Innovation

🚢 In Saint-Nazaire, Accor unveiled the world’s largest sailing yacht, Orient Express Corinthian, a few days ago. This ambitious project reflects French craftsmanship and industrial excellence, aiming to redefine luxury with elegance, innovation, and sustainability. The yacht incorporates breakthrough sailing technology to promote responsible luxury at sea. This event marked a proud moment for Orient Express, Accor, and the French, highlighting their dedication to excellence in hospitality and maritime innovation.

💻 Garry Tan, from Y Combinator, introduced Gstack and Gbrain, installed over 91,000 times in the last 15 days. These tools function as an AI chief of staff, integrating with platforms like Slack and Excel. They reclaim hundreds of hours monthly by automating tasks such as emails and spreadsheets. Gstack handles the workload, while Gbrain serves as memory, together acting as a tireless deputy GM. All this is free and requires no coding.

📰 At the Human Attention Summit, Seth Matlins, filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, and I discussed storytelling in the attention economy. We emphasized human traits, like taste and judgment, amid AI's limitless options. The event, curated by Heather Hartnett, Joe Marchese, and Human Ventures, showcased human connection in a tech-driven world. The summit highlighted AI's role in expanding possibilities while underscoring that human originality remains crucial. Such gatherings exemplify maintaining originality in an AI-powered landscape.

💵 Last week in Bangkok, the Skift Asia Forum spotlighted a shift in investment towards "OTA 2.0," with VCs betting on AI agents replacing platforms like Booking.com and Expedia. Investors aim to reshape hotel bookings, potentially squeezing independent hotels' margins for another 20 years. However, these hotels seek a simpler approach, akin to "OTA 0.0," focusing on direct guest interactions without intermediaries. Owners must question how much direct demand is at risk of being intermediated again.

📊 Google updated Maps with Gemini technology, while Uber partnered with Expedia for hotel bookings, marking a new phase in the travel super-app race. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's CEO, highlighted Uber's transformation into a versatile app. Uber's Eats division generated $1.5 billion in advertising revenue in Q1 2025, a 60% increase year-over-year. The profitability of Uber's ride services contrasts with the plateau in Eats commissions, yet both areas offer significant growth opportunities.