It is a reunion show. Hosts Jessica Lesesky and Nick Kaplan run the Watson Weekend while Rick Watson is away. A longer headline hangover, as there is a lot to talk about:

Klarna is walking back its initial bullishness on artificial intelligence. There are certain situations where humans need to defuse a situation (think CRM and a customer having a meltdown) - an AI agent or bot cannot resolve a situation to the benefit of the company.

Weight Watchers announced that their clinical division filed for Chapter 11, which they acquired via their telehealth company. Oprah Winfrey’s company is caught between a generation shift in how weight is managed. From goals and plans to GLP-1, which has left WW in a bad place.

2025 is a unique year as we are seeing footwear brands such as Sketchers go private and Dick Sporting Goods acquiring Foot Lockers for billions. Who would have thought this in 2025?

Evolve or die is a Kaplan’s Corner staple. Which event is worth investing in if you do not have the budget?

Early 2018—The Lead organizers saw many companies in the direct-to-customer (DTC) sector competing against incumbents. There are no events for brands, but there are for vendors—lifestyle brands that are emerging. A two-day show that is highly curated showcases what they have been hearing over the last six months and how that can be used as education for the entire sector. In 2025, the Lead Summit will showcase influencers and sports marketing, amongst other topics, for their audience.

The Lead Summit is the year's apex for the event founders, but the two rankings distributed to the e-commerce sector are the foundational research that the company does annually. The theme this year is destination unknown. The business was founded around a community. The content is pretty good to absorb. The smaller footprint enables DTC brands to speak with vendors directly at booths. Invest in growth and education to minimize the downside risk of your potential decisions.

Nick Kaplan is still being held hostage. He expected better from the tariffs—what do brands do? Brands can't trade on the current numbers. There are still many unknowns and uncertainties. Be mindful of inventory.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro

03:10 - Headline Hangover Sponsored by Passport

03:40 - Klarna AI backflip - rethinking their initial AI bullishness

08:12 - Weight Watchers Clinical files for Chapter 11

11:18 - Dick Sporting Goods acquires Foot Locker

17:18 - Walmart earnings - domination continues

26:56 - Introducing The Lead's Noah Gellman and Sonal Gandhi

Big thanks to our sponsor, Mirakl : because “Traditional eCommerce” is just code for “Not Growing.” 450+ retailers scale 6x faster with Mirakl’s AI, automation, and marketplace infrastructure.

#watsonweekend #thelead #headlinehangover #klarna #footlocker #nike #tarifffeud