We made it to the weekend. If you’re in one of the few areas in the US that can receive packages via drone, we have a word of advice: don’t shoot them down. While you may just receive a fine, you can also apparently get slapped with a much bigger punishment if charged with “aircraft sabotage,” which comes with a cool 20 years in prison. Just let that toilet paper fly overheard undisturbed.

In other news… SpaceX is getting serious about its Mars plans, beverage giants sweat for your hydration, and Redbox has served its last DVD.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe

• YouTube – The Substance 

• X (Twitter) – The Boys

• Google – Shelley Duvall

• Reddit – Andy Samberg 

• TikTok – “Apple” - Charli xcx

• Spotify – “Lift You Up” - Jessie Ware, Romy

.SPACE.

SpaceX’s plans to colonize Mars

The Future. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is reportedly firming up his plans within the company to build a city on Mars that will house one million people in about 20 years. Although that seems like a moonshot (Mars shot?), and NASA doesn’t foresee any mission even getting to the planet until at least the 2040s, the sense of urgency could lead to several life-sustaining innovations that just so happen to make life on Earth a little more advanced.

Martian Musk
NYT has dug into SpaceX’s revamped Mars-colonization plans thanks to anonymous insiders and internal company documents/emails.

• There are plans to build living quarters aboard the company’s Starship rocket, which would ferry 100 passengers to Mars — a trip that would take roughly nine months.

• Dedicated teams are examining exactly how life on Mars would look, including building domed habitats, developing spacesuits that can handle the planet’s extreme (but possibly livable) environment, and potentially creating artificial suns.

• He struck a partnership with Impossible Foods to test different alternative proteins that could be used to feed people in the Martian city.

• Musk has also assigned a team to figure out if it’s possible to conceive children on Mars and has apparently offered his own sperm to “help seed a colony.” (Musk denies this.)

As is well documented, Musk is a Mars diehard and plans to die there (hopefully not die getting there). According to insiders, Musk envisions that all of his companies will play a role in colonization, including building cities using The Boring Company, residents driving around in a solar-powered version of the Tesla Cybertruck, and running a citizen-led government via X.

Talk about ambitious… but he’ll have to get to the Moon first, as he’s contracted to do by NASA. That alone seems like a ways off.

82.4% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Would you ever travel to a city specifically to check out its local grocery store?

“REALLY???”

“I already have! Jungle Jim’s International Market in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have an incredible space and selection. It takes more than a day to see it all. The hot sauce section alone is bigger than most other grocery stores. The beer selection is even bigger! The store hosts events and cooking classes.”

“Along the same lines, I learned years ago that in grocery stores in Chartres, France, in Paris, and in Greece, you can find unique and affordable gifts to take to friends and family back home that you wouldn’t find anywhere else in their country. (In France, I found, for example, Te Caramel, a box of tea with a heavenly dulce-de-leche hint to it.)”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT HIMS.

You don’t know what you have till it’s gone

And that includes your hair, dudes.

Don’t worry: You can get it back in as little as three to six months with Hims Hair.

_{***Based on separate individual studies of oral minoxidil and oral finasteride.}

That’s right — Hims Hair has a bunch of products to help you regrow your hair. It’s not just random stuff they threw in a bottle, either. All of their products are completely doctor-trusted and prescribed through vetted, board-licensed medical providers.

Here are three more reasons Hims Hair gives us good vibes:

• It’s a 100% online process. Just answer a few simple questions, and a medical provider will determine if a prescription is right for you.

• Everything is dermatologist-recommended. That means peace of mind re: your skin.

• Your Rx ships directly to you if prescribed. And shipping is free!

So, what are you waiting for?

_{***Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information.}

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Dax Shepard, host of the Armchair Expert podcast, has signed an $80 million deal with Amazon’s Wondery that includes first-look rights for any new shows, exclusivity in selling and distributing ads, and one live show out of Shepard annually. [Read More]

• Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has opened a film-centric hotel in Peachtree City, Georgia, featuring a production facility, editing suites, and an ADR recording room. [Read More]

• Redbox is officially shutting down as part of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s bankruptcy. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• For the Paris Olympics, Foot Locker is launching “The HeARt Experience” — a mix of IRL and AR activations across its nine stores in the city. [Read More]

• Soccer legend David Beckham has co-founded a wellness brand, IM8, with a former chief scientist of NASA. [Read More]

• Top beauty brands are tapping AI to help craft perfect personalized shades of makeup for customers. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• Google has canceled its acquisition of software firm HubSpot, which would’ve been the tech giant’s biggest deal to date. [Read More]

• Meta is working on a voice-authentication system that would scan a person’s vocal vibrations so that AI can’t be used to replicate it fraudulently. [Read More]

• Joby Aviation is working on a version of its air taxi that will run on hydrogen power, which could help the vehicles fly longer routes. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• YouTube is taking a page from TikTok and introducing a text-to-speech video tool. [Read More]

• CreatorIQ, an influencer-marketing firm, has hired Adobe alum Chris Harrington as its newest CEO. [Read More]

• Illinois has passed a law that requires parents to give 15% of their earnings from online content to their children if they appear in at least 30% of their videos. [Read More]

.FOOD & DRINK.

Hydration is heating up the beverage business

The Future. Top sports drink brands (Gatorade, Powerade, Bodyarmor) and fresh upstarts (DripDrop, Liquid I.V.) have rolled out a batch of new marketing campaigns for peak “hydration season,” which stretches from May through September. As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the brands that can market the best science may be the ones rewarded with increased market share.

Electrolyte economy
As Earth breaks extreme heat records, the beverage industry is thirsting for record sales.

• The focus this year is expanding the customer base from primarily athletes to… well… everyone, including those who are traveling, attending a music festival, or having a long night out.

• That includes showing that there’s more than just the classic sports drink to replenish your body — there are also powder sticks, rapid hydration drinks, and zero sugar options, all of which provide electrolytes, potassium, and calcium.

• And instead of just pro athletes repping brands, singer Carrie Underwood, actor Michael B. Jordan, and Peloton instructor Kirsten Ferguson are now ambassadors.

All of that makes sense when hydration is a growing business. Beverage Digest reported that sales for sports drinks jumped 7.6% last year at “multi-channel locations,” such as supermarkets and convenience stores.

It’s hot out there.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT SURF.

New dishwasher, who dis?

Modern dishwashers are lame. They were created to handle an overly packed load of rando dishes — not the things you actually use.

That’s why the Surf Dishwasher is where it’s at. It has specially designed modules for plates, bowls, cups, and silverware, and it washes them faster with much less water. It also comes with the option to use a standard washer whenever you need one.

Be one of the first Surf Dishwasher owners by making a pledge on their Kickstarter.

• Listen: Decoder chats with The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson about why the storied magazine signed a licensing deal with OpenAI. (Hint: it’s all about transparency and control.)

• Watch: Google released a video of a robot autonomously navigating the DeepMind offices using the company’s Gemini AI system.

• Read: Bloomberg profiles Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, diving into the EV maker’s plan for a sustainable business that’s decidedly anti-Tesla.

VHS is very cool again.

JOBS OF THE WEEK(END)

Explore a weekly curated list of the latest and greatest opportunities in business, tech, and entertainment. For more listings, check out the complete job board.

Senior Manager, Mental Health and Wellbeing
Salesforce
Atlanta, GA

Global Account Lead
Spotify
London, UK

Partnership Marketing & Media Sales Intern
Kroenke Sports Enterprises
Denver, CO

Manager, Product Design, Platform
Coinbase
Remote

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today we get into a recent study on the digital habits and informational literacy of Gen Z, how the secondhand clothing market is struggling to maintain their popularity online, and the most recent updates on the Paramount Skydance merger.