đ¶ Wiser! Newsletter #89: Big Brands & NFTs| Twitter v Elon| Zuckerberg Talks To Rogan
TL;DR: In this weekâs issue of the Wiser! Newsletter:
- Big brands are dipping their toes into the Web3 ocean. But why? The answer is simple, theyâre learning about NFTs, crypto, blockchain and DeFi. Most importantly, theyâre learning about customer reaction and response. These are the brands that are one step ahead of their competition.
- Plus, I look at the latest twist in the Elon / Twitter soap opera. And give my two-penneth on the 3-hour podcast chat between Mark Zuckerberg and Joe Rogan.
- As usual, there are all the top headlines and stories of interest to keep you better informed.
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This is the specially-edited Medium edition of the newsletter that was emailed to members on Friday. To read the full, technicolour version with much more content and information, go here đ https://rickhuckstep.com/wiser89/
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Dolce & Gabbana Book $23m Of NFT Sales In 1st Year
Scarcity & Status: Dolce & Gabbana dropped its first NFT last year in collaboration with luxury digital marketplace UNXD. It was called âCollezione Genesi,â and comprised a nine-piece physical and digital collection of fashion items that generated $6 million in sales at the time.
So what? Big brands like D&G, Adidas, Budweiser, Gap, Gucci, Bentley, Mcdonaldâs (the list goes on, I have 100 brand examples) are experimenting with NFTs.
- Theyâre dipping their toes into the Web3 space to see what happens, learn how it works, and gauge customer reaction.
These brands are the early adopters who are ahead of the curve, assuming that NFT technology endures and becomes part of the digital ecosystemâŠwhich I believe it will.
IMHO: Within the next decade, digital asset ownership via NFTs will be as ubiquitous as cashless payments or data storage in the cloud. Even my old mum will be using them!
NFTs are also the theme of the next Wiser! Trends Report, which will include access to my database of 100 Brands In The Metaverse. I couldnât find anyone with a collection this comprehensive, so I created my own. Premium Members will get access for Free. Find out more here đ rickhuckstep.com.
Further Reading
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Elon Musk Is Not Giving Up On Giving Up On Twitter
Series 1, Episode #47: The latest episode of the Elon Musk Twitter Soap Opera was broadcast earlier this week. On Monday, Elon Muskâs lawyers wrote to Twitter citing âan additional notice of termination.â
- In the latest twist, Elon Musk has filed an updated notice to kill his $44 billion Twitter acquisition by citing whistleblower Peiter Zatko.
Blame It On Mudge: As I wrote in last weekâs newsletter, Pieter Zatko, aka âMudgeâ, was Twitterâs former head of security and was in the inner circle of the Twitter leadership.
He was hired by Jack Dorsey and fired 18 months later by the new CEO, Parag Agrawal.
Aggrieved Ex-Employee: The point is that an aggrieved Mudge has made a number of allegations about Twitter that Twitter has denied. But that hasnât stopped Musk and his team from seizing on the allegations in their defence against Twitterâs lawsuit.
In the filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Musk alleged that Twitter âhas not complied with its contractual obligationsâ due to the âextreme, egregious deficienciesâ alleged by Mudge.
- Calling Mudge: Musk has also subpoenaed Mudge for a deposition on September 9th, requesting materials related to how his tenure at Twitter ended. Musk also wants to know what stock, if any, he owns in the company.
- Calling Stanford: Today, Team Musk subpoenaed Stanford, which Musk attended for 2 days back in 1995 before dropping out, over an âemail account.â Mysterious, innit!
- Calling Silicon Valley: There are few people left in Silicon Valley who have not been subpoenaed by one side or the other. Twitter wants to dig into the emails, WhatsApps and text messages between the tech elite. Although when youâre that rich, thereâs plenty of ways you can stick a finger or two up!
Inner Circle: Take PayPal co-founder and Musk bestie, David O. Sacks, who was subpoenaed by Twitter because he was âa potential investor in the merger Musk seeks to escape.â
Giving Twitter The Bird: In response, Sacks posted a Mad Magazine cover displaying a middle finger and a video of someone pissing on a subpoena.
Which just goes to show that you can be very rich, extremely talented and 11 years old at the same time!
P.S: A former FBI and CIA cyber expert claims that 80% of Twitter accounts are fake. To which Elon tweeted, âSure sounds higher than 5%!â
Further Reading
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đ° Newsletter of the Week: All-In Write-Up
Weekly write-up over the All-In Podcast, in which industry veterans cover all things economic, tech, political and social. The focus of the latest post is Adam Neumann, the controversial entrepreneur behind WeWork and a $350 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz for his latest venture. Read it hereâŠ
What Did We Learn From The Zuck Talking To The Rogan?
Misinformation Abound: Last week, the boss of Meta Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. went on The Joe Rogan Show. The result is a fascinating podcast discussion between a man familiar with spreading misinformation on social media and a man familiar with spreading misinformation on social media.
During the chat, Zuckerberg claimed that Meta Facebook spent $5 billion last year combatting misinformation. Yep, $5 BILLION in one year!
âItâs almost like everyday you wake up and youâre punched in the stomachâ, Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most powerful men in the world.
Metaverse: This is a long podcast (almost 3hrs), with a lot of focus on the Zuckâs pivot for Facebook to the Metaverse.
But what interested me most was when Rogan pressed Zuckerberg on the role and responsibility of the worldâs largest social network in dividing America and public opinion.
đ Big Tech Little Tech
In the latest episode of Big Tech Little Tech, co-host Shaun and I discuss Amazon One. Itâs the latest use of biometrics linked to a credit card payment system. With the wave of your hand, youâve paid for your groceries!
Find the podcast here, there and everywhere:
đ APPLE | đ¶ SPOTIFY | đł AMAZON | âïž ANCHOR | đ WEB | đŠ TWITTER
All the links, source material, and everything youâll ever need to know about the show is hereâŠ
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Wiser! Insights
Tech News
- Facebook is to shut down its game streaming mobile app after just 2 years. Basically, it couldnât compete. Probably because the game-playing demographic of young people donât touch Facebook with a bargepole!
- Donald Trumpâs social media echo chamber, the Truth Social app, has not been approved for the Google PlayStore because it has âinsufficient content moderationâ. Trump, who was banned by Twitter after the Jan 6th insurrection, has about 4 million followers on Truth Social, compared to around 88 million when his Twitter soap box was removed.
- El Salvador are to invest over $200 million in infrastructure for Bitcoin Beach, which President Bukele wants to develop into a crypto tourist hotspot .
- Having screwed the ad business model for Facebook, Pinterest, Snap et al, it seems that Apple is going to pushing out more ads to your iPhone and apps like Maps, Books and Music. Appleâs ad revenue is currently (only) c$4 billion.
- Talking of Apple, their next big show and tell is next week on September 7th. Itâs an event that Shaun and I will be reviewing on the next episode of Big Tech Little Tech. Donât miss out, follow us here.
âJust another crybaby hiding behind his lawyerâs skirt.â Dan OâDowd talking about Elon Musk
- Tesla wants videos of its cars running over child-sized dummies taken down. This is what Dan OâDowd, founder of anti-Tesla group the Dawn Project, said of Elon Musk for demanding that OâDowd remove videos of his vehicles running over child-sized mannequins.
- Royal Caribbean is to partner with SpaceXâs Starlink for onboard internet when cruise ships are at sea. Meanwhile, T-Mobile plan to link Starlink satellites to cell phones.
- Meta have agreed to settle their Cambridge Analytica lawsuit. The financial details have not been disclosed yet after nearly 4 years of wrangling over discovery (which I interpret as Facebook not willing or able to fess up the data about the 90 million Facebook users whose data was used by Cambridge Analytica for the Trump election and Brexit referendum).
By The Numbers
- 39,000: This is the number of ATMs that offer crypto for cash globally. Find your nearest crypto ATM using CoinATMradar.com.
- $10.5 million: Is the amount Crypto.com accidentally transferred to a client instead of a $100 refund.
- 49%: Around half of US adults have heard of NFTs, according to Pew Research.
Interesting
- A small study in Norway showed that painting one blade of a wind turbine black reduced bird mortality by over 70%.
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This is an edited version of the Wiser! Newsletter that was published on Friday 2nd September 2022 at https://rickhuckstep.com/wiser89/.
