2025 Trends: Maxxing, Robot Promotion, and Kale Collar Thrift - Episode Hero Image

2025 Trends: Maxxing, Robot Promotion, and Kale Collar Thrift

The Best One Yet · · Listen to Original Episode →
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TL;DR

  • The "everything maxing" trend, originating from maximalist trade policies, cascaded into a "casino economy" where investing, betting, and predicting merged, leading to startups like Kalshi and Polymarket reaching $10 billion valuations.
  • Robots were "promoted" in 2025, with robotaxis entering multiple cities and businesses like Amazon heavily investing in automation, though home-use humanoid robots still struggle with basic tasks like laundry.
  • "Kale collar workers," anxious about AI and rising costs, traded down on discretionary spending like fast-casual lunches, causing stocks in Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and Cava to decline significantly.
  • The embrace of "duponomics" and the thrift economy, exemplified by ThredUp's 500% stock surge and TJ Maxx's growth, indicates consumers are prioritizing lower-priced alternatives and second-hand goods.
  • "Flooding the zone" became the term of the year, with AI-generated content proliferating across platforms like Spotify and podcasting, raising concerns about the influx of "slop" despite individual efforts to curate human-made content.

Deep Dive

In 2025, the business landscape was defined not by overt political or technological forces, but by pervasive consumer and economic trends: "Maxxing," the widespread adoption of robotics, and the rise of "Kale Collar Workers" navigating a thrift-driven economy. These themes illustrate a broader shift towards maximalist approaches in consumer behavior and business strategy, a significant increase in automation across industries, and a recalibration of consumer spending habits driven by affordability concerns.

The concept of "Maxxing," initially seen in consumer trends like "protein maxxing" where products were heavily fortified, expanded to encompass nearly every facet of the economy. This maximalist approach extended to business valuations, with companies like SpaceX and OpenAI reaching historic heights, and to government policy, as exemplified by high tariffs. The cascading effect of this "everything maxing" trend culminated in a "casino economy," where traditional distinctions between investing, betting, and predicting blurred, with prediction markets achieving significant valuations and even becoming integrated into financial platforms. This indicates a heightened risk tolerance and a speculative undercurrent pervading the economy, driven by a desire for extreme gains.

Simultaneously, "robots got promoted" in 2025, moving from futuristic concepts to tangible realities across various sectors. While robotaxis became mainstream in multiple cities, significantly outperforming human drivers in safety metrics, the progress in home robotics lagged, with humanoid robots still struggling with tasks like laundry. This bifurcation suggests that while industrial and commercial automation is rapidly advancing, consumer-facing robotics still faces significant dexterity and practical application challenges. The widespread adoption of robots in warehouses and the development of autonomous defense systems point to a future where automation will redefine labor markets and operational efficiency for corporations and governments.

Finally, the economic squeeze on white-collar workers, termed "Kale Collar Workers," led to a significant shift towards "duponomics" and the thrift economy. These individuals, anxious about job security due to AI and facing increased costs for essentials, began trading down on discretionary items, evidenced by the stock market decline of fast-casual chains like Chipotle and Sweetgreen. This trend highlights a widespread consumer adaptation to persistent inflation, prioritizing value and affordability. The winners in this environment are companies offering lower-priced alternatives, including second-hand goods and private-label brands, demonstrating a fundamental recalibration of consumer priorities towards pragmatic spending and value-seeking behaviors.

Action Items

  • Audit "maxxing" trend: Identify 3-5 industries beyond protein and trade where this maximalist approach is applied and assess potential economic instability.
  • Analyze robot promotion impact: Quantify the projected job displacement for 600,000 Amazon warehouse workers by 2033 and explore retraining initiatives.
  • Evaluate "kale collar worker" spending: Track the correlation between rising costs (rent, taxes) and decreased spending on premium fast casual for 3-5 demographic segments.
  • Measure thrift economy growth: Calculate the year-over-year percentage increase in revenue for 2-3 major second-hand retailers and white-label brands.
  • Track "flooding the zone" instances: Monitor the volume of AI-generated content across 3-5 platforms (e.g., music, podcasts, news) to assess quality degradation.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Yetis, let's be real, the three biggest forces in business this year: Trump, AI, & Affordability. For more on that? Look at every other newsletter, podcast, and social media post of every day of this entire year."

The hosts, Nick and Jack, establish that while conventional forces like Trump and AI dominated headlines, their podcast will focus on different "pop-biz" themes. This sets up their unique angle for the year-in-review episode, promising to highlight less obvious but impactful trends.

"Instead, Jack and I found the three biggest pop-biz themes of 2025: Maxxing, robots, & kale collar workers."

Nick and Jack introduce their three core themes for the year, differentiating them from the more commonly discussed business forces. This statement clearly outlines the structure of their discussion and signals the specific areas they will explore.

"For our first pop biz theme of 2025, it's a consumer trend: protein maxing. Businesses sprinkled protein on anything, but we noticed that maxing actually applies to everything this year."

The hosts identify "protein maxing" as a specific consumer trend but quickly broaden it to a larger theme of "everything maxing." This highlights how a niche trend can reflect a broader economic or societal behavior, as observed by Jack and Nick.

"For our second pop biz theme of 2025, robots got promoted. From Waymo highway cars to Amazon warehouse bots to the humanoid robots that are doing your laundry, robots got promoted."

Nick and Jack present the second major theme, "robots got promoted," illustrating its pervasiveness across various sectors. This quote encapsulates the idea that robotic technology moved from specialized applications to more widespread and visible roles in 2025.

"And our third and final story: the final theme of the year is kale collared workers. We all practiced duponomics and learned to thrive in the thrift economy."

The hosts introduce their third theme, "kale collar workers," and immediately connect it to the concept of "duponomics" and the "thrift economy." This quote defines a demographic and links their behavior to broader economic strategies adopted in response to affordability concerns, as observed by Jack and Nick.

"The result of everything maxing is the casino economy. Prediction markets are legal everywhere, Kalshi and Polymarket, the top two prediction startups, each passed 10 billion valuations this year."

Jack and Nick explain how the "everything maxing" trend culminated in what they term the "casino economy." They support this by citing the significant growth and valuation of prediction market startups, illustrating the blurring lines between investing, betting, and predicting.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "The Best Idea Yet" by Wondery - Mentioned as a related deepdive show for business storytelling.

Articles & Papers

  • "New York Times" - Mentioned for a scoop on Amazon's plan to replace human warehouse workers with robots.

People

  • Sam Altman - Mentioned in relation to AI's takeover of markets and product launches.
  • Trump - Mentioned as a major force in business and in relation to trade war policies.
  • Jim Brown - Mentioned for a statement on TikTok regarding protein liquefaction.
  • David Bar - Mentioned as the founder of a protein bar startup that hit a significant valuation.
  • Kardashian clan - Mentioned in relation to Chloe Cloud protein popcorn.
  • Will Smith - Mentioned in reference to the appearance of humanoid robots from the movie "I, Robot."
  • Jack Crivici-Kramer - Co-host of the podcast, mentioned for personal anecdotes and opinions.
  • Nick Martell - Co-host of the podcast, mentioned for personal anecdotes and opinions.
  • Eddie Daisy Gonzalez - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • L Sheffrin - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Roy D - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Jario - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Samantha Arteaga - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Nick Copperroot - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Atlas Samuel - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Vinnie Sabatino - Mentioned for completing races.
  • Yuli Ruiz - Mentioned for graduating and receiving a job offer.
  • Monty Dent - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.
  • Abishake - Mentioned for a birthday celebration.

Organizations & Institutions

  • The Best One Yet - Podcast name, the primary subject of the episode.
  • Tboy studio - Location where the podcast hosts are recording.
  • Waymo - Mentioned for its robotaxi services.
  • Tesla - Mentioned for its robotaxis and robot-operated diner.
  • Zoox - Mentioned for its robotaxi services.
  • Amazon - Mentioned for its warehouse robots and distribution network.
  • iRobot - Mentioned for its bankruptcy despite a booming robot industry.
  • Palantir - Mentioned for its stock performance and technology in defense robotics.
  • Figure AI - Mentioned as a humanoid robot company.
  • 1x Technologies - Mentioned as a humanoid robot company.
  • Vital Proteins - Mentioned as a sponsor for hair, skin, nail, bone, and joint health.
  • Better Help - Mentioned as a sponsor for online therapy services.
  • Chipotle - Mentioned as a fast-casual chain and an investment for the hosts.
  • Sweetgreen - Mentioned as a fast-casual chain.
  • Cava - Mentioned as a fast-casual chain and a past investment for a host.
  • Kalshi - Mentioned as a prediction market startup.
  • Polymarket - Mentioned as a prediction market startup.
  • Robin Hood - Mentioned for launching prediction markets and as an investment for the hosts.
  • Wondery - Mentioned as the platform for "The Best Idea Yet" podcast and for Wondery Plus.
  • Apple Podcasts - Mentioned as a platform to listen to podcasts ad-free.
  • Amazon Music - Mentioned as a platform to listen to podcasts ad-free.
  • UBS - Mentioned as the employer of a recent graduate.
  • Netflix - Mentioned as a streaming service and an investment for a host.
  • Lululemon - Mentioned in comparison to TJ Maxx's stock value.

Websites & Online Resources

  • tickets.austintheatre.org - Link for IPO Tour tickets in Austin, TX.
  • arlingtondrafthouse.com - Link for IPO Tour tickets in Arlington, VA.
  • ticketmaster.com - Link for IPO Tour tickets in New York, NY.
  • squadup.com - Link for IPO Tour tickets in Los Angeles, CA.
  • tboypod.com/shop/product/economic-support-yeti-doll - Link to purchase a TBOY Yeti Doll.
  • tboypod.com/newsletter - Link to the podcast's newsletter.
  • wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ - Link to listen to "The Best Idea Yet" podcast.
  • qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6 - Link to a listener survey.
  • tboypod.com/shoutouts - Link to submit a shoutout or fact.
  • www.instagram.com/tboypod - Link to the podcast's Instagram.
  • www.tiktok.com/@tboypod - Link to the podcast's TikTok.
  • www.youtube.com/@tboypod - Link to the podcast's YouTube channel.
  • www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/ - Link to Nick Martell's LinkedIn.
  • www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/ - Link to Jack Crivici-Kramer's LinkedIn.
  • tboypod.com/ - General link for the podcast.
  • art19.com/privacy - Link to privacy policy.
  • art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info - Link to California privacy notice.
  • vitalproteins.com - Website for Vital Proteins.
  • betterhelp.com/tboy - Link for Better Help therapy services.
  • airbnb.com/host - Link for Airbnb hosting information.
  • monarch.com - Website for Monarch financial tracking tool.
  • wondery.com/survey - Link to a listener survey.

Podcasts & Audio

  • The Best One Yet - The podcast being discussed.
  • The Best Idea Yet - A related deepdive show from the same creators.

Other Resources

  • Maxxing - A consumer trend discussed as applying to various aspects of the economy.
  • Casino Economy - The result of everything maxing, where investing, betting, and predicting are mixed.
  • Robots got Promoted - A theme of 2025, referring to the mainstream arrival of robotaxis and business robotics.
  • Kale Collar Workers - A term for anxious, budget-pinched millennials and Gen Z in knowledge economy jobs.
  • Thrift Economy - An economy where people embrace second-hand goods and lower-priced alternatives.
  • Duponomics - The practice of using lower-priced versions of high-end things.
  • Flooding the Zone - The term of the year, referring to the widespread release of products and content, often AI-generated.
  • Slop Bowls - A derogatory term for expensive fast-casual bowls.
  • Slopification - The process of AI and other technologies creating large volumes of content.
  • IPO Tour - An in-person offering of live shows by the podcast hosts.
  • TBOY Yeti Doll - A merchandise item offered by the podcast.
  • Protein Maxxing - A consumer trend focused on consuming high amounts of protein.
  • Office Maxxing - The trend of bankers and tech workers working excessively long hours.
  • Valuation Maxxing - The trend of companies achieving extremely high valuations.
  • Trade War Maxxing - The trend of implementing high tariffs in trade policies.
  • Financial Maxing - The trend of maximizing tariff revenue and tax returns.
  • Policy Maxing - The trend of maximalist strategies in policy and negotiations.
  • Robotaxis - Autonomous vehicles for public transportation.
  • Business Robotics - Robots used in various industries, such as warehouses and manufacturing.
  • Home Robots - Robots intended for domestic use, such as cleaning and laundry.
  • Laundry Test - A benchmark for the dexterity of home robots.
  • Prediction Markets - Markets where people bet on the outcome of future events.
  • Thrift Economy - An economy characterized by a focus on value and second-hand goods.
  • White Label Phenomenon - The trend of store-brand products becoming popular.
  • Duponomics - The practice of using lower-priced versions of high-end things.
  • Net Worth - A metric tracked by the Monarch financial tool.
  • Spending - A metric tracked by the Monarch financial tool.
  • Budgets - A metric tracked by the Monarch financial tool.
  • 401k - A type of retirement savings account.
  • Crypto Account - An account holding cryptocurrency.
  • Brokerage Account - An account for trading securities.
  • Fast Casual - A category of restaurants.
  • Knowledge Economy - An economy based on intellectual capital.
  • Affordability - A key concern in political campaigns and consumer choices.
  • Streaming Subscriptions - Services like Netflix, Hulu, etc.
  • Used Cars - Pre-owned vehicles.
  • Leftovers - Food remaining from a previous meal.
  • Second Hand Clothing - Used clothing.
  • White Label Products - Products manufactured by one company for sale under another company's brand.
  • AI Musicians - Musicians who use artificial intelligence in their music creation.
  • AI Country Music - Country music created using artificial intelligence.
  • AI Podcasts - Podcasts created using artificial intelligence.
  • Human-Made Content - Content created by humans, as opposed to AI.

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This content is a personally curated review and synopsis derived from the original podcast episode.