🐉 “Pickachu hates AI” — Nintendo’s Pokemon surprise. Quince’s $10B dupe. Rivian’s Valley of Death. +Red Carpet secret

Summary

Podcast Summary — The Best One Yet (“Pikachu hates AI”: Nintendo’s Pokémon surprise; Quince’s $10B dupe; Rivian’s Valley of Death;+Red Carpet secret)

Date: March 16, 2026
Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell

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Episode Overview

Nick and Jack return to the studio after an adrenaline-fueled live show to deliver three top business stories of the day: Nintendo’s contrarian stance and Pokémon’s shock hit, Quince’s rise as a luxury dupe tech company, and Rivian's make-or-break R2 SUV launch. All are filtered through their signature TBOY pop-biz lens—fast, fresh, and packed with insider details you can easily drop at brunch.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Oscars Red Carpet: The Secret Business Drama

[01:37–03:10]

• Backstage insight: The industry’s most iconic red carpet is manufactured by Signature Systems Group in Georgia—same company, every year, for 19 years.
  • Quote: “It’s not a carpet? It’s a construction project.” — Jack [02:17]
• At 700 lbs and 900 hours to install, the actual color code is top-secret to prevent fakes.
• The entire carpet is destroyed immediately after the Oscars—no resale, no charity auction, no Facebook Marketplace.
  • Quote: “The red carpet of the Oscars, it is buried like a mafia boss.” — Nick [02:47]
• Lighthearted riff: Nick offers to haul it for free if the Academy wants.

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2. Nintendo’s Pokémon Pocopia: Zigging Against AI

[05:31–11:18]

• Nintendo Surges: Stock up 20% in March on the surprise smash of Pokémon Pocopia.
  • Franchise trivia: Pokémon is the highest-grossing franchise ever—out-earning Star Wars, Disney princesses, and more.
  • Quote: “It is Pokémon, which has more money than all of those combined. …Not combined, but still.” — Nick [06:50]
• Pocopia’s Pitch: Cozy town-building gameplay—think Animal Crossing over SimCity complexity. $70 per copy, anticipated to sell 15–20 million units (~$1.4B) [07:42].
• Viral Demand: So hot that Amazon raised prices to $80, a rare move.
  • “Profits gotta catch ‘em all.” — Nick [08:05]
• Inside scoop: Despite franchise fatigue elsewhere (Marvel, Star Wars), Nintendo’s IP continues to deliver without splashy marketing.
  • Unlike Disney, Nintendo created, not acquired, its hit properties.
• Contrarian on AI: While competitors like EA call AI ‘core,’ Shigeru Miyamoto is on record as saying Nintendo won’t use generative AI for its games.
  • Quote: “Nintendo would rather go in a different direction and not use any generative AI at the company for their games.” — Jack [10:59]
• Takeaway: Nintendo succeeds by zagging when others zig—refusing layoffs, resisting AI, and focusing on deep creative culture.
  • “Be the zag to everyone else’s zig.” — Jack [09:55]
  • “When the rest of the industry zigs, Nintendo zags even on AI.” — Nick [11:02]

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3. Quince: The $10B Luxury Dupe Tech Company

[11:18–15:14]

• Quince Overview: Fashion e-tailer Quince hits $10B valuation off $1B revenue—growing triple digits for seven years.
  • Quote: “Quince is now more valuable than Gap, Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Victoria’s Secret.” — Jack [12:26]
• How It Works: Copies of $300+ items (e.g., Reformation dresses) sold for $69.90 via direct-to-factory (DTF) sourcing—eliminating the middleman.
• Luxury Association: To offset reputation risk, Quince sells limited quantities of high-end items (caviar, gold bars, $3,000 rings) that sell out instantly.
  • “It’s luxury by association.” — Jack [13:32]
  • Model mimics Costco’s move with its Kirkland brand luxury drops—Quince ‘dupes’ the Kirkland business model too.
• Tech Company, Not Fashion Brand: More than half of Quince’s staff are software engineers. Only recently hired their first head of brand.
• Comparison: Both Quince and Skims posted $1B revenue, but Quince is valued twice as high due to its tech orientation.
  • “Quince is tech. It’s just dressed up like fashion.” — Nick [15:14]
• Takeaway: Companies ‘wear clothes’ too—Quince’s valuation reflects tech-industry multiples vs. fashion.

---

4. Rivian’s Make-or-Break R2: The Valley of Death or Tesla’s Triumph?

[17:26–22:06]

• Launch of R2 SUV: Rivian’s first mass-market car (“The Dinkmobile”): $58,000, lower-priced models at $45k.
  • Quote: “The stock is going to 0 or 100, Model 3 or DeLorean.” — Nick [22:37]
• Mission: Disrupt Tesla’s Model Y, become a truly mass-market EV brand.
• Headwinds: Affordability crunch, no U.S. tax credit for EV buyers (unlike Tesla’s early days), consumer spending down among key demo.
  • “We’re in the middle of a nationwide affordability crunch…and for the first time in a long time there is no tax incentive to buy an electric car.” — Jack [19:41]
• Factory Gamble: New Georgia gigafactory depends on R2 sales; if the R2 flops, the company is out of cash (“manufacturing hell” echoes Tesla’s Model 3 era).
• History Lesson: Tesla survived its “valley of death” with Model 3; DeLorean did not with its eponymous car.
  • “This R2 will either be Rivian’s Model 3 or it will be Rivian’s DeLorean.” — Jack [20:39]

---

Quick Hits / Other Notable Stories

[22:44–23:57]

• Universal Studios extends theatrical release window to 7 weeks (was 3 during pandemic, returns to 5 now, 7 next year).
• Bumble & Tinder both roll out new AI features; Bumble stock jumps 35% on news.
• Class action lawsuit: Dave’s protein bars allegedly understate calories—crisis management challenge.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The red carpet of the Oscars, it is buried like a mafia boss.” — Nick [02:47]
• “It is Pokémon, which has more money than all of those combined. …Not combined, but still.” — Nick [06:50]
• “Be the zag to everyone else’s zig.” — Jack [09:55]
• “When the rest of the industry zigs, Nintendo zags even on AI.” — Nick [11:02]
• “Quince is now more valuable than Gap, Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Victoria’s Secret.” — Jack [12:26]
• “Quince is tech. It’s just dressed up like fashion.” — Nick [15:14]
• “The stock is going to 0 or 100, Model 3 or DeLorean.” — Nick [22:37]
• “This R2 will either be Rivian’s Model 3 or it will be Rivian’s DeLorean.” — Jack [20:39]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:54 – Nintendo’s Pokémon Surprise & Anti-AI Philosophy
• 11:18 – Quince’s $10B Dupe and Tech Label
• 17:26 – Rivian’s Make-or-Break R2 SUV Launch
• 01:37 & 22:44 – Oscars Red Carpet & Quick Biz News Hits

---

Summary/Takeaways (as recapped by hosts at episode’s end)

• Nintendo: Soaring stock thanks to Pocopia; their cheat code is to zag against the industry—especially on AI.
• Quince: $10B private valuation reflects a tech company disguised as a fashion brand—luxury by association, rapid growth.
• Rivian: The new R2 SUV will make or break the company, echoing Tesla’s earlier peril and DeLorean’s historic flop.

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Closing Note

Banter, wit, and practical context are the backbone of TBOY. Whether it’s franchise economics, business model jujitsu, or a perfectly-timed Oscars reference, Nick and Jack make business news accessible, actionable, and fun.

Listeners are encouraged to:

• Share with a buddy (“HYHTBOY”)
• Rate & review the show
• Answer the weekly trivia on Spotify: What does “Brent” in Brent crude oil mean?

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Jack]

This is Nick, this is Jack.

[Nick]

Welcome back. It is Monday, March 16, and today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T boy.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

I mean, our voices have recovered from dc, but our emotions. Oh my God, what a show, man.

[Jack]

Our live show days are truly a full body, full day exercise.

[Nick]

I mean, this brings me back to like preseason, Jack.

[Jack]

We ended up at the bars until 1am with the TV.

[Nick]

I mean, the hugging, the amount of hugging. My arms are sore, my shoulders are sore. I haven't hugged so many people, so

[Jack]

many hugs, and so many wonderful conversations with our listeners.

[Nick]

After the show, Besties, thank you so much for coming and for hanging out for the entire evening.

[Jack]

We were taking selfies and getting to know you for an hour. That was before the after party across the street.

[Nick]

And it was all powered by adrenaline and lozenges. Jack, three fantastic stories for our first pod back. What do we got for the T boy?

[Jack]

For our first story, Nintendo Stock has surged 20% this month thanks to a surprise Pokemon. True, but the real surprise to us. What is it, Nick?

[Nick]

It's that Nintendo hate.

[Jack]

For our second story, Quince, the online fashion company just hit a $10 billion valuation for selling luxury dupes.

[Nick]

But you want to know who quints really copied? It's actually Costco.

[Jack]

And our third and final story, Rivian, is going through its scariest moment ever as a company.

[Nick]

Oh, boy. It's called the Valley of Death in the car industry. Tesla survived it, but will Rivian.

[Jack]

But yetis before we hit that wonderful mix of stories, I mean, what a

[Nick]

mix of stories to come back to. Love the podmix, Jack.

[Jack]

All right, who is the best dressed? Who was the worst dressed? Who had the best speech? Who had the worst speech?

[Nick]

Uh, did Leo get snubbed? I mean, what are we thinking, Jack?

[Jack]

Everyone's chatting Oscars right now.

[Nick]

Susie owe me 12 bucks for that one. You were wrong on Best Director.

[Jack]

But the biggest business drama to us about the Oscars, it wasn't on the red carpet.

[Nick]

No, no, it was the red carpet.

[Jack]

It was the red carpet. Because last night's red carpet has already been destroyed.

[Nick]

Get this. For 19 years, one single company has made the famous red Oscars carpet.

[Jack]

It's called Signature Systems Group, based in Dalton, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

[Nick]

It's the biggest order. It comes from the Academy. They'll have one red carpet, please.

[Jack]

They'll have the red carpet, please.

[Nick]

This thing weighs 700 pounds, requires 900 man hours to install.

[Jack]

It's not A carpet? It's a construction project.

[Nick]

Oh, and the color, Jack, what's the color?

[Jack]

Precisely. Top secret. They don't want duplicates to be created, so the exact color code is locked up.

[Nick]

But the wildest part of this rug ain't chaperone's red carpet dress.

[Jack]

Or lack thereof.

[Nick]

It's actually where the carpet ends up.

[Jack]

Because the day after the Academy Awards, the red carpet gets destroyed.

[Nick]

No joke. This thing, it is a one hit rug wonder.

[Jack]

It's a one hit under.

[Nick]

I mean, do they cut it up and auction it off to charity, Jack?

[Jack]

Did they try putting it on Facebook?

[Nick]

Marketplace?

[Jack]

No.

[Nick]

The red carpet of the Oscars, it is buried like a mafia boss.

[Jack]

Hey, Academy, I'm doing a house renovation. Yeah, like I'll come pick it up for you and bring and haul it away for free.

[Nick]

We'll roll it up while you haul this thing. We'll take care of it for you. Just give us the ring, baby.

[Jack]

You can write it off as a donation too.

[Nick]

Have your people call our people. We'll make it happen.

[Jack]

Best tragedy. Except the red carpet gets destroyed. She wasn't Hamnet.

[Nick]

Yeah. Three stories. 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.

[Jack]

Nick.

[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 list. If you know, you know. Cause we read to go. We can't wait. No mo. So just start the show. Start the show. Oh, stop the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor. Top hats, Baseball hats, Von Dutch hats. We wear so many hats on this podcast. Honestly, we're not great at all of them.

[Jack]

No, we've been avoiding hiring someone to wear those hats instead of us. Especially the Von Dutch one. Because hiring and training can take forever.

[Nick]

Well, proud to say that we are hiring right now, AT T boy. And this is a job for indeed sponsored jobs.

[Jack]

Because sponsored jobs posted directly on indeed are are 95% more likely to report a hire than non sponsored jobs.

[Nick]

So besties spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results.

[Jack]

When you need the right person to cut through the chaos. This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs.

[Nick]

And listeners of the show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast.

[Jack]

So just go to Indeed.com podcast right now. And support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

[Nick]

That's indeed.com podc terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored jobs. So yet he's Jack's instituted a new business model for his Airbnb hosting. And Jack, what is it? Here it is.

[Jack]

Host equals guest.

[Nick]

Yes.

[Jack]

I funnel all my revenue from being a host on Airbnb into one bank account and use that same bank account to book travel for myself.

[Nick]

Basically, it's Jack's host guest bank account for when he hosts and when he's a guest somewhere else.

[Jack]

When I lived in the City Neck, every time my apartment was available on Airbnb, it would get booked like that.

[Nick]

I mean, think about how often are you away from you got the bridesmaid, you got the shower, you got the bachelorette, you got the wedding.

[Jack]

That's three weekends away just for one wedding right there. Plus, you got to visit your mother, naturally.

[Nick]

Well, that's a lot of potential hosting that you could be doing on Airbnb. Let someone else stay at your place while you're away.

[Jack]

Take that host money and spend it when you're a guest somewhere else. Have a business model like me.

[Nick]

If you want to travel more. Hosting more is a great way to make it happen Financially. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host for our first story. Nintendo stock has surged 20% this month because Pokemon is the gift that keeps on shockingly giving, baby.

[Jack]

And because Nintendo is the most contrarian company in all of tech.

[Nick]

Wait till you hear what they think of AI. But besties, let's sprinkle on some context. Anthropic. They're getting all the attention these days. OpenAI is getting all the shade. And Zuck is just copying whatever Snap

[Jack]

stills does or TikTok. Whatever they're doing, Zuck's doing too.

[Nick]

Whatever they're doing too. But the most unique and interesting company in tech we think is actually Nintendo. Cha Ching. Hands down, because Da da da da

[Jack]

da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da. Super Mario. Oh, you must have been a Sega Genesis guy.

[Nick]

It all sounds like Yoshi to Knee Jack. But 30 years ago, Nintendo took a risk in 96 to launch something called Pocket Monsters, aka Pokemon. That's right. And those Pocket Monsters, aka Pokemon became the most successful franchise of all time.

[Jack]

This is a great trivia question. What's the most successful franchise of all time in terms of revenue? It's not Star Wars. Not Mickey Mouse, not Harry Potter, not Disney princesses.

[Nick]

No, it is Pokemon, which has more money than all of those combined.

[Jack]

Not combined, but still.

[Nick]

You know what we mean. And almost exactly 30 years later, Pokemon continues to bring the American cheddar back to Japan.

[Jack]

Because on my birthday, March 5th, just about two weeks ago, Nintendo launched Pokemon Pocopia. Yeah.

[Nick]

And you can see where this is going.

[Jack]

Let's push play on the trailer for this new video game.

[Nick]

In this desolate world, humans and Pokemon have vanished. Oh, a Ditto transformed to look like a human. And a unique looking tan growth. They decided to build a new town. Sounds adorable, sounds cute. And it sounds also like this because

[Jack]

this game where you build a town as a character named Ditto, it retails for 70 bucks a pop.

[Nick]

And sales have been so good over the last two weeks that one analyst at Morningstar thinks it's gonna bring in 15 to 20 million copies.

[Jack]

And at 70 bucks each, that's $1.4 billion of sales for Nintendo for a

[Nick]

game that nobody thought would even be a hit.

[Jack]

Pokemon demand is so high right now, Amazon had to raise the price of this game to 80 bu. Something they never do.

[Nick]

Profits gotta catch em all.

[Jack]

And the game is so viral, it's expected to drive millions of purchases of the Switch 2 gaming console too.

[Nick]

I just squirtled on my caterpie when I heard that. That sounds inappropriate, but it's not. So to sprinkle on even more context, Pokemon's Pocopia. It's like SimCity in that you build a city, right, Jack?

[Jack]

But it's much lazier than SimCity because SimCity requires you build infrastructure, levy taxes, oversee a whole metropolis like a mayor.

[Nick]

But Pokemon's new Pocopia game is more like Animal crossing the st. Oh, they are way lower.

[Jack]

As that little main character, your job is just to create like a harmonious recess area for charizards to relax in peace with Snorlax.

[Nick]

It's a cozy life simulation game. And you know what? That is hugely trending right now.

[Jack]

But the real reason Pokemon's new game is such a surprise hit is that it's a spinoff game. It's not a Pokemon flagship game.

[Nick]

That's right. That's the key business angle here. It's gaming's equivalent of a direct to DVD movie, right?

[Jack]

Yeah. Pokemon Pokeopia didn't get red carpet treatment with all the fancy marketing doll in the TV commercials.

[Nick]

And here's why that's important. It's proof how valuable Nintendo's core IP

[Jack]

its intellectual Property really is using the Pokemon ip, Nintendo can create sequels, prequels, spinoffs, and sell a bunch of units. It can do it with Mario, it can do it with Zelda, it can

[Nick]

do it with Star Fox without even getting off the couch. Now, outside of Nintendo, from Hollywood to video games, we're seeing franchise fatigue out there. You know what we're talking about?

[Jack]

Disney's Marvel superheroes, Star wars droids. They ain't growing like they used to, but Nintendo's Pokemons are.

[Nick]

And unlike most of Disney's ip, Nintendo didn't acquire it. Nintendo created it.

[Jack]

Nick, I just said Pokemon and pluralized it by adding an S. I'm gonna get a bunch of comments. Probably that Pikachu is gonna rip us

[Nick]

in the comment section. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Nintendo?

[Jack]

It's Nintendo's cheat code, actually. Be the zag to everyone else's zig.

[Nick]

Now, Yetis, Jack and I dove in T boy style intensely to do research on Nintendo for our deep dive episode on the best idea yet about Super Mario Translation.

[Jack]

We grabbed Our Super Nintendo 64 from the attic and we played a bunch of Mario Kart.

[Nick]

Oh, we went through a lot of earnings reports. Our favorite nugget here from Nintendo is the refusal to lay off people during hard economic times.

[Jack]

Here's what Nintendo was thinking. That creativity flourishes only when workers are feeling psychologically safe. It doesn't work if they're feeling they're going to get laid off.

[Nick]

And that strategy is called the infinite game. Well, Nintendo also just announced a new AI policy that we think is cut from the same controller.

[Jack]

Nintendo is being similarly contrarian with AI as they were being with layoffs.

[Nick]

Unlike every American tech company, Nintendo not into AI.

[Jack]

Look at Electronic Arts, America's biggest video game company. They just sold for the record amount. And they say that AI is at the very core of their business.

[Nick]

But on the other hand, Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, he says Nintendo would rather go in a different direction and not use

[Jack]

any generative AI at the company for their games.

[Nick]

And that is Nintendo's cheat code. When the rest of the industry zigs, Nintendo zags even on AI.

[Jack]

And if you're working at a different company and you want to employ this cheat code, just push up, down, left, right, A, B, a B, ab, up, down, y, left, joystick.

[Nick]

For our second story, Quinte just hit a $10 billion valuation for selling dupes of every luxury fashion brand.

[Jack]

Quint's copied its way to the top, thanks to cashmere candles, but also caviar.

[Nick]

And it also brings a lesson about skims. Ah, Quintz. Jack, if you had to sprinkle on some context and describe Quinte to us, how would you present it?

[Jack]

Please? It's the luxury version of Shein. Quince is Temu, but for Cartier besties.

[Nick]

The online retailer Quince actually did $1 billion in revenue last year selling fancy dupes.

[Jack]

Their Strategy? Copy the $300 Reformation dress, but somehow sell it not for $300, but for $69.90.

[Nick]

And Jack, what's the secret sauce to pulling off that level of luxury dupe?

[Jack]

Their business model is DTF Direct to

[Nick]

factory that new dress directly to you from their Chinese factory.

[Jack]

By cutting out the middlemen, they can reduce cost and ultimately lower price.

[Nick]

And the result? Quintus has joined triple digit growth every single year for seven straight years now.

[Jack]

And they announced last week a brand new fundraise that brings them to the 11 digit club in terms of valuation.

[Nick]

10 billion bucks. That is more than Lyft. Actually, that's more than a lot of things in your wardrobe, Jack.

[Jack]

Quince is now more valuable than the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle and Victoria's Secret.

[Nick]

But there is one fascinating key here, and that is the caviar strategy.

[Jack]

Because Quints, a fashion brand, randomly sells you caviar once in a while.

[Nick]

And here's the reason why. Selling $40 cashmere sweaters and cheap luxury dupes, that's actually kind of a reputation risk.

[Jack]

No matter how high the quality of the stitching and the quality of the fabric, Quince could become associated with cheapness.

[Nick]

So one strategic move made to combat that, that is the limited luxury drop which Quince has pioneered.

[Jack]

Over the holidays, quince was selling $3,000 diamond rings.

[Nick]

I mean, last year they also sold a $4,000 gold bar.

[Jack]

Right now, Quince is selling $100 tins of the highest grade caviar that you typically have to pay 300 bucks for.

[Nick]

Yeah, we're talking Royal Osetra caviar, which is what my mom is power using right now.

[Jack]

Jack, none of those limited time drops are fashion products, but they all sell out. And there's no updates from the company on when or if they'll ever be restocked.

[Nick]

And that's exactly the point, because now you associate Quince's brand with caviar, even if they only sell it one month out of the year.

[Jack]

It's luxury by association. When you think of Quince, you don't think of the guy on Canal street opening up a suitcase and offering you fake watches.

[Nick]

Definitely not.

[Jack]

You think of that night you tried your first caviar because your mom bought you some on Quint's.

[Nick]

But funny thing, we did say Quint's pioneered this. But Jack and I have actually seen this strategy before. Have we not Jack?

[Jack]

Costco kind of does this too. Their Kirkland brand also does random caviar drops as well as well as gold bars that sell out instantly.

[Nick]

And the same point here, they up level your impression of Kirkland. Overall. It's again luxury by association.

[Jack]

So it looks like Quince duped Costco's business model while duping Fashion's products.

[Nick]

So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Quint's?

[Jack]

Companies wear clothing too.

[Nick]

Interesting detail Yetis Quint's is doing $1 billion in revenue, but they're worth $10 billion in valuation. And you know what? We have a very close comp for that.

[Jack]

Skims also recently announced they did $1 billion of revenue last year, but they were valued not at $10 billion like quints. Skims is valued at $5 billion.

[Nick]

So why is quints two times more valuable than Kim Kardashian Skims despite having the same sales numbers?

[Jack]

It's because Skims is a clothing brand but Quint's is a tech company.

[Nick]

That's right. Last year when we first covered Quint's, we noticed that more than half their employees are actually software engineers.

[Jack]

If you look at the jobs website right now, the last five positions listed in the US are tech related.

[Nick]

This is a seven year old fashion business that only hired their first head of brand just a few weeks ago.

[Jack]

Clearly the investor community considers Quints a tech company, not a fashion company and their valuation reflects that.

[Nick]

And tech is higher growth and has better margins than the apparel industry.

[Jack]

So Quints has the long term profit upside of being a tech company. Skim's profit is limited by it being a clothing company.

[Nick]

Besties add it all up. And companies wear clothing too. Quint's is tech. It's just dressed up like fashion. Now a quick word from our sponsor, Monarch.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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I had no idea what it was, Jack.

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[Jack]

some context because news doesn't mean anything if you don't have a sense of the history, the competitive situation, etc.

[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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tboy the guy is free to use at netsuite.com tboy netsuite.com, For our third and final story. Moravian just launched their first ever mass market SUV, the R2. Their first ever DinkMobile.

[Jack]

And this new model's job. Eh, no big deal. Save Rivian. This car will determine if Rivian Stock goes to 0 or goes to 100.

[Nick]

Oh, Yeti. South by Southwest going on now in Austin. And Jack, who's the sponsor again, Rivian.

[Jack]

It's expensive, it's outdoorsy, chic, and it's VC backed like all of south by

[Nick]

Southwest, the only car company that pairs well with a Canada goose vest twice.

[Jack]

Well, Rivian also just announced the price of their big mass market car, the R2.

[Nick]

Ah, the R2, the midsize SUV, the shape of a sneaker that cost 58,000 bucks. Delivering this spring.

[Jack]

Lower priced versions of this new car roll up next year, starting at as low as $45,000. And we think it's a big deal this launch because outside of the Model Y, there isn't really a sexy high selling electric car that's mass market.

[Nick]

We actually covered the launch of Rivian's R2 last year. We called it the Dink Mobile. And why is that, Jack?

[Jack]

It fits in a Brooklyn garage and is perfect for a couple living in a city.

[Nick]

But this R2, this new midsize SUV from Rivian, it's basically half the price of the R1, but offers 80% of the value. Designed for a dink.

[Jack]

And Rivian's goal, this lower priced car, is to disrupt itself. Help Rivian go from an expensive niche company to a mass market electric car company like Tesla.

[Nick]

Also trying to disrupt Tesla's Model Y, which is Tesla's version of the Dinkmobile, which also, full disclosure, I happen to drive.

[Jack]

Oh, by the way, how is Rivian getting 80% of the car for half the price? This R2 is shorter, narrower and simpler. Help us, R2. You're our only hope. I wonder, is it supposed to sound like R2D2?

[Nick]

Well, it better save the company, Jack, because Yetis, as Jack and I learned from watching Forrest Co multiple times, life is all about timing.

[Jack]

Very Oscars weekend. Appropriate of you to go from Star wars to Forrest gump in like 10 seconds.

[Nick]

It all comes full circle, Jack. But timing is really what business all comes down to.

[Jack]

And the timing of this launch is bad.

[Nick]

Oh, yes, it is for Rivian.

[Jack]

We're in the middle of a nationwide affordability crunch, and for the first time in a long time, there is no tax incentive to buy an electric car.

[Nick]

Yeah, the vibes ain't vibing on demand for this kind of stuff. You see, for 13 years, Tesla benefited from government incentives. A $7,500 credit per electric car sold.

[Jack]

But after the big beautiful bill passed last year, this is the first big electric car to launch without that government Incentive.

[Nick]

Oh, plus, Jack, in this economy, Kale

[Jack]

collared workers like dinks are cutting back on trips to Cabo. They're probably not going to splurge on a new car. And if they do, maybe not a

[Nick]

$58,000 one now, maybe spike in oil prices from the war in Iran will boost appeal for an electric vehicle.

[Jack]

But here's the kicker. Now Rivian is in the middle of construction of a big new factory in Georgia that will 10x the production of Rivian.

[Nick]

But Jack, that factory will only have enough money to be built if enough people buy this R2 car.

[Jack]

Which leads to the huge takeaway.

[Nick]

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Rivian?

[Jack]

This R2 will either be Rivian's Model 3 or it will be Rivian's DeLorean.

[Nick]

Yetis, the CEO of Rivian, RJ Scaringe, said last week that this car, this R2, it was a make or break product.

[Jack]

Well, 10 years ago, Tesla had their make or break moment. For Tesla, it was the launch of the Model 3. Their first mass market car.

[Nick]

Yes, their first real affordable electric car. Elon called that Model 3 launch manufacturing hell, though. He had to sleep on the factory floor just to make it happen.

[Jack]

Why would he sleep on the factory floor? Because Tesla was unprofitable. It was running out of money. He needed cars to roll off the assembly line that he could sell as soon as as possible.

[Nick]

Well, 10 years later, Rivian is now going through the same manufacturing hell. They must succeed with the R2 or they'll run out of money.

[Jack]

And the run out of money scenario, that reminds us of the DeLorean from the 1980s.

[Nick]

Yeah, the DeLorean, the car made famous by Back to the Future. That was also a make or break product. And you know what? It didn't sell and the company was bankrupt.

[Jack]

Two years later, DeLorean launched one product, the DeLorean. And then the DeLorean was done for.

[Nick]

That was it. So the R2, it'll make or break Rivian, and its stock is either gonna go to 0 or 100 bucks as a result.

[Jack]

0 if the R2 doesn't make enough money to build that factory in Georgia.

[Nick]

100.

[Jack]

If it does, this critical new car launch will either be Rivian's Model 3 or it will be Rivian's DeLorean.

[Nick]

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

[Jack]

Nintendo stock has soared 18% since launching Pokemon Pocopia two weeks ago.

[Nick]

And it all goes back to Nintendo's Cheat Code everyone else's aging. Megan, you got a zig.

[Jack]

For our second story, Quints just reported a billion dollars in sales and is valued in the private market at $10 billion.

[Nick]

Quints? It's worth twice as much as Skims because it's a tech company wearing fashion clothes.

[Jack]

And our third and final story. Rivian has been stuck at 50,000 cars sold and losing money for five years. It needs to go mass market.

[Nick]

And that's why this R2 is their make or break moment. The Stock's going to 0 or 100, Model 3 or DeLorean.

[Jack]

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

[Nick]

Today, Universal Studios is extending the theatrical window to seven weeks for films to watch in the theaters.

[Jack]

During the pandemic, Studios let you rent movies on streaming just three weeks after they premiered in the movie theaters.

[Nick]

This is a big deal. Universal is reversing that. They're going Back to the five weeks starting now, seven weeks starting next year.

[Jack]

Second, an awkward date situation. Bumble and Tinder both announced AI initiatives last week on the same day.

[Nick]

Bumble jumped 35% last week on word of an AI matchmaking service they just debuted.

[Jack]

And Tinder is using AI to assess potential chemistry with the person that you're swiping on.

[Nick]

Finally, David Barr was sued in a class action lawsuit for allegedly understating the calories in their protein bars.

[Jack]

That question is the secret protein ingredient that only David controls because they acquired the lab that makes it so, the lawsuit alleges.

[Nick]

David, protein bars are nearly twice as caloric and twice as fatty as they advertise in the nutrition label.

[Jack]

But David stands by their numbers and

[Nick]

it's a story on crisis management. So if you want us to cover it on the pod, drop it in the comments. Now time for the best fact yet. Which to kick off the week is some T boy trivia. Jack, what do we got?

[Jack]

With the war in Iran, everyone's been focused on the oil market, specifically Brent crude oil, which is the global price of oil.

[Nick]

But Jack and I were curious. Where does the term Brent Crude Oil actually come from?

[Jack]

So our T boy trivia for today is Brent referring to a person who

[Nick]

discovered the oil, Brent referring to the name of a place where the oil is, or is Brent the name of a type of food? Basically, multiple choice. Where does the name Brent come from in Brent crude oil? That's the poll on Spotify. Drop your answers now. We'll give them tomorrow. Yetis, you're looking fantastic. To kick off the week. Jack, you're still schmitzing from the live show in dc. That was a workout man.

[Jack]

Yetis, if you went to that live show, here's our favorite request. Send the show to a buddy because

[Nick]

that helps us grow H y H t B o y that's the best way to grow the pod. Also drop down and give us a five star rating and review. We love reading them and it also

[Jack]

helps grow the pod. And if you're watching on YouTube, destroy that subscribe button.

[Nick]

Jack and I will see you tomorrow. If you know, you know. And before we go, some belated birthday shout outs. A happy 28th birthday to Yeti Sean Paul Lee in Pedaling, Jaya, Malaysia.

[Jack]

Happy Birthday to Brian Stewart in Conroe,

[Nick]

Texas and Reem Fayyad is turning 22 years old down in Morrisville, North Carolina.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Jackie Chodo in Hurricane, Utah.

[Nick]

And Harrison Langford, the Math Olympiad Jiu Jitsu wrestling skiing champion in Salt Lake City has got the best birthday yet.

[Jack]

Happy Birthday to Jimmy Gillespie just outside

[Nick]

Salt Lake City and Hun Phan down in Houston, Texas have a best birthday yet.

[Jack]

Happy 40th birthday to Gary Pentanhoe in

[Nick]

Camarillo, California and Rebecca Sousa also enjoying a 40th down in Rockville, Maryland.

[Jack]

And happy birthday to Pat Milo in Weehawken, New Jersey, his last birthday before becoming a father.

[Nick]

And Kristen down in Orlando, Florida is the Benson Boone fan who got the whole company on T Boy and celebrates the birthday today.

[Jack]

Thank you so much for that Kristen.

[Nick]

And Geronimo Neri, the future finance bro and soccer legend is turning 10 down in South Miami. Have a fantastic party this week, Geronimo.

[Jack]

And happy birthday to Priya Kelly who's

[Nick]

got a new baby coming in North

[Jack]

Carolina and is hoping, fingers crossed for a girl. Although a boy would be epic too

[Nick]

and enjoy that birthday. And Mark Jamalva over in Chicago is doing logistics, took his brother's advice and became a yeti and has now got the best birthday yet.

[Jack]

And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T boy.

[Nick]

Celebrate the wins.

[Jack]

This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching your insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money. When you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.