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Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Retiring early is the dream for many, but it’s not a picture-perfect life. People who did it in their 30s described what it’s like.
Peptides, short-chain amino acids that tell cells what to do, have taken Silicon Valley and Hollywood hostage. There are peptides for better sleep, better memory, tanner skin, or higher libido. Max Marchione, the cofounder and CEO of Superpower, saw a business opportunity.
The longevity startup, which sells members access to comprehensive annual lab testing, recently began offering peptides legal in the US.
Harder, better, faster, stronger.
If you’re under 30 and on TikTok, chances are you’ve seen a video or two about China’s futuristic cities, high-speed trains, and traditional medicines or clothing. Gen Z is far less likely than older generations to think of China as an enemy, a Pew Research study found.
Gen Z’s interest in China is spiking at the same time their views on capitalism are souring. Dissatisfied with US capitalism, Gen Z is looking to the Far East for inspiration.
But don’t call it commie-glazing.
Side hustle better, not harder
Content creator Tom Blake makes a six-figure living by testing and reviewing side hustles on YouTube and Substack. He’s tried over 100 different side gigs and shared with BI the five that are easiest to break into.
Blake’s top five side hustles are lucrative and have a low barrier to entry. For instance, paid market research is one of his favorites because it offers low-stress, passive income.
Developers are now sharing open-source “skills” that can be taught to AI agents. Some of those skills are modeled after McKinsey consultants, making those highly paid human professionals available right in your browser.
BI asked Arvind Vasudevan, a (human) former McKinsey consultant, to see how the AI knockoff compares to the real thing. Vasudevan gave an apt answer as to what the AI is missing about how real consultants work.
More of this week’s top reads:
Curated by Jamie Heller and edited by Dan DeFrancesco, Lisa Ryan, Grace Lett, and Amanda Yen.
This is a shorter version of our flagship newsletter, which brings you in-depth analysis and summaries of the top stories from Wall Street to Silicon Valley.
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