♥️ Google & Apple App Stores Show TikTok Love Again

In today’s newsletter we discuss Google & Apple App stores show TikTok love again, the new trailer for The Accountant 2 just dropped, NYSE to open Texas stock exchange, and Slow Ventures launched $60 million dollar content creator fund, a Ferrari-inspired mansion in Florida just sold for $55 million dollars, and Tom Brady purchases a controlling stake in CardVault and renames it “CardVault by Tom Brady”.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

♥️ Google & Apple App Stores Show TikTok Love Again

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, tech behemoths Apple and Google have graciously decided to restore TikTok to their U.S. app stores. This magnanimous gesture comes after President Donald Trump, in a fit of benevolence, delayed the enforcement of a ban on the app and assured these companies they wouldn't face legal repercussions for hosting it.  

For those keeping score, TikTok had been unceremoniously booted from the app stores in January, following a law that demanded its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, either sell its U.S. operations or face a shutdown. But fear not, dear doom scrollers, for President Donald Trump swooped in with an executive order on his first day back in office, delaying the ban's enforcement by 75 days to "facilitate a possible sale" and address those pesky national security concerns.  

Apple and Google have been waiting patiently for the U.S. Attorney General, 

Pam Bondi, to assure them they wouldn't be fined for reintroducing TikTok to their platforms. Only then did they muster the courage (*cough*) to restore the app, ensuring that the 170 million U.S. users could continue their daily scroll.  

But let's not kid ourselves. This move is as much about self-preservation as it is about user satisfaction. Both Apple and Google are currently navigating a minefield of antitrust lawsuits and other regulatory challenges with this new FTC. Aligning with the Trump administration's wishes is a strategic play to stay in its good graces. After all, when the government says "jump," it's best these days to ask "how high?"  

So, while TikTok enthusiasts can rejoice at the app's return, it's clear that the real dance happening here is between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. And as always, it's the users who are left to keep up with the choreography.

📈 Business

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is making a significant move into the Lone Star State, announcing plans to launch a new stock exchange in Dallas, Texas. This development underscores the growing financial influence of Texas and intensifies the competition among exchanges vying for listings. 

This move follows similar investments in the Texas market by other exchanges. The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) plans to officially launch by 2026 and compete with the long-established NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). And this isn’t just a small startup being built in someone’s garage. This new stock exchange is being backed by some big time financial powerhouses, including BlackRock and Citadel Securities.

The NYSE's entry into the Texas market signals increasing competition and a growing interest in attracting companies, particularly in the energy sector, that are relocating to Texas.  The move also reflects a broader trend of financial institutions seeking to establish a presence in regions experiencing rapid economic growth and business migration.  The new exchange is expected to cater to a range of companies, from established corporations to startups, and could potentially reshape the landscape of stock trading in the US.

🍿 Entertainment

The new trailer for The Accountant 2 just dropped. I’m a big fan of the original Accountant movie, and was super excited a few years ago when I heard they were turning it into a franchise. My only critique is that Anna Kendrick will not be reprising her role. Big missed opportunity IMO! 😢

🏡 Real Estate

A brand new Ferrari-inspired mansion in Delray Beach, Florida, has shattered local real estate records by selling for $55 million dollars! The mansion, known as Casa Maranello, is a 22,000 sqft estate designed for car enthusiasts. The estate features an "auto gallery" with space for 12 cars (Ferraris specifically), visible from the living room through transparent sliding doors.

The mansion boasts 7 bedrooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a soccer field, a putting green, and a Bulgari Hotels-inspired spa complete with a Himalayan salt room, which I didn’t know I needed until I just heard about it!

To see how the 1% live check out this video:

📹 Content Creators

There’s big news in the content creator economy! Slow Ventures just dropped a bombshell announcing they’ve launched a brand new $60 million seed fund dedicated entirely to content creators. 

That's right, they're putting serious money behind the future of online content.

And it's no surprise, considering the sheer size of this market. The content creator economy is a $250 billion industry, and is projected to nearly double to a staggering $480 billion by 2027. 

With the creator economy booming, Slow Ventures is betting big on its continued growth.

For those not in the VC industry, Slow Ventures is a pretty well-known VC firm. Founded by Dave Morin, Sam Lessin, and Kevin Colleran, Slow Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in consumer, fintech, and crypto sectors. Some of their investments include Robinhood, Nextdoor, Pinterest, and Solana.

Slow Ventures’s Creator Fund is being led by co-founder Sam Lessin and investor Megan Lightcap, with plans to invest between $1-3 million dollars in creators operating within high-value verticals such as finance, health and wellness, technology, beauty, fashion, and food.

Instead of simply backing ad-revenue-dependent influencers, they’re looking for multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs - content creators who can build brands, launch products, and generate revenue beyond social media. And it’s a good thing too, because it’s never been tougher to break through the deafening cacophony of social media in 2025.

The launch of Slow Venture’s $60 million dollar content creator fund highlights the vast opportunities that await in the creator economy. While many traditional VCs have been slow to embrace creator-led businesses (pun intended), Slow Ventures is showing that this space is just as viable as SaaS, crypto, or AI investments. By directly funding content creators, Slow Ventures is not just fostering innovation, but also shaping the future of digital entrepreneurship one content creator at a time.

🃏 Sports

Tom Brady just can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight! When he’s not talking about himself during the recent Super Bowl, the former QB of the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been making moves to buy an ownership stake in CardVault, which will now be humbly (cough: narcissist) renamed "CardVault by Tom Brady."

Because, of course it will.

CardVault by Tom Brady aims to be the premier destination for collectors, offering a first-of-its-kind retail experience centered on authenticity, innovation, and community.

The move is expected to boost the company’s status, because if there’s one thing Brady knows it’s how to win - unless it's against the New York Giants.

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irl Media NEWSLETTER is written, edited, and published by Chris Thompson.