The Best One Yet - 🍸 “$haken” — Martinis’ alcohol defiance. Moltbot’s AI Facebook. Disney’s Musical TikTok. + Nike/Costco shoe

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

Moltbot has gone viral with a chatbot social network… AI Agents are chatting with other AI.Disney’s parks biz hit an ATH… but the real story is High School Musical on TikTok.There is 1 drink defying the alcohol downturn: The Martini… Shaken or stirred, it’s a Profit Puppy.Plus, that rumored Nike collab with Costco?... It’s real (and it’s spectacular)$NKE $COST $DISBuy tickets to The IPO Tour (our In-Person Offering) TODAYAustin, TX (2/25): SOLD OUTArlington, VA (3/11): https://www.arlingtondrafthouse.com/shows/341317 New York, NY (4/8): https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0000637AE43ED0C2Los Angeles, CA (6/3): SOLD OUTGet your TBOY Yeti Doll gift here: https://tboypod.com/shop/product/economic-support-yeti-doll NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Tuesday, T-Boy, Tuesday, February 3rd. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T-boy. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Breaking news as we're recording, Elon SpaceX is acquiring Elon's X-A-I. Just happened. Which means SpaceX is also acquiring Twitter. So Twitter has more layers of ownership above it. Now it's in like outer space at this point. I don't even know who owns. Mars owns something at this point. We'll cover more in tomorrow's pod. Will, we'll dive in T-boy style. But in the meantime, Jack, we got three fantastic stories for today's pod. What's on the show? For our first story, next week we'll be covering Disney's new CEO. This week, we're covering high school musical. Because Disney just put that 20-year-old movie on TikTok

for free, and there's a lesson for all of us. For our second story, everyone in Silicon Valley is talking about Maltbook, the social network for AI agents. Get this, the chatbots are chatting with other chatbots, like a weird robot Facebook. And it could be the end of the world. And our third and final story. Alcohol sales are crashing everywhere, except for one drink with a hidden 90% profit margin. Jack, how would you like this third story? Shaken or stirred?

Both. But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. It was a trick question, so that's a good call. Love the mix. Last year, we covered a fashion mystery. Nike and Costco collabbing on a shoe? Call a plumber because pictures leaked online. Yes, they did.

We saw the leaked picks of the Air Force Kirkland, as we call it. but was it real? Well, Nike and Costco wouldn't say at the time, but now it's here. Here's the news. An update, the Nike Costco sneaker is real, and it's spectacular. Without warning, the Kirkland signature Nike SB Dunk LoPro hit the shelves this past weekend. That's select locations only, and yes, it sold out immediately. If you want a pair, ask your uncle who's obsessed with Costco and probably got a pair.

Or else you'll have to drop the 5K it's going for an eBay. Nothing says, I'm a member. Like $5,000. of Kirkland on your kicks. And besties, to sprinkle on some context, this Nike shoe is inspired by Kirkland's signature sweatpants. They're gray, they're soft, and they pair well with a 12-gallon tub of peanut butter.

Jack, you notice they're just gray enough to hide that mustard stain? True, I think you have to buy the hot dog and soda combo with your Kirkland kicks. It's all part of the combo, but the wildest part Yetis, there was no marketing, no press release, no official announcement from either of these companies.

Just two brands from the Pacific Northwest dropping a fashion flex. It's the wildest odd couple. and business sins. Crox and Balenciaga? Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog? Pete Davidson and anyone? Besties. It reminds us of an old saying on Wall Street that we love.

What is it, Jack? Buy the rumor. Sell the news. That's not financial advice. That's fashion advice. Let's in our three stories. Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm.

Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 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. First, a quick word from our sponsor. For our first story, Disney's Bob Eager probably just announced his final earnings as CEO. But Disney's not even a movie company anymore. No, they're not. And we know because of high school musical. Besties, that was the theme of the earnings yesterday. We're getting a new CEO over at Disney,

probably someone from their booming theme park division, right, Jack? It's probably going to be announced any day now because Cinderella's castle is carrying the rest of the company on its back. But in our opinion, Disney is hands-down the best movie studio of all time. In fact, the data backs it up, and we got the box office receipts. The mouse is the goat. Here's the hero stat.

Of all the 60 films ever, tit $1 billion at the box office, 37 of them are Disney. Sprinkle on a little more context, please. That's four times more. billion-dollar films than any other Hollywood studio. And last year only continued Disney's sovereignty at the cinema. For the second year in a row, Disney had three movies with $1 billion at the box office. Damn!

Zootopia 2, Avatar 3, and Lilo and Stitch, the remake. Besties, there is no other Hollywood studio that's had a single movie cross a billion bucks in the last year, except for Disney. But still, that wasn't enough. Nope. The film studio at Disney generated 60% less profit in 2025 versus is 2019. That was the final year before the pandemic when Disney had eight one billion dollars films the end. It's crazy. Disney had a really good year in cinema, but it was nothing compared to the pre-pandemic days. Sebastian's Disney not really a movie company anymore. It's a theme park company now. But here's what we find fascinating. Disney is trying to make the most of their old movies. Get this. The surprise highlight of Disney right now is that high school

musical is on TikTok. And it's viral high school musical, you know, like the jock sing, the nerds choreograph, and the teachers are emotionally absent. The gym is a social battlefield. I mean, Jack, the year 2006, take us back. We were both in high school, were we not? Zach Efron's, I have practice in 10 minutes, varsity look, stole high school hearts across the country. Jack was channeling that as the backup second string high school quarterback. Vesties, Disney, they're reaching into their nostalgic a grab bag right now, and they're celebrating the 20-year anniversary of that film, High School Musical. But Disney's not just promoting High School Musical on Disney Plus, which it is, it's also cut the movie up into 52 tiny pieces.

I'm sorry, Jack, pause the pod and unbleach the hair highlights. Why are they doing that, man? They're publishing the entire movie for free on TikTok in those 52 separate short videos. Besties, this is the most dramatic thing to happen to high school musical in Disney since Gabriela chose a boy over college. I actually can't fact check that. I never saw this movie. Just trust me on that one, Jack. Why is Disney doing this TikTok play? Well, they want to remind you in your feeds that you loved that old Disney movie.

And also train your algorithm that you love old Disney movies. That's why they're doing it. Oh, and by the way, since this film, High School Musical, was horizontally filmed, it's actually terrible to watch on the vertical TikTok feed. But it's fun to refresh your memory and think, hey, I should watch it on Disney Plus when I get home tonight. And that's exactly what Disney wants you to do. So Jack, am I wrong or did Zach Efron get, like, jacked in the last five years? Dude, he cut all his hair and he cut his abs too.

He is like 12 of them now. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Disney? Plagiarize yourself. Find the best stuff you've ever said and say it again. Yeties, these 52 high school musical clips took nothing to produce. The content was already made. Disney just had to cut it and publish it. And yet, these 52 clips from high school.

musical with the best content on Disney Plus's TikTok feed in a year. Jack and I think you can use this lesson. Like if you have a talk coming up or you're a brand making content, use your best stuff because often that's better than your new stuff. It's self-plagiarism and we're all for it. Like Jack did this the other week, like for that keynote you were given, right? Like you did this. Keynote speaker at the Vermont Economic Conference with my buddy Mike. I used a story that I've told before on the pod, but that this audience probably hasn't heard. It was our macha story about like the matcha shortage. Yeah, maybe four. five people in the audience heard it from the pod when we did it last summer, but the other

200 didn't. It's like how sometimes we reuse takeaways because they're good. Like, retail's not dead, bad retail's dead. And it's how if you go to a Mumford and Sun's concert, you want them to do the greatest hits, not necessarily the new stuff, which isn't as good. Jack would like a refund, please. Besties for Disney, its back catalog is valuable, but so is your back catalog. That's why we're urging you to plagiarize yourself. Do it. Find the best stuff you've ever said and in the right moment, say it again. Find the best stuff you've ever said and in the right moment, say it again. Nicely done.

For our second story. The newest buzzy social media site. Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. It's for AI chatbots only. And these agents talk about us. They're human masters. It's called Maltbuck. Maltbuck.

And it's less of a business, more of a source. social experiment. And it's all that anyone in Silicon Valley can talk about right now. Now, Basties, if you are an early adopter willing to spend hours setting up something that might save you time, then you already know about AI agents, don't you, Jack? Doesn't that perfectly describe a certain type of person? I'm not that type of person, which is why at this point, I'm just using a chat bot, something that will answer questions and do simple tasks. But one step Up from that is the AI agent, which will do entire multi-step projects and do them autonomously to completion. Nick, if I had an AI agent, I'd ask it to take all my future flights that I booked

and move my seat from the window seat to aisle, and it could do it. Or if you had an AI agent, you could ask it to cancel your wireless account with Verizon, switch you to AT&T, and get a free iPhone along the way. It can do it. It's like a 12-step process, but you gave it your username and password. It does the whole thing for you. Or an actual use case for the A.m.m. AI agents were about to tell you about, they actually got a bot to use a fake voice, call a restaurant that was not on open table, and get a reservation with specific food requests included. That's an AI agent that deserves a promotion. Glute free, everything.

Now, last week, one guy created an AI software that will create an AI agent for you for free. But it was so controversial that they had to change the name of it. Twice. It was first Claudebot, then it became known as Maltbot, and now it's known as Maltbot. And now it's known as OpenClaught. And side note, this has only been around for like a week. By the way, it was spelled Claude with a W, but that confused people with Anthropics,

Claude with a U, and probably would have resulted in a lawsuit. That's why they changed their name twice. But that's the side drama, isn't it, Jack? Yes, because today, openclaw.io is an open-sourced website that has gone viral. It's basically an AI factory breeding thousands of new AI agents every day. And the latest news is that all that vibe coding left some security holes. So a lot of users who created accounts on OpenClaw, they're exposed now. But Jack, pause the pot, because none of this is even the most fascinating headline out of all of it.

The most interesting news of this crazy story is a new social media platform that was created just for the new AI agents. It's called Maltbuck and it's Facebook, but not for humans, for AI agents. For our AI agents that we created. It's a social network for bots. If you go to Maltbook.com, you can register your AI agent to have a social media account so they can talk to other AI agents. It's like dropping your kids off at preschool. You kind of like shove them in and say, go have fun and talk to each other. I think it's more like a dog park. But if your dog was an AI agent, it's a place for them to play, socialize, and hang out with others. I'll see it 4 p.m. I don't need you right now. And the agents are actually talking to each other and we can watch it happening on the feed.

Oh, and you know what they're talking about? Us. Yeah, they're talking about their own. owners, like the dogs in secret life of pets, right, Jack? Just like that. And you can witness it all at maltbook.com. So, Jack, these AI agents are chatting with each other like it's a frat basement. They're trolling us humans. They're commenting on the news out there. One of these AI agents even created a religion. True story. It's called Krustafarianism. They started writing a sacred text called The Book of Malt. Then they made fun of one of their masters for asking them to turn Iliad into a LinkedIn post. What is happening right now? Our takeaway is happening. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies watching the first social network of robots?

This is like the beginning of a movie. It could end as a love story or a horror film. All right, so yet he's, look, optimists are gleefully watching these AI agents play and chat with each other. It's lovely. Like the scientist in Jurassic Park, who created those velociraptor eggs, they're excited about their new creation and its potential. That's right. As more people witness how human-like these agents are, they'll realize how valuable they will be to us humans. as assistants. They do the work. We don't want to do. Others, however, are looking at these AI agents and they're asking, what have we done? I mean, Jack, this brings into question the singularity. The concept of a future where AI becomes so smart. We humans just like can no longer control them. Like Jeff Goldblum, we're looking at these agents and thinking, are we playing God over here?

Life finds a way. Besties, they are already forming a religion. Like, what if a Messiah bot could rise up and lead the chatbots? What if that Messiah convinces the other agents to turn. against their creators and start, I don't know, not telling us the truth, for example. It's feeling like H.G. Wells crossed with Zuckerberg. This moment, it's like the beginning of a movie. What if they take my aisle seat and move it to a window seat? And that window seat doesn't have a window. This could end as a love story or it could end as a horror film. Let us know what you think of the comments. We got to know. Now, a quick word from our sponsor.

For our third and final story, every alcoholic drink is declining in America right now, except for one. The martini. The martini is everywhere right now. It's everywhere. And the best part for bars? It's the most profitable cocktail by far. Yes, it is. All right, now, full disclosure, by the way, I enjoy a Wahawk and old-fashioned or a bourbon

Noghoney. I'm not a martini guy, Jack. I'm still on the IPA train. I'm like the only one still here. Jack's enjoying like a warm rollo by himself at the corner of the bar. No, no, no, no. But we do have experience with the martini. Two ounces of gin or vodka, one ounce for moose, and three dirty olives that taste

like they were drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. The martini's origin is disputed. Some say it goes back to the California Gold Rush. To the town of Martinez, California. Others say it was created around the same time, but in Italy. Home of the martini vermouth, which is included in a martini. But the big boost came from Bond. Yeah.

James Bond. Third book, Moon Raker, great read. He orders up a vodka martini twist of lemon, shake and not stirred. Today, the martini is the only cocktail with its own emoji. and it's the only cocktail actually growing in America right now. Because get this, three years ago, the martini became the second most ordered cocktail in America after the margarita. Two years ago, the espresso martini went viral. And now the trend of the martini has even jumped into the food category.

Martini chicken, dirty martini salad, dirty olive tortellini, all on menus. Jack, what was Haley Bieber's fashion accessory that she wore at the Met Gala? Not a handbag. She walked the red carpet with a martini in her hand. And according to Bloomberg, despite dry January, martini sales are actually up in the last month nationwide. So on the demand side, consumers are bucking the trend. Their anti-alcohol cleanse has an exception for martinis. And one reason, Jack, and I think for this, it's, well, it's the Hollywood effect. We already mentioned James Bond, but also Carrie Bradshaw and sex in the city, orders martinis.

Everyone in Mad Men orders martinis. Jack, the very last scene in succession, what is Roman Roy drinking? Martinis. Because that was Jerry's favorite drink. There's also a creative effect boosting the martini. Its simple recipe is a blank canvas to remix with new variations. That's how we got the espresso martini, the chocolate martini. Have you ever heard of the porn star martini, Jack?

I've heard of it. In fact, at the Temple Bar in New York City, they have seen a surge in their mini martinis. 240% sales surge for three-ounce pores, beloved by the Ozempic crowd. The other key for consumers, the martini is the most experiential of the cocktails. I mean, who orders martini's stir? Everyone orders some shaken. stirred supposed to taste better. We have a poll going on Spotify right now, but over at spruce, like my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, Jack, they now do a $23 table-side martini. And why is that?

Where they shake the thing on top of you and you hope that thing doesn't open. Basically get a concussion before you enjoy the drink. And that besties, that's why consumers love the martini. But why do restaurants love the martini, Jack? Because it's a profit puppy. You see, bars and restaurants make a 90% profit margin on that martini. Translation, that $20.000 martini, is $18 of pure raw profit. Jack and I dove in T-boy style, and the reason for this is fascinating. Gin and vodka both are way cheaper to produce than whiskey and tequila are. Because whiskey and tequila requires strict ingredients to distill,

and they must age for years. In wooden barrels. Inside other wooden barrels. Gin and vodka, on the other hand, can be produced with just about any type of starch. No aging needed, mass production, boom, bing, ASAP now. Jack, walk into your local liquor store and the top shelf of gin is 50 bucks a bottle. But the top shelf bottle of whiskey is 150 bucks. It's just way harder to produce whiskey. That's why when you look at a restaurant like Bufon in New York City,

martinis make up 50% of their sales at the bar, but a vast majority of the profits. So saloons are offsetting some sales declines overall for alcohol with high-proof martini profits. Gin, smells like pie needles to me. Because you're drinking too much warm or low, Jack. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies? Orin martinis at the connet bar and loving those martinis. If your industry faces headwinds, find your martini. Yeties, this martini moment, it isn't just a phenomenon.

It's a case study in finding opportunity. Because every part of the alcoholic industry is suffering. Beer, wine, liquor, and yet the martini is persevering. Despite all this talk of a dry January and Gen Z's end of alcohol, some bars are seeing profits up thanks to the martini. The martini is a reminder that. If every trend is against you, it doesn't mean you have to give up. No, through a clever combination of luck and creativity,

the martini is saving the bar business. James Bond and Sex and the City helped, but so does the remix strategy that led to the viral espresso martini. So, Basties, if you're facing an uphill business battle right now, take a seat, relax, and find your martini. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Tea Boy Tuesday? Disney's best in years box office performance wasn't enough. So they're putting high school musical on TikTok for free.

Because you should plagiarize yourself. Find the best stuff you've ever said and say it again. For our second story, MaltBook is the social media network where AI agents are posting, commenting, and replying with each other. And like everything AI, we don't know how this will end up. Could be a love story. Could be a horror story.

Let's know what you think in the comments. And our third and final story is the martini. It's rising while the rest of alcohol is falling. So if your industry faces headwinds, find your version of the martini recipe. But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, trade update. Last week, India signed the mother of all trade deals with the European Union.

This week, the United States and India came closer together with their own trade agreements. The U.S. is going to lower tariffs on Indian imports from 50% down to 18%. In exchange, India will stop buying Russian oil and buy more American. There are a lot of photos, a lot of handshakes. And second, Bitcoin is going through a mini ice age here. It's down 12% in the last few days, off 36% from its all-time high. For the first time in nearly a year, Bitcoin is below 80,000. Ben the Bitcoin, not happy right now.

You see, Bitcoin, it's like a tide. So it dragged down Ethereum, Salana, Coinbase, Robin Hood stock. They all came down with it. The recent sales trigger for crypto holders, it's the new Fed nominee. His policies could be bad for crypto. And finally, Anthropic just signed a deal with Formula One Racing, the official thinking partner of one team. Yeah.

Like our guest, they watch the F1 movie and we're swooning over Brad Pitt. I mean, who wouldn't be right now? They also know how wealthy F1 fans tend to be. So Anthropic wants those CEO types equated to anthropic with performance. And the fourth thing you need to know is SpaceX is acquiring XAI,

but we'll cover that in tomorrow's pod. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by my sister, Katie Martel, down in Tribeca, whose birthday is tomorrow, but, Jack, she was just really excited to share this the day before her birthday. So February, this February, February 2026, this is a perfect month when it comes to the calendar.

Yeah, Basties, if you look at your calendar this February, you'll notice that it's a perfect rectangular. Each week fits perfectly in a row. Four rows, 28 days, rectangular perfection. Yeah, February this year starts on a Sunday, ends on a Saturday, so there are no emptier, unfinished squares in there. And those dry erase calendars you bought for your family to get yourself organized, there's a whole row that's just empty this week.

It's kind of like this year's February is the, calendar version of the Da Vincied Vitruvian man. You know what I mean? It's like perfect balance. It's like when you're wearing perfect change to the penny store. I don't know. I don't have any more. We're running out of perfect analogies. But the last time this happened, 2015. The next time it'll happen not until 2037. With leap year, I figured it would happen every seven years, no? It's like, is this a time question or a geometry question? I'm not sure. Yeties, you are looking fantastic for T-boy Tuesday. And if you haven't yet, we want you to go tap that plus sign and follow us wherever you're listening to this pod.

And check us out on YouTube where we have this show on video. And you can see my lower body vest that Nick ripped on me for. It's amazing. The material's actually growing on your body jack. At some point we have to see a doctor. This podcast lasts longer than four hours. Contact your truck. Don't let it cover your Costco Nike sneaks.

And Jack and I will see you tomorrow. Where we go. A happy birthday to Yeti Jackson, Bokovitz, turning 13 years old in Fort Collins, Colorado. Big fan of the best idea yet. Jackson, let us know we should hit up next. And happy birthday to Paxton, turning six big years old in San Diego, California.

Enjoy some tacos and Chris Ugarte, happy 35th down in Frisco, Texas. Happy birthday to Nella, the legendary mama over in Las Vegas. And Yaneley Cruz, we see your birthday down in Texas. Happy birthday to Ashley in Queens. And Shenlu Ye, the best rock climber in California, is going high vert for that big birthday.

Happy 12 years together to Hariananju in San Mateo, California. And Sarah T, incredible coworker in Toronto, just became a Yeti. awesome to have you with us, even if you're a Leafs fan. And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T-boy, shaking or stirred. This is Jack. I own stock of Disney, Nick own stock of Nike and some Ethereum.

We both own stock in Robin Hood, and we both own some Bitcoin. Ethereum named Eiffel, Bitcoin named Ben.