👋 Good morning. We know our audience is filled with hardworking entrepreneurs, and we’re long overdue for a check-in on what you’ve been building. Tell us all about your growing biz for a chance to have your startup featured in The Hustle.
🎧 On the pod:A look into Panera’s past and fast-casual’s future.
NEWS FLASH
🍎 Apple plants more seeds in America: Apple announced plans for a new AI server factory in Houston, Texas, as part of the company’s four-year, $500B investment in the US. The 250k-square-foot manufacturing facility — set to open in 2026 — will produce servers to support Apple Intelligence, the AI assistant for iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, and absolutely not Apple Pippin. In addition to the new factory, Apple said it will hire ~20k new employees across the country for roles in R&D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI machine learning.
📸 Another new Insta? Yope, an app where users share photos to private groups, has wrangled 2.2m monthly active users, 40% of whom were reportedly still using the app seven days after downloading it. Several similar apps have petered out, including Instagram’s Flipside and the once-hot BeReal, but these stats have renewed VC interest. A recent $4.65m seed round brought Yope’s valuation to $50m, perTechCrunch. Is Yope the app to finally become the “new Instagram,” as so many have claimed before? We’re dubious, but always curious.
😡 Well, that’s frustrating: Computer systems use the word “null” to mean “no value” — for example, a field that’s been left blank. This is especially annoying for people whose last name is Null, perFuturism. They’re frequently unable to do things online — e.g., apply for a travel visa, book a hotel, etc. — without modifying their name. While modern programming languages avoid using “null,” it remains a widespread issue and one that Tony Hoare, the computer scientist who invented it, has referred to as a “billion dollar mistake.”
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
Turkey’s eggs (not to be confused with turkey eggs) could help the US solve its ongoing egg shortage. The Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey said the country will export a record 420m eggs to the US this year.
More Starbucks news: The company announced it will be laying off 1.1k corporate employees and eliminating some of its less-popular beverages come March 4, with the goal of shrinking the menu 30% by September.
Gmail will stop texting users for six-digit two-factor authentication codes and instead use QR codes that users can scan with their phones. The change is intended to combat “rampant, global SMS abuse,” a Gmail spokesperson told Forbes.
MAKE MORE MONEY
A ton of ways to earn some income
How many hours a day do you waste scrolling on your phone, staring at a wall, or doing other things besides getting rich?
Cut fun by 20%, and go in on one of these ASAP. There are so many niches you can start exploring today to reap massive benefits for later.
Starters you should steal:
Create art, collectibles, and templates to sell on Etsy and Gumroad.
Use AI career tools to assess resumes and match clients with jobs.
Develop a copywriting portfolio and offer your savvy to startups.
Learn about AI brand management tools to launch a reputation management business.
Build a gift recommendation engine that partners with ecommerce brands.
Can sustainable fuels put the noise back in Formula One?
Since 2014, Formula One cars have used fuel-efficient V6 hybrid engines that promote the technological innovations of engine suppliers like Ferrari and Mercedes.
But they’re not as bone-rattlingly loud as race cars used to be, which makes them less fun.
Sustainable fuels can be fun!
Mohammed Ben Sulayem — head of the FIA, F1 racing’s governing body — recently declared on Instagram that F1’s future might be in sustainable fuels.
By 2030, the cars could go back to traditional V10 engines.
The engines would be louder and easier to design, opening the door for more manufacturers than just the major brands with a vestedinterest in promoting hybrids and EVs.
Most importantly, the engines would use sustainable fuels.
EVs aren’t in a great place (though the EV industry is predictably bullish on its own future), but fuel producers are excited about the potential of renewable alternatives to fossil fuels.
It’s easier than convincing fuel companies like Chevron and BP to pack it in.
But they’re not a miracle answer
The British government is using sustainable fuels to justify a new runway expansion at London’s Heathrow Airport, per the BBC.
The UK argues that sustainable fuels produce70% less carbon emissions than fossil fuels.
Another runway would reduce the need for planes to circle London as they wait to land.
They can’t afford not to do it.
Just 2% of jet fuel for planes coming out of Heathrow is sustainable, but critics say increasing that could release more carbon emissions through producing and transporting the new fuel.
You could always make an electric plane, but the batteries are so heavy that nobody thinks that’s really possible yet.
The best solution, then, is for Heathrow to replace its jets with sustainably fueled F1 cars.
Don’t let pushback derail your sales. Avoid these six common mistakes when handling prospect objections.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
The Cheesecake Factory’s record-breaking 2024 revenue.
Of those earnings, the company’s eponymous brand — and its novel-length menus — made up ~75% of total sales, with $2.7B in revenue.
(Those figures shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve had their fried mac and cheese.)
In Q4 alone, the Cheesecake Factory posted ~$921m in revenue with a net income of $41m, up from $12.7m last year.
Plus, the company’s stock has grown 60% in the last 12 months.
This year isn’t an anomaly — the restaurant has been consistently slinging sky-high cake slices and profits: It brought in $50m in 1992, and has since multiplied its revenue ~69x.
AROUND THE WEB
🥊 On this day: In 1964, Muhammad Ali won his first world title after defeating Sonny Liston. Ali was confident in his win prior to the fight, famously saying he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
🏡 That’s interesting:Gen Z is increasingly choosing to live at home, with their parents.
🎹 That’s cool: A synthesizer for creating your own droning soundscapes.
For employees who aren’t comfortable turning to their HR departments, Wrk Receipts is a new app that lets people log their workplace experiences and offers AI-powered legal advice for handling complaints.
While some HR professionals have embraced it as a tool to promote transparency and employee engagement, others — like Melanie Naranjo, chief people officer at workplace training service Ethena — worry that too much transparency might be more harmful than helpful. “Even if you get your desired end result, the relationship will be ruined,” the CPO toldBloomberg.
She makes a fair point: Self-advocacy is important, but, for most people, so is having a job — which probably means not pissing off your boss.
SHOWER THOUGHT
Middle age is when you notice grocery store music rocks. Elderly is when you know the lyrics to elevator music.SOURCE
