This is Nick. This is Jack. It’s Monday. We’re running out of something and it’s not Sriracha…it’s people named Linda.

Back in 1947, one out of every 18 girls born in the U.S. was named Linda. But Linda’s dropped from the No. 1 most common female name to No. 807 in 2022. Today, there are fewer Lindas born than white rhinos. Accounting (Jack) can check the numbers on that.

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1) Domestic Flights Are on Sale

International air travel is gettier pricier than ever. But if you’re willing to trade in Mykonos for Melbourne (Florida, of course), you’re about to have your hottest summer yet.

What’s going on: Post-pandemic, we're itching to get our passports stamped and head abroad this summer. So for the first time in years, domestic flights are on the sale rack: U.S. airfares have dropped 11% this summer. And that discounting has put a damper on travel companies that make domestic their bread and butter →

• JetBlue slashed its yearly outlook and Spirit whiffed on Q2 earnings.

• For the first time ever, Southwest Airlines offered a buy-one-get-one-50%-off deal.

• All three U.S.-focused airline stocks are down 📉 this year.

At the same time, companies focused on international travel are getting upgraded to first class. United, Delta, and American Airlines stocks are all up at least 25% this year 📈 as they beat profit expectations. And Bookings Holdings (which owns Priceline, Kayak, and a bunch of other travel sites you’ve price-matched on) just announced that revenue jumped 27% compared to last summer.

The Takeaway →

Surge pricing happens with flights, too. When T-Swift is in town, Uber prices (and hotel prices and tourism prices) spike. Same goes for airfare. When nothing is going on—as is apparently the case stateside this summer—prices deflate. It’s supply and demand.

• Average U.S. ➡️ Asia round trip flight = up $300 this year

• Average U.S. ➡️ U.S. round trip flight = down $70

2) E.l.f Beauty Is Surging Thanks to Dupes 

One of the top performing stocks of the last five years? It’s E.l.f. Beauty—the cosmetics co. is right up there with software and chipmakers. And e.l.f. just reported a 76% surge in sales from last year. The highlight (and contour) for e.l.f. looks like this:

• Sales have jumped each quarter for 18 straight quarters and averaged 20% growth over that time.

• E.l.f.’s stock price has spiked 240% in the last year and 1,100% in the last five years.

• The No. 1 selling makeup at Target? Yeah, it’s e.l.f.

• They even bought a Super Bowl commercial last year (collabing with White Lotus star/2023 it girl Jennifer Coolidge).

Want to know e.l.f.’s beauty secret? It’s the duchess of dupes (short for duplicates), which are lower-priced versions of well-known products. Its brow pen is pretty much the same as Glossier’s Boy Brow but half the price. Dupes like that are the most important currency for those in-the-know in makeup and skincare—scroll your TikTok For You page (or your sister’s) for proof that name brands are cool, but in this economy, deals are cooler.

The Takeaway →

E.l.f. has legitimized the Dupe Economy. In middle school, it would have been sooo embarrassing to copy the cool girl, Amber. But e.l.f. dupes have won customer love, and they’re what make e.l.f. worth $7 billion. Now that’s high brow.

And on today’s pod…

The San Francisco Giants are adding a logo to their jerseys. The logo in question? Cruise robo-taxis—the first self-driving cab to sponsor pro sports…for more on that, listen to today’s podcast.

Here’s what else you need to know today—

🧊 Unemployment dropped to 3.5% in July, a nearly half-century low.

🦹 The Bonnie and Clyde of Bitcoin pleaded guilty to planning a $4.5 billion money laundering scheme.

🎲 Mattel is hiring a Chief UNO Player for $277/hour. If you’re WILD, this might be the perfect gig for you.

🛖 Airbnb has reported a deceleration in bookings. Is this why they’re recruiting celebs to list their guesthouses? Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, you’re next.

📱 Apple announced last week that revenue on its three primary products was down in their earnings: iPhone down 2%, iPad down 20%, and Mac down 7%.

💼 Zoom just told employees to return to the office…in an ironic twist

⚡ Tesla is facing its first lawsuit for “range inflation.” Someone got really peeved about a dead battery.

🎬 Warner Brothers says it’s saved $100 million (about the price of a Van Gogh) from not making movies during the writers/actors strike. But what happens when they want to sell movie tickets and streaming rights again?

And one more thing. The rare Lindas/Lyndas are few but mighty. Tell your Aunt to join the club (yeah, there’s a L.I.N.D.A. club).

—Nick & Jack