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Nick & Jack Studios
Feel brighter every day with our 20-minute pop-biz news podcast. The 3 business stories you need, with fresh takes you can pretend you came up with — Pairs perfectly with your morning oatmeal ritual. Hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Formerly known as “Snacks Daily”, Nick and Jack continue their podcast independent from Robinhood.
☎️ “Flick the ol’ Circuit Breaker” — Why the market (literally) stopped for 15 minutes. NBC’s Snapchat breakup. Oil’s worst day since ‘91.
First we learned that Russia and Saudi Arabia are in a fight about oil markets — it’s caused the biggest drop in stock prices since 1991. Investors weren’t thrilled (coronavirus drama + oil market drama = not good), so they sent stock prices down a shocking 7% within minutes of Monday’s trading. But it didn’t stop NBC from breaking up financially with Snapchat
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16:2610/03/2020
🤑 “$1.75B (and Quibi hasn’t even launched yet)” — Spindrift’s $70M seltzer water. Burlington Coat Factory’s anti-ecommerce. Quibi’s starting lineup.
Burlington Coat Factory is going against the trend in retail: it’s ending its ecommerce to focus on physical stores. Mobile video streaming pre-icon Quibi has now raised $1.75B — and you can’t even use it yet. And LaCroix-fighting Spindrift just snagged another $29.8M — it’s differentiator is real fruit.
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18:2509/03/2020
🚢 “3 cruise disasters. 3 months.” — Carnival’s stock drama. Aerie underwear surge. GM’s big car battery.
Carnival Cruises’ has a hat trick of profit-crushing drama — but we found the perfect analogy for the travel industry’s current coronavirus struggles. GM has whipped up a fresh electric car battery that goes 400 miles, but we’re looking at whether Americans even want electric cars to begin with. And underwear brand Aerie is carrying its parent company, American Eagle, on its back. #HYHYSD
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16:4706/03/2020
🥫 “Frankly this is a trend that many did not think was possible” — Campbell Soup’s shocking rebound. United Health pops 11%. H&M’s supply biz.
Campbell Soup shares jumped 9% because even the CEO was shocked that soup is making a comeback. United Health didn’t announce earnings or a new product — the stock popped 11% because of Super Tuesday (it’s all about policy risk). And you know H&M for whipping up fast fashion, but its latest business line wants rivals to love its supply chain.
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16:3305/03/2020
🦇 “The Fed’s Batman move backfired” — Waymo snags $2.25B. Honeywell’s supercomputer. The Fed’s 0.5% interest rate cut.
Alphabet’s self-driving car division, Waymo, grabbed $2.25B in outside funding for the first time as it adds 5 new godparents. Honeywell doesn’t just make charming thermostats — the historic company is now building (allegedly) the world’s most powerful supercomputer. And the Federal Reserve acts like the economy’s Batman, but the latest/shocking interest rate move had the opposite effect that it intended.
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17:3404/03/2020
🤬 “Twitter’s getting Tyrion Lannister treatment” — Panera’s coffee subscription. Bird e-scooter “Pay”. Jack Dorsey’s hedge fund pressure.
Twitter shares jumped 8% on word an activist investor is trying to push CEO Jack Dorsey out of his role at Twitter (because Jack is also the CEO of Square). Panera whips up a coffee subscription that fits our formula for subscription power (not subscripturation). And Bird scooters decides it also wants to be in payments, so it’s launching a way for you to buy food...via Bird.
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18:4503/03/2020
🌯“Chipotle 4B TikTok views” — Stocks’ 13% drop. Thyssenkrupp’s elevator sale. Chipotle’s viral strategy.
Context is king, so we’re looking at the market’s decline last week — the worst since the financial crisis. Chipotle is powered by menu items lately, and we noticed they whipped up viral attention on TikTok — but we’re skeptical of the numbers. And Thyssenkrupp is the German elevator company that just sold its elevator biz — just like another elevator company did.
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17:3502/03/2020
🍻“Here come the Bud Light Seltzer commercials” — Beyond Meat’s first struggles. Square’s Cash app stock. Bud drops 9%.
Beer-glomerate AB InBev dropped 9% as coronavirus stops China from socializing, but we’re focused on how Bud Light is losing market share in the US. After a week of plant-based meat partnerships and uncouplings, Beyond Meat’s earnings sent the stock down 9%. And Square shares jumped 4% because its Cash App is powering profits.
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20:0528/02/2020
🏃“Outdoor Voices vs. Lululemon” — OV’s CEO steps down. TJ Maxx beats Retail-pocalypse. Pony.ai hits $3B.
TJ Maxx shares popped 7% because its “affordable splurge” strategy is working. Pony.ai is China’s self-driving car startup that just hit a $3B valuation thanks to a big investment from Toyota. And Outdoor Voices’ iconic CEO was forced to step down, so we’re looking at why the cloud-soft anti-Nike couldn’t beat Lululemon.
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18:3227/02/2020
“🎢Baby Yoda’s baby daddy just retired” — Disney’s CEO quits. Shake Shack is behind. Amazon’s 2nd software profit puppy.
Out of nowhere, Disney’s legendary CEO Bob Iger is stepping down — and the new guy isn’t necessarily the right guy. Shake Shack’s shares plummeted 14% because it’s basically given up on innovation and is acting like a teenager. And Amazon will start licensing its human-less grocery store tech, starting with airport stores and sports stadiums.
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18:5526/02/2020
“Your score dropped, Nicolas 😓. New credit score, Nicolas 😃” Intuit buys Credit Karma. Tubi (almost) acquired. Dow drops 1,032 points.
The Dow plummets 1,032 points because coronavirus expanded beyond China (to South Korea and Italy). Fox wants to splurge $500M on streaming service Tubi, even though it’s got terrible content (it’s all part of Tubi’s plan). And Intuit just announced it’s officially dropping $7B to buy Credit Karma so it can data-double-dip you.
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16:4025/02/2020
“We have to talk about ‘cult stocks’” — Plug Power’s stock jump. Lyft’s ad-cquisition. Equinox’s coworking/bikes.
Equinox snagged a fresh round of funding to push the luxe gym chain into coworking and at-home spinning bikes. Plug Power shares have popped because it’s become a “cult stock”. And Lyft’s latest acquisition is in response to #profitpressure, so it’s sticking ads on top of its cars.
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18:1924/02/2020
“We didn’t sell salads to sell salads” — Domino’s pizza domination. Victoria’s Secret ghosts. Morgan Stanley’s E*Trade trade.
Domino’s shares popped 26% because it’s got a uniquely DIY approach to delivery apps. Victoria’s Secret split from its L Brands parent, but turns out it’s worth just $1.1B. And Morgan Stanley buys up E*Trade in a deal that’s really all about saving time in the race to Main Street for the big banks.
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16:5921/02/2020
“Garmin finds you when iPhone can’t” — Alphabet kills an “Other Bet.” Toast hits $4.9B. Garmin’s GPS pop.
We’ve got a new era over at Google on word that its parent, Alphabet, has put its wind energy bet to sleep. Our “Unicorn of the Day” is Toast, which hit a $4.9B valuation as it tries to do everything at restaurants, but we’re focused on its SaaB (“software as a bank” — just made it up). And Garmin stock jumps 7% because it’s going places where your iPhone and Apple Watch can’t.
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18:1620/02/2020
“We found an Innovation Vampire” — Walmart’s Jet black shutdown. Molson Coors spiked seltzer. Uber/Lyft’s “rideshare” lie.
Walmart’s earnings report wasn’t anything special, but we think it’s latest moves to buy up startups, suck out their innovation, and then spit out the remains is. A report on the impact of Uber and Lyft reveals that the rideshare apps really aren’t about ridesharing at all. And Molson Coors isn’t a beer company anymore as it whips up its first spiked seltzer (did we mention it’s testing a spiked coffee?).
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16:4719/02/2020
“It’s like Ben & Jerry’s going dairy-free” — Delta’s carbon neutrality. Headspace’s $93M fundraise. Canopy Growth’s rebound.
The 3 major marijuana producers have had a tough year, but Canopy Growth’s latest earnings powered pot stocks up thanks to price per kilo. Delta announced plans to go fully carbon neutral by 2030 — how can one of the most polluting industries can pull that off? And Headspace snags $93M in fresh funding to one-up its rival in the wellness app showdown.
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17:4618/02/2020
“Cloud computing is the new oil” — Kraft-Heinz 70% stock drop. Tesla’s “buy low, sell high”. Microsoft vs. Amazon.
Fresh after Tesla shares hit their all-time high, the company has a surprise: It’s selling 2.6M fresh shares to raise $2B in fresh cash. Kraft Heinz shares fell 8% after the 150-year-old pantry icon showed it has no turnaround plan -- it just wants more processed foods. And the epic $10B JEDI deal between Microsoft and the Pentagon is frozen (and the real winner could be Amazon). Cloud computing is the new oil.
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15:2414/02/2020
“Facebook fact-checkers vs. 4.75B posts per day” — DoorDash’s not First-Mover Advantage. SoundCloud’s desperate $75M. Facebook’s hires Reuters.
Facebook has added a new addition to its army of information regulators for the election year, but we’re looking at their odds (spoiler: not great odds). SoundCloud snags a fresh $75M in funding from SiriusXM, but the music platform still hasn’t found itself. And DoorDash’s CEO sat down for an interview with Fortune that revealed how First Mover advantage isn’t an advantage.
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18:2813/02/2020
“Starbucks wants to pick you up at the airport” — Sprint/T-Mobile gets approved. Samsung’s flip phone. Starbucks’ airport deal.
Sprint surged nearly 80% on word its T-Mobile merger is good to go (because Sprint was basically a dead wireless man walking). Samsung whipped up a foldable new phone that you should definitely care about because we don’t actually live in an iPhone world. And Starbucks snagged a new airport partnership that’s innovatively all about getting you coffee without any terminal friction.
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18:0712/02/2020
“Burger King is jealous of Popeye’s fried chicken-palooza” — Brandless shuts down. Coronavirus’ lenders. Popeye’s power earnings.
Restaurant Brands International happens to own both Burger King and Popeye’s, but it was Popeye’s chicken-powered quarter that’s getting all the attention. Softbank-backed nearly-unicorn Brandless is shutting down after trying to create a brandless brand. And coronavirus is causing a financial crisis for many Chinese companies, so we’re looking at the lenders of last resort.
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19:0411/02/2020
“Warner Music is Venture Capital for musicians” — Uber’s profit shocker. Ericsson/Nokia 5G awkwardness. Warner Music’s IPO.
Warner Music filed to IPO because streaming saved the music industry. Uber shares surged 10% before the weekend on word it’s actually planning to become profitable by the end of this year (*depends how you define “profits”). And Europe’s telecom giants Ericsson and Nokia woke up to word the US government may want to acquire them because we’re desperate for a 5G internet network.
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19:2310/02/2020
“Dunkin’ stealthily went fancy” — WWE’s XFL problem. Twitter’s record surge. Dunkin’s premium coffee strategy.
Dunkin’ announced earnings, but we’re focused on the subtle hints that it’s transforming into a fancy coffee chain. World Wrestling Entertainment stock dropped 9% and we’re blaming the XFL situation. Twitter shares surges as the social network tries to convince you it’s in the most healthy shape of its life.
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18:1807/02/2020
“By that math, Instagram is worth $150B” — Chipotle’s Taco Bell-ification. Instagram owns Facebook. Spotify’s acquires the Ringer
Turns out Spotify just made (another) acquisition in the podcast space because it’s trying to build a “gated garden.” Instagram’s numbers leaked and we finally learned how it stacks up to YouTube. And Chipotle’s sales surged 13% because its new CEO is cooking up a Taco Bell-ificiation strategy.
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17:5506/02/2020
“Why Tesla is like a young avocado tree” — Visa’s swipe tax. BP’s empire. Tesla’s Elon-sanity.
Snackers want to know why Tesla stock has surged a freakish 60% in the last week, and the answer lies in avocado trees and orange groves. Visa is already Earth’s biggest payment processor, but now it’s making the biggest change to credit card transactions in a decade: AKA, “the swipe tax.” And BP’s oil empire is getting harvested by BP.
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20:1805/02/2020
“YouTube sells more ads than ABC/NBC/FOX… combined” — Harry’s razors acquisition gets sued. Coronavirus-benefiting companies. Alphabet’s YouTube surprise.
Alphabet’s stock fell 5% after its earnings report, but the real highlight was YouTube — the company disclosed financial info for the first time. Harry’s razors was supposed to be acquired by Schick’s parent company, but now federal regulators are trying to block the deal. And last week we looked at the companies hurt by Coronavirus, so this week we’re looking at who’s benefiting.
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18:5204/02/2020
“One Medical is the Equinox of doctors” — Nike’s olympics shoes. Pinterest’s makeup feature. One Medical pops 47% IPO pop.
Shares of One Medical jumped 47% because it’s trying to make you love doctor’s appointments. Nike’s freakishly performance-enhancing shoe just got approval for the Olympics — and gold medals are critical to its brand. And Pinterest whipped up a virtual makeup feature because being your first spot to discovery is what it depends upon.
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16:4703/02/2020
“Juul’s Darth Vader moment” — Amazon surges 10%. The Bouqs raises $30M for wedding flowers. Altria devalues Juul e-cigarettes (again).
Juul was supposed to save the world from smoking, but it made a critical decision that its new owner, Altria, is now paying for. The Bouqs direct-to-consumer flower startup raised $30M because it wants to get invited to your wedding (but seriously).
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17:4331/01/2020
“Barstool’s t-shirts follow a simple formula” — Barstool Sports becomes a half-icorn. SAP’s FOMO Marketing. Apple’s iRecord quarter.
Apple’s 4 divisions are as big as 4 other super companies. Barstool Sports hits a $450M valuation after an investment from a casino company. And SAP is the most valuable company in Germany, but no one really knows what it does — good thing it just announced earnings, and it’s all about FOMO Marketing.
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20:0030/01/2020
“Who’s gonna buy James Bond?” — Casper’s un-unicorning. MGM’s bidders. Bird’s newest acquisition.
Scooter pioneer Bird just acquired a German rival, but it’s a sign the future scooter wars are going to look a lot like today’s delivery wars. Casper’s valuation dropped from over $1B to $744M before its IPO as public investors laugh at the VCs that thought it was a tech company. And MGM is looking to sell itself to Apple, Netflix, or the rest of the “Big 6.”
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17:4329/01/2020
“WE are a real estate company (not a tech company)” — The Wing loses its big investor. Detroit becomes GM’s electric car HQ. Coronavirus messes with stocks.
Women’s coworking icon The Wing enjoyed a major investment from fellow coworking pioneer WeWork… which just sold off that stake. GM’s latest moves in Detroit have turned a shutting down factory into its new capital of electric vehicles. And coronavirus dropped stocks big to start the week, so we’re looking at who got hit the hardest and why.
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17:3828/01/2020
“Eaze is cannabis’ bubblish-moment” — Intel stock reaches 2000 levels. The man who coined “disruption.” Eaze pot delivery has problems.
The “Seamless of Weed” is Eaze, but it’s having problems growing. Intel’s stock hit its highest point since the first internet boom, so we’re looking at chips on chips on chips. And Clay Christensen passed away, but his word “disruption” is living on aggressively.
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16:2627/01/2020
“Tinder supports safe sexting” — Google’s camouflaged ads. The Athletic hits $500M. Tinder’s new security launch.
Tinder is adding new security features for your first date — it’s consistent with a trend that’s defining tech in 2020. Google made a minor tweak to google.com with major implications. And our “Half-icorn of the Day” is The Athletic, the digital sports news company that just snagged a $500M valuation.
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16:3524/01/2020
“Cell-Based Meats disrupting Plant-Based Meats” — Memphis Meats raises $161M. Delta shares $1.6B of profits. GM launches a true robocar.
Delta unveiled the biggest corporate bonus plan ever, so we’re looking at its Return On Investment strategy (Happy flight attendants = Happy fliers). GM unveiled a robocar that reaches Level 5 on the all-mighty (and unofficial) self-driving car measuring stick for self-driving-ness. And startup Memphis Meats snags the biggest ever fundraise for a cell-based meat company — growing chicken thighs in the lab.
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18:4723/01/2020
“Amazon is turning your palmprint into a credit card” — Amazon’s new payment method. Uber’s “name your own price.” PetMed Express’ aging dogs.
Amazon is pursuing a new feature to sell to retail stores to take on Apple Pay — We’re talking “pay by hand” (and we’re calling it “Amazon Hand”). Uber’s whipping up a “name your own price” idea for drivers so it can prove to regulators it’s just an app, not a ride company. And PetMed Express shares fell 6% even though it’s sitting on top of 2 trends. Also, we’re flying over to London for the Robinhood launch across the pond — you can sign up to attend our live pod recording on Jan 28th or Jan 29th at rbnhd.co/uksnacks.
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18:5222/01/2020
“‘Mealkitting’ never became a verb” — HelloFresh vs Blue Apron. Signet Jewelers’ 40% surge — Microsoft pulls a Sierra Club
We’ve got a new #1 in the US meal kit market — HelloFresh is beating Blue Apron (even though mealkitting may be in trouble). Zales/Kay/Jared’s owner Signet Jewelers watched its stock pop 40% last week, but its “Path to Brilliance” plan may not be working. And Microsoft is acting more like a non-profit, announcing it’s not just going carbon neutral… it’s going carbon negative (mic drop).
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17:4821/01/2020
“Peacock is the 761st streaming service” — Gap won’t spinoff Old Navy. NBC reveals Peacock. China weaponizes the wallet
Shares of the Gap pop 5% on word it’s doing the opposite of what it planned to do — it’s no longer spinning off Old Navy, its best-performing brand. NBC reveals the details of Peacock, but it’s acting like the flaky friend of the Streaming Wars. And China holds German car companies hostage (the USA is no longer the only global economic police).
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16:3917/01/2020
“Baby Yoda is Build-a-Bear’s Rudy moment” — Build-A-Bear jumps 14%. Califia Farms’ fund raise. Phase 1 trade deal
We finally got to see what was actually in the Phase 1 trade deal that was just signed. We noticed Build-A-Bear shares popped 14% because it’s working on what Hasbro can’t: A Baby Yoda doll. And Califia Farms is our (almost) “Unicorn of the Day,” snagging $225M in fresh funding to make plant-based milks bigger than plant-based meats.
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17:2516/01/2020
“Half of America has a Chase account” — JP Morgan’s record profit. Visa acquires Plaid. BlackRock fights climate
It’s big bank earnings season, so we went financial on this one. JPMorgan Chase apparently covers half of America, which led to its record profit (more than the value of 2 Lyfts). Visa dropped $5.3B to acquire Plaid, the fintech app that sits on a treasure trove of financial info, like your Venmo account. And BlackRock’s CEO whips up a new mandate: $7T to fight climate change through good, clean, financial pressure.
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16:2315/01/2020
“Casper is the Peloton of Slumber, not the Nike of Sleep” — Casper’s IPO. 23andMe’s transition. Primo Water’s acquisition.
We slept on the Casper IPO documents released over the weekend, then realized they spent $80M just dealing with mattress returns last year. 23andMe hits a new corporate milestone — treating diseases with your saliva. And Primo Water boasts that it’s a pure-play water company, but it just got swallowed up.
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18:2614/01/2020
“Sweetgreen is the most innovative company in food” — Hershey. Quibi. Sweetgreen
Quibi raises (another) $400M to create a new “era” (their words) beyond video streaming. Sweetgreen gets a profile in the NYT, and we think it may be the most innovative company in food right now. And “the OPEC of chocolate” may raise prices on the critical ingredient for Hershey and Mondelez sweets.
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18:4913/01/2020
“Verizon's ‘pros before cos’ problem” — Wine tariffs, Softbank layoffs, and Verizon
Verizon whips up a new pricing model for its cable TV, but it’s basically creating subscripturation in our lives. Softbank startups like Zume Pizza and Getaround are starting the year by firing employees (we’re in a new decade of unicorns). And 100% wine tariff threats may mess with your Friday evening pinot plans.
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18:5110/01/2020
“These delivery apps are like mafia families” - Grubhub, Spotify, and Tough Mudder
We’re testing out a new title format, Snackers. Grubhub shares jumped 13% on news it’s trying to sell itself. Spotify’s launching a dynamic new advertising format that reminds us of Facebook. And the “you might die from this” fitness event startup Tough Mudder is reportedly being pushed to file for bankruptcy.
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18:1509/01/2020
Tesla, the #1 most valuable US car company (ever) — Goldman transparentizes — Impossible creates plant-based pork (and drops McD’s)
Impossible Foods is adding plant-based sausage — but rival Beyond Meat’s stock jumped 10%. Goldman Sachs’ stock has barely budged in the last 3 years, so it’s redecorating itself to focus on 1 word: Transparency. And Tesla shares just hit an all-time high as its Gigafactory opens in China, so we’re looking at whether that makes sense.
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17:4108/01/2020
SmileDirectClub goes to Walmart — Taco Bell’s owner devours hamburger chain — The taser creator could split in 2
SmileDirectClub abandoned its direct-to-consumer ways to launch in Walmart stores, but it’s missing one big thing: Its core product. Taser-inventor Axon acquired a rival last year, but now it’s been accused of running a taser monopoly. And Yum Brands happens to own Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, but now it’s acquiring a burger chain — so why burgers, why now?
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17:1107/01/2020
Snapchat buys the “Cameos” company — One Medical’s IPO moves — Apple’s 2020 HomeKit mantra
Aaaand we’re back. While you were unwrapping gifts, Snapchat treated itself to an augmented reality startup that makes the hilarious filters for Snapchat. OneMedical just filed paperwork to IPO already even though the industry it’s in hates new brands. And Apple’s got a new mantra for 2020: Make HomeKit happen.
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18:0106/01/2020
Last pod of 2019: Our 3 bold wishes for 2020
In our last pod of 2019 (we’re taking a 2-week break until Monday, January 6th), we’re going digestibly bold: Our 3 bold predictions for 2020. Will Apple buy Tesla? Can Amazon eliminate boxes? And does Chipotle really need tables, or can it just do delivery and pickup? We’ll see you Snackers again in 2020.
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15:1420/12/2019
Ikea’s tech pivot — FedEx’s ‘horrific’ profits — Flavors & Fragrances plant-based merger
Ikea’s always been focused on furniture, now it aims to democratize smart furniture (but it needs help). FedEx plummeted 10% because it’s losing its profit puppy. And International Flavors & Fragrances makes the scents and tastes you’re touching and tasting daily, but shares fell 9% because its latest merger is all about 1 single bet.
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16:2019/12/2019
Oprah’s 9-city Weight Watchers tour — Boeing’s worst year ever — Alexa’s profit pivot
Weight Watchers tried to turn itself around the last couple years by adding Oprah to the board, but now she’s headlining a 9-city WW wellness tour. Now that Boeing has officially suspended production of its controversial 737 Max planes, we break down its worst year, by the numbers. Getting Alexa everywhere was Part 1 of Amazon’s voice activation plans — Part 2 is making money off your Alexa use.
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18:3518/12/2019
H&M’s “Moneyball” strategy — Intel’s $2B AI acquisition — Sprout Social’s social-ish IPO
H&M has spent 2 years trying to burn fewer clothes (literally), and an 11% sales rebound shows it’s finally working. Intel splurged $2B on a chip company because the last time it tried to build its own, it failed. And Sprout Social IPO’d to help your company’s social media manager relax.
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16:5917/12/2019
The Spirit Airline-ification of cars — Pandora’s talking ads — and the Phase I trade deal
V-commerce — aka “voice commerce” has new momentum after online radio Pandora tests ads that let you talk back. Car prices are starting to mimic airplane ones, forcing you to pay extra if you want anything. And stocks hit record highs last week on word the US and China actually/finally reached an agreement over phase 1 of the trade deal.
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16:1516/12/2019