Happy Independence Day, fam! Yes, we’re a day early, but this is The Future Party, after all. There won’t be a newsletter gracing your inbox Thursday or Friday, but we’ll be back in action on Monday. Enjoy some burgers, fireworks, and, hopefully, a few days off work.

In other news… Michigan unveils America’s future freeway, luxury fashion goes small, and Skydance goes for a second take at a Paramount purchase.

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• YouTube – Jackpot! 

• X (Twitter) – Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F 

• Google – Xbox

• Reddit – Horizon: An American Saga

• TikTok – “Apple” - Charli xcx 

• Spotify – “Annihilation” - Wilco 

.TRANSPORTATION.

Michigan unveils the highway of the future

The Future. Cavnue, a subsidiary of Alphabet’s Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, cut the tape on the pilot of a planned 40-mile connected upgrade of Michigan’s I-94. As drivers start testing the technology, several companies could build out independent connected corridors throughout the country… and eventually stitch them all into a new high-tech highway system that makes autonomous driving and EVs a seamless transition for Americans.

Road R&D
A three-mile stretch of highway between Detroit and Ann Arbor may now be the most high-tech open road in the world.

• Cavnue’s connected corridor will start by using cameras, sensors, and AI to warn connected vehicles about road conditions, inclement weather, and hazards up ahead.

• It’ll soon be used to map traffic patterns to ease congestion and help vehicles drive more efficiently.

• The hope is that the road can be used to safely deploy autonomous vehicles (which Cavnue expects to be about half of cars by the early 2030s), letting drivers sit back and relax while the car and road are in communication.

Not every car driving the corridor needs to respond to Cavnue’s alerts to be effective. A study published in Transportation Research Procedia found that just one out of every 100 cars responding to alerts could help curb “phantom” traffic — that traffic that seemingly happens for no reason.

Cavnue is already working on another connected corridor near Austin, Texas.

55% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Should social media platforms be protected under the First Amendment?

“The First Amendment is necessary for a free country with many beliefs and ideals, instead of an oligarchy.”

“They should use their First Amendment rights to remove offensive speech on the platforms they build and maintain.”

“Yes and no. We should be allowed to have free speech, but social media platforms are deciding what goes against their guidelines but won’t define it. It’s too broad. It’s like playing judge and jury.”

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Skydance is back on the hunt for Paramount Global, reaching a new tentative agreement with Shari Redstone’s National Amusements. NAI has 45 days to see if another suitor wants to match Skydance’s offer. [Read More]

• Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum, fresh off an NBA Finals victory, has signed the biggest deal in NBA history — a five-year extension with the Celtics for $315 million. [Read More]

• Season 3 of The Bear cooked up the best-scripted TV premiere for Hulu, with 5.4 million views in just four days. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• Stüssy founder Shawn Stussy has come out of retirement, teasing a new project. [Read More]

• Jay-Z is getting into the online watch market by participating in a $5 million fundraising round for luxury trading platform Wristcheck. [Read More]

• BoldHue, a tech fashion startup behind a personalized “Keurig for makeup,” has raised $3.7 million in a funding round led by Lucas Venture Group. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• Meta is hiring for a new position to lead generative AI features for its gaming efforts, with the ambition of creating games that would change every time you play them. [Read More]

• DNEG, the UK-based VFX house that worked on titles like Dune and Stranger Things, received $200 million in funding from Abu Dhabi-based United Al Saqer Group for its work in AI innovation. [Read More]

• AI firm ElevenLabs has struck rights deals with the estates of icons like Judy Garland and Burt Reynolds to have their deepfaked voices used to read books, articles, and other content on the company’s new Reader App. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• Several top creators at VidCon reported that Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are now better for growing an audience than TikTok. The algorithm war rages on. [Read More]

• X is considering introducing a downvote button to help platform engineers know which posts or replies they should downrank for users. [Read More]

• Samyr Laine and Ayanna Alexander-Laine, married former triple-jump Olympians, have launched Freedom Trail Capital with $50 million in funding to invest in creator-led consumer brands. [Read More]

.FASHION.

Boutique stores get a local, experiential upgrade

The Future. As ecommerce retail has reached its peak, the next era of retail may be hyper-local, in-person-only boutiques that craft a shopping experience. While online retail will still hit record numbers thanks to Instagram and TikTok, those looking to step out of the mainstream may fuel a localized boutique boom that mirrors Gen Z’s obsession with thrifted clothing.

Community centers
Post-pandemic, many luxury ecommerce stores have been saddled with disappointing sales, falling valuations and, in some cases, closures.

• That’s because online customers have endless options to find clothes at the lowest prices possible while also expecting retailers to carry everything they may be looking for — a trend that hurts new designers or niche styles.

• That has opened a lane for smaller stores like ESSX in NYC, Just One Eye in LA, ANT/DOTE in Atlanta, Sportivo in Madrid, and The Broken Arm in Paris.

• The allure? IRL comes first, giving customers a curated experience featuring several new designers and local styles — things harder to find online.

• Additionally, they offer events, parties, and activations that build community among customers (something skate shops have been doing for decades).

Julie Gilhart, a business consultant and former long-time fashion director at the legendary Barneys, said these types of stores stock “the hardest thing to create: intimacy.”

• Read: Fast Company profiles songwriter and producer Daniel Nigro, who’s behind some of the biggest hits this year from Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo.

• Listen: Big Take dives into how the rise of app-based retail trading has made the stock market a 24-hour business… and it’s driving people insane.

• Watch: Deadline talks with Fallout star Walton Goggins and prosthetics department head Jake Garber about how they transformed Goggins into The Ghoul for the hit Prime Video show.

Mighty Morphin Power Employees.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today, on an extra special bonus episode of Future Forecast, our hosts Boye and Chris sit down with Larry Fitzgibbon, the co-founder and CEO of Tastemade. Tastemade is an independent media company that creates award-winning video content and original programming in the food, travel, and home & design space.