✈️ Merging altitude

…and Insta’s teen crackdown (feat. notification curfews) Tayfun Coskun/Getty Images Consolidated baggage   Hey Snackers, Pizza Hut said it’ll custom-print résumés on pizza boxes and [send them]( (with ’za) to your dream employers. Guess it’s another indicator of how the job market’s doing. It was a double cut after all: stocks spiked after the Fed slashed rates by 50 basis points, the first trim since 2020. But applause died down fast and markets closed lower after Chair J. Powell cautioned against expecting more jumbo cuts.   LEGROOM [The skies clear for Alaska Air’s acquisition of Hawaiian as regulators lock in protections]( Contiguously noncontiguous… The Department of Transportation is [waving in]( the $1.9B merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, clearing the runway for the first major US airline acquisition since 2016 (when Alaska scooped up Virgin Atlantic). For Hawaiian, the deal is seen as a lifeline, while Alaska is expected to level up its biz with more planes, workers, and customers (it’ll control half of Hawaii’s air-travel market). The DOT’s approval, which includes binding conditions, comes about a month after the merger made it out of antitrust review unchallenged. - Boarding instructions: The airlines agreed to maintain the value of their loyalty points, preserve routes within Hawaii, and ensure competitors’ access to the Honolulu hub airport. The DOT’s approval conditions will last for six years once the deal is finalized. - Wingspan: The combined airline will keep Hawaiian as a separate brand but operate as one carrier with a 360-plane fleet and 33K+ employees. - Clear skies, can’t lose: In the past six decades, Delta, American, United, Southwest, and Alaska have acquired 42 rival airlines. Merge-ulence… Airlines have faced tough regulator scrutiny under the Biden admin. This year, the US successfully blocked a JetBlue-Spirit merger, and last year it broke up a partnership in the Northeast between JetBlue and American (JetBlue’s probably annoyed this week). Concerned with rising airfare, the White House has also gone after airline junk fees. Antitrust scrutiny has paved the way for new budget airlines like Avelo and Breeze to emerge, and both expect to turn a profit this year. In the Alaska-Hawaiian approval, regulators opted to lock in consumer protections rather than risk a loss in merger court. THE TAKEAWAY Cracking the big four won’t be easy… The four major US airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, and United) together control 80% of the domestic market. An Alaska-Hawaiian combo would control about 8%, fortifying its position as the fifth-largest US airline — but it’ll still control less than half of fourth-ranked United’s share. [Read this online](   BLOCKED [Instagram rolls out stricter rules for teens to help curb social-media safety concerns]( Worse than a curfew… Instagram’s cracking down on minors’ accounts. Its parent, Meta, has faced severe backlash from lawmakers and parents who say Insta can negatively affect its 100M+ teen users. Now, IG users under 16 will automatically have their accounts switched to private, making their profile visible only to friends. App notifications will be force-muted from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Meta also said it’s blocking sensitive content (like violence and cosmetic surgeries) from teens’ Reels and Explore feeds. - Digital bouncer: Teens can’t change their birthday to get around the rules. Meta’s also testing AI to place restrictions on teen users who signed up with an adult birthday. - Fine print: Teens 16 and older can tweak some of the new settings without parent permission. Chronically online… Insta’s crackdown follows growing concerns over social media’s effect on teens’ mental health. Last year, the US Surgeon General warned that mass exposure to harmful content on social-media apps could cause anxiety and depression in young people. In February, New York City [sued]( TikTok, Meta, Snap, and YouTube, saying the apps exploit young users and cost the city $100M/year in mental-health services. And over 40 states sued Meta last fall, accusing the techie of building addictive features to drive engagement. - Doomscroll: Yesterday, a House panel voted to advance legislation for the “Kids Online Safety Act,” which would be the biggest child online safety measure since 1998. - On the stricter end, Australia last week said it would introduce legislation that would block social-media use for teens below a certain age (likely 14 to 16). THE TAKEAWAY It’s a social dilemma… Curbing engagement goes against everything social cos are trying to do, especially when it comes to their key demographic. More than half of US teens spend at least four hours a day on social media. Last year, IG made most of its ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4B). IG’s CEO said the new restrictions would “definitely hurt teen growth and engagement.” But with the growing pressure, Meta may have no choice. [Read this online](   ON SHERWOOD [LA’s streaming gold rush is over]( As streamers pull back their original-content spending, make fewer shows, and pivot to sports, we look at what happened to Hollywood and how entertainment workers on the ground are faring with 12.5% unemployment. [Read more](.   Presented by Atombeam Software for Faster Machines: Meet Atombeam The “datapocalypse” is coming… But tech disruptor [Atombeam has developed AI software]( enabling up to 2-4x more data to be sent faster and more securely over existing networks — a feat that has potential to save billions in hardware costs. Up and Atom… Atombeam has partnerships in place with companies like NVIDIA, Ericsson, Viasat, and Intel.1 Discover this [investment opportunity and get up to 25% Bonus Shares](.2 1 The partnership relationship varies between companies and can include the following: inclusion on a preferred vendor list, invitations to participate in certain forums; listed on the other company's website, and introduction and networking opportunities. Presented by Atombeam Software for Faster Machines: Meet Atombeam The “datapocalypse” is coming… But tech disruptor [Atombeam has developed AI software]( enabling up to 2-4x more data to be sent faster and more securely over existing networks — a feat that has potential to save billions in hardware costs. Up and Atom… Atombeam has partnerships in place with companies like NVIDIA, Ericsson, Viasat, and Intel.1 Discover this [investment opportunity and get up to 25% Bonus Shares](.2 1 The partnership relationship varies between companies and can include the following: inclusion on a preferred vendor list, invitations to participate in certain forums; listed on the other company's website, and introduction and networking opportunities.   What else we're Snackin' - “John Wick” studio Lionsgate gave AI-video startup Runway access to its movie library in exchange for a custom [genAI model]( that it can use for production and editing. - NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $4.8B to build [lunar satellites]( for its moon-exploring Artemis missions. - Electronic Arts said it wouldn’t release a sequel to “The Sims 4” and instead will [push paid]( expansions. - The WNBA said it’d add an [expansion team]( to Portland, Oregon, as the league sees audience #s grow. - Apple is said to be [chatting]( with JPMorgan Chase about the bank taking over its credit card from Goldman Sachs.   Snack Fact of the Day [Americans feel more positively about farming than any other industry](   Thursday - Weekly jobless claims - August existing-home sales - Earnings expected from Darden Restaurants, FactSet, Cracker Barrel, FedEx, and Lennar Authors of this Snacks own shares of: Alaska Air, Apple, Delta, and Snap Advertiser's disclosures: 2 This offering includes a range of bonus shares from 5% - 25%, at corresponding investment minimums from $5,000 - $50,000. The minimum investment to receive 25% Bonus Shares is $50,000. See [Rewards section]( of the webpage for further details. This is a paid advertisement for Atombeam’s Regulation A+ Offering. This Reg. A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Please read the [Offering Circular]( and [related risks]( at [Atombeam’s webpage on StartEngine]( before investing. This was a paid for ad. Sherwood Media has been compensated for this ad by the Atombeam Reg A+ Campaign hosted on StartEngine. Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. 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