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Happy Taco Tuesday to all who celebrate (us, definitely). The Super Bowl seems to have crushed two records: the most-watched Big Game ever (roughly 126 million viewers) and the most people calling out of work with the “Super Bowl Flu” the next day (an estimated 22.6 million). And although we don’t have exact numbers, we wouldn’t be surprised if it also led to a record number of Philly cheesesteaks sold.

A new study has found that Gen Z is no longer a fan of “buy now, pay later” platforms, as the specter of endless debt racks up in their minds.

Why It Hits: BNPL platforms like Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay have been aggressively pushing into youth-focused retailers to ease the burden of making a big purchase. While Gen Zers embraced that a couple of years ago, it looks like the payments have caught up with them — a phenomenon that could ripple throughout the economy.

Behind the Purchases: Gen Z is getting tired of the recurring payments, according to a new study by USC’s Center for Public Relations and Day One Agency.

Checkout: Interestingly, the turn away from BNPL platforms hasn’t stopped Gen Z from slowing down on credit-card use, seemingly because the debt isn’t tied to any one purchase, and the generation has gotten pretty savvy at optimizing rewards tied to card usage (especially when it comes to travel). To take advantage of those points, watch for Gen Z to only use credit on  bigger purchases… and for actual, physical cash to potentially become popular with young people again. Call it “nostalgia currency.”

Fun fact: Disney’s Princess IP has generated over $46.4 billion in revenue.

Here’s another: Elf Labs secured 100+ historic trademarks for characters like Cinderella, Little Mermaid, and Snow White. Now, they’re using advanced patented tech to bring them to life in your living room.

🚀 Think headset-free VR and AI-powered talking toys.

Now, get this — they’re launching three new princess franchises in 2025 (two already funded) and are backed by a team that’s previously closed over $6 billion in licensing deals.

And they've opened an investment round to the public.

But here’s the catch — only limited shares remain. The company has seen record demand, and their round closes tomorrow.

_{*This is a paid advertisement for Elf Labs’ Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at elflabs.com.}

Renowned Japanese fashion designer Nigo has unveiled that he’s becoming the first creative director of the popular Japanese convenience store chain, FamilyMart.

The Big Picture: Nigo is famous for being an innovative (and very busy) artist. Taking on FamilyMart gives him a pretty blank canvas to turn a brand with little distinct personality into a conversation starter… potentially inspiring companies of all sizes to give their stores an artistic refresh.

Behind the Curtain: Nigo is stacking the FamilyMart gig on top of running streetwear label Human Made, being the creative director of fashion brand Kenzo, and collabing with brands all across the luxury landscape.

The Future: Announcing the partnership, Nigo said that convenience stores (called “konbini”) “best embody Japan’s unique lifestyle and culture” (collaborator Pharrell Williams once called FamilyMart the “best candy and snack oasis ever”). Nigo clearly takes great pride in bringing his creativity to all aspects of his home country — he once even designed a public restroom. As consumers fall back in love with the brick-and-mortar experience, elevating even the most average of retailers could be the spark that ushers in a new era of artistry in public spaces — a Renaissance for the modern age.

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87.1% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you trust AI to optimize government operations?

“We’re at the stage of AI’s infancy where it has to have its hand held, or it will 100% run into traffic.”

“We have people who supervise government workers and hold them accountable for mistakes. How will we supervise a vast AI network, and who will hold AI accountable?”

“AI is only as trustworthy as its user, and in this case, the user lacks the transparency and evidence of competency to build trust.”

“Not optimize. I’d trust it to enhance. That’s not the goal of the administration. What I mean by enhance is that the legal code and civil bureaucracy of the United States is hard to navigate using even the most dedicated, knowledgeable civil servants. AI programs could make those navigations and solution management easier and allow civil servants to take on more workload. Their goal, however, is to get rid of the civil servants, both because they might show opposition to the administration and because the administration isn’t interested in making it easier for those in need to find support — this endeavor is to cut them loose.”

“Government has proven itself pretty useless in terms of streamlining its own operations. Willing to give AI a shot as long as there are privacy guardrails.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🏆 Kendrick Lamar’s halftime setlist saw a 175% spike on Spotify after the game — with “Not Like Us” popping 430%.

💸 Celebrities were paid an average of $3-$5 million for their appearances in this year’s Super Bowl commercials.

🎙️ Amy Poehler is launching a podcast called “Good Hang” on The Ringer podcast network.

💻 There’s a major push by organizations to archive government websites and databases before the White House shuts them down.

🤖 Elon Musk made an unsolicited $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI… which Sam Altman immediately rejected.

🚗 Lyft is partnering with Intel’s Mobileye and Japan’s Marubeni to launch a robotaxi fleet by 2026.

👕 American fashion brands had a very big night during the Super Bowl halftime show.

⌚ Rolex is shutting down Swiss watchmaker Carl F. Bucherer two years after acquiring the brand.

📦 Shein is asking Chinese suppliers to shift operations to Vietnam to get around US tariffs.