🚀Bezos is suing NASA. Why?

PLUS: Meet the generation after Gen Z. August 19, 2021 [The Hustle] [The Hustle]( The 20 most viewed posts on Facebook in Q2 of 2021 accounted for just [0.1%]( of all content views on the platform. Interestingly, the No. 1 most viewed link on Facebook last quarter was a website for the Green Bay Packers alumni association. Don’t ask us why because we couldn’t tell ya. Today’s rundown: - Astro-not: Why Jeff Bezos is suing NASA - Generation A: How brands are targeting the parents of children born between 2010 and 2025 - All Def: Meet the largest Black-owned digital platform on YouTube and Facebook Let’s do it. The big idea [Bezos NASA]( Jeff Bezos vs. NASA, explained Why is the richest man on Earth [suing]( the agency tasked with exploring everywhere else? In short, NASA chose a different billionaire’s space proposal. Let’s break it down. The big, red picture NASA’s [Artemis Program]( aims to put people back on the moon by 2024 -- something it hasn’t done since 1972 -- to practice and prepare for missions to Mars. Though the 1st run will be uncrewed, NASA will [use]( its rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), to send 4 astronauts to the Orion spacecraft, where they’ll use a Human Landing System (HLS) to send 2 of them to the moon’s surface. Where the billionaires come in NASA considered proposals from 3 companies for the HLS: - Bezos’ Blue Origin - Alabama-based Dynetics - Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Though NASA said it might pick 2, the organization received less [funding]( than it wanted and [chose]( only SpaceX’s $2.9B Starship proposal -- more highly rated and cheaper than Blue Origin’s $5.9B proposal. No fair, I’m telling the government! Blue Origin and Dynetics complained to the [Government Accountability Office]( (GAO), saying NASA evaluated the 3 proposals unreasonably and should have canceled or changed the award when it realized it didn’t have enough money. The GAO [rejected]( their protest in July, saying NASA was not obligated to choose 2 companies just because it said it might. (The full report is [here](.) Bezos (worth an estimated $[186B]() offered NASA a [$2B]( discount to no avail… … then Blue Origin filed a complaint in federal court Though it’s hidden behind a protective order, a Blue Origin spokesperson says the suit is “an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA’s Human Landing System,” per [The Verge](. Regardless of the complaint’s outcome, it’ll likely hold up NASA’s lunar plans. The protest GAO rejected already held SpaceX up for 95 days. Musk has responded by [suggesting]( that if lobbying and lawyers could get you to space, “Bezos would be on Pluto rn.” [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Jeff+Bezos+vs.+NASA%2C+explained%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08192021-Bezos-vs-NASA%3Futm_campaign%3DBezos%2Bvs%2BNasa%26utm_content%3D08192021-Bezos-vs-NASA%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS NEW! Introducing our new and improved [Snippets](. You can now get extra snippets on your favorite topics. Follow the button below to get started. (It takes less than 30 seconds!) Frosty delivery: Wendy's [announced]( plans to open 700 ghost kitchens through a partnership with Reef Technology in an effort to expand its delivery capabilities. Zuck’s pain is Bezos’ gain: Apple’s privacy changes are making Facebook ads less effective, prompting brands to [move]( ad spend from Facebook to Amazon. Chips over stripes: Mastercard [started]( phasing out magnetic stripes in favor of chips and contactless payment methods, with plans to move completely off magnetic stripes by 2033. Health care hack: Scripps Health, a health care provider that runs 5 hospitals and 19 outpatient facilities, [expects]( to pay $106.8m for a ransomware attack in May. Trading app Robinhood saw sales in Q2 2021 double to [$565m](…but shares fell after the company said trading was slowing down (translation: less YOLO-ing). Databricks — a data warehouse startup — is eyeing a massive [$38B]( valuation in a new fundraise. A major public competitor, Snowflake, is worth $82B. Join the 91,297 others who are now enjoying extra, personalized snippets. Click the button👇 to choose your favorite topics and see your list grow in tomorrow’s email. [Personalize Your Snippets]( Emerging Markets [toy building blocks]( Gen Z is old news -- brands are moving on to Generation Alpha Studies [show]( that children as young as 3 can recognize brand names. This finding is not lost on baby brands -- which have [turned]( their attention to Generation Alpha, the children born between 2010 and 2025. Generation Alpha is too young to have a consumer identity… … but that’s not stopping brands from targeting their millennial parents. As a result, legacy brands are facing new competition from D2C brands with minimalist aesthetics, serif fonts, and pastel colorways. Some examples include: - Highchairs: Lalo and Stokke offer minimalist looks compared to Fisher-Price - Toys: Lovevery and Maisonette offer pastels in contrast to Little Tikes’ classic colorways - Food: Little Spoon and Yumi offer organic alternatives to Gerber It seems obvious, but targeting baby products to parents is a new phenomenon In the past, brands used bright, rainbow-colored packaging to capture the attention of children. Now, brands want to utilize the economic power of millennials for the next generation. Since children can recognize brands so young, Generation Alpha is likely to share tastes with their parents more than previous generations. While it’s hard to argue with healthier baby food, pastels pale in comparison to a vintage [Trapper Keeper]( with Lisa Frank folders. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Gen+Z+is+old+news+--+brands+are+moving+on+to+Generation+Alpha%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08192021-Generation-Alpha%3Futm_campaign%3DBezos%2Bvs%2BNasa%26utm_content%3D08192021-Generation-Alpha%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Free Resource 4 keys to Disneyland-level customer service Disney’s theme parks, resorts, and cruises have been America’s golden vacation standard (and a mecca for tourists) since the 1950s. The customer service is known to be world-class... … or as Sleepy the Dwarf says so eloquently, to “create dreams and preserve the magical guest experience.” Exactly. From Disney’s playbook: [How to be a beloved brand]( Keeping the magic alive is no accident. Even if your business only serves digitally, the core of exceptional customer service remains the same. Watch this 6-minute video to learn how Disney reduces friction through social media, discussion boards, and more. [Adopt the Golden Standard →]( Media moves [Cedric Rogers] Meet All Def, the largest Black-owned digital platform on YouTube and Facebook If you’re a fan of hip-hop or comedy, it’s highly probable you’ve seen content from All Def. With 15m+ fans across its platforms and 500m+ monthly views, All Def is part of the Culture Genesis network and is the largest Black-owned digital platform on YouTube and Facebook. Culture Genesis itself is a media-tech company… … co-founded by tech veteran Cedric Rogers, who spent nearly a decade at Apple before founding a startup that was part of the Y Combinator incubator. After a #MeToo scandal sent All Def into bankruptcy in[2019](, Culture Genesis took over and set the company back on the right path. Today, All Def is a tech-savvy media company Its YouTube channel has 4.5m+[subscribers]( with leading comedy (e.g., Dad Jokes, Roast Me) and hip-hop (e.g., TriviaMob, Best Moments) franchises. After nabbing YouTube ad sale rights, Culture Genesis could bring in[$15m]( over the next year. The studio also owns [Bar Exam](, a hip-hop trivia app recently accepted into Apple’s inaugural Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers. The latest move… … is a partnership with Instagram’s largest hip-hop account, RapTV ([@Rap](), owned by Trends member Daniel Snow. To find out more, The Hustle spoke with Rogers about: - Culture Genesis’ mission: “Our core opportunity is to help Black and brown creators grow their businesses and get connected to large brands deals.” - Lessons from Apple: “Steve [Jobs] says you always have to look around corners and see where things are headed.” - Lessons from Y Combinator: “Either build or fundraise. Don’t do both at the same time.” Read the full [Q&A here](. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Meet+All+Def%2C+the+largest+Black-owned+digital+platform+on+YouTube+and+Facebook%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2Fculture-genesis-cedric-rogers-on-reviving-all-def-were-bringing-culture-to-technology%2F%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Trends Job Board Over in the [Trends]( Facebook group, 15k members of the Trends community connect every day and discuss new ideas, opportunities, and challenges. They also let us know when they’re hiring, so here’s a few cool gigs you may be interested in: - [SAKAS AND COMPANY]( is looking for a marketing-oriented Executive Assistant. The position is fully remote, so you can practice your badassery from the comfort of your tempurpedic mattress executive chair. - [KegWorks]( is seeking a highly skilled and well-rounded Sr. Creative and Marketing Manager. Keg-stand experience is a plus. - [WhatHouse.com]( is looking for a house-loving Business Development Manager. - [Kitty’s Co]( is looking for a Creative Director who is also a part-time data nerd. - [Territory Foods]( seeks a Senior Product Designer to make pretty things for hungry people. AROUND THE WEB 🌽 That’s cool: Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace is an [online shop]( for Native and Indigenous-owned foods from across the US, including cornmeal, rice, coffee, meats, olive oil, and more.. 😎 How to: Nervous about an upcoming job interview? [Here]( are some tips to appear more confident. 🍻 Wow: German chemists [analyzed]( 467 beers and found 7.7k+ unique chemical formulas using a method that can analyze a sample in ~10 minutes. 🎶 On this day: In 2008, Lady Gaga [dropped]( “The Fame,” which would go on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. 🐶 Wholesome: [Here]( is a giant Alaskan Malamute getting brushed. So large. So fluffy. 🐥 Haha: And now, here’s a Rube Goldberg [machine]( timed to the “Jurassic Park” theme song... as [played]( by rubber chickens. Meme of the day [Jeff Bezos wearing a cowboy hat] Great song, though (Source: Twitter / RampCapitalLLC) SHARE THE HUSTLE [Hustle Cons Greatest Hits ebook]( Over the years, we’ve learned… secrets. The business secrets, tips, and tricks that have helped founders go from zero to millions -- and even billions -- of dollars. Want to see ‘em? 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