🌅 “Afternoon Delight” — Starbucks’ All-day bet. Khabe Lame’s Influencer stock. Apple’s AI rental. +Silk Diapers

0:28This is Nick. A button down on Tuesday, a vest on Wednesday, and now what's next? Tuxedo on Saturday? I don't even know. Well, dude, since there's snow on the ground, I'm wearing my Blundstones. That's the only Vermont part of my outfit. That is a Birkenstock term for the record. Jack, three fantastic stories for today's pod. What do we got on the T-boy? For our first story, we attended Starbucks' Investor Day in New York City, and I even met the CEO. Besties, we got indoctrinated with the gospel of the green apron, and we were impressed. We saw a Ferrari coffee machine, protein pockets, and a big bet on your 4 p.m.

1:01hunger. That's hanger, not hunger. For our second story, Kaby Lame has more TikTok followers than anyone in the world and just sold his account for$1 billion. Kaby Lame has become the first ever influencer stock. And our third and final story, Apple just announced earnings, but Apple's whole strategy is revealed by this question. As Shakespeare once wrote, why build your own AI when you can rent it for way cheaper instead? But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Fantastic mix to go into the weekend. Love the mix, Jack. No one else is doing it. We've covered the$6 ,000 Lamborghini baby stroller.

1:38And we've covered the$4 ,000 IRED pop baby carrier made from the rarest wool in the world. But the ultimate new parent flex, what is it, Nick? It's silk diapers, baby. Pampers just launched Pampers Prestige. silk-lined diapers. Get this, we're talking diapers made with more silk than an Hermes scarf. This is the Samsonite of swaddles. Or is it the Birkin of blowouts? Side note, Nick Martell actually read an entire book about the history of the silk trade in this world. And Jack, I can tell you that on a pound-for-pound basis, silk is actually as strong as steel. But what's the real reason that Pampers is going premium with silk-lined diapers?

2:15Ah, that would be the birth rate. The low birth rate. Because they're only offering these silk diapers in China where the birth rate is really low. Fewer babies, so Pampers is selling fewer diapers. But with high-priced diapers that are made of silk, they can squeeze more profit out of every dirty diaper. Your move, Connery. Your move. Actually, your move, cashmere. Your move. We're going to need more wife, Jack. Let's hit our three stories. Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is the norm.

2:50Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%, that's a fat tip. T-Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, cause we ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show.

3:06Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

3:16Top hats, baseball hats, Von Dutch hats. We wear so many hats on this podcast. Honestly, we're not great at all of them. No, we've been avoiding hiring someone to wear those hats instead of us, especially the Von Dutch one, because hiring and training can take forever. Well, proud to say that we are hiring right now at T-Boy, and this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Because sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95 % more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. So besties spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results.

3:46When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed-sponsored jobs. And listeners of the show will get a$75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. So just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. So yet he's Jack's instituted a new business model for his Airbnb hosting. And Jack, what is it? Here it is. Host equals guest.

4:21Yes. I funnel all my revenue from being a host on Airbnb into one bank account and use that same bank account to book travel for myself. And basically it's Jack's host guest bank account for when he hosts and when he's a guest somewhere else. When I lived in the city neck, every time my apartment was available on Airbnb, it would get booked like that. I mean, think about how often are you away from home? You got the bridesmaid, you got the shower, you got the bachelorette, you got the wedding. That's three weekends away just for one wedding right there. Plus, you got to visit your mother. Naturally.

4:50Well, that's a lot of potential hosting that you could be doing on Airbnb. Let someone else stay at your place while you're away. Take that host money and spend it when you're a guest somewhere else. Have a business model like me. If you want to travel more, hosting more is a great way to make it happen financially. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host.

5:36like a military parade. But instead of tanks and planes, for Starbucks, it was espresso machines and green aprons. Jack, take us through the in-person highlights of this Starbucks investor deck. The wining and dining was very good. They had free refills of iced blue matcha. I didn't know that was physical possible. How is it blue? Spirulina. That's how it's blue. Every female executive was wearing green pantsuits. Every male executive had a green blazer. If you're one of us, you'll wear green. I'm more coordinated than the U.S. Olympic team. And you know what, besties? spirits at Starbucks are high.

6:08They just announced 4 % growth in the fourth quarter, which is a huge rebound from 7 % shrinkage when Brian Nichol took over 18 months ago. Brian Nichol, aka B. Nichols, the former Chipotle CEO, joined Starbucks 18 months ago. And at the time, the business had never been more decaffeinated. We called it the decaffeinated era. But Brian Nichol said yesterday in New York City that his back-to-Starbucks plan is working. In fact, it's ahead of schedule. The decaffeinated era is over. The stock's up 25 % since the company announced nickel was taking over the business. Now, since T-Boy was there and we witnessed the full force of Starbucks' C-Suite, we're going to translate the extremely corporate jargon that the executives told us, T-Boy style.

6:54We're going like Duolingo on the financials here. Jack, when Starbucks' team said they were doing portfolio reshaping. What does that mean? That's a reference to closing 2 ,000 stores last year, but you know what? They're growing again, adding 600 per year starting now. Starbucks actually has 5 ,000 sites already circled on the map for future expansion. And I thought I had a Zillow problem. Term number two, unlocking throughput. What does that mean? Throughput is the number of drinks that Starbucks can serve per hour. Which leads to the next question, Jack. How is Starbucks going to jack up that number?

7:26They're going to increase their throughput with new espresso systems that they made and only they can use that look like a Ferrari. We're talking a V12 engine coffee machine that's making eight shots of espresso in 27 seconds. It's insane, and their lawyers patented the hell out of it. But besties, Starbucks also needs to make the most of their existing 40 ,000 brick and mortar locations. And that means they can't just be a morning destination for customers. So this is what we found most fascinating. Starbucks has a 2026 New Year's resolution to own the 4 p.m. snack time. To go from just an a.m.

7:59company to an a.m. and p.m. company. Basically, target your hangry happy hour. Starbucks actually said the word afternoon 13 times. I know, because I was counting, and I was hungry too. And here's how it breaks down. Coffee is for your morning. You're already going there on your morning routine. But energy drinks pop in the afternoon. So Starbucks is adding energy drinks for the afternoon. But they're also adding grilled cheeses and chicken protein pouches so that you have something to wash down. The strategy, it's not just about market share in business. It's about timeshare. And the goal for Starbucks is to own your 4 p.m.

8:31matcha order. But Brian Nicol also emphasized many times the one most important rule at Starbucks going forward. Every customer must have their drink served within four minutes. And you know what? The Formula One speed espresso machine will help with faster orders, but so will AI. That's right. AI is going to begin listening to all drive-through orders, and it will go into the machine. So the human doesn't have to type in your order. They can just start making your latte right away. I'm sorry, Jack. I said iced hot half-calf double shot vanilla latte with the extra foam light on the ice upside down.

9:01Two cups of caramel, hold the cinnamon in grand, and hold the straw, keep the lid. Okay. Did you get all that? No, but my AI did. I said decaf. I said decaf. I said decaf specifically. I need to speak to a manager. Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Starbucks? May the megatrends always be in your favor. Yetis, this Starbucks Investor Day was a masterclass in storytelling. And the overall story? The world needs a third place more than ever. A third place. Not home, not work. Something in between. Starbucks is doubling down on their third place origin. And they think the megatrends are in their favor.

9:36The first megatrend? Pushback on social media and screen time. That is good for in-person coffee shops. Another megatrend? AI. It's good for in-person coffee shops because we crave real human interaction. Sure, Starbucks is doing drive-through delivery and proving the app like everyone else, but the huge scale of physical coffee shops, that is their competitive advantage. So Starbucks is spending$150 ,000 per location to upgrade the interior design with velvet chairs, leather couches, and commissioned artwork. Jack, you even met the CEO and he said that they're delivering on our 2026 business wish.

10:14the Latte Library. I couldn't believe it. Starbucks is getting inspiration from libraries. They're adding books and board games at select locations, but we think that's going to go everywhere. Shoots and ladders and lattes. Besties, this event was intended to convince Wall Street that Starbucks stock is worth more, and the storytelling helped. The story was that the megatrends are in Starbucks' favor. For our second story, Kaby Lame, the biggest TikToker on earth, just sold his account, his brand, and himself for one billion bucks. Kabe Lame just became the first ever publicly traded influencer stock.

10:54Besties, during the pandemic, we know. You watch Tiger King on Netflix, you zoomed into work, and you tested the burrito delivery limits of DoorDash. If you were lucky, many people lost their jobs, including a 20-year-old who was working at an air filter factory in northern Italy. His name, Kabi Lame, born in Senegal, moved to Italy as a baby, and he ended up with no job, no prospects, and no chance. But in 2020, during the pandemic, necessity was the mother of invention for him. So he posted videos on TikTok that were quite entertaining. And the result? Five years later, 160 million followers, the biggest following on all of TikTok.

11:34And now he's charging up to one million bucks per a sponsored post. huge numbers that would make Kris Jenner schwitz. And here's the news. Kabi Lame just sold his TikTok handle and his identity to a publicly traded company for 975 million bucks. He's a human unicorn. Now, we gotta ask the question, has this ever happened before that someone has sold basically their identity? I mean, not really, Jack. Martha Stewart Living was kind of Martha Stewart's stock. True, true, true. And BTS, the K-pop band, kind of has a stock that trades in Korea. But those were both like business models that were sold.

12:11We're talking about one man here, an influencer, who's also now a stock that you can invest in. So Jack and I got to sprinkle on some context. Jack, why did Kabe go viral in the very first place? Well, he became universally known for not speaking. Basically, his strategy, less is more. He realized if he didn't say anything in a TikTok video, it was understood in any language. It's counterintuitive. Voiceless videos? That sounds like something that's boring, but it could reach a global audience because there was no language barriers. Let's whip up an example. Here's Kabe's format. He takes someone else's video doing a complex life hack, like fixing a broken faucet with just a spoon, but then he adds a way easier solution, mocking that life hack with an exaggerated deadpan facial expression.

12:56He's like, look how easy that was, and then he goes like this. Exactly. Check us out on YouTube if you don't know what the heck we're talking about. As psychologists have pointed out, body language is universal. It is fundamentally human the way someone moves their face. That's how we built this giant audience. It transcends borders and ages. 360 million followers across the social platforms. And besties, that audience is his one and only asset, bringing in 20 million bucks a year in revenue, according to Forbes. But now, Kaby Lame is the Warren Buffett of the creator economy. Because the company that bought his TikTok account, his brand, his image, for nearly$1 billion, that company has publicly traded on NASDAQ.

13:38Rich and Sparkle, a small Hong Kong company worth about a billion bucks, no previous social media experience, but the stock jumped 250 % on the deal. And in a strongly worded press release, this company thinks that they can make$4 billion a year using Kabe's TikTok account and his name, image, and likeness without him ever saying a word. I got to imagine it could be$8 billion if only he'd say, buy now. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddy, Kaveh Lameh? This is the first ever influencer stock. Yeti, Jack and I dove in T-boy style to the deal details. This public stock, it has exclusive rights to Lameh's brand for 36 months.

14:18It includes his TikTok shop, his live stream, his video content, and all his endorsement deals. In fact, in the filing, it said that Kaveh will launch apparel, fragrances, beauty, probably ice cream. Like any consumer packaged good, it's on the table. They're basically going to turn his TikTok into Unilever with a built-in direct marketing channel, those who watch his videos. And boom, TikTok Shop will market all his products one tap away from the video. Here's the wildest detail of all. AI Lame. AI Lame. They're going to create a digital version of Kabi Lame that they can put in any videos infinitely.

14:53A version of him to scale. Because, you know, like a human being can only produce so many videos in one day, as we know, Jack. But Kabe Lame's digital twin will be able to work 24-7 with no bathroom breaks, no pay, like a nonstop QVC channel on his TikTok account. But the riskier yet is, well, Kabe's growth has slowed on TikTok. His following actually peaked two years ago. And if his TikTok account becomes a nonstop sales pitch of like air fryers, that could cause you to unsubscribe. But for now, think of those 360 million followers as potential customers inside the retail store of Kabe Lame. And since Rich and Sparkle is publicly traded, you can actually get in on this.

15:32Besties, this is the first ever influencer stock. Now, a quick word from our sponsor. Monarch. When I had student debt, I tracked my progress on an Excel spreadsheet I manually updated each month. Oh, I was Jack a spreadsheet jockey because when he was paying off his student debt, Monarch didn't exist yet. Well, one year ago, I proudly killed that spreadsheet I'd been building for 12 years. RIP spreadsheet because Monarch is a way better solution. All your financial accounts are linked to Monarch. Every credit card, checking account, brokerage account, even our mortgages, live balances updated in real time.

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16:40Use code T-Boy at Monarch.com for half off your first year. That's 50 % off your first year at Monarch.com with code T-Boy. NetSuite by Oracle. Yetis, on our show, you know, we love to sprinkle on some context. Because news doesn't mean anything if you don't have a sense of history, the competitive situation, etc. Yada, yada, yada. Well, it's the same with AI. If your AI tool doesn't know anything about your biz, then it's not going to be the best one yet. That's why we're pumped to promote NetSuite by Oracle. It's helping over 43 ,000 businesses figure out how AI can work for them. NetSuite is actually the number one cloud ERP connected to your entire enterprise.

17:14It has your data on financials, HR, inventory, commerce, and CRM. To be honest, it's probably going to have to sprinkle on context about your business to you. It's that intelligent. That connected data is what makes your AI smarter. So it doesn't just guess, it knows. This isn't another bolted on tool. It's AI built into the system that runs your business. So whether your company has millions or even hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you stay ahead. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, get your free business guide, Demystifying AI, at netsuite.com slash tboy. The guide is free to use at netsuite.com slash tboy.

17:46Netsuite.com slash tboy. For our third and final story before the weekend, Apple is ridiculed by tech commentators for totally missing the AI boat. But this week's Apple earnings reveal their real AI strategy. Let everyone else go broke building AI. and then Apple will just rent it for cheap. Well, let's dive in T-boy style, Jack. Yetis, yesterday Apple announced earnings and we noticed something funny about the CEO Tim Cook, right, Jack? Well, he had the opposite strategy of Elon Musk the day before. Yeah, what was that, Jack? Elon wants you to ignore Tesla's declining business of today and just focus on the future instead.

18:28But Tim Cook of Apple wants you to ignore the future and think about their growing business of today. Well, Apple today announced record revenues and record profits, and a record 2.5 billion Apple devices are connected right now. Basically a third of the world. But there is one problem we should point out, Jack. Apple remains MIA when it comes to AI. They're criticized for not building their own LLM and not even trying to. Okay, Jack, I think right now we're ROA, running out of acronyms. Besties, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, they are hyperscalers. Apple is a hyper-failer. Apple looks like they're bringing a BB gun to the AI arms race.

19:08Basically, they're sitting on the sidelines like it's a JV Jerry situation. But Apple's AI strategy could actually be the best one. The market just doesn't realize it yet. Yet he's herein lies the bull case for Apple AI. It's letting everyone else go broke building large language models. But then when the dust settles, Apple will simply rent the best model for a way cheaper price. Think about it, Yetis. The money these tech companies are spending to build AI models, it's like the most money spent on anything in human history. Biggest splurge since Caesar. We're talking$135 billion this year spent by Meta.

19:46$125 billion spent this year by Amazon. You could buy like 15 Lyfts for that much money. And they're just building data centers instead. It's 19 Lyfts, Jack. Oh, and Microsoft, they're spending more than a year's worth of profit on AI right now. And OpenAI is spending an infinity years worth of profit on AI. Because they're unprofitable. Apple, on the other hand, they're spending almost nothing on investments in AI. Nope. Instead, Apple's still just generating cash by selling like a billion bucks of AirPods every day. So, Meta is making billions of profits, but then spending more than that on data centers.

20:21Apple's just not doing the second part. Now, Bastius, this doesn't mean your iPhone is going to be absent of AI features, right, Jack? No, it just means the AI features on your iPhone will be built by someone else, not Apple. Like we've said before, Apple plays the tortoise to tech's hair. It's not a first mover. It's a second shaker. But AI is different. This bet Apple's making is even bigger. It's our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Apple? Why build an entire AI factory when you can just rent AI instead? Yetis, Apple has never manufactured its own phones. Foxconn does that for them in China.

20:57It's the asset light model that's been so successful for Apple, Airbnb, Robinhood, Uber, Nike, lots of different companies. But hyperscalers are abandoning the asset light model right now. Instead, they're splurging on data centers the size of entire cities. But Apple believes you don't have to. They believe asset light can work for AI too. For example, this year, Apple will finally give us a super Siri powered by AI. I'm sorry, powered by Google's Gemini AI. From the consumer perspective, that's fine. You don't care who's powering it. As long as Siri is smart, you're going to be happy. Basically, Apple can simply rent AI compute from American or Chinese LLMs at a super cheap price.

21:38Now, there is a risk that Apple's wrong. They could end up with huge AI FOMO if Zuckerberg eventually hits AI gold. But if AI is a bubble, then the hyperscalers like Zuck will have wasted billions. While Apple will have wasted nothing. So the bouquets for Apple stock, it's actually a question. Why build an AI factory when you can rent AI for way cheaper? Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for the real Friday? Starbucks Investor Day celebrated a return to growth and a NASA-engineered espresso machine that doubles the brewing speed. But their 2026 New Year's resolution, own your 4 p.m. energy dip with the afternoon delight.

22:18For our second story, Kabe Lame sold his entire influencer business and his entire identity to a publicly traded company. Now got a digital twin. This is the first ever influencer stock. And our third and final story. Apple stock rose yesterday on quote unquote staggering iPhone profits that they won't spend on data centers. It's the Apple method. Why build an entire AI factory when you can just rent AI instead? That's the Apple pull case. But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, software has never been softer because the whole software industry dropping right now.

22:57Microsoft announced earnings this week and the stock fell 11 % afterwards. As a result, a whole bunch of other software stocks plummeted to worst day in ever. But it's been a really bad few months because now that AI can code, AI can create software too. Second, it was a mixed day for Waymo yesterday. First, they announced he can finally take a Waymo robo-taxi to the San Francisco airport. But then they also announced a Waymo sadly hit a kid in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. Good news, the kid is okay. He stood up and walked away. The Waymo hit the brakes on time. And we should also point out, so far, the data still shows that robo-taxis are safer than human drivers.

23:34And finally, Travis Kelsey, the tight end for the Chiefs, just announced his newest investment, sleep number mattress. The sleeping mattress stock jumped 5 % on word the football star is officially on the calf table. Yeah, he bought nearly 5 % of this publicly traded mattress company because he says his mattress is the love of his life. Yeah, I mean, like, I'm sorry, Taylor, but this guy loves his queen size. Strategically timed during Super Bowl week, by the way. Drop us a comment, though, if you want this to be a story for the pod. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by legendary Yeti, Brett Sutter from lovely Denver, Colorado.

24:08McLaren. It's one of the most famous and expensive and fastest sports cars ever. I mean, Jack, I'm whipping out the whiteboard here. We're looking at$100 ,000 for the cheapest one, like over a million bucks for the most expensive. You know, I've never actually looked at the logo, but now that I'm looking at it, Nick, is that a bird? Is that a kiwi bird? Why does a British car company have a New Zealand native famous bird as their logo? Not just any bird. A kiwi bird is a flightless bird. It can't even fly. It like stumbles. The reason is that the founder and racer, Bruce McLaren, grew up in New Zealand.

24:40And he also chose the color of McLaren to be orange because of the papaya fruit. And why is that, Jack? So in Formula One, the McLaren team is orange. The color of New Zealand's favorite fruit. Papayas and kiwis, that's what New Zealand does. Yetis, you are looking fantastic to end the week. And Jack, celebrate the wins, hanging out with the Starbucks CEO today. There you go, man. I know, I hope we get to interview him someday in the future. Besties, it is five-star Fridays, though So if you haven't yet, drop down to give us a five-star rating and review We love rating them, and they really do help us grow the show Have a phenomenal weekend Nick and I will see you Monday Can't wait

25:22And before we go, happy birthday to legendary Yeti And maestro of managers, Mike Mooney of the T-Boy Pod And happy birthday to legendary Yeti, Nicholas Cicero And Ken say happy birthday down in Lake Worth, Florida. Enjoy that 53rd. Happy 30th birthday to Elizabeth in New York City. We know you're scared, but you're going to have a great weekend. And Joe Bideman down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is now a member of a board and a B-Day boy. Happy 12th birthday to Cassie Ariel in Marietta, Georgia, who's worth more than an entire lift. And Jeremy Alex Lay from North York, Ontario, has got the best birthday yet and the best poke restaurant in Canada.

26:00Pokebox, if you know, you know. And happy birthday to Caroline Buckhut. in Tampa, Florida. And Christian Calderon, enjoy the new job in San Diego. Congrats on the win. Happy 30th birthday to Dom Aiello in New Rochelle, who's also celebrating by running 30 miles. And congratulations to Riley Rowe, who won a trivia game down in Jacksonville with an answer that he got from this podcast. And congratulations to the entire crew car wash team, who was just named the number one place to work in America after NVIDIA, according to Glassdoor. And Tara Borisov is celebrating 100 days of kindergarten, Congrats in Antelope, California.

26:35Bring that to show and tell. You win. And happy birthday to Robert George, who also has a new job in Pittsburgh. Oh, you know what he asked for his birthday, right, Jack? He wants a cookie crisp and a not possible. Cookie crisp. Not possible. It is possible. Celebrate the win. This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon and Netflix. Nick owns stock of Nike. And we both own stock of Apple, Robinhood, and Airbnb. Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coolidge. Well, many thanks, good sir. Heareth my Discover card. They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop.

27:19Getteth with the times. With the times? You're playing the lute. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right? Discover is accepted at 99 % of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report.