084. Unemployed? Call me.
PLUS: Buying unapproved drugs in Montana, hypoallergenic dogs, and New York sued Kalshi.
Hello World,
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been co-hosting 877unmplyd with the phenomenal Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and former CEO of UTA. It’s been an incredibly fulfilling project, albeit outside my usual work in tech and venture. Flexing my producing skills on camera in an industry I’m not used to has been energizing, to say the least. Learning from Jeremy has been awesome, and working alongside a team (Adam Faze, Amanda Schultz, Jack Fiddler, Annie Phung, Alan He, Henry Wolf, and Ret Vajupeyayajula, to name a few) that’s as passionate as I am about making this show as good as possible is such a good feeling.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 was 9.2% as of June 2026, about double the overall national rate. Being unemployed is brutal, and it feels like hitting a brick wall when you do everything you were told to do to get a job, only to hear crickets after submitting resume after resume. 877unmplyd is a live call-in show for people navigating unemployment and a difficult job market, especially young people. If you, or someone you know, are knee deep in the job hunt, give us a call at +1-877-866-7593.
Follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, and watch us stream every Tuesday on Twitch. We’re also growing the team. If you have experience producing in a newsroom or another fast-paced environment, I’d love to chat. Reply to this email!
Tech News
Social Media
Hank Green got clocked for using ChatGPT in a video. His fans called him out for sounding like he was reading off a script made by AI. He said he was ad libbing but but admitted he uses ChatGPT for research and the dopamine he gets from LLMs as not healthy for him or good for the world. (YouTube)
Have you heard people use the term “quietly” more lately? I feel like I have…. very ChatGPT.
Snapchat will stop recommending wholly AI-generated videos in Spotlight, including ones that say they are AI. Clips shot by people and edited with Snap’s AI tools will still be eligible though. (TechCrunch)
The biggest Reel of the week is @cio0061 lip syncing from a truck cab at 336.7 million views and 6.9 million likes. (New Engen)
Money Moves
Polymarket is (supposedly) talks to raise about $1 billion at a valuation above $20 billion, up from the $15 billion round it closed in April. Its annualized revenue has passed $1.2 billion since the US exchange opened in May, and the Financial Times reported that Kalshi is seeking $40 billion. oh my GOOOOD please do not get into gambling. Please. PLEASE. (Bloomberg)
Related: New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Kalshi in Manhattan state court, calling it an illegal, unlicensed gambling operation open to users as young as 18….. the CFTC filed for a restraining order against New York’s enforcement just before the suit was announced though :( 44 state attorneys general said it has no authority over sports event contracts. (CNBC)
Montana finalized rules for its expanded right-to-try law, letting biotech companies pay $12,500 for review by a private board and then SELL UNAPPROVED DRUGS at ANY PRICE they set, through clinics opening by year end. The drugs need only clear preliminary testing, sometimes in as few as 10 healthy people, and buyers don’t have to be terminally ill, or ill. WHAT? (MIT Technology Review)
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The startup Kindred Companion Sciences is trying to make hypoallergenic dogs by using CRISPR to switch off the gene for Can f 1, the protein in dog saliva and hair that causes most dog allergies. (NBC News)
<3 This is different than owning a doodle somehow idk science <3
Spotify launched User Notes, captions you can attach to any track in a playlist you made. The notes are visible to anyone who can see the playlist, with your name linking back to your profile. (TechCrunch)
I learned that the Pringles factory runs a digital twin of its dough, with sensors feeding temperature, humidity, and protein levels into a Siemens model that recalculates the recipe in real time. Operators used to judge the dough by hand and eye, and Siemens says line performance is up 10% and waste is down 13% with no new hardware. Very cool. (Siemens)