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Happy Thursday, Future Party. If you thought office attire was getting a little too casual these days, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri thinks you’re a bit of a stiff… because he’s firmly pro shorts in the office. On the Throwing Fits podcast, Mosseri endorsed the look, with one caveat: “Not everyone can pull them off, and not all shorts are created equal.”

Consider this writer an early adopter — he’s been exclusively wearing shorts while writing this newsletter for the past six years.

Disney has struck a content-sharing deal with TikTok that will bring creator-made vertical videos to Disney+.

The Vertical Picture: Studios and streamers are increasingly realizing they need a vertical-video strategy, which is why Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, Peacock, and others have rolled out dedicated features. But Disney’s TikTok move isn’t just a bet on vertical video to attract younger audiences — it’s also a bet on the creator economy to keep its movies and shows in the cultural conversation.

Behind The Deal: Your favorite creator is getting top billing next to Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader.

Last Upload: Disney’s TikTok deal feels like a reboot of its very short-lived Sora partnership, which imploded after OpenAI shelved the platform. Disney is working overtime to win over Gen Alpha, inking deals with Epic Games’ Fortnite and now arguably the world’s most influential short-form video platform. It’s a priority for new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who has made no secret of his belief that Disney+ needs to evolve into the digital gateway for all things Disney.

When it comes specifically to TikTok, the influence is clear: A recent TikTok survey found that half of its users checked out a new film or show after discovering content about it on the platform.

The Future: Expect Disney to keep an eye out for creators using its IP in inventive ways, potentially inviting them to pitch projects at the studio.

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Youngjun Choi, one of K-pop’s biggest choreographers, has founded a new AI platform called MVNT that can log, track, and monetize dance moves.

Why It Hits: Ever since dance videos broke out on TikTok, choreographers have been looking for ways to stamp their choreography and turn the moves into revenue. That’s proven tricky with the US Copyright Office, but Choi hopes his platform can use cutting-edge technology to finally make official licensing possible. 

Behind The System: Choi has found major success choreographing for K-pop hitmakers like BTS and Seventeen.

Now, he wants to make dance a sustainable business for aspiring choreographers everywhere.

Final Move: MVNT already has 1,100 users and more than 2,000 routines on its platform. The company is now looking to raise $1 million in a pre-Series A fundraising round. Considering the cultural power of K-pop (just look at the ongoing success of Kpop Demon Hunters and BTS’ return), MVNT could be a niche service on the verge of breaking into the mainstream.

Next Routine: We wouldn’t be surprised if TikTok partnered with MVNT, giving creators on the platform an easy way to monetize trendsetting routines.

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39.2% of you voted Yes, occasionally in yesterday’s poll: Would you have used generative AI for coursework if it had been available while you were in school?

“I think my younger, dumber self would have taken the easy way. But my older self would say you are cheating yourself out of a learning experience — and that is what is important.”

“I am sure I would have used it for brainstorming or maybe editing. Thankfully, it was not available then!”

“If the tools are available, why wouldn’t you use them? The point of education isn’t to memorize and regurgitate as much information as possible. It’s meant to develop problem-solving, ingenuity, and discernment. If you aren’t embracing the latest technology and learning how to use it effectively, you’re going to fall behind.”

“I’d have used it for the other classes I was forced to take for my major but that didn’t interest me. My core lit classes required a majority of in-person assessments. Big papers needed properly cited texts and novels. AI would have lessened the burden of the garbage classes. I do think students must learn how to use proper databases (JSTOR, etc.) and never random websites, including Wikipedia.”

“We should not fear AI. This is what we have been working towards since day one. It all started with the wheel!”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, 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.

📱 Disney announced that it has already sold out all of its ad slots for next year’s Super Bowl.

📺 More Disney: The Mouse House sold its 50% stake in A+E Global Media to Hearst for $1.2 billion.

🎧 Spotify struck a licensing deal with Merlin to bring songs from 30,000 indie labels to its AI-powered remixing feature.

👀 Demis Hassabis is stepping down as CEO at Google DeepMind to become its Chairman and Chief Scientist.

🤖 Anthropic is planning to build its own AI chips. This space is getting crowded.

🔫 The US Army is getting laser weapons.

💰 Polymarket is set to raise a new funding round at a $20 billion valuation.

🤑 Robinhood is launching a fund that lets users invest directly in Y Combinator startups.

🛒 A federal court overturned Amazon’s ban on Perplexity’s AI agents shopping on behalf of customers.