▪️This is so dumb. Basically, people invented a controversy that didn’t actually exist, and are now patting themselves on the back when Wendy’s had to clarify that they weren’t, in fact, doing what everyone was freaking out about.
▪️Wendy’s CEO announced in an earnings call that they would soon be testing digital menus, which allow restaurants and AI to change the menu throughout the day, including things like dynamic pricing and suggestive selling. This is a perfectly normal use of business technology.
https://news.yahoo.com/wendys-says-it-wont-use-surge-pricing-for-burgers-after-announcing-dynamic-pricing-whats-the-difference-between-the-2-175039236.html
▪️Media reports pick this up and start using the term “surge pricing” (which Wendy’s never used) and people en masse started claiming Wendy’s was going to jack up prices during peak times. This was an entirely made up controversy, based on nothing except people’s imagination.
▪️Then, because of all the drama, Wendy’s issues a statement clarifying that they never said or meant that they would raise prices during peak times, rather this would likely benefit the consumer by offering discounts during slow times. Idiots then rejoiced that they “made Wendy’s back down.”
https://www.wendys.com/blog/wendys-digital-news-update
▪️There is “dynamic pricing” in almost every business. If you have a fast food app, you constantly get deals and offers. As you do with apps for retailers, airlines, pretty much every business that sells you things. They are constantly changing prices to sell you things, almost always by offering deals and discounts.
▪️Wendy’s seems to be trying to incorporate what apps do (and what coupons did before that) into their physical menu. Whether it’s a good idea and actually works will be determined by the market, but that people freaked out about it is the epitome of first world problems.
I first critiqued this terrible take by looking at how food has actually improved substantially. Even though I said the same could be done in every category, people said “you’re only doing food.” So let’s do air travel and see why it’s not gotten better, not worse.
▪️Aircraft have greatly improved. Just 15-20 years ago, many domestic routes (~15%) were flown by turboprops like the Brasilia, Dash 8 or Saab. Now, almost everything is in jets, and most aircraft have WiFi. Some even have Starlink, where you probably have faster WiFi than your home. Most major airlines offer dozens or hundreds of movies and shows to watch.
▪️Newer designs like the 787 have lower cabin altitudes and improved humidity, which make a huge difference in passenger comfort on long haul flights. The first/business class international market has gotten very competitive globally, with many carriers offering excellent service and amenities. Pods, suites, showers, etc. Coach still sucks but is dramatically cheaper ...
This is the complete opposite of an empirical fact. The right has now joined the left in being pessimistic about the modern world and completely unappreciative of the amazing abundance we now have. I’ll just focus on food here, but you could do it for almost every category.
▪️Fresh produce used to be available only in season. In the winter it was canned or frozen. People used to send fruit for Christmas gifts, it was that much of a luxury good. Now, you can get giant, sweet berries year around in every grocery store. Corn on the cob in February. Not to mention once rare items like dragon fruit, heirloom tomatoes or baby bok choy.
▪️If you didn’t live on the coast, seafood was either not available, frozen, or extremely expensive. If you lived in the Midwest and traveled to coastal locales you would quite literally be able to eat food you had never seen. Salmon has become much more abundant and accessible. You can get fresh ahi at Walmart today. Sushi and oyster bars exist everywhere ...
▪️This is a proposal that pertains only to graduate level nursing degrees, not undergraduate ones (which were never considered professional degrees). The proposal will have a 30-60 day public comment period next year, where groups can object, before the DoE will decide on it.
▪️This is about how much federal student loans someone can take out for a particular degree. The cap on graduate degrees is $100k ($20,500/yr), while a “professional degree” limit is $200k ($50k/yr).
▪️Under the new rule proposal, professional degrees include:
🔹Pharmacy
🔹Dentistry
🔹Veterinary medicine
🔹Chiropractic
🔹Law
🔹Medicine (including osteopathic medicine & podiatry)
🔹Optometry
🔹Theology
▪️The nursing degrees excluded are ones like master of science in nursing (MSN), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) and PhD in nursing. These degrees would be limited to $100k in federal student loans, like all other graduate degrees.
▪️These changes came from the One Big Beautiful Bill’s...
