- Will's Weekly Roundup
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- Will's Weekly Roundup
"The harder you work, the luckier you get."
— Gary Player, professional golfer
Notice: All article links are now in bold at the beginning of each headline. Viewing in “dark mode” might affect readability.
Top stories this week:
U.S. national debt hit a record $34 trillion.
23andMe told victims it was their fault that their data was breached.
Bitcoin topped $45,000 for the first time since April 2022.
Mickey Mouse is now in the public domain after 95 years of Disney’s copyright.
Business
The business headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
Peloton is partnering with TikTok to offer short-form fitness classes.
SpaceX’s IPO might come as soon as 2025.
Goldman is raising a $650 million biotech fund.
VC global deals reached $346 billion in 2023, down 54% compared to 2021.
Evercore saw private equity deals coming back.
Amazon had 29% of global order volume in final 2 weeks before Christmas.
Zuckerberg sold $428 million in Meta stock between Nov and Dec.
Manhattan cash home sales hit a record high.
MBAs, Just 86% of Harvard MBAs got employment offers within 90 days of graduation this year, down from 95% in 2022 and 96% in 2021.
Tech
The tech headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
Paxlovid, the Covid treatment drug, is only used by 15% of eligible patients.
E-Scooters, Superpedestrian is selling 20,000+ scooters as it shuts down.
SpaceX launched satellites that will provide internet directly to phones.
Waymo leads driverless car safety, with 7+ million miles of rider-only driving.
OpenAI had $1.6 billion in annual revenue, with a $5 billion 2024 projection.
Amazon will acquire the self-driving startup Zoox.
Watchlist
Startups and companies I’m keeping an eye on…
Bumper provides interest-free buy now, pay later plans for car repairs and servicing (raised $48 million Series B).
Urban Stems is a NYC-based floral gifting company (raised $5 million extension of $20 Series C).
Arduino, an open-source electronics platform that is expanding into enterprise (raised $22 million extension of $32 million Series B)
Birdie creates functional art pieces that monitor air quality within your home.
Percent offers private credit deals with 13% average APYs ($500 minimum).
Papic makes packaging that replaces plastic and other single-use materials.
Heard provides therapists with bookkeeping, taxes, and payroll software.
VenHub created fully autonomous and robotic-operated stores.
Pura makes smart fragrance diffusers for your home and car.
Element3 extracts lithium from oil and gas wastewater.
Top Picks
Specific articles and videos worth taking a look at…
Lululemon’s billionaire founder is tired of the brand’s diversity.
Netflix wants to monetize its games that only 1% of customers play.
China is using AI to create anti-American memes.
Disney lost its 6-year streak as highest-grossing studio in Hollywood to Universal.
Visuals
Three visuals worth taking a look at...
Many U.S. politicians outperformed the S&P 500 last year, with Nancy Pelosi (+65%) and 8 other congress members also outperforming every hedge fund in 2023.
Tesla's electric vehicle competitors are struggling to stay alive.
Generative AI will create significant new value for banks.
Outside Interests
Interesting internet finds…
NCAA and ESPN reached a $920 million 8-year media deal.
Popeyes relaunched in Shanghai in August, with plans to open 1,700 stores through 2033.
Mr. Beast added 99+ million new subscribers in 2023.
NFL, How the NFL schedule is created.
President Gay resigned as the shortest-serving president in Harvard’s history.
Blackberry, This keyboard case turns your iPhone into a Blackberry.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged 248 prisoners, the largest amount to date.
Kim Kardashian's mobile game is shutting down after 10 years with $157+ million in sales.
Yardsale makes ski poles that don’t suck.
Meme Cleanser
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