The Rundown — Lululemon Founder Launches Board Fight, Silver Hits Meme Territory

Host: Zaid Admani (Public.com)
Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a concise, energetic recap of major financial headlines as 2025 winds down. Zaid Admani breaks down:

• Silver’s transformation into a “meme stock”
• Dramatic boardroom happenings at Lululemon
• Noteworthy moves in the semiconductor and digital infrastructure sectors
• Streaming’s most-watched shows and movies of the year

Throughout, Admani offers context, market stats, humor, and actionable information for investors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Recap & 2025 Themes

[00:30 – 02:05]

• S&P 500 and Nasdaq enjoyed another winning week, closing in on record highs.

  • S&P 500 +1.4%, Nasdaq +1.2% last week.

• Both indices saw double-digit returns for 2025, with S&P up nearly 18%, Nasdaq up 22%.

• Key market theme: “Resilience.”

  “Markets got hit with so much uncertainty this year. There was tariffs, there was geopolitical flare ups, random Trump, true social posts. But the markets kind of shrugged it all off for another double digit year.” — Zaid Admani [01:20]

• Gold and silver also hit record highs.

  • Silver rose 25% in a month, reaching nearly $80/oz, which is atypical for metals.
  • Pullback observed after Friday’s surge.

• Promoted prior deep-dive episodes on 2025’s market recap and a 2026 space stocks preview.

2. Lululemon Boardroom Showdown

[02:50 – 05:55]

• Lululemon founder Chip Wilson is launching a proxy fight to replace board members.
  • Wilson nominated three new directors: former On Running co-CEO, former ESPN CMO, and ex-Activision CEO.
  • Wilson’s sway: owns nearly 9% of Lululemon, second only to Vanguard.
• Context:
  • Activist investor Elliott Management recently took a $1B stake, advocating for ex-Ralph Lauren exec Jane Nielsen as new CEO.
  • Wilson wants his board nominees in before CEO is chosen; doesn’t trust current board’s judgment.
  • Current CEO Calvin McDonald steps down in January after poor US sales performance. Stock is down ~44% in 2025; domestic sales dropped 2% last quarter.

“Chip Wilson blames Calvin McDonald for killing innovation at Lululemon and making the brand lose its edge. So there’s a lot of drama happening at Lulu right now." — Zaid Admani [05:40]

• Ongoing tension: Will shareholders support Wilson or stick with the current board?

3. Semiconductors: Intel’s Comeback Push

[05:56 – 07:05]

• Nvidia completed a $5B investment in Intel, acquiring 214 million shares at $23.28/share.
• 2025 milestones for Intel:
  • New CEO instated
  • Fresh capital investments from the US government and Nvidia
  • Stock up nearly 80% this year
• Remaining challenges:
  • Intel needs to prove manufacturing prowess to rival industry leader TSMC.
  • Reuters: Nvidia tested but has not committed to Intel’s new 18A manufacturing process.

“For Intel stock to keep outperforming, they’re going to have to show they can actually execute when it comes to manufacturing.” — Zaid Admani [07:00]

4. M&A: SoftBank Acquires Digital Bridge

[07:06 – 08:00]

• SoftBank announced acquisition of Digital Bridge for $16 per share, valuing the deal at $4B.
  • Digital Bridge specializes in digital infrastructure: cell towers, fiber networks, edge computing, and data centers.
  • The firm manages ~$108B in assets.
• Why it matters:
  • SoftBank, led by Masa Son, is aggressively investing in AI and associated infrastructure (data centers).
  • DBRG shares surged over 10% (from $13.80s to $15.25 in pre-market), spiking almost 50% at rumor peak before settling.

“By acquiring Digital Bridge now, they’re getting exposure to AI data centers.” — Zaid Admani [07:45]

5. Silver’s Wild Ride: From Commodity to Meme

[08:01 – 09:20]

• Silver has entered “meme stock” territory, seeing price swings of 5-6% daily.
  • Friday: hit $80/oz for the first time, then reversed sharply, now ~$74/oz (7% pullback).
  • Drivers:
    • Supply crunch, with China set to restrict silver exports from January 1st.
    • Elon Musk commented on X about silver’s critical industrial uses, linking to China’s export ban.
  • Retail interest spikes; volatility rises.

“It’s kind of crazy to see a boring metal like this swing up and down like 5 to 6% a day. Silver has now become the latest meme stock. But unlike the stock price of a dying retailer, the price of silver has a meaningful impact on the overall economy.” — Zaid Admani [09:10]

6. Streaming Stats: Bluey and K Pop Dominate

[09:21 – 10:30]

• Bluey is once again the most-watched streaming show of the year, repeating from 2024.

“It’s absolutely incredible. Both my kids love it and I kind of love watching it with them as well. … I’ve teared up a few times watching some of their episodes.” — Zaid Admani [09:40]

• K Pop Demon Hunters was the most-watched movie, with viewership nearly triple the #2 title, Happy Gilmore 2.
• Admani wonders why streamers don’t prioritize kids’ content, given repeat viewing habits.

“If you have good kids content, I think parents will subscribe to your Service. Honestly, it’s 80% of the reason why I have Disney.” — Zaid Admani [10:05]

Notable Quotes & Timestamped Highlights

• “[Markets] shrugged it all off for another double digit year.” — Zaid Admani [01:23]
• “Chip Wilson blames Calvin McDonald for killing innovation at Lululemon and making the brand lose its edge.” [05:40]
• “For Intel stock to keep outperforming, they’re going to have to show they can actually execute when it comes to manufacturing.” [07:00]
• “It’s kind of crazy to see a boring metal like this swing up and down like 5 to 6% a day. Silver has now become the latest meme stock.” [09:10]
• “It’s absolutely incredible. Both my kids love it and I kind of love watching it with them as well. … I’ve teared up a few times watching some of their episodes.” [09:40]
• “If you have good kids content, I think parents will subscribe to your Service. Honestly, it’s 80% of the reason why I have Disney.” [10:05]

Important Timestamps

• 00:30: Weekly and yearly market performance recap
• 02:50: Lululemon boardroom conflict breakdown
• 05:56: Intel’s $5B deal with Nvidia & manufacturing outlook
• 07:06: SoftBank acquires Digital Bridge, strategic rationale
• 08:01: Silver’s meme status: supply, volatility, China’s export ban
• 09:21: Bluey and K Pop Demon Hunters: streaming records and kids content

Tone and Style

• Direct, conversational, sometimes playful — Zaid puts “big moves” into relatable investor context.
• Businesslike but with frequent approachable asides, especially on streaming and market psychology.

For investors and casual market watchers, this episode offered insights on emerging stories, sector shake-ups, and even the power of kid-focused streaming content—all in a quick, lively format.