Plus: Spotifyâs audiobook roadblock, Elon Muskâs new title, a Ray Dalio exclusive, and more. [View Online]( [The Hustle] A Morning Consult survey [found]( that US adults consider Freddy Krueger the scariest horror movie character, followed by Hannibal Lecter and Michael Myers. In todayâs email: - Microsoft: The metaverse that got away.
- Chart: Spotifyâs audiobook roadblock.
- Board games: A new tool for therapists.
- Around the Web: A newsletter for top tweets, a club for French cheese labels, virtual paper planes, and more. ð§ On the go? [Listen to todayâs 10-minute podcast]( to hear Jacob and Juliet discuss Microsoftâs AR strategy, Spotifyâs beef with Apple, Elon Muskâs sink, and more. The big idea
[knocking headsets]( Whatâs up with Microsoft and the metaverse? Given the name change and Zuckâs numerous [uncanny valley demos](, everyone knows Meta is all about the metaverse. But what about Microsoft? Well, recently, former HoloLens director Tim Osborne lamented Microsoftâs lost opportunity to âownâ the market, [per]( The Wall Street Journal. What happened? Microsoftâs HoloLens is an AR device dreamed up by its video games team while thinking about the future of gaming systems. That initial idea was â[Screen Zero](,â an Xbox headset to replace other screens. - Microsoft built a prototype in 2010 that plugged into a computer, then debuted the wireless HoloLens [in 2015](.
- At that yearâs E3 gaming conference, Microsoft [demoed]( how it could be used to play âMinecraft.â Which was cool⦠except the headset was harder to build than expected and, when made available to consumers, cost $3k. That might be why Microsoft sold ~300k of them, compared to Metaâs 17m Quest 2 VR headsets, which retail for [~$400](. Since then⦠⦠Microsoft has transitioned to selling the HoloLens to enterprises, including NASA and Mercedes-Benz. Its largest client is the US Army, which awarded Microsoft a $480m contract to develop AR training for soldiers â a rollout that has not been without tech issues. Meanwhile: - Plans for a new HoloLens have been shelved due to budget cuts.
- Inventor Alex Kipman [departed]( amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. Still, Frank Shaw, Microsoftâs VP of communications, says itâs still âcommittedâ to the metaverse â and it isnât like itâs been a digital stroll in the virtual park for anyone else. Only [58%]( of Meta employees even get the metaverse themselves. And AR headset competitor Magic Leap has [returned]( with an enterprise-focused device thatâs even less affordable⦠at ~$5k. [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+up+with+Microsoft+and+the+metaverse%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10272022-Microsoft-Metaverse%3Futm_campaign%3DMicrosoft%2BMetaverse%26utm_content%3D10272022-Microsoft-Metaverse%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]( TRENDING [eyeball wearing a hat] Chief Twit: Ahead of Elon Muskâs $44B Twitter acquisition closing Friday, he [tweeted a clip]( of himself entering the Twitter HQ. âLet that sink in,â he wrote, carrying a literal sink. SNIPPETS Meta stock sank following a weak Q3 earnings [report](. Revenue fell 4% YoY to $27.7B, and its Reality Labs (metaverse) unit saw revenue drop nearly ~49% to $285m. Itâs official: Apple will [comply]( with a new EU law that requires devices to share a common USB-C charger. A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin [claims]( heâs 75% done with The Winds of Winter, the sixth of seven novels in his very long series. Whatnot, a livestream shopping platform for collectibles, raised $260m, bringing its valuation to [$3.7B]( in just three years. Winter blues: Andreessen Horowitzâs $4.5B crypto fund reportedly [lost]( ~40% of its value in the first half of 2022. Twitter is [losing]( its âheavy tweetersâ â those who tweet 3x-4x/week â as interest shifts toward advertiser-unfriendly NSFW and crypto content, per internal documents. Tyson Foods will pay [$10.5m]( to settle a lawsuit alleging that it and 18 other companies collaborated to drive up the cost of chicken sold to restaurants. Hedge fund legend Ray Dalio sat down with Zack to dissect Americaâs debt crisis. Check out a quick [2-minute clip]( on our new YouTube channel. Chart
[Spotify listeners](
Singdhi Sokpo Is Apple blocking Spotifyâs growth plan? âYou canât buy audiobooks in the app. We know, itâs not ideal.â Thatâs the lone, blunt message Spotify now shows to anyone trying to buy an audiobook in its iOS app. Spotify has seen quarter after quarter of uninterrupted growth, but the company believes audiobooks, which represent [6%-7%]( of the $140B global book industry, are needed for its next phase. Last month, the company began offering 300k+ titles. The problem, according to Spotify⦠⦠is that Apple makes it extremely difficult for people to actually buy one. So difficult, in fact, Spotify made a [website]( about it. - Since Spotify chooses not to process purchases through Apple, which charges up to 30% fees, itâs subject to strict App Store guidelines barring it from offering or directing users toward a different payment processor. The result: Without direction, you have to leave the app, find the book on Spotifyâs website, and purchase it there. For listeners, until either company budges, Spotifyâs audiobook experience will likely remain ânot ideal.â [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=Is+Apple+blocking+Spotify%E2%80%99s+growth+plan%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10272022-Spotify%3Futm_campaign%3DMicrosoft%2BMetaverse%26utm_content%3D10272022-Spotify%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
Nerdy Nutsâ $6m brand loyalty playbook Craigâs D2C peanut butter brand went viral on TikTok. He [leveraged the momentum like a machine](, reaching 20x growth and ~$500k in monthly sales â for peanut butter. Small-batch, lip-smacking peanut butter. Three brand loyalty tips for TikTok: - CEOs should hear directly from consumers. Craig stays on the pulse via a private text group with top community members.
- Ambassadors > influencers/referral programs. Sometimes, you gotta think smaller. As in, the ever-loyal micro-micro-influencers.
- Make proper use of community feedback and visibility. ([Hereâs how](.) Craigâs been building his business with help from our community for two years. Weâre stoked for the next update. Finish reading the article and access our 15k-strong network. [First weekâs a buck â]( Board Game Therapy
[Dungeons & Dragons]( Dungeons & Dragons and⦠therapy? What if your therapist prescribed you one âDungeons & Dragonsâ game per week for anxiety? That reality might not be far off, according to [Wired](, with the rise of therapeutic tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). In TTRPGs⦠⦠players sit around a table, taking on the personas of fictional characters. This type of role-playing can be a helpful [tool]( when used in a mental health setting by: - Providing a safe space to explore identity, traumas, and social skills
- Helping clients who might be uncomfortable with traditional therapy Now, startups are springing up to meet the need: - [Game to Grow]( created its own [TTRPG]( and offers provider training programs.
- [Geek Therapeutics]( has a range of certifications and trainings.
- [Game Therapy UK]( and [The Bodhana Group]( house educational resources. TTRPGs may seem like a relic of the past⦠⦠but business is still booming. âDungeons & Dragonsâ earns an estimated [$100m-$150m]( annually. And thanks in part to a prominent feature in Netflixâs âStranger Things,â the game has a new batch of young fans, with 24% of players between 20 and 24 years old. [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=Dungeons+%26+Dragons+and%E2%80%A6+therapy%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F10272022-Dungeons-and-Dragons-therapy%3Futm_campaign%3DMicrosoft%2BMetaverse%26utm_content%3D10272022-Dungeons-and-Dragons-therapy%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]( AROUND THE WEB ð¨âð¾ On this day: In 1873, farmer Joseph Glidden [applied]( for a patent for barbed wire after improving on a design heâd seen at a county fair. ð¦ Thatâs cool: A [newsletter]( that sends you the dayâs top Twitter stories. ð§ Thatâs interesting: Since 1960, thereâs been a club [dedicated]( to collecting French cheese labels. âï¸ Cure boredom: Go to [this site]( on your phone to throw and catch virtual paper planes with players around the world. ð Aww: And now, a mouse [market](. Meme
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