The Best One Yet - 🙋🛠️ “Uber built my house” — Uber’s secret taskrabbit. Detroit’s car strike . Coca-Cola’s AI soda.

Episode Date: September 14, 2023

Code in Uber’s app reveals their secret next product: Uber Chores — It’s Uber’s chance to respect thy elders. The union repping 146K autoworkers goes on strike tonight — It’s GM, Ford, and Chysler, but Tesla’s the elephant in the room. And Coca-Cola just unveiled the first ever soda formulated by Artificial Intelligence — And we found a connection between AI soda, Goldfish Crackers, and our podcast.$UBER $KO $GM $F $TSLA $STLASubscribe 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 Thursday, the new Friday, September 14th. And today's pod is the best one yet. It is a T-boy, Jack. Nick, we were just talking about gladiator the movie, right? Yes, we were. How often do you think about the Roman Empire, Jack?

I just was a second ago. I think frequently to quite frequently. That's all I needed to know, Jack. That's all I needed to know. First story, what are we got for today's show? Reporters just discovered a new feature hidden in the code of the Uber app. Uber is next. product could be its biggest yet. Uber chores. For our second story, 146,000 Detroit auto workers

go on strike tonight unless they reach a deal with GM, Ford, and Chrysler. But there's an elephant in the negotiating room, and that elephant is Tesla. And our third and final story is Coca-Cola. They just unveiled the first ever soda designed by artificial intelligence. And Jack and I found a connection between AI soda, goldfish crackers, and our podcast. And the Holy Roman Empire. It all comes full circle. But Yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix. The Roman Legion would have loved today's show, Jack.

It is a sad day in America because we just lost one of the greats. Yes, we did. Jack, can we please have a moment of silence for the self-serve soda fountain? The self-serve soda machine. Yeti's McDonald's just announced that they are getting rid of the self-served sodas out there. The self-served soda machine. The giant sticky bowl. box next to the napkins with soda dispensing buttons.

Oh, the self-serve soda found it, eight nozzles, eight different drinks, and one huge ice cube shoot. Just push your cup against the tab of your choice and let her in it. Jack, fill it up, let those bubbles go down and then tap, tap, tap, tap her off. And each machine had that awkward little white tab if you just wanted water. For some reason, it was really small, highly inconvenient when it should have been very convenient. And each machine also had ice dispensed at 100 miles per hour into your cup. If you wanted to get ice from this thing, you needed health insurance, Jack. But the best part of the self-serve soda machine is the free refills.

Fill her up one more time before you head out the door, or not. And we all had one buddy who remixed every time. That buddy Timmy, one part Coke, one part root beer, and a splash of Sprite. Or maybe a splash of high sea if you're feeling lucky. Pro tip, if you know, you know. But yet he's the self-serve soda machine. It wasn't just a machine. It was also freedom.

Because it's the rare case of a business trusting the custom. But now Ronald McDonald is eliminating those machines because people don't really dine in at their restaurants anymore. Apparently everyone's doing the drive-through these days so the soda machine is just not used as much as it used to be. So the self-served soda machine, its days are numbered. Yet is if you're on the highway right now, pull over if you see those golden arches and give it one more pump. Do yourself a DIY Dr. Pepper with a splash of something because it may be your last. Jack, let's pour one out for the self-serve soda machine. Let's pour one out.

Literally. For 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 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. For our first story, Uber's secret next product could be its biggest one yet. It's called Uber Chores. The future of Uber is mowing your life. or walking your dog or assembling your furniture. But yet he's before we kick off this story. Jack and I got to whip up a full disclosure here. This is Nick.

That's Jack and neither of us can code. My Python HTML JavaScript, it's rusty. I think you just C++ the Eng team on that one, Jeff. I don't know what any of that means, Nick. But one reporter over at Bloomberg can code. And they just discovered something interesting, something hidden in the Uber app. They discovered the words Uber.

Chor. Jack, we should sprinkle on some context here, but there is not a lot of context here, actually. Yeah, but the code does suggest that in the future, you can't just Uber ride or Uber eat. You can also hail an Uber chore. It appears that Uber is building a task-like feature that would be similar to Task Rabbit or Angie's list. You'll be able to hail an Uber Tasker to come to your home and work on something for you. The coding shows specifically that you could book a person to do a chore for at a least one hour at a set rate. Now, yeties, given the endless types of tasks that exist in this world, this could actually be Uber's widest ranging product yet. It would mean that eventually a single Uber worker could drop you off, deliver your pad tie, and install that Sony TV you've been sitting on. Think about it. There's so many things you could hail an Uber Tasker to do. Like first, inside your home.

You could Uber to mow your lawn or to move your couch or to paint your front porch. Or you could use Uber chores for outside of the home needs. You could Uber them to drop off your package or pick up your prescription. of thytastrosol because you still have that thing on your thigh. Hell, maybe after a few good experiences, you hire an Uber Tasker to do something highly personal for you. Maybe Uber babysits the baby and then walks your puppy, Jack? I don't know about either of those, but yeah, maybe.

I mean, Jack, if you could get a massage on this thing, I'd be Ubering massages every third Tuesday. You'd have to have a six-star rating to let them babysit the baby. Uber backer up, I'm willing to take the risk, Jack. But yeties, we're talking about a service that's a whole new territory. for Uber. I mean, I guess they would have to bring their own oil unless you had the oil at your house, Jack. Exactly. If this feature involves someone entering your home or handling your things or touching your body, a lot of due diligence Uber has to figure out. Now I'm rethinking the whole

thing, but I'm not against a deep tissue, Jack. Yeah, yeties. There's a whole lot of terms and conditions the lawyers have to whip up before they launch this thing. Uber Chores just became Uber liability. But still, Uber Chores could be a larger opportunity than Uber rides or Uber Eats. And that would truly make Uber a verb. You can Uber a ride, Uber some raviolis, or Uber a repairman with Uber Chores. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Uber? Time for the tech industry to respect their elders. Yiddies, you know who the biggest beneficiary of Uber Chores would be?

It would be old people. The bigger market and the bigger economic impact isn't Gen Z. It's boomers. That's the way Jack and I see it. Because that older demographic is big, is wealthy. And now they probably have a smartphone and they've probably. used Uber. But Nick, they're getting older and they can use a hand every now and then. And their children are busy adults right now who can't help out all the time. So Uber Chores

could fill in that gap instead. College Katie, yeah, she could use Uber Chore to save time. That would be a convenience. But 82-year-old Andy, he needs Uber Chores to pick up his prescription or to shovel the walkway so he can get to his car. That would be a necessity. Yet his every tech company right now is obsessed with getting young people under 30. But the bigger business opportunity for this is people. over 60. Uber chores would be the perfect opportunity for Big Tech to finally start respecting their elders. For our second story, today is the last day to avoid a huge strike that would shut down the entire American car industry. Except Tesla. Because Ford GM and Chrysler factories,

three huge companies will shut down starting at midnight. Yeties, the year of the strikes continues. Jack, you whip out the whiteboard force and chalk up the numbers. Actors are on strike. Writers are on strike. UPS was going to go on strike. Even the Starbucks baristas threatened to go on strike right before PSL season. But now, Nick, for the first time ever, the Detroit Auto Worker Union is going on a triple strike. Going on strike against all three Detroit car companies, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler at the same time. The strike, which probably be. begins tomorrow would cost the U.S. economy $500 million a day in F-150s that aren't getting made.

Sit down, stand up, and strap me in again. Jack, you got any more context you can throw at us? If the strike lasts for a month, which would be really bad, it would measurably dent America's GDP. And here's why yet. It's because the United Auto Workers Union, it represents 146,000 American workers. The UAW is like the 51st state of the United States. And Jack, what is the one? One top of the list thing that this union wants, like every union. More money. More pay. More wages.

More money. Less problems. The UAW is demanding a 40% increase in wages over the next four years. They're like, hey, executive pay is up 40%. Why not raise the pay for Pistol Pete making the pistons on these things? And the union? It's got a war chest. It can survive a strike right now.

Get this. The union for the car workers has $825 million in a strike fund so they can pay out the workers even if they're not going to work because they're striking. That is a war chest right there. And where do we stand exactly in this battle of the economic forces of the auto industry, Jack? Negotiations are still far apart as of the recording of this pod. Car companies think a 40% pay increase is crazy. They're only offering 16% more.

Now, Yeties, I lived in Michigan for a year. That is a great qualification for this story. Nick visited me and we checked out the city of Detroit together. Which is also a great qualification for this story. So we should tell you that car work in America is the ultimate historical middle class job. Go back in history yet. He's back in the day. A Mishigander working at Ford could afford two cars, two homes, and a boat on the lake.

Why don't you, Jack, come over for Labor Day. And the UAW Auto Union wants that reality again. Yeah, get this. Not only do they want to increase their pay 40%. They also want a full pension for the auto workers. They want today's auto workers to have what yesterday's auto workers have. a guaranteed monthly retirement payout for life. That's not all.

The car union also wants to work only a 32-hour work week must be nice. But we should point out that car workers today work incredibly hard to make those cars. Our working today is not easily. We're talking 12-hour shifts just to make that chassis every day of the week for some of the workers. And they're only getting five days of vacation a year after all that physical work. Jack, you ever seen a carburetor get made? it herniated my disc just watching it. So 146,000 auto workers just demanded more money, a pension, 32-hour work week, and that's a problem for the car company.

That's a problem and partially because of our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in the whole car industry? There's an elephant in that negotiating room. That elephant is Tesla. And here's the awkward part about the union's huge requests on the automakers. Detroit workers want more when Tesla workers are already making less. Because for General Motors and Chrysler, their workers are unionized, but Tesla workers are not unionized. That's why Tesla's workers are getting 30% less pay and benefits on average than the workers of the UAW.

Okay, so what we're saying here, besties, is that the United Auto Workers want 40% more pay when they're already getting 30% more than the Tesla workers. So if you're the CEO of like GM, you must think your workers should be grateful that they're working for GM and not for Elon. Well, they're going on strike. So clearly the GM workers are not that grateful. There's an elephant in the negotiating room between the UAW and the carmakers. And that elephant, it's Tesla. For our third and final story, Coca-Cola just launched the first ever soda designed by AI. But this reminds us of goldfish crackers and our podcast, the best. one yet. Let us explain. We'll get to that in the takeaway. But first, Yetis, Jack and I like to say

that nostalgia never dies. But what's the other thing we like to say? We also like to say that novelty never loses. And both of these sound like James Bond movies. Or James Taylor lyrics. But let's talk about novelty never loses. Because Yeties, that is why we're seeing a wave of artificial intelligence first that are hitting a powerful consumer desire. Novelty. Like the first rap song written by artificial intelligence. Or the first AI painted picture created by AI. Or the first AI generated comic book. And now we've got the first ever AI formulated soda.

Coca-Cola says that their AI assisted their humans to find the optimal mix of carbonated flavors. Now, Yetis, we'll break it down for you. This new Coca-Cola AI soda is called Y-3000. Y-3-000, not to be confused with Andre 3000. Or the Jonas Brothers 3,000. And Coke says that this new drink tastes. like the future. So they called it Y-3000, the year 3000, Y-3k.

And it also comes with a QR code so you can scan that code and buy AI merchandise. Because QR codes are futuristic. It stays like the future. But yet is this AI generated soda, it's actually part of a bigger strategy at Coca-Cola. Interestingly, Jack and I noticed, Coca-Cola has a limited time-only strategy. You can get this futuristic soda only for six months and then it's in the past. It's gone forever. It's part of a new thing Coca-Cola has called their creator's line. And what is this exactly, Jack?

Every three months, they have a new LTO limited time offer drink, and then it's gone forever. Like Coke launched a Metaverse flavored drink, and then it disappeared. And a League of Legends video game flavored drink, and now it's gone. And then a NASA space flavor drink, and then poof, it's M-I-A. Because we're all wondering what video games in space tastes like. So you'd have to buy it. Now, Coke says that all of these. limited time only drinks taste 85% like regular old Coca-Cola.

But it's the 15% that's mysterious and new. So here, Yeti's. Novelty, intrigue, and limited time only. All three of those are the forces that get yet to buy more Coca-Cola. There you go. But Yeties, this story reminds us of a takeaway about goldfish that we did five months ago. It reminds us about goldfish crackers and it reminds us of our very own podcast. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies?

over at Coca-Cola. Our takeaways take-specific news and find general insights from them. Yeties, let's take Coke strategy here. It's actually the exact same strategy that we saw with goldfish crackers back in April. Back in April, we noticed Dunkin' Donuts, Pumpkin Spice Limited Edition goldfish on the shells. That was strange, so we jumped in T-boy style, and we discovered that crazy goldfish flavors are driving sales of regular goldfish. Just like crazy limited time-only coax are driving sales of regular coax right now.

So then Jack and I were looking at this whole story. We realized, wait a second, there's actually a similarity here that's the goal of all of our takeaways. All of our takeaways find a general insight from the specific news of the day. Exactly. Jack and I want the takeaway we did in one story to be relevant to another story. We want our insights to transcend the specific story that we're covering that day. Because if the news story isn't particularly relevant to you, then our takeaway is. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us for the new Friday? Uber accidentally revealed in their code what they're working on next.

Uber chores from an Uber Tasker. Oh, the tech industry, it's obsessed with Gen Z, but it's time to respect its elders. For our second story, the workers of the Detroit carmakers are going on strike tonight, and Tesla is the elephant in the room. What comes next? Either a standoff or a compromise. And our third and final story is Coca-Cola. Their AI formulated soda is helping drive sales of the whole Coke franchise. It's the same strategy we saw with goldfish's funky flavors.

Every product needs a wing man. And our takeaways never die. But yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. Birkenstock has officially filed their IPO paperwork. Tigger symbol for the stock? Burke? The Birk and stock stock.

called Burke is expected to go public at an $8 billion valuation this fall. Ticker should be clog. And second, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Vladimir Putin in Russia yesterday. Communist to communist, the North Korean dictator strongly supports Putin's war in Ukraine. And finally, the FDA announced that Sudafed, Mucinex, and Benadryl aren't actually effective at decongesting your nose. If you took the oral Sudafed pill and you're still stuffed up, You're not crazy. Yeah, because we all said, am I crazy?

Am I still stuffed over here? Apparently the nasal spray works better. Ah, you gotta go direct to nostril. D to N. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by legendary Yetty, Andrea Hall from lovely Southfield, Michigan. Yesterday, we told you which fruit

has the highest water content? The watermelon, shocker. It's 96% water, not too shabby. But what about the vegetables, Nick? Which vegetable has the highest water content? It's not the water little yeties. The highest water content vegetable is actually the cucumber. The cucumber is shockingly fluid.

The cucumber is 96% water. It's the same amount of water as the watermelon, which is called water. Right, which means your cucumber salad is actually a drink. Or is your cucumber salad a soup? I'd like a cucumber. Yeah, I'll have a straw with that. That cucumber in a soda machine. Yetis, you look fantastic today.

And you know what would really make Thursday feel like the real Friday, Jack? What's that, Nick? If we got a bunch of five-star reviews we could read tomorrow. Agreed. Particularly written reviews. You know, we love them so much, we made a book out of it. We read them to each other. They're like poems.

So Yeti's scroll down, drop a five-star review, and Jack and I, we can't wait to read it. And Nick and I, we'll see you tomorrow. Can't wait. And before we go, a happy birthday to Kyle Nolan Hill, who's turning third. 30 years old over in lovely San Diego. And happy birthday to Julian Ismail, the father of Corgis, who's celebrating in Seattle. And Chase Knox, happy 30th birthday. Enjoy that trip to Berlin.

Jack, any recommendations? What do you got? Curry worst, Mitt Pomas. Extra curry worst sauce. If dash no, dash no. By the way, the subway in Berlin, it's not free. They just go on the honor system. So you got to buy a ticket.

Like the self-serve soda machine. And to anyone else, celebrating something today. Make it a T-Boy Celebrate the wins This is Jack Island stock of Ford That felt a brat He felt defensive

I do This is Jack Island stock of Ford And Nick doesn't Come in