Markets reward narrative shifts faster than customers ever could. Allbirds (the minimalist wool sneaker company) just announced it’s pivoting out of shoes and into AI infrastructure, with plans to rebrand as “NewBird AI.” No joke. Neither is what I’m going to tell you next. Shares surged over 800%, despite no demonstrated capability in AI. Just weeks ago, the company sold its footwear assets for $39 million after losing 99% of its value since its IPO. Nothing about the product improved....
3 days ago • 1 min read
External forces don’t help categories equally. Yesterday I wrote about rising fuel prices accelerating EV adoption. The exact same trigger is yielding a totally different outcome somewhere else. Luxury sales in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have dropped sharply because of the Iran conflict. According to recent reporting, malls are seeing declines of 30 to 50 percent, with foot traffic way down in key retail hubs. This attack was trumpeted to be a growth engine. And the Gulf had become one of the most...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Adoption curves can change faster from geopolitics than from product innovation. Tension around the Strait of Hormuz has pushed oil prices up at historic rates. That narrow passage carries a significant share of the world’s oil supply. When flows are threatened or restricted, prices react quickly. And when fuel prices jump, human behavior follows. In China, EV adoption was already strong. Now it’s accelerating further. In Europe, the same pattern is plainly visible. Higher fuel costs make the...
5 days ago • 1 min read
What feels obvious to you may be completely invisible to your customer. A while back, I wrote about Lay’s discovering something surprising. A large portion of people didn’t know Lay’s chips were made from real, fresh potatoes, where competitor Pringles used nothing but potato flakes. So Lay’s put a potato image on the bag and spelled it out. It worked. And now Tostitos is doing the same thing, ’cept with corn. The old bags led with claims like “no artificial flavors, colors, or...
6 days ago • 1 min read
The first place your product is seen may no longer be a store, a search result, or an ad. I wrote recently about how Shopify products can now be discovered and purchased directly inside ChatGPT and other AI tools. If that felt like a feature update, it’s not. It’s a major shift. New 2026 data shows about 12% of shoppers are already using AI to assist purchases, and that number is rising quickly. The important part is what role AI is playing. It is turning into the FIRST layer. Before a...
7 days ago • 1 min read
It’s not a coincidence. Sadly, it’s the model. I wrote recently about ensh*ttification. Products start off great, pull you in, then gradually take value away while switching costs rise. YouTube is a clear example we can’t escape. (You can’t even watch a video about ensh*ttification without using a thoroughly ensh*ttified app.) Premium prices are going up again, with individual plans hitting US $16/month and 27 bucks for families. The justification is familiar: support creators, maintain...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Some distribution channels are designed to sell. Others, to SPREAD. I’m working with a client on a fun vending machine product. I won’t share details quite yet, but it has helped me think differently about what distribution is actually for. Then I came across what Liliosa is doing. A lingerie brand built on TikTok traction started selling through vending machines and pop-ups tied to cultural moments like International Women’s Day. On the surface, it mostly looks like omnichannel. Online meets...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Scaling revenue without fixing friction is how small flaws become massive liabilities. In Chapter 20 of I Need That, I make a point founders don’t like to hear. When you scale something, you scale everything attached to it. Increase ad spend and you amplify any messaging gaps.Increase distribution and you multiply fulfillment strain.Increase sales volume and you magnify every defect, delay, and unclear instruction. If one in twenty units arrives broken or has a flaw, that feels acceptable at...
10 days ago • 1 min read
When a core ingredient in an iconic product gets swapped out, it’s rarely a marketing experiment. Ya don’t put chicken in a Big Mac by accident. Lately, I’ve been seeing billboards for the Chicken Big Mac. On the surface, it looks like a creative limited-time promotion. Something new. Something fun, right? But check out the big picture and it starts to look like something else. Beef prices have hit record highs in recent weeks, driven by shrinking cattle herds, drought conditions, and rising...
11 days ago • 1 min read
