Good morning, have you tried Red Lobster? if not, you might want to give it a try ASAP because you won’t get the chance again. Here’s what’s happening:

• No more Red Lobster for Canadians.

• Airbnb is offering huge discounts to host to install EV chargers.

• New Kia EV3 will come with ChatGPT voice assistance.

• OpenAI signs a major content deal.

• And more biz-tech stuff.

Let’s get into it.

RESTURANTS 

🦞 No more Red Lobster for Canadians

Last week Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in U.S. and now they are moving to have this bankruptcy recognized in Canada as well.

Analyst Robert Carter said that while Red Lobster has its own niche, it struggled to compete with “premium casual” restaurants like The Cactus Club and The Keg.

Next step: The Chapter 11 process will allow Red Lobster to evaluate the profitability of its Canadian locations, potentially leading to closures.

ELECTRIC CARS

🔌 Airbnb’s in-home EV charger play

Airbnb is capitalizing on the increasing demand for EV-charging stations by partnering with ChargePoint to offer huge discounts to install charging stations at Airbnb homes.

The details:

• Airbnb hosts can get up to 36% discount on ChargePoint EV-charging hardware, starting at $399. Plus, the promotion includes $100 off installation services.

• The first 1,000 hosts to purchase ChargePoint hardware will receive a $200 "early bird" discount.

The strategic play: Airbnb found that searches for places with EV chargers increased by 80% from 2022 to 2023 and these places were booked more nights than others.

Airbnb realizes the growth in the EV sector and is trying to position themselves to capitalize on the opportunity which will not only benefit the company but also the hosts. Plus, it ties into the company’s broader sustainability push.

AUTOMOBILE

🚗 New Kia EV3 will have ChatGPT voice assistance

Kia revealed the all-electric compact SUV- EV3 with a built-in voice assistant using OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The AI assistant will help with trip planning, vehicle control, and entertainment, including music and games.

Market launch: The EV3 will first hit the Korean market in July 2024, followed by Europe in the fourth quarter and then the US market.

AI

🤝 OpenAI signs a major content deal

OpenAI has signed a major content deal with News Corp. to license content from its publications, including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, for training AI models and enhancing ChatGPT responses. The deal could bring in over $250 million over 5 years.

Previously, OpenAI has locked in similar deals with Financial Times and Reddit.

Pushback: Traditional media publishers view AI companies like OpenAI and Google as threats since they provide direct answers to questions, potentially reducing traffic to news sites.

• 🎨 Canva launches a enterprise product, starting at $300 per seat, which is negotiable based on the volume.

• 🎛️ AI DJs, how does that sounds? Spotify is experimenting with an AI DJ feature.

• 💼 Tesla posted 17 new jobs for AI and Autopilot after weeks of lay off.

• 🛑 Putting an end to concert monopoly, U.S sued Live Nation to sell off Ticketmaster.

FEEDBACK

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