The Best One Yet - ⏳ “Love those Sand Worms” — Dune’s IMAX surge. Whole Foods’ 1st bodega. The government’s #FedTech hiring spree.

Episode Date: March 6, 2024

Dune: Part 2 just brought in $182M at the box office on opening weekend, but the winner was IMAX — Because regular theaters are in trouble, premium theaters ain’t.Whole Foods Market its 1st ever Bodega — Because the idea can be right even if the execution is wrong.And while tech companies continue layoffs, 1 company is hiring: The Government — We call it FedTech… and to hire up, they’re paying up.Plus, a massive helium deposit was found 2,200 feet under Minnesota — It’s #2 in the periodic table, but #1 in our hearts.$AMZN $WBD $AMCSubscribe to our newsletter: tboypod.com/newsletterWant merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.comFollow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypodAnd now watch us on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Wednesday, Saviche Wednesday, March 6th. And today's pod is the best one yet. It is a T-boy, Jack. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Jack, on Wednesdays we wear a pink, but the day after your birthday, we got to hear about your birthday, man. What went on last night?

I traveled for 10 hours with two kids and a dog. That's a fun birthday. And it was a budget airline. Really gifting yourself over there. No, I celebrated my birthday on Sunday with Alex. We had a fantastic time. Jack, do the whole week to celebrate every night, except apparently on the day of your birthday. That's how it goes, yeah.

Jack, keep blowing out those candles. But first, what have we got on today's podcast? For our first story, it's Dune, part two. Dune, the movie, had a bigger opening weekend than Oppenheimer. But the real winner wasn't the spice. The real winner was IMAX. For our second story, it's Whole Foods. Whole Foods just announced their biggest news in years, and it's ironically, tiny.

Whole Foods is launching little neighborhood bodegas starred in New York City. And our third and final story, while the tech industry continues layoffs, one organization is hiring more techies than ever before. Call it Fed Tech, call it Gov Tech. The U.S. government is on a tech hiring spree. Besties, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

Fantastic mix of stories after Jack's long journey on his birthday day. Neither Nick nor I were science managers, but we have a favorite element. We do. Helium. Helium. It's number two on the periodic table, but number one in our hearts. Two proteins, two electrons, but it's our number one.

I think you said proteins. You meant protons. But again, we weren't science majors. Yet is helium. It is the precious gas that fills your balloons. Helium, it's the key chemical in medical equipment, including the MRI machine. Helium, it is the elemental element that is lighter than air. Literally.

Helium is so rare. It's actually on the critical elements list in a whole. bunch of countries. But pause the pod and get this. What's the news, Jack? America just made the biggest discovery of helium in world history. Yet he's the biggest helium deposit ever is in Minnesota. That's right. Up in Minnesota, they were drilling some holes in the ground and wham! A bunch of helium gas spewed out of the ground. Yeah, we're talking about the land of 10,000 lakes that is now the new home of helium. Seriously, 2,200 feet below the ground of Minnesota is a giant, lake of helium that we're going to pull out of the ground now.

And Jack, can we now talk about the company that found that helium? Tiny little pulsar helium found this deposit in Minnesota, and their stock tripled on the news. Why is the timing perfect exactly? Because we have a worldwide helium shortage that's been going on for years. And he's not only even keeping track, but helium prices, they're at an all-time high right now. Helium prices is why Party City went bankrupt last year. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies who are... loving helium.

Now, Nick, with this helium discovery? Blimps can soar again. Your buddy Timmy's birthday party can pop again. And scientists can use whatever's left over for a bunch of important reasons, more important than Timmy's birthday party. The Yetis, nobody likes economic inflation. But we all love helium inflation. Helium, it's back, baby.

Two proteins and one electron. I'm sticking with it, Nick. And the capital of helium is Minnesota. Two boys 50%. That's as we read to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Our first story. Dune Part 2.

Just brought the box office back to life with the biggest opening weekend since Barbenheimer. But the real winner wasn't Dune, the Hollywood studio, or AMC theaters. The real winner of last weekend was IMAX. Public service announcement here. If you see your buddy jump inside to side on the sidewalk, they are not crazy, are they, Jack? They're just avoiding sandworms.

they're walking without rhythm. Don't make a noise. That's actually the only thing about Dune Part 1 that I remember. Well, Jack, why don't you take a hit of spice and tell us what exactly was Dune Part 1? Dune is originally a book, but now it's a movie. And it's a combination of Star Wars meets Game of Thrones with a sprinkle of the Matrix. Instead of Lannister House, there's the House of Harkinens. And instead of the Force, it's the Spice.

And instead of Dragons, it's giant, terrifying sandworms that, live underground, but occasionally come above ground. Yeah, it's everyone in Dune looks like they were at Burning Man and then got lost for 2,000 years. I want to talk about the sandworms again, Nick. Giant sandworms, the size of a Boeing 747, they live underground, have huge teeth and swallow up whatever is walking above ground. Well, those huge sandworms also happen to look way better on a movie theater screen. Which brings us to the news.

Dune Part 2 brought in $182 million in the box office last weekend for the first weekend for their opening premiere. 54% of that was international, and that doesn't even include the planet Aracas. Is that a planet in the movie? That's the planet in the movie, Jack. Now, best news, that's not just double the first Dune movies premiere. It also beats Oppenheimer, which is the favorite for every Oscar this weekend. It looks like, Yeti's the prophecy is the new Barbie.

But the real shocker about Dune Part 2 wasn't Timothy Shammalae's sand surfing skills. It was IMAX. Get this, Yet his. overall, Dune Part 2 was the 112th biggest movie opening ever. Jack, that actually doesn't sound that great. That's not that impressive. But when it comes to IMAX theaters, Dune Part 2 was the seventh biggest opening weekend ever. Get this, Yet is one out of four ticket sales.

For Dune Part 2 were IMAX ticket sales. That is a way higher proportion than any other movie. Okay, they had so much demand over at IMAX. They had to add movie showings. Jack, they did a Dune Part 2 showing at 315. a.m. in the morning. Now, Nick and I need to sprinkle on some context overall for the movie theater industry. 2023 was the best year for theater since the pandemic, but we're still 22% below pre-pandemic levels. And even though the emperor has required everyone to watch

Dune Part 2, this year is no better. So if Hollywood has been a desert for like four or five years now, Dune Part 2 was the oasis, especially for IMAX. And especially for Timmy Chalame's blue eyes. Can you spit in your hand over there and tell us what is the great Duke Ledo Atrides takeaway for our buddies over at Dune? Okay, clearly you're a super fan, Nick. I'm impressed by all this lingo you're dropping. I'm actually not a super fan, Jack, but it's a sign of respect to spin in your hands. Yeti's movie theaters are in trouble. Premium movie theaters aren't.

Yeties, Jaguarie happened to have the perfect Wall Street proxies for the two types of movie theaters out there. and iMacs. IMAX stock is up 25% in the past month on great earnings and the debut of Dune Part 2. On the other hand, AMC stock is down 90% in just the past year. The premium movie theater stock is up. The regular movie stock is way down. Yeah, we can get a lot of info out of that info because it seems like Americans will never pay for movie tickets like they did before the pandemic.

But when they do pay for movie tickets, it's for an experience that your living room can't compete with. It's for something epic. Yeah, you will catch Barbie in theaters for a cultural moment, or you will watch Dune in theaters for the thrill of that big sandworm. But for any other movie, you're going to wait until it's available on streaming. Or you'll just watch something else that's on your ever-growing watch list. And there's another.

Yeties, the performance of Dune Part 2 shows us that movie theaters are in trouble. Premium theaters aren't. Or Jack, can we say movie theaters have been milk duds. Premium theaters have popped like popcorn. No, we can't. No, we can't. No, we can't. For our second story, Whole Foods is launching a whole new concept story that we call the bodega.

What Whole Foods is really launching is a relaunch. Oh, Jack, remember 15 years ago, what did everyone want because everyone wanted the same thing? A smaller phone. Everyone's going like for the Zoolander-sized phones, like a little baby phone. Then it went totally in reverse. Now we all have like tablets. But today, it's the same thing with retail stores. Everyone is trying to make a much littler version.

To fit into America's big cities, big box stores are making a smaller box version of themselves. Making mini-meas, Target, Macy's, Nordstrom, Best Buy, IKEA even. They are all making smaller format stores. And you can, you need a microscope to say. What is this? A store for ants. Vieti's now Whole Foods. The grocery chain owned by Amazon is feeling. that tiny peer pressure. This week, Whole Foods markets launched Daily Shop, a smaller concept

version of the Whole Foods grocery store. And Holes Foods is so excited and confident about this new Whole Foods Daily Shop. They already leased five more spots in the island of Manhattan. The first one is opening up this year on the Upper East Side. New Yorkers, he got no cars, we're running late. We need a grab and go to the four train in four seconds because we're four minutes late to the big 40-minute meeting and you can't just do a big weekend hauljack. That's what this daily shop is for. On the go, New Yorkers. Not suburban Connecticutians. Is that a word?

Connecticutotonians? I think we may have offended someone, but we can roll with it, Jack. Fairfield County will be fine. But yeties, this isn't just a smaller version of a Whole Food store. No, the way Jack and I see it, this is a bodega. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is Amazon's word for bodega. The classic corner store in New York City. Because these new Whole Food shops are just one-fifth the size of your standard 40,000 square foot whole foods.

These smaller version of Whole Foods, they don't have the buffet bar with a delicious curry tofu. They don't have a butcher. They don't have a bakery. It's not like a Whole Foods where you need like a GPS to get from the produce section to the dairy section, Jack. No, these smaller whole foods, they just have pre-made deli sandwiches, energy bars, smoothies, and coffees. It's the commuter special. They're also going to have Advil, Melatonin, and enough supplements to fuel your Equinox workout. They'll have a small selection of produce like fruits and veggies because you always forget the spinach.

I'm sorry, honey, I forgot the spinach. So basically, Eddie's, it's a bodega. The way we see at Whole Foods is zucking, a classic urban institution. The bodega that we all know and love. Your tiny family-run go-to market on the corner of every New York City Street. Turns out, given Manhattan real estate prices, the economics of those incredible bodegas probably beat the typical grocery store. The only difference here is that you're not going to get the hand-painted signs,

the Greek coffee cups. There's no cat that lives in the back of the store. Don't mind Jerry. He'll bring you up. Instead of those endearing neighborhood details, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is going to have an Amazon Palm scanner and some self-checkout. By the way, pro-tip besties, if you want the best flowers in the world, get a bodega flower. I didn't realize roses grew in hell's kitchen.

Jack, we got a bodega tulip. It's eight years old. What's that even mean? Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Whole Foods? The idea can be right, even if the execution is wrong. Yeah, it is interesting thing about this new, smaller Whole Foods Daily Shop bodega concept. Jack and I have actually seen the same thing before from Whole Foods. Eight years ago, Whole Foods launched the same concept.

They were called 365 stores back then. It was just a smaller version of the Whole Foods grocery store. But three years later, Whole Foods shut that idea down because it just wasn't working. Whole Foods did an autopsy. They figured out what went wrong. And now they're relaunching pretty much the same concept five years later. Because the way Jack and I see it, just because an idea didn't work once, doesn't mean you can't try it again with better execution.

Many companies would have never relaunched an idea that had already been tried and failed. It would have a stigma. So we respect Whole Foods for giving it a second shot. Because for any business and any entrepreneur and any worker, the idea can be right, even if the execution was wrong. There ain't nothing wrong with the relaunch. For our third and final story in just over two years nearly half. Half a million Americans have been laid off from tech companies.

So we're introducing a new thing, Fed Tech, because while tech companies are firing, the government is hiring. Yeties, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg showed the tech industry something remarkable over the last year. They laid off tons of workers, and their companies didn't break. For meta, their profits boomed, the stock tripled despite 22% fewer workers. Elon did even more. He cut 80% percent. percent of the workers are Twitter. Twitter's not booming, but it's not completely broken either. So, Yadies, if you've got a job in tech, it probably is pretty lucrative, but for the first time ever, it may feel kind of unstable right now. You're seeing people laid off left and right, despite

stock prices being at record highs. But best he's Jack and I have your backs. We wanted to help out all of our buddies out there who are in the tech industry and who may feel a little unstable right now. So we found one company that is hiring and very stable, the United States government. Because last year, the feds announced their goal to hire 22,000 tech workers from the private sector. Call it GovTech or Fed Tech. The federal government needs America's tech workers more than ever right now. Oh my God, Jack, case in point. Can we talk about that application for federal student aid that just came out?

FAFSA finally went online for the first time ever, and they totally botched the rollout. The government, it wants to digitize, but it's going to need a handful of product managers. Another example, artificial intelligence. It's both an opportunity and a threat for the government, too. But they need a whole bunch of engineers. And of course, there's cybersecurity. How many government agencies are under attack from hackers right now? The Department of Defense says it needs more tech workers, so it's hiring cyber warriors.

The way Nick and I see it, a government job, it lets you feel good. Because you're protecting the public from Russian hackers. And a government job may help you sleep at night. Because you're probably getting a pension included in that comp package. But here's the wildest part. A government job is even starting to pay better, too. Land of the free home of the here's my resume. Epluribus, oh my God, that's a paycheck.

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies looking for jobs in the tech industry? To hire up, Fed Tech is paying up. Look, yet is the biggest downside to working for the government? It's lower pay than the private sector. Facebook's not just going to offer you six digits. They're going to offer you six flavors of free kombucha. Over in Washington, D.C., you're getting saltines and like free mustard. And you're expected to wear a suit every day, which can stink.

But even Uncle Sam knows that money talks, so Uncle Sam is increasing wages to attract tech talent. Now, historically, the federal government has paid higher wages when it comes to high-wage industries. Good point, Jack. Like the Federal Reserve Bank, they need finance people. So, the Fed, they pay finance wages. So government agencies that need tech talent now, they're starting to do the same thing. For example, the Department of Veteran Affairs, they need some techies. so they boosted their salaries by $18,000.

They're still not going to pay as much as Zuck. But you won't be living in San Francisco or New York, so your paycheck's going to go further. Yeties, to hire up, the feds are paying up. So if you're looking for a job in tech, believe it or not, you might want to consider Fed Tech. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for Saviche Wednesday? Dune Part 2 had the best box office opening weekend

since Barbenheimer, and it was led by IMAX. Because movie theaters are in trouble, premium movie theaters are not. For our second story, Whole Foods just launched their daily shop, which is a smaller version, basically a bodega. Because the idea can be right

even if the execution is wrong. Respect the relaunch. For our third and final story, while tech companies are doing layoffs still, the government's hiring. We call it Fed Tech. And to hire up, the Fed Tech is paying up.

But Yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, France just became the world first country to enshrine abortion rights into its national constitution. The vote was an overwhelming 784 and 72 against, which cleared the three-fifths needed to change the constitution. And second, Bitcoin just hit its highest point ever yesterday, passing $69,000, and then the price crashed down to $60,000. Bitcoin, it's hot until it's not anymore. And finally, the Dartmouth men's basketball team just made a historic move.

They didn't win anything, but they did vote to join a union. Classic Ivy League move. These must all be econ majors on the basketball team. Dartmouth and the NCAA are expected to appeal the move, but the college players, they want to get paid. And it seems like that's eventually going to happen. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Amit Ome from Charlotte, North Carolina. Yesterday, Nick and I did a story on this pod about the biggest epic wedding that happened last weekend in India.

Yeah, we jumped in T-boy style to the huge company, the biggest company in India that's behind the family that's hosting this wedding. We also begged you to invite us to an Indian wedding because Nick and I want to experience this spectacle. So, Amit Ome decided to share some more details, some more context on Indian weddings and why they're so epic. The classic Indian wedding is boisterousous. It takes place over multiple days and it has many events. The date of the wedding is actually chosen by astrologists who pick an auspicious day based on the birth signs and horoscopes. And get this, the bride and groom, they often ride. into the ceremony on a horse?

On an elephant. And instead of giving a ring around the bride's finger, the bride is given a necklace around her neck in many Hindu weddings. A meet is getting married this April, so he's going to send his picks of an Indian wedding that he said we can share it with the Yetis. Yeties, you look fantastic over there. And by the way, if you're listening to us in Minnesota,

watch where you're stepping, right? Check, you make the wrong move. Dude, two protons, two electrons. You might step on all of them, man. Jack, what's the best way to share the show? H-Y-H-T-B-O-I. Have you had the best one yet? Jack and I, we'll see you tomorrow.

And before we go, congratulations to Yeti Ellis, who's 10 years old and just completed his Suzuki guitar book three music recital, and it went fantastic. And congratulations to Rob and Jackie Pena. They're celebrating their one-year anniversary in St. Petersburg, Florida. And Shannon Nelson's on vacation at Indian Wells and join some well-earned tennis. watching. And congratulations to Savannah Westwood and all the pet sitters and dog walkers,

happy pet sitter appreciation week. But we are not done yet because we got some birthdays. Megan Kelly, the ultimate fan of Philadelphia is celebrating. Not in Philadelphia, but she's a fan of Philadelphia. And happy birthday to Daniel Sparling in San Diego, who's celebrating a birthday with a double chocolate cake. This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon and IMAX, and Nick and I both own one Bitcoin. I really leaned into those. electrons. I don't know why. Electrons. And you can't see the protein.

I know. That was the most meat and I think I've ever said. I love that you did it. Yeah, it was so good because you're like, look, we're not scientists. But hey, we like how helium has two electrons and two proteins. That was a great, like, mistake I made. That was a great mistake, Jack. That was like what I said, look, I'm not in Italian, but gazpacho is a cold soup.

And then you said, I am Italian. And I can tell you, Gaspacho. And I can tell you, That was his Spanish. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I forgot about that one. That was the legendary live corrections.

That was great.