Volv Concierge #61

👀 Hacking 'Spotify Wrapped' + Tech giants getting overthrown

Author

Volv Inc.
December 04, 2024

In partnership with

Hey everyone, Priyanka here. I’ve been sick for days now but I really hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving!

🏠 Home ground

Food coma may be a given, but family holidays can be somewhat stressful. Just look at President Biden, who for years said he wouldn't do it, but immediately caved and pardoned his son Hunter after spending Thanksgiving him... and pissed off everyone in the country.

A woman in Ohio was actually arrested for killing and eating a cat… making America wonder if Trump was right all along?

🌎 Around the world

Israel and Hezbollah finally agreed on a US-brokered ceasefire, but what little hope of peace it brought was immediately extinguished when the pact was breached within days. Both sides have exchanged fire since then, and of course, lives have been lost.

South Korea, which became a democracy only in the 1980s and is still haunted by memories of past dictatorships, got really close to being under military rule again. President Yoon cited vague, 'anti-state' forces in his dramatic, late-night move, sending troops to surround parliament. However, lawmakers bypassed army vehicles and helicopters, scaled buildings to get in, and decisively struck down the President's declaration. The scenes were wild, but hey, martial law was lifted within 6 hours.

🦾 In tech news

If you're still googling things, you're officially old—and that’s a big problem for Google. The kids are just using AI now, including Mark Zuckerberg, who's publicly sung praises of his Meta AI, but is secretly a ChatGPT guy. OpenAI, ftw!

Tech giants are slowly being overthrown: Google might be forced to break up with Chrome, and TikTok will soon give Amazon a run for its money. TikTok Shop scored big on Black Friday—we're talking 30,000 livestreams and a whopping $100 million in US sales. Live shopping might actually become a thing in America, thanks to TikTok branching out into ecommerce.

🎙️ If pop culture is your jam

Beyonce has been crowned the greatest pop star of the 21st century—and it's proving to be a tough pill to swallow for Swifties.

Another interesting trend: Celebs have moved on from beauty lines and are getting into the beverage business—boozy and otherwise. Tom Holland has unveiled his non-alcoholic Beero, and now 'Call Her Daddy' host Alex Cooper is getting ready to pitch us her vodka brand.

🗞️ Interesting headlines that caught my eye:

The end of the year is almost here, which can only mean one thing—’tis Spotify Wrapped season. If you didn’t desperately hack the app to make your top artists less embarrassing, you’re already one step behind.

At Volv, we have our own version, of course, an ‘Expose’ of your reading habits that will shake you to your core. Stay tuned! We’ll be in touch 😉

 

This newsletter was edited by Ishita Sen. 

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