Mark Zuckerberg's AI Slop Will Make Ads Creepier and Worse
This has set off palpitations at ad agencies. Who needs the expertise of today's Mad Men if Meta's tools not only target users but also do all the creative work of building adverts from scratch? Shares in WPP Plc, a British advertising giant, fell 3% in London trading on Monday after the Journal published its report and remained flat on Tuesday in a rising stock market.
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BofA Raises Price Target on Philip Morris, Highlights Smoke-Free Strategy
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Business Insider
12 minutes ago
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'The Social Network' is getting a sequel. Here's our dream cast.
"The Social Network Part II" is going forward at Sony. It will be written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the original movie. Here's our dream cast for the film. Whether Mark Zuckerberg likes it or not, the story of Facebook is heading back to the big screen. After years of speculation, in June, it was officially announced that Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter of David Fincher's 2010 Oscar-winning hit " The Social Network," will write and direct a sequel for Sony titled "The Social Network Part II." The original found huge acclaim upon its release and has since become a classic thanks to its intimate examination of how Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, created Facebook and changed the tech landscape. The sequel will touch on just how impactful Facebook and its parent company, Meta, have been on society. For years, Sorkin has said he wanted to write a sequel. In a 2020 interview for the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, he noted that what fascinated him was " the dark side of Facebook." A year later, The Wall Street Journal released its expansive investigative series The Facebook Files, which delved into the social network's impact on youth mental health, misinformation, and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Sorkin will use this reporting as inspiration for developing the sequel. Meta did not respond to BI's request for comment about the sequel. Zuckerberg has not commented on the sequel, but he has previously spoken out against the first movie. "They got all these very specific details of what I was wearing, or these specific things correct, but then the whole narrative arc around my motivations and all this stuff were like, completely wrong," Zuckerberg said on the podcast "The Colin and Samir Show" in March, noting that the Zuckerberg character in the movie being "motivated by trying to find a girlfriend" was inaccurate as he was dating his now-wife Priscilla Chan before he started the company. Outside of using The Facebook Files as a guide, there's little else known about the sequel, including if Eisenberg will return to play Zuckerberg (it's likely stars of the first movie like Andrew Garfield, who played Eduardo Saverin, Armie Hammer, who played the Winklevoss twins, and Justin Timberlake, who played Sean Parker, will not return as the story being told no longer involves them). So we thought it was the perfect time to come up with our dream cast for "The Social Network Part II." Jesse Eisenberg needs to return as Mark Zuckerberg. Don't be shocked if Sorkin puts the focus on others in the Facebook/Meta world in the sequel. Sorkin is likely looking to show Facebook's evolution, which means introducing players who found their way into Zuckerberg's orbit after the early days of the company. Also, going on Sorkin's past work (creator of "The West Wing," screenwriter of "A Few Good Men," director of "The Trial of the Chicago 7"), he loves a good ensemble cast. But it would be a mistake for Zuckerberg to never make an appearance. And if Zuck does show up, it has to be Eisenberg playing him. He captivated us in the role, for which he was Oscar-nominated, so Sorkin trying to go another way would be disastrous. Eisenberg did say in an interview with the BBC in February that he no longer wants to be "associated" with Zuckerberg. But feelings can change … especially when Sorkin wants you to do something. "Past Lives" star Greta Lee would be perfect casting as Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan. Chan never shows up in "The Social Network," but if Sorkin wants to continue the theme from the first movie of Zuckerberg's desire to find a special someone — however much the real Zuck says that's inaccurate — this would be the way to close that loop. Regardless of how much of a role Chan actually plays in the movie, casting Greta Lee in the part would make a lot of sense. After being lauded with attention for her work in the 2023 movie "Past Lives" and her continued Emmy-nominated work on the Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show" (not to mention her fantastic cameo in "The Studio"), this would be a part that could further heighten her exposure. And she certainly can handle Sorkin's heavy dialogue roles. "The Bear" star Abby Elliott taking the role of whistleblower Frances Haugen could be a breakthrough. The Facebook Files is heavily based on the thousands of pages of internal documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who was a product manager at Facebook. If Sorkin is going to heavily lean into The Facebook Files, Haugen could be a major character in the sequel. After it was revealed she was the whistleblower, Haugen did a "60 Minutes" interview and testified at a Senate hearing that Facebook knew it could be harmful to young people. (Shortly after, Zuckerberg announced on an earnings call that Meta was hiring 40,000 people to work in safety and security because, he said, "we care about getting this right." Facebook has long said it endorses establishing rules for online platforms.) These are all elements that Sorkin can lean in on to create a meaty role. We see Abby Elliott as a perfect candidate to take it on. The star of "The Bear" is on the cusp of major stardom, and under Sorkin's care, this has all the makings of an awards-bait leading lady performance. Veteran actor Hugh Laurie could play Meta's former president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, in his sleep. If Sorkin keeps Zuckerberg in the background, he may pull his focus to Nick Clegg as the face of the Facebook/Meta hierarchy in the movie. When The Facebook Files were released, Clegg, who was Meta's president of global affairs until resigning this year, was front and center doing damage control. He even penned a memo titled " What the Wall Street Journal Got Wrong." You need someone with a sense of authority to play this role (Clegg was the UK's deputy prime minister from 2010 to 2015). We can't think of anyone better than Hugh Laurie. The veteran English actor has done everything from playing a sarcastic doctor in the long-running Fox series "House" to playing a senator trying to become vice president on HBO's "Veep." Justin Theroux already has the look down to play Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. The Facebook Files reported that there was knowledge internally at Facebook/Meta that Instagram, which Meta owns, can be toxic to youth. We're betting Sorkin will address that topic in some form. And one way to tackle it is to feature Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri getting heat for it. Months after The Facebook Files were released, Mosseri was grilled at a Senate hearing investigating Instagram's harmful effects. Mosseri took the criticisms and told the lawmakers, "It is critical that we address youth online safety as an industry challenge and develop industry-wide solutions and standards." We believe Justin Theroux has the perfect talents and look to turn the Instagram CEO part into a scene-stealing role. Robert Redford has the gravitas to play Senator Richard Blumenthal, who chaired the subcommittee that investigated Facebook. The Democratic senator chaired the United States Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security in 2021 and brought in Haugen, Mosseri, and others to testify following the release of The Facebook Files. We're not implying that Sorkin should do a courtroom drama, but using the subcommittee would be a way to address misinformation and youth mental health. If he does go down that road, you'd need a recognizable face playing Blumenthal, and we've got the guy. Legendary actor Robert Redford would bring not just the authority needed for the role but name recognition as well. "The Life of Chuck" star Benjamin Pajak would be perfect for a key role. Sorkin could choose to develop a fictional character to represent the toxicity that teens can experience on social media. Teenage actor Benjamin Pajak, who recently wowed audiences in the movie "The Life of Chuck," would be our choice for that role. He has the talent to showcase the struggles that teens go through. Donald Trump should be featured in archival footage. Sorkin also has to address the misinformation on Facebook and its connection to recent elections and the January 6 attacks. The best way to do this is to feature Donald Trump in some way. We suggest not casting him but using archival footage. Attempting to cast such a polarizing figure could become the story and distract from the movie — we saw what happened with the release of "The Apprentice" (though it earned Sebastian Stan, who portrayed Trump, an Oscar nomination).
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12 minutes ago
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Unilever Buys Dr. Squatch for $1.5 Billion to Boost Men's Grooming Portfolio
Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) ranks among the best FMCG stocks to buy. On June 23, Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) declared that it has signed an agreement to purchase Dr. Squatch, a personal care brand, from growth equity firm Summit Partners. Unilever is paying $1.5 billion (1.09 billion pounds) for the deal, according to the Financial Times. Dr. Squatch is a personal care brand that specializes on natural grooming products for men. The brand has reached millions of people through retail and direct-to-consumer channels on account of its natural, high-performing personal care products. As previously stated, Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) plans to expand Dr. Squatch internationally and employ the acquisition to enhance its men's personal care products, which include Axe and Dove Men+Care deodorants. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods corporation formed through the combination of British soap manufacturer Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. The company owns a diversified portfolio of popular brands, which include the likes of Ben & Jerry's, Dove, Hellmann's, Knorr, Lux, Magnum, Sunsilk, and Wall's. While we acknowledge the potential of UL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Read More: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
