The Best Newsletter Yet

Happy S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Besties,

We just got back from a week in LA. So we whipped up TBOY’s Q2 LA Business trip takeaways…

1. Dr. Pepper tastes like a pharmacy smells… and will give you a rush.

2. The “Ice Cream to Hot Fudge Ratio” is critical (must be at least 3:1)

3. Ask for an extra scoop of boba. You don’t want a tapioca-less sip.

4. If your business partner buys the same top, it’s a write-off.

5. Most importantly, check in on your Los Angeles friends, it got down to 63 degrees this week.

This week’s newsletter is 20% of the best of the pod and 80% things we had to share off the record. 

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🔺  Nvidia rose this week to be worth more than Apple. With a valuation of $3 trillion, the A.I. chip giant is #2 behind only Microsoft…which happens to be the biggest customer of Nvidia’s chips.

• What the fuss is all about: Nvidia’s #1 product is the “H100”, a processor that powers the computing for AI: It’s the reason your chatbot can translate text, summarize reposts, and synthesize images.

• Stock split: Because the price has risen so high, the chipmaker announced a 10-for-1 stock split, which means each ~$1,220 share will get cut into 10 smaller shares… like pizza.

• 🍕 Shareholders will own more slices of pizza, but they’ll still own the same amount of pie. The idea is lower the price entry point to owning Nvidia stock, but the value of the company won’t change.

• One more thing: People are calling Jensen Huang, the CEO, the “Taylor Swift of Tech.” It’s Jensanity….

The Government of Tokyo just launched a dating app (Tokyo Tinder??) to promote marriage and reverse the country’s low birth rate. That’s right — A taxpayer-funded dating app…

• For context: Japan has one of the lowest birth rates on earth. They sells more diapers to 60-yr-olds than 6-mo-olds. The population peaked 16 years ago in 2008 and a shrinking population leads to a shrinking economy. Enter the dating app.

• But this is more than a Hinge knockoff. To join Tokyo Tinder, you must…

  • Scan your ID

  • Submit your paycheck

  • Verify your true height

  • Plus 15 more requirements… Including an interview with a gov’t worker to prove your intentions. Then, after all that, must take a pledge. The goal is families, not booty. 🫶

72% : The percentage of Americans who say that they’re “living comfortably” or “doing OK,” financially speaking.

22% : The percentage of Americans who say the economy is doing well —

That’s the biggest gap between people’s perception of their own finances vs. the economy overall. “The economy stinks, but I'm personally doing well” is a trend that started mid-Pandemic.

Last week we asked: When it comes to weddings are you renting, buying, or wearing existing dresses/suits?

And these were the best comments yet…

• 🏨 🎁 🍹 … who’s got money left for 👗 

• 🛍️ Online shopping and returning what won’t work. Hardest part is making sure it’s during the return window for purchase.

• 👠 If the shoe fits, wear it.

Next week’s poll: The hot trend of live events is no-phone rules. Dave Chapelle requires the audience lock their phone away in a pouch (like this one) during his standup.

The creators of South Park’s “Storytelling Rules” ✍️

• But & Therefore Rule: Boring stories build off of the words “And” & “Then” — But entertaining stories use “But” & “Therefore.” For instance…

• Decent: “Jimmy went to the mall, and then he realized he was tired when he stepped inside, and then he got a coffee, and then he walked back to the parking lot, and then he drove home.”

• Better: “Jimmy went to the mall, but realized he was tired when he stepped inside. Therefore, he picked up a coffee. But since he was tired, he had parked in an illegal spot. Therefore, his car got towed.”

Voila. 2 words can turn a description into a story.

Dr. Pepper just passed Pepsi to become the #2 soda in the US soda sales. It trails only Coca-Cola now. But it took 139 years…

The origin of Dr. Pepper goes back to 1885 at a pharmacy in Waco, Texas. Pharmacist Charles Alderton liked to mix drinks at the soda fountain. He also liked the way the drug store smelled mixed with all of the fruit syrup flavor smells in the air. So he invented a drink that tasted like the pharmacy smelled. 🥤

In the 1920s and 1930s, research proved that sugar provided energy and that the average person experiences a letdown at 10:30am, 2:30pm and 4:30pm…which led to Doc’s famous advertising slogan: “Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4.”

👉 Got a fact you want in this newsletter or on the pod? Submit it here. 

The #1 way to get a job right now? Referrals. Get. Results.

New data shows that companies are relying more than ever on referrals from existing employees. According to data from Glassdoor:

• Referrals make up just 5% of applicants, but 30% of the hires.

• There’s a 50% chance of referrals getting past the resume review and getting an interview, but just 12% for non-refs.

• That’s why bonuses for referrals are going up: Meta now awards employees $5k if someone they referred ends up getting hired.

The Reason for this trend? AI-written resumes. HR teams are overwhelmed by applications that all look the same (probably due to chatGPT), so they’re turning to old-school hiring strategies, like referrals.

😎 Networking leads to job referrals. And job referrals lead to jobs.

• Sports: After upsetting Pakistan this week, the USA plays India in the Cricket World Cup (Wednesday)

• Holidays: Best Friend’s Day (tomorrow) 👯‍♀️

And subscribe to our YouTube if you’re a real one:

👂 Monday: The best trick to get hired in an AI-world…is sliding into the DMs.

👂 Tuesday: The biggest divide between Millennials & Gene Z… is credit cards.

👂 Wednesday: The best product for comedians… is a fanny pack prison for your phone.

👂 Thursday: The best new investment is actually… the oldest investment: Dinosaur bones.

👂 Friday: The best pledge…is by the mayor of Paris.

👀 Monday: The best summer movies…don’t have kissing.

😎😎

—Nick & Jack