Good morning readers. Bud Light is diving headfirst into America's heartland, aiming to win back the hearts of beer aficionados after a cultural hiccup. On Thursday, the Anheuser-Busch InBev darling unveiled its latest touchdown – a sparkling ad celebrating the National Football League's die-hard fans and their game-day rituals. Dubbed "Easy to Sunday," this ad is a sequel to Bud Light's "Easy to Enjoy" narrative. It showcases fans enjoying tailgate parties, cheering in sports hubs, and flaunting their team spirit in parking arenas. This nationwide TV display is backed by hyper-local campaigns, cheering for 27 NFL teams – that's one more than last season, for those keeping score.

The message? Bud Light's bouncing back from a promotional fumble earlier this year, focusing on its breezy beer vibes and steering clear of any political end zones.

Let’s jump into today’s storylines.

In today’s digest:

• Amazon brings AI to the NFL

• Headline Hustle: Shein and Forever 21, Starbucks tries to go scanless, Meta introduces Llama

• Space X’s hiring woes

• Pulse Points: What’s Trending

STREAMING

A new era for Thursday Night Football

In the ever-evolving world of sports broadcasting, Amazon is taking a leap into the future. Gone are the days of just watching the game; Amazon is here to make you feel the game.

AI powered insights

Amazon's not just content with broadcasting NFL games; they're revolutionizing them. With their second season as the official broadcast partner of Thursday Night Football, they're introducing AI tools and machine learning to enhance the viewer experience. Wondering if your team should risk it on fourth down? Amazon's got a graphic for that. Curious about which receiver is most open? The broadcast will highlight them for you. And if you're biting your nails over a potential game-winning field goal, Amazon will show you the exact spot from which the kicker is most likely to score. Touché, Amazon…touché.

The game plan. After a successful first season of broadcasting Thursday Night Football, Amazon is upping the ante. Gone are the days of mere broadcasting. Now, it's all about immersion, engagement, and a deep dive into the strategy of the game. Sam Schwartzstein, Amazon's analytics guru for Thursday Night Football, reveals that viewers crave involvement. They're not just there for the big hits or the spectacular touchdowns; they're in it for the strategy.

One of the standout features this season is the "Defensive Alerts" feature. Amazon has trained a machine learning model on a whopping 35,000 plays from recent seasons. This model can predict, with uncanny accuracy, whether a defender is likely to blitz. So, as you're watching, the stream might just highlight a player who's about to make a game-changing move. It's like having a crystal ball, but for football.

Amazon’s grand play. This year's version of Thursday Night Football is set to be a grand showcase of all things Amazon. From shopping integrations during the Black Friday game to potential tie-ins with music, food, and other Amazon products, the company is leaving no stone unturned. And for the tech aficionados, there's good news: Amazon is streaming its games in HDR for the very first time.

The final whistle...as Amazon gears up for its second full season of broadcasting football games, one thing is clear: it's not just about the game anymore. It's about the experience, the engagement, and the future of sports broadcasting. So, the next time you tune in to watch a game, remember, you're not just watching football; you're witnessing the future. And it's powered by AI.

Headline Hustle

🏬 Shein partners with Forever 21. In a strategic move to expand their fashion empire, Shein and Forever 21 have announced a partnership. This partnership paves the way for Shein to feature Forever 21's clothing and accessories on its platform. Moreover, Shein plans to introduce customer-centric experiences at Forever 21's US outlets, including shop-in-shops and in-store returns. Both brands, known for their affordable fast fashion, aim to leverage each other's strengths to reach a broader audience. The collaboration also comes amidst Shein's environmental and labor controversies, including concerns over its fast-fashion practices and allegations related to forced Uyghur labor in China. Despite these challenges, Shein's popularity remains undeterred, especially on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

☕ Starbucks goes scanless. Starbucks is brewing up a tech innovation, testing a "scanless pay" system for drive-through customers. This new feature, currently in its proof-of-concept phase with Starbucks employees, aims to streamline the payment process by leveraging the geolocation of the Starbucks app users. Once customers check in on the app at participating drive-throughs, they simply mention their name and order. The rest? Just grab the coffee and go. This could be a game-changer, potentially speeding up drive-through service and boosting Starbucks' efficiency.

🖥️ Meta’s AI coding tool, Llama. Meta is stepping up its AI game with the introduction of Code Llama, a tool designed to generate and debug code. Built atop the Llama 2 large language model, Code Llama is not just a one-trick pony. It can craft code from mere prompts or even refine and debug existing human-written code. And the cherry on top? It's free for both research and commercial purposes. Meta has also rolled out specialized versions, including Code Llama-Python for Python enthusiasts and Code Llama-Instrct, which deciphers natural language instructions. However, Meta advises against using the base Code Llama or its Python counterpart for natural language commands. The overarching aim, as Meta puts it, is to streamline developer workflows, letting them zero in on the more human aspects of their roles.

BUSINESS

Space X’s hiring bias

In yet another storyline that involves our boy Elon Musk, the U.S. Justice Department has launched a lawsuit against SpaceX. Their claim? Allegedly, Musk's starship enterprise has been giving the cold shoulder to refugees and other escapees from their home planets... err, countries.

Why the lawsuit?

From September 2018 to May of the following year, SpaceX, it seems, was not so keen on having refugees on board. They claimed the federal export-control laws read like a VIP list, allowing only U.S. citizens and permanent residents to join the party. The Justice Department, however, begs to differ, suggesting SpaceX might need a better pair of reading glasses.

While SpaceX's representatives are currently radio silent (maybe they're on Mars?), in a past court filing orbiting this issue, they denied any starry-eyed bias in their hiring process. Their 2021 legal memo reads like a space-age constitution: “Consistent with its published antidiscrimination policy, SpaceX cannot afford to artificially limit the talent pool... based on their citizenship.” After all, why limit your talent to just Earthlings, right?

The DL on SpaceX. For those who might be living under a lunar rock, Space X is the top dog in the rocket-launching game and is spreading its cosmic wings into the satellite-internet galaxy (they currently provide satellite internet access to Ukraine). They have launch pads, not just in Hawthorne, California, but also in Texas, Florida, and Washington state. And as of 2021, they're leading a crew of nearly 10,000, some of whom, we hear, come from galaxies far, far away (or just other countries).

While it's true that companies like SpaceX, with their space-age tech, have to play by U.S. export-control rules, the Justice Department says these rules aren't about playing "Space Invaders" with potential hires. Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, seems ready to ensure SpaceX's hiring practices are more "Star Trek" (all are welcome) than "Star Wars" (rebels vs. the empire).

Looking ahead…this lawsuit is a reminder that even in the final frontier, companies need to ensure their hiring practices are out of this world, in a good way.

Pulse Points

RBC cuts thousands of jobs. RBC following a third-quarter performance that surpassed analysts' expectations on Thursday, announced its intention to slash approximately 1,800 positions as a cost-cutting measure.

CNN news coming to Max. Warner Bros. Discovery revealed on Thursday that their Max streaming platform will welcome "CNN Max" on September 27^th , positioning it as a round-the-clock news hotspot.

Kobe Bryant is getting a statue. The Los Angeles Lakers are set to honor the legendary Kobe Bryant with a bronze statue. Slated for unveiling outside the team's arena in February, the NBA team made the announcement on Thursday, alongside Kobe's widow, Vanessa.

Amazon in talks with Disney on ESPN. Amazon and Disney have initiated discussions about collaborating on ESPN's upcoming streaming version. Read more about it here.