Wizz Biz

Good morning! McDonald’s launched Collector’s Meals (read: Happy Meals for adults) on Tuesday — and the collectable cups you get with them are already reselling for as much [as $100](. Today we’re exploring: - Remotely interested: Where Americans are still WFH. - Wizz biz: Wizz Air’s launching an “all you can fly” pass. - Take my money: Americans are still spending, they just aren’t happy about it. Have feedback for us? Just hit reply - we'd love to hear from you! TOGETHER WITH [Sponsor Logo](   Schmidt's tweak In July, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt told a roomful of Stanford students that his former company “decided that work-life balance, going home early and working from home was more important than winning” the AI battle, even though major competitors like OpenAI implement very similar [WFH policies](. However, after a since-deleted YouTube video of the speech was picked up by the media this week, Schmidt walked back his comments, telling [the WSJ](: “I misspoke about Google and their work hours, I regret my error”. Whether you agree with his initial stance when it comes to logging in remotely, there’s no denying that the pandemic trend is still at work across the states… just not entirely evenly. The last time the US Census Bureau asked (in a survey earlier [this summer](), 27% of respondents said that there was someone in their household teleworking or working from home in the last 7 days. Although that’s down from the pandemic peak [in 2021](, when 37% of Americans said the same, there are still pockets around the country where figures have held up. [Explore the interactive version of this map here]( In Washington DC (too small to map), a whopping 54% of respondents reported someone in the household logging in from home, while 40% of those in Vermont, and 37% of Marylanders and Coloradans said the same. Meanwhile, some states seem comparatively unswayed by the phenomenon, with just 14% and 12% of Louisiana and Mississippi respondents, respectively, reporting a homeworker in the household. Interestingly, Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol will join California's remote-working legion in September, with the coffee giant establishing a “small remote office” for Niccol, agreeing to fly him out to the company’s Seattle HQ [when needed](. We don't know for sure who America's highest paid remote worker is, but Niccol's potential $100M+ pay packet and bespoke CA workspace surely put him up there. [Read this on the web instead](   Up in the air In recent years, one of the ways that convenience has been redefined for consumers, often unprompted, is the ubiquity of subscriptions. Indeed, while streaming services and digital publications have long touted membership models, today, everything from [pet food](, to [mattresses](, to (briefly) [heated car seats](, to even a bimonthly box of [doomsday supplies]( are peddled through an increasingly present “subscribe” button at checkout. Now, airlines are continuing to explore the idea. Wizz Air, the Hungarian low-cost carrier, is the latest to offer an [“all you can fly” deal](, with an annual charge of €499 ($549) for a limited time — following a similar deal from US-based Frontier Airlines announced last year, which was met with [criticism](. Perhaps for Wizz Air, though, this kind of offering will put some wind beneath its wings, as the company grapples with some disappointing results. Despite total revenue crossing more than $5 billion in FY24 — with passenger ticket revenues recovering from a post-pandemic downturn — its most recent quarter saw a 44% decline in operating profit and the stock is down more than 40% so far in 2024. Wizz Air makes nearly 45% of its revenue from what it calls “ancillary revenue”, which is a fairly long list of add-ons that people don’t usually enjoy paying for, including baggage charges, check-in fees, convenience services (e.g. priority boarding, reserved seats), booking charges, and more. Interestingly, demand seems to be there for the deal... but it seems that people are already having issues trying to secure Wizz Air's new service, per the [BBC](. [Read this on the web instead](   [Sponsored by RAD AI]( Last day to get in: The AI investment for clued-in tech execs With new AI technologies emerging daily, it's crucial to understand which ones stand out. Why are top execs from Google, Amazon, and Meta [choosing RAD AI?]( 📝 Booked: RAD AI’s booked revenue growth is equally impressive at ~3X over the last 12 months. 🤝 Backed: Proven AI tech that works, backed by 7000+ investors and the Adobe Fund for Design. 💪 Bolstered: Recurring revenue from major clients like Hasbro, Skechers and Sweetgreen. So far, [RAD AI has raised $28M+ from investors]( and the AI tool is delivering 3.5X ROI across campaigns and marketing channels. [Today, August 16 is your last chance to invest at this round's valuation — get in now!*]( [Today, August 16 is your last chance to invest at this round's valuation — get in now!*](   Are consumers in great shape or pulling back? That depends which CEO you ask. America’s corporate leaders have spent this earnings season talking about “the consumer,” the theoretical customer whose behavior they try to predict and model in order to sell their products or services — and a number of distinctions are starting to emerge, per [Edward Moreno](. For one, although consumers are still spending, they aren’t as happy about it. Part of the reason is that arguably no place shapes consumers' view of the economy more than the grocery store, and compared with four years ago, grocery prices are up about 20% and restaurant prices are up 27%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Read more about the state of the consumer on Sherwood](   More Data - Flag football, baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse, and squash will be coming to the LA Olympics in 4 years… although the 2028 Games will be breaking up [with breakdancing](. - Streets of gold: A record 8.5% of US homes are now valued at $1 million or more, according to a new [Redfin report](. - In 2022, the average age gap between American husbands and wives was just 2.2 years — the narrowest it’s been in over [14 decades](. - Fortnite maker Epic Games just launched its own app store on iPhones exclusively [in Europe]( to get around Apple’s 30% fees. One less guess: RAD AI’s technology helps brands remove the doubt from branded content strategy and creation. It’s already delivering results for brands like Hasbro and Sweetgreen, and its 7000+ investors include execs from the likes of Google, Snap, Amazon, and Meta. Today, [August 16 is your last chance to invest* at this round's valuation](.* Ad   Hi-Viz - Bookle up and take a literary road trip across [the US](. Off the charts: We explored the legacy of the late Susan Wojcicki [on Monday](, but which company — once worth almost $6 billion — is her younger sister Anne the CEO and co-founder of? [Answer below]. [Answer here.](   Thanks for stopping by! Have some [feedback](mailto:daily@chartr.co?subject=Feedback&body=Hi, I like the newsletters, but I had a thought for you...) or want to [sponsor this newsletter](mailto:advertising@sherwoodmedia.com?subject=I’m interested in advertising with Sherwood Media)?   Not a subscriber? Sign up for free below. [Subscribe](   Advertiser’s disclosures: * The minimum investment for this round is $2000. INVESTMENTS IN PRIVATE PLACEMENTS ARE SPECULATIVE, POSSESS A HIGH LEVEL OF RISK, ARE HIGHLY ILLIQUID, AND THOSE INVESTORS WHO CANNOT HOLD AN INVESTMENT FOR AN INDEFINITE TERM SHOULD NOT INVEST. 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