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SharkNinja’s CEO, Mark Barrocas, joined Yaz and Josh on this week’s Most Innovative Companies exclusive video podcast to discuss how social media has become their number-one marketing tool, tariffs, and of course, the viral SLUSHI machine.
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E-Commerce
For more than 40 years, the investment banking firm Allen & Co. has attracted a selective group of moguls to Sun Valley, Idaho, for its annual Sun Valley Conference. The gathering calls on tech tycoons, entertainment CEOs, and an assorted whos who of billionaires to socialize their way through a four-day networking retreat. Despite the astronomical amounts of wealth represented at the event, the Sun Valley uniform has largely remained the same for the past decade: understated polo shirts, blue vests, jeans, and, every so often, a semi-interesting pair of sunglasses. As of July 9, the 2025 guest list includes Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, and Bob Iger. Compare the attire of this years attendees with that of the event’s guests in 2015 and, if not for a few familiar faces, you probably wouldnt even be able to tell the difference. Looking back on Sun Valley events of old, it seems that the gathering was a kind of progenitor for modern-day quiet luxury. While quiet luxury and stealth luxe have become buzzwords in recent years, this way of dressing has long been embraced among wealthy elites. Opting for simple, understated, well-made clothes can signal status without appearing gaudy. Quiet luxury was instantly adopted by the players in this space as a way to speak to their success through what they wear. It’s designed to go unnoticed, even if they’re publicly powerful and influential figures, says L.A.-based personal stylist Mary Komick. The color palettes are muted shades or monochromatic neutral, and their clothes are refined, clean-cut, and tailored. They’re showing off to each other, with their stealth luxe style noticeably recognized by those in these circles. Nowadays, Komick adds, the accepted dress code has become almost an ironic mainstay at Sun Valley. Men stick to canvas jackets, low-key tees, polos, and denim jeans, while women choose a similar combination of designer tees and tanks paired with tailored trousers. Here are a few of the common themes emerging this year. [Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images (Iger, Cook), Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (Nadella)] The polo club Those looking to play it as safe as possible at this years gathering have all turned to a timeless mainstay of tech bro fashion, the beige living room of tops: the polo shirt. Iger, Cook, and Satya Nadellathe CEOs of Disney, Apple, and Microsoft, respectivelywere just a few of the attendees who opted for a polo in either crisp white or blue for their arrival at the conference. The majority of attendees are deliberately choosing to wear nondescript, understated outfits in an effort to prioritize function over fashion, Komick says. They’re photographed in outfits purposely chosen to look like they’re heading to the golf course in Patagonia vests, going on a hike, or wearing Western hats meant for a scenic horseback ride. This is most likely preferred simply to reduce decision fatigue, because everyone is thinking about the next newsworthy tech or entertainment deal they’re making behind closed doors. [Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (Armstrong, Altman)] The humble (or not-so-humble) T-shirt Another popular look, which takes an even more casual spin on the popular polo and khakis, is the T-shirt-and-jeans combo. These shirts will make you ask, Does that T-shirt cost $10 or $600? And, chances are, your first guess is probably wrong. This years T-shirt wearers include OpenAI CEO Altman, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone, and OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor. [Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (Khosrowshahi, Wiedenfels)] The walking billboard Immediately upon arrival at this years retreat, a few attendees signaled that they were already members of the club by donning official Sun Valley merch. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stepped out in a Sun Valley hat, while Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels chose a navy Sun Valley-branded (you guessed it) polo shirt. Casey Wasserman, CEO of the Wasserman Media Group, took wearable advertising in a more personal direction by repping his own companys logo on his ball cap. They’re not going to be caught dead in a logo that isn’t their company’s, Komick says. [Photos: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (Blakely, Trump)] Western cosplay In April, The Wall Street Journal dubbed 2025 as the year that the tech bro started dressing like a cowboyand it seems that a few brave attendees are bringing that trend to Sun Valley. Komick says both Western and sporty aesthetics have come to the fore this year. [Attendees are] cosplaying cowboys and cowgirlsfrom Ivanka Trumps silver Western belt to Sara Blakely in the Western hat against her white tee and dark wash Mother jeans, Komick says. The men are trading solid tops for plaid button-downs or terry overshirts. Sunglasses were the statement accessory this season. [Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images] The sunglasses are your outfit outfit The fashion may be predictably tame at this years Sun Valley, but that only makes it all the more visually jarring that a few notable names arrived sporting some of the wildest sunglasses money can buy. Altman chose to pair his casual navy tee with a $400 pair of Vuarnet Altitude 01 sunglasses, a design inspired by 1970s ski masks. John Elkann, the chairman of Ferrari, donned what appeared to be a pair of vintage Tom Ford Cassius 78MM Pilot sunglassesan accessory so chunky that a passerby could be forgiven for mistaking them for an Apple Vision Pro.
Category:
E-Commerce
Rewards startup Bilt, which made its name by offering renters the opportunity to earn points on rental payments, is building itself a lofty valuationand introducing a handful of new cards to boot. The company announced on Thursday that it has raised $250 million in new funding, bringing its total valuation to $10.75 billion, more than twice its valuation from roughly a year ago. Its also introducing Bilt Card 2.0, an upgraded credit card offering that will launch in February of next year and is being developed in partnership with Cardlesswhich also had a hand in launching the American Express Coinbase card earlier this year. In a blog post, Bilt said that its Card 2.0 will have three different options: A no-fee option and two premium levels with $95 and $495 annual fees. The announcement is a sign that Wells Fargo and Bilt are ending their partnership on the Bilt Rewards Mastercard earlier than expected. The partnership had been slated to run until 2029. That card originally launched to the public in March 2022 with a novel points-on-rent reward and quickly took off among points and miles enthusiasts. Within 18 months, it had activated 1 million accounts. The Wall Street Journal has reported Wells Fargo was losing money on the deal, raising questions about the card’s sustainability. Both Wells Fargo and Bilt declined to comment bout the specifics of the partnership when contacted by Fast Company. New York-based Bilt has built a $1 billion-a-year business on the strength of its rewards program, as Fast Company reported in June, and most of its revenue now comes from its partnerships with property managers. The company processes rent payments for property managers and offers their tenants access to its expanding loyalty program, which now includes some 40,000 merchants. Jain told Fast Company that he imagined the credit card occupying a relatively modest place in his company’s overall strategy. Its not our core business, he said. Our job is to provide the best rewards ecosystem, the best commerce platform, the best [customer] acquisition, the best brand, so that our partners can create a great card product around it. According to Jain, only 15% of Bilts rewards program members are cardholders. As for how things will work with Bilt Card 2.0? Well need to wait until next year to find out. At that time, “current cardholders will be seamlessly moved from Wells Fargo to our new card platform,” according to Bilt’s blog post. In the meantime, Bilts leadership is exuding confidence. Bilt represents the convergence of America’s largest spending categorieshousing and local commerceinto a single, powerful network that benefits everyone involved, said Bilt chairman and former American Express CEO Ken Chenault, in a statement. What we’re building goes beyond the four walls of your apartment; we’re connecting you with your entire neighborhood and making every aspect of where you live more rewarding.
Category:
E-Commerce
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