Happy Saturday,

The legendary “5-Second rule”—the belief that dropped food is safe to eat if picked up ASAP—has been debunked.

• One study from Aston University found that the longer food remains on the floor, the more bacteria it collects.

• Then research from Clemson University revealed that bacteria can transfer to food instantaneously on contact. In their experiments, over 99% of bacteria transferred to bologna within 5 seconds of hitting the tile.

So Besties, clutch your clementines and don't leggo that Eggo. If it hits the floor, it's not food anymore—it's a germ buffet. 🦠

Zuck’s iPhone-Killer Relies on Ads: 👓 + ⌚ + 🗞️

Mark Zuckerberg threw shade at Apple on Joe Rogan’s podcast, claiming the fruit hasn't innovated since the iPhone dropped in 2007. Now Meta’s plotting to replace it.

Here’s the playbook:

• Tech Avengers… Assemble: Meta’s “Reality Labs” division is cooking up an ecosystem of smart glasses, watches, and earbuds, all infused with AI, according to Bloomberg’s tech guru Mark Gurman.

• Goodbye Phone, Hello Future: If Zuck’s plan works, instead of pulling out your phone you’ll pop on Orion-like AR glasses with an in-lens display. Or you’ll wear Meta’s smart Ray-Bans (or smart Oakleys) plus a Meta Watch to use as your display.

• But the Secret Sauce? Ads: Apple’s Vision Pro is a cool $3,000 flex. Meanwhile, Meta’s Quest headset costs just $300. The catch? Ads. Meta raked in $250 per US user last year in ad revenue. It can price gadgets low because it sells ads on them starting day 1.

Here’s the kicker: Americans love a deal, even if it means sacrificing privacy. A Pew study found most people would rather see more ads or share data than fork over extra cash. Meta knows the assignment.

• By 2027, Zuck could have an iPhone alternative that’s affordable, ad-supported, and everywhere. We’re one step closer to living in a Black Mirror episode where Ray-Bans double as TikTok tripods, and watches spill your DMs — But at least you could do it all hands-free and save a few hundred bucks.

The Takeaway… 🔓

Meta’s advantage over Apple? They don’t care about privacy.

Would you trade data for discount tech? Or are you sticking to Apple’s walled garden of privacy?

🥯 The Bagel Chain Growing By Saying “No”  

It’s the biggest disruption to bagels since lox. PopUp Bagels is now worth an estimated $50M after building the biggest social media following of any bagel brand (Over 130K on Instagram - it’s the Kim Kardashian of Sesame Seeds). Now founder Adam Goldberg (who learned to make/sell them out of his Connecticut home during the pandemic) is boiling them nationwide:

• 10 locations in NY, CT, and MA, tripling to 30 this year.

• 150 franchises already claimed for future expansion.

• Carb-loving legends like Michael Phelps, JJ Watt, and Paul Rudd have invested in the biz (Paul’s not a pro athlete, but he’s got Olympic-level taste).

But here’s the twist: PopUp Bagels says “no” to everything.

• Toasted? Nope. Sliced? Funny. Buttered? Not happening - because no customizations are allowed.

• Bagels only come in packs of 3, 6, or 12 or you order in-person, and only by the dozen if you order online.

• It’s a to-go only operation, so don’t you dare open that laptop.

• PopUp bagels only sells 2 products: Bagels & schmear. But saying “no” to everything else is working… (and it reminds us of a Seinfeld ep)

The Takeaway ❌ 🥣

Inconvenience can be an advantage — We call it the “No-Soup-For-You” Rule.

Remember the Seinfeld Soup Nazi ep? Every character will put up with wildly intense rules just to get a taste of his tomato bisque (“You want bread?… No soup for you!”). But the fact that customers are willing to accept that high threshold of inconvenience is a signal of quality that only drives more customers.

The result? Customers aren’t turned off—they’re lining up. Inconvenience isn’t just part of the experience; it’s the allure.

🤑 Financial Trickshots:

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

For a seemingly boring weekend: Jack is having a MAD Sunday—Mortgage Appreciation Day. He’s treating his house like a vacation rental, soaking in the hot tub and just chilling with the fam & River. No chores or house projects allowed - just enjoy everything your house has to offer.

Plan-uary: Buy a full-year calendar with every single day on one page (we got this great one called “Big A## Calendar” from the Spanx founder’s husband). No easier way to plan the whole year at once than with an every-day-of-the-year calendar 📆 

👯‍♀️ Tell a Bestie:

These are stories from our “Headline Hammer”

• 🥬 You can legally order a THC-infused NA drink at bars in 24 states.

• 💍 2025’s wedding season trend? Micro-opulence.

• 🥇 The Olympic medals are breaking just 100 days after the Paris Games.

• 🫢 20% of jobs are fake jobs (aka fobs)

• 🩻 Spotify’s CEO co-founded a body-scanning startup that just hit $1.8B.

• 🇺🇸 Washington DC is now VC… we found all the Venture Capitalists now in the White House.

The Best Idea Yet 🎸

Did you know the iconic Fender Stratocaster was invented by a guy who didn’t play guitar? It’s the best-selling guitar of all time… it made Rock ‘N’ Roll possible… and it’s the latest episode of our deep dive series, The Best Idea Yet.

Listen to the untold origin stories of the products you’re obsessed with… New 45-minute episodes drop every Tuesday… it’s simply The Best Idea Yet.

And one more thing. Nick had a fantastic birthday week featuring the best burger in SF (it’s so good, it’s been known to induce labor) - and plans to extend the celebration to the weekend (also, stocks hit record highs post-b’day).

Jack found a whole mountain to skin up and then ski down (chairlift? shmairlift).

Celebrate the wins this weekend, enjoy our latest ep of The Best Idea Yet, and let us know if you’d trade your iPhone for a ZuckPhone.

— Nick & Jack