- Will's Weekly Roundup
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- Will's Weekly Roundup
Will's Weekly Roundup is a curated list of tech, business, and startup headlines from last week to kickstart your Monday.
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Business
The business headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
142 million people were expected to be last-day Christmas shopping on Saturday, a new record. LINK
Resold items will make up roughly 17% of gifts this holiday season. LINK
Jane Street is paying $325K for entry-level engineers. LINK
Robinhood received $1 billion in account transfers after offering 1% match on 401K and IRAs. LINK
Chobani, the Greek yogurt maker, bought La Colombe Coffee for $900 million. LINK
Blackstone acquired pet care app Rover for $2.3 billion. LINK
Chuck E. Cheese is eyeing a $1 billion acquisition after emerging from bankruptcy 3 years ago. LINK
Eggflation might be coming back soon. LINK
Adobe’s attempted $20 billion acquisition of Figma was blocked by UK regulators. LINK
38% of VCs disappeared from dealmaking in 2023. LINK
Zoom is dropping off the Nasdaq 100 as it lags behind significant equity benchmarks. LINK
Tech
The tech headlines you missed (or need to see again)...
Waymo launched curbside robo-taxi pickup at Phoenix airport. LINK
Ozempic overdoses have reportedly happened to thousands of people. LINK
Hyperloop One is shutting down after failing to reinvent high-speed transportation. LINK
Apple Watch sales were halted because of a patent dispute related to its blood oxygen sensor. LINK
Microsoft is looking at next-generation nuclear reactors to power its data centers and AI. LINK
Vision Pro, Apple’s AR/VR headset, will likely launch by February. LINK
A cat video was streamed from 20 million miles away, a benchmark moment for space-laser communication. LINK
Apple wants to pay $50 million to buy data to train its AI. LINK
NASA is launching a floating telescope above Antarctica called GUSTO that will 3D-map part of the Milky Way. LINK
Watchlist
Startups and companies I’m keeping an eye on…
Harvey AI is a generative AI model trained specifically for elite law firms. LINK
Guac is a Y Combinator-backed startup training algorithms to predict grocery demand to reduce food waste. LINK
Comma AI created a car driver-assist semi-autopilot system for over 250+ car models. LINK
Salt is the first rewards program that gives you benefits for working your everyday job. LINK
Knightscope makes autonomous security robots for patrolling buildings and other spaces. LINK
Meati is an alternative meat company using nutrient-rich mushroom roots to replicate the taste and texture of meat. LINK
Dr. Treat is a personalized veterinary care platform that recently raised a $2 million seed round led by Y Combinator. LINK
UV Eye uses a drive-thru 3D scanner to conduct vehicle inspection quickly and accurately. LINK
Snipd is a podcast player that lets you clip sections of audio and then automatically transcribes them. LINK
Skyline Robotics makes autonomous window-washing robots for tall buildings. LINK
Tumbl Bear makes hats with a protective layer to keep kids' heads safe. LINK
Outside Interests
Interesting internet finds…
Harvard’s early applications fell by 17% this year, a 4-year low. LINK
Manchester United sold 25% ownership to British petrochemical billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. LINK
Wikipedia's most popular articles of 2023 include (1) ChatGPT, (2) Deaths in 2023, (3) Cricket World Cup 2023, (5) Oppenheimer (movie), (12) Taylor Swift, and (15) Lionel Messi. LINK
Dude Perfect released a multivitamin for kids. LINK
Fibonacci numbers can help you easily convert between miles and kilometers. LINK
Prada bought a NY Fifth Avenue store building for $425 million. LINK
Threads users can now delete their accounts without deleting their Instagram accounts as well. LINK
The Eiffel Tower can be 15 cm taller during the summer due to thermal expansion. LINK
There are only 735 billionaires in the U.S. LINK
Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy protection, listing more than $100 million in debts. LINK
This site gives you a Spotify-Wrapped-like summary but for your ChatGPT logs. LINK
Visuals
Three visuals worth taking a look at...
There are 8 main types and varieties of Christmas trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Spotify's Q3 wrapped reveals where your subscription actually goes.
Google’s most searched topics by category of 2023.
Wisdom
Two quotes of wisdom...
"From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it." — Katharine Whitehorn
"KEVINNNN!" — Kate McCallister, Home Alone
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