In 2016, Josh Luber quit teaching math to build a "stock market for sneakers."

Wall Street laughed. Nike ignored him.

Today his company is worth $4 BILLION and processes more money daily than many banks.

Here's how one teacher's obsession changed commerce forever: 🧵
In 2016, a high school math teacher named Josh Luber made a decision that would transform the sneaker world forever:

He partnered with billionaire Dan Gilbert to launch StockX.

The official reason was to create a "stock market of things."

But beneath the surface, a bigger vision was brewing...

In 2017, China created the most powerful psychological weapon in history.

It hooked 67% of Western teens while protecting their own youth from it.

The algorithm is so addictive, users open it 19 times per day.

Here's how TikTok is digitally colonizing the world: 🧵 In 2018 TikTok explodes onto the global stage.

Within months, it becomes the most downloaded app in the world.

The official story? A fun platform for short videos.

But beneath the surface, something far more calculated was happening:

Activision and EA spend $100M+ to develop games.

Meanwhile, high schoolers are building Roblox empires worth millions from their bedrooms.

The secret economy that's turning teens into millionaires while parents think they're "just playing games" 🧵
In 2004, Roblox launched as a simple platform where users could build basic games.

Everyone that Roblox was just another gaming platform for kids.

But beneath the colorful blocks and cartoonish avatars, a sophisticated economy was developing:

A marketplace where teens could create virtual worlds and profit from them.

How much should a wedding cost?

In America: 2 months' salary
In Europe: 6 months' salary
In India: 20 years of savings

Here's the untold story of how India's $50B wedding industry is destroying an entire generation 🧵
Every year, millions of Indian families spend 20% of their lifetime earnings on a single day.

The average middle-class family takes loans of ₹4 lakhs ($4,800) for weddings.

Many sell their assets or mortgage homes.

But this wasn't always the case.

On a single IPL match day, more money changes hands illegally than many small nations' daily GDP.

The masterminds?

A network of bookies who've built a $150 billion shadow economy.

Here's how they corrupted India's national obsession: 🧵
India loves cricket. It's not just a sport—it's a religion.

But beneath the passionate fandom lies a parallel economy that operates in the shadows:

A massive betting network that moves more money in a single IPL season than many corporations make in a year.

In 1997, a tiny Swedish startup bet everything on fingerprint scanners when passwords ruled the world.

Big Tech laughed them out of every meeting.

But instead of giving up... they kept pushing.

Here's how they created a $30 billion industry that's killed the password forever: 🧵
In 1997 a small team in Gothenburg, Sweden led by Lennart Carlson founded Fingerprint Cards AB with a radical vision:

Replacing passwords with fingerprints.

What followed would reshape digital security forever...

In 1987, an MIT professor created a secret algorithm that airlines still use to charge you more money.

It's made them billions while you pay higher fares.

But instead of fighting back... travelers kept buying tickets.

Here's the untold story of how math professors secretly control what you pay for flights: 🧵
In 1987, an MIT math professor named Peter Belobaba created an algorithm for airline pricing.

What followed would reshape how we pay for travel forever...

The official reason for creating the algorithm: Airlines were losing billions on empty seats.

In 2015, foreign VCs poured billions into India creating 100+ unicorns worth $340B.

7 years later, most lost 80% of their value overnight.

Here's how Silicon Valley created the biggest startup bubble since the dot-com crash—and left Indian founders holding the bag 🧵 Around 2014-2015, global investors spotted an opportunity in India:

- 1.3 billion population
- Smartphone revolution taking off
- Internet users growing exponentially
- Digital-friendly government policies

What followed fundamentally transformed India's startup landscape - but not in the way many expected.

This bottle costs $20,000 and has a 7-year waitlist.

It started with a French perfumer's catastrophic mistake in 1820.

Now royal families fight to own it.

Here's how one accident created the most valuable liquid on earth 🧵
In August 1820 a young apprentice named Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain accidentally mixed two incompatible solutions in King Louis XVIII's royal laboratory.

At first it seemed as a horror of the mistake.

Behind the scenes, something extraordinary happened:

The world's most remarkable fragrance was born.

Google INVENTED social media before Facebook.

They CREATED real-time collaboration before Slack.

They PIONEERED AR before Apple.

Then Larry Page killed them all.

Here's the mind-blowing story of how Google handed its competitors $400 billion on a silver platter: 🧵
In June 2011, Larry Page sparked one of the most costly corporate strategies in tech history:

He shut down dozens of promising Google products.

What followed would cost Google hundreds of billions in missed opportunities...

This coaching empire makes $2 billion annually by promising to turn teenagers into doctors & engineers.

The catch?
Only 2.3% succeed.

The rest? Many don't survive.

Here's how India's most ruthless education factory destroys young minds: 🧵
When Allen Career Institute opened its first center in Kota in 1988, it was just another coaching class.

Today, it's part of a $2 billion industry that churns out more IIT and medical students than any other city in India.

But success has come at a devastating cost.

In 2023 alone, 23 students died by suicide in Kota.

That's one death every two weeks.

Yet the factories keep running.

These billionaires aren't just trying to live longer - they're trying to live forever.

Their secret labs have unlimited funding and zero oversight.

What they've already achieved in mice is mind-blowing.

Here's what's really happening behind closed doors: 🧵 In 2021 Jeff Bezos quietly co-founded Altos Labs with a staggering $3 billion in funding.

The official reason was to advance cellular rejuvenation programming.

But beneath the surface, a bigger story was unfolding:

The race between tech billionaires to solve humanity's oldest problem - death itself.

In 2002 a trader accidentally sold 40x more shares than existed in the entire company.

When they tried to fix it, the computers said "no."

In 15 minutes, $225M vanished and Nikki 225 index fell by about 2%

Here's the story of Wall Street's most expensive typo: 🧵
In 2005, Tokyo's financial district was the epicenter of Asian trading.

Mizuho Securities was a powerhouse.

But on December 8th, everything changed because of one new hire's mistake....

The average American spends $1,300/year on prescription drugs.

The same medicines cost 80% less in Canada.

But when lawmakers tried to lower prices, Big Pharma revealed their ultimate weapon:

The Patent Thicket.

Here's how Big Pharma artificially keeps prices sky-high 🧵 In 2025, the pharmaceutical industry is a maze of patents and legal loopholes.

The average American spends $1,300+ per year on prescription drugs - more than any other country.

But three key strategies keep these prices sky-high:

In 2006, a Coca-Cola employee tried to sell the world's most valuable secret recipe to Pepsi for $1.5M.

Instead of buying it, Pepsi did something unthinkable...

They called the FBI and saved their biggest rival.

Here's the incredible story of corporate espionage gone wrong 🧵
In 2006, Coca-Cola was the world's most valuable brand.

Their secret formula was kept in a vault in Atlanta.

Only two executives knew it at any time.

But one administrative assistant was about to shake the entire industry...

McDonald's ice cream machines are broken 15% of the time.

But it's not an accident...

It's a carefully orchestrated $1 BILLION scheme that squeezed franchise owners dry for decades.

Until one startup decided to fight back.

Here's how they exposed everything: 🧵
For decades, McDonald's ice cream machines have been notoriously broken.

So broken that people created apps just to track which ones actually work.

At any given time, 15% of all McDonald's ice cream machines are down.

But why?

In 1960s, Las Vegas casinos were "unbeatable."

Then an MIT professor proved the house advantage could be overcome using pure math

His findings forced the entire gambling industry to change forever.

Here's how one mathematician revolutionized both casinos and Wall Street: 🧵
In 1961, Las Vegas was considered invincible.

Blackjack tables were gold mines for casinos, generating millions in pure profit.

But three key developments would soon change gambling forever:

Every year, Hermès burns $500M worth of their own products.

They literally set Birkin bags on fire that cost more than houses.

Most called it insane.

But this "crazy" strategy just made them worth more than Nike + Adidas combined.

Here's the story: 🧵
In 1984. Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas made their iconic Birkin bag impossible to buy.

The official reason? Quality control.

But beneath the surface, a bigger strategy was brewing:

The complete reinvention of how luxury brands create value.

In 2014, AMD was dying. Their stock was $2 and Intel owned 99% of the server market.

Then a brilliant engineer took over as CEO... And did the unthinkable.

Here's how Lisa Su orchestrated the greatest comeback in semiconductor history: 🧵 In October 2014 AMD's board appointed Lisa Su as CEO.

What followed reshaped the semiconductor industry forever...

The official reason? AMD needed fresh leadership.

But beneath the surface, the company was dying:

- $2.2 billion in debt
- Stock price at $2
- Less than 1% server market share
- Three straight years of losses

In 1945, Japan promised never to build a military again.

But In 2022, they'd had enough and announced a $320 Billion military program.

China was stunned. The US smiled.

Here's the story of how rising tensions in Asia triggered the biggest military buildup since WW2 🧵
In December 2022 Japan announced a historic $320 billion military buildup.

The official reason was Defense modernization.

But beneath the surface, a seismic shift was occurring:

- The end of 75 years of pacifist policy
- The largest military expansion in modern Japanese history
- A fundamental reshaping of Asian power dynamics

This country sits on $30T in resources.

Russia thinks they control it.

China believes they own it.

America hopes to win it.

But Kazakhstan's playing a game no one sees coming.

Here's how they're quietly reshaping the global power balance 🧵
In December 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed.

Kazakhstan inherited the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal.

But that's not the real prize.

Beneath its vast steppes lies a fortune that would make oligarchs drool...