Iterate Weekly - Issue 162
This week we look at poor reviews for another AI device, young employees make work global, Telo's electric pickup truck, Airbnb creates iconic listings, and "Unfrosted"!
Welcome to issue 162 of Iterate Weekly.
Hope you’re all doing well. This is just a friendly reminder that you can always reply directly to these messages or leave a comment on the Substack post. Feedback is highly encouraged and I’m happy to answer any and all questions that come up.
Thank you as always for reading!
🤖 Tech
The Rabbit R1 fails to impress tech reviewers
It’s been a rough few weeks for our AI powered gadgets.
Personally, I thought that the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 could be the most game-changing products of the year.
Instead, MKBHD said the Humane Pin was quite possibly the worst product he’s ever reviewed, and the Rabbit R1 is also being panned as not ready for prime time.
So what’s going on here? Are these products just poorly executed and rushed to market? Or is this whole product category just destined to fail? I think it’s mostly the former. I am still bullish on the success of the Brilliant Frames and new iterations of Meta’s Smart Glasses.
The Rabbit R1 in particular seemed like a real breath of fresh air. It was orange, it was plastic! What’s not to love? It reminded me of a simpler time of tech gadgets. A time where you could make a product out of plastic and not get lampooned for it not being “sleek” or “premium” enough.
Build quality doesn’t seem to be the undoing for Rabbit. The issue is more about the brains powering the machine. Relying on AI realtime feedback is just too clunky in 2024. Both Rabbit and Humane were rightfully criticized for inquiries just taking too long to be answered. And the range of accurate responses was also a huge problem.
The bottom line is that these products aren’t offering anything that is faster, smoother, or less clunky than our smart phones right now. And that’s ok! I was all for ditching the phone to have something new and exciting strapped to me all day, but we’re just not there yet.
I think that products like the Humane Pin and Rabbit R1 were meant to be first generations. They were sadly just the guinea pigs to see what hangups consumers would be able to overlook (or not) when it comes to relying on an AI operating system.
I hope both companies are able to pivot to a version 2.0, but I’m not holding my breadth just yet. Hey, at least we still have smart glasses right? Those won’t totally flame out will they? Will they???
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Bringing your work all around the globe
This may not come as much of s surprise but Gen Z employees really enjoy flexibility in their work arrangements. In fact, they especially value the ability to take their work with them around the globe.
Remote work is obviously here to stay for a lot of knowledge workers. But in addition to that, younger employees seem to value companies that have more of a global mindset. Maybe that means working with colleagues from different cultures on the other side of the planet. Or maybe it’s just working for a company who sees the bigger picture when making corporate decisions.
With the barriers of establishing remote-first companies being reduced, companies are more likely to setup small remote offices in global hotbeds of innovation. No, maybe it’s not the same as having a large headquarters in one big city, but shared working spaces in several global locales could provide more flexibility and culture that traditional structure would lack.
♻️ Health/Environment/EVs
Telo promises to make the most efficient pickup truck
I honestly had to go back through the archives to remember if I had written about Telo before. Apparently, I haven’t but I remember seeing their quirky design last year.
The company is looking to build micro electric pickup trucks that are roughly the size of a Mini Cooper but offer different configurations and a ton of utility. You can leave the bed open to store your bike or surfboard or add an additional row of seats and a roof when needed.
To be clear, these are still renderings with a lot of details to be worked out. But the company is taking pre-orders if you’re so inclined. I’m certainly rooting for the company with roots in the Bay Area and some big backers. The name most interesting to me is Yves Béhar who serves as a co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. Béhar is well known name in the design world with a client list too long to repeat here. Just in my home alone, he’s responsible for designing our August Smart Locks, our SNOO bassinet for our newborn son, and I’m sure several other things I’m forgetting.
Anyway, the design of this vehicle is just plain beautiful and practical. Will it ever actually come to fruition? I think it has a decent shot, but nothing is guaranteed. It does seem to be capitalizing off some of the vibes that have worked for Rivian and that seems smart.
It’s not going to necessarily be a vehicle to replace your Ford F-150, but it would fill a niche for urban dwellers who want to get out into nature and occasionally haul some serious gear. It’s all electric, and the size and relative light weight means that range should be quite good.
I won’t put down a deposit just yet, but I’m definitely interested to see how things progress with the company.
🛍 Grab Bag
Airbnb rents out “iconic” listings
Airbnb continues to find ways to stay relevant as a pop culture brand.
They’re now promoting “icons” listings that are staged to look like some of the most famous houses from TV and movies.
The example above recreates the famous X-Men house from the comics and films. Airbnb will launch with eleven unique experiences to start but hope to make it an ongoing part of their standard offerings. Not only can you stay in an iconic home, but you’ll also gain access to exclusive tours and experiences with each listing to enhance the experience.
The odd thing here is that these listings will be available for free or less than $100 per night on a first-come-first-serve basis. So it’s clearly not meant to be a huge moneymaker for the brand from the onset. Instead, it’s generating buzz and building that magic and whimsy that CEO Brian Chesky is trying to instill in the brand.
It’s a really cool idea even if it doesn’t increase the bottom line. Who wouldn’t want to stay in one of these spots? Let’s hope they can keep them in pristine condition and grow the list of available places to stay.
💬 Quote of the Week
"Life is a zoo in a jungle."
-Peter De Vries
🎥Content Recommendation
Unfrosted
Jerry Seinfeld was seemingly everywhere last week to promote his new film “Unfrosted”.
And honestly, all the podcast interviews and the appearance on SNL were needed in order to tell people about this gem of comedy. Like most Netflix offerings, it just kinda fell into my proverbial streaming lap but I wish I had known about its existence sooner.
Seinfeld and friends weave a hysterical version of the creation of Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. Seriously. Pretty much every comedian finds their way into this movie and it provided me with non-stop laughs.
It’s silly, it was slightly longer than it needed to be, but it was a fantastic treat of a film. If you haven’t seen it yet, go check it out. It may have been the funniest film of the year so far. That may be saying more about the state of comedy than anything else, but it’s worth watching.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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