“Mrs. Davis” is a new show premiering on Peacock in April. The synopsis: “‘Mrs. Davis’ is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone is the nun devoted to destroying Her. Who ya got?”
In today’s email:
Eli Lilly: No Twitter prank — it’s really reducing insulin costs.
Pod: A quick video about the housing market.
LinkedIn: Whencringing is good for business.
Around the Web: A wacky website, determining your chronotype, a giant, and more cool internet finds.
🎧 On the go? Listen to today’s podcast to hear about Eli Lilly’s big announcement, OpenAI opening for business, TikTok’s whirlwind of a day, Lil Wayne’s big check, and more.
The big idea
Eli Lilly cuts insulin costs — for real, this time
Over 1m Americans rationed their insulin in 2022. Finally, Eli Lilly has announced it will lower insulin prices.
2023-03-02T00:00:00Z
Juliet Bennett Ryla
In November, a verified — but fake — Eli Lilly and Co. account announced that the drugmaker’s insulin was free.
The real Eli Lilly quickly denied the phony tweet. In the aftermath, its stock dipped and Twitter paused its check mark program.
But now, Eli Lilly has made a real announcement that should offer diabetes patients some relief, perThe Wall Street Journal. Eli Lilly will:
Cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35/mo.
Cut prices of insulin products, including top sellers Humalog and Humulin, by 70%
Insulin prices in the US…
… have skyrocketed since 2010.
They’re over 8x higher than in 32 other high-income nations, per a 2020 Rand Corp. study, and up to 50% higher even after factoring in rebates and discounts.
In 2022, Eli Lilly made $7B+ in revenue as 1.3m Americans rationed their insulin, which can be dangerous — even deadly.
So why now?
For one, pressure. The Inflation Reduction Act recently capped out-of-pocket insulin costs to $35/mo. for people on Medicare, and in his State of the Union, President Biden vowed to expand that cap to all Americans.
For two, competition. Just three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — have long dominated the global insulin market.
Now, newcomers are stepping up to make the lifesaving drug more affordable, including Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. and the state of California, where lawmakers have earmarked $100m to develop a generic product.
TRENDING
From streaming to theater: Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will debut a stage play in London about the origin of villain Vecna. The story is set in Hawkins in 1959.
SNIPPETS
Open for business: OpenAI launched a ChatGPT API companies can use to embed ChatGPT functionality into their products. Early customers include Snap, Quizlet, Instacart, and Shopify.
NewTube: YouTube head Neal Mohan blogged about the platform’s near-term future, which’ll include generative AI tools for creators, NFL Sunday Ticket, and more.
Oy vey: While the number of consumer fraud reports dropped 17% YoY to 2.4m in 2022, aggregate losses totaled $8.8B, up 44% YoY, according to the FTC.
Time out, teens: TikTok set a one-hour daily screen time limit for teens to curb scrolling binges. Meanwhile, a House committee advanced legislation that could enable a TikTok ban.
Oops: Nissan is recalling 700k+ Rogue SUVs due to a key defect that can shut off the engine while driving.
Meta’s hardware futureincludes three Quest headsets, smart glasses and a neural interface smartwatch in 2025, and AR glasses in 2027.
Big raise: Delta’s 15k pilots voted to approve a contract that’ll provide them 34% raises over four years.
With friends like these: Airbnb apparently bans associates of banned users unless they can prove they’re not that close.
Op-ed: Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says the US risks its financial and geopolitical standing if it doesn’t embrace crypto.
Lil Wayne, big check: The rapper sold his Miami house for $22.6m. He bought it in 2018 for $16.8m, and previously owned one with a skate park and shark lagoon.
FROM THE BLOG
While the words “servant” and “leader” might sound contradictory, together they make for a powerful, effective management style. Here’s how to use it to become a better leader.
Psssst
2023-03-02T00:00:00Z
From the pod: Catch this superquick video snippet from a conversation Zack had with Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, about how the housing market is pushing out low-income earners.
When did LinkedIn turn from a professional networking site to absolute cringe?
2023-03-02T00:00:00Z
Sara Friedman
Have you recently logged on to LinkedIn only to find that the kid from your high school who never left your hometown is now authoring thought leadership on neuroscience?
Welcome to the 10th circle of hell: your LinkedIn feed. It’s chaos in there — a mishmash of bragging, oversharing, and patronizing, all inexplicably written in haiku form.
The good news?
It’s not just you. According to Fortune, the app has gotten cringier since launching in 2002. Like a car crash, it’s hard to look away, and that’s good for business:
LinkedIn reports that its site sees 8m+ posts and comments daily.
The platform saw a 40% increase in content engagement from July 2021 to 2022.
As the site mutated…
… from purely professional to all-out social, it spawned a new offspring: The LinkedInfluencer.
They have dramatic, well-lit headshots. Their bios read “ex-big-tech-firm” and “3x founder.” They have 5k connections and preach about #passiveincome. And they can make a lot of money doin’ it:
Some creators have reported earning millions on the platform.
LinkedIn launched its creator program in 2021 with a $25m investment.
Over 11m members have “creator mode” turned on, and 18k+ users publish newsletters through the site.
Where there’s cringe…
… there are people making fun of it on the internet. The r/LinkedInLunatics subreddit and @StateOfLinkedIn Twitter account keep the humblebrags (and crying CEOs) in check.
Now, for the love of God, step away from the “kudos to you” button and don’t you dare try to “pick our brains” with a cold DM.
AROUND THE WEB
💿 On this day: In 1983, CD players and discs were released in the US. In 1985, Dire Straits partnered with Philips to promote the new music format, and its “Brothers in Arms” became the first album to sell 1m+ CDs.
🙃 That’s cool: A simple website to flip and reverse text.
😴 How to: Figure out your chronotype to find the best sleep routine.
📰 Useful:Yakread is a newsletter reading app that puts all your subscriptions in one place. Read more from its creator here.
