The Best One Yet - ☄️ “Real Housewives of Pluto” — NASA+ streaming. Jeep’s bummer summer. SoFi’s Jon Snow CEO.

Episode Date: August 1, 2023

NASA is joining the streaming wars with NASA+ — Because to win wallets & dimes, you’ve first got to win hearts & minds. Jeep sales have dropped for 8-straight quarters — Because what SUV to buy is a zero sum game. And the top-performing FinTech stock of the year so far? It’s SoFi — Because SoFi’s CEO is Jon Snow.$SOFI $NFLX $GM $F 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 Tuesday, T-Boy, Tuesday, August 1st, and today's pod is the best one yet. It is a T-boy. It is, though. It really is. It really feels like a T-boy. Top of the morning, T-Boy.

Jack, first story, what do we got for the show? The newest streaming service is from NASA. We're talking NASA Plus, and this thing is free. Yet he's NASA thinks it's the new Netflix. For our second story, SoFi, is the student-loan fintech company that just saw its stock surge 20% in one day. Because SoFi's CEO is John Snow from Game of Thrones. And our third and final story is Jeep. The Jeep Wrangler has always been the car of the summer, but it has lost its crown. Because Jeep got a little bit too fancy for its own good. Is that mud on my wheel? Excuse me.

But yet is, before we hit that wonderful mix. Love this mix, Jack. Yesterday, we announced the best newsletter yet. The best newsletter yet yeties tomorrow we are publishing issue number one of the best newsletter yet. It's one daily newsletter with our three pod stories plus more in written words. Glock's extra. This is free. You're going to love it. But we got a little too excited. So we came up with another thing to launch. We went with a little too much razzle-dazzle and we add a little too much sprinkled dinkle, did we jack? So today we're introducing the best day yet. The best day yet. What is that, Jack. This is our first ever T-boy sweepstakes. We are going to fly

one of you to spend the day with us. You're flying out. We're going to hang out. Here's the deal. We're going to randomly pick one Yeti who reads our debut newsletter. And that one winner gets to hang out with Nick and me, and we get to hang out with you. We're talking to airfare, Uber's, hotel double-digit,

lottes. All of that are treats. It's all expenses paid. We're going to bring one of you into the recording studio with us too. Not too shabby, Jack. What does that include? front row seat to a personal live podcast of the best one yet. Hey, Taylor Swift, you ever done that? She's probably done that.

I'm pretty sure she's slowing people out. She probably does a few of those. Yes, she does, Jack. Yeties, for your chance to win the best day yet, all you got to do is subscribe to our newsletter at news. At news.tieboypod.com. And then all you got to do is read the first Wednesday edition. We hope that you're the winner that we pick.

Because we would like to hang out with you. So sign up at news.tieboypod.com for our daily newsletter. It's the best day yet. Even if you lose, you still win. Because it's the best newsletter yet. Subscribe today, read the newsletter, maybe we'll hang out at a location, totally mysterious TVD. We're excited for this thing. News.tieboypod.com, the best newsletter yet, the best day yet. You bring the razzle dazzle, we'll bring the sprinkled dangle. Fringle dinkle, not guaranteed subject to terms and conditions. Sprinkle may be smaller than advertised. If podcast recording lasts longer than four hours, please because of

your doctor. Yeah, it is, you know what to do. Let's hit our three stories. Let's see you there. For our first story, two boys from the northeast met in the dawn. 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, the newest streaming service isn't from Netflix. It's not from Disney. And it is not Hulu.

It is NASA. NASA Plus. NASA Plus. Because to win wallets and dimes, you need hearts and minds. Yes, you do. But yet he's before we kick off this story, Jack and I were researching it. We jumped in T-boy style and we discovered some fascinating information, didn't we, Jack? According to Pew Research, what are the three least popular government agencies, Nick?

All right, the three least popular government agencies, get this. The IRS, the Fed, and the Department of Education. Yeah, more people leading to listen to this pie. But Jack, what are the three most popular businesses? government agencies. The National Park Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and NASA. Yet these, NASA isn't just one of the most popular. It's got the highest consumer engagement of any government agency.

We were shocked by the incredible public profile of our space agency. NASA has 95 million Instagram followers. The Postal Service has 300,000. It's not just Instagram. No, it's not. NASA is the eighth most popular brand on Twitter. Eighth most popular brand. And the first six are Elon.

We flipped open the pages of Fast Company, a magazine dedicated to innovation. What do we learn, Jack? They ranked NASA the number 17 most innovative company there is. NASA is not even a company. It's a government agency. NASA is the most recognized government logo we have. It's beating the bald eagle. NASA just had a record year of merch sales.

NASA. NASA sells product? Not only they sell in product, NASA has a fashion partnership with Coach. Which leads us to today's news. NASA is launching a store. streaming service. NASA Plus. NASA Max was a little bit too threatening sound. They went with the safely cliche NASA Plus. Now yet he's here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. We've said before that companies are battling over your living room. NASA's joining that battle today.

And why is that, Jack? Because the nature of what NASA does isn't just sci-fi, something that's very popular. It's sci-non-fi, like science non-fiction. Science non-fiction. And you know what? people want to experience space. And NASA owns all the content relevant to space. Call up Hubble, NASA has a monopoly on space content. Now, historically yet, NASA has had a media side hustle. They've done media content like on the side.

Right. For example, they have a live stream of the International Space Station. They have cameras pointed at the satellites, and they film rocket launches too. But now, NASA is going full hustle on media. They want to go all in on media. NASA plus has a big. content budget. You're going to see high production documentaries like of Apollo 8. And you're going to

see rocket launch pregame shows. It's like ESPN, but for space. Now, that all sounds fantastic, but Nick and I think they should parlay this into fictional content, too. I mean, there's a lot of opportunity we're thinking with sitcoms from Saturn. The Real Housewives of Pluto? Get exhibit in a space suit and pimp my rocket. How about Survivor? Literally. Yeah, just throw them up there. Who can survive up in space? See what happens. Winner? gets to live. Now, there's an interesting business twist that NASA made as well with NASA Plus. NASA Plus will be free to watch, unlike other streamers.

You're not going to get subscription subscribing to NASA Plus. So why is NASA investing big media dollars on high-quality productions and then giving the content to Americans for free? The answer feels like a takeaway moment. So take us to your takeaway. Before you can win, why? Wallets and dimes, you must win hearts and minds. Five, Yeties, over the past five years, the space economy has emerged out of nowhere.

It's no longer just governments participating in space. Startups and big tech companies are spending big there too. Yes, SpaceX is the most valuable startup in America. They do rockets and satellites. Amazon just spent $120 million on a launch facility at Cape Canaveralveral. Rose Royce plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, they're not. planning, they're already sending tourists to space. All four of those are big space stories we did

in just the last year on this pod. Yeties, as the space economy grows, NASA's position within it is getting more crowded. In the future, NASA's going to need more funding if the public will continue to have a say in space. That's why NASA is launching a free streaming service today to win the hearts and minds of the American public. So that tomorrow, when it needs taxpayer money, it can win our wallets and dimes. Three, two, one. Streaming. For our second story, the top finance stock of 2023, it's not what you think it is.

It's SoFi. SoFi is up 150% this year. Why? Because SoFi CEO is the John Snow of FinTech. You know nothing, John Snow. You know nothing. She's not Irish. She's like, she's kind of Irish.

Yeah, yeah. On her mom's side. on her mom's side. Yeah, it is the coolest thing you can do for your company when you rebrand. Do less. Just abbreviated. That's exactly what SoFi did. It's a fintech company that used to be called Social Finance,

but then over drinks at South by Southwest, they said, hey, let's call this Selfi. It's cleaner. Cut the the the. Twelve years later, Sofi has gone from just doing student loan refinancing to become a giant fintech super app. And then Jack and I noticed SoFi stock jumped 20% to start the week. And we thought, you know what? there's a story here, we should cover this.

The stock jumped 20% because they just announced their ninth straight quarter of revenue growth. Get this yet, he's every single quarter since SoFi IPO has been a record quarter for revenues. SoFi CEO went on to Bloomberg TV yesterday and he went on to CNBC. And then he went on to Yahoo Finance to hype up his company's earnings report. And he didn't smile a single time in any of those interviews, did he Jack? I watched all three, no smiles. Would you like a water? No.

No. Coffee? Maybe. But yet he's the reason Anthony Nodo, the CEO of SoFi, is on the TV shows, is because of the battle in the finance industry. There is a battle going on in the banking industry. There is a battle for your bank account. As interest rates have been rising last year and a half, banks have raised the interest that they'll pay you to get your money. So all the financial institutions out there, they are competing for your most basic of accounts. SoFi wants your checking account to be at SoFi.

And they want your savings account and your direct deposit too. So they started offering a high 4.4% APY interest rate on those accounts. They pay you a good amount of money. And according to yesterday's earnings, that strategy is working. Turns out the deposits over at SoFi jumped in the past year. They nearly doubled $13 billion. That sounds great, but that's also really expensive. It is expensive because that means that they're paying customers,

4.4% interest on every dollar that you put. into a checking account with them. And it's got $13 billion now. That's a lot of interest they have to pay. But here's the funny thing yet. He's Jack and I used to work in the finance industry, and we know that what's expensive for the finance industry is also pretty lucrative. Because SOFI turns around and lends out that money for an even higher interest rate.

For example, SOFI is offering mortgages and car loans and student loans for double that 4.4% rate, for like 8% to people who want to borrow money. So you give SOFi money. It gives you 4.4%. It takes your money and lends it to somebody else for 8%. Not too shabby, Sofi. It pays you one rate and lends it a higher rate. And you know what?

That's pretty classic finance. Banks have been doing that for 100 years. I thought this was a fintech company. Well, it is a fintech company, but with a very particular leader. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Sofi? SoFi is the one fintech company run by you. John Snow. Yeti. SoFi's CEO, Anthony Nodo, took over back in 2018. And it turns out he's both a finance guy. He worked at Goldman Sachs. And a tech guy. He worked at Twitter too. So the way Jack and I

see it, this guy, he's like John Snow in Game of Thrones. He's both a Stark and a Targaryen. Spoiler alert. He's the product of two very different rival backgrounds. As a tech guy, he knows the importance of customer acquisition. He knows the importance of getting app downloads. Well, so if I added two million new customers in just the past year. But he's also a finance guy. So he knows the importance of actually making a profit on those customers. Well, eight out of the last nine quarters since IPOing, they've gotten closer and closer to hitting a profit. This guy is the only bilingual FinTech CEO. And it's made his stock the best fintech stock of 2020. John Snow never sat on the Iron Throne, but sits on a throne of cash.

Another spoiler alert. For our third and final story, the iconic Jeep Wrangler was the car of the summer, but now it's losing to a new domestic enemy. Because one bot Bronco is one not bought Jeep. But Yetis, there is no brand that loves bragging about its history more than the Jeep. Americans love their World War II movies. Well, Jeep is basically a World War II hero.

Let's go back, June 1940, the U.S. military act. Asked the car industry to develop a cheap, functional four-by-four vehicle. Just 75 days later, the Jeep was unveiled. The Jeep, it was actually known as a general-purpose vehicle, GP, general purpose. It was very utilitarian, but they nicknamed that general-purpose vehicle a Jeep. That's where the name comes from. And four years after that, jeeps were being dropped from airplanes into France to fight on the battlefield of D-Day. Let me repeat that.

Jeeps were being dropped from airplanes into your... France on D-Day. The first car to parachute, wasn't it, Jack? Yeah, they parachuted vehicles down to the ground where American Allied soldiers were waiting to drive them to reinvade Europe. Hey, Buick, what were you doing in the 40s? But now the tables have turned. Get this yet, he's.

Now Jeep is the one getting invaded. Sales of Jeep, the iconic SUV, have fallen for eight straight quarters. And that's not all. Jack and I jumped in T-boy style and discovered that Jeep has fallen from the number six top-selling car brand to number nine in the United States. Jeep is figuratively stuck in the mud. And Jack, what's the key reason for Jeep's awkward situation right now? They've become way too expensive. Yet his Jeep has become a four-wheel drive diva. In the last three years, the average price of a Jeep sold has risen by 36% to $55,000.

You want to buy a Jeep? Go to Vogue magazine. No one tours driving this thing. Did my Jeep Wrangler really need that Bluetooth tow hitch? Now, Yeti's Jack and I should point out that has benefited Jeep, like it has boosted profits for every Jeep sold. It's been great for Jeep. But some Jeep buyers are ditching Jeep for other brands. Which reminded Jack and I of a funny thing we noticed a year ago.

Almost exactly one year ago, we noticed that the Ford Bronco had become the new car of the summer. Ford, they'd resurrected their classic SUV with beach vibes that men and women were 11. These things were getting driven on every beach. Well, today we're looking at the numbers. Ford Broncos sales rose by 38% in the first quarter. While Jeep sales are down 17% in the same quarter. Coincidence? I don't even know what a tow hitch is, Jack.

So let's just go to the takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Jeep? When it comes to the car industry, it is a zero-sum game. Yet he's last week, Jack and I told you about the rare positive sum game. And our example was Barbenheimer. Barbenheimer, two movies that didn't compete. They actually helped each other. And together, they set a post-pandemic box office record.

But besties, Jack and I want to be clear about something. In most industries, it's not a positive sum game. In fact, in most industries, it's a zero-sum game. It's a zero-sum game. Ford Broncos gains are Jeep Wranglers' lost. That is a zero-sum game. People aren't buying both a Ford Bronco and a Wrangler. They're just buying one of them.

Yeah, you don't need two toe hitches. Do you, Nick? Still don't know what that means, but no, you don't need both, Jack. Oppenheimer benefited from Barbie and vice versa. But Bronco doesn't benefit from Wrangler. Because when it comes to the car industry, it's a zero-sum game. Jack, can you take one small step for man and whip up the takeaways for us over there? NASA Plus is free government-funded content to win the hearts and minds of the American public.

So that tomorrow it can win our wallets and dimes. For our second story at SoFi, it's the top fintech stock. of 2023 so far. Because their CEO is John Snow. He's both a Stark and a Targary. And our third and final story is Jeep. Jeep is figuratively stuck in the mud. They're losing out on sales to the Ford Bronco. Because in the car industry, it's a zero-sum game. But this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, we just entered peak earnings season. We got a huge week of earnings. This week we hear the earnings from Apple, Amazon, Starbucks, and many, many more. And second, yellow, the 99-year-old shipping company is the latest to go bankrupt this year.

Yeah, sadly, 30,000 workers and 10,000 shipping trucks are out of work. And finally, Birkenstock is planning an IPO. As early as September, the 250-year-old German company is finally doing it. They got a huge bump from the Barbie movie, and their ticker symbol is probably going to be quark. High-heeled Birx, I'm not spoiling it. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Clint Graham from lovely Austin, Texas. Bush and Play.

Hey, Yeties. Earlier this year, we lost Justin O. Schmidt, who was an entomologist who created the Schmidt sting pain index. He let himself get stung over 1,000 times from wasps, bees, and ants, and then documented the sensation. The scale ranges from 1 to 4. A level 1 sting came from an an anthroporid bee, which Schmidt described as, almost pleasant. A lover just bit your earlobe a little too hard. A level four sting came from a bullet ant described as pure, intense, brilliant pain,

like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail in your heel. Oh, my goodness. That was one way to do market research. Although it sounds like he liked the pain. Jack, how would you rate that skunk smell on a scale of one to four? I did not volunteer, though, like this guy did. Before this guy tested out fire ants, they were just called ants. He's like, if you know, you know.

Yetis, you look fantastic for T-Boy Tuesday. And remember to sign up for the best newsletter yet if you want to win the best day yet. Go to news.toypod.com, enter your email address, and you may spend a random day this year at a pod studio recording with Nick and me. We'll cover your double-digit lattes and we'll cover the airline seat too. But we get to keep the points. Jack and I will keep the points and we'll see you tomorrow. Before we go, a congratulations to Yeti Grace King, who has done 55.

thousand push-ups this year. She just hit 50KK. That's an average of 150 push-ups a day. Sit down, stand up, and do more push-ups. And Jill and Evo and Colin Marquis are getting married on the top of Mount Baker. That is lovely. Mount Baker, which set the record for most snowfall in a single year. Good timing on the wedding. And Emily Osborne and Robert Norris just got engaged. Let's see the ring picks over in Lodi, California. And a huge congratulations to Dina and Daniel, who both just got scholarships to travel from Indonesia to study at Berkeley. And a happy birthday to little Lila Dwyer over in Charlottesville, Virginia celebrating on Nantuck. Happy birthday to Tony Tao in St. Paul, Minnesota.

And Joyce Wend, happy birthday down the street in San Francisco. And happy 54th birthday to Alan Jackson on assignment in South Korea. And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a tee bar. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. of Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and SoFi, and Nick and I both own stock of Apple. Frenkel dinkle not guaranteed, subject to terms and conditions. Podcasts recording lasts longer than four hours.

Please consult your doctor. Brinkle may be smaller than advertised.