Happy Saturday, Besties.

Whether your Outtie watches Severance or not, you’ve heard of Lumon—the show’s fictional evil corporation. But The Wall Street Journal found real Lumons across Corporate America. Dozens of ‘em.

• Lumon Design (PA)

• Lumon Dental (Detroit)

• Lumon Telecom (Louisiana)

Even a Lumon in Poland saw job applications jump 300%—fans wanted ‘Lumon’ on their resume.

Apple just renewed the show for a 3rd season—so maybe Frank from Finance will fund a waffle party to celebrate. Praise Kier.

🏀 Why Your March Madness Bracket Might Already Be Busted

Your bracket is locked, the madness is here… Did you take a risk on NC State over Texas Tech? Or did you—like 28% of Yahoo users—pick Duke to win it all?

The Problem with Picking Duke

On paper, it made sense. Duke had a 31-3 record, beat fellow #1 seed Auburn earlier in the season, and freshman Cooper Flagg is playing like he’s already in the NBA. Some call this the strongest team in 25 years (sorry, Coach K). Statistically, Duke had a 22.9% chance of winning it all—better than any other team. But 28% of America picked them, meaning they were overvalued from the start.

The Harsh Reality:

• In the last 10 years, the top-ranked team only won 2x (UConn 2024, UVA 2019).

• Since 1985, the #1 statistical favorite won just 6x—only 15% of the time.

• Since so many people pick the #1 team, even in the unlikely chance they do win you have to share the pot with a bunch of people.

The Takeaway: Run Away from the Crowd 🏃

Brackets and investing have one thing in common: If everyone’s doing it, you probably shouldn’t.

• If everyone is betting on the same team, the payout is weak.

• If everyone is buying the same stock, the price is already inflated.

• The smartest plays aren’t the popular ones (Warren Buffett has a similar quote).

Duke is basically Nvidia stock right now—hyped, expensive, and dominating headlines. Whether you’re picking stocks or brackets, the strategy is the same: Go where the crowd ain’t looking.

Now, let’s see if your bracket can survive the weekend (fyi Nick picked Houston Jack picked Florida).

👻 The Curse of the Corporate Nickname

We love giving brands nicknames—Mickey D’s, Beamer, Natty Light, Starbs, Tarzhay. They feel effortless, inside-jokey, like a secret handshake between us and the CEO. But according to a recent study, the second a company uses that nickname in the 1st-person, the magic dies—and so does the business. 

The study from Canada’s WU found:

• Bloomingdale’s launched a “Bloomies” store concept in 2021—the stock fell 4% that week.

• Nordstrom introduced the “Nordy” Club in 2018—the stock dipped 5% that week.

It’s worse on social media:

• Chevrolet’s tweets with “Chevy” got ⅓ the engagement of those without the nickname (same result with Target’s “Tarzhay”)

• Louboutin used “Loubi” on their website—sales of their $1,000 heels dropped by a third.

The Takeaway: Don’t Crash the Party

Nicknames work because they’re earned, not claimed. The moment a brand tries to make it official, it reeks of try-hard energy. It’s like a parent showing up to his kid’s party — it kills the vibe. Instead, just stay out of the basement and let the kids have their fun.

Financial Trickshot 📝

A low-cost, high-return strategy for maximum impact with minimum effort.

Follow our go-to sources: We get our information for the pod from so many sources (one giant bookmarks folder).

• Legacy: WSJ, Bloomberg, NYT

• Niche: Business of Fashion (clothing), Jalopnik (cars), Snaxshot (food)

• Tech: Verge, TechCrunch, Techmeme

• Media: Hollywood Reporter, Variety

• Stocks: FinViz, CNBC

• Int’l: Financial Times, The Economist, Handelsblatt

…Or just listen to TBOY everyday and we’ve got you covered 😉

👯‍♀️ Tell a Bestie:

These are the headlines from our “Headline Hammer” of potential stories for the show each morning that we just couldn’t fit on the pod:

• 🏀 Boston Celtics sell for $7B+ – Bought by a man in finance (more on Monday’s show).

• ⛷️ J.Crew signs 3-year deal with US Ski & Snowboard — Nothing says après-ski like cashmere.

• 📚 Macy’s is making a TV show – First books, now Hollywood. Barnes & Noble, your move.

• 📉 Most apps fail to make a single dollar – Learn from ‘em so yours doesn’t.

• 👕 BlueSky sold more anti-Zuck T-shirts than domains – Tech beef is a solid business model.

• 🏆 NYU basketball has a 76-game win streak – Turns out, they have a team.

• 🚇 NYC says goodbye to MetroCards after 32 years – 65% of riders just tap iPhones.

• 🚗 Tesla recalls 46K Cybertrucks – This time, it’s the panels, not the autopilot.

• ✉️ TheSkimm sells after 13 years & $29M in VC money – No price disclosed. Celebrate the wins.

• 🍃 Edible Arrangements enters cannabis market – They own Edibles.com. Fruit bouquets just got interesting.

• 🎬 Netflix sues director for $11M fraud – He bought 5 Rolls-Royces and a house.

The Best Idea Yet  🎶

What artist created the world’s 1st music video? It’s all in the story of how MTV became the most influential channel in history, in the newest episode of The Best Idea Yet.

This weekend, listen to the untold origin story of MTV (Spring Break included) on The Best Idea Yet. New 45-minute episodes drop every Tuesday.

And one more thing. Hope your bracket isn’t already in shambles, your favorite brand nickname stays sacred, and your final MetroCard swipes last as long as possible.

BTW—what’s the best business nickname you’ve ever heard? Email us back here.

Celebrate the wins ✨

— Nick & Jack