🔮 “The Predictions Pod” — SpaceX’s Olympics, Starbucks’ Library, OpenAI’s company town.

0:28This is Nick. It's already our best pod of 2026. And stocks are already at an all-time high for the year. That's literally true. It's a true story because today is our predictions pod, our three big business wishes for the new year. Nick and I don't have a crystal ball. No. But we do have a crystal ball. So Jack, our three big business wishes, what do we got on today's pod? Our wish number one is that OpenAI should build an entire town with homes, data centers, and nuclear power. An AI company town. Call it Sam land because AI ain't just an industry. AI is a way of life. Our second big business wish of the year is that Starbucks should launch a chain of libraries.

1:09Yeah. That's right. Latte libraries. Bestie, Starbucks needs a turnaround plan for 2026 and a library is the ultimate third place. And our third and final big business wish of the year. SpaceX should host the Olympics in outer space. SpaceX, they're IPO-ing in 2026. Why not host an Olympic event in 2028? But yetis, before we hit that wonderful and wild mix of business wishes. We got to pause the pause so everyone can absorb what we just said here, Jack. We go bold, baby. We're not predicting that TikTok's going to get sold this year. Everyone knows that's true. Spoiler. We're predicting something wild just to expand your imagination.

1:50We actually spent the whole break on these and we love, love putting these together for you. But Nick, the number two rule of prediction podcast What is it? It's that we got to check ourselves from last year's predictions podcast. So I'm whipping out the whiteboard. How did we do last year? All right, Jack, I'm adding up the numbers here. And last year we went one for three-ish. To sprinkle on some context, we call them wishes because we wish that these things would happen. And we think there is a solid business case for each one of these that they could and should happen. So Jack, let's dig into last year's predictions.

2:22Last year, we wished that Apple would launch the eye toilet. That was a good one. Apple-branded smart toilet. And the result was nope. Nope. Yeah, no. Unfortunately, the eye tushy did not happen this year. Although I saw more bidets last year than ever before. Oh, yeah. Good point, Jack. If there was a pure play bidet stock, I mean, we would buy that thing. I'm still looking for it. Now, our second big business wish of last year, we wished that Home Depot would start selling actual homes. Home Depot homes revived the Sears mail-order homes from the past to solve today's housing crisis. Nope. Home Depot sold full-size skeletons for Halloween decorations.

2:56But we were wrong on this one. Home Depot sold no full-sized homes. Our third big business wish of last year, we wished that Disney would acquire Spirit to create Disney Airlines. Spirit Airlines was near bankruptcy. Mickey was doubling down on parks and cruises. So Jack, how did we do on that prediction? We were kind of right on this one. I'm going to round up and say we're right on this one. Now, Disney did not acquire Spirit Airlines. Spirit ended up declaring bankruptcy again last year. But Disney did launch a Disney-themed airplane with Alaska Airlines. Which is basically what we predicted.

3:30So round that one up and yeah, we'll count it as a win. So checking last year's predictions, we were one-ish for three. But Jack, what's the number one rule of predictions podcasts? It's that there's no such thing as a wrong prediction. It just hasn't happened yet. Jack, let's hit our three wishes for the new year. 15 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. Jack 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.

4:11We can't wait no more, so just start the show.

4:17Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor.

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5:49When 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, well, 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.

6:20Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host.

6:28For our first big business wish of the new year, OpenAI will build housing, data centers, and nuclear power. A modern company town with AI apartments. Because AI isn't just an industry. AI is changing our civilization. Yetis, there is no question that AI will be the industry at 2026, just like it was for 2025. But while the investor community is amped about AI, voters aren't. Yeah, AI's got a bigger brand image problem than Drake these days. So we think it's critical that AI leaders prove to society that more than just the rich will benefit from this AI revolution. Jack just added himself as a Drake fan just there.

7:09By not jumping in and like correcting you. Yeah, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I know you're a Kendrick guy, but Jack and I were kicking around a couple ideas. Like Jack, you want to share that idea we had about NVIDIA? We think NVIDIA could program their chips to automatically have watermarks on any AI generated images or videos that their chips produce. Basically an AI warning sticker. This is fake. NVIDIA would be sending a message to society. You can buy our AI chips, but you're not allowed to use them to try to trick people. It's a good idea. But instead we would like our business wish for AI to be to Sam Altman.

7:43OpenAI should build America's first new company town in 100 years. We're talking AI houses, energy, and offices all in one place. We call it Samland, and we'll explain. But first, sprinkle on some context. Please, Jack. If China ends up beating America in the race to artificial intelligence supremacy, it's probably because China has more energy than we do. And why is that, Jack? It requires 10 times more electricity to compute a chatbot query than it does a regular Google search. And that's why the AI boom has maxed out our grid. And the wait list for new natural gas turbines is three years long.

8:21We're simply out of electricity. That's why Sam Altman has invested in Oclo, a next generation nuclear power company whose stock quadrupled in 2025. Now, Oclo is building their first nuclear plan and in Idaho to power data centers for ChatGPT to answer your queries about gift ideas. But we think Sam Altman should go one step further. Yes, we do. We think he should build housing for the workers of that nuclear power plant and the AI data centers that will be around it. In fact, we want him to go even further than that. We think that housing could be smart housing, filled with hardware that puts AI to use.

8:59Hey, chat, turn down the temperature. Hey, chat, turn up the movie. Hey, chat, read me that chicken recipe. Basically a proof of concept for AI living. Stick AI into every ottoman in the building. So it's an AI company town. And Sam could offer these AI houses at subsidized prices as a thank you for coming and living in his community. Creating real positive economic impact. So we see it as a three birds opportunity. It feeds three birds with one scone. He could use this big AI money to help alleviate America's housing crisis and to generate carbon-free electricity. and to demonstrate the livability of AI lifestyles.

9:36There's only one thing you shouldn't do, Sam, and you know what that is? Don't invite Adam Neumann to lead this project. Yeah, yeah. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Sam Altman's Samland? Titans of industry love building company towns. Yetis? History shows us that when new industries are born, entire towns get built around them. The railroad boom led to Pullman, Illinois, a town that built one thing and one thing only. Pullman rail cars. The chocolate boom led to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town that did one delicious thing and one delicious thing only, Hershey Kisses. Actually, they eventually did Reese's Pieces too.

10:12And you've got the space boom right now that's led to Starship, Texas, an incorporated town with the statue of Elon Musk. Why not Altman, Idaho be the next company town? Play to Sam's ego and show the country that the AI boom doesn't just benefit tech venture capitalists. If OpenAI really wants to build$1.4 trillion worth of data centers, he's going to need voter support to get that done. AI is changing civilization, besties. Sam could create a new civilization around all the AI hubs. And build a bunch of houses and let a bunch of people benefit from it. The AI company town of Samland. For our second wish of 2026, it's that Starbucks would create Starbucks libraries.

10:58To turn around the Starbucks brand and get back to its third place philosophy, Starbucks should launch latte libraries. Besties, one of our most popular takeaways from last year was that Starbucks ain't facing disruption, it's facing erosion. Dutch Bros, BlackRock Coffee, Blank Street Coffee. These smaller coffee chains have the cool factor right now and are eating up Starbucks market share. We've seen it in the story of last year. Starbucks closed 430 stores in the fall and had a union protest over Thanksgiving. Consumers are annoyed that the 170 ,000 different coffee combinations at Starbucks take forever to prepare.

11:32I got cappuccino paralysis. The only thing working in Starbucks right now, Jack, I think it's the bear-shaped barista bottles, right? Yeah, they sold out and made customers very angry because they were so adorably cute. But besties, here's the problem. You can't just pumpkin spice your stock back to growth, can you, Jack? The stock fell last year and Starbucks is still down 30 % from its all-time high price. Starbucks has been in its decaffeinated era for four years now, as far as we can tell. And not even the new star CEO from Chipotle has been able to turn things around. So yet he's Jack and I have an idea.

12:05It's not a new drink. It's not a new mug. It's not a boo-boo latte. It's the Starbucks library. A latte library. Here's the idea. Renovate select Starbucks stores to prioritize reading, writing, and studying like a library. Maybe the occasional nap. Picture a Starbucks reserve, but the focus is shelves filled with books, not beans. You can order coffee, but you don't have to. You encourage customers to come in with lounge furniture and spend four hours, if they want, writing the chapter of their next novel. I mean, Jack, F. Scott Fitzgerald probably would have written the second Great Gatsby sequel if he had a Starbucks library on Long Island.

12:42Starbucks could even partner with public libraries. Toss a Starbucks kiosk in there and show the world that you are pro-book. I mean, Jack, You've told me some of your fondest memories as a kid. My dad loved Barnes & Nobles. So my memories are my parents sipping Starbucks while I read magazines from the Barnes & Noble. It was a great time. I'm curious what kind of magazines. Well, Starbucks within a Barnes & Noble is directionally aligned with our latte library idea. Yes, it is. And it fits some macro trends. Books are booming while the anti-screen movement continues. Even though bean prices are at all-time highs, so is your demand for the double-digit lattes.

13:17So from a trend perspective, A Starbucks latte library, pig backs on all three of those. Okay, but here's what we find fascinating. There also is precedent, right Jack? In July, we did a story on this pod about a Starbucks location in China that turned their stores into a study hall for students. No coffee buying requirement there. They just gave some much needed space for you to open up some huge econ textbook in the Starbucks. The goal of that China strategy was to win the goodwill of young people. It was a great idea. We think it should come stateside. Now it's time to scale it and let Jack finally enjoy that Maxim magazine in peace.

13:54So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Starbucks? The Starbucks library is a bet that the third place still exists. Yetis, Starbucks' brand was designed by Howard Schultz on one key ideal, the third place. The third place. Not home, not work. A third option where people can exist between the two. But in the last 55 years, Starbucks has lost that third place appeal. A billion dollars of orders at Starbucks last year were delivery. People seem to prefer grab and go instead of sit and sip. Now, Starbucks could chase that trend, right? Check, like ditch the whole third place ideal and just prioritize speed.

14:31But the CEO, Brian Nichols, said they're not doing that. Restoring the third place is a priority for Starbucks. And we love that he's focused on that. You know, a Starbucks that prioritizes books, reading, and spending time? That would be the ultimate expression of a third place. So Brian, we're fans. We know you're listening too, man. Fixing Starbucks, it ain't an easy job. But adding books to the beans is an idea we think is worth pursuing. Yeti's the Starbucks Latte Library. That should be in the 2026 turnaround plan. Now a quick word from our sponsor. Top hats, baseball hats, Von Dutch hats.

15:08We 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. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.

15:41And 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. 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.

16:17Well, 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. I'm still paying down my mortgage, and Monarch gives me the visibility and tools to do it. You can use it too. Create savings buckets and financial goals in Monarch. Set yourself up for financial success this year. Are you familiar with the Sankey diagram? I had no idea what it was yet. Well, once you see it, you can't unsee it.

16:49It's brilliant, and Monarch visually shows you what you're spending. And we did not make up that term. Your investment portfolio, Monarch compares it to the S &P 500 for you. Set yourself up for financial success in 2026 with Monarch, the all-in-one tool that makes proactive money management simple all year long. Use 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. For our third and final wish, it's that SpaceX should revive the International Space Station and tie it to the Olympics. One competition in the 2028 Olympic Games should happen in outer space.

17:26Yetis, if AI is the industry of 2026, then space will be the space of 2026. Yes, it will. We covered earlier last month that Elon confirmed plans for an IPO for SpaceX in 2026. And then a week later, we got this shocker. The company SpaceX entered the quiet period, a key part of a formal pre-IPO process. So the undisputed leader in space already tripled their private valuation in 2025 and now may double it again in 2026 with an IPO. Besties, big deal here. SpaceX is reportedly targeting a$1.5 trillion IPO valuation, the biggest ever. Jack, could you sprinkle on some context? If SpaceX hits$1.5 trillion, that's 187 lifts.

18:11Yeah, it would be the 10th biggest company in the world. And its ticker symbol would probably be Mars. Now, Yetis, Jack and I have talked to you before about the business of SpaceX, but now it's time for us to talk about what should be their business. You see, Yetis, SpaceX should resurrect the International Space Station to reestablish global cooperation as we enter the galaxy. The International Space Station is the single most expensive thing humans have ever built in history. You think the new Yankee Stadium was expensive? The International Space Station has cost$150 billion. Makes the pyramids look like an impulse buy.

18:51But the ISS is scheduled to be deorbited and decommissioned in 2031. That's right, Yetis. The International Space Station's coming down. And the timing is so wrong, right, Jack? Because right now, for the first time in like 50 years, space is getting hot again. It's cold up there, but it's also hot. In 2027, SpaceX is bringing humans back to the moon for the first time in 50 years through NASA's Artemis program. And after that, SpaceX's stated company mission is to colonize Mars. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin, they're landing rockets back safely on Earth, which is an amazingly accomplishment.

19:27Okay, well, one second, Houston, I gotta pause the pod for a second. Before we do all that, wouldn't it be helpful to set some ground rules for all this space stuff? Like, who's in charge in outer space? Yeah, like, Jack, if we build on the moon and Mars, whose jurisdiction will it be? Will the United States be in charge? Will SpaceX be in charge? Will Rick Moranis be in charge? Katy Perry would like a few words. You see, besties, as humans enter interplanetary life, we should do so as humans, not citizens of one nation or another. Which leads to our takeaway. So Jack, three, two, one. Ignition.

20:03What's the takeaway for our buddies over at SpaceX? SpaceX should host the Olympics in outer space. Yeah, it is. There is nothing more symbolic of peace and human cooperation than the Olympics. The Winter Olympics start next month. We represent our countries and we compete peacefully as global citizens. Well, with the International Space Station being decommissioned, SpaceX could ensure human cooperation continues in space with our idea. Imagine a chess competition in the International Space Station as part of the 2028 Olympics. Oh, Jack, what if SpaceX hosted a gymnastics competition on the moon without gravity?

20:41It would be symbolic, but symbols matter. Yes, they do. The symbol is that nobody owns the moon or outer space. It belongs to all of us. Besties, the ISS, could be renamed to the ISS, the International Space Sports Station. SpaceX should host a 2028 Olympic competition in outer space. And if you think this idea is too out there, remember who the CEO is. Jack, just as I predicted, could you whip up the takeaways for us for our three business wishes of 2026? OpenAI should build Altman, Idaho, a company town with AI housing, data centers, and nuclear power. It's a wild idea, besties, but an AI company town might just boost the brand of AI among voters.

21:26For our second story, Starbucks should turn some of their coffee shops into libraries that also serve coffee. It's the Latte Library, and it would be a bold bet that the third place still exists. And our third and final wish for 2026, SpaceX should revive the International Space Station before it comes down and add an Olympic event up there. SpaceX, you're IPO-ing in 2026. Why not host 2028 Olympic gymnastics in space? But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to note. Oh, shoot. No, no, no. Here's what else we wish would happen this year in business. Yeah, we had a few more predictions we wanted to share with you.

22:04First, the Equinox Airport Lounge. Equinox should build the first airport health and fitness center. 2025 was the year of the airport lounge. 2026, we'll get the first airport gym. I mean, every consumer hates being stuck at the airport. What if there was a gym, a sauna, a few showers? Would it kill you for that? I would relish the layover if I had the opportunity to go to the gym and work out and shower. I would choose a layover for that, Jack. So put the Equinox Airport Gym right on top of JFK and right on top of LAX to start. Another business wish we also whipped up, Amazon should add a buy local button right beneath buy now.

22:41Amazon should use AI to find out if the thing you're about to buy on Amazon is also available on your local main street and give you the option to buy local in that case. As for the business model, Amazon could ship it to make money that way or take a tiny referral free if you buy it in person. This wouldn't be charity, Amazon. It would let you make money and let America's main streets survive. And one more business wish we got, kill the feeocracy. What are you, a revolutionary, Nick? I mean, I'm going to die on this hill, Jack. We should wish that DoorDash, we predict DoorDash will be the first delivery app to eliminate the service fee.

23:14DoorDash should pull a Robinhood by eliminating a key industry fee, the service fee, and become the delivery app that people love. Oh, Jack, is this DoorDash pulling a Costco and making all their profit through one thing, an annual membership instead? That's what they should do. Restaurants would love DoorDash. Customers would love DoorDash if they kill the service fee. Fee-free pad thai. Now time for the best fact yet of 2026, and it's all about 2026. Well, first of all, it's not just us doing this. Wall Street loves to make predictions. I mean, there's nothing investors appreciate more than a good prediction check.

23:49Every January, all the stock analysts from all the investment banks publish their prediction about your portfolio and where it's going this year. Where will the S &P 500 end 2026? But here's the question. Are they accurate? No offense, Wall Street, but not at all. Get this. According to the New York Times, from 2003 to 2023, the median stock forecast was off by 14 percentage points. 14 percentage points. And we whipped up some examples for you. In 2023, the prediction was that stocks would rise by 6%. But in reality, stocks rose by 22%. In 2024, JP Morgan predicted that markets would go down. But they went up by 25%.

24:30And just one year ago, Barclays said that stocks would drop because of the trade war. But they jumped by 15 % to an all-time high. Sebasti's at it all up, and whatever stock market prediction you hear right now, we predict it's the wrong prediction. Nothing personal, Wall Street, but you guys are really, really bad at guessing where stocks will go. This is why we rebrand our predictions as wishes. Yetis, you look fantastic to start the year. Jack, kicking it off, glowing over there. We got a lot in store for 2026. We got our live tour. We have a great YouTube initiative and more. The best one yet is about to have the best one yet.

25:08And Jack added a 43rd step to his 42 step skincare routine. Well, I already am winning my New Year's resolution, which is that you don't say lick on the podcast all year. There's still time. Yetis, we are so pumped for this year with you. Tell your buddies, HYHTVOY, and we'll see you for tomorrow's regular program. And if you've got your own predictions, drop them in the comments. Oh, we can't wait to see it.

25:35And before we go, a shout out to Michael Phelps, who just started training again for the Moon Freestyle. Yeah, the skiing big air competition is really big air.

25:48This is Jack. I own stock of Disney and Lyft, and Nick and I both own stock of Apple, Robinhood, and Chipotle, as well as ETFs of the S &P 500.

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