The Best One Yet - 🌯 “Burrito Brawl” — Chipotle sues Sweetgreen. Twitter’s algorithm opening. The Anytime-Anywhere Economy.

Episode Date: April 6, 2023

Chipotle just sued Sweetgreen for burrito bowl IP infringement, but we think Sweetgreen could turn lawsuits into lemonade. For the first time, a major social media algorithm has been released and opened up for the public to see — So we finally know the recipe for virality. And pandemic work flexibility has created “The Anytime/Anywhere Economy.”$CMG $SG $META $GOOGFollow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypodAnd now watch us on YoutubeWant a Shoutout on the pod? Fill out this formGot the Best Fact Yet? We got a form for that tooLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Thursday, the new Friday. April 6th, and today's pod is the best one yet. It's a T-Boy. You know, Nick, this Thursday is the new Friday. Literally. This Thursday is the new Friday, isn't it, Jack?

And why is that? Markets are closed tomorrow in observance of Good Friday. Ipsop facto, this is our last pot of the week. You know what that means, Jack? Thursday is the new Friday. It's like we've always said. Good Friday. Best Thursday.

Jack, what's the day? our first story for the pod. There is a food fight happening on Wall Street. Yetis, Chipotle just sued sweet green and sweet green stock dropped. It is a burrito bowl brawl. Yes it is. Second story, what do we got, Jack? Twitter just told us its biggest secret. They published the Twitter algorithm. Algorithms, they rule the internet. And this is the first one we can actually see. And our third and final story, we have to talk about the anytime, anywhere economy. 3 p.m. golf, 2 p.m. Manic Here's Jack, what does that mean? The anytime, anywhere, economy.

We're all living in it. Yes, we are. But Yeties, before we hit that fantastic mix to end the week. Just a wonderful mix before three-day weekend. I love this mix, man. It's not just the new Friday. It's also Ramadan, Passover, and almost Easter right now. We got major religious holidays all converging in like right now, today.

But there is one religion we can never forget. Yeties, there is one faith that we are devoted to. That faith is peeps. Hallelujah, Jack, and you repeat that for us one more time. Peep's marshmallows may have the most zealous of following. Yeties, we're talking about the mushy yellow little chicken marshmallows. The smushy pink bunny indulgences. It's not just a food, it's a lifestyle.

It's the only candy that's over 100% sugar. Jack, it's the only candy without an expiration date. Now, Yeti's, Peeps is actually manufactured here in the United States in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania. Jack and I jumped in T-boy style. Turns out it was invented by a Ukrainian immigrant. And last year, this company sold $231 million worth of yellow marshmallows. Yeties, we are talking about a quarter billion dollars

of marshmallow gummies, bunnies, sorry, bunnies. And the peeps, they're not just bunnies. They've multiplied like bunnies too. We checked out the numbers. Peeps is scaling across the economy like a soft SaaS software. There is now an official peeps-flavored Pepsi drink. There is now an official peeps-flavored pancake mix. There's peeps popcorn.

There's peeps plate out. There's peeps cereal. There's peeps' sandals. There's peeps' lip balm. Peep's fubble bag. Jack, there is even a Peep's made Peep's official protein shake powder, man. Like a bunny, peeps is not monogamous either. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies?

We're probably cracking over a whole bunch of peeps right now. It ain't spring until three things have happened. First, you see cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. Second, you spill some relish on your skirt. a ball game. And third, you stuff your face with five peeps. Yetis, whatever your religion. Yetis, whatever your food faith. Bless these peeps. That's about three stahores.

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 a norm. 50%. That's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show.

For our first story, we are in the middle of a lunchtime Smackdown. Chipotle just sued Sweet Green. But Sweet Green could turn lawsuits into lemonade. It gets me, it gets me honestly every time. But first, Jack, honestly, unprecedented moment for our podcast, right? We found a story to cover on this pod that was number one headline on CNBC and on TMZ. It was like the Brangeline of Breakup, but a fast casual. That's what this is.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is suing Sweet Green over Burrito Bowl IP infringement. This is a crouton confrontation. This thing is getting ugly out there. It's the biggest lunchtime legal battle since Subway's Funalachs. Or the fushi situation. Remember that? And the issue here, Sweet Green's newest product is called the Chipotle chicken burrito. We repeat, the new product from Sweet Green is the Chipotle chicken burrito bowl. Jack, let's go on. They're moving away from just south. into a product that sounds just like Chipotle's top selling products.

All right, Jack, let's add this up for a second. So we're saying that Chipotle, a burrito behemoth, just sued Sweet Green, the salad Sire in federal court. That's exactly what we're saying, Nick. And this is seriously Eddie. Sweet Green stock fell 10% yesterday. And we're looking at the financial scoreboard. Sweet green stock is down by 23% this year, close to an all-time level. On the other hand, Jack, where's Chipotle stock right now?

It's doing the opposite. It's up 23% this year, close to an all-time high. Yetis, this is a David and Goliath situation. But here is where things get complicated. Jack and I are going to have to add another chapter to our tricky trademarks and our crazy copyrights. It's a lawsuit for IP infringement, and it's confusing because Chipotle is both a brand and a flavor. The last time, Jack and I checked, you can't copyright cuisine. Like tacos can't be trademarked.

Sweet Green says they called this burrito bowl Chipotle for the Chipotle. Potolay powder that provides the perfectly slightly spicy smoky bite. On the other hand, Chipotle, they've got a little bit of a different case to make. They say it's not about the flavor. It's about confusion. Confusing customers about Chipotle. Yeah, fair point, because the name of this new sweet green product says Chipotle, which is confusing. And the font looks a lot like Chipotle's font. Which makes it even more confusing. And the color looks a lot like Chipotle's brand.

It's adobe red. Yeah. The only color in Chipotle's logo. Awkward. Chipotle thinks that Sweet Green is brazenly trying to steal some sales from Chipotle customers. Because customers don't think of Chipotle as a flavor, they think of it as a brand. Jack, is Gwockstall extra? Always. Yeah, thought so. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Chipotle?

Actually, over at Sweet Green. Never let a crisis go to waste. Yeties, we repeat, Sweet Green stock fell 10% yesterday because Wall Street thinks Chipotle has a pretty strong case. But that doesn't mean Sweet Green has to complete. completely lose here. Because Sweet Green just got labeled David by Goliath. So the way we see it, this is actually a potential moment to shine. Sweet Green should turn this into a marketing moment.

If they have to change the name, they should let diners choose the new name of this ball. Or like, Jack, instead of the Chipotle Burrito Bowl, they could call it the Chapotene. Is this Chipotle? No, it's Chipotle. Or they could even rename the product to the bowl that got sued by Chipotle. What would you like to have, Jack? I'd like the bowl that got sued by Chipotle. Yeti's Sweet Green is down 10% today, but culturally, it could be up 10% tomorrow.

Because you should never let a good crisis go to waste. Sweet Green, you should turn lawsuits into lemonade. For our second story, finally, a social media company revealed the secret recipe to virality. Twitter just opened up its algorithm publicly for everyone to see, and we have the five key ingredients. Yeties, we've all been there. Jack and I have been with you on this. You look fantastic. You got that cute top on. You're outside of like the Amalfi Coast. You take that perfect picture. You're with a puppy. It's all lining up. You think the post has potential. See, add some trending hashtags. You add the viral Taylor Swift track. Jack, what did you say the other day? A little bit of razzle dazzle, a little sprinkled dinkle. You push post. Yes. And then what happens, Jack? And you wait for the likes to roll in. And then what happens, Jack? Nothing. Yeah, nothing. You don't get any likes. on that perfect post. No razzle, no dazzle, no sprinkle, no dinkle. Yeah, it is, there is a mystery to why no one

liked your perfect post. We all know that question. Why didn't our perfect picture go viral? And the answer is the algorithm. Yeah, on social media, we all live by the algorithm and we die by the algorithm. The biggest secret in tech is that TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, they rank your post and then choose how many people see it and therefore how many people can like it. And those algorithms of the social media and tech companies are defended and protected like the Mona Lisa. But unlike the Mona Lisa, we can't see these.

We can't see the algorithm. Yeah, the only people who can actually see the algorithms are the engineers. And unfortunately, those engineers have signed some pretty restrictive non-disclosure agreements. So the formula that decides online reach on the internet has been unknown until now.

Until now. Jack, what's the news? Elon told the Twitter team to publish the algorithm to the public for everyone to see. For the first time, Eddies, we can now see the algorithm. And what does that mean, Jack? We can see the recipe for virality. So Jack and I were curious, what is the Twitter algorithm telling us? Well, Akash Gupta, a product manager, translated that Twitter code into what the algorithm likes and what the algorithm hates. And here are the top five takeaways of his translation. Number one, Twitter now loves photos. Yeah, Twitter If you tweet something with a photo or a video in it, it's going to get double the reach compared to a text-only tweet.

We know you're thinking. Twitter used to prefer text, but now Twitter is trying to look a little bit more like TikTok, a little bit more like Instagram. Alright, number two takeaway about this algorithm, Twitter loves likes. Like nothing boosts a post in an algorithm like likes do. You can get retweets, you could get replies, you can get comments, doesn't matter. Likes are the best. Likes are key. Takeaway number three, the Twitter algorithm doesn't like links at all.

If you tweet out a tweet and you've got a link in there like we tweet out our podcast episodes, it's got to get suppressed. The tweet gets suppressed because the algorithm hates links. Twitter takeaway number four, Twitter's algorithm can be completely arbitrary. In fact, any algorithm can be arbitrary because people decide what's in an algorithm. For example, tweets with the word Ukraine were getting punished by the Twitter algorithm. But in February, tweets with the words Elon Musk were getting a huge reward by the algorithm. Which leads to the fifth and final and biggest takeaway of Twitter's algorithm of all.

What is it, Jack? Twitter blue. If you have Twitter blue, you get a huge bonus. You get a Twitter blue bonus. It's like Twitter holds your tweet hostage until you get Twitter blue. If you pay the monthly fee, your tweet will be seen. If you don't pay the monthly fee, nobody's going to see your tweet. Elon's basically holding your tweets ransom for eight bucks a month.

That's the deal. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all? All our buddies trying to go viral on social media. The next pressure on social media is for tech transparency. Yeti's Twitter posting its algorithm publicly, that could lead to pressure on other companies to follow. Because what gets seen and not seen hugely depends on a secret algorithm. Sharing that secret algorithm enlightens the public

and keeps the platforms more accountable. Now, there could be a downside here. You're probably going to see tweets that are catered clearly just to, like, crack the algorithm. Jack, we're going to see a tweet tomorrow that's got no links, six photos, and absolutely definitely. Doesn't say Ukraine. Exactly. Yetis, the tech industry is so powerful, though. Some transparency could actually help get critics off its back.

Transparency would make users happier, make regulators more comfortable, and make platforms more responsible. So the way we see it, now that Twitter's opened up, there's a little bit of pressure on Zuck, YouTube, and TikTok. It's time to get transparent. And now a word from our sponsor, Robin Hood. 34, great year for our nerves. That's the year the FDIC got into the deposit insurance business. Since 1934, no depositor has lost a single penny of insured funds due to bank failure, according to the FDIC. That's why Robin Hood has partnered with FDIC insured banks to ease your nerves.

Robin Hood's cash suite program protects your cash up to $1.5 million bucks at FDIC insured program banks. The same cash that could generate 4.4% API with Robin Hood Gold is also insured by Uncle Sam. Terms apply. To get started, go to Robinhood.com slash T-Boy and get your first stock for free. That's Robinhood.com slash TBOY. Certain limitations apply. All investments involve risk. Robin Hood Financial LLC, member SIPC, Robin Hood is not a bank. For our third and final story before the weekend, new thing that Jack and I just got to talk about with you, Yetis, the anytime, anywhere, economy. It's great economic news because the rigid 9 to 5, that was hugely wasteful. Now, Yeties, last month,

Jack and I noticed a New York Times article that reported something that we kind of knew already, but we didn't know it this well. The pandemic has made us all way more flexible with our hours. Okay, but these details were kind of shocking. We aren't just having more fun on weekends. We're also having more fun during the week at alarmingly cool levels. Get this. One example, golf.

Compared to pre-pandemic, golf courses are four times busier on weekday afternoons right now than before the pandemic. Sorry, it's just getting us a tea time. Secondly, according to Class Pass, the most popular time for salon appointments these days? Jack, what was it before the pandemic? It was after work at 6 o'clock on weekdays. Okay, but Jack, what is the most popular time to get a manny penny these days? The middle of the day.

Noon, because you've got flexibility for work. Yeties, yogis are attending 12 noon vinyasa flow classes and you're actually staying for shavasana. You're not ditching pre-Shavasana to sprint through the locker room and get back to your desk before your boss sees you. No, you are not. Yetis, this is an enduring pandemic change whether you're working from home or whether you're working from work. Flexibility means we have the anytime, anywhere economy. Now, yeties, here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story.

There's a funny switcheroo happening right now as well. Yeah, there is. You're leisuring during typical work hours more, but you're also working during typical leisure hours more. Here's what we're saying. Pre-pandemic, we lived in the peak-off-peak economy, like 9-5, right, Jack? 9 to 5 was for work, and after 5 and weekends, that was for fun. But then remote work, it busted the rigid 9 to 5 schedule. Even if you're back at the office today, you probably have more flexibility.

Yeah, you do. But an interesting side effect of this phenomenon was noticed by Microsoft. And what did Microsoft notice, Jack? 28% more work is happening outside of the typical 9 to 5, either before 9 or after 5. So you can get your nails done at noon. You can hit golf balls at 3 p.m. But then you're making PowerPoint presentations after dinner. 28% more fun is happening within the 9 to 5,

but 28% more work is happening outside the 9 to 5. Besties work. It's spilled into your leisure time. We hate that. But leisure. Leisure, it's spilled into your work time too. And we love that. Not too shabby.

By the way, Jack, we're good for it. What is it? 3.32 p.m. Tea times are very precise. Let me just dust off my 9 iron. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are everyone in the economy? The big winner of this anytime, anywhere, economy? It's everyone.

Yetis, the rigid old 9 to 5 was a waste for both consumers and for businesses. The rigid old 9 to 5 meant we had to wait in line forever at ski resorts on the weekends and we couldn't get restaurant reservations during the week. For businesses, Monday to Friday, the chairlifts run empty and cooks in the kitchen have nobody to feed. But smoothing out the peaks of business, which is what this is all about, It's good for both business owners and consumers. The Anytime Anywhere economy, it removes the bottleneck of this logistics problem. And this is a logistics problem.

Economists think that the service sector is due for a productivity boost. And this could be it. Yeah, movie theaters, rock climbing centers, even grocery stores, they won't be wasting empty time midweek. So the big winner of the Anytime Anywhere economy? Yeah, Jack? It's the entire economy. It's everyone. Everyone.

Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us before the third? three-day weekend. Chipotle is suing Sweet Green for IP infringement. But never let a crisis go to waste. Sweet Green could turn a lawsuit into lemonade. For our second story, Twitter's algorithm is open source. It's the first time we can all see the secret to virality. The next pressure on social media, it's tech transparency. And our third and final story, thanks to more flexible work, you can get a many-pity on Monday and play nine before noon. The winner of the anytime, anywhere, economy. Who is it, Jack? It's everyone. It's everyone.

It's everybody. It's you. It's me. It's us. It's them. It's our buddy, Timmy. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one's set in by Jack and me because we just wanted to whip up something for you before the weekend.

Oh, my omelet. We have an update on the eggflation situation. We got a fix to the fratata fiasco. Well, it's Easter on Sunday. And like Easter eggs, you know, you paint the eggs, you hide the eggs, you find the eggs. But the biggest trend this year for Easter isn't Easter eggs. What is it, Jack? It's Easter potatoes.

Yeah, get these numbers, Yetis. The price of eggs is up 55% since last year. Meanwhile, the price of potatoes, they're up just 6%. That's it. Therefore, ipso facto, why would you waste all that money on painting eggs when you could paint an adorably huge potatoes? Just paint a dozen potatoes. Your kid's going to knock on the difference.

A potato. It's basically like an awkwardly obscure-looking egg. And we checked, turns out the Pope, he appreciates potatoes too. Can't crack a potato and you can't crack a peep either. Yeties, you looked fantastic for the four-day week. And Jack, we've actually got a big Monday coming up, right? Yes, we do. Yeties, you're going to want to stay tuned.

We're going to drop something on you for you on Monday. Follow us at T-Boy Pot on Instagram. We're going to drop some treats. And they're not peeps we're talking about. A little bit of razzle-dazzle, a little bit of sprinkle-dingle. Nick and I will see a Monday. Can't wait. Before we go, congratulations to Yeties.

Waitong Liu and Nick Pulgini, who are getting married and what else are they doing, Jack? They're also opening up a Chick-fil-A franchise in Chicago. And congratulations to bestie Sasha Swartson, who just made the West American Select 27 Girls' La Crosse team, Ground Balls Win Games. And congratulations to Kyle Thompson and Memphis, who just got promoted at FedEx from aircraft mechanic to manager. And Andrew and Janine are getting married and then jetting off to lovely New Zealand for the Honeymov. And Nick, it turns out, today is the last day before the Podson's birthday.

Jack, it is the last day before the Pod Sun's two-year celebration. How's the guy looking? Wilder turns two on Sunday. Big happy birthday to that little boy. Fantastic. And a happy birthday to Savannah Westwood, who's turning 35 in a legendary way from San Diego to Orlando. And happy birthday to Jihanao in Seoul, South Korea. And Hannah Peterson, happy birthday down in Nashville. And happy 29th birthday to Juan Rosales in Torrance, California. And a happy 30th birthday to Ellis Hecht in San Francisco. Happy 35th to Jenny Leo in New Jersey. And we got a birthday celebration for Ian Hisslop over in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Just outside of Boston. And Monica Jones, happy birthday in Raleigh, North Carolina. And happy birthday to Ashley Fontanez in Atlanta,

Georgia. And Zekir Taibiji is celebrating that birthday in New York City by running through Hudson Yards to the Brooklyn Bridge across the entire city. Happy birthday to Emily Zimmerman on the way to school in Aliso Viejo, California. And a happy birthday to Ethan Pinal who's celebrating in Mountain View, California. This is Jack, Nick and I both on stock of Tripoli, and we both on stock of Robin Hood. And now a word from our sponsor, Robin Hood. Would you like more, more hand cream, more French fries? Jack, would you like more weekends? Would you like? Would you like 18 times more of all those things? Well, if you sign up for Robin Hood gold for $5 a month,

your uninvested cash grows by 4.4% per year. That's 18 times more than the average bank savings account rate, according to bank rate as of January 25th, 2023, terms apply. With 4.4% APY, your uninvested cash literally grows. Like, you can still use your cash anytime for anything. Then spend that extra cash on 18 times more French fries. To get started, go to Robinhood.com slash T-boy and get your first stock for free. That's robinid.com slash TBOI. Certain limitations apply. Rate is subject to change. All investments

involve risk. Robin Hood Financial LLC, member SIPC. Robinud is not a bank. I like this. Brinkle, brinkle. That was brilliant calm idea. The first time you said it, I don't know, if you remember, you went a little bit of razzle-dazzle, this sprinkle-dinkle. You said it like you were, you know, Barnum and Bailey. Like, you were about to like open, it was like a little, it was like you're opening Cirque de Soleil, you know? It was like an enchant. It was like, shh.