VIRAL NEWS: ECONOMIC FOUNDATIONS
A peek into the topics buzzing at Cassandra
It's Friday again, so it's time for our weekly recap of viral news. Culture moves fast, and we at Cassandra try to move even faster to keep up with all the topics creating conversations in the online world of Gen Z, tracking tomorrow's relevant people, events, brands, and news. As we know from Cassandra’s work on Gen Zs and their attitudes around finance, many are actively seeking education around money - how to save it, spend it wisely and invest it. And, this week, market fundamentals were the common thread through the top news stories in our feeds. Let’s take a look at bankruptcy, anti-trust legislation and trademark law through the lens of our top viral stories!
IS SKY HER?
Don’t mess with ScarJo. This week, she asked lawyers to draft letters to OpenAI inquiring how the voice of their AI assistant, Sky, was created. The actress had been approached by OpenAI months ago regarding using her voice for the assistant, but had declined. Many say the new AI assistant sounds like the voice of Samantha, the character Scarlett Johansson voiced in the 2013 movie Her. This (potential) case rests on right to publicity laws in the state of California and has certainly gotten a lot of viral buzz this week, combining the topics of individual property, content creation, celebrity and the role of AI.
ENDLESS SHRIMP?
Earlier this week, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy protection, after announcing the closing of over 50 locations. And people had reactions. Many of which were cheekily speculating if endless shrimp had been the cause for this demise. However, others took to TikTok for a much broader - and educational – discussion around corporate finance, debt, regulation and the role of private equity in business.
NEVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER
Yesterday, the US Department of Justice sued Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster, claiming it illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry. “It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster. The American people are ready for it”, said attorney general Merrick Garland. As we wrote in an earlier Cassandra Daily, this story has been a long time coming after the T-Swift ticket debacle of 2023, and continues to bring conversations around monopolies, supply and demand and the role of a free market into the viral news arena.
The Cassandra Daily will not be published on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day in the United States. We wish all our readers a safe and happy holiday weekend