👟 “Post-Sneaker” — Pharrell’s Adidas miss. The Paze $$$ Craze. Zuck’s AI MANIfesto. +Avo Sex Change
August 11, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe Post-Sneaker Era Has Arrived
Pharrell Williams and Adidas just launched a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish sneaker that won "Shoe of the Year" from Footwear News. They brought in Jeremiah Smith — the number one college football recruit from Ohio State — to model it. Adidas stock fell on the news anyway. The reason: sneakers are dead.
The Sneaker Reckoning
The casualification of America's wardrobe began in the mid-2010s, when twenty-somethings started wearing Adidas and Air Force Ones into boardrooms for the first time. By the post-pandemic return to office, only executives still wore penny loafers and Oxford wing tips. Everyone else had sneakers.
Here's the problem: once your boomer boss asks whether his Air Force Ones are "giving rizz or giving cringe," the trend is over. The twenty-somethings who made sneakers a rebel statement have already moved on to loafers. Bank of America downgraded the entire sneaker stock sector to sell earlier this year. The Times of London declared 2026 the "year of the loafer." Sneaker brands are trying to have it both ways — launching "sneaker loafers" (Allen Edmonds, Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy are all in) — but the signal is clear.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:29) **Adidas and Pharrell’s Jellyfish Sneaker Launch** - Adidas launches a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish sneaker with Pharrell Williams, but the stock falls as the hosts declare the "post-sneaker" era has arrived.
- 2 (10:09) **Mark Zuckerberg’s AI Manifesto** - Zuck publishes a 6,500-word manifesto arguing AI is a net positive, positioning himself as the "president of AI" with a campaign-style push.
- 3 (16:48) **The Paze Craze: Free Money Glitch from Big Banks** - Banks are offering $10 free for every $10 spent through their new payment service Paze, creating an "infinite money glitch" for consumers until September 10th.
- 4 (22:31) **Quick Hits: Amazon, Berkshire, Burger King** - Three short updates on NYC targeting Amazon’s contractor model, Berkshire Hathaway buying stocks again, and Burger King’s market share gains.
- 5 (24:05) **Best Fact Yet: Aspen Real Estate and Snow** - Home sales in Aspen are directly tied to snowfall, with a 42% drop in sales during a historically low snow season.
- 6 Standout Quotes
- 7 "If it's been given a name... that means the trend is already over. For example, the word metaverse. One Zuck named his company Meta. It was dead."
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Adidas “Jellyfish” sneakers are designed by Pharrell… But we-re Post-Sneaker (your boss is the proof).
Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500 word AI manifesto… he’s running for President of AI.
Buy a $10 Dunkin gift card, get $10 free... It’s the Paze Craze infinity money glitch.
Plus, the price of guac may be coming down… because avocado trees are changing sexes.
$ADDYY $JPM $METAÂ
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