Quick Commerce's God Complex

‍A Retail Resurrection? Former Modell's titan Mitch Modell announces rescue mission for Party City and Big Lots, aiming to preserve 33,000 jobs. According to a report in the NY Post, Modell aims to raise $1B to save the embattled brands and will charge sons Matthew and Maxwell Modell (23 and 22, respectively) as co-presidents of the new company.

Costco’s Stand. While Walmart is pulling back its DEI program, Costco this week doubled down on diversity initiatives, defending its DEI programs as essential to business success despite mounting right-wing pressure. This shouldn’t be surprising. In an era where corporate virtue signaling has become a spectator sport, Costco has always taken a partner-first approach that prioritizes the needs of its employees. 

Net Neutrality's Final Chapter. The Appeals Court strikes down long-contested broadband regulations, ending a two-decade battle over internet service provider controls.

‍Dating by the Numbers. A viral Reddit post reveals exhaustive Tinder metrics, offering a stark glimpse into modern dating's algorithmic realities. A continuation of the Spotify Wrapped trend, with a late capitalist twist.

Quick Commerce's Critical Evolution. Indian delivery platform Blinkit now turns its disruptive eye toward emergency services with a 10-minute ambulance response in Gurugram. As delivery platforms increasingly position themselves as infrastructure rather than services, we're witnessing quick commerce's logical (if unsettling) evolution. This raises profound questions about the privatization of essential services and the true cost of convenience in our algorithmically-optimized world.

‍The Bowl That Ate The World. Pop-Tarts Bowl reported a 21 million unit sales spike following the 2024 edible mascot sensation. This year’s bowl went thrice as hard, peaking at 8.7M viewers, besting a 2008 viewership record. Live event viewing has been on the rise post-Covid. Pop-Tarts has captured a meta-content cultural, viral marketing moment, though. It's a perfect metaphor for how modern brands must feed physical and digital hunger. The edible mascot transcends traditional sports marketing, creating a memetic moment that bridges social media virality with tangible consumption. When your trophy becomes a toaster, you've mastered the art of experiential commerce.

Security Takes Flight. In its final days under the leadership of outgoing Secretary Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Commerce Department contemplates a Chinese drone ban, including consumer brand leader DJI, escalating tech tensions with a March deadline for industry feedback.

Our Take: This potential ban represents more than just another skirmish in the ongoing tech cold war with China. It’s a flex of the Commerce Department’s growing power struggle (Member Brief), and its distinction of powers away from Treasury’s lapdog. It's a fascinating case study of how national security concerns are reshaping global supply chains and forcing a reevaluation of consumer tech dependencies. DJI's near-monopoly in the consumer drone space makes this particularly thorny–any ban would require a new domestic drone industry almost overnight.

The timing of this proposal, coming as new defense aerospace and contractors like Anduril ramp up their programs, suggests a broader strategic repositioning of the U.S. drone market.

Spatial Computing: From Hollywood to the Courtroom. As spatial computing navigates its ambivalent adolescence, we witness a compelling dissonance in its adoption trajectory. While industry observers urge restraint for mass-market expectations, specialized domains are already weaving these technologies into critical workflows. Wicked director Jon Chu's pioneering integration of Vision Pro in post-production stands alongside a Broward County judge's groundbreaking use of VR for crime scene reconstruction.