👋 Good morning. And “aww!” is what you’ll say after you read this. Wildlife rescuers in Washington are using nursing pillows to comfort abandoned harbor seal pups whose mothers fled after humans got too close. The pillows, designed for human mothers, mimic the shape of a mother seal and help stressed-out pups get some R&R. As we said, aww.
THE BIG IDEA
Talk about pooling resources: The Airbnb of swimming pools
Sneaking into the neighbors' pool when they're away is a rite of passage for suburban kids. But they shouldn't have all the fun.
Swimply, described as the "Airbnb of pools," lets people rent out their swimming pools by the hour, per Business Insider.
The app offers neighbors the opportunity to cool off on a hot day — something we could all use these days — while helping owners offset the cost of maintaining a pool.
The company is also part of a growing trend of the Airbnb-ification of your entire life, where nearly everything is rentable.
Dive into the sharing economy
Founded in 2018, Swimply made a splash in recent years with several rounds of funding — notably after sinking on Shark Tank in 2020 without a deal. (Who wants a shark in the pool anyway?)
- The startup has since grown and recently received $10m in funding.
- Listings now include 15k pools in 125 cities across the US, Canada, and Australia.
- Rates range from humble $30-$80/hour offerings to more luxe listings in the $200-$400/hour range.
- Some owners charge for added perks like barbecue packages.
Considering in-ground pools average $65k to build and $3k-$6k annually to maintain, it's a good way to recoup on that investment.
Swimply has also since expanded to other rentable amenities, including hot tubs and saunas; tennis, basketball, and pickleball courts; mansions for parties; and pet-friendly yards. It's also exploring offerings like music studios.
The Airbnb-ification of life
We're now accustomed to riding in a stranger's car and staying at someone's home for vacation, so swimming in another person's pool feels like a natural progression of the sharing economy — though admittedly an intimate one.
We can also expect to see more sharing in the future: the sharing economy is expected to grow from $244.8B in 2025 to $752.8B in 2030.
These days, peer-to-peer renting includes parking and storage, unused classrooms, RVs, clothing, and backyards for your dog. Heck, you can even rent a friend or attend a stranger's wedding.
Airbnb-ification does have its drawbacks, including climbing prices, disruption of housing markets, and the distortion of community-centered origins.
But as temps soar this summer, you might just find me in the neighbor's pool.
BE A BEAST
Inside the wild mind of MrBeast
You know him for his stunts (reading every word of the dictionary…), giveaways (cars, houses, fat stacks of cash), ghost kitchens, and most recently, "Beast Games."
He’s the most-followed man on the planet – but you probably haven’t analyzed his brain like Shaan Puri. Here are MrBeast’s 10 rules to success, spliced from the My First Million exclusive.
Also included are Shaan’s raw interview prep notes, which are pretty cool to see and super helpful.
NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
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Global increase in the number of phone-free events between 2024 and 2025, per Eventbrite. Whether that means covering your camera with a sticker, “keeping it in your pants,” or handing it over at the door, unplugged socializing has gone mainstream, with demand ticking up everywhere from Texas to Singapore to the UK, where such events grew by a whole 1.2k%.
Great news for all those people nostalgic for a pre-phone era of partying, who can finally dance like a fool without the fear of being turned into a meme.
AROUND THE WEB
📅 On this day: In 1985, Live Aid raised millions for famine relief in Ethiopia. Two concerts were held at the same time in London and Philadelphia featuring some of music’s biggest stars.
⛴️ That’s cool: Track ferries around the world.
🔍 Game: Identify the AI-generated artwork.
🧠That’s interesting: An exploration of how deepfaking yourself could impact your memory.
🦎 Aww: A bunch of iguanas.
SHOWER THOUGHT
Every technological breakthrough arrives with a group of people thinking: "If only this existed when I was in my prime." SOURCE
Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah, Danny Jensen, and Singdhi Sokpo. Editing by: Sara "In the deep end" Friedman.
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