The Best One Yet - 🐦🐦 “Instagram zucks Twitter” — Meta’s Twitter copycat. Insect-based food. Costco’s moocher crackdown.

Episode Date: July 6, 2023

We just witnessed a “Stage 5 Zucking” — Instagram has officially copied Twitter with a new app that launches today called “Threads”. Crickets are now human food *and* dog food, because insect-based food found product-market-fit. And Costco is cracking down membership card moochers — Because when companies can’t raise prices, they get strict. $META $COST $WOOF $NSRGY Want merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.com Follow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypod And now watch us on Youtube Learn 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, July 6th, and today's pod is the best one yet. It is a team boy. Max is doing great. Nick, you're looking fantastic. Jack, I love your shirt. You're just glowing over there, my friend.

You ready for the first story? I mean, I'm feeling the first story. What do we got for the pod, Jack? The ultimate zucking has arrived. Today, Instagram launches a Twitter copycat app. Zuck, just zucked. Elon's Twitter. For our second story, the latest.

trend of venture capital is bug protein. Bug protein, Yetis, insect snacks aren't just selling to people, they're selling to pets. And our third and final story, just like Netflix, Costco is cracking down on membership sharing. Costco, it is putting pros before coes. But before we hit that wonderful mix, Yeties, I love being back. This is a great mix, man. We have said many times that nostalgia never dies.

Nostalgia never dies. Because nothing sells like nostalgia, does it, my friend? But the newest nostalgia is a disappointing surprise. Jack, what is the new nostalgia? It's cottage cheese. It's cottage cheese. Get this yet. He's cottage cheese is trending on TikTok right now.

Yeah, cottage cheese with the highlight of your Fourth of July barbecue. Your Aunt Edna has always enjoyed cottage cheese. Whoa, no. Influencers do, too. Full disclosure, I've never tried cottage cheese because I'm alarmed by how it looks. Full disclosure, Jack, when I was growing up, we would go to Pizza Hut. and look forward to the cottage cheese. What? Pizza Hut served cottage cheese?

Cottage cheese was like a big thing at Pizza Hut back in the day, man. Cottage cheese is the worst looking of all the cheeses by far. Cottage cheese couldn't decide. Like, am I a liquid or am I a solid? What kind of cheese am I? It's the curdled milk you wish would uncurdle. It's the chunky soup of cheese, isn't it, Jack? And it's seeing a sales comeback.

We're going to sprinkle on some context here, Yetis. Cottage cheese hit its peak in America way back in the 1970s. 50 years ago, the average American ate 5 pounds of cottage cheese every single year. The most famous supporter of cottage cheese was President Richard Nixon. Yeah, and apparently the day Nixon resigned. His last meal at the White House, what was it? It was cottage cheese surrounded by slices of pineapple. Like we were saying, cottage cheese back in the day, it slapped.

But after decades of decline, cottage cheese is having a comeback right now. Cottage cheese is whipping up a rebound on us. Maybe it's the lean protein. cheese is the new milkshake. Maybe it's the low fat nature. Cottage cheese is the new Greek yogurt. Or maybe it's just plain old nostalgia. Cottage cheese, it is the new bell bottoms. Either way, cottage cheese is back. And this dairy, it wants your tummy. Yeties, if you have a recipe that's not gross, send it our way. And send us a pick of your cottage cheese. Actually, don't send us a pick. I don't want to see this stuff. We don't want to see any cottage cheese. Get it away from that. We don't even want to

picture it in our imaginations. No thank you. No thank you. Cottage cheese is kind of offensive. Some cottage cheese farmer is going to send his hate, man. In fact, we don't even want to know about cottage cheese. Jack, let's just hit our three stories and be done with it. 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 a norm.

I 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. For our first.

Today, Instagram is launching their very own Twitter copycat, and they're calling it Threads. Mark Zuckerberg is copying someone else's idea again. Classic, there we go. But this time, Nick, it's different. Jack, can we head over to the library, my friend? Can we pull out the book, Sunsues the Art of War? The best time to attack thy enemy is at thine enemy's weakest moment. Actually, it's like chapter one.

It's like the most obvious thing about war, isn't it, Jack? Yeah, that's chapter one. And today, Twitter is at its weakest moment. Since Elon took over Twitter, every week has been like a new crisis over Twitter. So today, Mark Zuckerberg sees his moment. He's launching a new app called Instagram Threads. It's Instagram, but for text. Which means it's Twitter.

And it's coming at Twitter's weakest moment. Here's the most brazen part. Zuck didn't just steal the product. Twitter with this new app. He stole Twitter's word. Yeah, because Jack, what's the name of this brand new Twitter copycat app from Instagram? Threads. Yeah, it's Threads. Threads, a term invented in Twitter. So here's how Threads is going to work. You're going to open up your app, type a little smart text into a text you think is smart, add an emoji or two here and there, and then click post. And if you're scrolling, you can like a post, comment a post, repost a post, and share that post.

Jack, this sounds really, really familiar, doesn't it? It's probably called threading, like instead of tweeting, but we're not sure about that yet. It's the same thing as Twitter. It's Twitter, but it's Zucked. Yeties, here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. Threads is the youngest Twitter copycat, but it's already the biggest Twitter copycat. Yeties, we've told you on this pod before about Mastodon and Blue Sky. Massadon and Blue Sky, a couple of startups that are fast-growing Twitter alternatives.

They've surged in the app. store. But with threads, users can log in using their existing Instagram account, and that's key. Because that means your Instagram followers will already be your threads followers. And that's the biggest problem to a current disgruntled Twitter user. They may want to leave Twitter, but they don't want to lose their followers. Threads basically just solved the biggest challenge to leaving Twitter, the switching cost. With threads, you don't have to build an audience from scratch. Which is why Jack and I have never actually joined Mastodon. and Blue Sky, because we would have had to start totally from scratch.

And honestly, that sounds exhausted. I mean, I'm stressed just thinking about it, Jack. I don't want to do that. Take us years to build any kind of following on that platform. So with threads, you get all the followers you already have on Instagram immediately. And starting today, 1.3 billion people who have Instagram accounts can activate their threads account with a few taps on their phone. Same username, same followers.

It's the newest Twitter copycat, but it's got the best. biggest head start. Which leads to our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Instagram? Mark Zuckerberg is Goliath. But at least he's our Goliath. Yeah, it is, let's be honest here. Over the last 10 years, Facebook's core business model has been to copy the innovation of other business models. We call it a Zucking. And Zucking is not something to be proud of. It's when Goliath steals David's idea. But funny thing, recently, Jack and I have noticed that Zuck has been the Goliath taken on other Goliaths. Yeah, TikTok, that's a Goliath that has national security concerns.

But Zuck's Instagram Reels doesn't. Twitter is another Goliath that has Elon's disregard for content moderation. But Zuck's new Threads app won't. We never thought we'd say this. We honestly never thought we'd say this. We were not prepared for this takeaway. But right now, more than any point before, Zuck looks like the good guy.

What we're saying here, Besty's is that Zuck is a Goliath. and he's unoriginal, but maybe, just maybe, he's our Goliath. He's a Zucker, but at least he's our Zucker. For our second story, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence these days. But honestly, Jack and I have found a different startup trend. That's kind of the opposite of artificial intelligence, isn't it, Jack? We found a bunch of startups investing in bug protein. We repeat, bug protein is the hot new trend.

Insect snacks are having a moment. not in the way that you'd think. But, Jack, how about we sprinkle on a little context here? Hakuna Matata? Yes, please. Pumba and Timoan taught Simba Hakuna Matata. The Lion King, it kind of like presaged this entire bug food trend, didn't it, Jack? What did they do right after Hakuna Matata?

They taught them how to eat bugs. Well, apparently the investors over at Andresen Horwitz were paying attention. Yep, plant-based burgers is old news. The latest startups are developing bug-based burgers. Yeties, we're talking crickets, grasshoppers, blackfly larva. All of those insects are being raised and harvested to eat. For food. Insects don't just have six legs.

They're an efficient source of protein and require way less land and water to raise than cattle does. And besties, before you scroll ahead in the podcast, do not get grossed out here because you're in the minority if you are not eating bug food. Insects are an ancient form of human nourishment. I mean, Jack, can we share that wild stat we discovered? According to PBS, 80% of humans today eat bugs as part of their diet. Jack, have you ever consumed a bug? You ever munched down on a mealworm? I ate a fried worm.

It was like a school experiment in like fifth grade. But Jack, have you ever sucked on a cicada, my friend? This is a family friend that show. I know, I know. I draw the line at spiders because the furriness throws me off. Well, that's not an insect. I mean, there was an incident in Bangkok where I had one too many. But yet he's here's the news.

According to Bloomberg, there has been a surge in bug food startups that began just last year. And all these startups say that their mission is to help us combat food scarcity. But here's the fascinating thing. These bug burgers aren't being developed for human consumption. Yet. They're being developed for pet consumption. That's right. 2023 is the year of insect dog chow.

20203 is the year of cricket cat food. But it all started two years ago when the FDA approved insects for pet food. foods. And the response by the venture capital community was huge. If you stroll down the aisles of Petco, you may see food distributed under a brand called Jiminy. Yeah, as in Jiminy Cricket. Nestle, which owns Purina, now has a dog food made out of fly larva. And insects aren't just sustainable. They're also humane. Right, because here's the funny thing about this material. This is really interesting. Crickets only live for six weeks. So technically, the Cricket can live out its full life before it gets eaten by your puppy.

Jiminy Cricket lets their crickets live out 90% of their lives before they become our food. Now, here's the key here. It's all about the timing because consumers have done a mental shift about bugs. Parents are coming around to the idea of feeding Fido fleas. Back in 2020, only 36% of pet owners would serve their dog bugs. But last year, the same survey said that 55% are into it. And that is why the amount of venture capital investment in insect pet food startups, it's doubled in the last year. They're into it.

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies in the insect protein industry? Bug protein shows the importance of product market fit. The eddies, Jack and I were researching this story, and this was the shocker. The FDA actually approved bugs for human consumption years ago. But bug-based snacks never took us. Americans aren't interested in eating worms yet. But the bug-based snack industry for animals is taking off. Because the industry found a new market, pet food.

A new fit. Not human consumption, but animal consumption of insects. Bug-based burgers is the wrong fit for the human market right now. But it's the right fit for the pet food market right now. In order to succeed, insect protein had to find the right market. It had to find the right fit. Hakuna Matata. For our third and final story, Costco is starting to crack down on memberships.

And it turns out, this is actually part of a larger trend. Instead of raising prices, companies are closing mooture loopholes. Muture loopholes are over. Mouters, watch out. But, yeah, before we jump to this story, do you want to whip up a full disclosure for us over there? I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to show you. Do you see what I'm holding up there?

Costco has not redesigned. their membership card since 1985, apparently. Okay, so Jack is holding up to the camera his Costco proud card carrying membership card right now. We took the plunge into those gigantic shopping cards. Did you try the dollar 50 cent hot dog soda combo, Jay? I haven't tried that yet, but I did try their churros. I gave one to water because he was fussing in the car. Are they like 12 feet long?

What kind of a size? They are pretty huge. What's the diameter on this thing? It's like an ocean pipe. Don't ask me how much we spent in our first visit. Okay, but Jack. We spent $700. yet. We've spent $700.

Now, Jack, having grown up in a city and never been to a Costco, can you describe to me the experience of when you use the card and go into a Costco? Well, first of all, look both ways before you cross the aisle because there's carts everywhere. But secondly, bring your membership card because they won't let you in unless you show one to the bouncer at the front. Which leads to the news. Costco is now going to cross-check that membership card with your ID. Take the hat off.

We know it's not you. you're going to pay 60 bucks to become a member or see yourself to the door. McLevin, how old are you? Old enough to party? Oh, and you can't use your buddy's card at the self-checkout line either because they're going to start IDing you there too. So, Yeties, what Jack and I are saying here is that Costco is cracking down on Mooters. And actually, this is a new trend in the economy this year. And that trend is strictness.

Strictness. Companies used to look the other way when Mooters got the product for free, but they're not doing that anyway. First, we saw it with Netflix. Netflix finally cracked down on password sharing. You can't use moms one, two, three, four, five, six exclamation point password anymore. And then Delta and other airlines crack down on airport lounge guests. You can't bring your buddy Timmy in unless he's got a platinum Skymiles card too.

So let's add it all up. Costco is making mooters pay $60 for that membership fee. Netflix is making mooters get their own monthly subscription. And Delta is making mooters pay their own guest fee. to get into the lounge. Now, Nick, what's the positive spin of this corporate crackdown? Positive spin is that it keeps the club experience

exclusive for the paying members. Right. The most loyal customers will feel even more special so they'll stay more loyal. But Jack, what's the negative spin on this customer crackdown? This economy-wide corporate crackdown is actually a price hike in disguise.

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies who are everyone in the economy? When you can't raise price, Companies closed loopholes. Yeties, for three years, CEOs relished their ability to increase prices because us consumers, we just kept on paying more. But us consumers, we're sick of it. Yeah, we're so sick of it.

We're starting to say no, and we're also mad about greedflation. Well, CEOs suddenly are afraid of raising prices, so they're finding creative ways to make you pay more. They're finding ways to increase revenues, but not raise prices. Right. They're making mooters pay. Instead of popping prices, corporations are closing loopholes. And that is why the new trend in the economy is strictness. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us for the new Friday?

Instagram Threads launches today. It's Twitter, but it's not Twitter. Maybe, just maybe. Zuckerberg is Goliath, but he's our Goliath. For our second story, venture capital is investing big in insect-based food. Insect-based pet food was the product market fit. third and final story is Costco. Costco has joined the trend of strictness by cracking down a membership card share. Because when companies can't raise prices, they close loopholes. And yeties,

here's what else you need to know today. Did yesterday feel hot? Because I felt hot. Jack, it felt hot. Well, guess what? It wasn't just you. It was the whole world. July 4th, 2023 was literally the hottest day on earth since the government has been keeping track. And finally, Lamborghini. They just sold their last fully gas powered supercar. Because even Lambo is going fully hybrid electric starting next year. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Jason Erman from lovely Baltimore, Maryland. You may have heard that Sweden is trying to join NATO, but there's a surprising fact about Sweden we had to highlight. Get this, Yetis. The United States has more millionaires than

Sweden has people. Okay, let me back you up there. There's over 20 million Americans who have a net worth over $1 million. And Jack, how many human beings happen to exist in the country of Sweden? There are 10 million Swedes. That's the total population of Sweden. There are more millionaires in America than there are people in Sweden. Or to put it another way, there are two Swedes worth of millionaires in America. America has two Sweden's of millionaires. Yeah, it is. You look fantastic today. And if you want to keep looking fantastic,

please don't send us cottage cheese photos. Yeah, in case we weren't clear, we don't want pictures at tiboypod.com of cottage cheese. Instead of sending us cottage cheese photos, why don't you drop us a five-star rating or review? We love seeing him, we miss seeing him. That'd be way more productive for all of us. We like cheese, but we don't love cottage cheese.

H-Y-H, no-com. It's Chief, please. Jack and I, we'll see you tomorrow. And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti, Chloe Robinson, over in Chicago, Illinois, doing logistics. And happy third birthday to Zino Hastings in North Carolina. And congratulations to Lily Jumian Roncaroni, who just got married in a beautiful ceremony in the south of France. Looked fantastic. And congratulations to Danny Gonzalez, who is officially the top-ranked mixologist.

at the Four Seasons Hodel in Denver, Colorado. And Chontha Chim just graduated with a master's and doctoral degree. Congratulations, Chantua. And congratulations to Lizzie and Zach, who got engaged on July 4th. It was an Independence Day, it became Interdependence Day. Your therapist is going to love that one. Oh, there is so much good stuff in there. Congratulations.

And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T-Boy. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. I own stock of Netflix. I thought it's raw fish. Oh, that's sashimi. That's sashimi. Oh, so you've actually been pro-cevece the whole time.

You were thinking of sashimi. I think I was thinking of sushi. It's really saviche. No, Jack, it's sashimi Tuesday.