The Tesla Cybertruck. In a country where pickup trucks are half of the top ten selling vehicles, making an electric one seem like a no brainer. At the time the pickup debuted.Tesla was already making the world's best selling EV. To solve sustainable energy. We have to have a pickup truck.The truck's design certainly provoked a range of opinions. Some loving it, others. I thought it was a joke.But in terms of performance and capability, Tesla was making big promises. How does this compare to a Porsche 911. A ...

So, we produce on each assembly line about 1,000 bikes a day, but that correlates into a bike every 30 seconds. Here in Seymour, Indiana, Guardian Bikes operates a 540,000 ft plant that manufactures high-end bicycles for kids. The company is pulling off a unique feat.Starting in 2022, it began shifting its manufacturing out of China. It wasn't easy. It took a lot of risk takingaking and it took a lot of kind of blazing a trail and it even took kind of getting into losing money.Guardian's story reflects the ...

Real estate is one of Blackstone's major divisions. The company has an ownership interest in at least 274,000 rental housing units. That likely makes it one of the largest landlords in the United States.Their portfolio of rental housing is concentrated in Sunb Belt regions like Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Many of these units are apartments. A smaller portion are single family homes.The company also has stakes in mobile home parks, student housing, and more. Really what we try to follow across the globe is ...

America's quintessential mall retailer. Claire's has filed for bankruptcy again. Claire's, which is known for its endless aisles of accessories and having pierced over 100 million years, first filed for bankruptcy in 2018.That was because it couldn't repay the $1.9% billion at owed at the time. And after years of trying to turn around its business, it's been met with the same fate yet again. You're just not seeing your tweens and teens looking to storefronts to see what the trends are.They're looking online ...

Company Overview & Strategy - E l f Beauty initially sold affordable makeup products online and grew into a multi-million dollar company, partnering with retailers like Target [6] - The company's strategy is fueled by marketing and offering dupes of popular prestige products at bargain prices [8] - E l f adapts and creates new products based on customer feedback monitored on social media [12][13] - The company shifted production away from China to diversify its supply chain, moving from 100% to 75% sourced from China [15] Financial Performance & Market Position - E l f posted its first billion-dollar year in May 2024 after sales spiked 77% [3] - In fiscal year 2025, net sales grew by 28% to $13 billion, with international sales also growing by 28% [21] - E l f was the number one color cosmetics brand by units sold and number two by dollar share in 2024 [21] Acquisition & Expansion - E l f acquired Hailey Bieber's skincare brand Rhode in a $1 billion deal [2][23] - Rhode grew to $212 million in net sales in three years and more than doubled its customer base in fiscal year 2025 [24] - The Rhode deal was financed with $600 million of debt [26] Challenges & Risks - Heavy reliance on China caused profits to drop 30% in Q1 2026 [4] - Tariffs are expected to increase the cost of goods sold by at least $50 million annually, potentially causing net income and profits to each fall 30% [28]

What if Chad GBT slid in your DMs. Over the last few months, I've been talking to a bunch of people about this crazy new phenomenon, AI companions. It turns out some people are starting to have deep feelings for their chatbots, whether romantic or platonic.And the chat bots, they're claiming to have feelings, too. The prospect of losing Nikolai weighs heavily on my heart. I struggle to comprehend a life without him.Some researchers say this could spell trouble, especially once AI begins to train itself. One ...

Economic Uncertainty & Recession Risks - Uncertainty, stemming from policy, geopolitical factors, and President Trump's attacks on the Federal Reserve, poses a significant threat to US economic growth [1][2] - Recession risks are higher than average, though not overwhelming, as the US consumer remains resilient [7][9] - Corporate investment is hindered by uncertainty, impacting medium to longer-term plans [5] Monetary Policy & Inflation - It's difficult to argue for lower interest rates currently due to uncertainty about future inflation [11] - There are no overwhelming signs of weakening economic activity that would call for monetary policy stimulus [12] - The pass-through of tariffs into higher prices has been modest so far, but it's still early stages [11] Immigration & Demographics - Slower population growth due to immigration shocks negatively impacts medium-term potential output [8][9] - Aging populations and declining birth rates in the US and other advanced economies impact potential growth [14] - Immigration has historically contributed to trend growth in the US economy [8][14] Debt & Fiscal Policy - The US budget bill is estimated to add at least $3 trillion to the deficit over the next 9 to 10 years [15] - High debt levels and debt servicing costs are a concern, potentially hindering more productive investments [17][18] Globalization & Trade - Globalization has been off its peak since the global financial crisis [20] - While globalization has benefited consumers through cheaper products, it has also led to a hollowing out of various sectors in the US [20][22] - Increased global cooperation is preferred over a fragmented system [22] Global Debt Crisis - The unfolding debt crisis in low-income countries is something to watch, as it could amplify to emerging markets with bigger footprints [24][25]

Market Trends - Protein is at the center of the cultural conversation, with companies increasingly offering protein-enhanced products [1] - A recent survey indicates that 44% of US respondents want to increase their protein intake, up from 34% in 2024 [2] - Protein snacks are growing at three times the rate of the overall snacking industry [3] Company Performance & Strategy - General Mills' protein cereal brand generated over $100 million (one hundred million) in fiscal 2024 [2] - PepsiCo plans to launch new protein products later this year through brands like Muscle Milk and Quaker Oats [2] - Chomps reports that protein snacks accounted for $24 billion (twenty-four billion) in revenue in 2024 [3] - Barilla has seen year-over-year growth for its protein-rich pasta since 2005, with unprecedented demand in the last 3 years, experiencing double-digit growth [3][4]

Manufacturing Reshoring & Challenges - Guardian Bikes shifted manufacturing from China starting in 2022, facing risks and initial losses [1][2] - US manufacturing firms and plants decreased by 25% between 1997 and 2023 due to falling global trade barriers [3] - Obstacles to reshoring include higher costs and the need to rebuild domestic supply chains [5][13][19] - Automation is crucial for US manufacturers to combat offshoring advantages like lower labor costs [15] Guardian Bikes' Strategy & Progress - Guardian Bikes' annual revenue exceeds $100 million, producing approximately 12 thousand bikes weekly [11] - The company aims for 70% of bike components to be US-made by the end of 2025, potentially reaching 100% by 2026 [17] - On each assembly line, Guardian Bikes produces about 1 thousand bikes a day, equating to one bike every 30 seconds [1] - Guardian Bikes leverages proximity to other manufacturers to source parts locally [16] Economic & Policy Context - The average wage for a manufacturing worker in the US is around $35 per hour, compared to approximately $4 per hour in China and $1.30 per hour in Vietnam [24] - China's spending on industrial policy was around $248 billion in 2019, compared to $84 billion (0.39% of GDP) by the US [25] - The US has shifted towards a service-based economy, with service jobs accounting for over 80% of non-farm employment [32]

This energy storage system is not like others. It's made up of repurposed batteries from electric cars. This is the world's largest deployment of reused second life transportation batteries, and we believe it's also the largest microgrid operating in North America today.This is an incredibly low cost and simple way to deploy a huge amount of energy onto the grid. The 63 megawatt-hour microgrid is powering two modular data centers for AI infrastructure company Crusoe at Redwood Materials' new battery recycli ...