in your living room getting replaced by digital streaming? That is creative destruction.

[B]

And when hoards of Hondas eventually become worthless because of self driving cars, that will be creative destruction too.

[A]

Now, Jack, what I found particularly interesting was how the Enlightenment era was a crucial part of this era of innovative growth. Growth that we've been in.

[B]

Never thought about it before, but the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution happened at the same time. Not a coincidence.

[A]

With the Enlightenment, societies were more open to change and saw the benefits and quality of life from innovations.

[B]

Now, the economists also caution that policy must have safety nets for the short term losers of innovation.

[A]

Yeah, you also need policy to prevent monopolies and encourage freedom of trade and thought to still happen.

[B]

But unless a society is willing to destroy what's already there, it will never create or innovate.

[A]

It's creative destruction. And it just won the Nobel Prize.

[B]

Actually, three fractional Nobel Prizes.

[A]

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for T Boy Tuesday, Canada's.

[B]

Aritzia plans to open 200 new locations in the US with no mirrors.

[A]

No mirrors is their bright red socks. And any business can have their own version of the Red Sox rule.

[B]

For our second story, Strava is growing faster than ever and prepping to ipo. But first, they're suing Garmin.

[A]

It's Strava's social network versus Garmin's satellite network.

[B]

And our third and final story. Three economists just won the Nobel Prize for their work on creative destruction.

[A]

Sounds scary, but here's the deal. If a society is not willing to destroy what's already there, it'll never innovate.

[B]

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

[A]

First, stocks rose huge on Monday in a rebound that, honestly, we actually could all kind of expect it, because on.

[B]

Friday, stocks fell 2.7%, the fourth biggest loss of 2025.

[A]

Now, that drop was on news of a major escalation in the trade war, a new 100% tariff on Chinese goods.

[B]

But then on Sunday, the President downplayed that tariff threat he made two days earlier and implied that the relationship with China would be just fine.

[A]

And second, President Trump declared yesterday that the war is over in his address.

[B]

To Israel's parliament because the remaining 20 hostages were released by Hamas and returned to IS on Monday.

[A]

Now, Israel will release 1700 Palestinians who were detained by the IDF in Gaza after October 7th.

[B]

And the President extended his Mideast victory trip to Egypt for a signing ceremony yesterday.

[A]

And finally, Lego's hottest new toy may be their kindest. It's an MRI scanner that helps kids at the hospital.

[B]

Lego knows that kids get nervous if they have to do an mri.

[A]

So Lego built an MRI machine as a toy LEGO set.

[B]

And new research from Lego shows that 96% of healthcare professionals said that these Lego MRI machines help reduce children's anxiety before they have to enter the scanners themselves. You play with it first. It's less scary when you see it in person.

[A]

Now time for the best fact yet.

[B]

This one.

[A]

An answer to our T boy trivia.

[B]

Yesterday we asked you about bug bounties. When a tech company pays you if you find a flaw in their code.

[A]

Specifically, Jack and I asked about Apple's bug bounty. How much will Apple pay you?

[B]

You left some comments. Some of you wagered a million dollars. The highest guess was $2 million.

[A]

Okay, but Jack, the answer to Apple's bug bounty prize, they'll pay you up.

[B]

To $5 million if you find a bug in one of their products.

[A]

We repeat, Apple will give you 5 million bucks for a bug, not a typo.

[B]

Up to 5 million? Yeah.

[A]

If you find like a T, that should be a P. That doesn't count, you're not going to get $5 million.

[B]

And I gotta say, the whole idea of bug bounties is amazing. ROI.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Like I'd so much rather give $5 million to a friendly hacking 13 year old in a basement in California than be vulnerable for like $500 million of damages to an unfriendly hacker in North Korea.

[A]

The bug bounty. Big techs, big roi. Yetis. You look fantastic today and the best thing you can do is drop down and and not give us one star even though it's National Failure Day. Give us five stars to grow the pot. This is where you don't wanna fail at something. We'd prefer five star ratings and reviews.

[B]

That would be a joke, Nick and I don't find ironic.

[A]

That would not be a fun one for us over here. So enjoy National Failure Day. Fail at something today, but don't fail at a five star review. And Jack and I will see you Wednesday. And then happy birthday to legendary yeti Vivian Pham from San Ramon, who's feeling it today because they're the best anesthesiologist out there, baby.

[B]

And happy birthday to Ana Ocean in Abuja, Nigeria, who also just launched a newsletter on AI.

[A]

There you go, Anna. Happy birthday. And Travis Schrou is celebrating the birthday in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Congratulations Travis.

[B]

And happy four year anniversary to Julian and Anoushe in Zurich, Switzerland. Four years ago they met at work in advertising.

[A]

And just a second, shout out to Dave Law and his fiance Alexis, who ended up sending us the pictures from their engagement on Yosemite that we asked for on the pod.

[B]

Those are the most wild landscape photography. Amazing day.

[A]

I don't know how you even do a wedding after that. The engagement took the show. Congrats guys.

[B]

This is Jack. Nick and I both own stock of Apple and Robinhood and I own stock in Reddit. If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcast Prime.

[A]

Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us a.

[B]

Little bit about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[A]

We want to get to know you.