OVERWORLD:
-Birkenstock’s journey from hippie trash to luxury giant-

ONE BETWEEN:
-Get real money working at Ikea in Roblox-

THE DEPTHS:
-The boring and cool history of paperclip patents-

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."
— Confucious

✦DISCOVERY PICKS✦

▶️ YouTube:
Blood On The Leaves by Kanye West but it's beautiful

👽 Reddit:
4-day timelapse of decaying meat

✖️ X:
Russian prankster hangs a picture of Putin in the elevator and films residents’ reactions

❓
Mystery link.

The king of slippers

Birkenstock’s journey from hippie trash to luxury giant, and the man behind it

In 2009, when Christian Birkenstock hired CEO Oliver Reichert, Birkenstock was in a state of turmoil. The company had stagnating sales and no clear future direction.

The timeline, quickly explained:

✦How Reichert did it✦

When Reichert came in, war was waging inside the Birkenstock company. It was a family feud between the three Birkenstock brothers, who all wanted to take Birkenstock in different directions. Reichert had to fix that before he could fix anything

Reichert identified that the primary obstacle in reconciling the Birkenstock brothers was Stephan Birkenstock. He preferred stability and traditional approaches, which clashed with Christian and Alex Birkenstock’s innovative ideas.

1 down, 2 to go: In 2012, Reichert persuaded Stephan to sell his stake to his younger brothers for over $100 million. With Stephan was out of the way, things were still kinda shitty. Christian and Alex would never go 50/50.

So, Reichert suggested they either sell the business to a more organized owner or prepare it for an IPO. They listened, for some reason. With Christian and Alex stepping back from day-to-day operations, the playing field was clear.

✦Preparation/Opportunity✦

Reichert streamlined the company's structure, simplifying the tangle of 38 business entities into a unified group with dedicated divisions for production, sales, and services. By 2013, this transformation was solidified with Reichert's appointment as co-CEO alongside Markus Bensberg.

Then luck struck. Birkenstocks got cool out of nowhere. Legend designer Phoebe Philo of Celine was the culprit. A Celine show creative directed by her featured sandals reminiscent of Birkenstocks reignited interest in the brand — sales went flying.

Despite the trend wave washing over Birkenstock, they struggled to capitalize on the buzz. This was due to a lack of a centralized sales and marketing strategy, no company-branded website, and limited social media presence. Fuuuuck.

Reichert and Bensberg would never let that happen again. They expanded manufacturing capacity by adding plants in eastern Germany, which doubled production.

In 2016, Birkenstock launched a professional online store, embracing the modern e-commerce landscape. The company also took a strong stance against Amazon, refusing to sell on the platform due to concerns over knockoffs.

✦Going luxury✦

Then, they replicated the Philo-effect.

Birkenstock collaborated with high-end fashion designers like Rick Owens and Manolo Blahnik, elevating its profile and creating luxury versions of its classic sandals. These collaborations would fall under the 1774 label, with some models going for $500.

This completely reframed the standard Birkenstocks from a 50$ gas station good to a chic 170$ handcrafted heritage fashion staple.

Just like that, the brand transformed from a practical choice to an accessible luxury, with sales tripling to $830 million by 2020.

In 2021, Reichert sold a majority stake to L Catterton Management Ltd., backed by Bernard Arnault of LVMH, in a deal valuing Birkenstock at $4.9 billion.

This move marked a significant shift, pushing the brand head-deep into the luxury market. Under Reichert's leadership, Birkenstock expanded its manufacturing capabilities and focused on direct-to-consumer sales.

✦QUICK HITS✦

✦Business & Tech

Big shit: Nvidia has become the world's second most valuable company with a market cap of $3.01 trillion, surpassing Apple. Dominating the AI chip market with its H100 chip, Nvidia saw profits of $14 billion. The stock is over $1,220 per share, with a planned split on June 7.

New shit: Bill Gates is dropping a memoir; "Source Code: My Beginnings," which covers his childhood to founding Microsoft in 1975. Releasing on February 4, 2025, it focuses on his personal journey, not his business ventures.

TikTok is addressing a cyberattack targeting high-profile users via direct messages to hijack accounts. Measures are in place to stop the attack and assist affected users. The scale of the attack is under investigation. High-profile accounts like CNN and Paris Hilton were targeted.

Drama: A group of current and former OpenAI employees warned that AI is being developed with high risks, insufficient oversight, and silenced dissent. They call for better whistleblower protections and anonymous feedback systems. Criticisms include recent threats to employees' equity and changes to OpenAI's safety management. The letter is endorsed by leading AI researchers.

✦Fashion & Culture✦

Kanye West is being sued by his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, who claims she was fired after he sent her explicit sexual messages and videos. She alleges he also engaged in inappropriate behavior during calls and fixated on her boyfriends' penis sizes. Pisciotta, previously an OnlyFans creator, says she was promoted but never received her severance pay.

Chic reading initiative: Miu Miu launches "Summer Reads" project, customizing newsstands in key cities worldwide. Visitors receive classic books, promoting literature and women's empowerment. This follows Miu Miu's "Writing Life" literary event in Milan.

Pretty good: Maria Grazia Chiuri transformed models into a "Mary Queen of Scots" inspired army for Dior's Resort 2025 show at Drummond Castle. It was all lace, velvet, tartan, and Scottish textiles Chiuri, drew inspiration from Scottish history, and Elizabethan details

A disrespectful cosplayer mocked Kobe Bryant's death at a Hangzhou event, wearing a mask and makeshift helicopter. Footage went viral, drawing widespread social media outrage.

✦Hmm… Interesting✦

Why Do These Instagram Electricians Want to 'Deep Throat' You?

Cozy 1-minute-read: I wasn't able to sing before having a son

Big read for big brains: research as leisure activity

For programmers: Rust is for the Engine, Not the Game

Make music with code, in the browser.

ONE 

BETWEEN

Be a wage slave, but cool

Get real money working at Ikea in Roblox

Your dream job has now become very available.

Ikea is launching a store in the Roblox universe and is hiring its first virtual employees. The pay is real, approximately $16 per hour, despite the store being virtual.

Ikea's "Co-Worker Game" on Roblox, set to open on June 24, offers players a chance to immerse themselves in the virtual Ikea work environment. Applicants must answer quirky questions like, “If you were a pixelated Ikea furniture, what would you be?” and “What would you do if we ran out of pixelated hot dogs in our bistro?”

This unique hiring process has already caught the attention online. On X, memes abound:

The initiative taps into the longstanding online affection for Ikea. A company representative mentioned that the game was inspired by the love for the chain both online and offline. The Co-Worker Game aims to test if this affection translates into a desire to work for the company.

Ikea's move into Roblox isn't just about fun; it also offers real wages, an attractive prospect for young developers on the platform.

Roblox players, who spend millions of hours on the platform daily, could find this a lucrative opportunity. As VRChat’s Kmart role-play in 2022 showed, virtual jobs can build community and help overcome real-world social anxieties.

Whether Ikea's program will become a permanent fixture is uncertain. However, for now, it presents an innovative way to engage with the brand and even earn some real-world income.

THE DEPTHS

For perverts

The boring and cool history of paperclip patents

A paper clip is... a paper clip. Everybody knows what a paper clip is.

But for the sake of being pedagogical: A paper clip is a flat or nearly flat piece of metal designed to hold a set of papers. Most paper clips are made from single pieces of resilient spring steel wire, or plastic.

But despite (or because of) being such a darn simple thing, paper clips have had countless appearances.

✦Birth✦

The first patented paper clip was by Samuel B. Fay in 1867. It was a very simple steel wire bent into a triangle.

The clip was originally intended for attaching tickets to fabric but was also usable for paper. Fay’s design didn’t rake off commercially until 1896 when it was marketed under various brand names.

In 1896, D. S. Gorman was the New York, NY, distributor for a "new paperclip," named "Clinch" -- this used Fay's design under a different name.

Also in 1896, the Cinch Clip Co., Buffalo, NY, was identified as the manufacturer of a paper clip named "Cinch" -- again, using Fay's design

The iconic Gem paper clip, which was introduced in 1892 and never patented, became the best-selling paper clip in the U.S. by the late 1890s. This is the one you probably know of today.

By the late 1890s, paper clips had become widespread in U.S. offices, largely replacing pins for fastening papers. At that point, there were countless of companies selling them.

But let's be real, it was all the same thing. These companies knew this, so the only way to differentiate was marketing. They'd make up all kinds of salespoints, like:

Here's a timeline of paperclip patents (there are many more):

The Fay (1867):

The Wright (1877):

The Angell (1889):

The Gem (1892):

The Eureka (1894):

The Schooley (1898):

The Ideal (1902):

The Victory (1920):

The Nifty (1936):