⚠️ Being boring is cool again

PLUS: Elon Musk is Twitter’s biggest shareholder. April 5, 2022 [The Hustle] If you’re looking for spicy takes from the sharpest minds in growth & marketing, today we’re launching the newest HubSpot original podcast — Marketing Against the Grain. We’re also running an insane giveaway to celebrate. [Here’s the magic link]( to learn more. In today’s email: - BeReal: Are boring posts the future of social media? - Chart: Elon Musk is Twitter’s largest shareholder. - Geofencing: How the tech could make roads safer. - Around the web: Spiderweb music, persuasion tactics, squirrel photography, and more cool internet finds. 🎧 On the go? [Listen to today’s 10-minute podcast]( to hear why Elon Musk dropped $3B on Twitter, why not even Donald Trump is using his social media app, the future of social media is boring sh*t, and more. The big idea [let's get real gif]( The social media app that wants you to get off your phone The future of social media starts with a notification: Source: [BeReal]( A new social-media app called BeReal has [caught fire]( on college campuses, per Protocol, where students find the authenticity of the photos and simplicity of the feed a refreshing change from the glamour of Instagram. How does it work? Instead of allowing users to curate their feeds with any pic they want whenever they want, BeReal only lets users post once a day. - Every day, at a random time, the app simultaneously sends every user a notification. - Users have 2 minutes to post a picture from their front and back camera (the app doesn’t have access to a user’s camera roll). - By time-stamping posts, the app inherently [shames]( users who post after the 2-minute window. In addition to limiting both when and how many photos a user can upload, BeReal doesn’t have likes or let users lurk on other photos until they share their own, and the pictures disappear after a day. In short, the app is meant for users to get in, get out, and get on with their day. How did it start? BeReal launched in France in 2020. The founder, Alexis Barreyat, was a former video producer at GoPro and grew disillusioned with social media after hanging out with influencers and realizing their real lives were far less glamorous than their Instagram feeds. BeReal took off with French university students in spring 2021, and is quickly taking American college campuses by storm — much like Facebook did during its early days. Speaking of which… … Big Social wants to be authentic, too Instagram lets users share stories specifically with close friends, Twitter is developing a similar feature called Flock, and Snap has always prided itself on offering a more authentic experience than its competitors. But BeReal’s secret weapon is its “once-per-day” design, which is so astronomically removed from the time-in-app success metrics of traditional social media apps that it’s hard to see any incumbents following suit. [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=The+social+media+app+that+wants+you+to+get+off+your+phone%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F04052022-BeReal%3Futm_campaign%3DBeReal%26utm_content%3D04052022-BeReal%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 Hard truth: Two top executives at Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media app, have [left the company](. The news follows the app’s troubled debut in February. Big entrance: Howard Schultz, who recently returned to his former post as CEO of Starbucks, [announced]( the company would pause its share buyback program to invest more in its cafes and employees. Epic donation: “Fortnite” [raised]( $144m for Ukraine relief after announcing it would donate all of its proceeds from the game for 2 weeks. Bird flu is back: Egg prices [reached]( $2.88 per dozen, up ~52% since Feb. 8, due to increasing cases of avian influenza. So far, 17m+ birds have died from the disease. #Startuplife: As your business grows, learning to define, iterate and scale your company values is critical to keeping employees engaged and committed. Check out The Hustle’s [guide]( to building a startup culture that scales. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey — enjoy getting quick updates on what you care about? Take [20 seconds]( to personalize your Snippets. Pick your preferences👇 and we’ll send you more of what you love. Boom. [Personalize my Email →]( Chart [Twitter's top shareholders]( Singdhi Sokpo What’s Elon Musk’s plan for Twitter? Any hope for a relaxing start to the week on Twitter was quashed Monday morning when it was discovered Elon Musk acquired a [9.2%]( stake in the company for close to $3B. The news came following weeks of Musk questioning Twitter’s integrity as a social platform, with the series of events as follows: - 3/14: Musk makes the stock purchase, according to [filings](. - 3/25: Musk [polls]( the public on whether Twitter adheres to principles of free speech and says the poll results will be consequential. - 3/26: Musk [asks](, “Is a new platform needed?” - 4/2: Musk tweets a [meme]( about ducks. - 4/4: Musk’s stock purchase disclosure is released. Following the news, Twitter shares shot up like a Falcon 9 (up [27%+]( as of market close Monday, its best day since its IPO). Unsurprisingly, [reactions]( were [entertaining](. But many questions remain: Will Musk join Twitter’s board? How will this impact Musk’s wonderful relationship with the SEC? Will Musk try to drive changes to Twitter’s policies or business strategy? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, we look forward to more [Musk memes](. [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=What%E2%80%99s+Elon+Musk%E2%80%99s+plan+for+Twitter%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F04052022-Elon-Musk-Twitter%3Futm_campaign%3DBeReal%26utm_content%3D04052022-Elon-Musk-Twitter%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]( Geo- what now? [blue car]( What the heck is auto geofencing? Sweden has some of the safest streets in the world, and new tech might make them even safer. Stockholm, Gothenburg, and other European cities are [testing geofencing](, a technology that experts say could reduce traffic fatalities and lower emissions, per The New York Times. Geofencing? Yup. Geofencing uses GPS or radio frequencies to create a virtual perimeter, or “fence,” around a geographic area. It’s widely used with commercial drones today. In this case, the perimeter communicates with software that’s programmed to manage how cars can move within the fence. Geofences can be programmed to: - Change the speed of cars driving within a zone (based on weather, traffic congestion, or pedestrian density). - Flip hybrid cars to electric mode to reduce noise and air pollution. To follow basic geofencing rules, a driver just needs to download a map. But for more dynamic applications, vehicles need to be connected to some type of tech cloud. Why it matters Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people [globally]( — and [numbers]( in the US are especially grim. While geofencing can be used to some extent with today’s cars, the transition to autonomous vehicles could lead to far wider application of the tech. To take advantage of its benefits, drivers must hand over some control to computers (and city officials). It’s unclear how that pitch would land for Americans, who aren’t always thrilled to give up personal freedoms. [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=What+the+heck+is+auto+geofencing%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F04052022-auto-geofencing%3Futm_campaign%3DBeReal%26utm_content%3D04052022-auto-geofencing%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]( TRENDS Opportunities in the $39B food waste industry Seems like nobody wants to do the dirty work. Research has suggested that 67% of Americans “would be willing to [compost] if it was easier.” Practical pandemic plant parents are nodding. VCs, too — they siphoned [$39.3B into food tech in 2021](. Insights from the Trends report: - Upcycling startups: Interest rose 128% last year. Check out [Bio-bean]( converting coffee grounds into fire logs, and [Discarded Spirits Co.]( making liquor from banana peels and grape skins. - Curbside compost: You’re familiar with homegrown bins, but curbside service? [Food scrap pickups are only available in 2% of the US](. For niche market research, a community of 17k builders, and a very valuable weekly newsletter, [try Trends for $1](. AROUND THE WEB 🏀 On this day: In 1984, Los Angeles Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [broke](Wilt Chamberlain’s points record with a basket that brought him to 31,421 career points. 🤓 How to: If you want to become more persuasive, you should sit quietly for at least 3 seconds during negotiation. [Here’s why](. 🏰 Art: Artist Zhihui’s [miniature pop-up books]( are wild. On the outside, they look like tiny books, but inside are whole worlds. 🕸️ Wow: [This]( is what a spiderweb sounds like when you turn it into music, which could potentially have [applications]( in 3D printing. 🐿️ Aww: Niki Colemont has taken thousands of pictures of squirrels. See them (and a few other critters) [here](. Chart of the day [BeReal] It’s official — boring is cool again. (Source: [Apptopia]() SHARE THE HUSTLE Hey. Stop keeping us a secret. Refer just 3 people and we’ll start to send some goodies as a thank you. [My First Million ebook]( Spread the news. Help us grow 🌱 [Share The Hustle 🤠→]( Or copy this custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 How did you like today’s email? Today's email was brought to you by [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, [Rob Litterst](, and [Mia Sullivan](. Editing by: Jennifer “So I just post what I’m doing?” Wang. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Trends]( 25 FIRST ST. 2ND FLOOR, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141, UNITED STATES  +1 888 482 7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](list=thehustle). [The Hustle](