Weekend Briefing No. 580
Going Out on His Own Terms -- Should We Pay People to Have Babies? -- AI Agents & Privacy
Welcome to the weekend.
Prime Numbers
126,000,000 —Las Vegas's immersive LED Sphere venue, despite its initial cultural splash with U2, faces financial challenges as Sphere Entertainment reports a substantial quarterly net loss of $126 million amid fading social media buzz and looming MSG Networks debt deadlines.
26.5 — A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that on average, Americans said that the best age to get married is 26.5, the best age to have a kid is 27.3, the best age to buy a home is 28.8 and the best age to retire is 61.8.
30 — In Japan, the interactive movie "Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle" has generated $5 million from just 85 theaters by allowing audiences to vote on narrative paths via mobile app, resulting in 30% repeat viewership and 48 possible story variations from 5+ hours of total footage.
Going Out on His Own Terms
The greatest minds can make perplexing choices. Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who revolutionized our understanding of human decision-making, chose to end his life in Switzerland at age 90 while still mentally sharp and physically functional. His final days were filled with family time in Paris, museum visits, and continuing academic work - yet he remained steadfast in his teenage belief that "the miseries and indignities of the last years of life are superfluous." Despite pleas from loved ones who saw no signs of significant decline, Kahneman followed his own principle of avoiding "sunk costs," applying his research on memory and experience to orchestrate a deliberate ending on his own terms rather than risking the cognitive decline he had witnessed in his mother and wife. Wall Street Journal (9 minutes)
Should We Pay People to Have Babies?
Plummeting birth rates worldwide threaten economic stability, pension systems, and future innovation as countries face aging populations with fewer young workers to support them. Would you have more children if the government paid you $10,000 per baby? Research shows that family-friendly policies can make a meaningful difference, with the strongest evidence supporting childcare subsidies, paid parental leave, and fertility treatment coverage rather than direct cash payments. When Russia implemented a generous birth payment equivalent to 18 months of wages, they saw fertility rates jump by 20%, while studies show that even a small increase in childcare coverage can boost birth rates by 0.2-1%. However, these policy interventions, while beneficial for families, gender equality, and infant health, cannot fully counteract the massive global fertility decline that's occurring even in countries with the most generous family support systems. Parent Data (7 minutes)
Smart Tax Planning for Everyone
While billionaires make headlines with sophisticated tax strategies, legal tax optimization isn't just for the ultra-wealthy. Many of the same principles can work for your financial situation, regardless of income level. A 2021 White House report revealed the wealthiest Americans paid an average federal tax rate of just 8.2%. But you don't need billions to benefit from strategic planning. Everyday taxpayers can leverage similar concepts—maximizing retirement contributions, timing income recognition, utilizing education credits, and making strategic charitable donations. TaxFrame, can bring professional-grade tax strategies to everyday Americans. Their team analyzes your unique situation to identify opportunities the tax code provides specifically for people like you. With proper planning, you can keep more of your hard-earned money working toward your financial goals. Schedule a consultation today to discover how the same tax code that benefits billionaires can work in your favor too. TaxFrame (Sponsored)
AI Agents & Privacy
Do you ever imagine waking up with all your life admin tasks magically completed by an AI working tirelessly through the night? Unlike chatbots that simply respond to prompts, AI agents can operate independently across multiple systems—booking travel, managing finances, monitoring security, and potentially handling a significant percentage of professional work tasks. While these technological advancements promise unprecedented convenience and efficiency, they raise profound questions about privacy, security, and autonomy as agents would require access to our most sensitive personal information to function effectively. This newsletter explores how the rapid development of AI agents by companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic might reshape our relationship with technology and what it means for a "People's Internet" where individuals retain meaningful control over their digital lives. Project Liberty (7 minutes)
Being Homeless in America
Society systematically erases the humanity of those living in vehicles and on streets, treating them as threats to be dispersed rather than neighbors deserving dignity and assistance. A former Boston Globe journalist with bipolar disorder finds himself homeless at 56, navigating hostile police interactions, impossibly complex social service systems, and the constant search for safe places to park his Toyota while caring for his loyal dog Lily. The daily struggles—finding bathrooms, affording gas, managing medication costs, enduring painful dental issues without care, and facing the psychological toll of being viewed as disposable—reveal how America's social safety net fails to reach those at rock bottom. Despite these hardships, the author continues writing novels on his laptop powered by his car's engine, maintaining his identity as a creative person with value beyond his circumstances, while exposing how close many working Americans are to sharing his fate. Esquire (21 minutes)
Robert Caro on Craft
What if the key to uncovering political power's true nature lies not in rushing to conclusions but in the patient accumulation of revealing details over decades? Legendary 89-year-old historian Robert Caro has spent half a century meticulously researching and writing his five-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson, now at page 980 of the final installment, driven by his unwavering belief that truly understanding how political power works requires extraordinary depth and dedication. His signature methods—moving to the Texas Hill Country for three years to understand Johnson's roots, planning a lengthy Vietnam visit to comprehend the war's human cost, and preserving his daily writing routine of jacket-and-tie formality and Hemingway-inspired word-counting—reveal how his obsessive pursuit of truth has redefined biographical writing. Despite his advanced age and the monumental task still ahead, Caro remains laser-focused on completing his life's work, refusing to cut corners or change his process, determined to show readers not just how Johnson wielded power but how that power affected ordinary people whose stories might otherwise be forgotten. Smithsonian Magazine (7 minutes)
Severance Theme Music
Do you dig that haunting Severance title theme that perfectly captures the show's psychological horror? Haunting melodies can imprint themselves on our consciousness before the narrative even begins. The theme transformed from an entirely different composition into the unsettling, identity-fragmenting soundtrack with minimalist piano and evolving sonic textures that mirror the characters' divided existence. This episode of the podcast Song Exploder is a behind-the-scenes look at that track with the artist himself. Song Exploder (23 minutes)
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
Founder Fridays
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Weekend Wisdom
Power reveals. When you're climbing, you're conciliatory. When you get power, then you see the real person. -Robert Caro
Always appreciate the depth and variety in Weekend Briefing! A great mix of insights that challenge perspectives and keep readers informed. Looking forward to the next one!