March 6, 2024

The Appetizer

“24 years later, redemption is spelled T-O-M”

• A tweet from former NFL quarterback Tom Brady after he ran a 5.18-second 40-yard dash at the young age of 46. This was faster than his 40-yard time at the NFL Combine in 2000 (5.28).

Now, on to the numbers. Drum roll, please …

• $5: How much AT&T is reimbursing customers for the network outage that left tens of thousands of people unable to place calls, text, or access the internet for nearly 12 hours.
• 39%: The percentage of TikTok users in their 30s and 40s.
• 4.8%: The unemployment rate of recent college grads (aged 22 to 27) in December 2023. The underemployment rate was little changed at 40.3%, remaining below its pre-pandemic level.
• $200,000: The national median debt load for medical students in 2023, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
• $118,600: The average 401(k) balance at the end of 2023, up 14% from a year ago, according to Fidelity.

Dig In
To the Moon

A lot has happened in the last five decades, but one milestone remains unreached: a human footprint on the moon. However, the race to the moon has not paused by any means. More than ever, we are seeing nations and private companies venture into space exploration. And last month, Intuitive Machines’ robotic spacecraft became the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo 17.

Since we focus a lot on the long term, what are we seeing develop in this “space” in the foreseeable future? Well, as an example, permanently manned bases on the moon could be a real thing. The U.S. Artemis mission and the Sino-Russian Lunar Research Station are competing toward this goal. Countries are also competing to launch satellites into orbit. As of 2022, the U.S. had 4,700, Russia 1,537, and China 548.

On a lighter note, the long-awaited photos of the robotic spacecraft moon landing were released – let’s just say the spacecraft did not anticipate hitting the surface that hard. Even with two of its landing legs broken, NASA still declared this landing a success!

Weekly Specials

Americans are heading back to the office, fearing job losses and realizing that remote work may hinder career growth. Fifty percent of remote and 57% of hybrid workers feel being at home stalls their careers. Yet, many still prefer working from home, likely because they can do laundry and dishes in between meetings.

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump, Rihanna, and many other celebs converged recently in Jamnagar, India. Why? Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, hosted a three-day pre-wedding bash for his son. If you’re wondering what he does for a living, he is Chairman of Reliance Industries, a family-founded conglomerate.

Blackcat strikes again. The ransomware gang caused an outage at UnitedHealth’s technology unit, delaying prescription deliveries for days. It’s just another example of the growing cybersecurity threat in a digital world.

American parents are facing a dilemma of whether to let their toddlers watch “Peppa Pig.” Some are saying the snarkiness of the character is a bad influence and Peppa can often be “rude” and “unkind.”

Corporate Lunch

Netflix will not allow users to pay for their subscription through the Apple app store since Apple is hiking fees from 15% to 30% for in-app purchases. First, no Netflix app for the Apple Vision Pro and now this?

Tesla beat us to it: Apple ended its plans to build an electric vehicle.

Modelo Especial was the real winner for that football game with the confetti, halftime show, and lots of lawyers. 8.7% of all beer sold in U.S. retail stores the week before and after the game was Modelo, taking the crown from Bud Light.

Adidas is still trying to sell off the last Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with Ye (FKA Kanye West) in 2022.

Wendy’s created a way to make waiting in line even worse: Your baked potato will go up and down in price based on how busy the store is.

Auto prices are coming down after inflationary pressures ease. Someone tell the Federal Reserve, please.

Samsung announced it will be rolling out a smart ring soon. A friendly reminder for the single fellas, keep it off the finger next to your pinky on your left hand.

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