The great “unbossing.” Workplace culture is changing, and middle managers are at risk. Middle management roles made up a third of layoffs in 2023 due to cost-cutting, remote work, advances in AI, and generational shifts. Back in the day, people had to communicate IRL to align their workforce, but now, they can do it all online. Gone is the era of the traditional boss who walks around the office, glancing over employees’ shoulders to make sure they’re doing work. Will anyone miss those days? Probably not.

In other news… Scarlett Johansson speaks out against OpenAI, shady brand deals are trending on TikTok, and Capri Sun announces its first innovation in nearly a decade.

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• YouTube – Shadow of the Erdtree

• X (Twitter) – He Knows 

• Google – XDefiant

• Reddit – Graceland

• TikTok – “Subwoofer Lullaby” - C418

• Spotify – “CHIHIRO” - Billie Eilish

.TECHNOLOGY.

OpenAI v. ScarJo

The Future. AI voice assistants are becoming more and more human-like and engaging every day. But the tech’s increasing sophistication raises questions about the emotional bonds people might form with them and the potential for addiction — blurring the lines between reality and science fiction.

Her?
Scarlett Johansson is not happy with OpenAI.

• ICYMI, ScarJo voiced Samantha, an OS, in the 2013 sci-fi film Her, about a divorced man who develops a relationship with and eventually falls in love with Samantha.

• This past week, OpenAI dropped GPT-4o, their new real-time chatbot with the voice “Sky,” which sounds eerily similar to Johansson’s voice.

• ScarJo then released a statement that CEO Sam Altman approached her to license her voice, but she declined.

After hearing “Sky,” she reported feeling “shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine.”

Uncanny valley
OpenAI has since paused using the “Sky” voice and claims that it was developed from the voice of another actress, not Johansson.

As AI advances, this incident highlights the need for more legal safeguards and transparency around the use of creative work and individual likeness in developing AI tools.

The emotional bonds people may form with these increasingly human-like AI assistants also raise important questions about the potential risks and impact of this rapidly evolving tech.

57.6% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Have you ever been awarded a scholarship?

“But my kids have 😊.”

“In grad school, I got a minor scholarship ($1K). My employer’s tuition reimbursement was a lot more valuable ($10K). In undergrad, I was at a state school, so no scholarships, but the tuition was more reasonable. I also worked 30 to 40 hours a week to pay for both schools because being in debt sucks.”

“Yes. £1,000 every year in the UK because the area I lived in was classed as a ‘low socio-economic’ area.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT VINO VEST

The decade’s best-performing asset isn’t what you expect

Barron’s recently called whiskey investing “a global phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down.”

And Vinovest is the all-in-one platform that lets you capitalize on this burgeoning asset class in just minutes.

With Vinovest, you can invest in casks of rare whiskey early, before they’re aged, marked up, and sold to brands. Strong partnerships with distilleries give Vinovest premium exit flexibility and pricing power. In fact, Vinovest’s latest exit (its third) resulted in a 23.3% return for clients over one year.

It’s whiskey time. Experts anticipate that the global whiskey market will grow from $60 billion to $81 billion by 2025.

Begin your whiskey investing journey with Vinovest today.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Comcast has set a $15 price tag for a streaming bundle that offers Netflix, Peacock, and Apple TV+. [Read More]

• Pixar was hit with a flurry of layoffs on Tuesday, cutting nearly 200 staffers — or about 14% of its workforce. [Read More]

• CBS’ 60 Minutes wrapped its 50th consecutive season as the No. 1 television news program, according to Nielsen figures. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• The RealReal, an online marketplace for luxury secondhand goods, is developing an AI program to detect fake luxury items. [Read More]

• Oakley’s Future Genesis is an immersive, sci-fi animated and comic book saga made in partnership with Dark Horse Comics. [Read More]

• What luxury slowdown? Chanel is defying the rest of the industry, with revenue up 16% and annual sales surging to $20 billion. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• Saudi Arabia snubbed Boeing with an order for 105 Airbus jets on Monday, the biggest aircraft deal in the country’s history. [Read More]

• Ethereum surged 22% on Tuesday after positive signs from the SEC that ETFs pegged to the crypto could be approved this week. [Read More]

• The EU’s AI Act, the first of its kind, will set the global standard for safeguards on artificial intelligence and could have ripple effects across the globe. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• Capri Sun is courting nostalgic fans with the company’s first innovation in nearly a decade — giant jugs. [Read More]

• Meta, Match, Coinbase, and other major tech companies are launching a new coalition to take on online fraud across dating apps, social media, and crypto. [Read More]

• Latin American treats like Gansito cake and Canelitas cookies are taking off in the US market. [Read More]

.CREATOR ECONOMY.

Creators are speaking out against shady brand deals

The Future. A new trend has emerged on TikTok where creators divulge unethical practices from brand partners in their “Get Ready With Me” videos. This wave of transparency could foreshadow a shift towards greater accountability in influencer marketing, with creators becoming more likely to reject an imbalanced power dynamic with brands.

The uncomfortable truth
In January, beauty influencer Abbey Yung opened up a can of worms with her TikTok video “SHADY BRAND DEALS,” where she shared her experiences rejecting unethical requests from brand partners.

• Now, both micro- and mega-influencers are shining a spotlight on questionable marketing tactics, like brands urging creators to hide sponsorships, make false claims about products, and prioritize company demands over personal emergencies (such as being in the hospital with a family member).

• Their videos are exposing how brands sometimes pressure influencers to lie about product efficacy and how they sometimes use creators’ content without permission or delay payments for months.

The right to say no
Influencer marketing experts say that creators can protect themselves by reading the fine print, knowing their rights, negotiating better contracts, and pushing back against outrageous demands…

…which is good business advice for all of us to follow.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT FOCL.

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Focl conducted some third-party clinical studies, and here’s what they found: three out of four users fell asleep faster.

The participants also said that the gummies were the best sleep aid they’ve ever used. Ever. They’re all the things: non-GMO, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free. 

There’s no need to pinch yourself. You’re not dreaming… yet.

What are you waiting for? Use the code ‘Futureparty’ to score 30% off when you buy two Deep Sleep Gummies or more.

• Attend: Grab early bird tix to the upcoming AI Vibes August Summit in Santa Monica, CA. The day-long event will feature panels with tech experts, networking sessions with like-minded individuals, and a live fashion show with avatars from designer Karl Kani.

• Read: Don Allen III, an XR and AI futurist known as the “Bob Ross of the Metaverse,” has carved out a niche at the intersection of art and tech, working with major companies like Meta, OpenAI, and Universal to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the digital realm.

• Listen: Inc. Magazine executive editor Diana Ransom sits down with Shira Lazar, video blogger, personality, and founder/host of the web series “What’s Trending,” to discuss her journey in the creator economy space.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today we get into the rise and controversies of virtual influencers, how people are traveling abroad to see their favorite artists, and how Wall St is betting on content creators.