Oprah has spoken

Weight Watchers is hoping her shrinking numbers can help save theirs. [The Hustle] Fri, Dec 23 Betting it all on one person Weight Watchers [released a new ad campaign] yesterday featuring a case study of one of its members who lost 40 pounds, and apparently it struck a nerve as shares immediately jumped nearly 19%. But this wasn’t just any old case study. It was Oprah. And she claimed to do it all while still eating bread (Gasp!). The self-made media mogul worth an incredible $3B is the third largest shareholder in Weight Watchers, a 53-year-old weight-loss club, after buying 6.4m shares and joining the board back in October 2015. Good move or bad move? Immediately after announcing the investment, Weight Watcher’s shares surged from about $6 to $25 apiece, earning her an instant $100m+ return. But as the company continues to struggle with competition from free fitness apps and [potentially harmful research] (Business Insider claims Weight Watchers’ members spend $377 per year on average to lose just 5 pounds), the stock looks more like it’s been riding a roller coaster than a wave of success. And, for better or worse, pretty much the only time the stock goes up is when Oprah makes an announcement about how much weight she’s lost. So clearly it’s not sustainable… or is it Doing the math here, the recent 40-pound loss resulted in about [a $3.6m gain] for Oprah. That’s about $682k per pound and a heck of a lot of incentive to keep the weight off. The head of marketing for Weight Watchers, Maurice Herrera, made the understatement of 2016 [when he said] “it’s vitally important that Oprah is living the program and articulating it in a way that’s authentic.” No sh*t, Maurice. If Oprah keeps the weight off and continues to spearhead their advertising then maybe there’s a chance the company can gain some market share. But attaching your P&L to one spokesperson’s waistline, particularly someone who’s famously struggled with weight gain/loss in the past, is as risky as it gets. [Remember Jared from Subway?] Patym’s latest growing pains Be careful what you wish for as a young company, because you just might get it. Paytm, India’s largest mobile payments startup, is currently experiencing the drawbacks of[adding over 20m new users] in 40 days, thanks to India’s new demonetization policy. First, why the spike in users? [India discontinued] two of it’s highest denomination banknotes essentially overnight, giving holders until the end of the year to deposit the old bills and exchange them for valid currency. This has resulted in huge logistical challenges for banks and ATMs trying to keep up with high volume transactions, and in turn, a major cash shortage. Enter Paytm, which has seen explosive growth as a result of increased demand for cashless payments. However, the sudden spotlight has come at the price of immense public scrutiny. Because with great power comes great responsibility It’s been a wild ride for Vijay Shekar Sharma and his first breakout success as Paytm’s CEO. Let’s recap a few of the highlights in their [crazy month] since demonetization: - One week after demonetization (A.D.): Paytm faces criticism and is forced to issue an apology for an ad telling people to “stop being melodramatic” during the massive cash shortage. - Two weeks A.D.: The platform clocks over 7m daily transactions -- more than India’s credit and debit cards combined. - Four weeks A.D.: PayPal accuses Paytm of copyright infringement over their “[deceptively similar]” logo on the last day of their 4-month trademark registration period (according to India’s trademark policy). - Five weeks A.D.: A sudden spike in traffic causes a [technical outage] that prevents transactions and results in the app’s temporary removal from the App Store. A true coming-of-age story Not unlike former child star Ron Howard (who went from Happy Days to directing blockbusters like Cocoon), Paytm is now going through all the awkward stages of new business growth, with the added pressure of the public eye. Let’s just hope that Sharma’s company can make it through puberty without completely self-destructing. [‘06 Britney scenario] Follow back flight days US Customs and Border Protection is officially building their online presence and requesting that travelers [hand over their social accounts] when entering the country. Incoming US visitors without a visa will now be asked to “enter info associated with your online presence,” via a dropdown for platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, the five people still on Google+, and of course, Instagram (DM @borderlines for bookings/strip searches). But, they don’t just appreciate a well-curated ‘gram… It’s part of the war on terror According to the government, creeping on our socials will help them identify people with ties to terrorist groups. In other words, if you liked ISIS on Facebook, you might also like the No Fly List. And, although [the request] is currently optional, it’s raising questions as to exactly how the government plans to use this information. Seriously, what are they gonna do, poke us? Opposers fear that unclear guidelines around what is/is not acceptable, plus a lack of restrictions on what the government can do with the content, could lead to potential abuse. For now, we’ll happily give them [our Twitter handle] if they ask -- as long as they follow us back. [Follow 4 follow] Saving a part of history For the third time in recent history, Italy [agreed to bail out] one of their largest banks, Banca Monte dei Paschi Siena, with a multi-billion euro rescue plan. Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident. The country’s entire banking system has a about €350B in bad loans and is in desperate need of recapitalization (corporate reorganization). But the kicker of the story isn’t about the Italian government pushing numbers in spreadsheets. See, Monte dei Paschi was founded in 1472, making it the oldest bank in the world that’s operated without interruption. Leonardo da Vinci was 20 years old… And 20 years later, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The conservatively-run bank was originally created to offer loans to people in need and was famous for supporting the locals. According to a post from [The Guardian], “It was said that the population of Siena either already worked for the bank, aspired to do so, or were already drawing their pensions from it.” Talk about being a pillar of the community... However, it’s not anywhere near the oldest company We thought 1472 sounded pretty old until we came across the almighty Wikipedia’s [list of oldest companies]. [Kongō Gumi], for example, was a Japanese construction company founded in 578 and considered the world’s oldest independent company for over 1400 years… until it was absorbed into a larger group in 2006. 2006! And then there’s Sean’s Bar in Ireland that opened in 900 A.D. or the Weihenstephan brewery from 1040. The list goes on, but makes you feel a little small, don’t it? [The Hustle, founded circa 2015] friday shower thoughts - If fish could scream, nobody would swim. - UPS will leave a $1200 laptop on my porch without even knocking but I have to sign for a $10 pizza. - “Amen” is the religious version of “true dat.” - Naming your band “Open Bar” would get a lot of people to show up at your gigs. - Google maps ETA is rarely wrong, and yet I still always think I will get somewhere faster than they predict. - “He’s nice, once you get to know him” is just a nice way of saying, “He’s an asshole, but you’ll get used to it.” - Moonlight is solar powered. - There’s probably a correlation between the ubiquity of smartphones and the decline in toilet wall graffiti. - My proofreading abilities improve immeasurably the second I click Send or Submit. - Wizards smoke out of long pipes so they don’t set their beard on fire. - via [Reddit] [SUBSCRIBE] [JOBS] [ADVERTISE] [AMBASSADORS] [EVENTS] [Lindsey "Egg nog and mistletoe" Quinn] WRITER John Havel WHEN YOUR DOG SITS STILL FOR THE FAMILY PHOTO Sam Parr EDITOR Les Brown SUNSCREEN PROVISIONER You opted in by [signing up], entering a [giveaway], or through [divine intervention]. 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