February 5, 2025

The Appetizer

“This is also going to be a pivotal year for the metaverse.”

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during Meta’s most recent earning call.

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

• 15%+: The increase in pedestrians’ walking speed in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia between 1980 and 2010.
• $116 million: The estimated amount NBA superstar Luka Doncic will miss out on now that the Dallas Mavericks have traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
• $15 million: The amount Major League Pickleball is aiming for to grant a new team franchise, according to a league source.
• 2,000+ years: The estimated age of a marble statue of a woman that was found abandoned in a garbage bag near the Greek city of Thessaloniki.
• 67%: The percentage of U.S. eighth graders who scored at a basic or better reading level in 2024, the lowest share since testing began in 1992.

Dig In
AI Market Shakeup

Chinese AI startup High-Flyer made waves last week by unveiling its low-cost AI model DeepSeek – a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The market’s initial reaction? The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 shed nearly $1 trillion in value. Dramatic, right? Let’s break it down first.

Back in November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT – a game changer in AI. Nvidia, the mastermind behind AI-friendly graphic chips, rode the wave to a $3 trillion market cap. Since then, tech companies have been pouring billions into AI, hoping these investments will eventually pad investors’ pockets.

Then along comes DeepSeek, the annoying stepsibling, claiming to have built a rival AI model for just $6 million, which is 15% of the cost of a comparable ChatGPT model. That raised some eyebrows. How did China do it so cheaply? While the actual cost is debatable, the news was enough to send Nvidia’s stock tumbling 17%.

Despite the buzz, AI’s long-term potential remains strong. Lower costs could fuel even more innovation, benefiting both established players and new challengers. But if this past week proved anything, it’s that U.S.-China competition isn’t slowing down! Check out last week’s Sight|Lines for a deeper read into the development.

Weekly Specials

Looking for double-digit growth? Check out Major League Pickleball (MLP)! They’re aiming for profitability by year-end at the league level. Further, expansion is on the table with the league thinking about adding two more teams to increase the count to 24.

Tired of “WFH?” If you’re one of the few still fully remote, why not “work from New Zealand?” New Zealand is easing visa rules to let tourists work remotely while exploring the country. The change means you can now holiday and hustle at the same time!

Someone was definitely feeling the need for speed! Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator jet just became the first U.S.-made civilian supersonic jet to break the sound barrier. It soared to 35,290 feet and hit a top speed of Mach 1.122, or 750 miles per hour!

McCormick & Company has named Aji Amarillo Seasoning as its 2025 “Flavor of the Year!” Inspired by a Peruvian pepper, it’s perfect on seafood or poultry. And to celebrate the end of Dry January, try it in an El Volcan Gin cocktail!

Corporate Lunch

Elon Musk’s X is partnering with Visa to pivot into financial services. This is a step in the process of allowing content creators to monetize streaming on the platform.

The new Starbucks CEO announced a bunch of (commonsense) changes coming to coffee shops around the world. The coffee condiment bar is back!

President Trump took a break from signing executive orders to say Microsoft is preparing a bid to buy TikTok.

Make sure to update your bookmarks, Google said its Google Maps app will soon change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Apple is joining forces with SpaceX and T-Mobile to add support for Starlink network in iPhone. Screen time is about to hit the stratosphere.

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Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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