Bezos On The Bumper

PRESENTED BY VANTA

Happy Thursday, Future Party. These days, everyone wants to get their hands into sports… and that includes Barbie. Mattel revealed that LeBron James has been transformed into his very own Ken doll, making him the first pro athlete to get the doll makeover. Are Barbies the new Funko Pops? We wouldn’t bet against it.

An EV startup called Slate Auto, quietly backed by Jeff Bezos, is planning to start production next year on a low-cost pickup truck that grows with you and your budget.

The Big Race: Bezos is already facing off against Elon Musk on broadband satellites and is now stepping further onto his turf with EVs. With Tesla ditching its own low-cost EV plans and facing a major reputation hit, Slate could roll up on its market share once production commences by giving young people an affordable way to drive electric.

Under the Hood: Slate — which is based in Michigan, the heart of American car manufacturing — is an offshoot of the Bezos-backed manufacturing incubator, Re:Build Manufacturing.

The Future: Slate hopes that the truck will be people’s “first car.” Then, as a driver’s needs change and budget increases, they can upgrade the vehicle, add accessories, and even customize its look (a similar model, on a smaller scale, to Stellantis and Harley-Davidson). If it takes off, everyone’s Slate vehicle may be a personal statement on the road.

Building a security compliance program can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re growing fast and juggling competing priorities.

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In the run-up to M3GAN 2.0 coming out in June, Blumhouse is bringing the first installment back to theaters with a twist — a second-screen experience provided by Meta that allows audiences to interact with the killer doll during the movie.

The Big Picture: Blumhouse has never been shy about experimenting with technology, such as partnering with Meta on using AI to make a slate of short films. As studios and exhibitors think about ways of turning young audiences into frequent moviegoers, Blumhouse’s second-screen test could end up being one tool in the arsenal… if people like it.

Behind the Screens: Blumhouse’s “Halfway to Halloween” screening series is getting an upgrade.

Closing Credits: Post-mortems out of CinemaCon — a gathering of studios to show exhibitors their upcoming theatrical slates — have been openly existential about the moviegoing business post-pandemic. While many forms of IRL entertainment have bounced back, heading out to see movies on the big screen is still well below 2019 levels. That narrative was quickly upended by the immense success of A Minecraft Movie, which has drawn such raucous screenings with teenagers that police have been called (this “chicken jockey” stuff is wild). 

But maybe the answer to reaching new audiences is setting aside some screening rooms that allow for atypical moviegoing etiquette, such as viral challenges and second-screen experiences.

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96.5% of you voted Beautiful view in yesterday’s poll: Would you rather have a beautiful view or smart features in your home?

“Analog all the way.”

“Your home should be your sanctuary! Not another place you need to unplug, reboot, or call the help desk to get working again.”

“I live in a ~200-year-old home. Updated but with little technology. My appliances could be controlled by Bluetooth, but I prefer switches and buttons I can touch. Does that make me a control freak?”

“Although smart features would be awesome to have, you cannot beat a beautiful view. Location location location.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🦾 Safe Superintelligence, the AI startup co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, is raising money at a $20 billion valuation.

🤖 The “No Fakes Act,” the bipartisan bill that would allow people to control their digital likeness, has been reintroduced to Congress with some major industry supporters.

🤳 YouTube stars like MrBeast, Marques Brownlee, and Mark Rober have all joined the pilot program of YouTube’s deepfake-detection tool.

₿ The Justice Department doesn’t think that crypto enforcement is that important anymore and will limit the scope of criminal investigations.

❤️ Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a pacemaker smaller than a grain of rice that can be put into the heart via an injection.

👩‍💻 WordPress.com is rolling out a tool called “Fermento” that allows users to generate a website via talking with a chatbot.

💸 The White House is pausing the rollout of tariffs on most countries for 90 days after the markets crashed… but the US is officially in a trade war with China.

📦 Amazon’s Temu competitor, Haul, is expediting its shipping and adding name brands like Adidas and Gap.

👕 Prada’s $1.4 billion deal to buy Versace could close as soon as Thursday… but was almost derailed due to tariffs.