😟 Goodbye, AmazonSmile

Plus: Netflix’s good day, a population chart, a free game, weekend reads, shower thoughts, and more. [View Online]( [The Hustle] Twitter’s auction of 600+ corporate assets has ended, with one buyer paying $100k for a nearly four-foot-tall bird statue. In today’s email: - More like frown: Amazon shutters AmazonSmile. - Chart: China’s population decline. - Weekend reads: Our best stuff from the week. - Around the web: A free game, printable day planners, and more cool internet finds. 🎧 On the go? [Listen to today’s 10-minute podcast]( to hear about why AmazonSmile is turning into a frown, Netflix’s Q4 news, some important typeface news, and more. The big idea [Amazon frown logo]( RIP, AmazonSmile Amazon shutters its AmazonSmile program due to lack of impact, despite small charities saying it helped. 2023-01-20T00:00:00Z Juliet Bennett Ryla Amazon is [sunsetting]( its AmazonSmile program, which allows shoppers to donate a percentage of purchases to their charity of choice, by Feb. 20. The news comes as the company tightens spending and lays off 18k+ employees — some of whom received notification by email this week, [per]( Business Insider. Why? Amazon says it’s donated $449m+ to 1m+ charities since AmazonSmile launched in 2013, but says the program was “spread too thin” and failed to have the desired impact. In 2022, charities received an average of less than $230, [per]( NPR. Yet small organizations say it helped: - The SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary [tweeted]( that the $9.3k+ it’d received made a “huge difference.” - The Cat’s Meow tweeted that the [~$4k]( it’d received covered expenses when donations fell short. Meanwhile… … others argue Amazon could have done more. In 2017, journalist Marc Gunther [pointed out]( AmazonSmile only gave 0.5% — so a dime for a $20 purchase — and only when shoppers remembered to use the right URL. - Case in point: In 2015, the AmazonSmile Foundation donated ~$12.8m — 0.00012% of Amazon’s ~$99.1B in retail sales that year. What now? Customers can still donate to their favorite charities until the program ends, buy items from their wish lists, or, obviously, donate without Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon [says]( it will continue to invest in areas “where it can make meaningful change,” including local nonprofits and — perhaps conveniently for Amazon — its own charitable efforts, like Amazon Future Engineer, which funds computer science education. BTW: We know you’re dying to see the farm animals at SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary, so [here ya go](. [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=RIP%2C+AmazonSmile%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F01202023-Amazon-Smile%3Futm_campaign%3DFriday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D01202023-Amazon-Smile%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] Debate: Scientific editors and authors [are debating]( the use and citation of AI tools like ChatGPT for published research papers. SNIPPETS Netflix added 7.66m subscribers in Q4, far more than the 4.57m [expected](. Founder Reed Hastings is also relinquishing his role as co-CEO to become executive chairman. Globally, fintech venture funding [dropped]( 46% YoY in 2022 to $75.2B, though deal volume fell just 8%. Positively, Africa saw deal volume climb 25%. Instagram’s new “[quiet mode](” allows users to disable notifications and send automatic away messages to DMers. Campbell Soup is [consolidating]( its snack biz, shuttering operations at its North Carolina and Connecticut plants, and adding 330 jobs and $50m in investments to its New Jersey HQ. The US Department of State is [changing]( its official typeface from Times New Roman to the more accessible sans-serif Calibri. Kim Kardashian paid [$197.4k]( at auction for The Attallah Cross, an amethyst and diamond pendant worn by Princess Diana. New look, who dis: Wikipedia [debuted]( its first design update in 10+ years. The site contains 58m+ articles, viewed ~16B times/mo. Classic: While you might have to wait a little longer for Apple’s classical music app, there [are signs]( the company is continuing to work on it. Uber is working with automakers to [develop]( low-cost EVs for its fleet, optimized for urban ride-sharing and deliveries. Housing prices are bonkers right now, rivaling the 2000s housing bubble. This [short video]( explains how we got here. CHART [China's population over time]( Olivia Heller China’s economy slowed down in 2022 Population decline, housing problems, covid, and more. 2023-01-20T00:00:00Z Jacob Cohen Last year, the Chinese economy expanded at its slowest annual rate of growth since 1976. The country’s National Bureau of Statistics [reported]( a drop from 8.1% in 2021 to 3% in 2022 — a number Wall Street says may even be overstated, per Axios. What’s happening? - The country faces a sagging housing market after years of speculative building and buying. - Foreign investors have also been diversifying capital and their [supply chains]( away from the country. On top of all this, China’s recent covid wave and lockdown policies left many businesses inoperable for an extended timeframe. This week, China [announced]( its population shrank for the first time since 1961, declining by 850k people. As the country’s supply of young workers shrinks, it will need to find other ways to drive productivity to continue growing its economy. [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=China%E2%80%99s+economy+slowed+down+in+2022%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F01202023-China-population-decline%3Futm_campaign%3DFriday%2BEmail%26utm_content%3D01202023-China-population-decline%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 101 professional networking tips If this banger of a list isn’t enough, maybe try a pregame ritual. Or meditation. But here it is — [101 tips and templates]( for getting in your zone and crushing every function. For smoother maneuvers at the job fair, shindig, or symposium. Networking pointers for: - Entrepreneurs - Salespeople - Marketers - Students - Event attendees Be yourself. Schmooze responsibly. [101 networking tips →]( RECS [Weekend Reads] Welcome to Weekend Reads 2023-01-20T00:00:00Z In case you missed ‘em, here’s this week’s best… - Tweet: When your manager tries to convince you that the new project will be an amazing [growth opportunity](. - Blog: If you have a killer product, you should be centering your business around it. That’s the model for [product-led growth](. - Chart: Google [search interest]( in “canned fish.” The category has seen a lucrative resurgence, partly attributed to TikTok. - Story: Check out Mark’s deep dive into the [economics of snow](. - Video: Watch our quick [“Hustlenomics” original]( on the business of unused gift cards. AROUND THE WEB 🗓 On this day: In 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was [observed]( nationally for the first time, though 17 states already had their own holidays in place. 🕹 Cure boredom: [Play]( Ubisoft’s 1989 game “Prince of Persia” in your browser. 📖 Useful: [Customize]( and print a day planner. ✏️ From our blog: Ever heard of a startup ecosystem? It’s what it sounds like: a digital or physical space where startups thrive. Here’s [more info](. 👅 Aww: And now, an extended [blep](. Shower Thoughts - We’re all dressed like old people from the future. [SOURCE SOURCE]( - Beatboxing is one of the few cases of a machine’s job being taken by humans. [SOURCE SOURCE]( - The real gauge of friendship is how clean your house needs to be before they can come over. [SOURCE SOURCE]( - Pirates with eye patches likely sucked at sword fighting. [SOURCE SOURCE]( - It’s a good thing that your finger doesn’t fit any further into your ear canal. [SOURCE SOURCE](  [via Reddit]( TELL FRIENDS → GET PRIZES Help your friends aboard our growing pirate ship. Share The Hustle Daily to start winning loot. [all prizes]( [Share The Hustle 🤠→]( Or copy this custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 How did you like today’s email? [Love It]( [Meh]( [Hate It]( Today's email was brought to you by [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, and [Rob Litterst](. Editing by: Mark “Calibri 14 pt” Dent. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( 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](