đ Itâs Monday again. What the fork? And, speaking of forks: Chipotle is celebrating National Fork Day tomorrow with its Extra Fork Collection, a $30 display box that includes 53 of the chainâs famed black plastic forks and two free entree coupons. If you swear the restaurantâs utensil makes your burrito bowl taste better, youâre clearly not alone â and it might be a good time to refresh your cutlery collection.
đ§ On the pod: Elon Muskâs sale of X to xAI, Appleâs entry into health coaching, and ChatGPT vs. Midjourney.
NEWS FLASH
đŠ Metaâs weekend surprise: Meta released two new Llama 4 models on Saturday: the smaller Scout, which can be used for tasks like summarizing documents, and Maverick, intended as a chatbot and assistant. The more robust Behemoth, which Zuck called the worldâs âhighest performing base model,â is forthcoming. A fourth, Llama 4 Reasoning, is due in the next month. Meta reportedly boosted development of its Llama models after Chinaâs DeepSeek made a splash with its lower-cost, yet still powerful R1 and V3 models.
đ€ This is weird: Bettina Liporazzi, recruiting lead at digital studio letsmake.com, toldNewsweek that she received an obviously AI-generated message from an applicant, but still booked an interview with them, as thatâs become an increasingly common practice. During the video interview, the candidate first claimed their camera was broken, then appeared on screen using an AI filter which they refused to remove before leaving the call. Google also flagged the candidate as a potential imposter since they werenât signed in. Creepy.
đ§Ș Skin deep: Cosmetics companies have long tested their products on animals, but 44 countries and 12 US states have already passed legislation banning the oftentimes cruel practice. Where does that leave cosmetics brands? With fake skin, possibly. Researchers from Indiaâs Graz University of Technology and Vellore Institute of Technology are working on artificial skin made from 3D-printed hydrogel layers and living human cells. If successful, the fake skin could one day replace animals in testing experiments while also letting companies ensure their products are safe for humans. Win win.
MORE NEWS TO KNOW
Again: US President Donald Trump gave TikTok another 75 days to find a buyer or face a nationwide ban. A source told NPR that negotiators had planned to announce a deal last Friday, but Chinese regulators wouldnât approve it due to US tariffs on Chinese imports.
Hershey is acquiring LesserEvil, which makes better-for-you popcorn and other snacks, in a deal worth a reported ~$750m. Itâs one of several salty snack acquisitions the chocolate giant has made over the last several years.
A Minecraft Movie raked in $157m domestically, marking the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation. Variety attributed the success to demand for a family flick, but also âMinecraftâ itself, the bestselling video game in history.
POWERFUL PROMPTS
When you need a team, but only have techâŠ
While AI canât answer every one of your burning business questions, it sure can help you struggle less with grunt work.
Steal these 20 powerful prompts straight from Startup Cookie co-founder Barbara Jovanovicâs guide on using AI to repurpose all kinds of content and streamline how you tackle tasks.
Train a bot to sound like you and make it do the work.
Yes, the pun was mediocre at best, but the concept is awesome â stick with us.
Startup Cambium is chipping away at recycling the 36m trees that fall each year due to development, natural disasters, disease, or decay, perCNBC.
Traditionally, those fallen trees are either burned, sent to a landfill, or turned into mulch â a process that produces carbon emissions and wastes energy.
To fix the system â and capitalize on the global demand for wood, which could grow 54% between 2010 and 2050 â Cambium is turning to tech:
When a tree falls, it might not make a sound, but it does have a shot at a new life with Cambium: The startup works with arborists and millers to rescue and upcycle the wood.
The wood is taken to the companyâs sawmills, where it’s processed into lumber suitable for construction, furniture manufacturing, interior design, and more.
Every piece of the companyâs Carbon Smart Wood has a barcode that can be scanned to identify the species, when it was milled, and what grade it is.
Once wood is in the system, it can be purchased and delivered across the US and parts of Canada.
What wood be
Part of Cambiumâs appeal â and thereâs lots: the startup has raised $28.5m in funding â is that it can serve customers on both sides of the lumber industry, working with buyers and sellers.
Cambium works with hundreds of independent entities, from tree care companies and sawmills to trucking companies, but few have digitized their business.
The startup hopes to change that, selling its software to companies in the wood industry to more easily move, track, sell, and recycle their products.
So far, the startup claims its Carbon Smart Wood has diverted 3.4m board feet from the waste stream.
But can it answer the biggest question of all: When a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?
Burst through blockers: These roadblocks could be standing in the way of your teamâs AI adoption. Hereâs how to knock âem down.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
Days that passengers will spend on Adventure by Trainâs âAround the World by Train in 100 Daysâ tour, which departs from London on March 17.
Passengers will travel across multiple continents, largely by train, though they will board a ship to cross the Atlantic. At various stops, guests will enjoy local experiences, including a Turkish marbling workshop and a Japanese tea ceremony, as well as nights â and laundry services â in luxury hotels.
Adventures by Train director Jim Louth told CNBC Make It that people have become concerned about the impact flying has on their carbon footprint, making this a âgreener way of exploring the world.â
Itâs not cheap, though: tickets are ~$146.2k per individual or ~$116.5k each for couples, with just 12 passengers accommodated per trip.
AROUND THE WEB
đ On this day: In 1948, the United Nations established the World Health Organization to address international public health issues.
đ Thatâs cool: An Ohio contractor completed a new home based on Frank Lloyd Wrightâs 1959 designs.
Danny Meyer doesnât care if youâve got bricks for brains â if youâve got heart, heâd hire you. The Shake Shack founder and executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group told Fortune that when it comes to hiring, he prefers HQ â or hospitality quotient, which Meyer defines as âthe degree to which someone is happier themselves when they provide happiness for someone elseâ â over IQ.
The six green flags he looks for: integrity, optimism, intellectual curiosity, work ethic, empathy, and self-awareness. Sound like you? Your local Shake Shack awaits.
SHOWER THOUGHT
New Yearâs Day falling on the first day of spring would make more sense with the whole death and rebirth cycle.SOURCE
Today’s email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah and Sara Friedman, with help from Singdhi Sokpo and Kaylee Jenzen. Editing by: Ben âWait, am I a robot?â Berkley.
