Burrito Bots

Good morning! The US economy added just 114,000 jobs in July, as unemployment hit its highest level since October ‘21 (4.3%) — the market hasn’t taken the news [very well](. Today we’re exploring: - Roblox: The gaming platform’s user base is maturing. - Fading genes: DNA specialists 23andMe look to go private. - Burrito bots: Taco Bell is bringing AI to hundreds more drive-thrus. Have feedback for us? Just hit reply - we'd love to hear from you! TOGETHER WITH [Sponsor Logo](   Roblox Corp. just posted a strong Q2, with revenues rising 31% year-on-year to $894 million, engagement hours up 24% to 17.4 billion, and daily active users reaching 79.5 million, as more and more people log in each day to explore the vast range of “experiences” that the video game platform has to offer. Although shares actually slipped yesterday on the back of news that the company’s long-serving CFO Michael Guthrie would be stepping down, there was much for Roblox execs to cheer, not least of all that their efforts to host more [mature content]( on the platform (think games with horror elements, violence, and crude humor) seem to be paying off. Not just for kids While Roblox has always been pretty broad in terms of what users can actually get up to — you can clock in for a shift at a virtual Ikea and get paid [actual money]( to do so, for instance, or attend in-game concerts from artists like Charli XCX, Mariah Carey, or Lil Nas X — the company announced plans [last summer]( to let game developers make exclusive content for users who've verified they're over 17. Since then, the platform has seen the oldest cohort that it breaks out, the over 13s, grow by almost 10 million daily active users, while the number of DAUs aged 13 and under has risen just 4.2 million in the same period. [Read this on the web instead](   For anyone who went to one of 23andMe’s [‘spit parties’]( back in 2008, the good news is you’ll likely never go to one again. But, for anyone that still optimistically owns shares in the company, the bad news is that co-founder Anne Wojcicki is looking to take it private, paying a mere 40 cents per share. The threat of being delisted has hung over the DNA testing kit company since late last year, having traded below the $1 Nasdaq minimum for ~10 months. Now, with 23andMe stock still down more than 95% from its peak, Wojcicki has submitted a proposal to a special committee of directors to take the health co. private, according to an SEC filing earlier [this week](. Founded in 2006, 23andMe was once one of the buzziest names in biotech, offering users an ancestry breakdown by mapping genes from saliva samples — spawning countless viral [social]( [media]( [posts]( laying claim to percentages of previously unknown heritages. When it went public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in 2021, it was valued at ~$3.5 billion, before briefly peaking at $6 billion a few months later. Yesterday, 23andMe’s valuation stood at just $194 million. Genetic lottery Even at the height of its popularity, 23andMe never turned a profit, and the company’s struggle to generate steady revenue (customers only need to use the service once to get their results) continues. Indeed, in its most recent [report](, total revenue stood at $64 million, down 31% from the year prior. A massive data breach where hackers stole the personal data of almost 7 million customers last May, which the company only discovered 5 months later, hardly helped 23andMe attract new business either. While Wojcicki has been attempting to pivot focus towards the company’s personalized healthcare arm and subscription model, a depleting cash pile — even after layoffs and subsidiary sales — could prove the task of reviving 23andMe to be a test too far. [Read this on the web instead](   [Sponsored by Incogni]( Keep Your Private Data Off the Dark Web Odds are, you've received a suspicious phone call, text, or email asking for money in a roundabout way. A trained eye may be able to spot the scammer. But with the advent of AI, their tricks are becoming more sophisticated. And with data brokers willing to sell your sensitive info to the highest bidder, it’s easy for your phone number, DOB and SSN to fall into the wrong hands. When so much of our lives are online, how can you truly protect yourself? Incogni, the service that gives you back control of your personal data. [Incogni scrubs your personal data]( from the web, expertly dealing with the world’s data brokers on your behalf. And unlike other services, Incogni [removes your sensitive information]( from 175+ brokers of all types, including tricky people search sites. Stop scams at the source with an Incogni subscription, 55% off for Chartr readers. [Claim 55% off Incogni Annual Plans with code CHARTR]( [Claim 55% off Incogni Annual Plans with code CHARTR](   Depending on where you live, the next time you pull in to get a Cheesy Roll Up or Crunchwrap Supreme, you might be telling your order to a robot rather than an actual human being. Burrito bots On Wednesday, Yum! Brands, Taco Bell’s parent company, [announced]( plans to introduce AI voice tech at hundreds of the chain's US locations by the end of 2024, after successfully trialing the system at over 100 branches across 13 states. The fast food giant, which also owns Pizza Hut and KFC, said that the tech has already proved useful in easing employees’ workloads, improving order accuracy, and reducing wait times. That third point isn’t exactly a massive problem for the burrito behemoth at the moment, though, especially compared to other major American “fast” food chains… According to industry publication QSR Magazine’s [2023 Drive-Thru Report](, Taco Bell’s already “digital-forward” drive-thrus are the speediest in the fast food game for the 3rd year in a row, with an average completion time (including taking the order, preparing the food, and closing the transaction) of just 4 minutes and 38 seconds. McDonald’s customers, by contrast, can expect to wait 6 mins and 53 secs for their meals, while Chick-fil-A scored lowest in the speed test, with an average wait time of 7 mins and 15 secs. Although Chick-fil-A clocked in slower than the other chains reported by QSR, it did return the best accuracy score of the bunch: just 8% of customers received orders with errors, suggesting that the workers who always get Sundays off prioritize getting those sandwiches spot on, rather than slinging them out ASAP. It will now be interesting to see whether Taco Bell’s new fleet of automaton order assistants will be able to move the needle on the chain’s current 85% accuracy rate. [Read this on the web instead](   More Data - After serving nearly 500 days of a 16-year jail sentence in a Russian prison, [WSJ reporter]( Evan Gershkovich has been freed in the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. - Apple earnings showed that revenue from [Services]( (including the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud) reached a record $24 billion in Q3 — a 14% year-over-year increase. - Loll-eco-looza: This weekend, Chicago’s Lollapalooza will feature performances from Blink-182 and SZA on the first hybrid battery-powered main stage at a [major US festival](. - Breaking down the massive $43 billion offer that a company made to buy Paramount… before the press release [disappeared](. Go for brokers… or have Incogni do it for you. It’s the data removal service that wipes your details from hundreds of data brokers and people search sites — the most effective way to protect yourself from spam, scams, and even identity theft. [Code CHARTR gets you 55% off Incogni Annual Plans](. Ad   Hi-Viz - Can artificial intelligence make a [data-driven viz story](? (For our job’s sake, let’s hope not). - Din Tai Funds: Check out the [Soup Dumpling Index](. Off the charts: Which chain, featured in our fast food drive-thru efficiency chart earlier, is most densely concentrated along the East Coast? [Answer below]. [Answer (in the third chart down) here.](   Thanks for stopping by! Have some [feedback](mailto:daily@chartr.co?subject=Feedback&body=Hi, I like the newsletters, but I had a thought for you...) or want to [sponsor this newsletter](mailto:advertising@sherwoodmedia.com?subject=I’m interested in advertising with Sherwood Media)?   Not a subscriber? Sign up for free below. 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