<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/27673734.cms" style="" /><br />
Only a few days ago, we brought you this year’s most popular <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Whats-The-Buzzword-Of-The-Year-Find-Out-Here/articleshow/27210409.cms">buzzwords</a> on <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>. But you must have been wondering till now what the <keyword id="1983041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Most-popular-search-terms">most popular search terms</keyword> are on Google this year and finally, here is the list. Just like Facebook, Google has a global search list, as well as country-specific ones and we have decided to delve deep into the Indian psyche.<br />
 <br /> Google announces the <keyword id="1983046" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Internet-Zeitgeist">Internet Zeitgeist</keyword> (German for ‘the spirit of the times’) after scanning more than a trillion search queries it receives every year. Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year’s major events and hottest trends, based on <keyword id="898386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-searches">Google searches</keyword> conducted in India and across the globe.<br />
 <br /> Going by the top charts published by <keyword id="1983045" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-Zeitgeist-2013">Google Zeitgeist 2013</keyword>, <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>, <keyword id="11111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="celebs">celebs</keyword> and <keyword id="1521" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cricket">cricket</keyword> top the search lists here in India – whether you like it or no. And speaking about Bollywood, <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> still rules all hearts and search queries. <em>Chennai Express</em>, a romantic action-comedy starring <keyword id="1379" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="king-khan">King Khan</keyword> and the sultry <keyword id="598" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Deepika-Padukone">Deepika Padukone</keyword>, tops the Zeitgeist ‘<keyword id="1983047" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Top-trending">top trending</keyword>’ list (<keyword id="1983050" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Search-topics">search topics</keyword> with the <keyword id="1983055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Biggest-increase-in-search-volume">biggest increase in search volume</keyword> since the previous period) this year. But then, the movie went on to become the highest grossing Bollywood film worldwide, surpassing <em><keyword id="6373971" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="3-idiots">3 Idiots</keyword></em>, and we are not really surprised. Other <keyword id="406" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Movies">movies</keyword> among the top trending are blockbusters such as <em><keyword id="780293" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aashiqui-2">Aashiqui 2</keyword></em>, <em><keyword id="500441" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Krrish-3">Krrish 3</keyword></em> and <em><keyword id="1886157" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ram-Leela">Ram-Leela</keyword></em>. Unfortunately, there’s no place for <em><keyword id="24705" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dhoom-3">Dhoom 3</keyword></em> (or Aamir, for that matter) among them.<br />
 <br /> But what about the most-searched-for <keyword id="1983035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bollywood-actor-and-actress">Bollywood actor and actress</keyword>? Hold your breath – you have <keyword id="6354701" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman">Salman</keyword> and Katrina there. SRK is second in that list and so is Deepika. But once again, the ‘people’ list may leave you gasping. Here, <keyword id="1983057" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adult-movie-star">adult movie star</keyword> <keyword id="836886" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunny-Leone">Sunny Leone</keyword> has pushed Sallu to the second spot. That’s some fire power – we must agree.<br />
 <br /> Yet what has surprised most is the resurgence of the <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> in the ‘top trending’ list. Despite the hue and cry over alleged corruption practices, the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> has broken records in terms of online searches for latest scores and results.<br />
 <br /> And that brings us back to the Little Master, often compared with the legendary <keyword id="73093" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Don-Bradman">Don Bradman</keyword>. Sachin has recently bid adieu to Test cricket (he stopped playing ODIs and T20 earlier) and tops the <keyword id="805759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="most-searched">most searched</keyword> list for sportspersons, followed by <keyword id="6386353" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Milkha-Singh">Milkha Singh</keyword> (because of the movie <em>Bhaag Milkha Bhaag</em>, it seems) and <keyword id="6354832" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MS-Dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword>. <keyword id="30621" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Badminton">Badminton</keyword> ace <keyword id="30618" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saina-Nehwal">Saina Nehwal</keyword> and cricket great <keyword id="2727" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rahul-Dravid">Rahul Dravid</keyword>’s retirement are also among the most searched news events and that gladdens our heart.<br />
 <br /> If you are still wondering where <keyword id="1729991" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Madiba">Madiba</keyword> (<keyword id="45802" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nelson-Mandela">Nelson Mandela</keyword>) is in these lists, we have to disappoint you. He topped Google’s global list but didn’t find an audience in India, it seems. Instead, recently deceased American <keyword id="271" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="actor">actor</keyword> <keyword id="1983032" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paul-William-Walker-IV">Paul William Walker IV</keyword> has found the eighth position in ‘top trending’ – one place down from the popular TV reality show <em><keyword id="26022" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="bigg-boss">Bigg Boss</keyword> 7</em>.<br />
 <br /> But it has not been fun and frolic all the way. ‘Change’ and ‘tragedy’ have impacted our searches and the <keyword id="859697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="top-news">top news</keyword> moments have captured our attention. Do you want proof? The <keyword id="86474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Unique-Identification-Authority-of-India">Unique Identification Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="6355252" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UIDAI">UIDAI</keyword>), the organisation behind the <keyword id="155319" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aadhar">Aadhar</keyword> concept, <keyword id="1983062" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="GATE-2014">GATE 2014</keyword> (it shows <keyword id="6375224" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="higher-education">higher education</keyword> is still top priority in the country) and the tragic death of actor <keyword id="1983034" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zia-Khan">Zia Khan</keyword> are among the <keyword id="1983063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Top-trending-topics">top trending topics</keyword>.<br />
 <br /> The announcement of <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> as <keyword id="1866999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="BJPs-prime-ministerial-candidate">BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate</keyword> and the proposed sale of <keyword id="6354356" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BlackBerry">BlackBerry</keyword>, once the <keyword id="139821" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="market-leader">market leader</keyword> in mobile devices, are among the top-searched news in India this year, in addition to Karnataka poll results, <keyword id="14678" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vijay-Mallya">Vijay Mallya</keyword> &amp; <keyword id="6360137" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="kingfisher">Kingfisher</keyword> debacle, Arushi Talwar case and the state of Indian economy.<br />
 <br /> Interestingly, <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> has emerged as a significant search topic in the year 2013, with <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and Olx.com topping the chart for most searched shopping sites. Gaming has also emerged as a popular category for the first time, as a critical mass of people searched for games online. Local <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>, too, has been popularly searched on mobile this year. The top three searches on mobile are <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="restaurants">restaurants</keyword>, <keyword id="6355410" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="bars">bars</keyword> and movies, followed by <keyword id="6354798" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="coffee">coffee</keyword>, <keyword id="899787" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="cricket-score">cricket score</keyword> and <keyword id="41941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="fast-food">fast food</keyword>. As for smartphones, <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> Galaxy S4 is leading the gang, followed by <keyword id="1554555" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nokia-Lumia-520">Nokia Lumia 520</keyword> and <keyword id="1983069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Micromax-Canvas-2">Micromax Canvas 2</keyword>.<br />
 <br />
So what has changed in search? A lot, going by the 2013 trends. The results this year present a huge difference compared to last year’s Zeitgeist, which mostly reflected utilitarian searches based on personal requirements like booking tickets, shopping and other information purposes.<br />
 <br /> “From a search trends perspective, 2013 was clearly the year of entertainment. <keyword id="4546" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh">Shah Rukh</keyword>’s Lungi Dance from <em>Chennai Express</em>, the Bollywood romantic drama <em>Aashiqui 2</em>, national heart-throbs <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword> and <keyword id="6354850" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Katrina-Kaif">Katrina Kaif</keyword>, Telugu actor <keyword id="18727" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kajal">Kajal</keyword> and her counterpart, the young rebel star Prabhas and <keyword id="250" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Singer">singer</keyword> <keyword id="380702" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Honey-Singh">Honey Singh</keyword> ruled the year, and drove millions of Indians to the web. <keyword id="6357762" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Online-shopping">Online shopping</keyword>, <keyword id="6354778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Banking">banking</keyword> and e-commerce also continued their upward trend – a clear testimony to Indians embracing <keyword id="6626738" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-transactions">online transactions</keyword>,” said <keyword id="249393" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajan-Anandan">Rajan Anandan</keyword>, vice-president and managing director (sales and operations), <keyword id="45395" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-India">Google India</keyword>.<br />
 <br />
<strong>Top trending topics in India</strong><br />
<strong>1. Chennai Express</strong><br />
<strong>2. IPL 2013</strong><br />
<strong>3. Aashiqui 2</strong><br />
<strong>4. UIDAI</strong><br />
<strong>5. GATE 2014</strong><br />
<strong>6. Krrish 3</strong><br />
<strong>7. Bigg Boss 7</strong><br />
<strong>8. <keyword id="106867" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paul-Walker">Paul Walker</keyword></strong><br />
<strong>9. <keyword id="19566" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jiah-Khan">Jiah Khan</keyword></strong><br />
<strong>10. Ram Leela</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>With input from Agencies</strong>

For India, It’s Entertainment
First In 2013, Says Google

<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"Iron Man 3" may have made the most money at the box office this year, but he didn't star in the most-searched movie. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">Google released its <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?vm=trendingchart&amp;cid=zg2614&amp;date=2013&amp;geo=US&amp;cat#vm=cat&amp;cid&amp;r=r">annual Zeitgeist list of most-searched for terms</a>. Lists released range from most-searched athletes and events to movies and car companies.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">The movies most searched for in the US included a lot of scares.</p>
<p class="p1"><span>Here are the films people wanted to know about most.</span><span> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><strong>10. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mama-terminates-arnolds-last-stand-2013-1" target="_blank">Mama</a>"</strong><br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5241a82f6bb3f73674ab831c-1200-753/11-218.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="mama movie poster" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Universal Studios/Wall St. Cheat Sheet</span></p></div><p></p></div><strong>9. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/pacific-rim" target="_blank">Pacific Rim</a>" </strong><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52b060676bb3f7703f9b44cb-1200-600/gipsy-danger-pacific-rim.jpg" border="0" alt="gipsy danger pacific rim" width="800" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.pacificrimmovie.com/">Warner Bros. </a></span></p></div><p></p></div></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong>8. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/the-purge" target="_blank">The Purge</a>"</strong><br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52b0609e6bb3f7813f9b44d1-1200-600/the-purge-scary-masks-horror-2.jpg" border="0" alt="the purge scary masks horror" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p></div><p></p></div><strong>7. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/despicable-me-2" target="_blank">Despicable Me 2</a>"</strong><br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b0617469bedddc5f9b44c8-1200-600/despicable-me-2-minions-3.jpg" border="0" alt="despicable me 2 minions" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p></div><p></p></div><strong>6. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/the-great-gatsby" target="_blank">The Great Gatsby</a>" <div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b061bfeab8eac95d9b44c7-1046-523/the-great-gatsby-15.jpg" border="0" alt="the great gatsby" width="800" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thegreatgatsby/">The Great Gatsby trailer</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span><span><strong>5. "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/" target="_blank">The Conjuring</a>"</strong></span></span><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b061fa69bedd955f9b44cd-1200-600/the-conjuring-warner-bros-8.jpg" border="0" alt="the conjuring warner bros." width="800" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://theconjuring.warnerbros.com/index.html">Warner Bros.</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong>4. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/jobs-movie" target="_blank">Jobs</a>"<br /></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b062396da811251865fadb-1200-600/jobs-ashton-kutcher-5.jpg" border="0" alt="jobs ashton kutcher" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Glen Wilson / Open Road Films</span></p></div><p></p></div><strong>3. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/world-war-z" target="_blank">World War Z</a>"</strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b062e569beddfa649b44c9-1200-600/brad-pitt-about-to-get-in-car-vehicle-world-war-z.jpg" border="0" alt="brad pitt about to get in car vehicle world war z" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Jaap Buitendijk / Paramount Pictures</span></p></div><p></p></div></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><strong>2. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/iron-man-3" target="_blank">Iron Man 3</a>"<br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52b063486bb3f7b44a9b44c7-1200-600/tony-stark-iron-man-3-6.jpg" border="0" alt="tony stark iron man 3" width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Disney / Marvel </span></p></div><p></p></div><br />1. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/man-of-steel" target="_blank">Man of Steel</a>"<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b0638fecad0453669b44c3-1200-600/man-of-steel-superman-henry-cavill-2.png" border="0" alt="man of steel superman henry cavill" width="800" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=ivlJE4Al668">YouTube screencap</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></strong></p>

Google's 10 Most Searched For Movies Of 2013

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52b06c55ecad04bd759b44d3-530-398/pizza-hut-product-placement-in-waynes-world.jpg" border="0" alt="pizza hut product placement in Wayne's World" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/237595/the-stories-behind-10-famous-product-placements">Film Still</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Pizza Hut tops Google's list of most searched-for food companies of 2013, followed by Domino's and Starbucks.</p>
<p>The ranking is part of Google's <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?vm=trendingchart&amp;cid=zg2614&amp;date=2013&amp;geo=US&amp;cat#vm=cat&amp;cid&amp;r=r">annual Zeitgeist list for top search terms</a>. Here's the full list:</p>
<p><strong>1. Pizza Hut: </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Searches peaked in June, when Pizza Hut rolled out its Firebaked Style Flatbread Pizzas and again around Thanksgiving, when a </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pizza-hut-manager-fired-thanksgiving-2013-11">Texas Pizza Hut manager was fired</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> for refusing to open on Black Friday.</span></p>
<p><strong>2. Domino's: </strong>Searches were up in June when Domino's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-domicopter-youtube-video-2013-6">was testing a pizza delivery drone</a>.</p>
<p><strong>3. Starbucks: </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Searches surged in September when Starbucks said guns would </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/no-guns-at-starbucks-2013-9">no longer be welcome in its cafes</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p><strong>4. McDonald's: </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">People were Googling McDonald's at higher rates in July, when fast food workers across the country </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-workers-strike-for-better-pay-2013-7">went on strike for better pay</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
<p><strong>5. Jimmy John's: </strong>Searches for this sandwich shop were up this month when a coroner's office in a Chicago suburb <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/kane-county-morgue-freeze_n_4379595.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago">reported that one of its morgue freezers failed</a>. The freezer was purchased from a Jimmy John's. </p>
<p><strong>6. Subway: </strong>Searches for Subway peaked around the time that fast food workers went on strike in July. </p>
<p><strong>7. Olive Garden:</strong> Searches peaked in February around the time that Olive Garden president David George announced a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/updated-menu-coming-at-olive-garden-2013-2">restructuring of the chain amid falling same-store sales</a>. Google searches went up again in December <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/olive-garden-releases-burgers-and-fries-2013-12">when the chain started selling hamburgers.</a></p>
<p><strong>8. Buffalo Wild Wings: </strong>Searches when up in late August and early September after the company announced <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130828-907113.html">it would be expanding to the Philippines</a>. Also around that time, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-mighty-wings-review-2013-9">McDonald's came out with its Might Wings to compete with Buffalo Wild Wings</a>. </p>
<p><strong>9. Applebee's: </strong>Searches for Applebee's peaked in mid-November when the restaurant chain offered free meals to veterans on Veterans' Day, which was Nov. 11 this year.</p>
<p><strong>10. Chipotle:</strong> Chipotle was a hot search term in late October when the burrito chain announced it would be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-tofu-coming-to-the-east-coast-2013-10">bringing its vegan tofu to the East Coast</a>. </p>

Pizza Hut Tops Google's Most Searched-For Restaurants Of 2013

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b0c8ceeab8ea133a49d772-1200-924/2014-chevrolet-corvette-yellow-1.jpg?maxX=480&amp;maxY=360" border="0" alt="2014 Chevrolet Corvette yellow" width="480" height="360" /><p class="source"><span>General Motors</span></p></div><p></p></div>Google has released its <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?vm=trendingchart&amp;cid=zg2614&amp;date=2013&amp;geo=US&amp;cat#vm=cat&amp;cid&amp;geo=US&amp;date=2013&amp;cat=lifestyle&amp;r=r" target="_blank">2013 Zeitgeist</a>, its annual breakdown of what people searched for online this year.</p>
<p>That included data for searches in the U.S. for new car models in two forms: most searched, and trending.</p>
<p>The first measures sheer volume of searches. Trending measures the increase in search volume from the previous period (2012).</p>
<p>Both categories provide insight into the cars Americans most want to know about - in other words, the most interesting cars on the road.</p>
<p>There are few surprises here. Most of the models here have big fan bases (like the Camaro and Corvette) or are perennial best-sellers (like the F-150, Civic, and Accord).</p>
<p>These were the new cars people searched for most in 2013:</p>
<p>&lt;<iframe width="500" height="413" src="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts/widget?cid=zg2616&amp;geo=US&amp;date=2013&amp;vm=chart&amp;h=413"></iframe></p>
<p>And the top trending new models:</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="413" src="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts/widget?cid=zg2617&amp;geo=US&amp;date=2013&amp;vm=trendingchart&amp;h=413"></iframe></p>
<p>Here are the top trending car companies in 2013. It's surprising no General Motors brands are on the list - the automaker has had an excellent year, which it topped off with an official end to the government bailout and the announcement that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marina-von-neumann-whitman-mary-barra-gm-general-motors-ceo-2013-12" target="_blank">Mary Barra will become the industry's first CEO</a> next month.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="413" src="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts/widget?cid=zg2598&amp;geo=US&amp;date=2013&amp;vm=trendingchart&amp;h=413"></iframe></p>

The Most Interesting Cars Of 2013

<p><div class="image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/523b40ca6bb3f75b3d7a9805-663-497/joy-covey-1.png?maxX=800" border="0" alt="Joy Covey" width="800" /><p class="source on-image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joy.covey">Joy Covey, Facebook</a></p></div></div>The former CFO of <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>.com, <keyword id="1873687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Joy-Covey">Joy Covey</keyword>, <a href="http://pandodaily.com/2013/09/19/former-amazon-cfo-joy-covey-has-died-in-a-tragic-bicycle-accident/">died in a bike accident in Silicon Valley yesterday</a>.</p>
<p>Joy was<a href="http://redwoodcity-woodside.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/bicyclist-killed-on-skyline-was-former-amazon-cfo-joy-covey"> riding downhill on State Highway 35</a> when a minivan turned across the road directly in front of her. Joy crashed into the side of the minivan and was pronounced dead at the scene.</p>
<p>I didn't know Joy well, but I admired the hell out of her, as did everyone else I know who knew her. She was the CFO at Amazon in the late 1990s, when I was a young analyst on Wall Street. I remember a couple of interactions I had with her particular, which I'll describe below.</p>
<p>But first, some background.</p>
<p>Joy was raised in San Mateo, California, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/global/1999/0405/0207024a.html">the daughter of a doctor</a>. She dropped out of high school and left home at the age of 16. She moved to Fresno, where she worked as a grocery clerk and got a high-school equivalency degree. She enrolled part-time at Cal. State Fresno and graduated in two and a half years, at age 19. She took a national accounting test and got the second highest score in the country. She worked at Arthur Young for a few years and then headed to Harvard for a combination law and business degree.</p>
<p>"I was completely intimidated by the rest of the class," Joy recalled later, <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2002/summer/closing_main.html">in an interview with the Harvard Law Bulletin.</a> "I don't think I even knew anyone who went to an Ivy League school when I came to Harvard. Not having finished high school and having been fairly utilitarian in the way I went about college, I didn't have a deep liberal arts background. So we'd go to lunch and people would talk about their favorite seventeenth-century poets, and I'd be thinking, "Could I even name five poets? From any century?" So that was intimidating, and it wasn't until we got our first-semester grades back that I started to realize that everything was going to be OK."</p>
<p>After she graduated, Joy worked at an investment bank for 8 months and then jumped to a technology company called Digidesign. She helped take the company public and then sold it to another company called Avid, in Boston. Then, in the mid-1990s, Joy moved back to Silicon Valley. She <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130919/tragedy-amazons-first-cfo-and-internet-pioneer-joy-covey-dies-in-bike-accident/?mod=tweet">interviewed at a bunch of hot companies like Excite and Marimba</a>. It was then that she heard about Amazon.</p>
<p>In 1996, up in Seattle, a tiny "Internet bookstore" was searching for a CFO, and the company's founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, was being famously picky about hiring one. As the story went, Bezos had met with viable candidate after viable candidate, only to reject all of them.</p>
<p>Joy Covey heard about the Amazon job from a head-hunter friend. She was intrigued--the famous venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins had backed the company. But Amazon was in Seattle, and Joy Covey wasn't leaving Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>As a favor to her headhunter friend, Joy agreed to have lunch with Jeff Bezos. According to a <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130919/tragedy-amazons-first-cfo-and-internet-pioneer-joy-covey-dies-in-bike-accident/?mod=tweet">1999 Kara Swisher profile</a>, she spent the first 10 minutes telling Bezos she wasn't interested.</p>
<p>"She said there was no way she was leaving the Bay area and wanted me to understand that it was a waste of time to try to get her to," <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130919/tragedy-amazons-first-cfo-and-internet-pioneer-joy-covey-dies-in-bike-accident/?mod=tweet">Swisher quotes Jeff Bezos as saying</a>. "But after that, we had an incredible lunch, since the pressure was off to impress each other." </p>
<p>The next day, Swisher explained, Bezos got a call from Joy proposing a "commuting arrangement." To Joy's surprise, Bezos went for it.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"After I got home," Covey told Swisher, "I kept talking about it, so my fiance said, 'I hate to say this, but maybe you should take it,' " she says. "I think he knew it was important for me to work somewhere I believed in."</span></p>
<p>Joy took the Amazon job and, five months later, raised $55 million for the company in a controversial but successful initial public offering. Amazon's stock wilted for a few months and then, in part due to the confidence Joy, Bezos, and others on the Amazon team inspired in sophisticated Wall Street investors, blasted off to the moon.</p>
<p>The first interaction with Joy I will always remember came in early December, 1998. That morning, as an Internet analyst at a firm called Oppenheimer &amp; Co., I had raised my price target on Amazon's stock to $400. For a variety of reasons, the call "plucked the chords of the zeitgeist" (as author Jay McInerney once put it) and touched off an explosion of press coverage. I had spent most of that day-from 7am to about 10pm that night-talking to clients, colleagues, and reporters, trying to throw water on the bonfire.</p>
<p>I was staying at my girlfriend's that evening, in a cramped bedroom in a converted elevator shaft in an old SOHO warehouse. When the phone rang, it was the head of investor relations at Amazon, a young former Wall Street analyst named Russ Grandinetti.</p>
<p>Did I have a moment, Russ asked?</p>
<p>Yes, I had a moment.</p>
<p>"Good," Russ said. "Joy wants to talk to you."</p>
<p>I'd met Joy Covey before, in a brief meeting while I was researching the the company. She had been polite but terse, treating the 15 minutes she had to spend with me-a relatively unknown analyst at a small Wall Street firm-like the waste of her time that it was. By 1998, when I picked up coverage, Amazon was already a big success story, and Joy had become a celebrity in the Internet analyst community. </p>
<p>When Joy got on the phone that night, she was, once again, terse and polite.</p>
<p>And she was also livid.</p>
<p>My new price target had caused another spike in Amazon's stock price that day, and for what was perhaps the only time in history, the company was furious about it.</p>
<p>Amazon's spiking stock price, Joy helped me to understand, was causing problems at the company. It was distracting employees, for example, who were spending their days focusing on the stock price instead of on Amazon's customers. It was making recruiting difficult, because Amazon stock options were losing their attractiveness to recruits as the stock shot ever higher. It was focusing the press on the stock price Street when Amazon wanted the focus to be on Amazon.</p>
<p>I protested to Joy that I had merely said what I thought we both agreed on--that Amazon was a great business that would be worth a whole lot of money some day.</p>
<p>"Yes," I remember Joy agreeing. "Someday. But now everyone thinks that means <em>today</em>."</p>
<p>I had been dressed down many times by CFOs, but never as effectively and thoroughly as I was dressed down by Joy. She had no real right to tell me how to cover the company or manage my price targets, but she certainly made me feel as if she did. When she got through with me, I felt like a once-promising student who had screwed up and been sent to the principal's office.</p>
<p>I got to know Joy better at Amazon events and phone calls over the next couple of years. She was brilliant and talented-the perfect CFO for Amazon and one of the most impressive executives on the Wall Street beat-a huge asset to the company.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The second interaction that I will remember with Joy came n the early 2000s, after Joy had retired from Amazon, when I ran headlong into my own controversy. The then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer famously and publicly keelhauled me for conflicts of interest on Wall Street. After Spitzer had finished with me, many of my professional acquaintances who had been very friendly with me in the 1990s no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. Joy wasn't one of them. For the first and only time, and much to my surprise, she sent me a Christmas card. She told me what she was up to (climbing mountains, hiking, windsurfing...), and she said she hoped I was doing okay.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I've gotten updates on Joy over the years, through mutual friends. Just two days ago, for example, a friend of Joy's at Harvard Business School was telling me one of his "favorite Joy stories," which was about the remarkable transformation her California surfer wardrobe had undergone after her first summer internship on Wall Street. (When she got back to Harvard that fall, apparently, she had gone from beach girl to Marissa Mayer.) This mutual friend will miss Joy. I will miss her. And so, I imagine, will a lot of other people.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Joy's son Tyler is 8. When he's old enough to appreciate how smart and talented she was, how many people admired her, and everything she accomplished, he will be very proud.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/523b407a69bedd5816647572-801-600/joy-covey.png" border="0" alt="Joy Covey" width="800" /><p class="source on-image">Joy Covey, Google Plus</p></div></div><br /></span></p><p class="tagline">Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.</p>

Joy Covey, 1963-2013

<p>When Boston Dynamics posted a <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/google-distances-itself-from-terrifying-boston-dynamics-robots-2016-3" target="_blank">video of its humanoid robot, Atlas</a>, walking in the snow and recovering from getting kicked, Google was not happy.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/574995b4dd089506238b45e6-849/screen shot 2016-05-27 at 4.29.06 pm.png" alt="Boston Dynamics atlas" data-mce-source="YouTube/Boston Dynamics" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY">YouTube/Boston Dynamics</a></span></p><p class="caption">Boston Dynamics and its Atlas robot</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>As one former employee told Tech Insider, it "soured the soup" of a relationship that was already heading south.</p><p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-17/google-is-said-to-put-boston-dynamics-robotics-unit-up-for-sale" target="_blank">Bloomberg first reported</a> the issues surrounding the video when it obtained an email posted on an internal Google forum. </p><p>"There's excitement from the tech press, but we're also starting to see some negative threads about it being terrifying, ready to take humans' jobs," Courtney Hohne, a director of communications at Google and the spokeswoman for Google X, wrote in that email.</p><p>Hohne asked her colleagues at Google to "distance X from this video," writing, "we don't want to trigger a whole separate media cycle about where BD really is at Google."</p><p>That last point Hohne makes is key: where Boston Dynamics fits into Google's vision has been an issue for some time. It's actually why <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-17/google-is-said-to-put-boston-dynamics-robotics-unit-up-for-sale" target="_blank">Google is selling off Boston Dynamics</a>.</p><p>And sources Tech Insider spoke with say Google is closing in on a buyer. </p><p>We spoke to a few former Boston Dynamics employees about the tensions with Google, who explained the reasons for the split.</p><p>Google declined to comment for this story and Toyota did not respond to a request for comment. </p><h2>Google's initial vision</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/574995b4dd089506238b45e7-543/screen shot 2015-10-05 at 11.27.34 am.png" alt="Wildcat Boston Dynamics" data-mce-source="YouTube/ Boston Dynamics" /><p class="source"><span>YouTube/ Boston Dynamics</span></p><p class="caption">Boston Dynamics' robot Wild Cat.</p></div><p></p></div></div>To understand the tensions between Google and Boston Dynamics, it's important to see how the visions of each company differed.</p><p>Marc Raibert founded Boston Dynamics in 1992. It was born out of MIT's Leg Lab, a lab that builds and studies legged robots that Raibert founded in 1986.</p><p>It's pretty easy to see the connection with the MIT Leg Lab considering Boston Dynamics' robots, often showed off in YouTube videos, were all advanced, bipedal robots boasting skills in mobility. In addition to the most recent Atlas video, there was <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/us-marines-testing-boston-dynamics-robot-called-spot-2015-9" target="_blank">Spot, a four-legged robot dog</a> designed to work with the marines. And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPanW0QWhA" target="_blank">Cheetah robot</a>, another four-legged bot that's a bit faster than Usain Bolt.</p><p>As Boston Dynamics wrote in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BostonDynamics/about" target="_blank">About section</a> of its YouTube page: "Our mission is to build the most advanced robots on Earth, with remarkable mobility, agility, dexterity and speed."</p><p>Google acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013 for an undisclosed amount, in addition to eight other robotics companies. Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, was set to oversee the nine robotics companies as part of a new robotics division called Replicant.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/574995b4dd089506238b45e8-2400/ap_110913135494.jpg" alt="andy rubin" data-mce-source="AP/Paul Sakuma" /><p class="source"><span>AP/Paul Sakuma</span></p><p class="caption">Andy Rubin</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Rubin was always tight-lipped on how Google planned to use the robotics companies, but he <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/technology/google-adds-to-its-menagerie-of-robots.html" target="_blank">told the New York Times</a> in 2013 that he did not expect initial product development to go on for years.</p><p>That's a similar sentiment echoed by a few former Boston Dynamics employees. </p><p>"The impression I got was Rubin's robotic companies were sort of allowed to get some leash," one such person told Tech Insider.</p><p>A few former employees told TI that Rubin was willing to let Boston Dynamics, as well as the other acquired robotics companies, continue with their research as planned. The idea was to see what kind of ideas and innovations the robotics companies came up with, and let that guide Google's eventual robotics vision.</p><p>"We were just making the robot we all thought we should make for technology purposes and for pushing the envelope," the former employee said. </p><p>"Certainly during the Andy Rubin administration and a little while after that, yes, they just proceeded. They took all the knowledge and experience they had building other projects for other people, and took the best lessons learned and iterated it in a new generation of robots optimized for size and sound."</p><p>But in October 2014, less than a year after Google formed Replicant, Rubin left the company. That's where troubles started mounting.</p><h2>The push for a robot in your home</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/574995b4dd089506238b45e9-849/screen shot 2016-05-27 at 3.30.46 pm.png" alt="Boston Dynamics atlas robot" data-mce-source="YouTube/Boston Dynamics" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY">YouTube/Boston Dynamics</a></span></p><p class="caption">Boston Dynamics' robot Atlas can pick up boxes.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>A little while after Rubin left, there was a leadership vacuum with no one to lead the disparate robotics groups.</p><p>There was still James Kuffner, the co-founder of Replicant, who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-kuffner-joins-toyota-from-google-robotics-2016-1" target="_blank">left Google in January</a>, and Jonathan Rosenberg, who served as an adviser. But there was no one with the same research and robotics background as Rubin.</p><p>Additionally, many employees had signed on to work with Rubin because of his vision and felt disappointed by his departure, some former employees told Tech Insider.</p><p>In 2015, Google attempted to take control of the robotics groups to learn what they were working on and how it could be translated into a consumer product, the former employees said.</p><p>"That's when we first started seeing Google...actually trying to have leadership structure over all those robotic groups," one former employee said. "Where they're saying, 'Okay, what do you do? Are you mobility, are you vision?' .... and grouping them and directing them toward a commercial product space."</p><p>It's still unclear what exactly Google wanted in terms of a consumer product. One former employee said Google wanted an easy-to-use robot that could help with basic tasks around the house. One idea pitched was that it would roam around on wheels, which could arguably be seen as more consumer friendly than a complex, legged robot.</p><p>Boston Dynamics, given that it was born out of the MIT Leg Lab, was rubbed that wrong way by that concept.</p><p>A different former employee told Tech Insider that Google wanted a robot that could help around the house or in the office. It's for that reason Boston Dynamics was asked to switch to electronics over hydraulics.</p><p>"Basically, a battery-operated robot, even if its battery is operating a hydraulic pump, it's much quieter than a robot running on an outdoor motor and is really loud," the person said. "You want it quiet if it's going to be around people all day."</p><p>That same former employee said a factory robot wasn't out of the question, which is why you see Atlas stacking boxes in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY" target="_blank">video</a> that "soured the soup."</p><h2>'Us and them': Tensions mounting</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/574995b4dd089506238b45ea-2400/google-138.jpg" alt="google" data-mce-source="Brendan Hoffman/Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Brendan Hoffman/Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Boston Dynamics began resisting the push to build specifically for a consumer product, a former employee said.</p><p>"I felt like the response in the Boston office was to put a higher wall up and protect their entity, rather than provide leadership out in California," the person said.</p><p>That was made all the easier considering the physical distance between Boston-based Boston Dynamics and Google in Mountain Valley, California, a different employee noted.</p><p>Boston Dynamics continued to pursue their own research rather than go in the direction Google wanted, the former employees said.</p><p>"At the end of day what I saw was a sense of us and them instead of a we - we weren't part of Google, we were sort of a separate thing," the person said.</p><p>Bloomberg was able to obtain the minutes to a Nov. 11 meeting that highlights this exact issue.</p><p>"As a startup of our size cannot spend 30-plus percent of our resources on things that take ten years," Rosenberg said, adding that "there's some time frame that we need to be generating an amount of revenue that covers expenses and (that) needs to be a few years."</p><p>Raibert pushed back, according to the minutes, stating the best way to get to an eventual consumer product is to let Boston Dynamics continue the type of work they've been doing. </p><p>"I firmly believe the only way to get to a product is through the work we are doing in Boston. (I) don't think we are the pie in the sky guys as much as everyone thinks we are," the minutes show.</p><p>It's for that reason the video of Atlas "soured the soup" with Google. As the internal Google email obtained from Bloomerg said, it raised questions of "where BD really is at Google."</p><h2>What's next: Toyota</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5748c74bdd089506238b45b6-848/screen shot 2016-05-27 at 3.43.47 pm.png" alt="Marc Raibert" data-mce-source="YouTube/Zeitgeist Minds" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am13YjHwASY" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am13YjHwASY">YouTube/Zeitgeist Minds</a></span></p><p class="caption">Marc Raibert</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Google is in talks with the Toyota Research Institute to sell its robotics division Boston Dynamics, a source familiar with the matter told Tech Insider.</p><p>A price for the deal has not yet been disclosed.</p><p>Gill Pratt, CEO of the Toyota Research Institute, worked with Marc Raibert, founder and CEO of Boston Dynamics, at MIT's leg lab - a lab that builds and studies legged robots that Raibert founded in 1986. Pratt took over the lab in 1992 after Raibert left the university to build Boston Dynamics.</p><p>Raibert still runs Boston Dynamics under Google.</p><p>James Kuffner, the co-founder of Google's robotics division, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-kuffner-joins-toyota-from-google-robotics-2016-1?_ga=1.136329712.1176139591.1459544045" target="_blank">left the company</a> in January to join the the Toyota Research Institute.</p><p>Joseph Bondaryk, the operation manager for Boston Dynamics under Google, also joined the Toyota Research Institute in January, according to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-bondaryk-phd-4062a02?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=92AP&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=2629446341464360057968&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=1&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2629446341464360057968%2CVSRPtargetId%3A6677574%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.</p><p>Other notable moves include Philipp Michel, who worked as a senior roboticist for Google's robotics division before moving to the Toyota Research Institute in February, a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/phlip?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=gtYl&amp;locale=en_US&amp;srchid=2629446341464360112997&amp;srchindex=1&amp;srchtotal=23&amp;trk=vsrp_people_res_name&amp;trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2629446341464360112997%2CVSRPtargetId%3A9302085%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH" target="_blank">LinkedIn search</a> found. And Adam Geboff, senior systems and hardware engineer for Replicant, joined the Institute in April, according to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/geboff?authType=NAME_SEARCH&amp;authToken=sBM8&amp;locale=en_US&amp;trk=tyah&amp;trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A18629137%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1464360137132%2Ctas%3AAdam%20Geboff" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.</p><p>Toyota is showing increasing interest in the tech deals space. It's in talks to make a major investment in Uber. </p><p>While it's unclear exactly what Toyota might have planned for the robotics company, a former Boston Dynamics employee referred to the deal as a "friendly buyout." </p><p>"It's a more friendly buyout when you have interpersonal connections there already," the person said.</p>      <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-home-video-2016-5">This is Google's answer to the Amazon Echo</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9jZ3hrMzE6tWgZpMUM-qwMrXYueWFLeZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9jZ3hrMzE6tWgZpMUM-qwMrXYueWFLeZ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Boston Dynamics employees were frustrated with Google's plan for a household robot

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b06cb26bb3f77e5c9b44c5-1173-879/santa-computer.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="santa computer" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/ Thomas Peter</span></p><p class="caption">"I'm long Herbalife."</p></div><p></p></div>Google has released its annual "<a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?zg=full">zeitgeist</a>" report showing what the world was searching for in 2013.</p>
<p>In terms of stocks, Google picked out the 10 biggest trending topics - <span>searches with the largest increase in search volume since last year.</span></p>
<p>From Twitter's IPO to "activist investor" ego battles, these 10 companies had some of the biggest market stories of 2013.</p>
<p>Now we know what people are searching for.</p>

Here Are 10 Stocks Everyone Was Googling This Year

<p>Google has released its annual Zeitgeist video, and this year's packs in everything from Pope Francis to the Free Syrian Army.</p>
<p>The video is not simply a collection of what Google deemed most important in 2013, but is a compilation of some of <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?date=2013">the year's top searches in the United States</a>. That accounts for the somewhat awkward transition from Margaret Thatcher to Paul Walker to Nelson Mandela, who all passed this year.</p>
<p>"Paul Walker" was the top trending search of the year.</p>
<p>Top U.S. searches featured in the video also include the Boston Marathon bombing (represented by an image of a fundraising event), young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, the Philippines typhoon, and the Mars Rover. The year's most popular entertainment is also represented by "Grand Theft Auto V," "Breaking Bad," and Daft Punk.</p>
<p>This year's edition clocks in at 90 seconds, significantly shorter than previous installments, which are almost twice as long:</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Lv-sY_z8MNs?rel=0"></iframe></p>
<p>Google's foreign branches made country-specific Zeitgeist videos, like one for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hVwx13k1QM">Germany</a> and one for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUi7UzlAAAY">Japan</a>.</p>

Google Captures Some Of The Year's Most Moving Images In This Amazing 90-Second Video

The Story Of How Larry Page Got Forced From The Top Of Google And Came Back A Decade Later

<h5>Story by Melia Russell<br />Photography by Lelanie Foster</h5><p class="drop-cap">Ruzwana Bashir is ransacking her kitchen cabinet for just the right tea. On this fall day in Manhattan, the 40-year-old CEO of Peek, an activities-booking company, looks chic and comfortable in black trousers and a wool turtleneck. She's offered to make tea, and when I tell her I like fruity and black, she seems enthusiastic about the challenge. She's sorting through stacks of tins like it's the most important thing she'll do all day.</p><p>While she's distracted, I take in her SoHo apartment. A large white sectional wraps around a coffee table laden with candles, fresh roses and ranunculus, and books on Andy Warhol, Picasso, and the Byzantine empire. In a sun-drenched corner, an ecstatic fiddle-leaf fig reaches toward the 13-foot ceiling. Below it, a dining table has two laptops and a stack of notebooks at one end.</p><p>A minute later Bashir retrieves a container of Mariage Frères loose-leaf tea with blue-cornflower petals, sniffs it, and places it on the counter, satisfied.</p><p>Being a host is kind of like being a CEO, she says, drawing hot water from an espresso machine. She feels responsible, in both her personal and professional life, for bringing out the best in people, plying them with the right role or the right loose leaf. "Part of your job is to help people find the seat they should be in," she says.</p><p>I'm at Bashir's home in part to talk about her company, which, despite my eight years of reporting on startups, I had to Google. Though its name barely registers with laypeople, Peek, which started as a kind of OpenTable for travelers and pivoted to providing software to tour companies and operators, is now basically the Salesforce of tourism.</p><p>Each year, about $1 billion worth of ticket sales — a seaplane tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, a visit to the Museum of Ice Cream, a swim with pigs in the Bahamas — goes through the company's platform. This past spring, the venture-capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz declared Peek the 14th-largest virtual marketplace for goods and services in the United States. The company has raised $120 million from the likes of Jack Dorsey, Eric Schmidt, and Goldman Sachs. All of which makes Peek's (and Bashir's) near-anonymity more remarkable. In an industry where success is often measured by how much noise a startup makes, Peek has proved it doesn't need the limelight to commandeer an industry.</p><div type="image" title="Ruzwana Bashir" height="1173" width="2798" msid="105263408" hostid="261"></div><p>Even so, I feel dazzled being with Bashir, not least because her apartment has enough fine art to charge admission. She speaks in a lilting British accent and has wide silver-green eyes like eucalyptus leaves. She's a careful listener, leaning in when I offer my observations on the new status shoe for techies (Allbirds are out, Hokas are in. Though Bashir seems to prefer Chloé's Nama sneakers.)</p><p>Like her company, Bashir isn't a household name; rather, knowledge of her is passed around in the types of circles that would make the illuminati jealous. She's a conduit for ideas and connection, hobnobbing with tech gods and artificial-intelligence researchers, as well as fashion icons, Hollywood directors, economists, and media moguls. She's played Connect Four with Elon Musk, brunched at Balthazar with the investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, and posed for the September issue of Vogue.</p><p>She references her network throughout our two-hour conversation. For three years she's been learning to invest from Roelof Botha, a senior steward of Sequoia Capital's brand and operations. "Mustafa Suleyman sat here," she says at one point, patting the Google DeepMind cofounder's preferred couch cushion, "and we've had conversations about what's going to happen with AI but also what's going to happen in the world."</p><p>Bennett Miller, a close friend of Bashir's known for directing films like "Moneyball" and "Capote," says they often watch movies together. In describing Bashir, he references a bit in "The Big Lebowski" in which The Dude bemoans the destruction of an area rug. "There's a line about the rug — how it really tied the room together," Miller says. "Ruzwana is that rug."</p><p>I can feel Bashir's penchant for forging connections as she focuses in on me, making me feel like the most important person — and the most discerning tea drinker — alive. ("If it's not strong enough, let me know," she says of the tea. "I can add some more.") She doesn't just host, doesn't just lead; she creates little universes where nothing existed before.</p><hr /><p class="drop-cap">Bashir has built a career connecting people to new experiences. She grew up in a Muslim household in northern England, where she wore a shalwar kameez and a head scarf every day. Her parents didn't read or write in English, and her father sold produce to provide for his wife and their three children.</p><p>After high school, Bashir attended Oxford University and became president of the Oxford Union, the famed debate society, where she welcomed speakers such as Madeleine Albright and Tom Ford. Her love of travel bloomed in school. Jared Cohen, a partner at Goldman Sachs and a college friend, recalls studying for exams with Bashir at an Egyptian resort they booked on a budget travel website. Her idea of a study break: waking up early to drive across Israel and visit the ancient city of Petra.</p><p>Bashir jumped to Goldman Sachs and then to the Blackstone Group, but in 2011, while studying at Harvard Business School, she caught the entrepreneurial bug.</p><p>The idea for Peek came to her after she spent 20-plus hours looking up things to do on a birthday trip to Istanbul. There had to be a better way to book activities online, she thought. And so, with the help of an engineering virtuoso named Oskar Bruening, she built one. They launched Peek in the fall of 2012.</p><p>Suddenly, Peek was just about everywhere (though not for those of us who were broke college students at the time). So was Bashir: on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list alongside Mark Zuckerberg; in billboard ads for the luggage brand Tumi; in Elle, where she was described as "one of the hardest-working (and chicest) women in tech." It was the age of the Ubers, the Airbnbs, the WeWorks — a moment when "disruptors" were treated with near-total credulity. "This idea of software eating the world was just starting," Bashir says. "It was a moment where people suddenly realized this incredible value creation happening in tech."</p>      <blockquote class="pullquote-wrapper pullquote-breakout">        <q class="pullquote-quotation">The only thing that I've always tried to be is authentically myself.</q>              </blockquote>    <p>The cult of personality that rose up around Bashir wasn't unusual; founders like Travis Kalanick and Adam Neumann were just as inextricable from their brands. But the line can be blurrier for women, especially if they lead consumer companies, which rely on branding to set themselves apart. Ty Haney's bubbly personality helped position Outdoor Voices as the cool-girl queen of the activewear market. Emily Weiss amassed legions of fans through her beauty blog and online presence before launching Glossier.</p><p>"Part of building a business was going out and sharing what you were doing with the world," Bashir says. But she says she didn't think much about how her personality melded with her brand.<strong> </strong>"The only thing that I've always tried to be is authentically myself," she says. "Sometimes that means that you're not fitting into people's stereotypes or the box that they're expecting. And that's OK. Hopefully, we're finding ways to expand that box."</p><div type="image" title="Ruzwana Bashir" height="5769" width="4480" msid="105263678" hostid="261"></div><hr /><p class="drop-cap">At first, Bashir's team at Peek focused on bringing experiences directly to people. But they soon learned where the real potential lay. "There's an opportunity to help people book experiences, but in some ways it's quite a narrow one," Bashir tells me. "The bigger opportunity is to unlock everything and bring it all online."</p><p>In 2013, Peek started putting resources into software to allow travel companies to enable purchases on their own websites and track their reservations — a move that turned out to be the company's saving grace. In 2016, Peek capped <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/07/28/travel-site-peek-raises-10-million/87647754/">hundreds of millions</a> of dollars in annual bookings and opened a second office in Utah. By 2019, downloads of the Peek app, which had spiked at more than 30,000 in December 2013, had dwindled to a few dozen, according to the analytics company Data.ai.</p><p>But even as downloads cratered, bookings were mounting. By then, Peek had gone all in on its software sales. "As a startup you have to be extremely intentional about where you put your resources," Bashir says. "When you're seeing success you have to back that horse."<strong> </strong>Bashir refashioned her startup to meet the needs of an industry that still operated using pen and paper and, in doing so, earned a second shot at overseeing a business worth billions.</p>      <blockquote class="pullquote-wrapper pullquote-breakout">        <q class="pullquote-quotation">That's the hard part of being a founder. You have to make tough decisions and then also live with the consequences.</q>              </blockquote>    <p>Just as Peek got back on its feet, COVID-19 knocked it all the way down. People were terrified and trapped in their houses, and travel bookings fell to nearly zero overnight.</p><p>On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, and Bashir caught a flight to Salt Lake City. She and Bruening were on their way to Utah to lay off almost a third of their staff in person. They hoped such a drastic step would get them to the other side of lockdown. "That's the hard part of being a founder," Bashir says. "You have to make tough decisions and then also live with the consequences."</p><p>To the delight of investors, Peek rebounded with dizzying speed. During the pandemic, digitization flourished as much of the world moved online. Suddenly a small-business owner with a zip-line park in Costa Rica or a pub-crawl party bike in Atlanta needed software to help them market, process sales, schedule guides, and send emails. For years Bashir's startup had been building muscle around these capabilities; now it had an eager audience.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fqaLSFMWGnA?si=ybR-1qOOSZm1o9oR&amp;controls=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>In 2021, Peek crossed $2 billion in all-time bookings from some 35 million customers. It also landed $80 million in Series C funding from investors including the former Airbnb chief financial officer Laurence Tosi's firm, WestCap. Those who know Bashir say things wouldn't have turned out any other way. "She's not a despairing person," Miller says. "There's a determination there that I would bet on 10 out of 10 times."</p><hr /><p class="drop-cap">"I need wind," Bashir says as a canvas parachute whips around her.</p><p>She's standing on the set of her photo shoot at Chelsea's Pier59 Studios in a black bustier dress, metallic pumps, and a red lip. Like Beyoncé asking her team to please for the love of god <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12340703/Beyonce-SINGS-instructions-team-live-concert-forgot-turn-fan-on.html">turn on the fan</a>, Bashir gestures for the hairstylist, who's holding a leaf blower, to come closer.</p><p>Through hundreds of interviews, I've grown familiar enough with the trope of the misfit founder to know there's some truth to it. But from where I'm standing, that person is not Bashir. At one point she huddles around a monitor, watching images of herself flit across the screen. She takes a swig of tea and wags a pale-polished finger at a photo she likes.</p><p>I ask if she's fazed by the glamor. She shrugs and launches into a story about how, on the set of her Vogue photo shoot, she rejected a wardrobe selection from Anna Wintour.</p><p>"Can you say no to Anna?" someone asks.</p><p>"I'm not scared of Anna," Bashir replies — though maybe she is, just a little, because she turns to me to ask if we're off the record.</p><p>Bashir is the rare entrepreneur who can traverse the cultural zeitgeist, leaping from generative art to the Human Genome Project to Taylor Swift. (Though she's not a Swiftie, her role on the SoFi board ties her to the "Eras Tour" movie, which is set at the company's stadium.) "I've rarely come across so many superpowers in one person," says the investor Katie Haun, who met Bashir at a conference. She says Bashir struck her as a "deep thinker across many disciplines."</p><p>Miller met Bashir 11 years ago at a different conference, fresh off her company's founding. "You have every different type of person, and at the center of it was Ruzwana, probably the youngest person there," he says. "By the end, it felt like the entire conference was orbiting around her."</p><p>"I just think she's attractive, and I don't mean that in the superficial sense," he adds. "She's generous in her enthusiasm, her spirit, her optimism, her humor. They burn bright and colorfully."</p><div type="image" title="Ruzwana Bashir" height="4480" width="5769" msid="105263679" hostid="261"></div><p>A few years ago Bashir attended a leadership summit in the mountains where, after a day of discussions, she wandered into a room with board games. She sat down to play Connect Four across from Elon Musk. A crowd formed around them, and things got intense. She won, 3-1. "It was great to take the victory," she says. "He has space; I have Connect Four."</p><p>She also has a standing invitation to Silicon Valley's most exclusive, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-secret-power-dinners-2013-1">semisecret</a> dinner party. Each month, tech's biggest power players — Marc Benioff, Reid Hoffman, Marissa Mayer, Dick Costolo — gather for a Jeffersonian dinner where the conversation ranges from all-knowing artificial intelligence, or AGI, to their industry's impact on geopolitics. Eating at acclaimed restaurants is fine, but Bashir prefers the more-intimate affairs at tech executives' homes because, she says, "you can stay longer." The dinners have the feel of a cool kids' gathering at a hometown bar the night before Thanksgiving — an ease that comes from decades of friendship.</p><p>This supper club's guest list has the power to affect policy, inspire innovation, and even shape our digital destiny. Bashir has been attending when she can for several years. "The goal for all of us is to shape our thinking so that we can be purposeful with it," she says. It's this kind of intention that defines Bashir's life, says Cohen, more than any material success. "There are people who take a piece of paper and chart out their path to achieving greatness by the age of whatever," he says. "Then there are people who view ambition through the lens of having a good and meaningful life and measuring impact by what that looks like day to day. And she's much more in that latter category."</p><p>Katherine Maher, the CEO of Web Summit, has gone to one such dinner as Bashir's guest. The two met seven years ago as members of the Young Presidents' Organization, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ypo-young-presidents-organization-secret-club-for-ceos-2021-4">an elite social group for business leaders</a>. Maher wanted to attend the organization's retreat, but she couldn't afford it at the time. So Bashir offered to split a hotel room. They bonded over art, book recommendations, travel stories. "Both of us felt like being CEOs of technology platforms weren't the only interests in our lives," Maher says.</p><p>The dinners scratch a familiar itch for the startup maven whose curiosity needs constant feeding. It's her reason for traveling — she visited more than 40 countries before turning 30 — and seeking out friends in such disparate fields. She points to one, Daniel Kahneman, a behavioral psychologist who won the Nobel prize in economics. It's not unusual, Bashir says, for laureates to take home prizes in fields where they're not experts. "They have understanding," she says. "But then, they are not beholden to the rules."</p><p>At the dinner, Maher noticed that when Bashir spoke, the table listened. "She has this way of reminding people of their core value, as opposed to the value that the world projects on them," Maher says. "She's got everyone's trust."<br /></p><div type="image" title="Photo of Ruzwana Bashir" height="1400" width="1080" msid="105263682" hostid="261"></div><hr /><h4>Credits</h4><p><strong>Writer: </strong>Melia Russell<br /><strong>Photography: </strong>Lelanie Foster<br /><strong>Creative Direction: </strong>Liane Radel<br /><strong>Styling: </strong>Becky Akinyode<br /><strong>Prop Styling: </strong>Elaine Winter<br /><strong>Hair: </strong>Yukiko Tajima<br /><strong>Makeup: </strong>Ayaka Nihei<br /><strong>Production: </strong>Tiffany Bloomfield for Dela Revoluciøn<br /><strong>Photography Assistance: </strong>Chad Hilliard, Enmi Yang<br /><strong>Digital Tech: </strong>Kenny Aquiles Ulloa<br /><strong>Styling Assistance: </strong>Cyrenae Tademy, Madison Perez<br /><strong>Prop Styling Assistance: </strong>Aidan Lapp, Bashira Webb<br /><strong>Tailoring: </strong>Zunyda for Stitched Tailors Agency<br /><strong>Design and Development:</strong> Bryan Erickson, Jinyoung Chang-Rodriguez, Rebecca Zisser<br /><strong>Editing: </strong>Claire Landsbaum, Emma LeGault, Joi-Marie McKenzie<br /><strong>Editing Assistance:</strong> Brea Cubit<br /><strong>Video:</strong> Conner Blake, Kyle Desiderio<br /><strong>Social:</strong> Victoria Gracie, Nicole Forero, Virginia Alves</p>

Ruzwana Bashir is the most important name in tech you've never heard &mdash; until now

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c4235e0d11893595938563f-1334/5c34f8f001c0ea32fe792813-1334-888.jpg" border="0" alt="peach salinger you" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>With the swift success of "Bird Box" and "You" last month, in terms of viewership and cultural impact, Netflix showed its originals could create the type of water cooler talk that live TV was famous for.</li><li>Netflix said "Bird Box" was watched by 80 million households in its first month, and "You" by 40 million.</li><li>"For part of your Netflix subscription, you are in the zeitgeist," Netflix's head of content, Ted Sarandos, said recently.</li><li>For the first time, I felt a tangible sense of FOMO before I'd watched these titles, and it wasn't because they were groundbreaking works of art, it was because of the power of Netflix's platform.</li></ul><p>Netflix started releasing its own "original" TV series in 2013, and since the start, it's been obvious that subscribers loved its delivery method: Full-season drops of on-demand bliss. Watching was convenient - stupidly so. But the question still lingered: In the age of scattered viewing, would Netflix ever replicate the water cooler talk that live TV perfected? Could the king of streamers make you feel culturally deficient if you didn't subscribe?</p><p>There have been moments over the past few years when I thought Netflix was inching toward that, from its first splashy original "House of Cards" to the slow build of its cult hit "Stranger Things." But it was the runaway success of two originals last month, "You" and "Bird Box," that finally convinced me that Netflix had begun to define the next phase of water cooler conversation.</p><p>"You" and "Bird Box" had very different origins - one as an original movie and the other as a TV show picked up after being discarded by Lifetime - but both spread through the internet and social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> thanks to Netflix's massive reach (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-q4-earnings-analysis-subscribers-revenue-eps-2019-1">139 million paying subscribers and counting</a>). Engaging with the online cultural conversation feels like the 2019 equivalent of chatting at the water cooler at work, and I really felt I wouldn't <em>understand</em> an important chunk of the internet if I wasn't familiar with this one movie and one show. And it wasn't because they were groundbreaking pieces of art, it was because they were so easy to watch on Netflix that everybody - or what felt like everybody - did.</p><p>The avalanche of "Bird Box" jokes and memes on social media was so overwhelming that people accused Netflix of using fake accounts to help spread them, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-box-netflix-memes-fake-theory-2018-12">though there was no proof</a>. And in the end, it didn't really matter. The phenomenon was real.</p><p>Both "Bird Box" and "You" became <em>a thing</em> and made you feel a bit left out if you hadn't consumed them. And expect that to keep happening with Netflix originals in 2019, especially since the streamer has become the top entertainment platform for teens, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-watch-more-than-twice-as-much-netflix-as-cable-tv-2018-10">beating everything from cable TV to YouTube</a>.</p><p>Netflix's head of content, Ted Sarandos, addressed this very feeling on the streamer's Q4 earnings call.</p><p>"For part of your Netflix subscription, you are in the zeitgeist," Sarandos said. "You're watching the programming that the rest of the world is loving at the same time."</p><p>Sarandos also revealed that "Bird Box" was watched by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-bird-box-viewed-by-80-million-accounts-in-first-four-weeks-2019-1">80 million households in its first month</a> on the platform, and that "You" was watched by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/you-saw-big-spike-in-popularity-on-netflix-season-2-will-be-exclusive-2019-1">40 million in its first</a>.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c2a2e0fe04d62782b13f455-1280/bird%20box%20netflix.jpg" border="0" alt="Bird Box Netflix" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><h2>'Kimberly like everyone in the world'</h2><p>"Bird Box" did not get off to a particularly auspicious start, leaving critics unimpressed when it became available to stream on December 21. The movie currently has a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bird_box/">63% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes</a>.</p><p>But there was something intriguing about the movie, which follows Sandra Bullock as she tries to stay alive and avoid an evil that kills using sight - hence the blindfold.</p><p>Master of horror Stephen King tweeted that he was "absolutely riveted" by the film and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-king-loves-bird-box-slams-critics-for-netflix-prejudice-2018-12">urged viewers to ignore the lukewarm reviews</a>, which he said might have been caused by "Netflix Prejudice."</p><p>Whether or not they listened to King, viewers flocked to the film. On December 28, Netflix took the unusual step of releasing a view count, saying that over 45 million accounts had watched over 70% of the movie in its first week, a record for the service.</p><p>By that time the memes were in full swing, and the movie's omnipresent blindfold had inspired the "Bird Box Challenge," which led at least <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/bird-box-challenge-blindfolded-teen-crashes-car-utah-2019-1">one person to crash a car</a> and may have prompted YouTube to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-updated-its-guidelines-to-ban-dangerous-pranks-and-challenges-2019-1?r=UK&amp;IR=T">ban dangerous pranks and challenges</a>.</p><p>When Kim Kardashian tweeted on January 1 that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/entertainment/kim-kardashian-bird-box/index.html">she liked the movie and asked who had seen it</a>, she was relentlessly teased.</p><p>"Kimberly like everyone in the entire world," Chrissy Teigen tweeted in reply.</p><p>Though "Bird Box" was clearly great fodder for memes, Netflix's ubiquity and ease of use allowed it to enter the cultural conversation like a tidal wave. And the ascension of "You," a Lifetime series that hit Netflix less than a week after "Bird Box," showed again how powerful the platform had become.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3cdf7ebd773043552510e9-1117/screen%20shot%202019-01-14%20at%2015934%20pm.png" border="0" alt="you netflix" data-mce-source="Netflix" data-mce-caption="Penn Badgley in &amp;quotYou&quot;"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p><p class="caption">Penn Badgley in "You"</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><h2>Sorry, Lifetime</h2><p>"You," a creepy series starring Penn Badgley as an obsessive New York City bookstore clerk, debuted to rave reviews when it aired on Lifetime in September.</p><p>Writing <a href="http://time.com/5484980/most-overlooked-tv-shows-2018/">for Time Magazine</a>, Judy Berman called the show a "wicked satire of social media, self-proclaimed 'nice guys' and the twisted ideals of romantic fiction." It currently has a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/you/s01/">91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes</a>.</p><p>But even with the good critical buzz, "You" wasn't a hit on Lifetime. The show got a live viewership of 611,000 on Lifetime, and though the network had secured the option to renew it for a second before its release, it decided not to move forward. Netflix picked up the show, giving the green light to season two and branding the first season a "Netflix original."</p><p>When the first season dropped on Netflix December 26, it quickly entered the internet hive mind. Though it didn't spread as intensely as "Bird Box," its success was equally notable because the show had already been out since September and had garnered such good reviews.</p><p>Here you can see the relative search volumes on Google of "You Lifetime" and "You Netflix" over time:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3fa9c110f0d02816744b36-730/lifetimenetflix.png" border="0" alt="lifetimenetflix" data-mce-source="Google Trends"><p class="source"><span>Google Trends</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>On January 14, IMDb tweeted that "You" was <a href="https://twitter.com/IMDb/status/1084971085655793664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Aimdb%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fnews%2Fhome%2F20190110005552%2Fen%2FIMDb-Launches-Freedive-%25E2%2580%2593-Free-Streaming-Video">its top-trending show</a>.</p><p>But it's not simply that "You" became more popular when it hit Netflix, something has been dubbed the "Netflix Effect" and has happened to shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Riverdale."</p><p>The actors and characters also immediately became topics of internet chatter.</p><p>Take supporting character Peach Salinger, played by "Pretty Little Liars" star Shay Mitchell, for instance.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c4236522bdd7f0023059d43-2070/190114-peach-hp.jpg" border="0" alt="peach salinger you netflix" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>On January 7, <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/you-netflix-peach-salinger-appreciation.html">Vulture published a post titled</a>, "Now That You Is on Netflix, You Should All Worship Peach Salinger." Then on January 11, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/this-post-is-for-anyone-that-is-team-peach-salinge">BuzzFeed followed with,</a> "This Post Is For Anyone That Is Team Peach Salinger And Demands Justice For Her." And on January 14, <a href="https://www.tvguide.com/news/you-peach-salinger-queer-appreciation/">TV Guide raised the stakes by declaring</a>, "Every Character on YOU Is Trash, but I Would Still Die for Peach Salinger."</p><p>Peach Salinger had officially become <em>a thing</em>. Before I started watching "You," I had even wondered myself why the heck they named a character Peach Salinger.</p><p>But if you look back at when the show aired on Lifetime, there was no Peach Salinger internet buzz. Here is a chart of Google searches that illustrates that:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3fad2ad1189325e51c9d23-729/peachsalinger.png" border="0" alt="peachsalinger" data-mce-source="Google Trends"><p class="source"><span>Google Trends</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Similar charts show the same trend for search interest in the names two main characters, Badgley's Joe Goldberg and Elizabeth Lail's Guinevere Beck.</p><p>And like "Bird Box," the characters on "You" have inspired lots of quality memes.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>But it's not just the "You" characters. Penn Badgley is enjoying a renaissance in public awareness, with Google search interest surging and his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pennbadgley/?hl=en">Instagram hitting over 1.2 million followers</a>.</p><p>Badgley has also participated in some of the fun internet shenanigans around the show that have popped up as it has gone viral on Netflix, including wading into the <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/penn-badgley-wants-fans-to-stop-falling-for-joe-2019-1">debate over people crushing on his serial-killer character</a>.</p><p>"The amount of people romanticizing @PennBadgley's character in YOU scares me," <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenglitz/status/1083084617647828994">Twitter user @darrenglitz wrote</a>.</p><p>"Ditto. It will be all the motivation I need for season 2," <a href="https://twitter.com/PennBadgley/status/1083085963813965825">Badgley replied</a>.</p><p>Lifetime execs must be pulling their hair out watching a show they took a chance on becoming a cultural force for someone else - and Netflix of all places. It shows the sad reality of the cable TV business today.</p><p>But Netflix is uniquely positioned to launch something into the zeitgeist, and not just compared to cable.</p><p>Netflix says 40 million households watched "You" in the first month on the platform (defined by watching 70% of at least one episode). Sure, there are caveats, but that means more Netflix accounts watched "You" than the entire subscriber base of Hulu, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hulu-gains-on-netflix-in-the-us-but-faces-challenge-2019-1">recently announced it had reached 25 million</a>.</p><p>And at 80 million views and counting, over three times Hulu's entire subscriber base watched at least 70% of "Bird Box" on Netflix.</p><p>It's hard to imagine any other platform getting that kind of instantaneous reach, and cultural impact, from scratch. Welcome to the worldwide water cooler.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Literally me every time Joe kills someone <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YouNetflix?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YouNetflix</a> <a href="https://t.co/g5Ln0sKD2a">pic.twitter.com/g5Ln0sKD2a</a></p>- al  (@allyhxward) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1080250639576379394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drag-makeup-straight-man-first-time-rupaul-farrah-moan-2018-12">As a straight man, I tried drag makeup for the first time with RuPaul's Farrah Moan</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/an3f1qjI-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The whirlwind success of Netflix's 'You' and 'Bird Box' shows it's become a well-oiled FOMO machine

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One of the most popular memes of 2010s <keyword id="840528" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anime">anime</keyword> fandom was "soup store," also known as "I'm at soup."</li><li>Originally a short clip from anime abridged series "Code MENT," it was created by Nick Lizzo, better known by his online persona PurpleEyesWTF.</li><li>Five years after its debut in May 2015, "soup store" is still going strong, due in part that it's spread more like an online inside joke than the short-lived, viral memes we see today.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>These days, it's rare for a meme to last more than a week before the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/a-unified-theory-of-meme-death/546866/">online culture cycle bludgeons it into oblivion</a>. In fandom circles, however, the case is a bit different — good memes stick around, becoming cultural touchstones that people can refer back to without fail. Although anime fandom is becoming <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/21/21075974/tiktok-anime-important-part-of-our-culture-memes-danganronpa-explained">more and more mainstream on apps like TikTok</a>, there are memes in the community that have their roots in content from earlier in the decade and have, against the odds, remained beloved reference points.</p><p>"I'm at soup" — also known as "soup store" — is a perfect example.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FAUnDDTz30k" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>"Soup store" is one of anime fandom's best-known memes, featuring a now-iconic format: two characters have a gradually escalating conversation that starts civil but ends with one of them screaming, "WHY ARE YOU BUYING CLOTHES AT THE SOUP STORE?"</p><p>While still somewhat of a niche meme in terms of the overall zeitgeist, "soup store" has become such a fixture in certain corners of the internet that even vague references are enough to make the connection.</p><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@emoothedankidk/video/6815749356323409157" data-video-id="6815749356323409157" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@emoothedankidk" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@emoothedankidk">@emoothedankidk</a> <p>high iq moment <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp">##fyp</a> <a title="foryou" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryou">##foryou</a> <a title="foryoupage" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryoupage">##foryoupage</a> <a title="bigbrain" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/bigbrain">##bigbrain</a> <a title="memes" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/memes">##memes</a> <a title="nostalgia" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/nostalgia">##nostalgia</a> <a title="soup" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/soup">##soup</a> <a title="soupstore" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/soupstore">##soupstore</a> <a title="meme" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/meme">##meme</a></p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Fuck You - Lily Allen" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Fuck-You-222453412045590528">♬ Fuck You - Lily Allen</a> </section> </blockquote> <h2>"Soup store" was originally a clip from abridged series "Code MENT"</h2><p>"Soup store" is perhaps best enjoyed with as little context as possible, but it actually originated as part of a much larger work. The clip in question is part of the 16th episode of "Code MENT," a parody of popular late aughts anime series "Code Geass" called an <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/abridged-series">abridged series</a>. Per <a href="https://the-artifice.com/abridged-series-history/">The Artifice</a>, this trend of dubbing over popular anime series in a comedic way traces back to the early 2000s, with 2006's "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series" frequently heralded as the first anime abridged series to be popularly labeled as such.</p><p>"Code MENT" was created by Nick Lizzo, better known by his <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword> handle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/purpleeyeswtf">PurpleEyesWTF</a>. Arguably the best-known parody of anime series "<a href="https://myanimelist.net/anime/1575/Code_Geass__Hangyaku_no_Lelouch">Code Geass</a>," the series was known for its absurdity and the fact that it completely flipped the script on its protagonist, turning cunning into exaggerated idiocy. Inspired by other contemporary abridged anime series, Lizzo started the project in college in the late 2000s, editing and dubbing over footage in Windows Movie Maker. </p><p>While Lizzo published the first 15 episodes of this iteration of "Code MENT" on YouTube from 2010 to 2013 (there was an earlier version of the series that he mostly scrapped, although the sixth episode is still uploaded on his channel), the "soup store" clip originated from what is currently the series' sixteenth and final episode. </p><p>Out of the full canon of his work, "soup store" stands out — and ultimately enjoyed viral fame — due to its simplistic humor. </p><p>"It's about two people talking past each other, getting answers to their questions, but clearly not communicating as well as they could," Lizzo said. "To an audience member, you laugh because the expectation for each person is well-understood, but somehow, it subverts your expectation. Both people are getting their questions met and their desires met at the same time, but they're also not getting what they're actually after."</p><h2>Inspiration for the clip came from real-life</h2><p>According to Lizzo, the inspiration for the "soup store" bit actually came from a real-life conversation. He decided to call up a friend that he hadn't seen in a while, asking him what he was doing. "I was wondering, like, how is his job? How's his family?" Lizzo said.</p><p>"'I'm eating chicken,'" Lizzo said the friend replied.</p><p>Lizzo heard a ding from a cash register and asked, "Where are you right now?"</p><p>The friend replied, "Oh, I'm at Gap."</p><p>"We were such close friends, it never missed a beat," Lizzo explained. "He just assumed that I had known everything that was going on because we had been in each others' lives for so long… But as I was pulling details out of his story, it started making no sense.... It was so funny, I could not help but laugh."</p><p>Ultimately, that conversation was what pushed Lizzo to finish the 16th "Code MENT" episode, publishing it on May 2, 2015, nearly two years after the most recent episode in the series. That organic inspiration is part of why he thinks the clip went viral in the first place, and why it has staying power today. "I did it almost instantaneously after getting off the phone with my friend," he said. "The magic was still there. The idea was still there. I think you can almost feel the experience."</p><h2>"Soup store's" meme legacy began with parodies featuring other popular franchises</h2><p>The clip's began to gain attention not long after its original upload. One YouTube channel uploaded an <a href="https://youtu.be/HoB2wvYgZ1o">animated "Dark Souls" parody of the dialogue</a> on the same day (May 2, 2015) that the original episode went up; an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAUnDDTz30k">isolated clip of the "soup store" bit</a> was re-uploaded by YouTube channel AndeePasta on May 4 and<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/36xb7h/im_at_soup_038/"> later posted on r/Videos the same year</a>. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kqbKEqzsAI">"Team Fortress 2"</a> version of the meme uploaded in June 2015 helped to popularize the meme by attaching it to already popular <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kqbKEqzsAI">video memes made in Source Filmmaker</a>.</p><p>The parodies racked up over the years as people made parodies featuring franchises like "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqQtgsTohgk">Gravity Falls</a>" (in late 2015), "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlc-sUwGg9A">Danganronpa</a>" (in 2016), or "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcztoVW2O60">Undertale</a>" (also in 2016). Popular YouTuber Markiplier<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q4MKOW8FZk"> reacted to the "Team Fortress 2" version of the video in 2017</a>. Parodies of the original clip are still going strong — take this video from March 2020 featuring characters and music from 2019 anime film "Promare." </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQLbHWIikfQ" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>What truly makes "soup store" such a powerful meme, however, is its staying power. While only an approximate metric, <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&amp;geo=US&amp;q=i%27m%20at%20soupt%20soup">per Google Trends</a>, search interest in "I'm at soup" has wavered over the years but remained relatively steady since 2015 (related topics include "Undertale," "Meme," and "Code Geass"). A <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=soup%20store&amp;src=typed_queryuery">cursory Twitter search</a> will reveal plenty of people cracking low-effort "soup store" jokes; even vague references are enough to make a good "soup store" joke.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Curi  @ quarantine pls everybody  (@srslycuriousTTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1224740401325543424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2020</a></blockquote><p>While some hailed it as the best meme of the previous decade — "Comedy peaked in 2015 and we've been going down hill [<em>sic</em>] ever since," <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSMonroeShow/status/1207768732178759680?s=20">one tweet reads</a> — "soup store" has arguably lasted so long because it never truly broke into mainstream consciousness. Rather than exploding like <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/twitter-meme">Twitter memes</a> that tend to live fast and die young, "soup store" has been a slow burn, spreading like an inside joke in fandom circles online. </p><p>"I literally taught me things about how the internet talks," Lizzo said. In this case, the conversation was more of a muted whisper that left people in on the joke, ironically in sharp contrast to the ridiculous shouting that made the clip so popular in the first place.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/netflix-disney-anime-shows-television-streaming-service-2019-4">Anime could give Netflix a major advantage against Disney in the streaming war</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/sexy-legs-meme-thigh-high-lisa-blackpink-twitter-2020-4">Celebrities like Dolly Parton are using a k-pop idol's 'sexy legs' in the latest meme taking over the internet</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/biggest-viral-moments-videos-memes-from-the-2010s">60 viral moments that delighted us, disappointed us, and defined the 2010s</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/im-at-soup-store-meme-code-ment-geass-purpleeyeswtf-2020-5">Insider</a>

One of anime's most popular memes is an absurd joke about soup. This is how it survived for 5 years without losing its charm.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Altcoin is short for "alternative coin" and - as the name suggests - is an alternative <keyword id="11892695" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cryptocurrency" source="Orion">cryptocurrency</keyword> to Bitcoin.</li><li>Altcoins have become a major segment of the cryptocurrency markets, with projects like Ethereum (ETH), Stellar Lumens (XLM), and Uniswap (UNI) distinguishing themselves as platforms with innovative capabilities.</li><li>The altcoin markets are characterized for their volatility and are highly speculative investments subject to speculation.</li></ul><p>Since the emergence of Bitcoin, the concept of a decentralized, trustless peer-to-peer (P2P) payment network has inspired an entire class of digital assets. The crypto markets are a product of Bitcoin's success, and the fast-growing space consists of more than 9,000 altcoins.</p><p>Now we have altcoins, which began to emerge in 2011 in an attempt to reinvent Bitcoin, with their own rules and improvements on different features.</p><h2><strong>What is an altcoin? </strong></h2><p>Altcoin is a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-cryptocurrency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cryptocurrency</a> alternative to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-bitcoin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bitcoin</a> - its name is a portmanteau of "alternative" and "coin." Since Bitcoin is widely regarded as the first of its kind, new cryptocurrencies developed after are viewed as <em>alternative</em> coins - or altcoins. The emergence of altcoins began around 2011, with the first generation formed using the same blockchain engine as Bitcoin.</p><p>The first altcoin was Namecoin, which is based on Bitcoin's code and was released in April 2011. Namecoin is integral to the history of altcoins in that it showed that there's enough room in the crypto markets for more than one kind of coin.</p><p>Blockchains today can run several hundreds of "altcoins," fueling similar currency projects with unique rules and mechanisms. Altcoins like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-ethereum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ethereum</a> can provide developers with a toolkit and programming language to build decentralized applications into the blockchain.</p><h2><strong>Understanding how altcoins work </strong></h2><p>To understand how altcoins work, it's good to first understand how blockchain technology works - which is where all cryptocurrencies operate. </p><p>The blockchain network is a distributed ledger that stores data like cryptocurrency transactions, NFT ownership, and decentralized <keyword id="11895316" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="finance" source="Orion">finance</keyword> (DeFi) smart contracts. This ledger is often referred to as a "chain" comprising "blocks" of data, which are used to verify new data before additional blocks can be added to the ledger.</p><p>This network, on which Bitcoin operates, is groundbreaking because it's a decentralized, trustless, P2P payment network that functions without a central authority or entity facilitating transactions. And altcoins function on the exact same premise as Bitcoin: to operate using this blockchain technology. </p><p>However, there have been some altcoins that have emerged to instead improve on the flaws of Bitcoin or to achieve some other goal. For example, Litecoin was designed by former Google engineer Charlie Lee as a "lite version of Bitcoin."</p><h2><strong>Understanding forks</strong></h2><p>A fork refers to an update in network protocol (the open source software blockchains run on). There are two kinds of forks: a hard fork and soft fork. A soft fork is a minor upgrade to the software, and typically means nothing for users. A hard fork is a major change to the network, and requires users/miners to update to the latest software in order to continue mining. If developers decide they do not like the direction a blockchain network is going in, they can do a hard fork and create a new coin. Since 2009, Bitcoin has seen over <a href="https://mapofcoins.com/bitcoin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">400 hard forks</a>. </p><p><strong>In the news:</strong> In the past year, crypto and celebrity influencers have come under fire for promoting cryptocurrencies. Even social media platforms like TikTok have <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/tiktok-crypto-bitcoin-investing-trading-ban-sponsored-ad-content-branded-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned crypto promoters</a> from the platform. </p><p>Here are the two key things to know about altcoins.</p><p><strong>Altcoins are a highly speculative and volatile investment.</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-speculation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speculation</a> is a powerful driver of the crypto markets so it's important to do your research before investing in any altcoin. Half-baked whims and trading based on rumors are exactly what the experts advise against.</p><p>"An emerging technology like crypto is going to attract people of ill-repute who are looking to make a quick buck off of the new investor," says Ben Armstrong, founder of <a href="https://bitboycrypto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BitBoy Crypto</a>. "So it's important to be cautious and not fall for the hype of a slick new project, or get FOMO when you see a crypto asset making new all-time highs." </p><p>The decentralized, intangible, and often misunderstood nature of cryptocurrencies in general makes predicting the long-term, steady success of an altcoin project difficult to predict. Some altcoins, like Ethereum, have maintained their position in the market through constant innovation and the strength of their community. Speculation has a more dramatic effect on newer altcoins. External factors like public perception, Bitcoin price fluctuation, or a meme on Reddit can oftentimes cause drastic price fluctuations.</p><p>While the crypto community stands united on its long-term bullish outlook for Bitcoin, the temptation of selling coins for short-term profits is built into the crypto zeitgeist. The crypto community created the term "hodl" in an effort to encourage people to hold on to their crypto assets for the long-term. "Hodl" means "hold on for dear life," and to resist the impulse of selling when the value of their crypto drops or rises.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> Smart contracts are programs that are stored on blockchain that execute when certain conditions are met.</p><p><strong>Cryptocurrency takes a toll on the environment.</strong> Bitcoin's energy consumption is a well-known flaw. As of August 2021, Bitcoin's energy consumption is 151.57 TWh according to Digiconomist's Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index - that's comparable to what the entirety of Malaysia uses in energy. </p><p>The culprit for the tremendous costs of energy lies with the "proof of work" (PoW) consensus algorithm, which is how transactions are verified. And as Bitcoin mining has become more competitive, the computing power required to profitably mine new bitcoins is represented in factories loaded with servers all working toward solving the network's algorithms.</p><iframe title="Bitcoin Energy Consumption" id="datawrapper-chart-pt7Qa" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/pt7Qa/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% ; border: none;" height="400"></iframe><p>The PoW consensus mechanism is responsible for driving the competition for faster and more powerful computational processing power. The faster a miner's computer can complete the formula, the higher their odds of winning a block reward. Over time, miners have developed computer hardware with the sole function of processing the PoW consensus algorithm. </p><p>This has evolved from a miner running a program in the background of their PC to entire mining farms. Miners (or a pool of miners) will buy factories in countries where electricity is cheap and fill them with thousands of mining rigs. The energy required to keep the rigs running 24/7, combined with the fans and coolant systems to prevent overheating and fires, has made crypto mining an environmental disaster.</p><h3><strong>The emergence of "green coins"</strong></h3><p>Bitcoin's carbon footprint has provided an opportunity for altcoins with greener consensus mechanisms to market themselves as "green coins." While proof of work is the main culprit for the Bitcoin energy crisis, blockchains like Ethereum and <a href="https://cardano.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cardano</a> (ADA) operate on proof of stake consensus mechanisms. Compared to the energy-hungry PoW, staking requires no mining in order to participate and earn coins. The success of Ethereum and Cardano prove that people can participate in crypto while being environmentally friendly.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> Proof of work is the consensus mechanism used by Bitcoin and many other altcoins to audit transactions on the blockchain and "mine" new crypto. Crypto mining is solving computational formulas to audit transactions on the blockchain. Completing the formula means a chance at receiving a newly minted BTC reward. </p><h3>Types of altcoins</h3><p>Over time, there have been many altcoins that have come along. And now, there are the main types:</p><ul><li><strong>Mining-based:</strong> Altcoins that are mining-based are created through the process of mining, like Bitcoin. One example of a mining-based coin is Litecoin.</li><li><strong>Stable coins:</strong> These types of altcoins are a new subset to the crypto market that's meant to reduce volatility. By design, they're digital assets with their value pegged to fiat and physical assets (off-chain) and crypto collateral (on-chain). Algorithmic stablecoins are not backed by on-chain or off-chain assets, but governed by a smart contract at its core.</li><li><strong>Security tokens:</strong> These types of altcoins are a digital or liquid asset that represents an ownership stake in a tangible asset. Stored on a distributed ledger, security tokens are the blockchain-equivalent to shares, but can represent a stake in IP, a car, or property, etc.</li><li><strong>Utility tokens:</strong> Once very popular in the 2017 initial coin offering (ICO) boom, utility tokens are not pegged to any currency or tangible value. In exchange for capital in the early stages of an ICO, investors would receive a quantity of utility tokens in exchange for their investment determined by the company or project owner. The utility tokens will serve as a coupon or voucher after funding to purchase goods and services from the issuer.</li></ul><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>One of the main benefits of blockchain technology is transparency. If something is on the blockchain, it means it is visible, permanent, and accessible to the public. On-chain typically refers to a transaction that is performed and recorded on the blockchain. Off-chain is a transaction not directly recorded on the blockchain.</p><h2><strong>Staking an altcoin</strong></h2><p>Staking is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/passive-investing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passive-investing strategy</a> where an investor holds funds in a cryptocurrency wallet in order to earn rewards over time. When an investor chooses to stake their holdings, the network can use it to forge new blocks on the blockchain. The process of staking supports the process of PoS work because it requires participants to support it. And so stakers are essentially helping to make this happen.</p><p>Also, staking is incredibly energy-efficient - unlike mining. According to the Ethereum Foundation, the latest switch to a PoS system <a href="https://blog.ethereum.org/2021/05/18/country-power-no-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will reduce energy costs by 99.95%</a>.</p><h2>7 notable altcoins 2021</h2><p>While no altcoin has managed to "dethrone" Bitcoin in value, many projects have proved themselves worthy enough to a global community of investors and developers:</p><h3>1. Ethereum (ETH)</h3><div type="image" title="Ethereum altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848268" hostid="261"></div><p>The second-largest blockchain in crypto, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-ethereum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ethereum's</a> evolution has taken it from an asset to an application. Founded by Vitalik Buterin in 2013, Ethereum is a distributed blockchain platform for smart contracts and dApps (decentralized applications). With its native token, ether (ETH), users can interact with the Ethereum platform. Ether can be traded on most crypto exchanges, used to pay transaction fees, or as collateral for ERC-20 tokens, which have DeFi utility. </p><p>Ethereum's integration with smart contracts via the Solidity programming language has distinguished the project from Bitcoin. A smart contract is a self-executing code that can run on the blockchain.</p><h3>2. Chainlink (LINK)</h3><div type="image" title="Chainlink altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848271" hostid="261"></div><p>Launched officially in 2019 on the Ethereum blockchain, Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that's meant to expand on smart contracts. In a nutshell, it connects smart contracts with "off-chain" data and services. The network is built around the LINK network and token and has two parts: on-chain and off-chain.</p><p>The on-chain component comprises oracle contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, which oversee and process data requests that come in from users. The off-chain component is made up of off-chain oracle nodes that connect to the Ethereum network, which are responsible for processing external requests that are later converted to contracts.</p><h3>3. Aave (AAVE)</h3><div type="image" title="AAVE altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848274" hostid="261"></div><p>The AAVE is an open-source DeFi lending protocol that allows anyone to loan or borrow crypto without an intermediary. As a lender, you can deposit funds - which are allocated into a smart contract - where you can earn interest based on how Aave is performing in the market. Making a deposit means you can also borrow by using your deposit as collateral.</p><p>Rebranded from ETHLend following a successful ICO in 2017, Aave switched from a decentralized P2P lending platform into a liquidity pool model. This means loans are acquired from a pool instead of an individual lender. Since 2020, the Aave Protocol has been an open-source and non-custodial liquidity DeFi protocol for earning interest on deposits and borrowing assets. Holders of AAVE can decide on the direction of the project by voting on and discussing proposals.</p><h3>4. Stellar Lumens (XLM)</h3><div type="image" title="Stellar Lumens altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848277" hostid="261"></div><p>Stellar is an open-source payment network that doubles as a distributed intermediary blockchain for global financial systems, designed so all the world's financial systems can work together on a single network. Stellar began in 2014 when Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb disagreed with the direction of the Ripple project. The ethos behind Stellar's development is to make international money transfers possible for the everyday person. </p><p>While Stellar is an open-source network for currencies and payments, Stellar Lumens (XLM) is the circulating native asset on the network. Stellar keeps its ledger in sync using its <a href="https://www.stellar.org/papers/stellar-consensus-protocol" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP)</a>. Instead of relying on a miner network, SCP uses the Federated Byzantine Agreement algorithm, enabling faster transactions.</p><h3>5. Uniswap (UNI)</h3><div type="image" title="Uniswap altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848283" hostid="261"></div><p>Uniswap is a decentralized exchange ecosystem built on the Ethereum blockchain. Launched in 2018, Uniswap uses an on-chain automated market maker. One of Uniswap's unique features is that anyone can be a market maker by depositing their assets into a pool and earning fees based on trading activity.</p><p>Uniswap uses an automated market maker protocol that executes trades according to a series of smart contracts. The smart contracts automate price discovery, allowing users to swap one token for another without an intermediary. In traditional finance, market makers are usually brokerage houses with incentives that can cause a conflict of interest.</p><h3>6. PotCoin ($POT)</h3><div type="image" title="Potcoin altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848284" hostid="261"></div><p>PotCoin is a Canadian-based digital currency that was launched in 2014 to allow consumers to buy and sell legal cannabis products. PotCoin was introduced as a solution for cannabis enthusiasts and the industry looking to legally transact at a time where banks were unable to do so.</p><p>PotCoin is an open source cryptocurrency forked from the Litecoin core. There are subtle changes to the PotCoin protocol including a shorter block generation time and the increased 420 million max supply of PotCoins. Potcoin switched from a Proof of Work mechanism to Proof of Stake in 2016 to make supporting the network more accessible and less harmful to the environment.</p><h3>7. Litecoin (LTC)</h3><div type="image" title="Litecoin altcoin on green background 2x1" height="835" width="1668" msid="85848288" hostid="261"></div><p>One of the first-generation of altcoins made in 2011, Litecoin is a cryptocurrency based off of Bitcoin. Key things that distinguish Litecoin from Bitcoin include blocktime (four times faster block times than Bitcoin), supply (Litecoin has a max supply of 84 million while Bitcoin max supply of 21 million), its hashing algorithm, and distribution.</p><p>Dubbed the "digital silver" to Bitcoin's "digital gold," Litecoin's goal was to optimize the Litecoin asset while preserving the best parts of Bitcoin.</p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong><a href="https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/standards/tokens/erc-20/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The ERC-20 standard</a> is a set of rules applied to smart-contract tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. The flexibility and fungibility of the ERC-20 token allows dApp developers to create utility tokens, security tokens, or stablecoins.</p><h2><strong>The financial takeaway</strong></h2><p>Altcoins have come a long way since 2011, and continue to prove themselves as more than just an "alternative to Bitcoin." The crypto space is a fast-moving and increasingly popular point of interest for investors. Thanks to the innovation and integration of crypto into mainstream business, people can safely and legally buy altcoins on their phone or computer.</p><p>Easy access to the crypto markets doesn't mean it isn't risky. Before investing in an altcoin, ask yourself: have you researched and performed enough due diligence? Would you be able to explain the project to your family or friends at the dinner table? Whether you want to trade altcoins full-time or just "hodl" onto your Bitcoin, the choice is yours. Listening to the experts, evaluating the risks, and assessing your financial goals are keys to investing responsibly.</p><a data-type="600f72e1fdb68e08982d5365">A bitcoin IRA lets you profit from the cryptocurrency's potential gains in a tax-advantaged way</a><a data-type="5fac1720bf96b9125f748159">How to diversify your portfolio to limit losses and guard against risk</a><a data-type="5fdc12cc3617355d27686ece">How to invest in bitcoin: The major ways to buy, their pros and cons, and the strategies to consider</a><a data-type="5fd1032bbca41b06e2352e87">Bitcoin taxes: Understanding the rules and how to report cryptocurrency on your return</a>

Altcoins are the alternative digital currencies to bitcoin - here's what they are and how they work

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52b069086da811072f65fad0-1200-924/elon-musk-tuxedo-thing-model-s-2011-1.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="elon musk tuxedo thing model s 2011" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Stephen Lam</span></p><p class="caption">Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has captured the interest of California, but not Wyoming.</p></div><p></p></div>Google has released its annual <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?vm=trendingchart&amp;cid=zg2614&amp;date=2013&amp;geo=US&amp;cat#vm=cat&amp;cid&amp;r=r" target="_blank">Zeitgeist</a>, which breaks down what people searched for in 2013.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/tesla" target="_blank">Tesla Motors</a> was the top trending car company in the U.S., meaning it saw the largest increase in search volume from the previous period (2012).</p>
<p>But a closer look at the data reveals that not all of America is intrigued by Elon Musk's efforts to get people into electric cars.</p>
<p>Google breaks down search interest by state and metro region, and it's clear that people are some areas just don't care.</p>
<p>Here's state map. The area with the highest search volume gets a 100, and others are scored relative to that. Note how little interest residents of the Dakotas and Wyoming have in Musk's electric dreams. For comparison, those three states were among the most interested in Ford.</p>
<script type="text/javascript" src="//www.google.com/trends/embed.js?hl=en-US&amp;q=/m/0dr90d&amp;geo=US&amp;date=1/2013+12m&amp;cmpt=geo&amp;content=1&amp;cid=GEO_MAP_0_0&amp;export=5&amp;w=500&amp;h=530"></script>
<p>Here's the breakdown by metro region. West Coast and Northeast cities are the most interested in Tesla, with significant pockets in Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, Austin, and Miami. That makes sense. Electric cars, whose batteries need regular charging, are most useful in urban areas.</p>
<script type="text/javascript" src="//www.google.com/trends/embed.js?hl=en-US&amp;q=/m/0dr90d&amp;geo=US&amp;date=1/2013+12m&amp;cmpt=geo&amp;content=1&amp;cid=GEO_MAP_0_1&amp;export=5&amp;w=500&amp;h=530"></script>
<p>Interestingly, the dark blue patches of interest pretty closely match the current distribution of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-supercharger-station-2013-12" target="_blank">Tesla's supercharger stations</a>, which allow drivers on road trips to charge up along the way:</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Tesla Motors" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b061e06bb3f709469b44ca-960/screen%20shot%202013-12-17%20at%209.37.43%20am.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b061e06bb3f709469b44ca-1147-652/screen%20shot%202013-12-17%20at%209.37.43%20am.png" border="0" alt="tesla supercharger map december 2013" width="800" /></a><p class="source"><span>Tesla Motors</span></p></div><p></p></div></p>

Big Chunks Of The US Couldn't Care Less About Tesla

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="AP Photo/Frank Franklin II" title_caption="Tumblr CEO David Karp with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer." class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52cd5ab46da8113f74512e1f-960/mayer%20karp.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52cd5ab46da8113f74512e1f-1200-1200/mayer%20karp.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="mayer karp" width="480" /></a><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Frank Franklin II</span></p><p class="caption">Tumblr CEO David Karp with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.</p></div><p></p></div>Good morning, AdLand. Here's what you need to know today:</p>
<p><strong>Yahoo </strong>announced a revamped <a href="http://adage.com/abstract?article_id=290957">Yahoo Advertising</a> at the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday. The new Yahoo <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">Advertising</keyword> will boost <strong>Tumblr </strong>Sponsored Posts by allowing advertisers to better target their native ads according to gender and location. Yahoo will now be charging based on a cost per engagement model, meaning ad pricing will be based upon the number of Reblogs, Likes, followers, and clicks made directly from the sponsored content.</p>
<p><strong>YouTube </strong>launched <a href="http://www.youtube.com/teamusa">an official <strong>Olympics</strong> page</a> that will feature exclusive content, including profiles on star athletes. Liberty Mutual Insurance has signed on as the channel's exclusive sponsor.</p>
<p>The <strong>FTC </strong><a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/sprinkle-eat-and-pay-big-time-sensa-sheds-265-million-settle-ftc-charges-154781">penalized four companies for false advertising</a>. L'Occitane and HCG Direct were fined, and LeanSpa was granted a suspended settlement for being unable to pay. But <strong>Sensa</strong>, the granulated diet product manufacturer, will have to pay the most, with a whopping $26.5 million fine.   </p>
<p><strong>The New York Times</strong> launched its redesign website, including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-first-native-ad-2014-1">its first ever native advertisement</a>.</p>
<p>The pharmacy retail chain <strong>CVS </strong>is <a href="http://adage.com/article/agency-news/cvs-embarks-creative-agency-review/290943/">undergoing a creative agency review</a>, according to AdAge's sources.</p>
<p><strong>General Motors </strong>has named <a href="http://adage.com/article/news/gm-taps-paul-edwards-lead-chevy-s-u-s-marketing/290946/">Paul Edwards as vp-U.S. marketing for Chevrolet</a>, placing him in charge of the American market.</p>
<p><strong>Whataburger</strong>, the beloved Texas burger chain, has put <strong>McGarrah Jessee </strong>in charge of all its media planning and buying duties. McGarrah Jessee has been handling creative duties since 2003.</p>
<p><strong>Sony Computer Entertainment</strong> announced its <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/sony-announces-streaming-tv-and-gaming-services-154803">PlayStation Now</a> cloud streaming system at CES, which will allow users to play a video games on their tablets and the PlayStation Vita handheld.</p>
<p><a href="http://digiday.com/brands/brands-brim-warmed-polarvortex-tweets/">Digiday collected the tweets</a> of some brands who couldn't resist using <strong>#PolarVortex</strong> to market their products as extremely cold temperatures swept the country.</p>
<p>Analytics firm <strong>Ace Metrix</strong> has named <strong>Google</strong> <a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/google-dubbed-effective-tv-advertiser-ace-metrix/290936/">the most effective television advertiser of 2013</a>, and named its Zeitgeist video Ad of the Year. Here it is in case you missed it:</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Lv-sY_z8MNs?rel=0"></iframe></p>
<p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Previously on Business Insider Advertising:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-whistling-woods-dehli-rape-2014-1">A Clever New Ad From India Shows Just How Stupid Men Look When They Creep On unsuspecting Women</a></li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/raining-poop-at-leo-burnett-chicago-2014-1">Chicago Ad Agency Denies That It Was Raining Poop In Its Office Today</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-new-ad-direction-2014-1">Facebook Is Putting The Fate Of Its Advertisers In The Hands Of Its Users</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heinz-will-advertise-at-2014-super-bowl-2014-1">Heinz Will Advertise At This Year's Super Bowl After A 16 Year Absence</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/turbotax-to-advertise-at-super-bowl-2014-1">TurboTax Will Try To Make Doing Your Taxes Look Fun At This Year's Super Bowl</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/personicx-demographic-grouops-2014-1">Here Are The Hilariously Detailed Descriptions Of The Fake Lives Advertisers Draw Up For Their Ideal Consumers</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-first-native-ad-2014-1">Here's The New York Times' First Ever Native Ad</a></p>
</li>
</ul>

You Searched For "Google Zeitgeist 2013" and got 15 results

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The Most Interesting Cars Of 2013

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Joy Covey, 1963-2013

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Boston Dynamics employees were frustrated with Google's plan for a household robot

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Here Are 10 Stocks Everyone Was Googling This Year

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Google Captures Some Of The Year's Most Moving Images In This Amazing 90-Second Video

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The Story Of How Larry Page Got Forced From The Top Of Google And Came Back A Decade Later

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The whirlwind success of Netflix's 'You' and 'Bird Box' shows it's become a well-oiled FOMO machine

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One of anime's most popular memes is an absurd joke about soup. This is how it survived for 5 years without losing its charm.

Palmer Haasch

Altcoins are the alternative digital currencies to bitcoin - here's what they are and how they work

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Big Chunks Of The US Couldn't Care Less About Tesla

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Yahoo Restructures Their Ad Services, Significantly Affecting Tumblr [THE BRIEF]

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