2 business ideas, moats and the best stuff we found on X

Wedding Guest for Hire [00:00:18]

• A new website allows people to pay to attend strangers' weddings, with a reported 20,000 users.
• The hosts express disbelief and a lack of interest in the concept, with one comparing it to a "Scrooge mentality."
• There is debate on whether this service could become as disruptive as platforms like Airbnb.

  "No, not a chance. Absolutely not. Not only do I not want to do that, I'm a big fan of not giving gifts for children's birthday parties or going to a wedding that's outside of a 50 mile radius."

Clavicular's Men's Skincare Venture [00:01:38]

• Influencer Clavicular is launching a men's skincare and makeup line.
• The hosts question whether they would email him to be part of the venture.
• The discussion touches on the success of social media players like Brian Johnson and his business Blueprint.

  "So I think for his, he released a waitlist, right? Ben? He has a waitlist for like his a million dollar a year product where you can have his protocol."

The Challenge of Building a Brand [00:02:50]

• The difficulty of balancing a highly public, "hedonistic lifestyle" with running a business is discussed.
• The importance of having a strong business partner, like Emma Greed with the Kardashians or the "Congo guys" behind Prime and Alani Nu, is highlighted.
• The story of the "Congo guys" who built successful brands with minimal public presence is shared.

  "There's like two guys in Ohio that you've never heard of. There's no photos of them on the internet. Literally the opposite of a famous influencer."

Elon Musk's Roadster Demo [00:04:11]

• Elon Musk announced the new Tesla Roadster, featuring SpaceX rocket boosters.
• The car's ability to generate extreme downward force, allowing it to drive upside down on a ramp, is demonstrated.
• The hosts question the practical need for such a feature, concluding it's "because it's awesome."

  "Basically, the car can kind of fly. And apparently this car is coming next year and you can buy it with like a normal, just a normal car, or you can upgrade to the rocket package and you have the SpaceX rockets in it."

Vision vs. Practicality [00:05:50]

• The hosts discuss the "Rorschach test" aspect of the Roadster demo, where not understanding it is seen by some as a lack of vision.
• Nikita's tweet suggesting the demo is meant to highlight the competition's lack of desire to dream is mentioned.
• Sam expresses disagreement with the "vision" argument, stating he doesn't understand the point of the car.

  "Sometimes a demo is simply meant to remind the world that your competition has no desire to dream and no ability to evolve."

Elon Musk's SpaceX Share Giveaway [00:06:56]

• Elon Musk announced a plan to give one SpaceX share to every child in America.
• This move is seen by some as a potential start to a "redemption arc" for Musk, whose favorability has declined.
• Anthropic is also mentioned as making a similar, though different, public-focused initiative.

  "This is basically saying, Sam, your children get a share of SpaceX each. That's pretty wild."

The Power of Ownership [00:07:50]

• The psychological impact of giving people ownership, like children with Pokemon cards or a family member with SpaceX stock, is discussed.
• An anecdote about a family member accidentally buying half a million dollars worth of SpaceX stock is shared.
• This accidental investment led to deep engagement with the company's progress.

  "And guess who, guess who's then became the biggest analyst of SpaceX who was following the, the Starship launch and like the, you know, the prediction markets and reading every bit of news and studying the, studying the feasibility of this thing, like became incredibly invested in this because, you know, she was now aligned with the success of SpaceX."

Andrew Huberman's Gym and Fridge [00:09:20]

• The hosts discuss Andrew Huberman's men's health YouTube series, "Gym and Fridge."
• Huberman's daily cucumber intake and his affiliate code for protein powder are noted.
• The hosts humorously critique his habit of always advising viewers to consult their doctor.

  "The fact that he eats two cucumbers a day? I mean, mainly, I just like the branding of gym and fridge. I just thought that was a A-plus brand for men's health."

The "Inner Thigh Grab" [00:10:49]

• A clip from a podcast featuring Blake Griffin and a host's unusual "inner thigh grab" gesture is discussed.
• The hosts humorously consider if they could incorporate similar awkward physical interactions into their own content.

  "And he like grabs, like the host grabs his thigh and he goes, that's really, really inner thigh grab. And I was thinking like, can you and I have something like that?"

Peter Thiel's "Moats" [00:11:50]

• Peter Levels pivoted from SaaS to AI apps, now focusing on "moats" like proprietary data, network effects, audience, and capital.
• The hosts debate whether SaaS is still a viable business model in the age of AI.
• The rapid growth and adoption of AI tools, with only a small percentage of Americans using paid GPT accounts, is highlighted.

  "I think that we're just touching the surface on what people do with AI. I think I saw somewhere that I think only 2% of Americans have a paid GPT or CLOT account."

Defining "Moats" [00:12:55]

• Network effects and brand are identified as key moats.
• Examples like Craigslist and eBay are used to illustrate network effects.
• The idea that a strong brand can compel customers to buy anything is also considered.

  "If you look at some of the greatest companies of all time, their products might totally suck. Craigslist, eBay, a bunch of different marketplaces fall into this, but you use them because that's where everyone else is."

AI's Impact on Business [00:13:30]

• Businesses that leverage AI to reduce costs while demand remains stable or increases are seen as well-positioned.
• In-person experiences and human connection are identified as defensible areas against AI.
• The value of art, sport, and live events as human-centric experiences is discussed.

  "So it's basically like, hey, people are going to want the, the demand either goes up or stays the same, but your cost to provide it goes down and you were already very successful before that."

Peter Levels' Aspirational Lifestyle [00:14:36]

• Peter Levels' success in building a multi-million dollar income stream from Bali is presented as an aspirational lifestyle.
• This lifestyle involves working on a laptop, creating cool projects, and enjoying free time with friends and fitness.
• It's contrasted with the high-stress, high-powered life of billion-dollar founders.

  "Peter's love, Peter Levels life is a life that people actually want. People want to live in cool places, not have a huge team, just work on their laptop, make a bunch of money."

Brian Johnson's Dunking Goal [00:15:49]

• Brian Johnson, at 49 years old, aims to dunk a basketball as a performance benchmark for his health and fitness journey.
• His goal requires a significant vertical leap, exceeding that of an average NBA player.
• The hosts debate whether he can achieve this, with one betting against him and another betting for him.

  "He says my standing reach is 91 inches. Oh, no, no. He says that's a 39-inch vertical, which exceeds that of an average NBA player, which is 35 and a half."

The Psychology of Risk-Taking [00:17:12]

• Alexander Wang discusses how internalizing that failure doesn't matter enables operating without fear.
• James Currier emphasizes founder psychology and overcoming fear as the highest leverage point in business.
• The concept of the "effort moment," when founders face extreme pressure, often leads to decisive and better decision-making.

  "The highest point of leverage in every business is the founder psychology. And the highest point of leverage within the founder psychology is what are they afraid of? And what are they avoiding?"

Jalen Brown's Harp Purchase [00:19:08]

• NBA star Jalen Brown reportedly bought a gold harp and hired a harpist to play twice a week.
• This purchase is presented as an example of "craziest rich guy purchase."
• The host who bought a book to learn sketching is inspired by the idea of using one's artistic side more.

  "My favorite purchase, I think my best, my most favorite purchase part for me was I bought a harp. I bought like a gold harp. I got it upstairs, too."

Kevin from Epic Gardening [00:20:04]

• Kevin, founder of Epic Gardening, built a successful business selling gardening supplies after starting a YouTube and TikTok channel.
• He raised money from a reputable firm for media creators.
• The host regrets not investing in Kevin's company when he had the chance.

  "He started a website, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube on gardening. And then eventually he raised money from the churning group which is a very reputable firm for media creators building businesses."

Creative "Gym Sessions" [00:21:10]

• Tim Ferriss dedicates time to "creative gym sessions" (drawing, music, brainstorming) to stimulate his mind, similar to physical workouts.
• These sessions serve to "charge his battery" and help him get into a flow state.
• This contrasts with the host's current workout routine, which involves heavy phone usage for tracking.

  "He's like, I basically have like 45 minutes that I'll do a creative gym session. So he's like, I just do something creative."

Jensen Huang's Algorithm [00:22:34]

• Lex Fridman spent a day with Jensen Huang, whose YouTube algorithm consists of AI, fried rice, geopolitics, dogs, and panda bears.
• The hosts share their own YouTube algorithms, including Succession clips, live music, conspiracy theories, and Luka Doncic highlights.
• The concept of "fried rice" in one's algorithm is the unexpected but enjoyable content they consume.

  "AI. I have fried rice. Is that his wife? I have no idea, but his whole algorithm is fried rice, geopolitics, dogs, and panda bears."

Shameful YouTube Habits [00:23:30]

• The hosts admit to watching children's shows on YouTube, like Gabby's Dollhouse and Frozen, with their kids.
• One host confesses that their youngest child has never eaten a meal without YouTube on.
• They express a willingness to accept judgment for these habits.

  "Actually, YouTube kind of knows. It knows not to show me it in the recommendation for some reason, even though we have hours and hours of that."

Sam Levy's Pest Control Business [00:24:18]

• Ben's brother, Sam Levy, inspired by the podcast, started a pest control business called Howdy Pest.
• He wrapped a truck, built a website, hired a technician, and booked $1,000 in revenue in his first week.
• The branding is described as "sexy D2C packaging" applied to an "unsexy service business."

  "Bought a truck, made this website, hired a technician and they booked $1,000 of revenue in their first week."