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It’s Friday, Future Party. Tax Day is nearly upon us. And if you can’t stomach another year of TurboTax or don’t love the government’s new free tax tool, accounting software firm Open Ledger has an alternative. It’s developed a Pokémon GO-style game called PokéTax that turns tax prep into a series of battles against Tax Trainers. And just think: you get the best reward for beating the game — your taxes are done.
DAILY TOP TRENDS
Reddit – Bill Hader
Letterboxd – Y2K
Spotify – “Back To Me”
Brush Up On Your Skills. Employers Are On The Headhunt.
Better than a college degree // Illustration by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
Philadelphia-based nonprofit Burning Glass Institute has launched a career website in partnership with 10 blue-chip brands designed to define, clarify, track, and update the skills needed in today’s ever-evolving job market.
The Big Picture: The economic and technological rollercoaster of the past few years has overcomplicated the job market for both employers and prospective employees. By bringing daylight to what skills are needed for jobs, companies may be able to attract a wider net of qualified candidates who weren’t well-versed in LinkedIn jargon.
Behind the Hires: The SkillsFirst website is launching with the participation of Accenture, Bank of America, Blackstone, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Nordstrom, PepsiCo, Walmart, and Verizon.
To start, the site covers the skills for nine job titles — retail salesperson, first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, sales managers, customer service reps, customer service managers, financial analysts, product managers, and software developers.
Burning Glass plans to expand that roster of roles and associated skill sets to 30 in the coming months.
Now, onto the skills — the website organizes them into four categories (baseline, leadership, role-specific, and specialization), ranks their importance for specific roles, and defines the level of proficiency required for each.
Breaking Glass says it decides on the criteria by analyzing and cross-referencing tens of millions of job postings. It also gets direct input from employers.
The site also lists the “wage premium” for having a specific skill, such as companies willing to pay 5% more to product managers with UX experience.
The Future: Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, says that “there are skills that are growing in popularity now that will decline, and there are skills that will hit the radar that aren’t on the radar now.” So, SkillsFirst could be a valuable resource for college students who want to learn in-demand skills before entering the workforce, as well as for employees aiming for a promotion by showing them which skills to focus on to become indispensable.
Verizon, which transitioned to a skills-first approach to hiring and promoting in 2021, says that the change led to an average company tenure of 13.1 years — 70% more than the national average.
Together with Lazarus Naturals
Ship Yourself A Good Night’s Sleep
April’s here, and TFP is celebrating Earth Month with a focus on restorative self-care, especially sleep! 🌱
We’re partnering with Lazarus Naturals to offer a special springtime treat: a Free Sleep CBD Gummy Giveaway, with just $4 for shipping.
As we honor our planet, let’s also honor the importance of a restful night. These Sleep CBD gummies are crafted to promote relaxation and support a tranquil slumber — perfect for unwinding after a long day.
Prioritize your well-being, one restful night at a time.
Gen Z Goes Camping
Courtesy of KOA
A new report from Kampgrounds of America (KOA) has found that young people, especially Gen Zers, are supercharging demand for camping — especially its fancy cousin, glamping.
Why It Hits: The typical vacation is getting even more expensive, thanks to inflation, tariffs, crackdowns on short-term rentals, and other economic factors. That doesn’t mean that people have any less desire to get away and unwind. With camping proving to be one of the most affordable options available, it’s no wonder young people are rediscovering the analog thrills of the great outdoors.
Behind the Bookings: KOA’s “2025 Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report” proves that camping really is generational.
Here are some findings:
61% of all new campers in 2024 were Gen Zers or millennials.
72% consider camping a cost-effective travel option.
The camping economy hit $61 billion last year, with Gen Z campers spending an average of $266 daily (boomers spent the least — $134 per day).
That bigger spending by Gen Z is likely because the group is ponying up for gear rentals, activities, food, and experiences in surrounding communities.
Final Itinerary: KOA CEO and president Toby O’Rourke says that boomers rolling up in RVs was the biggest camping demographic 15 years ago. So, the love from Gen Z is a major shift. While they’re not going the RV route, they do love glamping — camping in more luxurious digs like a yurt or treehouse that has some hotel amenities (Wi-Fi, A/C, etc.). KOA, the largest network of privately-owned campgrounds in the country, is making sure every one of its campsites gets the elevated treatment.
With festivals like Coachella already offering some glamping experiences, expect organizers to expand them rapidly to meet demand in the coming years.
Together with The Anthem Awards
Champion Your Resilience
From the creators of The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.
Enter now for your chance to join winners, such as Everytown for Gun Safety, REI, The Daily Show, R/GA, Sesame Workshop, Havas, UNICEF, The Elton John AIDS Foundation, Rare Beauty, and Vote.org in being honored for inspiring others to take action in their communities.
Submit your work by the Early Entry Deadline on Friday, June 6th, for preferred pricing.
DEEP DIVES
Explore: The Cannes Film Festival released the official selection for its 78th edition, which, as recent years have shown, is the first look at next year’s Oscar contenders.
Listen: Boz to the Future, the podcast hosted by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, chats with filmmaking legend James Cameron about how AI could reshape blockbuster production.
Watch: The Duolingo Owl is alive. He speaks with Fast Company about his disappearance and rumors of his death.
58.3% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you think moviegoing will ever return to pre-pandemic levels?
“I think the timing of the pandemic, combined with the increase in streaming options, has changed the landscape of moviegoing forever, leading to more people staying home to watch films.”
“Unfortunately, people no longer have the attention span or emotional control to sit still for 110 minutes.”
“I say maybe, because the death of cinema is always overstated, and because there’s a lot of room for film distribution to grow among community screenings, localized film clubs, not-for-profit screens, screens as part of entertainment centers like arcades, or experiential like 4DX and IMAX moving into current theaters’ places.”
“It may take longer than expected — maybe another generation or two — but what goes around comes around.”
Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.
QUICK HITS
→ Entertainment / Media
🏆 The Oscars are finally getting an Achievement in Stunt Design category, which will be introduced in 2027.
🎥 Director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, The Kingsman) is teaming up with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo on film studio UR•Marv.
🎤 Drake has now spent more cumulative weeks on the Billboard 200 than The Beatles — 3,346.
→ Technology
🤖 The new AI venture from Mira Murati, the former CTO and brief CEO of OpenAI, may raise the largest seed round in history.
🎬 EDGLRD, Harmony Korine’s experimental content studio, has struck a first-look deal with AI video firm Runway.
🫠 Silicon Valley investors, along with the potential next US ambassador to Denmark, are discussing plans to turn Greenland into the location for a proposed “freedom city.”
→ Fashion / E-commerce
👕 Prada Group has closed its $1.38 billion acquisition of Versace and plans to invest $280 million into the brand.
💿 Bon Iver and menswear designer Todd Snyder collabed on apparel tied to the artist’s new album, SABLE, fABLE.
📱 Before tariffs took effect, Apple airlifted 600 tons of iPhones out of India.
Let us know how we are doing...
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.