ChatGPT was 2023’s fastest-growing brand
By Juliet Bennett Rylah
/ December 7, 2023
Surprising no one, ChatGPT was Morning Consult’s fastest-growing brand of 2023.
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When you think of a courtroom, you probably think of judges in black robes. Tech honchos? Not so much. But the courtroom is where more and more of Silicon Valley’s most important battles are playing out. Today:
- Tech’s future could change thanks to 3 legal fights
- Financial startups see opportunity in religious rights
- A watchdog shoves sketchy data-sharing into the light
Plus: Meet the unexpected heroes of the growing right-to-repair movement.
Tech giants are fighting big legal battles. Here’s why they matter
This week, several of the tech industry’s biggest heavyweights are duking it out in high-profile legal fights.
The outcomes of these matchups could have far-reaching consequences not just for tech giants — but also for you, the people who use their sh*t.
So, what’s actually going on in these burgeoning brawls? Let’s have a look:
Matchup #1: Google v. Oracle
What’s happening: Oracle accused Google of copying its code, but Google defended itself by saying that the code was publicly available. After both companies won victories in lower courts, the case is headed to the Supreme Court. And in a twist fit for the federal stage, both IBM and Microsoft filed briefs to the court in support of Google.
The stakes: The conflict is not just about a snippet of code — it’s about 2 different visions for the future of the internet. Team Google wants public code to be open source and available to everyone. Team Oracle wants public interfaces to be protected by copyright.
Matchup #2: Apple v. the Justice Department
What’s happening: US Attorney General Bill Barr publicly demanded that Apple unlock 2 iPhones that belonged to the Saudi Air Force cadet who killed 3 people at a Florida naval station last month. Apple has insisted that — while it’s happy to continue cooperating with the investigation — it will not build “backdoors” for law enforcement.
The stakes: The outcome of the case could shape the relationship between tech companies and law enforcement. Law enforcement officials make tens of thousands of requests for digital evidence from major tech companies each year… yet still want broader latitude to gather evidence. Tech companies argue that customer privacy trumps law enforcement accessibility.
Matchup #3: Sonos v. Google
What’s happening: The speaker company Sonos is accusing Google of stealing Sonos’ wireless speaker tech and abusing its massive market power to stifle competition.
The stakes: The case is a referendum on the platform power that enables tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon to control both markets and the products within them. Other smaller companies have also criticized these companies for stifling competition, and since federal antitrust regulators are currently investigating anti-competitive practices in tech, the outcome of this case could determine whether regulators will crack down or not.
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Islamic fintechs are rolling out banking apps that adhere to Sharia law
To cater to Muslim investors, several Islam-friendly fintech startups have launched digital banking products that comply with Sharia law.
These apps play by stricter rules than their agnostic peers.
But there’s also a huge upside for these apps — the massive market of 1.8B Muslims (20% of the world’s population, if you’re counting).
Most banks aren’t halal (AKA “religiously acceptable”)
According to Sharia law, practicing Muslims must follow specific guidelines when banking:
- They must not pay or collect interest
- They must not participate in unequal transactions
- They must not make unethical investments
Since most Western banks allow all of those things, it can be tricky for Muslims to invest with traditional banks.
So Islamic fintechs are offering new options
Startups Niyah (United Kingdom) and Insha (Germany) guarantee that their customers’ cash won’t be invested in dirty industries like alcohol, porn, betting, tobacco, or pork.
And a UK startup called Qardus also offers peer-to-peer lending that’s religiously permissible.
These startups still face an uphill battle
Sharia is complicated and expensive, and 50% of UK Muslims don’t even use Sharia-friendly banks.
But if these morality-motivated fintech startups succeed, they could signal a future where a wider variety of “ethical” banks — like Triodos, Bunq, or Shorehouse — cater to users with varying beliefs.
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What if you’d invested in Netflix at $1.85 per share?
You’d be up 18,196.00%.
Or what if you’d bought Amazon back when it was $15.31 per share? You’d be up 12,258%, my friend. Yowza.
But hey, we can’t waste our time on “what if” — we just gotta’ get in front of the next big thing.
That’s where The Motley Fool can help
See, they actually issued “buy alerts” to their readers in the days of yore when Amazon was at $15.31 and Netflix was at $1.85. So when they tell us they’ve got their eye on a few up-and-coming stocks, we listen.
Here are their top 5 growth stock picks under $49 — just enter your email, invest, and watch ‘em grow.
What’ve you got to lose?
| Top 5 stock picks → |
They’re watching when you’re swiping: Your apps are sharing tons of your data
By now, it’s not exactly a secret. Some mobile apps have a habit of oversharing — that is, gathering up their users’ personal information and giving it to advertisers and marketers.
But a new report released on Tuesday looks closely at how that information is shared — and exactly what it’s used for.
The report, from the Norwegian Consumer Council, pointed a finger at some of the world’s most popular Android apps, including dating services like Grindr, Tinder, and OkCupid.
Here’s the bad news: The report called their data-sharing practices “out of control.” And there’s not much you can do about it.
Tech companies should be on the lookout. The report suggested that stricter enforcement is an effective way to bring more order to the Wild West of data sharing.
To that end: The council said it had filed complaints asking regulators to investigate Grindr and others for possible violations of the European privacy law known as GDPR.
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Our Media Strategist wears all black and only listens to this. Fine, Meg. We get it. You’re “cool.”
The Hustle’s favorite standing desk is the Jarvis by Fully… and it just got a major upgrade to ring in 2020. Click here to get 10% off the Jarvis — and everything else from Fully — through Jan. 27th.*
This free browser extension has saved online shoppers over $2 billion. Download it here to see — and save — for yourself.*
If you run an online store, your standard CRM is holding you back. To really get to know your customers, you need an ecommerce-specific CRM like Drip. Here, have a free trial.*
*This is a sponsored post.
Farmers have become the unexpected heroes of the right-to-repair movement
John Deere’s new trucks may feature fancy new computers — but can you fix them yourself?
Usually, the answer’s no… and for self-reliant farmers, that’s a problem. As Minnesota’s Star Tribune first reported, farmers are buying 40-year-old tractors so they can make their own repairs.
It’s the vintage advantage
When a John Deere tractor from the 1970s or ’80s breaks down, it takes a little bit of know-how and elbow grease to get it up and running again.
But when a newer John Deere tractor breaks down, it takes a mechanic’s visit from an authorized dealer to check the computers and fix the problem — and these visits can cost as much as $150/hour.
And it’s not just tractors, either…
Owners of cars, cellphones, computers, and other electronics are also often forced to visit authorized dealers for simple repairs, which has inspired consumer advocates to lobby for right-to-repair laws.
The movement really picked up steam last year, when right-to-repair legislation was introduced in 20 states and the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop called “Nixing the Fix” that addressed both manufacturers’ and consumers’ rights.
But several large companies — we’re looking at you, Apple — continue to face criticism for making it difficult for consumers to repair their products.
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⏰ Countdown to your midlife crisis. A new paper from a Dartmouth College professor tries to pinpoint exactly when you’ll hit your lowest moment in life.
🌎 Can BlackRock go green? The world’s largest asset manager says it wants to prioritize environmental sustainability. It could be a bellwether, but climate activists are skeptical.
✂️ That’s the wrong kind of cord-cutting. Yemen suffered a crippling blackout when an undersea internet cable was severed last week.
👀 Big Brother goes to college. Students are the newest enemies of facial-recognition tech.
📖 Did you do the reading? These are the New York Public Library’s most frequently checked-out books. Yes, a Harry Potter tale cracked the top 10.
🎧 Ex-construction engineer shares how he dominated Kickstarter’s highest grossing campaigns — over $30M!
On this episode of My First Million, Shaan sits down with Peter Dering, Founder & CEO of Peak Design: beautiful, high-functioning, travel friendly photography equipment.
Dering quit his day job to travel the world taking photos, but he found being a travelling photographer a little heavy. To lighten his load, he created a travel-friendly solution: bags, tripods and straps that were meant to be used on-the-go. He took it to Kickstarter and the rest is history.
Peak Design continues to innovate in the photography space to the tune of $70m in revenue. Picture that.
Listen to the episode now: Apple / Spotify / Google Play
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