GM everyone. Hope you’re having a good day. Sorry for missing yesterday’s newsletter, I was busy. LOL.
I am working on a special Valentine’s Day focused newsletter with gift recommendations for all the real lovers and yearners out there. I’ll publish that tomorrow morning.
Let’s get into the news you’ve been dying to hear—
Headlines
Zyn is gaining traction amongst office workers. The flavored nicotine pouches are popping off amongst workers in high stress fields like finance and tech. They’ve been around for about 10 years now but I am seeing these all over the timeline and now Bloomberg is reporting their surge in popularity.
Users claim the nicotine is a helpful stimulant for completing work and really locking tf in. I’ve seen some Huberman style advice that nicotine is a powerful nootropic mental stimulant, that can actually increase cognitive function. I’ve only had a Zyn out, so I am curious to experiment with them while working in my high stress tech and finance job. I constantly see tweets and TikToks about their performance boosting qualities, so much so I’ve started to notice public awareness ads from Phillip Morris (Zyn’s parent company) stating that Zyn is strictly for those 21+. I do see a potential white space here for a Hestia-like Zyn alternative, one that is designed a bit better.
This NYC comedian isn’t celibate, she’s Boysober. I have seen Hope Woodward on TikTok but didn’t realize she’s a comedian. She has coined a new term for prolonged celibacy she’s describing as ‘Boysober’ This isn’t like right-wing incel behavior, rather its a time to self reflect and stay above the NYC dating fray. I’ve been encountering more people who have taken long, purposeful bouts of time away from dating and sex. I think this is a healthy thing to do when getting out of a relationship or for when you need to really lock into your personal goals.
Apple used to be so good at design. I saw this Tweet looking back at some of Apple’s most iconic product designs, and showing how Steve Jobs was taking HUGE inspiration of mid-century Braun products. I love these comparisons. Unfortunately, Apple isn’t that great at designing consumer tech anymore. Not ike how they used to be.
Miu Miu’s $1600 crystal New Balance’s are really ugly. I like Miu Miu (Highsnobiety claims they are the hottest ‘new luxury’ brand) but their crystal laced 574 is pretty bad. I don’t think this collab fits with Miu Miu’s clothing. So odd.
Inside a $300M Gen Z marketplace for selling expertise. Two mid 20’s bros have created a marketplace for young professionals to sell their expertise and skills. Whop allows users to purchase guides on how to go viral on TikTok, an algorithm for day trading, and other services to reach the users goals. The platform is being overwhelmingly used by Gen Z males looking to become their own boss and sell their expertise. Whop takes a cut of sales, and is reporting $4M annual revenue so far. It’ll be interesting to see how this works as more young professionals ditch the typical corporate ladder in favor of being their own boss.
Okay that’s all for today. Have a great day!
About the Writer
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
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