Happy Wednesday, FutureParty people. If you’re feeling the midweek blues, here’s something to try: if you happen to have access to an Apple Vision Pro, National Geographic has debuted virtual recreations of national parks that you can explore in the Disney+ visionOS app. You can even watch movies right in the middle of the environment, which cues nightfall for the optimal viewing experience. Very cool.

In other news… AI startups rush for the Big Tech exit, office lunches get the app makeover, and Pitbull slaps his name on a Miami football stadium.

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• YouTube – “Guess” - Charli XCX

• X (Twitter) – Steve Martin

• Google – Cole Hocker

• Reddit – Chappell Roan 

• TikTok – “not a lot, just forever” - Adrianne Lenker 

• Spotify – “Edin” - The Smashing Pumpkins

.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

AI startups search for a Big Tech check

The Future. A run of “acqui-hires,” in which tech giants hire a startup’s employees and license its underlying technology, are reshaping the AI market. If the unique deals continue, expect AI to stealthily become almost completely centralized under Big Tech.

Generating an exit
The AI industry is contracting in a number of all-but-in-name acquisition deals.

• In March, Microsoft hired nearly all of Inflection AI’s employees who were reassigned to start a consumer AI division. It also paid roughly $650 million to license its tech.

• In June, Amazon brought on most of Adept AI’s employees and paid $330 million to license its tech — shocking for a company valued at a billion dollars last year.

• Last week, Google hired Character.AI’s researchers and influential ex-Googlers from the company — including CEO Noam Shazeer and president Daniel De Freitas. It also paid $2 billion to license its tech, which was then used to pay out the startup’s early investors.

Why did these tech behemoths choose this route instead of a clear-cut acquisition? Under the Biden administration, the FTC has been more active in challenging deals, and it’s likely that all of these potential acquisitions could’ve been blocked for being anti-competitive. With acqui-hire arrangements, tech giants technically get what they want. (Note: the FTC is still investigating Amazon’s and Microsoft’s deals.)

But for the startups themselves, the deals show that the frothy fundraising environment for AI startups may have already peaked. And considering the exorbitant cost of running AI systems, less money equals an unsustainable business. So, yeah, everyone’s running for the exit.

76.9% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Is Google your go-to search engine?

“Is there any other?”

“Using others requires you to go through a bunch of junk to find the result you want. Google is MUCH more intuitive.”

“Nope. DuckDuckGo for me.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT ARMOIRE.

Look fresh — no occasion needed

You don’t have to go anywhere to look amazing. You can just hop on a Zoom call or stroll to your fridge. Because at the end of the day, a fresh outfit makes you feel good.

If you’re into that (and we’re guessing you are) — you’ll want Armoire in your life. Armoire is a female-owned clothing rental service for women.

Here are some things we like about them:

• Their style quiz. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it leads to legit recs.

• Their collections. They make putting yourself together way less overwhelming.

• Shipping is free and speedy. You can even get stuff the same week you buy it.

Choose from three monthly plans starting at $89/month and use the code thefutureparty for up to 50% off your first month.

Freshen up your look.

Media, Music, & Entertainment

• Wesley Snipes broke the record for the longest-running Marvel live-action star after appearing in — spoiler alert — Deadpool & Wolverine. [Read More]

• Pitbull bought the naming rights to Florida International University’s football stadium for the next five years, making him the first musician to have a college athletics stadium named after them. [Read More]

• Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down the classic cartoon streamer Boomerang, moving some of the programming to Max. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

• Uber’s stock is climbing after the company reported that rideshare bookings increased 25% over the past year. [Read More]

• Rapper 21 Savage dropped a financial literacy book titled Master Your Money: Financial Success 101 Guide With 21 Savage. [Read More]

• Nike is dropping an Air Jordan x Swarovski sneaker that will cost $1,000 and, yes, will be covered in crystals. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

• An investigation by 404 Media found that NVIDIA scraped data from YouTube, Netflix, and other platforms to train its commercial AI systems. [Read More]

• Nissan revealed a new “cool paint” for cars that lowered the exterior temperature by 22 degrees Fahrenheit and the interior temp by nine degrees Fahrenheit. [Read More]

• X is officially saying bye to San Francisco. [Read More]

Creator Economy

• Patreon reported that the 40,000 podcasters using its platform collected $350 million from patrons last year. [Read More]

• YouTube is testing new mid-roll livestream ads that will play picture-in-picture with the livestream to not disrupt creators or viewers. [Read More]

• Elon Musk, who once told advertisers to “F— off” from X, is now suing three advertising alliances for doing just that. [Read More] 

.FOOD & DRINK.

Offices lay off cafeterias in favor of meal-delivery services

The Future. Businesses are turning to services like Relish and Uber for Business to provide a more flexible option for employees to have their lunch covered. To lure new employees, watch for some businesses to strike exclusive deals with restaurants, making lunch delivery from a favorite establishment a rare perk.

Made to order
Hybrid work arrangements are remaking the office lunch.

• Apps like Relish and Uber for Business allow lunch orders to be scaled up or down based on how many employees are in the office or distribute a per diem for each employee who’s in the office that day.

• Employees can choose from a number of local eateries, and meals are individually packaged and delivered on demand.

• This new perk has also helped companies significantly cut down on in-office food waste.

Employer-provided lunches are already bringing people back to the office. Since it started using Relish, event-ticketing firm SeatGeek reported that office visits have increased 5x.

Sometimes, people just don’t want to make another sandwich.

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT NATIVE PATH.

Don’t let dehydration catch you off guard

Feeling the heat? Dehydration can sneak up on you, leaving you feeling drained and unable to enjoy the sunny days ahead. 

But don’t sweat it. That’s where Native Hydrate comes in.

Unlike most hydration supplements, Native Hydrate contains high-quality amino acids and electrolytes, providing optimal hydration without excessive sodium or added sugars.

With its potent blend of electrolytes, just one scoop mixed into your water or favorite beverage ensures that you stay hydrated and energized all season long.

So, stock up for summer and save big! Order now to receive up to 44% off.

• Listen: WSJ goes deep on Monday’s bizarre global stock selloff, which led to Japan’s worst market drop since the 1987 crash and saw the US Dow fall 1,000 points.

• Watch: Vox breaks down the post-COVID surge of pop-up restaurants, which grew 260% since 2021.

• Read: The New York Times Magazine looks at how “executive coaching” has become the optimized version of therapy in Silicon Valley.

Remember to blur that background.

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.