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- Will's Weekly Roundup
"If the why is powerful, the how is easy."
— Jim Rohn, American businessman
Top stories this week:
Chipotle wants to hire 19,000 workers for the busy spring season.
Boeing is blocked from building more 737 planes.
Apple overhauled its App Store in Europe in response to a new digital law.
Vision Pro sold out 160k-180k units in the first three days after its release.
Business
Headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
Netflix added 13 million subscribers in Q4 2023, the highest gain since Covid.
Bill Ackman bought nearly a 5% stake in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Mr. Beast made $250,000 from his first video posted on Twitter/X.
Boycotts towards Starbucks and Coke over the Gaza conflict are boosting Middle East rivals.
eBay will cut 1,000 jobs, or 9% of its full-time workforce.
Grayscale’s CEO says most of the 11 approved bitcoin ETFs won't survive.
PayPal stock is down after the CEO said he would shock the world but then released only a chance to earn cash back through the app.
Logistics giant Flexport raised $260 million from Shopify (17% owner).
Paramount will lay off about 800 employees in early 2024.
Klarna, a buy-now-pay-later service, is launching a $7.99/month subscription option instead of traditional interest installment payments.
Tech
Headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
Alzheimer’s blood test was 96% accurate in its studies.
UAE is close to finalizing the acquisition of MQ-9B surveillance drones.
Apple Car EV is set to debut in 2028 with autonomous driving.
Dark-matter lab in China is the biggest and deepest to date.
Gene-therapy breakthrough now allows congenitally deaf children to hear.
Apple Podcasts now offers auto-generated transcripts in iOS 17.4
Largest nuclear reactor, capable of providing unlimited energy forever, is in the making.
Apple wants to patent “ultrasonic temperature sensors” that would be added to iPhones.
Chrome launched experimental AI features, including Help Me Write.
CarPlay, Apple is launching next-generation CarPlay at some point this year.
Watchlist
Startups and companies I’m keeping an eye on…
Bilt Rewards is the first credit card designed to pay rent.
DUPR is the most accurate global Pickleball rating system.
Tynt makes windows with tint that can be dimmed from clear to blackout.
CardioSignal is an app that can detect heart disease in one minute using a smartphone.
Camp automatically processes and organizes screenshots on your phone.
VoiceDrop enables you to craft personalized voicemails that sound identical to you.
Aniai makes an automated hamburger cooking robot.
ReplyGuy mentions your product on Reddit and Twitter in conversations naturally.
Pacaso lets you co-own luxury second homes.
Hadley makes it easy to invest and gift contributions to a 529 college savings plan (backed by ND Venture Capital).
Chunk makes plant-based whole-cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and poultry.
TechInterviewer is an AI-backed technical interview prep tool.
Nightshade is a free tool that punishes AI models for using artists’ images without consent by algorithmically altering the original photo but leaving it visually untouched to viewers.
Top Picks
Specific articles and videos worth taking a look at…
Sam Altman is raising billions to build a network of AI factories. BBG
Inside the World Excel Championships. WSJ
How the Apple Vision Pro is made, a 1-minute cinematic video. YOUTUBE
Microsoft debates shutting down its AI research lab in Beijing over growing political tensions. NYT
The algorithm behind spell checkers. YOUTUBE
A Russia-linked group hacked employee emails at Microsoft. BBG
Visuals
Three visuals worth taking a look at...
Weekly Poll
To adhere to new EU regulations aimed at reducing the influence of the world's largest tech companies, Apple had to implement significant changes to its App Store in Europe. The changes will enable access to alternative app stores and will allow banks/shopping services to provide competing payment methods within their apps for the first time. Historically, Apple has maintained strict control over the App Store ecosystems to maximize profits (earning $24 billion annually from the EU alone, 6% of total App Store revenue). Although these changes are currently specific to the EU, will Apple be forced to allow alternative app stores on iPhones and iPads in the US, similar to what happened in the EU? Click the corresponding link to record your answer.
Last Week’s Poll Results: 68% of you don’t think the Apple Vision Pro will live up to the hype.
Outside Interests
Interesting internet finds…
Immigration, The illegal immigration problem explained in 5 charts.
Fake Biden robocall told New Hampshire Democrats not to vote last Tuesday.
Yelp’s top US restaurant for 2024 is a vegetarian Mexican joint in Arizona.
Cornell donor is demanding the President’s resignation over diversity policies.
The NFL accounted for 93 of the 100 most watched shows in 2023.
NATO kicked off its largest military exercise since the Cold War.
2 Navy Seals that went missing were declared dead.
Saudi Arabia will open its first liquor store, only for diplomats.
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Newsletter researched/edited by Will Sullivan
and written/edited by Andrew Coath.