This is quite exciting in that it removes plastic waste. I see no reason why different companies can’t make different shape ones to maintain their lock-in. I expect a knock-off market to pop-up, but that exists with plastic pods too. It’s a step in the right direction at least.
Nope, it is regular coffee grounds, but usually they’re using terrible beans. You can actually get nice third wave pods, but there’s only so much better beans can do if your brewer isn’t doing its job well.