J.M. Smucker Co. alleges that Gallant Tiger’s round, crust-free sandwiches infringe upon its Uncrustables trademark. Gallant Tiger’s lawyer argues there are few shapes you can make sandwiches into.
In today’s email:
Maps: Big Tech’s new map products.
Chart: How Tesla’s ending the year.
Weekend reads to pair with a Grinch Punch.
Around the web: Lo-fi Star Wars, an ancient puzzle, dog Xmas, and more cool internet finds.
🎧 On the go? Listen to today’s 10-minute podcast to hear Zack and Juliet discuss “doping” in esports, pet store bans, holiday shipping, and more.
The big idea
Meta, Microsoft team up on map nonprofit
The Linux Foundation, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Meta, Microsoft, and Dutch mapping company TomTom have combined forces on a new mapping nonprofit called the Overture Maps Foundation.
Its goal is to help people build new map products by offering interoperable open map data — basically, mapping data that members can use across computer systems.
Data will come from:
Government agencies, like city planning departments
Existing open map data projects like OpenStreetMap (which Meta already uses)
Membership ranges from $0 to $3m per year, depending on if it’s an individual, nonprofit, government agency, or business.
Why?
As Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin toldVenture Beat, this isn’t a Google Maps that you can ask for directions. Rather, it’s mapping’s answer to open-source software.
Currently, developers who want to find high-quality and up-to-date mapping data often cobble it together from various sources, all of which have their own languages and quirks.
Overture’s data will live in a single place, serving as a base map that companies and developers can build on.
The first data set, launching in 2023, will include building, road, and administrative info. Over time, Overture will release other layers, like 3D building data.
Mapping data…
… is useful for a variety of purposes, including navigation, routing, search, and augmented and mixed reality — something Meta likely cares about given its metaverse aspirations.
Notably absent: Google and Apple. They have their own maps, which, as TechCrunchpoints out, took a huge bite out of TomTom’s business as smartphones replaced GPS devices.
TRENDING
TikTok’s #PigeonTok trend is encouraging people to adopt pigeons off the street. Apparently, pigeons were once domesticated until abandoned by humans — so, sure, okay.
SNIPPETS
Good news, bad news: Package delivery time has improved by 47% YoY, but unfortunately, package theft is up 87% this month compared to last year.
Brain-computer interface company Synchron raised a $75m funding round which included investments from Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
In a first, metaverse cycling platform Zwift banned a rider for cheating during a bike race. On Zwift, cyclists ride a real, stationary bike that connects to a virtual one.
Netflix’s ad business is reportedly off to a slow start, in some cases reaching only ~80% of the expected audience viewership it guaranteed advertisers.
Instagram’s new “hacked” hub lets users report hacked accounts. Instagram is also expanding a feature that lets users choose two friends who can verify their identity if they lose account access.
Amazon struck a deal with video game studio Crystal Dynamics to publish the next Tomb Raider game.
MacKenzie Scott’s new website Yield Giving breaks down how the philanthropist’s network has distributed $14B+ to 1.6k+ nonprofits.
The free at-home covid test program, shut down due to lack of funding in September, is back. Households can order up to four online.
Before buying an agency, you should hear from the Trendster who owns six. Link Moser talks micro deals, client turnover, and an old-school outreach approach that hits. Read the Trends article for the full story.
Chart
Olivia Heller
Tesla’s not-as-epic-as-expected end to the year
In October, Elon Musk told investors that Tesla was gearing up for “an epic end of year.”
Yet, on Tuesday, the company’s market cap fell below $500B for the first time since 2020. Along with rising interest rates and recessionary fears, factors that could be playing into the downward trend include:
Demand challenges in China, where Tesla has cut prices, lowered production forecasts, and even bought ads on a local TV channel — something Musk has historically objected to doing, per Bloomberg.
Musk’s involvement with Twitter, which has investors spooked from reputational and logistical perspectives. (Musk has said he’ll make sure Tesla shareholders benefit from Twitter in the long term.)
Despite these challenges, Tesla remains the dominant EV maker globally, with head starts in consumer EVs, semis, battery production, and charging. The company produced 930k EVs in the first nine months of 2022. For comparison, Ford sold 41.2k.
Free Resource
HTML + CSS coding hacks
Savvy web devs know, it’s all about the “cheat codes.”
The swifting sequences you learn once and leverage forever. We put 25 of them in this ebook so that beginners and intermediates can upgrade their skills.
Use these tips, tags, and templates for more robust website-building.
For HTML + CSS power users:
How to accommodate diverse displays
How to be more browser-friendly
Optimize site speed (and minimize bugs)
HTML tags for interactive elements and content display
Lesser-known CSS properties for fine-grained stylizing
Now’s a good time to whip up that Grinch Punch. In case you missed ’em, here’s our week’s best…
Tweet: The science nerds now that everyone cares about nuclear fusion.
Story: Mark’s wide-ranging look at the sneaky economics of Ticketmaster, including an interview with its former CEO and a survey of Hustle readers.
Chart: A look at the growth — and potential slowdown — of esports investments in the US.
Video: The My First Million guys spoke with Kayak’s Paul English about his ideas, missed opportunities, and goal to create a Twitter competitor.
Blog: Raising capital can be the hardest part of getting your startup off the ground. The blog squad broke down how to get private investors on board.
AROUND THE WEB
🎥 On this day: In 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar opened in US theaters, becoming one of the most lucrative films of all time. Its long-awaited sequel debuts in theaters today.
🧩 That’s interesting: How a PhD student at the University of Cambridge solved an ancient puzzle.
✏️ From our blog: What’s the fastest way to know if your idea could become a successful company? A minimum viable product. Here’s how to get started.
🎧 Chill out: With this lo-fi soundscape of a snowy night at Starkiller Base.
