#24 The Weekend Download – Catching Up on What Matters

Essential insights you need to stay ahead

📩 Issue #24 – 02/08/2025

⚡ Quick Hits – What You Need to Know

🧠 Meta’s $72B AI bet
Meta plans to spend up to $72B this year on AI infrastructure, escalating the compute arms race.
Read More (TechCrunch)

🤖 Zuck’s superintelligence ambitions
Mark Zuckerberg revealed Meta’s plans for superintelligent AI, but don't expect it all to be open-sourced.
Read more (The Guardian)

💰 Amazon to pay NYT $20M/year for AI training data
Big media meets big tech in this high-stakes AI licensing deal.
Read more (WSJ)

📱 Opal: Google’s coding app with vibes
Google is experimenting with a “vibe”-based coding tool that feels more like a creative playground
Read more (TechCrunch)


🔥 Top Insights

💼 AI is killing the hustle culture
A new wave of thinkers is rejecting grind culture — AI isn’t just automating work, it's reshaping ambition.
Read more (GQ)

🧠 Teens turn to ChatGPT for everything
Researchers analyzed thousands of student prompts — big and small — and found they relied on AI for school, therapy, and dating advice.
Read more (The Guardian)

🧒 What kids are really doing online
Morning Consult surveys parents on how Gen Alpha is spending time — and money — on the internet.
Read more (Morning Consult)


📊 Numbers to Watch

🏠 The rise of homeschooling
More families are choosing to homeschool in 2025, here’s why.
Read more (NYT)

📈 AI-powered pricing is here
From plane tickets to coffee shops, AI is setting prices in real time.
Read more (Fast Company)

🏙️ San Francisco’s AI boom: jobs up, housing pain persists
AI is revitalizing SF’s tech scene, but also deepening inequality.
Read more (Washington Post)


💡 Something to Think About

📸 The end of the “status post”
Travel flexing is out. This summer, it’s all about lo-fi, anti-brag social posts.
Read more (Town & Country)

🕵️‍♀️ TikTok’s detective subculture
Online sleuths are now outing cheaters and shady daters with millions of views and real-world consequences.
Read more (Wired)

🔥 Heat-proof stadiums are the new normal
As climate extremes worsen, sports venues are being redesigned for resilience.
Read more (Fast Company)

🎞️ Yelp’s new AI-generated video reviews
Say goodbye to text ratings — Yelp wants your feedback in stitched videos.
Read more (The Verge)


🌀 Offbeat & Unexpected

🐶 Deliveroo now delivers… for your dog
Matching meals and toys for you and your pet? Yes, really.
Read more (Trendwatching)

🎨 Memes as the new comics
A compelling case for memes as a legitimate narrative art form.
Read more (Ars Technica)

🛍️ AI that shops by your imagination
Daydream lets you describe a fantasy item and then finds something that fits.
Read more (CNN)

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