- This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
Welcome back to our Sunday edition, a roundup of some of our top stories. We're constantly hearing about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, but what's the real impact on your body? A food-policy expert tried an all-UPF diet for a month. He lasted five days.
On the agenda today:
- Forget Hinge and Tinder. This week, 11 hot new bombshells enter the dating-app villa.
- Internal AWS guidelines advise sales reps to bad-mouth competitors.
- Hundreds of private jets descended upon billionaire favorite Burning Man.
- Americans are taking a lot more sick days — and Gen Z is leading the charge.
But first: A whole lotta hype.
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This week's dispatch
Great expectations
Sometimes good isn't good enough.
That was the case for Nvidia this week when it reported its second-quarter earnings. (It's pronounced "en-VID-eeyah," by the way. Some of you seem to be a bit confused.)
The chipmaker beat second-quarter revenue and EPS estimates. The future looks promising too, with Nvidia's Q3 revenue guidance beating average estimates.
So what's the problem?
The guidance fell short of the loftiest expectations, disappointing greedy optimistic investors and sending the stock sliding.
That led some to wonder if Nvidia was projecting a pullback from customers facing tough questions about their AI investments paying off. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang looked to ease nerves by talking through how customers were getting payback on their AI spend.
Still, one person's trash is another's treasure, and Nvidia's dip was viewed as a buying opportunity for many on Wall Street.
But if Nvidia's earnings raised questions about the appetite for AI investment, we got an answer shortly thereafter.
Reports of Apple and Nvidia's interest in investing in OpenAI's newest funding round, which values the startup at more than $100 billion, shows how hot the space remains.
A hot new dating app enters the villa
If you're tired of swiping on Tinder and think you might be stuck in Hinge's "rose jail," look no further than these 11 new dating apps seeking to upend the industry.
Some are designed by dating coaches, others by influencers and young tech industry professionals. They're centered on mutual connections, meeting in person, and a general disdain for endless swiping.
The bombshells of digital-age dating.
Talking smack
Leaked internal AWS sales guidelines reveal how the cloud giant wants its reps to talk about AI — and its competitors.
The guidelines advise employees to address customer questions about rivals OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. Of the three, Sam Altman's company is the biggest perceived threat; Amazon really wants to dispel the hype around ChatGPT and raise doubts about OpenAI's security.
Also read:
- Google says 'we're flattered they're worried about us,' after Amazon sales guidelines diss rival's AI capabilities
- Leaked Amazon documents reveal 9 top factors customers consider before buying AI models and services
Billionaire playground
Forget the Hamptons — hundreds of private jets touched down this week on a makeshift tarmac in the Nevada desert. Officially named Black Rock City Municipal Airport, it's the entryway to billionaire playground Burning Man.
Built specifically for the festival and run almost entirely by volunteers, the temporary airfield is only around for about two weeks before it's taken down "without a trace."
Inside the blink-and-you'll-miss-it airport.
I can't, I'm sick. *cough*
More American workers are calling out sick than ever, and Gen Z is leading the charge.
While there's no single factor that can explain the change, experts pointed to a growing attitude shift among workers that prioritizes a good work-life balance and self-care. And thanks to the pandemic, more people see the value in staying home when they're actually sick.
This week's quote:
"An accountant? Why would you want to be an accountant?"
— Bryan, 23, recalling his mother's reaction to telling her he was going to major in accounting in college.
More of this week's top reads:
- The presidential election is a distraction that Silicon Valley just wants to be over.
- What Mark Zuckerberg really said — and didn't say — in that letter to Congress.
- How to nail that interview, according to a Snap and Meta product manager.
- Former billionaire John Foley says he lost all his money after losing the Peloton CEO job.
- OpenAI called ChatGPT as a witness in a major copyright lawsuit.
- Apple's big iPhone 16 event now has an official date. Here's what to expect.
- Investors should be watching this simple recession indicator.
- How Alex Cooper's $125 million podcast deal with SiriusXM actually works.
- New job alert: OpenAI is hiring someone to investigate its own employees.
- Eight innovative tech projects on Wall Street, from Blackstone to Goldman Sachs.
- JD Vance commented on that awkward doughnut-shop video.
Some boomers say social security isn't working anymore.
The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.