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Here’s something to shake up your Wednesday — the bill that would force ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a ban in the US officially passed Congress last night, with overwhelming approval in the Senate. It now goes to President Biden’s desk, and he’s already said that he’ll sign it. Once that happens, ByteDance has nine months to sell… but the company has stated that it’ll challenge the law in court on First Amendment grounds. Things are about to get interesting.

In other news… Gen Z gets fitted for a blue collar, brands go 3D, and Apple TV+ makes a play for more soccer.

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.WORK.

Strapping young grad // Illustration by Kait Cunniff with Muse AI

Gen Z trades college for trade school

The Future. Young people, especially Gen Zers, are looking to skilled trade work as an appealing alternative to joining the professional class. With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set to ramp up positions in new industries like wind and solar, expect there to be a surge in employment that rivals the tech boom of the past 15 years.

“Tool belt generation”
…that’s what many are calling Gen Z as they start to gravitate more towards blue-collar jobs like being an HVAC installer, plumber, or electrician.

Here’s why:

  • College is expensive and uncertain. The cost of college has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and many majors no longer easily translate to jobs after graduation… leading many young people to move back home.

  • AI is transforming white-collar work. ChatGPT is taking over entry-level jobs that were previously reserved for college grads, making launching a career even harder (don’t even get us started on internships).

  • Blue-collar work has a clear, well-paying path. Trade schools are relatively cheap to attend, there are plenty of open positions after certification (with many paying six figures), and they allow workers to become entrepreneurs.

The migration to blue-collar work is already building. Between 2022 and 2023, enrollment at trade schools jumped 16%, according to a study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Additionally, Jobber found that 75% of Gen Zers would be open to going to trade school if they had paid, on-the-job training — a staple of skilled trade.

The interest couldn’t come at a better time — a lot of skilled workers are aging out of their professions. Opportunities are now everywhere.

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76.4% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you have a Netflix subscription?

“Keeps my husband happy after sports shows are done for the day.”

“I sign up and cancel in a cycle for most of my streaming services, but Netflix tends to be the anchor despite the fact I’m disappointed with many of the shows. I do enjoy a throwback movie every once in a while, and they do a good job with surfacing those regularly.”

.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT HIGGSFIELD AI.

Take a selfie, turn it into a billion AI videos

This probably would have seemed impossible a few years ago.

Now, anyone can create personalized, AI-generated videos from scratch or from a video template — all with just one selfie.

Meet Diffuse, the new video creation app that makes it happen.

With Diffuse, you can:

  • Generate dances, reactions, memes, and more.

  • Create personalized characters based on one image.

  • Develop an original video with just a prompt.

Creators and everyday users on TikTok and Instagram love it — and you will, too.

Download Diffuse from the App or Play Store and start working on those vids today!

Media, Music, & Entertainment

  • Apple TV+ is trying to expand its love of professional soccer by potentially scoring the exclusive broadcast rights to a new, month-long, FIFA-organized “World Cup-style” tournament. [Read More]

  • Spotify reported record profitability in the first quarter of its “year of monetization,” with revenue up 20%. [Read More]

  • Cybersecurity researcher Nick Roy discovered that a couple of Prime Video and Max animated shows were unknowingly worked on by animators in North Korea. [Read More]

Fashion & E-Commerce

  • The US Department of Justice officially sued to stop the $8.5 billion merger between Coach-owner Tapestry and Michael Kors-parent Capri. [Read More]

  • Louis Vuitton is releasing a digital version of the Pharrell-designed Varsity Jacket that will be limited to 200 units and cost over $8,000. [Read More]

  • A24 is releasing a coffee-table book on the artistry of movie makeup, titled Beauty of the Beast. [Read More]

Tech, Web3, & AI

  • Major AI developers, including Google and OpenAI, agreed to adopt a new set of safety measures to curb the rise of AI-generated child pornography. [Read More]

  • Meta and Ray-Ban’s smart glasses now have AI built into them, allowing wearers to ask for an explanation of whatever they’re looking at. [Read More]

  • Sales of plant-based meats, despite the initial boom, have fallen roughly 26% — taste and price are mostly to blame. [Read More]

Creator Economy

  • The big Webby winners this year include the Can’t Afford Therapy Podcast, Conan O’Brien, and Hot Ones-producer First We Feast. [Read More]

  • Bump, a platform that helps creators manage their finances, raised a $3 million seed round from investors like ImpactX and Serac Ventures. [Read More]

  • A TikTok ban could potentially expand to include ByteDance’s many apps that operate in the US, like CapCut, Gauth, and Lemon8. [Read More]

.FASHION.

Courtesy of Covision Media

Brands render fashion in 3D

The Future. Brands are now regularly capturing digital 3D versions of their products with little more than an iPhone. As 3D printing also continues to develop, upstart labels may be able to scale quickly, turning handcrafted designs into 3D uploads and then simply hitting print.

A fit for all realities
2D product photos are officially out of season.

  • Brands are now quickly and cheaply creating “ultra-detailed 3D captures of their products,” according to Business of Fashion.

  • Those renders — which only need to be made once — can then be used on ecommerce sites, virtual try-on tools, and for AR-driven marketing campaigns.

  • They’re also key to creating lifelike digital fashion that can be used in Web3 applications, video games like Fortnite (LVMH just doubled-down on a big deal), and for developing features on the Apple Vision Pro.

Franz Tschimben, co-founder and chief executive of 3D-scanner startup Covision Media, says that the tech will be integral for generative AI tools. Soon, brands will be able to iterate new design ideas in full 3D… trained on the 3D captures of their existing products.

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.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT SAGE.

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Quit wasting days on spreadsheets — learn how Sage Intacct helps customers cut monthly close time by 79%.

  • Read: THR breaks down how Quentin Tarantino’s purported final movie that was supposed to start shooting this year, The Movie Critic, was shelved at the 11th hour by the filmmaker.

  • Watch: WSJ looks into the developing tech of quantum computing, which could be the Silicon Valley gold rush in ten years.

  • Check Out: Pixel Pirate Studio has launched the waitlist for its AI animation tool, UNOMi Verra.

AMC, refusing to let any holiday opportunity pass them by.

LATEST PODCAST EPISODE

Today we get into a new Comic-Con-type event for sports, how Tesla is prioritizing robotaxis, and how brands are wanting a bigger piece of the action when it comes to TV and movies.

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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.

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