Tuesday time, TFP fam. Here’s one way to power up: last year, the campus fitness center at Brown University installed cardio machines that turn kinetic energy from workouts into electricity used to power the building. The machines, designed by student Elina Pipa, have been a hit so far (people can see how much energy they generate during workouts), so the school is installing even more. Who knew that a joke about machines being powered by hamsters on wheels would actually come true…

In other news… the US rules that Google is a monopoly, Roblox calls for Beetlejuice, and Idris Elba gets land for an African Hollywood.

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• YouTube – The Silent Hour

• X (Twitter) – David Lynch

• Google – Stock market

• Reddit – Keith David & David Keith

• TikTok – “Disco” - Surf Curse

• Spotify – “Superbloom” - Kacey Musgraves, Leon Bridges

.TECHNOLOGY.

Federal judge finds Google is a search monopoly

The Future. A federal judge has sided with the Department of Justice that Google is a monopoly in both the search and search-powered ad market — the biggest antitrust ruling since the case against Microsoft in 2000. The verdict may cast a long shadow over similar cases against Amazon, Apple, and Meta. With Google likely forced to scale back its operations, expect OpenAI to take advantage of the opening to plug SearchGPT as a future-focused alternative.

Gaveled
Judge Amit Mehta was behind the largest antitrust ruling since the case against Microsoft in 2000.

Some highlights:

• Google holds a 90% market share in search, which Mehta said doesn’t allow for the hallmarks of a competitive market, such as “fluid market shares, lost business, or new entrants.”

• It also pays phone and browser makers (like $20 billion to Apple in 2022) through revenue sharing to be their default search engine.

• That disincentivizes companies from launching a competing engine to Google Search, even though they have the capability to do so, because of how much money they would miss out on.

• Additionally, Mehta ruled that Google’s power over search allowed it to raise prices on search text ads, not because of an increase in quality, but because Google simply could.

The jury’s still out on what consequences Google will face, but everything from forcing a change of business practice to breaking up the company is on the table. 

And with Google back in the hot seat starting September 9th over its digital ad tech, the tech giant may be in store for another bad result.

61.8% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Are you a parent?

“Yes... 2 great kids who will make the world a better place... also 1 ninja cat, Cousin It-stylin’ dog, and 2 fish... all about I can handle.”

“And a grandparent.”

“I am a childless cat lady. 🐈 “

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MOOD.

This cannabis startup pioneered “rapid onset” gummies

Most people prefer to smoke cannabis, but that isn’t always an option if you’re at work or in public.

That’s why we were so excited when we found out about Mood’s new Rapid Onset THC Gummies. They can take effect in as little as five minutes without any coughing, lingering smells, or need for a lighter.

Nobody will ever know you’re enjoying some THC.

We recommend you try them out because they offer a 100% money-back guarantee. And for a limited time, you can receive 20% off with the code FIRST20.

Shop now.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Elliot Grainge, the son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, has been named CEO of Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Music Group. Talk about a legacy rivalry. [Read More]

• Actor Idris Elba has been granted land by Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of the African country of Tanzania, to build a film studio in an effort to launch “Zollywood.” [Read More]

• Nielsen reported that the biggest week for streaming ever occurred over the July 4th frame, with each title in the top 10 reaching over one billion views. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• GameStop announced that it’s shutting down its iconic magazine and digital brand, Game Informer, after a 33-year run. [Read More]

• Noah Lyles, the American Olympic athlete and now the world’s fastest man, wants a signature sneaker following his gold medal win in the 100-meter sprint. [Read More]

• Dolce & Gabbana has debuted a luxury fragrance for dogs called “Fefé. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• Meta is trying to woo celebrities like Judi Dench, Keegan-Michael Key, and Awkwafina to voice AI assistants… hoping to have more success than OpenAI had with Scarlett Johansson. [Read More]

• Speaking of OpenAI, the company has reportedly dragged its feet on introducing a watermarking feature for ChatGPT outputs because some people may use the generative software less. [Read More]

• Groq, an AI chip startup, raised $640 million in a financing round led by BlackRock to take on market leader Nvidia. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• Beast Games, MrBeast’s high-profile Prime Video competition series, has reportedly been hit with a wave of complaints about poor working conditions and limited access to food and water. [Read More]

• YouTuber David Millette has filed a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI after it was revealed that the firm illegally scraped the transcripts of YouTube videos to train ChatGPT. [Read More]

• TikTok will no longer have a “task and reward” program as part of TikTok Lite after the EU launched an investigation into the feature. [Read More]

.ENTERTAINMENT.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sets up a box office in Roblox

The Future. Warner Bros., Fandango, and Roblox teamed up to build the very first box office within the game platform in support of the new Beetlejuice sequel. The move gives Warner Bros. new access to young moviegoers while giving Roblox a new ecommerce capability. Expect every major studio to give this experiment a shot… and potentially create unique experiences that give players the chance to win extra tickets or concessions.

The digital juice is loose
Warner Bros. wants you to buy a ticket for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in any reality you’re in.

• Users 13 and up can purchase tickets for the movie within Roblox through the in-game “Escape the Afterlife” experience — a Beetlejuice-themed lobby that’s a portal to three immersive worlds.

• Ticket buyers will also get an exclusive Beetlejuice Beetlejuice avatar item that can be used within Roblox. However, users don’t have to purchase a ticket to play the immersive games.

Hollywood has increasingly been turning to Roblox to reach younger audiences. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. turned a trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire into an interactive game. Most people who played the game reported that they had even more of a desire to see the movie (which turned out to be a big hit, btw).

Warner Bros. knows that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has one of Gen Z’s most beloved stars in Jenna Ortega. So, finding every way to reduce the friction for young people to buy tickets to see her or experience the IP is a high priority for the studio.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT ANTHEM AWARDS.

Good work, better deadline

Yup, we’re coming to you with some great news: The deadline for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards has been extended to September 13th, 2024.

The Anthem Awards (brought to you by The Webby Awards) gives props to the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.

Join past winners like Sesame Workshop, UNICEF, Elton John AIDS Foundation, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, and Vote.org in setting the bar for great work.

If your work has an impact, this is the perfect opportunity to get recognized.

Enter now.

• Watch: Fast Company dissects why so many top brands were all in on irreverent marketing collaborations with Deadpool & Wolverine.

• Read: Hypebeast interviews Anderson .Paak about upcoming projects in both music and film, including a new movie he directed titled K-POPS.

• Listen: Decoder chats with Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel (head honcho behind Priceline, OpenTable, and Kayak) about the many factors remaking travel booking.

Some marketing really sticks with you…

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.