Pharrell On Sale

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Happy Thursday, Future Party. Need a little extra cash? Meta is recruiting people for recording sessions to capture their facial expressions, body movements, and small talk for $50 per hour. It’s part of “Project Warhol,” a last push to enhance the virtual avatars in Horizons and other VR applications to… well… not look so awkward. Meta has a lot riding on its success — the company has lost $60 billion on the metaverse since 2020. So, it’s up to you if you want to see your weird ticks brought to life in the digital world.

JOOPITER, the luxury culture-focused digital auction house created by Pharrell Williams, is transforming from a once-in-a-while auction platform to a 24/7 marketplace.

Why It Hits: Gen Zers and millennials love two things — fashion thrifting and cultural nostalgia. JOOPITER combines both into an always-on platform where any auction could go viral. This might be the peak of the limited-product drop.

Behind the Auctions: JOOPITER is what happens when you combine eBay and Sotheby’s.

Final Bid: The big selling point of JOOPITER is the ability to purchase items that weren’t just owned by cultural icons, but embody cultural moments — it’s people whose work you love simply offering things up for any fan at any time of day. Hidden gems will abound, which makes browsing the marketplace like walking through a museum.

Prediction: Once customers catch on, JOOPITER could become the go-to platform for celebrity spring-cleaning… and may give Pharrell a wholly owned-and-operated destination to drop custom or concept products from his time at LVMH.

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Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it’s renaming its flagship streaming service from Max… to HBO Max.

The Big Picture: Yes, that thing you’re feeling is déjà vu. WBD CEO David Zaslav’s about-face on the name of the entertainment conglomerate’s streamer represents a major vibe shift in the film and TV ecosystem — people want better content, not more content.

Behind the Change: It turns out there are few brands with as much cultural currency as HBO.

Last Time (Please): Over the past several years, Max has become one of the top premium streaming services globally, trailing only Netflix, Prime Video, and the Disney+ bundle in subscribers — with 122.3 million and an EBITDA of $339 million as of last week’s quarterly earnings report. In fact, Zaslav said Max… err HBO Max… is expected to be the growth engine for the company moving forward.

Prediction: Considering the re-emphasis on the streamer’s blue-chip HBO brand, it’s possible that Zaslav could be setting up a spin-off of Discovery and other declining cable assets from Warner Bros. to help pay down the corporation’s nagging debt load.

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68.4% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Have you ever used Airbnb?

“It felt weird at first being in someone else’s space, but nowadays, many properties are rarely, if ever, lived in by the owner. I choose Airbnb over hotels every time.”

“I’ve had good and bad experiences with it. The bad have made me stick to hotels now.”

“Hotels have set standards. They might not always meet them, but they exist. Airbnb owners have none. I’ve always viewed Airbnb as a bit of the Wild West. You get what you pay for...”

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.

🎵 Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — members of Nine Inch Nails and acclaimed film/TV composers — are launching a composer-focused festival called “Future Ruins” in LA on November 8th.

🎤 Live Nation debuted a roster of concerts that will have tickets for only $30, including The Offspring, Halsey, and Rod Stewart.

📺 Prime Video renewed MrBeast’s Beast Games for two more seasons despite cost overruns and controversy.

✈️ United Airlines is officially the first airline to roll out Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on its flights in a program that works from “gate to gate.”

🤖 Microsoft is laying off coders en masse, as it switches tasks over to AI agents.

🚌 Uber is starting to offer fixed-route shuttle rides between major business corridors in select cities.

📉 Burberry is laying off 20% of its employees globally after its annual profits dropped 117%.

💸 Digital banking firm Chime filed to go public on the NASDAQ under the ticker “CHYM.”

🛋️ IKEA has built a free rewards program that can be redeemed for product discounts… although it would be cool if it could be redeemed for people to actually build the furniture.