This is Nick. This is Jack. And it’s pencils down for 2023. So here’s our Top 25 Takeaways of 2023…

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 In No Particular Order…

1. The Chillest Takeaway Yet

❤️ Nike has produced 90 episodes of fitness videos, for Netflix…Because when you own habits, you own heartbeats (“Netflix’s Nike kiss” from 1/3)

2. The Most HR Takeaway Yet

🔥 The outgoing CEO of Levi’s biggest regret was not firing more people…Hire slow, Fire Fast (“Levi’s over-firing strategy” from 9/28)

3. The Mightiest Takeaway Yet

💪 Google has declared code-red to defeat or destroy ChatGPT, because Monopolies are almighty, but they’re not immortal (“Google’s ‘code red’” from 1/4)

4. The Most-NYE-Appropriate Takeaway Yet

🍸 White Claw saw your spiked seltzer, raised you a vodka…and it’s doing both with a simple recipe for success: 1 part novel, 1 part familiar (“White Claw’s pivot to Vodka Cocktails” from 3/23)

5. The Most Hard-Boiled Takeaway Yet

🥚 Cal Maine is loving every bit of this egg-flation situation...Supply/Demand giveth, but supply/demand taketh away  (“The Egg-Flation situation” from 3/31)

6. The Least Lonely Takeaway Yet

👯‍♀️ ChatGPT learned how to hear, see, and talk. And iPhone guy is reportedly turning it into a chatpod…The Companionship Economy of AI may require more than an iPhone (“ChatGPT’s physical chatpod” from 9/28)

7. The Most Potential per Takeaway Yet

⌚️ The Natural Cycles App and Apple Watch got FDA approval to tell you when you’re fertile…Platforms are all about potential (“Natural Cycles’ fertility watch” from 9/20)

8. The Most Elemental Takeaway Yet

🧚‍♀️ Pixar hoped to break their losing streak with its new movie Elemental…How do you break out of a slump? Trust your process (“Pixar’s missing magic” from 6/20)

9. The Most Exciting Takeaway Yet

😬 Lionel Messi was reportedly offered the biggest salary ever (sports or otherwise). But he turned it down…because salaries are stable, and equity is exciting (“Lionel Messi’s soccer equity” from 6/9)

10. The Most Positive Takeaway Yet

📈 Maxwell House invented what was thought to be un-inventable: an instant iced latte...it’s the 80/20 Rule: 80% of your positive outcomes come from just 20% of the inputs (“Hot vs. Cold Coffee” from 7/31)

11. The Cheesiest Takeaway Yet

 🧀 Domino’s dragged all the pizza stocks down with it because of a delivery cheese problem…Fees are like Cheese, a fee-based business eventually goes sour (“Domino’s delivery problem” from 2/28)

12. The Gen Z-est Takeaway Yet

🧂 Urban Outfitters’ clothing rental biz, Nuuly, passed Rent The Runway in customers…because a Second Shaker can beat a First Mover (“Urban Outfitters’ rental win” from 3/27)

13. The Most Uncomfortable Takeaway Yet

🍖 Vow grew lab-grown mammoth, for us to eat… because to make you comfortable, they started with the uncomfortable (“Vow’s lab-grown mammoth meatballs” from 3/30) 

14.  The Most Extra Takeaway Yet

🥑 Chipotle raised prices by 10% over the past year, and enjoyed more customers, not less…It’s Love-flation: Ya love a specific product so much, ya keep paying more (“Chipotle’s Love-flation” from 4/27)

15. The Most Roman Takeaway Yet

👑 AT&T stock is at a 30-year low on a WSJ-led cable investigation…Empires fall (“AT&T’s lead empire” from 7/19)

16.  The Most Calculated Takeaway Yet

📐Shopify is using a meeting cost calculator to show employees the price of a 30-minute meeting — You can’t manage what you can’t measure (“Shopify’s meeting calculator” from 7/17)

17. The G.O.A.T. Takeaway

🐐 Trader Joe’s unveiled their Product Hall of Fame…Great brands have fans, and fans need nurturing (“Trader Joe’s Hall of Fame” from 2/6)

18. The Most Seductive Takeaway Yet

💋 JP Morgan is in the credit card airport lounge business, with the 1st one in Boston…Never underestimate the seduction of vanity (“Chase does Lounges” from 7/24)

19. The Most Goliath Takeaway Yet

👑 Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are ganging up to create a 3rd map app…Our tech giants don’t like each other, and that’s a good thing (“Big Tech’s new map app” from 7/27)

20. The Most Philosophical Takeaway Yet

 🔎The “Dating Wrapped” TikTok trend dives into daters’ dating data…because a life not examined is not a life worth living (“Dating Wrapped’s love philosophy” from 12/15)

21. The Takeaway we had to choose

🫵 American Express increased fees and cut perks, leading to record profits…We call it “TINA”: There Is No Alternative (“Amex’s chirp vs churn” from 10/23) 

22.  The Most Fortunate Takeaway Yet

🐆 Skims became a $4B company headed to IPO in 2024…Because fortune favors the fast (“Skims’ $4B undies” from 7/20) 

23. The Most Consistent Takeaway Yet

⚡️ Celsius, the energy drink stock surged 4,000% in 5 years…An overnight success is 20 years in the making (“Celsius’ lucky surge” from 10/27) 

24.  The Bey Takeaway Yet

🐝 Beyonce’s Ivy Park line underperformed for Adidas, but she’s got paid anyway…If you like it then you better put some upside on it (“Beyonce’s Adidas drama” from 2/9)

25. The Takeaway that goes without saying

🙊 Single people are finding love not on dating apps, but through non-dating apps…It’s just like our 5th grade English teacher taught us: It’s best to show, not tell (“Yelp’s accidental dating app” from 11/30) 

And one more thing. We decided to try something new this holiday: 5 bonus episodes on 5 unique themes from this year.

• 🎂 The Food Pod,

• 👗 The Fashion Pod,

• 🚙 The Car Pod,

• 🙋‍♀️ The Girl Pod,

• 🤩 The Entertainment Pod.

Pairs perfectly with a loooong holiday trip back home 👌

—Nick & Jack