?? Silly Valley News: December 17th 2024 ??

I just saw the most amazing play that I think is gonna be a huge hit. It's called "Hamilton."

Not only is the director Lin Manuel Miranda destined for greatness, but Leslie Odom Jr. is a rare, jazz-singing talent that deserves all the recognition in the world. I get it, "plays are so last century" or whatever and maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. But this is already my second time seeing it and I was even more blown away this time around.

Just my two cents, but I'd keep an eye out for this one breaking into the mainstream. Plus, sitting in a theater makes you hella cultured so I also have that going for me now.

Anywho, let's get into the top Silly Valley stories of the week...

This Week's Pipin' ???? (Hot 'Tent)

?? Spotify Wrapped Was Fraudulent!

?? Silly Valley Perks Are Disappearing

?? Drones Are Heeahhh!

?? And more incredibly intelligent and witty stories to make brain go ??

The Silly Valley

?? Spotify Wrapped Was Fraudulent! Don’t worry, Hans Zimmer was still in my #1 spot for the 5th year in a row, but we didn’t know it was also Ben’s #1 artist? He thought it was Nipsey Hussle who was actually #2! We weren’t the only ones who noticed some fishy results. Thankfully Reddit saved the day. One user posted this website which apparently shows your real results. Glenn McDonald, a former Spotify engineer suggested that the inaccurate results and subpar features like weird genres and the lack of a “sound town,” were due to the company’s overreliance on AI and layoffs impacting 25% of its staff over the past year.? Yet still, Spotify Wrapped recorded a “record number of shares” to social media. The annual marketing strategy led to a 21% increase in app downloads when it first launched in 2020. While Spotify has had a generally good year by finally becoming profitable for the first time in company history, it risks losing users over time if one of its most beloved features gets watered down by AI in years to come.?

?? Silly Valley Perks Are Disappearing. The Silly Valley has become synonymous with extravagant workplace perks. Companies like Google, Meta, and Salesforce competed for talent by offering massages, artisanal microkitchens, and foosball tables in the office. The practice started when Google hired a therapist for its 40-person startup back in ‘99, which somehow feels like an HR violation today. These days, the perks of being a wallflower in Silly Valley are gone. Google’s cutbacks include replacing artisanal chocolates with cheaper snacks like Twix. Meta fired dozens of employees for misusing meal-delivery vouchers. Salesforce ended their ranch retreat for employees and canceled monthly “well-being” days off for sales. The tech industry laid off more than 264,000 employees in 2023 and 164,000 in 2022. Amazon announced that corporate employees must return to the office five days a week starting in 2025. Growth at all costs, gone. Perks, gone. What’s next? Acronyms and buzzwords?!

?? OpenAI Claps Back At Musky Boy. The ongoing lawsuit between Elon Musk and OpenAI continues to escalate. OpenAI released a blog post revealing new details about Musk’s early involvement and departure from the company. Allegedly, Musk attempted to take control of the organization and become CEO. He “didn’t care about equity” but “just needed to accumulate $80B for a city on Mars.” Musk also proposed that OpenAI spin into Tesla. Unfortunately for Musk, his efforts were rejected and he resigned. The blog also claims that Musk encouraged the company to pursue profit-driven paths as early as 2018. Musk filed the lawsuit in March 2024, withdrew it in June, and refiled in August. Now, OpenAI hopes that he’ll simply compete with the company in the market now that he’s founded competitor xAI, instead of competing with them in the courtroom.

Sales Tip of the Week

92% of buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review. (Testimonial Engine)

Outside the Bubble

?? Drones Are Heeahhh! Mysterious drones have been flying over New Jersey for the past month and nobody knows what they are or who’s controlling them. All the government has said is that they’re not a threat, but how can they say that if they simultaneously admit that they don’t know where they’re coming from? The New Jersey Governor is telling residents to “calm down” while the FBI investigates it, but the fact that there has to be an investigation at all is a little concerning?! Is it Russia? China? Aliens? The FBI recently said it had received more than 3,000 sightings of alleged drones in the state, with hundreds more in neighboring areas. Most have been identified as lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars mistakenly reported as drones, but I’d still love to hear Tony Soprano’s take on it. Or maybe Snooki and Pauly D can calm our nerves. In the meantime, everyone from Jersey is gonna keep looking like this.?

?? Remember Stanley Mugs? The Company Just Recalled 2.6 Million of Them. The company recalled 2.6 million of its stainless steel travel mugs due to loose lids causing burn injuries. 38 incidents have been reported globally and 11 required medical attention. The recall affects all Switchback and Trigger Action models sold in the U.S. since 2016. When the mugs went viral on TikTok over the past couple of years, I was utterly confused. Now, I can say haha, I told you so to everyone that bought into the stupid trend. However, I do respect the lady from Northern California who was arrested earlier this year for stealing 65 Stanley cups worth $2,500 from a Dick’s Sporting Goods store. These aren’t Air Jordans, people! Cmon.

?? YouTube TV Hikes Prices Again; Over 2X Initial Starting Price in 2017. What was once a cheaper alternative to cable, YouTube TV is raising prices to $83 per month. Only $6 less than the average cable package.? YouTube TV is owned by Google, who blames the latest price increase on the rising cost of content. Which is ironic considering they’ve actively cut content over the past couple of years including regional sports networks and MLB Network. When you factor in the additional costs of prestige streaming channels like Disney, Max, or Apple, that many of us pay for in addition to a YouTube TV or Hulu, we’ve officially come full circle and are paying just as much as we did when cable was the only option. Thankfully, you don’t need to pay anything to watch the Oscar nominated S.A.D. (Sales Are Dope) on regular YouTube.

Last Week's Pipin' ???? (Hot 'Tent)

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