The Best One Yet
👛 “The ROI on the IRS” — America’s 12x tax return. Alani Nu’s $2B hot girl drink. Alibaba’s new religion.
24 Feb 2025
Energy drink Alani Nu sold to Celsius for $1.8B… so we explain how to pick an acquisition price.Alibaba is the Amazon of China & its stock has doubled… because AI is its new religion.We just found the ROI on the IRS… For every $1 we put into the IRS, we get $12 back.Plus, Birkenstock just argued to a judge that its sandals should legally be art…$CELH $BABA $BIRKWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… the Patagonia Fleece 🐑. Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.“The Best Idea Yet”: The untold origin stories of the products you’re obsessed with — From the McDonald’s Happy Meal to Birkenstock’s sandal to Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers to Sriracha. New 45-minute episodes drop weekly.—-----------------------------------------------------Subscribe to our new (2nd) show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly. It’s The Best Idea Yet.GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts FOR MORE NICK & JACK: Newsletter: https://tboypod.com/newsletter Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/ Connect with Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/ SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ Subscribe to our new (2nd) show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly. It’s The Best Idea Yet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Full Episode
I can't believe it, Jack. Oh, I thought you were going to say day 54 of me still being here. Still don't have the eye toilet. Still don't have Jack's third kid. Jack, three stories for today's show. What do we got on the pod, man? For our first story, Alani Nu is the Kardashian of energy drinks. And Alani was just acquired for $1.8 billion by Celsius.
So we'll explain how they got that very specific number. For our second story. Alibaba is the Amazon of China, and its stock has doubled in the last year. But their founder disappeared for years, and now he's back. And that detail tells you everything you need to know, Jack. And our third and final story. Since the IRS has been targeted by Doge for job cuts, we just calculated the ROI on the IRS.
For every $1 we put into the tax agency, we'll tell you what we actually get paid. But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories, Oh, what a mix of stories. Love the mix. What is art? What is art, Jack? Is it a painting, a sculpture, a song, a film? Or is art a Birkenstock? Because here's the news, Yetis. Birkenstock legally filed for its sandal to be a classified work of art.
Yeah, they claim their footwear should legally be protected just like a Jackson Pollock painting. Why are they doing this? Because of dupes. Cheap Birkenstock knockoffs are everywhere. Redditors have gone rabid with recommendations for knockoff Birkenstock brands every single day. And Birkenstock is sick of it. So they want artistic copyright protection to stop the copycats. However, hear, hear.
A German judge disagrees. As fashionable as Birkenstock may be, they say sandals are legally not art. However, here, here, we respectfully disagree with that judge. Your Honor, may I approach the bench? Because the cork foot, Brad, is it not a collage? Your Honor, is the brass buckle not a sculpture?
If art is the expression of human skill, is not the Birkenstock sandal but the Mona Lisa of the foot? I mean, honestly, art touches the human soul. But the Birkenstock touches your literal soul. Yeah, it is. Nick and I didn't go to law school. We didn't go to art school either. But we're pretty sure that Birkenstock is the new body of child. If you know, you know.
Jack, let's hit our three stories.
15 years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in a dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is the norm. Jack Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%, that's a fat tip. T-Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, cause we ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show.
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