Oh, the internet. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, it conjures up a partnership more unexpected than a cat video explaining blockchain.
Enter Dolly Chaiwala, the Nagpur street vendor whose flamboyant style and dramatic tea-making skills landed him a viral video with… wait for it… Bill Gates. Yes, THAT Bill Gates.
Cue the internet exploding faster than a poorly microwaved hot pocket. Photos surface of Gates enjoying Dolly’s chai. The comments roll in: “OMG, Starbucks collab confirmed?” “Is this the future of coffee shop ambiance?” “Dolly’s going global!”
For roughly 72 glorious hours, the digital ether was convinced that a multi-billion dollar global coffee giant was about to partner with a dude whose primary equipment seems to be a whisk and a dream. It was the internet’s favorite pastime: manifesting reality based on zero evidence but maximum vibes.
And then, like a splash of cold water on our collective face, Starbucks dropped the official statement: “Nope. No collaboration. That video? Just a meme created by a third party.”
Ah, the sweet, bitter taste of corporate PR slamming the door on internet fantasy. It wasn’t a secret partnership, it wasn’t market research, it was just… a video that went viral and people ran with it. Because that’s what we do online. We see two things exist in the same space and immediately assume a merger.
So, pour one out for the fictional Starbucks x Dolly Chaiwala empire. Maybe stick to assuming a meme is just a meme, and a coffee giant is just… well, a coffee giant. At least until the next improbable viral moment makes us question everything again.