📺 “TBOY on CNN” — Our 5 Big Biz Trends of 2025 & 2026

Summary

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The Best One Yet – “TBOY on CNN”

Hosts: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell (Nick & Jack Studios)
Air Date: December 29, 2025
Episode Focus: The 5 Big Business Trends of 2025 & 2026

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Episode Overview

In a special crossover, TBOY hosts Jack and Nick join CNN’s Boris and Brianna for a spirited discussion about the biggest business trends of 2025 and their bold predictions for 2026. From self-driving car spectacles to IPO booms, corporate comebacks, and the rise of “dupe” department stores, the hosts break down what shaped the year in business and what’s poised to disrupt the next. The episode is fast-paced, full of high-energy banter, quirky analogies, and punchy insights.

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Key Discussion Points

1. The Self-Driving Car Tipping Point

(01:23–03:01)

• 2025 as “the year self-driving finally arrived at its destination” (01:23, Jack)
  • Rapid expansion: Waymo grows from 5 to 20 more cities next year.
  • Tesla Robo-taxis and Amazon’s Zoox are expanding, notably in San Francisco and Las Vegas.
• Unexpected impact: Beyond tech, 2026 might see "the first self-driving hotel."
  • Jack predicts “red eye robo taxi rides”—overnight trips where you sleep in a car in one city, wake up in another.
  • These public spectacles are crucial to win over skeptics, referencing how elephants were once marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to prove its sturdiness (02:28, Jack).
• Quote:

  “A CEO is gonna live stream his eight hour snooze on YouTube going from San Francisco to Las Vegas in a red eye robo taxi ride.”
  —Jack (02:49)

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2. The Coming “IPO Looza”

(03:19–04:53)

• 2026 = The year of mega IPOs.
  • Nick coins "IPO Looza": expects a deluge of massive tech IPOs.
  • SpaceX, with a potential trillion-dollar valuation, and AI companies (Anthropic, OpenAI) are likely to go public.
  • Competition intensifies over attractive ticker symbols (“MARS” for SpaceX and “GPT” for an AI giant).
  • “We’re looking at potentially $5 trillion worth of size—3 to $5 trillion—for the first time in public markets.” (04:08, Nick)
• Kim Kardashian’s Skims as a “culturally exciting” IPO:
  • Valued privately at $5B, adding 18 new stores.
  • Suggested ticker: KIM.
  • Memorable moment:

    “That’s faster than Kris Jenner can get a facelift.”
    —Jack (04:42)

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3. Big Brand Bounce-Backs: Nike & Starbucks

(05:09–07:09)

• Both brands suffered stock declines and face intense competition.
• Nike’s opportunity: enter hospitality by launching branded resorts.
  • Cites LVMH’s hotel ventures and Restoration Hardware’s pivot to hospitality.
  • Quote:

    “Nike could convince a skeptical public with a big public spectacle. The Nike Hotel Resort. It’s all about fitness... the ultimate gym to try out all that gear.”
    —Jack (06:34)

• New CEOs (Nike: “Elliot”) now have a chance to reverse the companies’ fortunes.
• Bantery correction:
  • Boris quips about the “darkest before the dawn” idiom, leading to good-natured Batman jokes.

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4. The Year of Affordability and the “Thrift Economy”

(07:22–09:19)

• 2025 business word of the year: “Trillion” (07:38, Nick)
  • Nvidia’s $5T valuation, trillion-dollar pay for Elon Musk, massive AI investments.
• A “K-shaped” economy: Some thrive on affordability.
  • Carvana, Walmart, TJ Maxx hit all-time stock highs.
  • Rise of resale platforms: TheRealReal, ThredUp (up 500% this year).
  • Growing trend: Americans making money by selling used designer fashion.
• Corporate response:
  • Slate Automotive to launch $25,000 electric pickups.
  • Rivian, GM, Ford shift focus to affordable EVs.
  • Anticipate influx of Chinese consumer brands (BYD, Luckin Coffee, Michue).
  • Luckin Coffee’s New York expansion undercuts Starbucks.

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5. Prediction: The Rise of the “Dupartment Store”

(09:19–end)

• A new brick-and-mortar retail format: stores selling only dupes (lookalike or lower-priced versions of hot brands).
• Inspiration: The “Trader Joe’s of everything”— value, private-label products spanning fashion, electronics, bubble tea, coffee.
  • “A store filled with products at 80% of the value for 20% of the price.” (09:41, Nick)
• Boris loves the idea, especially if bubble tea is involved—a playful end to the segment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Public Spectacle for Self-Driving Cars:

  “To convince a skeptical public that self-driving cars are actually safe, you need a public spectacle. And a red eye robo taxi ride is just that.”
  —Jack (01:59)

• Brooklyn Bridge Elephant Analogy:

  “They called up the Ringling Brothers Circus and got a dozen elephants in broad daylight to walk across the bridge.”
  —Jack (02:28)

• IPO Ticker Symbol Wars:

  “Who is going to get the stock tickers for MARS?... And who’s going to get the ticker symbol so coveted: GPT?”
  —Nick (03:55)

• Skims & Kris Jenner Joke:

  “That’s faster than Kris Jenner can get a facelift.”
  —Jack (04:42)

• On Nike's Comeback:

  “Nike could convince a skeptical public with a big public spectacle. The Nike Hotel Resort.”
  —Jack (06:34)

• On Affordability:

  “You do have a K shaped economy here... One of the most popular stories Jack and I did... was on Americans buying and selling Gucci and Louis Vuitton, trading clothes to make money off of them from their closets.”
  —Nick (07:55)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:44–01:23 — CNN hosts intro; trend topic preview
• 01:23–03:01 — Self-driving car and “self-driving hotel” spectacle prediction
• 03:19–04:53 — “IPO Looza”: Big tech IPO predictions and ticker symbol wars
• 05:09–07:09 — Nike and Starbucks comeback strategies
• 07:22–09:19 — The “Thrift Economy” and corporate responses to affordability demands
• 09:19–10:09 — The “Dupartment Store” trend prediction

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Summary

This energetic episode uses a blend of sharp business analysis, playful banter, and colorful analogies to forecast the biggest trends anticipated for 2026. Jack and Nick’s standouts include theatrical public tests for self-driving vehicles, earth-shattering IPOs (both in size and culture), major consumer brand turnarounds, the power of the thrift economy, and a creative take on affordable, “dupe”-centered retail. The TBOY team’s lively delivery, memorable stories, and market optimism provide a brisk yet comprehensive roadmap for business watchers heading into the new year.

Transcript

[Nick Martell]

Yetis, Nick and Jack here with you from the T Boy studio.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

A couple of weeks ago, Nick and I recorded a segment on cnn. Yeah, Cable news network. We went old school for this one.

[Nick Martell]

Lights, camera, action.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

We did a hit for their Christmas Eve special and we loved it so much, we asked if we could publish it right here on the pod.

[Nick Martell]

And then Jack and I were in front of our Christmas trees watching this thing live on cnn. And hopefully you did too.

[Brianna]

We were on tv and if you.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Want to see it, you can check out our YouTube or you can just listen right here.

[Nick Martell]

Because in this mini episode we're publishing for you, we got to chat with CNN about the business highlights of 2025 and what to expect in 2026.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

We had a lot of fun on camera, so we wanted to share it with the besties and Yetis right here.

[Nick Martell]

All right, Jack, hair and makeup, ready to go.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Push and play.

[Nick Martell]

T Boy hit CNN.

[Boris]

2025 was a big year for business. From soaring stocks to a surge in investment into AI by tech companies, to the struggles of Americans with persistent inflation.

[Brianna]

What happens on Wall street matters more than ever to Main Street. So what does 2026 have in store? Jack Kavici Kramer and Nick Martell are the hosts of the Best One yet business podcast and they join us now. So, fellas, thanks so much for being with us. Let's talk trends for next year. You all have said that you see some trends that could develop into the new year, including self driving cars. Waymo is planning an expansion to more cities next year. How do you see that playing out?

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Jack, Merry Christmas Eve. Boris and Brianna, great to be here. 2025 was the year that self driving finally arrived at its destination. Right, Nick?

[Nick Martell]

Okay. Yeah. Here in San Francisco, you got Waymo, five cities. It's expanded to 20 more planned for next year. You got Tesla Robo taxis. Catching up. I took one to work today to get to this studio. You got Amazon, Zoox already in Las Vegas and San Francisco, Robo taxis are expanding next year at a pace that was not expected. But here's what Jack and I think is even less expected. And it's gonna be a public attention win for the robo taxi industry. What do we got, Jack?

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Our 2026 kind of eccentric prediction is the first self driving hotel. We're talking red eye robo taxi rides. So you go to sleep in your self driving car in one city and you wake up in another. Because to convince a skeptical public that self driving cars are actually safe, you need a public spectacle and a red Eye robo taxi ride is just that.

[Boris]

I kind of like that it's a good idea. I've had to do something similar in, you know, moving between stories at times.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Brianna, this is actually inspired by a book we read about the Brooklyn Bridge. So when they built that bridge across the East River, New Yorkers didn't believe it's possible that such a gigantic spanning bridge could hold people. So they called up the Ringling Brothers Circus and got a dozen elephants in broad daylight to walk across the bridge. That's the kind of public spectacle that we think Americans are gonna need to believe that self driving cars are safe. So a CEO is gonna live stream his eight hour snooze on YouTube going from San Francisco to Las Vegas in a red eye robo taxi ride.

[Boris]

Or maybe they can just move an elephant city to city in a robo taxi. I would like that. I like what you're paying homage to. I think that would be excellent. Okay, so, Nick, big deals were also the norm this year, especially for tech companies. And you think we could see some giant IPOs in 2026?

[Nick Martell]

Who.

[Boris]

How much are we talking about? What do you think?

[Nick Martell]

We are talking, Brian, about something Jack and I call IPO Looza. IPO, of course, standing for initial public offering in 2026. Jack and I think it stands for initial public outburst because there are going to be more IPOs in 2026 of bigger size than since there was an actual wall on Wall Street. First up, everyone is focusing on the trillion dollar valuation of a SpaceX IPO. Then you've got people focusing on anthropic and OpenAI, the first pure play AI hyperscalers going public. So we think there's going to be a battle and this is going to be the key word next year over ticker symbols. Who is going to get the stock tickers for Mars? SpaceX is going to jump on that. And who's going to get the ticker symbol so coveted GPT. It's going to be anthropic or it's going to be OpenAI. One of them is going to go public first and snag that and we're looking at potentially $5 trillion worth of size 3 to $5 trillion for the first time in public markets.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

IPO, Nick, everyone's talking about Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Kim Kardashian may be the most culturally exciting ipo. If it happens with skims. Ticker symbol for that's got to be Kim. They're selling a billion dollars of merchandise right now, which has grown so fast, their private market valuation is five times that, $5 billion. They're adding 18 new stores in 2026. That's faster than Kris Jenner can get a facelift. If skims hit the stock market, that might be even more exciting than SpaceX.

[Brianna]

Those ticker symbols are obviously going to carry a lot of meaning and weight and influence at the same time. Other companies, though, are hitting rough patches. Some are looking to rebound with new CEOs. Who do you all see having a bounce back year in 2026? Starting with you, Jack.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

So two iconic brands, one of which Nick owns stock in. Sorry, Nick. Have hit their darkest moments in decades. We're talking about Nike and Starbucks. Both have new CEOs, both have had deep stock market declines this year, and both have a ton of new competition. But the question is, to quote Batman, is the night darkest before the dawn? Are Nike and Starbucks going to have big comebacks in 2026? We think the stage is set for that, yes.

[Nick Martell]

They seem to have hit lows. And so Jack and I have been working on what can they do to lean into megatrends right now. Macro trends to boost the stocks. And to start with Nike, we see a huge opportunity in hospitality. You look at the hospitality industry in 2025, it thrived despite what may be happening in the economy for many Americans. You've got Louis Vuitton and other fashion brands, hotels, that was unexpected. You've got Restoration Hardware doubling down as a company that makes home goods on hotels. So we think there's an opportunity for Nike to expand into resorts, to build back the brand by going in full on hospitality, which is the ultimate expression of a brand and the best way to experience a brand. So we think Nike can stage a comeback. Remember, they got a new CEO, Elliot. He's been there for about a year now. He can finally, now that he's done his cost cutting, you can finally start investing where the company has done things that it hasn't done before. And we think the first opportunity is in Nike hospitality. Just do it.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Yeah. Again, we have a skeptical public that isn't sure that Nike is cutting edge when it comes to performance. Brooks on running hoka. They've all kind of taken the lead in this running shoe race. But Nike could convince a skeptical public with a big public spectacle. The Nike Hotel Resort. It's all about fitness. Cutting edge materials, functional health, a wardrobe. When you walk into the hotel room full, full of all your Nike gear and the size that you told them ahead, the ultimate gym to try out all that gear. So look, it might be a little bit of a crazy PR stunt, but that would get our attention and we'd be like, whoa, Nike is back, baby.

[Boris]

I like your big ideas, and I don't mean to quibble with Batman, but it's not darkest before the dawn. That's pre dawn. It gets lighter right before the dawn. But, you know, nonetheless, I think we would welcome that. Maybe for both of those companies.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

I'm gonna check with Commissioner Gordon on that.

[Boris]

Yeah, check. I would. I think he's gonna back me up. So, Nick, affordability. I mean, that's what everyone throws around here in politics. In Washington, that is like the word of the moment. How could that be impacting businesses next year?

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, Brianna, the word of the year on Wall street was trillion. Jack and I said the word trillion more times this year than we have in any other year.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

As in Nvidia hit a $5 trillion valuation. Elon Musk got a trillion dollar pay package. Sam Altman announced $1 trillion of AI data centers.

[Nick Martell]

But you do have a K shaped economy here. So what we also saw this past year was that Carvana, Walmart, TJ Maxx, their stocks hit all time highs. It's something Jack and I call the thrift economy. The real real where you can buy and sell secondhand clothes. Their stock jumped. Get this, Thredup stock was up nearly 500% this year. One of the most popular stories Jack and I did in our podcast this year was on Americans buying and selling Gucci and Louis Vuitton, trading clothes to make money off of them from their closets. So this thrift concept was a big theme of the previous year. So, Jack, what are we going to be looking forward to next year to build off the thrift economy?

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Yeah, looking backwards, we've had three and a half painful years of inflation and people demanding lower prices. Will 2026 be the year that businesses actually offer us lower prices? We've been tracking Slate Automotive, which is bringing to market a $25,000 electric pickup truck. Rivian and General Motors and Ford too. They seem to realize that affordability is top of mind when it comes to cars. No more $50,000 new cars anymore. Give us something a little cheaper. We're also expecting to see the rise of Chinese brands hitting American markets in 2026. Maybe BYD vehicles finally hit the road. Michue has a bubble tea craze that's going nuts in China. Luckin Coffee, which undercut Starbucks in China. It's already in New York City and has big expansion plans here.

[Nick Martell]

Too. And that leads to a big thing we're expecting in 2026. One of our business predictions is the rise of the Dupartment store. That's right, a dupe department store. The idea here is that everything in the store would be a lower priced version of an expensive name brand product. And you'd be seeing this in retail. We're already seeing this play out online, but we haven't yet seen this play out in brick and mortar. We're talking a store filled with products 80% of the value for 20% of the price. Think of the Trader Joe's model but applied to fashion retail electronics, bubble tea, coffee. We could see this across the spectrum. The idea of the Dupartman store, I.

[Boris]

Was going to say if they do that and there's bubble tea, I am in. Jack Karvichi, Kramer, Nick Martel, really appreciate the conversation. Thank you guys so much.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

It's a pleasure.

[Nick Martell]

Thanks for having us guys. Can't wait to be back.

[Boris]

And of course you can hear the best one yet wherever you listen to podcasts. And we'll be right back.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Yet.

[Nick Martell]

He's Nick and Jack back in the studio with you here. We are off for one more week but then we return to your usual daily T Boy pod on Monday, January 5th.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Hang on a sec. I want to ask what'd you think of that Kris Jenner joke I dropped? Funny thing about that joke yet he's.

[Nick Martell]

Nick wrote it but I delivered it. Stuck the landing on it. Jack A plus on the execution.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

Now our first pod of 2026 is going to be our best one yet. It's our three big business wishes for 2026.

[Nick Martell]

That's right, our first pod back. We're predicting some wild pop biz ideas. Can't wait to see you next Monday.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

But again, we're off the rest of this week. So as a final toast to 2025.

[Nick Martell]

Make it a T boy. Everybody celebrate the wins.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Nick Martell]

Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Jack Kavici Kramer]

And before you go, tell us a little bit about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[Nick Martell]

We want to get to know you.