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In this episode of Spill the Tea, host Jason Blitman chats with Alicia Valenski, author of Lonely Planet's LGBTQ+ Travel Guide, about her journey in creating an inclusive, community-driven resource that highlights 50+ destinations ideal for queer travelers. Alicia shares insights into her interview process with LGBTQ+ insiders and how the book goes beyond standard travel advice by weaving in personal stories and practical tips. Their conversation also explores the unique challenges and joyful moments of writing this groundbreaking guide, which aims to offer both safety and celebration for queer communities around the world.Alicia Valenski is an American travel writer and the author of The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide with Lonely Planet. With a journalism degree from Penn State, Alicia cut her teeth as a writer and editor at the Charlotte Observer before rising to the lofty heights of senior editor at theSkimm. Now, she's navigating life in the Netherlands with her partner, their dog, and a GPS that's forever confused by the country's endless bike paths.Alicia writes about the ups, downs, and sideways adventures of being a bisexual, neurodivergent expat, all with a generous dose of honesty, humor, and heart. When she's not exploring new places or sharing her stories, she's probably lost in a good book, perfecting her napping skills, or rewatching one of her favorite TV shows for the umpteenth time.SUBSTACK!https://gaysreading.substack.com/ BOOK CLUB!Use code GAYSREADING at checkout to get first book for only $4 + free shipping! Restrictions apply.http://aardvarkbookclub.com WATCH!https://youtube.com/@gaysreading FOLLOW!Instagram: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanBluesky: @gaysreading | @jasonblitmanCONTACT!hello@gaysreading.com
The media industry, like politics, has been stuck in a scarcity mindset—managing decline instead of building for the future. In this episode, we dig into The Abundance Agenda, the new book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and explore what a pro-growth strategy could look like for media. Plus, TheSkimm exits to Ziff Davis, the rise of AI-driven advertising, and Anonymous Banker joins to explain why second-tier comedians might be the next big media arbitrage opportunity.Why Can't AI Make Its Own Discoveries? — With Yann LeCunWatch us on YouTubeTroy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletterBrian Morrissey's The Rebooting newsletterAlex Schleifer's Human ComputerFollow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter
Elon: Impeach anti-Trump "judges"! Pam Bondi, woman "AG"? Projecting "trolling" on Hake! Plastic straws poll. Fun calls!The Hake Report, Wednesday, February 12, 2025 ADTIMESTAMPS* (0:00:00) Start* (0:02:00) My shirt* (0:03:22) Hake News* (0:09:02) Hey, guys!* (0:11:30) Impeach evil judges* (0:26:38) Govt enemy* (0:30:25) JEFF, LA: Pam Bondi, women, first this, second that* (0:39:25) JEFF: Elon, African American* (0:41:36) Reading chat… Lisa/FB* (0:44:21) Coffee: Popcorn, trolling?* (0:58:09) BREAK: "I believe in James Hake" - Jake Husdon* (1:03:25) MAZE, OH: Women leader envy, Government 4th branch* (1:13:43) MAZE: white people, CWPs, free, Nick* (1:24:19) KEVIN, NY: Taking Canada? They shop here.* (1:32:40) Coffee: Babylon, Rome* (1:38:25) Plastic Straws poll theSkimm* (1:41:06) Greggatron that Super Bowl black ref?* (1:43:49) JOHN, KY: Tribes still exist, not those who say they are* (1:49:00) Stephen Wiley - Intro Rap, Heroes - 1989, Rap It UpLINKSBLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2025/2/12/the-hake-report-wed-2-12-25PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2025/2/12/hake-news-wed-2-12-25Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/showVIDEO YouTube - Rumble* - Facebook - X - BitChute - Odysee*PODCAST Substack - Apple - Spotify - Castbox - Podcast Addict*SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or BuyMeACoffee, etc.SHOP - Printify (new!) - Spring (old!) - Cameo | All My LinksJLP Network:JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - Joel - Punchie Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe
"U.S.-born" terrorist! H-1B visas and mediocre American culture. Discrimination against America's best No free speech! Emmett Till: idk!The Hake Report, Thursday, January 2, 2024 ADTIMESTAMPS* (0:00:00) Start… Teespring* (0:02:08) "Anchor Baby" terror attack?* (0:04:19) H-1B visas, Tommy Robinson, etc* (0:07:21) Hey, guys!* (0:09:55) New Orleans Terrorist* (0:25:13) Think about it… ISIS* (0:28:23) F150 and Tesla Cybertruck* (0:31:54) Radicalized in America, and "diverse," human nature* (0:37:22) H-1B backlash, American mediocre culture, immigrants* (0:55:36) "Victimhood Olympics"* (0:57:49) Arrested for "causing anxiety," no free speech! "N-word"* (1:02:19) Discrimination against America's best: Mind-blown* (1:10:27) Dick Masterson, Sam Hyde, on Elon Musk* (1:15:19) Supers: Xmas, etc* (1:20:51) Coffee: Jesus "H." Christ* (1:24:18) Supers: DLive* (1:27:02) Popcorn: Emmett Till: "Don't know, wasn't there"* (1:36:57) "Free Tommy Robinson," libel, racism, "grooming"* (1:51:15) Rigo Tovar - "Cómo Será la Mujer," 1973, Cómo Será la MujerLINKSBLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2025/1/2/happy-belated-new-year-thu-1-2-25PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2025/1/2/hake-news-thu-1-2-25(CNN or theSkimm or Morning Brew or AP Thu 1-2-25)Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/showVIDEO YouTube - Rumble* - Facebook - X - BitChute - Odysee* PODCAST Substack - Apple - Spotify - Castbox - Podcast Addict*SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or BuyMeACoffee, etc.SHOP - Printify (new!) - Spring (old!) - Cameo | All My LinksJLP Network: JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - Joel - Punchie Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe
Wharton's Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed speak with Samantha Baker, VP of Commerce at theSkimm about the background of the newsletter, how they curate the brands for their audience, holiday shopping trends, their Good For You Awards, rebranding theSkimm's commerce business, social media strategy, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Biden pardoned Hunter, lied and lied. Tiger snake in woman's car! Debanking: Evil discrimination? Victims become victimizers!The Hake Report, Monday, December 2, 2024 ADTIMESTAMPS* (0:00:00) Start* (0:01:17) I stand with Hunter!* (0:03:30) Hey, guys!* (0:05:57) RIP Jim Abrahams, movie director* (0:12:13) Tiger snake in car with driver* (0:20:54) DAVID: Kentucky Fried Movie* (0:29:46) Coffee… Merry Holidays, Biden body double?* (0:35:15) Coffee… Popcorn: Biden pardon Hunter?* (0:46:49) Biden's character: Andrew Weissman, Eric Holder* (0:55:33) Supers: Pakistan, Kelly vs gossip, 33, Mobetta* (0:59:14) Supers: Bitterness at Israel, Cam Higby guest* (1:03:09) ALEX, CA: FE, Excuse-making, LYC nose-breathing* (1:11:24) JOE, AZ: Fed… De-banking* (1:21:42) JOE: Discrimination. Medicaid. Genocide. Victimhood* (1:34:45) Victimhood… accusing each other of evil!* (1:35:30) WILLIAM: Snakes. Bigg Bump on jobs. Black-owned banks.* (1:44:44) Lil Hake with a snake* (1:45:24) RICK, VA: Snakes in HVAC; Victimhood* (1:49:31) Supers… Mobetta, etc.* (1:53:01) Ampere - "Remain Unadapted" - 2004, All Our Tomorrows End TodayLINKSBLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/12/2/the-hake-report-mon-12-2-24PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/12/2/hake-news-mon-12-2-24* (CNN or theSkimm or Morning Brew or AP Mon 12-2-24)Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/showVIDEO YouTube - Rumble* - Facebook - X - BitChute - Odysee*PODCAST Substack - Apple - Spotify - Castbox - Podcast Addict*SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or BuyMeACoffee, etc.SHOP (new!) - Spring (old!) - Cameo | All My LinksJLP Network:JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - Joel - Punchie Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe
Jesus' voice. God's hatred? Calls: Forgiveness, prayer, thoughts, depression. Politics, unmarried ladies, second attempt on Trump. Fake space? The Hake Report, Tuesday, September 17, 2024 AD TIMESTAMPS * (0:00:00) Start* (0:03:50) Hey, guys * (0:06:17) Jesus in John 10 * (0:12:05) Supers: LYC, Carver * (0:15:04) Coffee: PTK: "gymnastics"; god of this world* (0:24:27) Coffee: PTK: CAN have God's hatred? Marriage, kids not "good" * (0:28:32) MARK, FL, 1st: Forgave mother, asked forgiveness! * (0:38:18) MARK: Silent Prayer Q. "Church." Depressed, Deeper walk? Fear * (0:48:38) MARK: Idol worshiper believes thoughts * (0:53:40) JEFF, FL: Y'all contradict yourselves like 13yo girls * (0:58:53) Reading chat: Live with before marriage? "Contradictions"? * (1:02:59) News… Unmarried women. JojoFromJerz. Trump attack * (1:27:11) DANIEL, TX: Reading? Dielawn. Politics bell curve. * (1:33:16) ALEX, CA: Trump 2nd attempt; Normie friends anti-2A * (1:38:09) ALEX: Spacewalk fakery * (1:40:48) ALEX: Satanists, SJW liberals, Death Metal * (1:43:03) RICK, VA: Putin alpha? Reparations blocked. Property tax. * (1:49:41) Closing coffees, calls tomorrow! * (1:50:03) Rick Cua - "Don't Say Suicide" - 1985, You're My Road LINKS BLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/9/17/the-hake-report-tue-9-17-24 PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/9/17/hake-news-tue-9-17-24 (CNN or theSkimm or AP Tue 9-17-24) Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO YouTube - Rumble* - Facebook - X - BitChute - Odysee* PODCAST Substack - Apple - Spotify - Castbox - Podcast Addict *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or BuyMeACoffee, etc. SHOP Spring - Cameo | All My Links JLP Network: JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - Joel - Punchie Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe
The President's Time SecretAnthony Viglietti, President at theSkimm, dives into a game-changing approach to leadership that can immediately elevate your effectivenessHis strategy led to incredible revenue growth...100%+at theSkimmA massive leap from $60M to $400M at Univision.200% growth at BET Digital.What You'll Discover in this Episode:How Anthony Thrived in a Leadership Shake Up.When Curiosity Can Catapult Your Career.The Key to Building Unshakeable Trust.A Strategy to Make Betters Decisions.How Helped an Organization Adapt to Change with PurposeWhy Dependability Can Become Your Fast Track to Career Advancement.-----theSkimm, a digital media company, dedicated to giving women the information they need to navigate life's most important decisions.Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vigliettiCompany Link: https://www.theskimm.com/-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books, and Amanda is joined by special guest-host Claudia Rupcich of theSkimm to break it all down. In this episode of Well Played, we'll cover: Tom Brady's awkward debut as the highest paid commentator in sports A'ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo (seemingly) having their relationship spoiled by the mayor Steph Curry and Klay Thompson's viral WNBA moment The controversial arrest of Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill prior to Sunday's game Aaron Rodgers' disappointing MNF performance This year's selection for the Super Bowl halftime show All the famous faces seen at the US Open final (we're looking at you Taylor Swift) Alex Morgan's illustrious career comes to a close
Samantha Bee is back to co-host with Alyssa one last time! They discuss Tim Walz joining the Harris 2024 campaign, Usha Vance's response to her husband JD's “childless cat lady” comment, and more in news. Then, in Sani-Petty, Sam and Alyssa ponder RFK Jr.'s dead bear in Central Park (the brain worm is real). Finally, Alyssa interviews epic down-the-ballot candidates — Anna Thomas (of PA), Sarah Henry (of FL), Eva Burch (of AZ), and Dallas Harris (of NV) — about the stakes of their local races. Next week: Erin's back!For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.Show NotesAnna Thomas - Pennsylvania Sarah Henry - Florida Eva Burch - Arizona Dallas Harris - Nevada Get involved: votesaveamerica.com/2024Samantha Bee: podcast, SubstackGov. Tim Walz Signature AccomplishmentsThe best 'big dad energy' jokes about Gov. Tim Walz: List (FOX9) 'Kamala caved': Trump and his allies cast the Walz pick as liberal overload (NBC)Donald Trump Claims Tim Walz Will 'Unleash HELL ON EARTH' (HuffPost)Fun Alyssa story from 2008: Behind the Scenes of the Vice-Presidential Selection Process (NYT)Usha Vance tries to defend her husband's 'childless cat ladies' comment (NPR)Doug Emhoff, Husband of Kamala Harris, Acknowledges Long-Ago Affair (NYT)Womens Sports and the Olympics: The 19th, Yahoo! Sports, TheSkimm, pommel horse king STEVEJD called Simone Biles “weak” for leaving the Tokyo Olympics (TikTok)RFK Jr. admits to dumping a dead bear in Central Park, solving a decade-old mystery (NPR)
In the first ever episode of Well Played, presented by theSkimm, hosts Amanda Duberman and Blake Lew-Merwin preview the biggest Olympic stories dominating your feeds ahead of the opening ceremony kicking off the games tomorrow. In this episode of Well Played, we cover: Swimming in the river Seine: yay or nay? Team USA denim outfits, and the singular reason Amanda is all about them How the opening ceremony looks different this year (spoiler alert: it's floating) What to expect from the US women's soccer team with former USWNT member, Sam Mewis Why we're hyped for the return of the GOAT, Simone Biles How the Olympics are becoming more inclusive for mom athletes with guest Allyson Felix Subscribe to Well Played on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening now.
Just in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, theSkimm is launching a new podcast dedicated to treating the Games like the bingeable reality TV they actually are. Well Played debuts Thursday, July 25th, just in time for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics. Be sure to subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening.
Tune in to the latest episode of the Cool Mom Code Podcast, hosted by Lizzy Mathis, where we sit down with Danielle Weisberg, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of theSkimm and a cool mama of two! In this insightful episode, Lizzy and Danielle dive into what it's like having two pandemic babies, the unique bond Danielle shares with her business partner Carly, and the dynamics of working with your best friend. Danielle opens up about the unexpected challenges of motherhood, her struggles with conception, and the importance of not being solely dependent on your partner. They discuss the reality that you can do it all, just not all at once, and how women often become the default caregivers. Danielle also shares her experience with loss while trying to conceive, the support of her village, and the impactful Show Us Your Leave movement. Learn how theSkimm stays committed to informing the community with truth and how they mobilized over 2 million women to vote. Don't miss this candid conversation filled with inspiration and real talk about motherhood, entrepreneurship, and everything in between. Welcome to The Cool Mom Code Podcast, where motherhood is your keycard to the coolest spot in town! Make sure to subscribe, rate, review and follow us on Instagram: @thecoolmomcodepodcast @thecoolmomco @lizzymathis Watch this episode in full on Lizzy's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16OsVdIMwSc4ziMlwZHM33-9Ve5a3hiX Follow Danielle Weisberg & theSkimm on Instagram: @dmweisberg @theskimm More from theSkimm: https://www.theskimm.com Check out The Cool Mom Co. Website: https://thecoolmom.co Shop all Cool Mom Co. Merch: https://shopthecoolmom.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
And So, She Left: Wisdom from Women Beyond the Corporate World
**SPECIAL FOR OUR LISTENERS! Use code "SHELEFT20" for 20% off an order**Kaylin Marcotte's early career wasn't particularly fun.But when she was training as a management consultant at IBM in 2013, she met two promising, young female founders who wanted to start a media company...called theSkimm. So, she left to become their first employee.Kaylin's days were pretty demanding, and she often played with jigsaw puzzles at home to unwind. But she didn't always love the stock imagery she was putting together. So, in 2019, she founded JIGGY. It's a direct-to-consumer company creating jigsaw puzzles that…actually look pretty cool. And its very existence is a reminder of how important it is to have fun throughout the entrepreneurial journey.Kaylin talks about how she went from getting hired as theSkimm's first employee to becoming the Founder & CEO of JIGGY. How did she transition from working at a media company to manufacturing a physical product? What was it like to create a business out of her hobby? And how do we make fun a core part of the entrepreneurial experience?Kaylin talks about:Essential lessons she learned at theSkimmThe importance of joy and play in businessHow to transition into product manufacturingHow she kept her business going after COVIDHow to give your customers exactly what they want We have a website!Visit andsosheleft.com for full episodes, transcripts, an application form to be on the show, a list of upcoming guests and more.Hosted by Katherin Vasilopoulos. Made by Cansulta and Ethan Lee.Music by © Correspondence and © Chris Zabriskie, published by You've Been a Wonderful Laugh Track (ASCAP). Songs used in this episode include: Chris Zabriskie - "Air Hockey Saloon," "And It Is There, in Those Depths," "Can You Even F****** Imagine Being a Teenager Today?" "I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves," "Candlepower."Correspondence - "New Year's Loops."Used under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License
Hats Off To This Week's Contributors: @RyanMorrisonJer, @geneteare, @mgsiegler, @spyglass_feed, @saulausterlitz, @ClareMalone, @benedictevans, @mikeloukides, @ErikNaso, @kateclarktweets, @finkd, @mattbirchler, @imillhiser, @jaygoldberg, @ron_miller, @btaylor, @sierraplatform, @eladgilContents* Editorial: * Essays of the Week* AI Leads New Unicorn Creation As Ranks Of $1B Startups Swells * Behold: The Sports Streaming Bundle* 40 Years Ago, This Ad Changed the Super Bowl Forever* Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?* Video of the Week* AI and Everything Else - Benedict Evans from Slush* AI of the Week* The OpenAI Endgame* OpenAI Sora– The most realistic AI-generated video to date* I Was Wrong. We Haven't Reached Peak AI Frenzy.* News Of the Week* I tried Vision Pro. Here's my take* The Quest 3 is better than you might expect* The Supreme Court will decide if the government can seize control of YouTube and Twitter* Arm Results Set The World On Fire* Startup of the Week* Bret Taylor's new AI company aims to help customers get answers and complete tasks automatically* X of the Week* Elad Gil on AIEditorial: And The Oscar Goes to SoraOpenAI teased its new video creation model - Sora - this week.In doing so it released a technical report and several examples of prompts and outputs.Cautious to not over-state the end game the company said:We explore large-scale training of generative models on video data. Specifically, we train text-conditional diffusion models jointly on videos and images of variable durations, resolutions and aspect ratios. We leverage a transformer architecture that operates on spacetime patches of video and image latent codes. Our largest model, Sora, is capable of generating a minute of high fidelity video. Our results suggest that scaling video generation models is a promising path towards building general purpose simulators of the physical world.All of the videos are incredible, albeit only a minute or less each. My favorite is the Dogs in Snow video:Although the ‘Closeup Man in Glasses' is also wonderful.I mention this because the speed at which AI is addressing new fields is - in my opinion - mind-boggling. Skills that take humans decades to perfect are being learned in months and are capable of scaling to infinite outputs using words, code, images, video, and sound.It will take the advancement of robotics to tie these capabilities to physical work, but that seems assured to happen.When engineering, farming, transport, or production meets AI then human needs can be addressed directly.Sora winning an Oscar for Cinematography or in producing from a script or a book seems far-fetched. But it wasn't so long ago that a tech company doing so would have been laughable, and now we have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV Plus regularly being nominated or winning awards.Production will increasingly be able to leverage AI.Some will say this is undermining human skills, but I think the opposite. It will release human skills. Take the prompt that produced the Dogs in Snow video:Prompt:A litter of golden retriever puppies playing in the snow. Their heads pop out of the snow, covered in.I can imagine that idea and write it down. But my skills would not allow me to produce it. Sora opens my imagination and enables me to act on it. I guess that many humans have creative ideas that they are unable to execute….up to now. Sora, DallE, and ChatGPT all focus on releasing human potential.Google released its Gemini 1.5 model this week (less than a month after releasing Gemini Ultra 1.0). Tom's Guide has a summary and analysis by Ryan MorrisonGemini Pro 1.5 has a staggering 10 million token context length. That is the amount of content it can store in its memory for a single chat or response. This is enough for hours of video or multiple books within a single conversation, and Google says it can find any piece of information within that window with a high level of accuracy.Jeff Dean, Google DeepMind Chief Scientist wrote on X that the model also comes with advanced multimodal capabilities across code, text, image, audio and video.He wrote that this means you can “interact in sophisticated ways with entire books, very long document collections, codebases of hundreds of thousands of lines across hundreds of files, full movies, entire podcast series, and more."In “needle-in-a-haystack” testing where they look for the needle in the vast amount of data stored in the context window, they were able to find specific pieces of information with 99.7% accuracy even with 10 million tokens of data.All of this makes it easy to understand why Kate Clark at The Information penned a piece with the title: I Was Wrong. We Haven't Reached Peak AI FrenzyI will leave this week's editorial with Ryan Morrison's observation at the end of his article:What we are seeing with these advanced multimodal models is the interaction of the digital and the real, where AI is gaining a deeper understanding of humanity and how WE see the world.Essays of the WeekAI Leads New Unicorn Creation As Ranks Of $1B Startups Swells February 13, 2024Gené Teare @geneteareFewer startups became unicorns in 2023, but The Crunchbase Unicorn Board also became more crowded, as exits became even scarcer.That means that 10 years after the term “unicorn” was coined to denote those private startups valued at $1 billion or more, there are over 1,500 current unicorn companies globally, collectively valued at more than $5 trillion based on their most recent valuations from funding deals.All told, fewer than 100 companies joined the Unicorn Board in 2023, the lowest count in more than five years, an analysis of Crunchbase data shows.Of the 95 companies that joined the board in 2023, AI was the leading sector, adding 20 new unicorns alone. Other leading unicorn sectors in 2023 included fintech (with 14 companies), cleantech and energy (12 each), and semiconductors (nine).Based on an analysis of Crunchbase data, 41 companies joined the Unicorn Board from the U.S. and 24 from China in 2023. Other countries were in the single digits for new unicorns: Germany had four new companies, while India and the U.K. each had three.New records nonethelessDespite the slower pace of new unicorns, the Crunchbase board of current private unicorns has reached new milestones as fewer companies exited the board in 2023.The total number of global unicorns on our board reached 1,500 at the start of 2024, which takes into account the exclusion of those that have exited via an M&A or IPO transaction. Altogether, these private unicorn companies have raised north of $900 billion from investors.This year also marks a decade since investor Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures coined the term unicorn for private companies valued at a billion dollars or more.In a new report looking at the unicorn landscape 10 years later, Lee said she believes the unicorn phenomenon is not going away, despite a sharp downturn in venture funding in recent years. She expects more than 1,000 new companies in the U.S. alone will join the ranks in the next decade.Unicorn exitsIn 2023, 10 unicorn companies exited the board via an IPO, far fewer than in recent years. That contrasts with 20 companies in 2022 and 113 in 2021.However, M&A was more active in 2023. Sixteen unicorn companies were acquired in 2023 — up from 2022 when 11 companies were acquired and slightly down from 2021 with 21 companies exiting via an acquisition.December numbersEight new companies joined The Crunchbase Unicorn Board in December 2023. The highest monthly count last year for new unicorns was 10 and the lowest was two.Of the new unicorns, three are artificial intelligence companies. Other sectors that minted unicorns in December include fintech, cybersecurity, food and beverage, and health care.The new unicorn companies minted in December 2023 were:..MoreBehold: The Sports Streaming BundleIt just makes sense. Sports was the last thing holding together the cable TV bundle. Now it will be the start of the streaming bundle.That's my 5-minute reaction to the truly huge news that Disney, Warner, and Fox are launching a new sports streaming service, combining their various sports rights into one package. Well, presumably. The details are still quite thin at this point. Clearly, several entities were racing to this story, with both WSJ and Bloomberg claiming "scoops" by publishing paragraph-long stories with only the high level facts. I'm linking to Varietyabove, which at least has a few more details, including (canned) quotes from Bob Iger, Lachlan Murdoch, and David Zaslav.Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are set to launch a new streaming joint venture that will make all of their sports programming available under a single broadband roof, a move that will put content from ESPN, TNT and Fox Sports on a new standalone app and, in the process, likely shake up the world of TV sports.The three media giants are slated to launch the new service in the fall. Subscribers would get access to linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+, as well as hundreds of hours from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and many top college divisions. Pricing will be announced at a later date.Each company would own one third of the new outlet and license their sports content to it on a non-exclusive basis. The service would have a new brand and an independent management teamYes, this is essentially running the Hulu playbook of old, but only for sports content. No, that ultimately didn't end well, but Hulu had a decent enough run before egos got involved.1 Here, the egos are once again being (at least temporarily) set aside to do something obvious: make money. Sports is the one bit of content that most people watch in one form or another, live no less (hence why it was keeping the cable bundle together). And increasingly, with the rise of streaming, it was becoming impossible to figure out what game was on, where. You could get access to most games online now, but it might require buying four or five different services. And again, then finding which one the game you wanted was actually on...More40 Years Ago, This Ad Changed the Super Bowl ForeverAn oral history of Apple's groundbreaking “1984” spot, which helped to establish the Super Bowl as TV's biggest commercial showcase.By Saul AusterlitzPublished Feb. 9, 2024Updated Feb. 10, 2024Four decades ago, the Super Bowl became the Super Bowl.It wasn't because of anything that happened in the game itself: On Jan. 22, 1984, the Los Angeles Raiders defeated Washington 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII, a contest that was mostly over before halftime. But during the broadcast on CBS, a 60-second commercial loosely inspired by a famous George Orwell novel shook up the advertising and the technology sectors without ever showing the product it promoted. Conceived by the Chiat/Day ad agency and directed by Ridley Scott, then fresh off making the seminal science-fiction noir “Blade Runner,” the Apple commercial “1984,” which was intended to introduce the new Macintosh computer, would become one of the most acclaimed commercials ever made. It also helped to kick off — pun partially intended — the Super Bowl tradition of the big game serving as an annual showcase for gilt-edged ads from Fortune 500 companies. It all began with the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs's desire to take the battle with the company's rivals to a splashy television broadcast he knew nothing about.In recent interviews, several of the people involved in creating the “1984” spot — Scott; John Sculley, then chief executive of Apple; Steve Hayden, a writer of the ad for Chiat/Day; Fred Goldberg, the Apple account manager for Chiat/Day; and Anya Rajah, the actor who famously threw the sledgehammer — looked back on how the commercial came together, its inspiration and the internal objections that almost kept it from airing. These are edited excerpts from the conversations.JOHN SCULLEY On Oct. 19, 1983, we're all sitting around in Steve [Jobs's] building, the Mac building, and the cover of Businessweek says, “The Winner is … IBM.” We were pretty deflated because this was the introduction of the IBM PCjr, and we hadn't even introduced the Macintosh yet.STEVE HAYDEN Jobs said, “I want something that will stop the world in its tracks.” Our media director, Hank Antosz, said, “Well, there's only one place that can do that — the Super Bowl.” And Steve Jobs said, “What's the Super Bowl?” [Antosz] said, “Well, it's a huge football game that attracts one of the largest audiences of the year.” And [Jobs] said, “I've never seen a Super Bowl. I don't think I know anybody who's seen a Super Bowl.”FRED GOLDBERG The original idea was actually done in 1982. We presented an ad [with] a headline, which was “Why 1984 Won't Be Like ‘1984,'” to Steve Jobs, and he didn't think the Apple III was worthy of that claim...MoreIs the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?Ads are scarce, search and social traffic is dying, and readers are burned out. The future will require fundamentally rethinking the press's relationship to its audience.Clare MaloneFebruary 10, 2024My first job in media was as an assistant at The American Prospect, a small political magazine in Washington, D.C., that offered a promising foothold in journalism. I helped with the print order, mailed checks to writers—after receiving lots of e-mails asking, politely, Where is my money?—and ran the intern program. This last responsibility allowed me a small joy: every couple of weeks, a respected journalist would come into the office for a brown-bag lunch in our conference room, giving our most recent group of twentysomethings a chance to ask for practical advice about “making it.” One man told us to embrace a kind of youthful workaholism, before we became encumbered by kids and families. An investigative reporter implored us to file our taxes and to keep our personal lives in order—never give the rich and powerful a way to undercut your journalism. But perhaps the most memorable piece of advice was from a late-career writer who didn't mince words. You want to make it in journalism, he said? Marry rich. We laughed. He didn't.I've thought a lot about that advice in the past year. A report that tracked layoffs in the industry in 2023 recorded twenty-six hundred and eighty-one in broadcast, print, and digital news media. NBC News, Vox Media, Vice News, Business Insider, Spotify, theSkimm, FiveThirtyEight, The Athletic, and Condé Nast—the publisher of The New Yorker—all made significant layoffs. BuzzFeed News closed, as did Gawker. The Washington Post, which lost about a hundred million dollars last year, offered buyouts to two hundred and forty employees. In just the first month of 2024, Condé Nast laid off a significant number of Pitchfork's staff and folded the outlet into GQ; the Los Angeles Times laid off at least a hundred and fifteen workers (their union called it “the big one”); Time cut fifteen per cent of its union-represented editorial staff; the Wall Street Journal slashed positions at its D.C. bureau; and Sports Illustrated, which had been weathering a scandal for publishing A.I.-generated stories, laid off much of its staff as well. One journalist recently cancelled a networking phone call with me, writing, “I've decided to officially take my career in a different direction.” There wasn't much I could say to counter that conclusion; it was perfectly logical.“Publishers, brace yourselves—it's going to be a wild ride,” Matthew Goldstein, a media consultant, wrote in a January newsletter. “I see a potential extinction-level event in the future.” Some of the forces cited by Goldstein were already well known: consumers are burned out by the news, and social-media sites have moved away from promoting news articles. But Goldstein also pointed to Google's rollout of A.I.-integrated search, which answers user queries within the Google interface, rather than referring them to outside Web sites, as a major factor in this coming extinction. According to a recent Wall Street Journalanalysis, Google generates close to forty per cent of traffic across digital media. Brands with strong home-page traffic will likely be less affected, Goldstein wrote—places like Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Daily Mail, CNN, the Washington Post, and Fox News. But Web sites that aren't as frequently typed into browsers need to “contemplate drastic measures, possibly halving their brand portfolios.”What will emerge in the wake of mass extinction, Brian Morrissey, another media analyst, recently wrote in his newsletter, “The Rebooting,” is “a different industry, leaner and diminished, often serving as a front operation to other businesses,” such as events, e-commerce, and sponsored content. In fact, he told me, what we are witnessing is nothing less than the end of the mass-media era. “This is a delayed reaction to the commercial Internet itself,” he said. “I don't know if anything could have been done differently.”..Much MoreVideo of the WeekAI and Everything Else - Benedict Evans from SlushAI of the WeekThe OpenAI EndgameThoughts about the outcome of the NYT versus OpenAI copyright lawsuitBy Mike LoukidesFebruary 13, 2024Since the New York Times sued OpenAI for infringing its copyrights by using Times content for training, everyone involved with AI has been wondering about the consequences. How will this lawsuit play out? And, more importantly, how will the outcome affect the way we train and use large language models?There are two components to this suit. First, it was possible to get ChatGPT to reproduce some Times articles very close to verbatim. That's fairly clearly copyright infringement, though there are still important questions that could influence the outcome of the case. Reproducing the New York Times clearly isn't the intent of ChatGPT, and OpenAI appears to have modified ChatGPT's guardrails to make generating infringing content more difficult, though probably not impossible. Is this enough to limit any damages? It's not clear that anybody has used ChatGPT to avoid paying for a NYT subscription. Second, the examples in a case like this are always cherry-picked. While the Times can clearly show that OpenAI can reproduce some articles, can it reproduce any article from the Times' archive? Could I get ChatGPT to produce an article from page 37 of the September 18, 1947 issue? Or, for that matter, an article from the Chicago Tribune or the Boston Globe? Is the entire corpus available (I doubt it), or just certain random articles? I don't know, and given that OpenAI has modified GPT to reduce the possibility of infringement, it's almost certainly too late to do that experiment. The courts will have to decide whether inadvertent, inconsequential, or unpredictable reproduction meets the legal definition of copyright infringement.The more important claim is that training a model on copyrighted content is infringement, whether or not the model is capable of reproducing that training data in its output. An inept and clumsy version of this claim was made by Sarah Silverman and others in a suit that was dismissed. The Authors' Guild has its own version of this lawsuit, and it is working on a licensing model that would allow its members to opt in to a single licensing agreement. The outcome of this case could have many side-effects, since it essentially would allow publishers to charge not just for the texts they produce, but for how those texts are used.It is difficult to predict what the outcome will be, though easy enough guess. Here's mine. OpenAI will settle with the New York Times out of court, and we won't get a ruling. This settlement will have important consequences: it will set a de-facto price on training data. And that price will no doubt be high. Perhaps not as high as the Times would like (there are rumors that OpenAI has offered something in the range of $1 million to $5 million), but sufficiently high enough to deter OpenAI's competitors.$1M is not, in and of itself, a terribly high price, and the Times reportedly thinks that it's way too low; but realize that OpenAI will have to pay a similar amount to almost every major newspaper publisher worldwide in addition to organizations like the Authors Guild, technical journal publishers, magazine publishers, and many other content owners. The total bill is likely to be close to $1 billion, if not more, and as models need to be updated, at least some of it will be a recurring cost. I suspect that OpenAI would have difficulty going higher, even given Microsoft's investments—and, whatever else you may think of this strategy—OpenAI has to think about the total cost. I doubt that they are close to profitable; they appear to be running on an Uber-like business plan, in which they spend heavily to buy the market without regard for running a sustainable business. But even with that business model, billion-dollar expenses have to raise the eyebrows of partners like Microsoft.The Times, on the other hand, appears to be making a common mistake: overvaluing its data. Yes, it has a large archive—but what is the value of old news? Furthermore, in almost any application but especially in AI, the value of data isn't the data itself; it's the correlations between different datasets. The Times doesn't own those correlations any more than I own the correlations between my browsing data and Tim O'Reilly's. But those correlations are precisely what's valuable to OpenAI and others building data-driven products...MoreOpenAI Sora– The most realistic AI-generated video to dateERIK NASOOpenAI Sora is an AI text-to-video model that has achieved incredibly realistic video that is hard to tell it is AI. It's very life-like but not real. I think we have just hit the beginning of some truly powerful AI-generated video that could change the game for stock footage and more. Below are two examples of the most realistic AI prompt-generated videos I have seen.Prompt: A stylish woman walks down a Tokyo street filled with warm glowing neon and animated city signage. She wears a black leather jacket, a long red dress, and black boots, and carries a black purse. She wears sunglasses and red lipstick. She walks confidently and casually. The street is damp and reflective, creating a mirror effect of the colorful lights. Many pedestrians walk about.Prompt: Drone view of waves crashing against the rugged cliffs along Big Sur's garay point beach. The crashing blue waters create white-tipped waves, while the golden light of the setting sun illuminates the rocky shore. A small island with a lighthouse sits in the distance, and green shrubbery covers the cliff's edge. The steep drop from the road down to the beach is a dramatic feat, with the cliff's edges jutting out over the sea. This is a view that captures the raw beauty of the coast and the rugged landscape of the Pacific Coast Highway.Prompt: Animated scene features a close-up of a short fluffy monster kneeling beside a melting red candle. The art style is 3D and realistic, with a focus on lighting and texture. The mood of the painting is one of wonder and curiosity, as the monster gazes at the flame with wide eyes and open mouth. Its pose and expression convey a sense of innocence and playfulness, as if it is exploring the world around it for the first time. The use of warm colors and dramatic lighting further enhances the cozy atmosphere of the image.Sora can generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining visual quality and adherence to the user's prompt. OpenAI SOra states they are teaching AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion, with the goal of training models that help people solve problems that require real-world interaction...MoreI Was Wrong. We Haven't Reached Peak AI Frenzy.By Kate ClarkFeb 15, 2024, 4:16pm PSTAfter Sam Altman's sudden firing last year, I argued the chaos that followed his short-lived ouster would inject a healthy dose of caution into venture investments in artificial intelligence companies. I figured we'd finally reached the peak of the AI venture capital frenzy when a threatened employee exodus from OpenAI risked sending the value of the $86 billion AI juggernaut almost to zero. There was plenty of other proof that the hype for generative AI was fading. Investors were openly saying they planned to be a lot tougher on valuation negotiations and would ask startups harder questions about governance. Some companies had begun to consider selling themselves due to the high costs of developing AI software. And an early darling of the AI boom, AI-powered writing tool Jasper, had become the butt of jokes when it slashed internal revenue projections and cut its internal valuation after having won a $1.5 billion valuation in 2022. I forgot that everyone in Silicon Valley suffers from short-term memory loss. After a week sipping boxed water with venture capitalists from South Park to Sand Hill Road, I'm convinced I called the end of the AI frenzy far too soon. In fact, I expect this year will deliver more cash into the hands of U.S. AI startups than last year, when those companies raised a total of $63 billion, according to PitchBook data. Altman's fundraising ambitions will surely boost the total. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal said Altman plans to raise trillions of dollars to develop the AI chips needed to create artificial general intelligence, software that can reason the way humans do. Even if that number is actually much smaller, talk of such goals lifts the ceiling for other startup founders, who are likely to think even bigger and to be more aggressive in their fundraising. Investor appetite for AI companies is still growing, too. These investors claimed last fall that they were done with the FOMO-inspired deals, but they're pushing checks on the top AI companies now harder than ever...MoreNews Of the WeekI tried Vision Pro. Here's my takeThe Quest 3 is better than you might expectPosted by Matt Birchler13 Feb 2024Alex Heath for The Verge: Zuckerberg says Quest 3 is “the better product” vs. Apple's Vision ProHe says the Quest has a better “immersive” content library than Apple, which is technically true for now, though he admits that the Vision Pro is a better entertainment device. And then there's the fact that the Quest 3 is, as Zuck says, “like seven times less expensive.”I currently own both headsets and while I'm very excited about the potential in the Vision Pro, I actually find it hard to fully disagree with Zuck on this one. I think a lot of people have only used the Vision Pro would be surprised how well the Quest 3 does some things in comparison.For example, the pass-through mode is definitely not quite as good as the Vision Pro's, but it's closer than you might expect. And while people are rightly impressed with how well the Vision Pro has windows locked in 3D space, honestly the Quest 3 is just as good at this in my experience. When it comes to comfort, I do think the Vision Pro is easier to wear for longer periods, but I find it more finicky to get in just the right spot in front of my eyes, while the Quest 3 seems to have a larger sweet spot. And let's not even talk about the field of view, which is way wider on the Quest to the point of being unnoticeable basically all the time. I kinda think field of view will be similar to phone bezels in that you get used to what you have and anything more seems huge — you can get used to the Vision Pro's narrower field of view, but once you're used to wider, it's hard to not notice when going back.The Vision Pro has some hardware features that help it rise above (the massively higher resolution screen jumps to mind), but I'm just saying that if you're looking for everything to be 7x better to match the price difference, I don't think that's there.Beyond this, the products are quite different, though. As Zuckerberg says, the Quest 3 is more focused on fully immersive VR experiences, and while the Vision Pro has a little of that right now, it's not really doing the same things. And when it comes to gaming it's not even close. The Quest 3 has a large library of games available and that expands to almost every VR game ever made with Steam Link.On the other hand, the Vision Pro is much for a “computer” than the Quest ever was. If you can do it on a Mac or an iPad, you can probably already do it on the Vision Pro. And I'm not talking about finding some weird alternate version of your task manager or web browser that doesn't sync with anything else in your life, I'm talking about the apps you already know and love. This is huge and it's Apple leveraging its ecosystem to make sure you can seamlessly move from Mac to iPhone to iPad to Vision Pro. And if you can't install something from the App Store, the web browser is just as capable as Safari on the iPad. If all else fails, you can always just bring your full Mac into your space as well. I will say the Quest 3 can do this and has the advantage of working with Windows as well, but if you have a Mac, it's much, much better.This is more words than I expected to write about a CEO saying his product is better than the competition's (shocker), but I do think that Zuck's statement is less insane than some may think it to be...MoreThe Supreme Court will decide if the government can seize control of YouTube and TwitterWe're about to find out if the Supreme Court still believes in capitalism.By Ian Millhiser Feb 15, 2024, 7:00am ESTIan Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States. He received a JD from Duke University and is the author of two books on the Supreme Court.In mid-2021, about a year before he began his longstanding feud with the biggest employer in his state, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation attempting to seize control of content moderation at major social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter (now called X by Elon Musk). A few months later, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, also a Republican, signed similar legislation in his state.Both laws are almost comically unconstitutional — the First Amendment does not permit the government to order media companies to publish content they do not wish to publish — and neither law is currently in effect. A federal appeals court halted the key provisions of Florida's law in 2022, and the Supreme Court temporarily blocked Texas's law shortly thereafter (though the justices, somewhat ominously, split 5-4 in this later case).Nevertheless, the justices have not yet weighed in on whether these two unconstitutional laws must be permanently blocked, and that question is now before the Court in a pair of cases known as Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton.The stakes in both cases are quite high, and the Supreme Court's decision is likely to reveal where each one of the Republican justices falls on the GOP's internal conflict between old-school free market capitalists and a newer generation that is eager to pick cultural fights with business...MoreArm Results Set The World On FireFebruary 13, 2024 · by D/D Advisors · in Analyst Decoder Ring. ·Arm reported its second set of earnings as a (once again) public company last week. These numbers were particularly strong, well above consensus for both the current and guided quarters. Arm stock rallied strongly on the results up ~30% for the week. These numbers were important as they go a long way to establishing the company's credibility with the Street in a way their prior results did not.That being said, we saw things we both liked and disliked in their numbers. Here are our highlights of those:Positive: Growing Value Capture. One of our chief concerns with the company since IPO has been the low value they capture per licensed chip shipped – roughly $0.11 per chip at the IPO. That figure continued to inch higher in the latest results, but critically they pointed out that their royalty rate doubles with the latest version of their IP (v9). This does not mean that all of their royalty rates are going to double any time soon, but it does point very much in the right direction. Critically, they noted this rate increase applies to architectural licenses as well.Negative: The Model is Complex. Judging from the number of questions management fielded on the call about this rate increase no one really knows how to model Arm. The company has a lot of moving parts in its revenue mix, and they have limits to their ability to communicate some very important parts of their model. We think that at some point the company would be well served by providing some clearer guide posts on how to build these models or they risk the Street always playing catch up with a wide swing of expectations each quarter.Positive: Premium Plan Conversion. The company said three companies converted from their AFA plan to the ATA model. We will not get into the details of those here, but these can best be thought of in software terms with customers on low priced subscription plans converting to Premium subscription plans. This is a good trend, and management expressed a high degree of confidence that they expect to see it continue. They have spent a few years putting these programs in place and seem to have thought them through. This matters particularly because these programs are well suited for smaller, earlier-stage companies. The old Arm struggled to attract new customers in large part because of the high upfront costs of Arm licenses. Programs like AFA and ATA could go a long way to redressing those past wrongs.Negative: China remains a black box. Arm China is of course a constant source of speculation. In the latest quarter it looks like a large portion of growth came from China which does not exactly square with other data coming from China right now. It is still unclear to us how much of Arm's revenues from China's handset companies gets booked through Arm China as a related party transaction and how much is direct. Investors are confused too. There is no easy solution to this problem, digging too hard into Arm China's numbers is unlikely to make anyone happy with the answers, but hopefully over time it all settles down.Positive: Growing Complexity of Compute. Management repeatedly mentioned this factor, noting that this leads to more chips and more Arm cores shipping in the marketplace. Some of this is tied to AI, but we think the story is broader than that. It is going to be tempting to see much of Arm's growth as riding the AI wave, but this does not fully capture the situation. The AI story is largely about GPUs, which are not particularly heavy with Arm cores. But those GPUs still need some CPU attach, and AI accelerators can sometimes be good Arm targets.Negative: Diversification. Arm remains heavily dependent on smartphones, and we suspect the return to inventory stocking by handset makers is playing a big role in their guidance. When asked about segmentation of their results the company declined to update the model provided during the IPO. We hope to see some diversification here when they do update their figures later in the year.Overall, the company did a good job in the quarter. They still have some kinks to work out with their communication to the Street, but this was a good second step as a public company...MoreStartup of the WeekBret Taylor's new AI company aims to help customers get answers and complete tasks automaticallyRon Miller @ron_miller / 6:36 AM PST•February 13, 2024Image Credits: mi-vector / Getty ImagesWe've been hearing about former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor's latest gig since he announced he was leaving the CRM giant in November 2022. Last February we heard he was launching an AI startup built with former Google employee Clay Bavor. Today, the two emerged with a new conversational AI company called Sierra with some bold claims about what it can do.At its heart, the new company is a customer service bot. That's not actually all that Earth-shattering, but the company claims that it's much more than that, with its software going beyond being an extension of a FAQ page and actually taking actions on behalf of the customer.“Sierra agents can do so much more than just answer questions. They take action using your systems, from upgrading a subscription in your customer database to managing the complexities of a furniture delivery in your order management system. Agents can reason, problem solve and make decisions,” the company claimed in a blog post.Having worked with large enterprise customers at Salesforce, Taylor certainly understands that issues like hallucinations, where a large language model sometimes makes up an answer when it lacks the information to answer accurately, is a serious problem. That's especially true for large companies, whose brand reputation is at stake. The company claims that it is solving hallucination issues.Image Credits: SierraAt the same time, it's connecting to other enterprise systems to undertake tasks on behalf of the customer without humans being involved. These are both big audacious claims and will be challenging to pull off...MoreX of the Week This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thatwastheweek.substack.com/subscribe
Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin co-founded theSkimm in 2012, a digital media company dedicated to giving women the information they need to navigate life's most important decisions. Since hitting send on the first Daily Skimm email over a decade ago, they have cultivated a trusted community that reaches more than 12 million women. As their audience has matured, so has theSkimm, evolving beyond a singular newsletter into an award-winning ecosystem that includes dedicated newsletters in money, wellness, parenting, and shopping, a career podcast, an in-house creative agency, and a commerce arm that performs at 3x the industry standard.Danielle and Carly both grew up with a love for journalism and storytelling. The two met after a summer spent studying abroad in Rome and reconnected after graduation while working in New York City, where they eventually became roommates trying to make it in the media industry. Both news junkies at heart, they quickly realized there was an opportunity to change the way media was consumed and created an outlet that provided its audience with bite-sized and easily digestible news. With $4,000 between the both of them, they decided to quit their jobs and launch theSkimm. In this week's episode, Danielle and Carly share their love for storytelling, what it means to start their digital media company from their couch, and why they thought it was a bigger risk to not pursue theSkimm than it was to pursue it. They share what it's like to work with a co-founder and the benefits of having one, ways they applied grassroots marketing in the early days of the business when they had zero funds, and how they thought about growth & monetization. We also get the inside scoop on how they fostered an intensely engaged community through their Skimmbassador program, how they balance their relationship as friends and Co-CEOs, and what goes into producing great content. Danielle and Carly also open up about their biggest mistakes during their journey, how they dealt with rejection when fundraising early on, and so much more. * In this episode, we'll talk to Danielle and Carly about:* Their lives as journalists prior to theSkimm. [02:53]* Transitioning to full-time focus on theSkimm. [11:15]* No Plan B: Driving force for productivity. [17:33]* Growth propelled by theSkimm ambassador program. [22:01]* Finding the right investors amid rejections. [27:06]* Momentum building and monetization strategies. [29:56]* Fostering their relationship as co-founders. [33:37]* Tips for first time entrepreneurs. [38:35]* Prioritizing self-care basics. [41:39]* Who shouldn't be an entrepreneur. [48:55]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Danielle and Carly: * Website: https://www.theskimm.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theskimm/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlyanddanielle/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's hard to remember a time when newsletters weren't flooding every inbox but today's guests were on the forefront of bringing easily digestible news directly to their audience. Today on Found, Becca is joined by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm which is a digital media company, dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions. They talked about how they've navigated the digital media industry for over a decade, how they pitched this to investors when they were new to the game, and the importance of building a team that aligns with your vision.They also talked about:The importance of having a direct line to your audience and the benefit of building on your own platform, not on social mediaTheir grassroots marketing in the early daysHow one thing they nailed from the beginning is having a unique voice. (0:00) Introduction(1:35) being on the forefront of millennial media companies(6:08) the power of email marketing(8:35) the early days and bootstrapping(14:07) Not fitting the silicon valley mold(17:34) the co-founder relationship(23:11) Leadership styles and growing a company(29:31) Prioritizing growth Found posts every Tuesday. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts to be alerted when new episodes drop. Check out the other TechCrunch podcasts: Equity and Chain Reaction. Subscribe to Found to hear more stories from founders each Connect with us:On TwitterOn InstagramVia email: found@techcrunch.com
Carly Zakin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-zakin-69942aa/) and Danielle Weisberg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-weisberg-3192538/) are co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm (https://www.theskimm.com/), a mission-driven media company empowering millennial women with the resources and confidence to maneuver through life's necessities – from their finances, health, and career to how they vote. The two former NBC news producers met while studying abroad in Rome. Unbeknownst to them, what began as a product launch from their Manhattan couch has since become a media empire harnessing the power of this generation of women. Carly and Danielle developed a product that delivers digestible, conversational information - from politics and breaking news to pop culture - to help Skimm'rs feel more informed about the world around them. Since theSkimm's inception in 2012, Carly and Danielle have expanded the company's product suite to include three top-rated podcasts (Skimm This, 9 to 5ish, and Pop Cultured), theSkimm app, Skimm Money and Skimm Your Life newsletters, and Skimm Studios. theSkimm's first book, How to Skimm Your Life, was released in June 2019 and debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Jesse Draper is the Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investing in consumer tech companies led by female and co-ed teams.With women making up to 80 percent of household purchasing decisions, Jesse and her team are betting big on early-stage, female-founded companies with billion-dollar potential. Jesse is a fourth generation venture capitalist as well as the creator and host of the Emmy-nominated television series, The Valley Girl Show.She is a fierce advocate for investing in women and the opportunity for using technology and innovation to solve some of the biggest issues facing women and families today. After creating Halogen Ventures in 2015, she now has more than 70 companies in her portfolio, including theSkimm, Babylist, ThirdLove, and The Flex Company.Jesse was listed by Marie Claire Magazine as one of the ‘50 Most Connected Women in America' and she is also a regular investor and tech personality on Cheddar, CNBC, and CNN.In this episode, we have a candid conversation about why Jesse didn't think she could be a venture capitalist and how she overcame her own fears and beliefs about imposter syndrome, and she shares her advice for anyone looking to manage burnout: delegate and make time for rest. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at what investors are looking for, from founder traits to the biggest mistakes that founders make, and so much more.In this episode, we'll talk to Jesse about:* Starting on the topic of rejection; why a ‘no' isn't necessarily a bad thing. [3:40]* How Jesse's upbringing shaped her as a fourth generation venture capitalist. [7:52]* Her perception of success in her 20s and how it evolved with entrepreneurship. [12:33]* Find out why Jesse believes more women should prioritize networking. [20:04]* Overcoming her fears and beliefs about imposter syndrome; just try it! [24:27]* Jesse's advice for managing burnout: delegate and make time to rest and plan. [28:30]* Learn more about her experience of fundraising while pregnant and during COVID. [35:50]* Three mistakes women are making when raising money: not showing confidence, overcomplicating the pitch, and underselling themselves. [38:30]* What investors look for, from a willingness to pivot to an ability to problem solve. [41:33]* Some of the red flags Jesse cautions founders against, including the tendency to overpromise and underdeliver. [45:50]* Jesse's suggestions for women to feel more empowered when it comes to money. [50:10]* Two simple ways to take control: do it yourself and put your money to work. [53:47]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Jesse: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessecdraper/ * Halogen Ventures Website: https://halogenvc.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**Take Farnoosh's quick survey here to enter to win a signed copy of A Healthy State of Panic.** The childcare system is broken and mothers are largely paying the price. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as many as 100,000 Americans have been forced to stay home from work each month because of childcare problems. The economic toll amounts to $122 billion yearly in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue. Guest Danielle Weisberg is co-founder of TheSkimm, and her team has done research into this as well. In its report called The State of Women, the digital media company uncovers the realities and challenges women face today with resources to change the status quo. Their #ShowUsYourChildCare campaign inspires them to share how they support working parents. In the episode, Danielle shares insights from the report, including the financial and mental toll on working parents, specifically mothers, and how employees and employers can work together to provide more effective benefits for families. To access the resources mentioned in today's episode, visit ShowUsYourChildcare.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Wharton's Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed speak with Julie Alvin, theSkimm's SVP of Content about the background of theSkimm, how they respond to their audience, and how they marry the ideas of sales and content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The way we get our news is always changing — and lately, it seems to be changing more rapidly than ever before. One of the first outlets to make news bite-sized and informative was the Skimm, a newsletter that launched in 2012 and was developed by two former roommates, Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin. Danielle Weisberg joins us today to chat about why she calls herself a “reluctant entrepreneur”, how she and Carly make decisions and split responsibilities as co-CEOs, and what they've learned after 11 years of building theSkimm together. Join the HerMoney community! For the latest episode drops and financial news-you-can-use, subscribe to our newsletter at Hermoney.com/subscribe! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we chat with Niven McCall-Mazza! Niven McCall-Mazza is Editor-in-Chief of theSkimm, overseeing its news, money, wellness, audio, and video teams. Under her leadership, theSkimm has helped its 12 million+ audience stay up-to-date on current events, focusing on how they specifically affect women's lives, health, and financial security. She has scaled the company's editorial team and products, expanded its DEI efforts, and spearheaded its 2018 midterm election campaign – which activated 200,000 people to vote. Prior to joining theSkimm, McCall-Mazza was a Senior Editor at NBC News, managing the company's breaking news coverage across all platforms. At NBC, she earned an Emmy nomination for her work covering the San Bernardino shooting and an Emmy win for coverage of the 2014 MH17 plane crash. In addition to her role at theSkimm, McCall-Mazza is on the Board of Advisors for Grace Farms Foods, which uses food to foster good in the world. She was also featured on GV's 2021 Impact List as one of 25 women making a difference in their company's culture and success.Follow Us!Niven McCall-Mazza: @nivenmccallmazzatheSkimm: @theSkimmErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething
This is an episode of the podcast "9 to 5ish with theSkimm". Listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts. When Jen Psaki became President Obama's White House Communications Director, she was pregnant. Later, she became President Biden's Press Secretary, and she had to navigate her role as a mom and as the White House's chief spokesperson. A big challenge, considering when you work for the president, you're expected to be on call 24/7. Today, we spoke to Jen about what doing both actually looked like for her – from the hard realities to the help she got along the way. In this episode, Jen shares: What a job interview with the president is like Why she regrets not seeking feedback early in her career Her non-traditional approach to mentoring What she learned from not getting the job she wanted the first time How she set boundaries, even when on call 24/7
Dem billionaire: Trump was right! 'Hate' on the rise: Amy Schumer! Latin America Netflix pw thieves! Mentally ill parents of children! The Hake Report, Tuesday, October 17, 2023 AD TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Start/Topics: TDS awakening, Palestinian refugees, Victimhood* (0:03:47) Hey, guys! * (0:05:17) Chamath Palihapitiya, billionaire ex-TDS Dem for Trump* (0:13:36) Based Egypt and Jordan: No Palestinian refugees* (0:19:33) Dearborn pro-Palestine march (Khalen Beydoun, Detroit)* (0:29:02) Is 'hate' on the rise? theSkimm reports! * (0:38:00) Amy Schumer Jewishly poem SJW meme* (0:42:19) FREDERICK: They hired their enemies! How we help 'em?* (0:49:17) Super: BasedAmericaFirst, "redlining" is a myth!* (0:56:06) Supers: Amy Schumer, Palestinian Christians, DLive ladies* (1:04:40) "Rescue" - Okay (2005, High Road)* (1:08:28) DAVID, FL: Revelation, Israel, Bible research, Christ coming soon* (1:23:47) Latin America Netflix password pirates crackdown* (1:33:08) Self-sabotaging women: pandemic "stole" fertile years* (1:37:05) Mentally ill children, mentally ill parents (single mother)* (1:50:29) Gen Z, psychologically damaged by inflation!* (1:52:03) "Agnus Dei" - Psalters (feat. Sepideh Vahidi, 2006)BLOG https://thehakereport.com/episodesPODCAST by HAKE SubstackLive M-F 9-11 AM PT (11-1 CT / 12-2 ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 – thehakereport.com VIDEO YouTube | Rumble* | Facebook | X | BitChute | Odysee* PODCAST Apple | Spotify | Castbox | Substack (RSS) *SUPER CHAT on asterisked above, or BuyMeACoffee | Streamlabs | Ko-fi SUPPORT HAKE Substack | SubscribeStar | Locals || SHOP Teespring ALSO SEE Hake News on The JLP Show | Appearances (other shows, etc.) JLP Network: JLP | Church | TFS | Hake | Nick | Joel | Hassan Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe
Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg are the co-Founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm, a digital media company dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions. Founded in 2012, theSkimm began as a daily newsletter that broke down the news, policies, and trends so that women could live smarter. Now, the company's ecosystem has grown to include the Daily Skimm, the Daily Skimm: Weekend, Skimm Money and Skimm Your Life newsletters, The SKM Report, the “9 to 5ish with theSkimm” podcast, and theSkimm mobile app, and currently has an dedicated audience of over seven million users. In this episode, we talk about how Danielle and Carly first met, where the idea for theSkimm came from, and the importance of supporting women in the workforce. Don't miss this interview where we discuss:How Carly and Danielle first thought of the idea for theSkimm, and the signs that encouraged them to go for ittheSkimm's early years and Carly and Danielle's efforts in getting the company to its first reader milestonesBecoming CEOs, creating a team, and how to be effective leadersHow to have confidence in your product or idea even when it feels like you're only hearing “no”theSkimm's State of Women report and #ShowUsYourChildcare initiative, and how it's up to companies to create policies that help support women and families Find Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin:www.theskimm.comIG: @theskimm; @carlyanddanielleLinkedIn: Danielle Wiesberg; Carly ZakinFollow Lydia:www.lydiafenet.comIG: @lydiafenetLinkedIn: Lydia Fenet
Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg are the co-Founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm, a digital media company dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions. Founded in 2012, theSkimm began as a daily newsletter that broke down the news, policies, and trends so that women could live smarter. Now, the company's ecosystem has grown to include the Daily Skimm, the Daily Skimm: Weekend, Skimm Money and Skimm Your Life newsletters, The SKM Report, the “9 to 5ish with theSkimm” podcast, and theSkimm mobile app, and currently has an dedicated audience of over seven million users. In this episode, we talk about how Danielle and Carly first met, where the idea for theSkimm came from, and the importance of supporting women in the workforce. Don't miss this interview where we discuss: How Carly and Danielle first thought of the idea for theSkimm, and the signs that encouraged them to go for it theSkimm's early years and Carly and Danielle's efforts in getting the company to its first reader milestones Becoming CEOs, creating a team, and how to be effective leaders How to have confidence in your product or idea even when it feels like you're only hearing “no” theSkimm's State of Women report and #ShowUsYourChildcare initiative, and how it's up to companies to create policies that help support women and families Find Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin: www.theskimm.com IG: @theskimm; @carlyanddanielle LinkedIn: Danielle Wiesberg; Carly Zakin Follow Lydia: www.lydiafenet.com IG: @lydiafenet LinkedIn: Lydia Fenet Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/ClaimYourConfidencePodcast If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/ClaimYourConfidencePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Julie Alvin is the SVP of content at TheSkimm & a trusted digital media executive, content strategist, and editor with expertise in women's health & lifestyle media. She's previously held roles at Bustle Digital Group, Time, Inc., and Refinery29, overseeing coverage of everything from news and politics to health, career, money, style, and entertainment. She is a former adjunct professor at NYU's Master's in Publishing program and a founding member of Chief Executive Women's network. Julie's appeared on Fox News, CBS, ABC, Cheddar, and other networks discussing topics like the #MeToo movement, the cost of fertility treatments, and the gender wage gap. On today's episode of The Business of Wellness, we discuss: Data & highlights from The Skimm's State of Women survey– what are women concerned about when it comes to health & wellbeing in a post-pandemic world? What are the chief concerns among women of all ages as it relates to their health? Discerning myth vs. fact on social media & across digital content: What does it mean to be an “expert” in 2023? What are TheSkimm's editorial standards that help champion appropriate subject-matter experts for specific topics, content platforms & distribution channels? The past decade's media evolution/revolution: What's different about media today? Post-pandemic? What are readers looking for from content platforms & channels, and from health professionals? How can media help women feel more empowered when it comes to their personal health, advocating for themselves & their families, and having the right information that helps arm them for any/every interaction with our current healthcare system?
Today on FOMO Sapiens we delve into the remarkable story of how the founders of theSkimm, Carly and Danielle, built a company that people not only want to work for, but also rely on for trusted information and guidance. From its humble beginnings, theSkimm has grown alongside its initial audience, adapting to their changing needs and evolving into a multi-faceted platform that covers personal finance, health, family, and purchasing decisions. The driving force behind theSkimm's focus on millennial women is their recognition of this demographic's immense economic influence and their belief that these women are the most important customers to cater to. Recognized as a necessary resource for navigating the complexities of adulthood, theSkimm has become a trusted companion, helping women make informed decisions in various aspects of their lives. As the company grows, it eagerly embraces a new generation of women, understanding that their experiences and decisions will shape the future direction of the company. But, like any successful venture, theSkimm had its humble beginnings. Carly and Danielle made a pivotal decision to quit their jobs at a young age, a decision that still fills them with unease even after 11 years of running their company. Fuelled by a passion for the news business, they faced countless challenges to break into the industry, including entering the job market during the Great Recession, where stable jobs were hard to come by. Working in media during a downturn meant financial sacrifices, but it also fueled their determination to make their mark. What sets Carly and Danielle apart is their unique dynamic and magical working relationship as friends and business partners. Starting a business with a friend may be seen as unwise, but they defy conventional wisdom and credit their successful partnership to their shared passion, trust, and the ability to address potential conflicts from the outset. Observing the changing landscape of the news industry, Carly and Danielle realized there was a lack of focus on their demographic, young women who were increasingly leading and making purchasing decisions. Sensing an opportunity to fill this void, they embarked on a mission to create a source of trusted information specifically targeted towards women. Maintaining a strong brand ethos and voice has been instrumental in engaging and retaining theSkimm's audience. The company's brand has evolved over time, incorporating fresh perspectives and ideas to ensure relevancy and resonance with its diverse audience. Recognizing the importance of driving change and reaching a wider target audience, The Skimm understands the need to bring in new voices to continuously enhance their brand. In addition to their entrepreneurial spirit and hunger for growth, Carly and Danielle are staunch advocates for policies that support women in the workforce. They have implemented progressive policies within the company, including paid family leave, unlimited vacation days, improved healthcare benefits, and childcare coverage. Recognizing the needs of their predominantly female workforce, they have partnered with companies like VV to provide comprehensive childcare support. However, The Skimm's mission extends beyond its own workforce. They have launched impactful campaigns like "Show US Your Leave" and "Show US Your Childcare" to address the lack of support for families in terms of paid family leave and childcare. Through transparent sharing of policies, they have catalyzed positive change in hundreds of companies, wagering that supporting families ultimately benefits both employees and businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kaylin is the founder & CEO of JIGGY, a new jigsaw puzzle brand on a mission to modernize and elevate the humble jigsaw, and support female artists around the world. She turned her hobby into a company and has been featured on Shark Tank, Oprah's Favorite Things and won over celebrity fans including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lili Reinhart and Chrissy Teigen. Kaylin was previously the first employee at media startup theSkimm, and is an alum of Barnard College in New York City. Michelle & Kaylin discuss JIGGY's unique packaging, supporting female artists and what's coming down the puzzle pipeline for JIGGY.This week's episode is sponsored by Sales Producers Inc., a progressive business to business company representing Gift, Lifestyle, Fashion, Personal Care, & Kids lines selling to retail stores with a mission to create long lasting, profitable relationships by adding significant value to our Customer, Vendor, and Team partners. For more information, check out their social media or website Sales Producers Inc.InstagramFacebookLinkedInTikTokAmazon
To wrap up this season of 9 to 5ish, we've got a bonus episode with author Avery Carpenter Forrey. She was one of the first employees at theSkimm, who pivoted her career to become a writer. Her highly-anticipated debut novel, Social Engagement, drops on May 23rd, and explores millennial wedding culture, class, and relationships. This week, we spoke to Avery about how she pulled off the pivot, what tactical steps she took to get started, and how she maintained relationships with her former colleagues. Plus, she shares what it's like to be a new mother while promoting her book.
Kaylin Marcotte, the Founder and CEO of JIGGY Puzzles, joins the show to share her journey from first employee at theSkimm to reinventing the jigsaw puzzle. Hear how to scale your business, create custom packaging, partner with incredible creatives, the science behind puzzles, and how Kaylin would approach a 1 million piece puzzle. Connect with Kaylin at JIGGYPuzzles.com and social media @JIGGYPuzzles and @KaylinMarcotte
We're back in your feed after a week off with…some news. But it's not the news of the week, which we've been bringing you since 2019. It's actually some personal news. After four amazing years, one pandemic, 451 episodes, and hundreds of interviews with some of the biggest newsmakers and experts, we're reimagining this podcast feed. So we're going to be taking some time away from the mic while we put that into motion. We've loved being there for you through the world's craziest and most confusing moments, and helping you navigate every stage of your life, from taxes to toddlers. And we're excited to bring you more in the future. So, stay tuned. In the meantime, for more Skimm, you can check out: theskimm.com The Daily Skimm newsletter theSkimm on Instagram and TikTok
First: The GOP can't seem to get their House in order. Between a fight over who should be Speaker, and a congressman elect's sketchy past, the 118th Congress got off to a rocky start. We'll break it down. Next: We've got the context on the other major stories from the week – including an update on Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin and a major change for abortion pill access. Plus the latest on the atmospheric river turning the West Coast…into a literal river. Then: Every year, The Economist releases an issue filled with their biggest predictions for 2023. We sat down with its deputy editor to get an inside look on what to expect from 2023. And PS: it's not all bad news. Finally: We're taking a look at one New Year's resolution we can all get behind: being happier. We're asking an expert to tell us four small changes we can make to actually feel happier. On this episode, you'll hear from: Tom Standage, Deputy Editor, The Economist Dr. Marisa Franco, Psychologist, Professor at the University of Maryland Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Elie McAfee-Hahn and Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the context on the week's biggest headlines – from how to travel safely during this weekend's bomb cyclone to President Zelensky's visit on Capitol Hill. Plus, an update on Elon Musk's future at Twitter. Then: The January 6th committee dropped its final report, wrapping up a year of hearings and investigations. We're saving you the reading and skimming the three things you need to know about what they found. Finally: 2022 was a busy year. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine and an FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, to Serena Williams retiring and a bombshell royal exposé. We're listening back to all of it by ending our final show of 2022 with the year in sound. Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Elie McAfee-Hahn and Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the context on the week's biggest headlines – from crypto founder Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest, to major protests going down in Peru, plus a World Cup wrap up. Then: We're sitting down with an expert to get a vibe check on the economy after a big inflation breakthrough this week. The saga isn't over yet, so we're asking: what's 2023 gonna look like for our wallets? Next: This week, the White House announced we're one step closer to harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, but what exactly does that mean? We'll do our best Bill Nye and explain why it's such a big deal…in 60 seconds. Finally: Our team is bringing you the stories that we couldn't stop thinking about this week. We're discussing a surprising evolution in the way we date, a tech development that could take your healthcare to the next level, a copycat BeReal, and more. On this episode, you'll hear from: Kathryn Edwards, labor economist Alaisha, Blake, and Will, Skimm HQ'rs Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Elie McAfee-Hahn and Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the biggest headlines of the week, including Brittney Griner's release from a Russian prison, the outcome of Georgia's runoff election, and the Respect for Marriage Act. Plus, the latest on the Trump Organization's tax fraud charge, and an update on the protests in Iran. Then: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Moore v. Harper, a case that could change how elections are run in the US. We'll explain the case and why it's so controversial…in 60 seconds. Next: Between national security and data privacy concerns, more experts – and even US federal officials – believe we should ctrl-alt-delete TikTok from our lives. So this week, we're asking the tough question: should you remove TikTok from your phone? Two experts help break down the pros and cons of the app, so you can decide for yourself. Finally: Our team tried the AI avatar app that's been flooding your social media feeds. And the results were questionable. We're breaking down why these fun photos actually show the dark side of AI tech. On this episode, you'll hear from: Emily Baker-White, technology reporter, Forbes Cleo Abram, video journalist Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent, Axios Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Sarah Collins. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: Some of the biggest protests in decades broke out in China last weekend over the country's strict COVID guidelines and – in some cases – over the Chinese Communist Party's leadership. We call an expert to explain the historic protests and their impacts worldwide. Then: Democrats in Congress only have a few weeks to pass some major legislation before a new group of lawmakers heads to DC in January. We're breaking down why this “lame duck" session might be anything but lame...in 60 seconds. Next: Roadway deaths have been rising – and apparently, it's a uniquely American problem. New reporting shows us why we've seen an increase in roadway deaths in the US and what we can learn from other countries about how to prevent them. Finally: Merriam Webster declared “gaslighting” as its word of the year. We break out our dictionaries to break down the word's definition – and why it gets misused. On this episode, you'll hear from: Sue-Lin Wong, correspondent, The Economist Emily Badger, cities and urban policy writer, The Upshot, The New York Times Dr. Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Sarah Collins. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the headlines from the week's news, including the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs, a rail strike that could dampen our holiday spirits, and a historic climate agreement. Then: After technical difficulties shut down ticket sales to Taylor Swift's Eras tour, Ticketmaster is under fire. We'll skimm why Taylor Swift fans – and the Justice Department – have bad blood with the ticket selling platform…in 60 seconds. Finally: President Biden carried on the annual turkey pardon. Meet: Chocolate and Chip. Skimm This will be back in your feed next Thursday. Have a happy holiday weekend. Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. theSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We're covering the week's biggest headlines: a roundup of midterm outcomes and political news, the latest on the protests in Iran, and the Artemis I rocket launch. Then: FTX – one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges – had a pretty abrupt fall from grace. We're talking to an expert about what FTX's demise means for the rest of the crypto world and what potential investors can learn from it. Next: The World Cup kicks off this weekend, but there's been a lot of off-the-field drama. We'll break down why the Cup has become a geopolitical mess…in 60 seconds. Plus: In partnership with our friends at Slack, we're taking listeners behind the scenes of our digital HQ, and talking about how certain Slack channels help us do our jobs better. Our final channel deep-dive: #parent-life. Finally: Ever been asked “why are you still single?” or “why aren't you drinking?” at the Thanksgiving table? For many of us, sitting at the Thanksgiving table can make us wanna pull our hair out thanks to nosy family members and political heat. But this year, setting boundaries is in. So we called a therapist who helps us navigate who to set boundaries with, how to actually set them, and how sticking to them can help keep the peace and our sanity. On this episode, you'll hear from: Anita Ramaswamy, senior cryptocurrency reporter, TechCrunch Jana Pollack, senior manager of creative strategy, theSkimm Nedra Tawwab, therapist and author Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: Results from the midterm elections are coming in, and it's a mixed bag. We're breaking down some major takeaways as we wait to see which party will take control of Congress. Then: There's a lot of turbulence in Silicon Valley. We're sorting through all the drama @ Twitter, the historic layoffs at Facebook, and some good news for your winter getaways, in 60 seconds. Next: The COP27 conference is putting global conversations about climate change in the spotlight. We're talking to an expert about how these negotiations are playing out in Egypt, and who's ready to take action. Plus: In partnership with our friends at Slack, we're taking listeners behind the scenes of our digital HQ to show how certain Slack channels help us do our jobs better. Next up: #headline-workshop. Finally: Just in time for Thanksgiving, there's a national turkey shortage. Thanks, bird flu. We're talking to a chef about two show stopping dishes you can make instead, plus another option that could totally change your Thanksgiving game. You can find the recipes we talked about here and here. On this episode, you'll hear from: Juliet Eilperin, Deputy Climate and Environment Editor, The Washington Post Alicia Valenski, Senior Editor, SEO, theSkimm Maria Corpus, Senior Writer, theSkimm Becky Krystal, Food Writer, Voraciously The Washington Post Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. We had additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We're breaking down the biggest headlines of the week: the Fed raising interest rates yet again, the growing risk of political violence leading up to election day, and Elon Musk's chaotic onboarding @ Twitter. Then: The Supreme Court heard two major cases on affirmative action this week. And according to analysts, the Supremes appear ready to reverse decades of precedent. We talk to an expert about what's gone down in oral arguments so far, and what the impacts of an affirmative action reversal could look like. Next: NYC's new salary transparency law took effect this week, and it could have an impact far beyond the tri-state area. We're talking to two experts about what's changing for employees, employers, and those on the job hunt. And how you can take advantage of transparency laws, even if you don't live in a place that has them. Plus: In partnership with our friends at Slack, we're taking listeners behind the scenes of our digital HQ to show how certain Slack channels help us do our jobs better. Next up: #people-leaders. Finally: The midterm elections are next week, and we're handing the mic over to you to hear what's on your mind as you get ready to vote. On this episode, you'll hear from: Seema Mohapatra, MD Anderson Foundation Endowed Professor in Health Law and Professor of Law Zoe Cullen, Assistant Professor of Business administration, Harvard Business School Mandi Woodruff-Santos, Career Coach, Co-Host of the Brown Ambition Podcast Sophie Riese, senior manager of consumer insights and UX research, theSkimm Skimm'rs Leslie, Katlin, and Jenny Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with help from Hannah Parker and Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We're breaking down the biggest headlines of the week: US GDP numbers, Ye's (aka Kanye West) fallout, and what you need to know about RSV, a respiratory virus that's pushing some hospitals to their capacity. Then: A major investment conference dubbed ‘Davos in the Desert' took place this week in Saudi Arabia. And despite dirty looks from Team Biden, America's top finance bros attended. We'll Skimm the drama in the desert…in 60 seconds. Next: We're tapping an expert to help break down three of the biggest issues voters are thinking about heading into midterms – from abortion access, to the economy, to the future of democracy. Plus: In partnership with our friends at Slack, we're taking listeners behind the scenes of our digital HQ to show how certain Slack channels help us do our jobs better. First up: #skimmr-feedback. Finally: In honor of Taylor Swift's Midnights, we asked music critic how we should actually be listening to albums. Because it turns out: we've been doing it wrong this whole time. As a bonus, Alex asks the big question: is this Taylor Swift's most millennial album ever? On this episode, you'll hear from: Dr. Stephanie Davis, pediatric pulmonologist, UNC Children's Research Institute Laura Barrón-López, White House correspondent, PBS Newshour Sophie Riese, senior manager of consumer insights and UX research, theSkimm Nora Princiotti, co-host of Every Single Album, The Ringer Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with help from Hannah Parker. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the context on the week's biggest headlines: Liz Truss is out after 44 days in office, new tax brackets that could mean more cash in your wallet (thanks inflation), and Netflix's Hollywood comeback. Then: The U.S. government has officially launched the application for people to apply for student debt relief. We're breaking down all the info you need to know if you're eligible. Plus people keep saying it takes less than a minute to fill out… so we're putting that theory to the test, all in 60 seconds. Next: We're Skimming the stakes of the midterm elections - who's going to control congress, who might run in 2024, and what the future of our election systems looks like. Want to learn more? Check out our midterm election guides. Also: We're in a mental health crisis in America. And work, aka the place you spend over 50% of your time, could be to blame. We're talking to the government's top doc about his latest guidelines on how companies can protect their workers mental health. Finally: There's been a lot of BGE this fall – Big Gourd Energy. We sat down with one of the nation's top female mega-pumpkin growers to get a behind the scenes look at the wild world of mega-pumpkins. On this episode, you'll hear from: Jen Palmieri, Co-host of The Circus, Showtime Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General Cindy Tobeck, giant pumpkin farmer Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear. We had additional help this week from Hannah Parker.
First: We've got the context on the week's biggest headlines: September inflation numbers (sigh), the final January 6th committee hearing, another escalation in the war in Ukraine, and an update on Venezuelan migrants trying to enter the US. Then: This month marks five years since journalists broke several #MeToo stories and sparked convos about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. And as Harvey Weinstein starts his second trial for sex crimes this week, #MeToo's legacy is still with us. So we're Skimm'ing five things that have happened in the five years years since the first Weinstein story broke – from legislation that's passed to how we think about #MeToo in the workplace. Next: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is about to take on an unprecedented third term this weekend. We're speaking to The Economist's China correspondent about how he changed the nation – and its position on the international stage – and what we can expect in the future. Finally: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And a lot has changed since the first officially recognized one in 1995, from the decline in death rates to treatment quality. We talk to theSkimm's senior health writer to learn when you should get your risk evaluated, and how screening tech has changed. PS: Learn more about guidance on early screening and risk for breast cancer here. On this episode, you'll hear from: Sue Lin Wong, China correspondent, The Economist Carly Mallenbaum, senior health writer, theSkimm Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We're giving you the context on this week's biggest headlines, including: Biden's latest move on marijuana, what to expect from the new Supreme Court term, an update on Hurricane Ian recovery efforts, and the anti-regime protests in Iran. Then: Just when you thought you'd had enough, the internet's most toxic couple is back on again. We'll Skimm the messy love story between Elon Musk and Twitter, and why they're eloping for real this time…in 60 seconds. Next: The NFL is in the headlines again and – spoiler – it's not for good news. After the Dolphins' QB suffered what appears to be two head injuries in back-to-back games, the league's sketchy history with head injuries is back in the spotlight. We'll break down where the league stands on concussions and how their policies have affected players from the big leagues to high school fields. Finally: Voice memos are somewhere between a text and a call. But, like crafting the perfect text, there's an art to it. We spoke with an etiquette expert on the do's and don'ts of voice memos. So you can still record your thoughts without starting a new podcast. On this episode, you'll hear from: Leslie Scism, news editor, The Wall Street Journal Lindsay Jones, senior editor, The Ringer Skimm HQrs: Sophie, Kat, Cameryn, Melanie, Irina and Andrew Elaine Swann, founder & CEO, Swann School of Protocol Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
Sky-high inflation. Rising interest rates. A maybe recession. Oh, it's just the second financial crisis millennial women are facing in their lifetime. In this special miniseries from the Skimm This team, we're going to give you the tools you need to navigate a rocky economic environment. Starting with: adjusting your budget for sky high prices. In this first episode, we're going line by line through your budget to save you money. So yes, we're talking about cutting back on things like subscription services and late night Amazon purchases. But we're also digging into how to save money on the essentials, what debts you need to pay off first, and more. Also, if you need a budgeting template, theSkimm's got you covered. PS: head to Marcus.com for more insights that can help you live your best financial life. On this episode, you'll hear from: Michelle Singletary, personal finance columnist, The Washington Post
First: We've got the latest on the week's biggest headlines: Hurricane Ian, Team Biden's plan to end hunger by 2030, a big development in Alzheimer's research, and WTF happened to the British Pound this week. Then: After Ukraine made gains in the war this month, Putin is scrambling to figure out how to keep Russia in the game. We'll Skimm three of Russia's strategic pivots and how they could impact the outcome of the war…in 60-ish seconds. Next: Ever feel like your boss is watching you through your webcam? Do you move your mouse to make it look like you're doing work? Ya might want to keep it up. Because workplace surveillance has been on the rise since the pandemic started. Our expert told us why workplaces are watching their workers, how it actually backfires on employers, and what this means for the future of work. Finally: Hate to break it to you but…summer's officially over. If cold weather and lack of sunshine has a habit of bringing your vibes down, you're not alone. Seasonal affective disorder affects millions of Americans. We've got tips for your routine that could be key to fighting the winter blues. No happy lamps needed. On this episode, you'll hear from: Hilke Schellmann, assistant professor of journalism, New York University Dr. Kelly Rohan, professor of psychological science, University of Vermont PS: Feeling nervous about the economy lately? Don't worry. We're launching a miniseries to help you protect your finances and your mental health…in this economy. Catch it in your feed on Monday. Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We're giving you the context on this week's biggest headlines, including: another interest rate hike, storm damage in Puerto Rico, new anxiety screenings coming to a doctor's office near you, and growing protests in Iran. Then: Picture this: it's 2014. You're anxiously waiting for another episode of Serial to drop in your podcast feed. Fast forward to this week: a major development drops in the Adnan Syed case. We'll skimm Syed's case, why Serial put his case in the spotlight, and why it's back in the news…in 60 seconds. Next: After several governors sent migrants to Martha's Vineyard, NYC, and DC, “immigration” and the “border” are being Google-searched more than “abortion” and “inflation”. We call up an expert to help cut through the noise about what's really happening at the border, whether there's actually a border “crisis”, and what the federal government is doing to help. Finally: It was all pomp and circumstance at the Queen's funeral. But have royal funerals always been so fit for a queen? We talk to a reporter to learn how royal funerals have changed over time, get a vibe check on the UK, and what's to come from the monarchy under King Charles. On this episode, you'll hear from: Kristie De Peña, vice president of policy and director of immigration, The Niskanen Center Erin Vanderhoof, staff writer and co-host of Dynasty, Vanity Fair PS: Calling all Skimm This listeners. Have questions about the news, work, or life? Call and leave us a voicemail at (929) 266-4381. We can't wait to hear from you. Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin with additional help from Alaisha Key. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.
First: We've got the top headlines of the week: a national abortion ban on the table just weeks before the midterms, August inflation numbers (sigh), Ukraine's recent string of W's, and the DL on the new updates for iMessage. Then: After a scandal at Columbia University, the college went from #2 to #18 on the US News College Ranking List. But after learning just how the list comes up with its rankings, many are questioning how legit that list even is. We break down what caused Columbia's fall from grace and the shady side of college-ranking culture…in 60 seconds. Next: An investigation by The New York Times found that nearly one-fifth of Congress – or their family members – were trading stock in a way that could be considered a conflict, renewing convos around Congressional stock trading and whether it should be allowed. To hear both sides of the spicy debate, we talk to one of the reporters. PS: check out the Times investigation here. Finally: Being mediocre at your hobbies is in. Chasing perfectionism is out. We talk to a WSJ columnist who investigated the art of being bad at something and how it actually makes your mental health and your life better. Huzzah for participation trophies. On this episode, you'll hear from: Kate Kelly, domestic correspondent, The New York Times Rachel Feintzeig, columnist, The Wall Street Journal PS: Calling all Skimm This listeners. Have questions about the news, work, or life? Call and leave us a voicemail at (929) 266-4381. We can't wait to hear from you. Want more Skimm? Sign up for our free daily newsletter Email us your questions about what's going on in the news right now Subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm's head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.