Volv Concierge #71

Hey, it's Priyanka here!

Writing from SXSW London, where the theme wasn't officially "we're all drowning in content," but might as well have been. 

Everyone from NPR to Wikipedia is grappling with information saturation. But Hamish McKenzie of Substack stood out with a refreshingly sincere take: what if platforms stopped chasing scale and started supporting real relationships between writers and readers? Perfect timing too, since Substack just announced 50+ writers are now millionaires.

Anyway, too much content, too little time. The weekend’s here. So here’s your cheat sheet for the weekend conversations!

💔 The Messiest Breakup of the Century

If you're confused about the Trump-Musk drama, don't blame yourself. This breakup played out like your high school's power couple melting down across multiple social platforms. So here's the rundown: 

Musk called Trump's spending bill a "disgusting abomination," Trump threatened to cut his government contracts, Musk fired back, claiming Trump would've lost without him. Then it got unhinged: Trump said he "asked Musk to leave," Musk promoted impeachment posts and Epstein allegations, and somewhere in between, Tesla lost $152 billion in a single day because apparently the stock market treats their relationship status as economic policy.

Best convo starter? They're destroying each other over the exact fiscal irresponsibility Musk was hired to prevent.

🧬 Build-A-Baby Workshop Opens for Business

A startup called Nucleus Genomics just launched a $6K service that lets IVF parents rank embryos by IQ, height, and eye color like they're customizing a Sim. The 25-year-old founder who dropped out of college raised $14M to let parents "name your embryos and leave notes on the ones you like." 

🤖 If Your Tech Bro Friend Won't Shut Up About AI...

• AI might be better at therapy than humans, according to new research, but maybe don't trauma-dump into ChatGPT just yet. OpenAI was court-ordered to save every chat, including the "deleted" ones. 

• Apple’s also been very generous with your push data, handing it to governments worldwide.

• Also, this weekend, check on your Gen Z friends - they're getting hit from all sides. A YC-backed startup just raised millions while posting unpaid internships, and LinkedIn's Chief Economist warns AI is eliminating entry-level jobs.

• And because apparently the robots are sexist too, Women now face 3x higher risk of losing jobs to AI.

💬 More News to Drop in Conversations

• If you’re flying solo, airlines like United and Delta now charge you extra for not having a travel buddy. Cute!

• Hollywood discovered TikTok soap operas and is bankrolling werewolf love stories.

• Haribo accidentally created cannabis gummies, prompting supermarket recalls and turning the internet into desperate candy hunters.

• Kylie Jenner opened up about her boob job, making her surgeon the internet's newest celebrity.

• Dating apps are desperately copying Hinge as they discover that real connections sell! 

• Fashion girlies, start your bidding wars! Jane Birkin’s original Birkin bag is up for auction. So is Princess Diana’s wardrobe. 

• Airbnb’s CEO went to school with Barack Obama. Just a little ✨fact✨ for your next dinner party.

• Gen Z parents say reading to kids is... boring. They’d rather watch Ms. Rachel.

That's your cheat sheet for sounding impossibly well-informed over weekend conversations. Use these conversation starters responsibly and don't forget to unwind for a bit!

The Volv Team