A new week, a new living-in-unprecedented-times achievement unlocked. Yesterday, President Biden announced that he would no longer seek re-election, facing mounting pressure to drop out. Instead, he threw his support behind VP Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee (although the decision goes to an open convention next month). Technically, this situation isn’t totally unprecedented — in 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson dropped his bid for re-election after his approval rating nosedived.

In other news… CrowdStrike’s software update brings down global systems, Sundance drops the short-list of future hosts, and a new Anthony Hopkins movie has its footage hacked.

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe

• YouTube – Alien: Romulus

• X (Twitter) – Joe Biden

• Google – Sean Kingston

• Reddit – Dave Bautista 

• TikTok – “Summer” - Croquet Club

• Spotify – “Chrome Cowgirl” - Leon Bridges

.TECHNOLOGY.

CrowdStrike’s software glitch exposes our fragile tech infrastructure

The Future. On Friday, an overnight update from top cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused a global network outage that affected Microsoft Windows users in the transportation, finance, government, and healthcare industries. While the issue has already been identified, and the update retracted, some organizations may consider switching over wholesale to Apple’s iOS.

Crash course
What’s being considered the largest IT outage in history could have ramifications that last for weeks, or even months.

But here’s what happened just over the weekend.

• CrowdStrike sent a late Thursday night update to its software that contained corrupted code… and all hell broke loose when it crashed systems using a Windows operating system.

• That led to a “Blue Screen of Death” that locked users out of their systems — a glitch that requires computers to be fixed manually (a process that could take days or longer).

• But the damage was immediate — thousands of flights were grounded, government functions were suspended, TV networks went dark, banks couldn’t process transactions, and hospitals had to postpone surgeries.

Once the issue is fixed, that’ll likely just be the start of an avalanche of Congressional hearings, security reviews, and financial fallout that could remake the cybersecurity landscape.

It’s possible that this incident was simply a canary in a coal mine — today, it was a buggy update; tomorrow, it could be an actual hack from a malicious actor.

54.4% of you voted Yes in Friday’s poll: Do you listen to country music?

“I listen to country ‘rock’ and folk, and I love the blending of Dolly Parton’s, Emmy Lou Harris’, and Linda Ronstadt’s voices.”

“Growing up, I did, as I lived in a rural area. I still listen, but not all the time, and I’m not a fan of bro country.”

“Always been a fan of country music, but Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter inspired me to seek out more country artists from marginalized groups. As a Black queer person, I’m a huge fan of country music from artists who share my experiences.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT UPWORK.

Hire better freelancers with Upwork

Got a hot project and need some profesh help?

Upwork is your one-stop shop. They’ll help you find, hire, and pay the right freelance professionals for your project — whatever your project might be. (Building a recycled fashion site, creating an app for your canine chef business, or just making a social page for your cacti — whatever.)

With Upwork, you can hire all sorts of professionals — top-quality developers, IT experts, admins, marketing pros, and more. Search by rating, and read reviews, so you can hire with confidence.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Netflix beat forecasts once again by adding eight million paid subscribers (for a total of 277.65 million) and generating $9.56 billion in revenue last quarter. [Read More]

• The producers of the indie film Eyes in the Trees revealed that a hacking group has stolen footage from the Anthony Hopkins-starring film and are demanding a $200,000 ransom. [Read More]

• Are entertainment and media press tours losing their luster thanks to quicker schedules and budget cuts? [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• Kevin Durant has been tapped as the face of Kith’s new line for USA Basketball in the run-up to the Olympics. [Read More]

• People are starting to spend way too much money on products to help them fall asleep. [Read More]

• Young consumers are turning “underconsumption” — finding ways to spend as little as possible on clothes, makeup, and everyday products — into a trend. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• AI companies are running out of high-quality data to scrape as publishers, organizations, and platforms start to protect their data. [Read More]

• The LA Clippers are giving people a sneak peek of its stadium’s new Halo Board — a wraparound screen made of 233 million LEDs that span roughly an acre. [Read More]

• State of the EV market: Ford is switching a planned super plant in Canada from manufacturing EVs to heavy-duty, gas-powered pickup trucks. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• London-based startup Lickd launched a platform that allows creators to license individual songs for videos for as little as $8… and already offers tracks from artists like Coldplay and Dua Lipa. [Read More]

• The Manchester City soccer team has joined Fortnite in a play to score new young fans. [Read More]

• Startup AsqMe, created by former Adobe employees, has debuted FirstDraft — a chatbot tool for creators that learns answers to potential questions by training itself on the creator’s content. [Read More]

.ENTERTAINMENT.

Sundance unveils new festival-home nominees

The Future. The Sundance Film Festival has officially announced the six finalists to host the annual festival after its contract with Park City ends in 2026. While the cities represent a diverse set of regions, it’s possible that insiders, filmmakers, and sponsors will push for the winner to be another mountainous, snow-swept locale to maintain the event’s historic vibe.

Host campaign
Top execs from the Sundance Film Festival are about to go on a road trip to determine which destination will be the best to host the most important independent film festival in the US.

• The six finalists are Atlanta, GA; Boulder, CO; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; Santa Fe, NM; and a revamped bid from the team-up of Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Sundance leadership says that each city embodies the “key values” of the fest — inclusion, equity, caring for the environment, and a commitment to culture and independent film.

• A decision is slated to be made anytime between this fall and the end of next year’s festival… but there’s a push to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Each city is offering a cash infusion worth millions of dollars and robust state tax breaks in exchange for the massive amount of economic activity, tourism, and tax revenue that the fest brings in annually.

Last year, the festival generated $96 million in spending from visitors and $12.3 million in tax revenue… which were smaller numbers than in pre-pandemic years. So, the upside is huge for any city that lands it.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT COZY EARTH.

Upgrade your sanctuary with Cozy Earth’s bamboo sheets

After a busy day, there’s nothing better than unwinding in bed, catching up on your favorite show, and simply chilling out. But for true relaxation, ordinary sheets just won’t cut it — you deserve the pinnacle of luxury.

Introducing Cozy Earth sheets.

Crafted from 100% premium bamboo viscose, a soft and sustainable fabric, these sheets offer unrivaled softness that’ll make it hard to leave your bed in the morning. Plus, they’re designed to become even cozier with every wash, ensuring years of blissful sleep.

Experience the height of comfort with Cozy Earth sheets.

With their 100-night, risk-free trial, you can try them out with complete peace of mind.

• Watch: Forbes dives into how Bruce Springsteen went from blue-collar rockstar to blue-collar billionaire rockstar.

• Read: Bloomberg interviews Apollo Global co-founder Josh Harris about his transition into the sports world.

• Listen: Decoder chats with author Matthew Ball about the state of the metaverse industry and how the Apple Vision Pro and AI could revive interest in the tech.

We hope you weren’t flying this weekend.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today, on an extra special bonus episode of Future Forecast, our hosts Boye and Chris sit down with Andrew Kenward, the President and COO of Almost Friday Media. Andrew was an agent at WME in the digital media department at WME before being brought into the Almost Friday universe in 2021. We chat with him about his career, his goals for the brand moving forward, and what it's like working in media today.