?? Silly Valley News: October 22nd 2024 ??

Greetings mortals. I know at least 7 of you have already watched the first two videos of my "Knights of the Conference Table" series so thank you. If you haven't seen them yet go find them on Linkedin, IG or TikTok. They're weird, but, like most of my content, I did it FOR ME.

Now, let’s get into the best news stories of the week…

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

?? New Startup Lets You Communicate Through Lucid Dreams

?? Poop AI is Finally Here

?????? Tulsa Oklahoma’s $10K Remote Worker Program is Working

?? More big brain stuff to get you super smart...

The Silly Valley

?? New Startup Lets You Communicate Through Lucid Dreams. A California startup, REMspace, has made a breakthrough by enabling communication between people through lucid dreams. Using special sensors and technology, two participants exchanged a simple message during REM sleep using a dream language called Remmyo. The experiment marked the first-ever recorded communication within dreams. This comes after nearly five years of research. REMspace founder Michael Raduga predicts that dream communication will become the next big technological advancement after AI. The company is now focused on achieving real-time communication in lucid dreams, with hopes of making it a reality in a few months. For salespeople, this means in the middle of dreaming about dinosaurs in your 3rd grade classroom, your manager will be able to ask for Salesforce updates.

?? Poop AI is Finally Here. Austin-based startup, Throne, is bringing “artificial gut intelligence” to your toilet. Initially founded as a healthcare staffing marketplace, Throne pivoted to poop hardware after raising $1.2 million in funding. The company is targeting older adults and those with chronic digestive conditions like Crohn’s disease and IBS. The company uses AI that’s trained by physicians to analyze poop for gut health and hydration. The smart toilet camera is available for preorder at $299, with a later retail price of $499. It’s unclear if Throne will let you send pics of impressive logs to friends and family.

?? Tesla’s Optimus Robots at the “We, Robot” Event Were Controlled By Humans. While analysts were disappointed in Tesla’s CyberCab reveal, many were still excited by their Optimus robots. However, despite their impressive performance, the robots were largely for show. The robots relied on human intervention, or "tele-ops," to serve drinks and talk to guests. While the robots admitted they weren’t AI to guests at the event, many people online thought they were. With the lack of details around both CyberCab and Optimus, it brings more pressure on Tesla to show proof of concept over the next 6-12 months. On the bright side, it appears they do have concepts of a plan.

Sales Tip of the Week

63% of people remember stories, while only 5% remember individual statistics. - Stanford Researchers and Authors Chip and Dan Heath from their book Made to Stick

Outside the Bubble

?? FTC Makes It Easier for People to Cancel Subscriptions. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has introduced a new "click-to-cancel" rule aimed at making it easier for customers to cancel subscriptions. The rule requires businesses to offer a cancellation process that is as straightforward as signing up. This means companies can no longer force customers to cancel via more cumbersome methods like phone calls or live chats if they signed up online. This regulation applies to all automatically renewing subscriptions, including gym memberships, magazine subscriptions, and services like Amazon Prime. It also covers free trials that convert into paid subscriptions if not canceled in time. FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized that the rule is designed to protect consumers from misleading practices, saving them both time and money. The rule is part of a broader effort to crack down on deceptive subscription practices, including previous lawsuits against Adobe, Amazon, and Microsoft. Unfortunately, the rule does not mean that you automatically remember to cancel your subscriptions.

?????? Tulsa Oklahoma’s $10K Remote Worker Program is Working. Business leaders in Tulsa, Oklahoma sought to address the city’s “brain drain.” Initiated by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Tulsa Remote program offers $10,000 to remote workers who move to Tulsa for at least a year. Since its launch five years ago, 3,300 people have participated and brought in an estimated $14.9 million in income tax revenue and $5.8 million in sales taxes annually. Nearly 75% of participants remain in Tulsa beyond the first year so despite spending $33M on the program so far, the long-term tax revenues will likely offset that cost. Participants are also winning by saving an average of $25,000 in housing costs. However, participants are also losing because they’re in Tulsa (I’ve never been, I’m sure it’s great…).

?? American Consumer Spending on Halloween Grows to $11.6B. That’s up from $3.3 billion in 2005. Trick-or-treating originated in the early 1900s as a way to distract children from destructive pranks associated with the Holiday. Eventually, mass-produced costumes and individually wrapped candy emerged in the 1970s, turning Halloween into a major commercial holiday. Today, Halloween is embraced by nearly 75% of U.S. adults. Consumer spending per person is expected to be $103.63. Retailers like Spirit Halloween and Home Depot have been some of the biggest beneficiaries. Home Depot’s 12-foot skeleton, "Skelly," has sold out every year since 2020. Spirit Halloween has gone from 130 stores in the early 2000s to over 1,500 stores today. And since you’re all wondering, I will be going as Jeff Bezos’ penis-shaped rocket ship this year.

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

How to absolutely crush small talk at conferences...

Wanna hear some crazy client stories? ??

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