Gushers, But Make It Horror

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TGIF, Future Party. While social media has made us more connected than ever, a new study out of the UK suggests our brains can truly manage only about 150 relationships — including friends, family, and co-workers. Within that number, our innermost circle — the people we feel closest to — typically tops out at just five. In other words, check your most active group chat: those are the real ones. Chances are, you’ll be hanging out with one or more of them this weekend… whether IRL or over the phone.

No content quite carries the cultural cachet of a great movie or show — so brands are increasingly producing their own as a savvier form of marketing.

The Big Picture: While brands have dabbled in premium scripted content before — BMW’s The Hire and Intel’s The Beauty Inside are standouts — the latest batch of programming demonstrates it’s becoming an even bigger trend… and maybe one of the few ways left to capture people’s attention.

Behind The Series: Is that a new streaming show or a high-end commercial? These days, it’s becoming harder to tell.

Final Episode: By leaning into narrative — both in terms of scripted storytelling and a company’s own story — brands are hoping that building lore around their products and aligning with cool studios can give them extra cultural cachet.

Imagine if A24 or Neon launched a commercial division — every brand would want in.

Next Season: Powered by a reimagined upfronts season that’s further bridging Hollywood and Madison Avenue — and a growing appetite for meme-worthy marketing — expect branded movies and shows to start taking even bigger risks.

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Lyft has announced a deal with Tensor Auto to roll out a fleet of autonomous vehicles — and to make the rideshare platform native to every Tensor car.

Why It Hits: AVs are increasingly hitting American streets, with Waymo leading the pack and Uber already partnered with them. Lyft’s existing AV program with May Mobility in Atlanta still requires a safety driver — but its new deal with Tensor could be a real leap forward. And with Tesla now entering the mix, the driverless race is officially on.

Between The Drives: Soon, your car could rideshare for you.

Last Turn: Tensor — an offshoot of the Chinese company AutoX — already operates robotaxis in China. Now independent from AutoX, the company has spent the past eight years testing its vehicles on California roads. The Robocars still don’t have the final permit needed to operate in the US without a safety driver, but Lyft must be betting that will be squared away by the time 2027 rolls around.

Next Trip: If the rollout succeeds, owning a Tensor AV could become one of the most cutting-edge ways to build passive income.

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83.9% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you ever write in cursive?

“Love the beauty and calligraphic flow potential.”

“I make a point of writing in cursive when I journal, specifically so I don’t lose that skill!”

“It’s like I’m writing in secret code for my younger co-workers.”

“Cursive is the only way I know how to write. Perhaps due to being raised in Europe.”

“I mostly print. I’m an engineer and I became accustomed to printing when documents were still drafted with pen and pencil.”

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.

🍿 Taylor Swift’s The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is not expanding its international rollout after all.

🎤 Drake’s defamation suit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was dismissed by a federal judge.

🖊️ DC Comics president Jim Lee announced that the publisher will never support AI-generated storytelling or artwork.

🥡 DoorDash is partnering with Serve Robotics to make deliveries throughout LA.

🏀 WNBA player Angel Reese will be the first pro athlete to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

👟 Pokémon is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year with an Adidas collab.

📱 YouTube is rolling out a new program that will give banned creators a “second chance” on the platform.

👕 Gap Inc. is launching a company-wide creator “affiliate and advocacy program” in an effort to modernize its marketing.

🏎️ Amelia Dimoldenberg, the host of the popular Chicken Shop Date, is launching a new series where she’ll learn to drive… with the help of Formula 1 racers. Godspeed, Amelia.