Is Magic Leap the Solyndra of 2017?

This week’s episode arc: the future is a nuclear hellscape full of zombies to the future filled with sustainable food, vibrant public transit systems, voice ux assistants for non sighted developers, and a technologically innovative rebuilt Puerto Rico. Sometimes you need the dark to see the light.

Game over? Target partners with Google for voice enabled online shopping, joining Walmart to give Google two huge retailers. Amazon, what happened? You had a two year head start.
Brian reminds Phillip: Amazon doesn’t need to partner with Walmart or Target.
Amazon’s Alexa is trying to be branded the same way, but at some point, is it a blender, too? Its definitely a fridge.
Amazon’s been blowing their lead to Google

Google Missteps

Google be creepin
Google Fi accidentally throttled half a million subscribers. Does that mean they’re going to renege their promise not to throttle users ever?

Amazon Acquires Body Labs

Amazon Acquires Future Commerce podcast alum Body Labs for $70MM
Brian called it, and he’s excited; confirms that Jeff Bezos listens to Future Commerce.
Body Labs is a body modeling software that takes a 2D picture of your body and turns it into a 3D representation.
Ramifications for: private label brands, custom clothing, new sizes, sporting goods, and even video game avatars.

Uber eVTOL

Phillip got an Uber survey; subject: rockets. Specifically, eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing).
100 questions almost entirely on eVTOL, e.g. does it need a pilot for you to feel safe, or can it be autonomous?
Show title idea: “I’m running a little late, my eVTOL crashed.”
Phillip peers into the future and sees only two options: eVTOLs, or scrap metal fortified shelters protecting the huddling remnants of humanity from zombies and nuclear apocalypse.

Facebook

Facebook Announces it’s own food delivery service
Definitely not on brand: “Of all the things they could go invest in, this is not the thing I’d expect”

Oculus Go: VR for the common folk

Exciting development, Facebook announces Oculus Go.
Affordable entry point, stand alone, embedded audio, “near high VR experience.”
Phillip says, “it doesn’t sound good to me, that’s like saying ‘it’s not diarrhea, it’s near diarrhea.’”
A clear upgrade in the affordable VR realm: this is not pseudo-experience that feels like a phone hack.
Not only visual VR, but spatial audio as well.
Hugo Barra, Zuckerberg, if you’re listening, send the guys over for a demo.
VR still kitsch: it’s not clear how it makes life better for consumers.

Magic Leap gets some serious Series D funding

1 billion dollars of Series D funding. That’s a lot of money, especially for an unknown product.
Prediction: Magic Leap is the Solyndra of 2017
Exceptional at fundraising, but nothing else?
Or maybe the CEO of Magic Leap is just Killgrave from Jessica Jones.

Technology for good in the public sphere

Brent Toderian, tweets Enrique Penalosa, Mayor of Bogota’s, inspiring quote: “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich ride public transportation.”
Real disruption comes when convenience outweighs other factors: need innovation in public transit.
“The whole world depends on disrupting food delivery and public transit systems.”
Shoutout to Jason L Baptiste and his new company, Studio Live.
Google’s Project Loon connects Puerto Rico to wifi using hot air balloons.
Mark Zuckerberg uses Puerto Rico to shill for his new Facebook feature.

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