The Sneaker Game

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Happy Monday, Future Party. It’s the end of an era in the investing world — after six decades at the helm, legendary investor Warren Buffet announced that he plans on stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of the year. He’ll hand the reins over to Greg Abel, the vice chairman for non-insurance operations, as long as the board approves. Apparently, the succession news caught the entirety of the company’s leadership by surprise… even though, with Buffet being 94-years-old, it was only a matter of time.

Streetwear and sneaker brands are taking product drops to the next level by gamifying the experience — making customers work a little harder (and have a lot more fun) to score the latest release.

Why It Hits: The classic product drop — showing up early to a store, waiting in line, paying, and leaving — is getting a little tired. So, brands are leaning into Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s love of gaming culture, puzzles, and experiences to make purchasing a limited release more memorable, while also helping build community around the customers who pass the gauntlet.

Behind the Drops: Everyone wants their version of finding Wonka’s “golden ticket.”

Final Sale: These “side quests” to access a prized sneaker add another layer that’s been missing from product drops for a while — authentic exclusivity. Bots have inundated online drops, so having humans willing to go the extra mile (sometimes literally) to score a product shows a bit more loyalty to a brand than the average customer may have.

Also, the dopamine high of completing a challenge only begets more loyalty and ties them to others who’ve completed the same challenge, according to Alex Ropes, CEO of UK streetwear community The Basement. It’s a win-win for brands and fans.

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Even though the White House is partly trying to bring more manufacturing jobs back to the US with its tariff and trade policies, those jobs — especially ones that are repetitive or dangerous — may actually be mostly taken over by new AI-powered, autonomous robots.

The Big Picture: Nearly every American corporation says manufacturing in the US is far more costly than doing so overseas, so migrating back necessitates cost cuts to keep the same margins. Robots — who don’t require salaries, benefits, or insurance — are an obvious solution. So, the mechanized revolution is coming… but it’ll be up to lawmakers and unions to ensure that humans aren’t totally replaced.

Between the Shifts: Morgan Stanley predicts that a billion humanoid robots will walk among us by 2050… with the majority in warehouses and factories.

The Future: Jim Schmidt, a VP at management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, told Axios that using robots could lower labor costs to roughly $100 per vehicle. That’s significant. Amazingly, the United Auto Workers aren’t totally against their incoming robot coworkers — the union just wants to make sure that human paychecks are protected and that people are given the proper training to become supervisors of the worker-bee bots.

Just like with AI, the future role of humans in the workplace may be in overseeing teams of robots.

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64.2% of you voted No in Friday’s poll: Have you ever participated in a run club or group run event?

“You can run without making your whole life and personality about it ; ).”

“No, but if Daft Punk were to host one in my city, I will be there.”

“More of a group yoga guy.”

“From 2005 until 2015, many, many group runs, 5Ks, half marathons, and triathlons. Always a great time! There’s something very powerful and empowering about running with a group ❤️.”

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.

🎮 Uh-oh: GTA VI  — which was slated to be the biggest gaming release of the year — is getting pushed back to 2026.

📱 Apple has approved a version of Spotify’s app that links out to a third-party payment platform — a major paradigm shift.

🗣️ President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ends federal funding for NPR and PBS. Although, it may be against the law.

👔  Louis Vuitton plans to open a massive 45,000 square-foot flagship store in LA, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.

📦 Temu is blocking US shoppers from seeing products available to purchase from China.

👕 Kid Cudi released the first capsule collection from his new fashion label, WZRD.

🤳 Actors union SAG-AFTRA has established an influencer committee to court digital creators.

💰 TikTok was slapped with a $600 million fine by the EU for transferring data to China.

✋ Pinterest has suspended users en masse for content violations… but those violations may not actually exist.