Good Morning! Zuck shared an iconic picture of him eating at McDonald’s Japan, rated the meal a 10/10 and suggested it should receive a Michelin star. Barclays is feeling bullish and thinks the S&P 500 might hit the 6,000 sooner than we think – and they’re not the only ones. Goldman thinks Ozempic could boost the U.S. economy by a trillion dollars in a few years. Apple is pumping the brakes on its electric vehicle project, deciding to focus on AI instead. And Macy’s is shuttering 150 stores.

AI this, AI that. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all the AI developments around you, and want to level up your own AI game, then check out the The 4-Hour AI Workweek to work smarter and live better in the AI era. (use code: SHORT)

_{SQUEEZ OF THE DAY}

Sir, This Is A Wendy’s

Your late Friday night Uber fare that looks like a ransom demand may not be the only surcharge you pay next year. Wendy’s wants to be the next company to use a fancy algorithm for dynamic pricing.

Wendy's is investing $20 million into these digital menu boards. They want to change prices on the fly, sort of like a fast-food stock market, all powered by AI. And with everyone glued to their phones and going through drive-thrus, Wendy's thinks it's the perfect time to make their move.

They're betting big, projecting digital orders to hit the $2 billion mark this year. And they’re even giving their mobile app a $15 million revamp. 

Wendy's is also exploring ways to implement AI chatbots for their drive-thrus, teaming up with Google. 

And if this surge pricing thing works out, it’s likely other fast-food chains will follow suit. But at the same time, if consumers start to notice these sneaky price hikes, the move might come back to bite Wendy’s. But, they're kinda hoping consumers just shrug off those extra cents tacked onto their orders.

Takeaway: Wendy's could be about to turn the fast-food game on its head with a pricing strategy straight out of Silicon Valley. But it’s not really a sure thing because Wendy’s could be driving its customers to its competitors. Small price changes often go undetected by consumers, so Wendy’s will need to get its surge pricing just right. In any case, looks like we’re well on our way to a dystopian future where everything is dynamically priced with AI.

_{THE AI COURSE}

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_HEADLINES

Top Reads

• Barclays thinks S&P 500 could hit 6,000 soon (YF)

• Macy’s will close 150 stores (CNBC)

• The U.S. could make 20% of all high-end chips by end of decade (YF)

• Apple is shutting down its EV project (CNBC)

• Ozempic could boost the U.S. economy by a trillion dollars in a few years (CNN)

• Goldman will raise its 9th private equity fund (YF)

• Four reasons Walmart wants to buy smart TV maker Vizio (CNBC)

• Big Tech’s roaring profit machine reverses fear of rally reversal (YF)

• Warner Bros. Discovery halts merger talks with Paramount Global (CNBC)

• US home prices hit new all-time high in December (CNN)

• Apollo considers merger for job-search website CareerBuilder (YF)

_{CAPITAL PULSE}

Markets Rundown

Stocks closed higher as investors wait for inflation data.

Movers & Shakers

• (+) Viking Therapeutics ($VKTX) +121% after the company released positive weight-loss drug results.

• (+) Norwegian Cruise Line ($NCLH) +20% because the cruise line had its first profitable year since 2019.

• (–) Unity Software ($U) -6% after the software company delivered disappointing EBITDA guidance.

Private Dealmaking

• Veradigm bought ScienceIO, a foundation model provider, for $140 million

• Exodigo, an underground mapping startup, raised $105 million

• Shadowfax, an Indian logistics startup, raised $100 million

• Intenseye, a workplace safety software provider, raised $61 million

• CheckSammy, a bulk waste collection startup, raised $45 million

• Turquoise Health, a health care pricing platform, raised $30 million

For more PE, VC & M&A deals, subscribe to our Buysiders newsletter.

_{BOOK OF THE DAY}

Die With Zero

Imagine if by the time you died, you did everything you were told to. You worked hard, saved your money, and looked forward to financial freedom when you retired.

The only thing you wasted along the way was…your life.

Die with Zero presents a startling new and provocative philosophy as well as practical guide on how to get the most out of your money—and out of your life. It’s intended for those who place lifelong memorable experiences far ahead of simply making and accumulating money for one’s so-called Golden Years.

In short, Bill Perkins wants to rescue you from over-saving and under-living. Regardless of your age, Die with Zero will teach you Perkins’ plan for optimizing your life, stage by stage, so you’re fully engaged and enjoying what you’ve worked and saved for.

You’ll discover how to maximize your lifetime memorable moments with “experience bucketing,” how to convert your earnings into priceless memories by following your “net worth curve,” and find out how to navigate whether to invest in, or delay, a meaningful adventure based on your “spend curve” and “personal interest rate.”

Using his own life experiences as well as the inspiring stories and cautionary tales of others—and drawing on eye-opening insights about time, money, and happiness from psychological science and behavioral finance —Perkins makes a timely, convincing, and contrarian case for living large.

“The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that’s all there is.”

_{DAILY ACUMEN}

Temporary Setbacks

Embracing the potential to appear as a failure in the short term can be a profound strategy for long-term success. This willingness to endure temporary setbacks or public missteps is often the hidden catalyst behind significant achievements. In many areas of life, from innovation and entrepreneurship to personal growth and learning, the path to success is littered with obstacles, mistakes, and failures.

However, those who are open to facing these challenges head-on, without fear of judgment or immediate defeat, position themselves to gain invaluable insights, resilience, and experience that others may miss. This approach allows individuals to experiment boldly, take calculated risks, and persist through difficulties, all of which are essential for groundbreaking achievements. 

Moreover, the lessons learned from these apparent failures often lead to greater wisdom, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of one's goals and strategies needed to achieve them. Thus, the advantage comes not from avoiding failure but from leveraging it as a stepping stone towards greater accomplishments.

In essence, being comfortable with the discomfort of failing in the short term sets the foundation for long-term success, proving that the most significant victories often come from the courage to continue, even when the odds seem stacked against us.

_{ENLIGHTENMENT}

Short Squeez Picks

• 5 reasons to learn adaptability as a leadership skill

• The young professionals with less than a grand in the bank

• List one task, do it, cross it out

• 3 simple ways to teach your kids about money

• 7 examples of poor leadership behavior that limit business success

_{MEME-A-PALOOZA}

Memes of the Day