In today’s newsletter we discuss Dude Perfect just scored a perfect $100+ Million investment, Tesla is rolling out RoboTaxis on August 8, Beyoncé's launches a Country Music albumn, X/Twitter is giving out Blue check marks to some influencers, and Balmoral Castle is opening up to visitors for tours when the royal family isn’t around.

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Business

Dude, you’re getting $100 Million!

Sorry for the nostalgic 2001 Dell ad reference there, but I couldn’t help it.

The crew behind the Dude Perfect brand has raised $100+ Million dollars "to pursue bold new opportunities and projects, add to their slate of creative partnerships, and build a robust management team to lead the group to new heights”, according to their press release. Terms of the deal, or the exact size of the funding event haven’t been released, but it is estimated they raised between $100-$300 Million dollars in funding.

The funding was provided by Highmount Capital. According to Jason Illian, co-founder and general partner,  A nine-figure investment is significant, but I think it’s because there’s such huge potential for what the Dudes are doing. I mean, you’re talking about the creator economy being at $250 billion and doubling in the next couple of years.”

Dude Perfect is made up of five friends who met and were roommates while attending Texas A&M University, and is comprised of Tyler "The Beard” Toney, “The Twins” Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett "The Purple Hoser" Hilbert, and Cody "The Tall Guy" Jones.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter following the announcement of the fundraising, Coby Cotton, one of Dude Perfect’s co-founders, said “We’ve had a lot of dreams and big visions that we haven’t yet been able to tackle with the size team that we have, or the amount of capital that we’ve had so far, and so this was something that we’ve been looking into for the past year, and we were really excited when Highmount came along. We really want to expand what we can create for families to actually use in their own homes, and we feel like the possibilities there are endless.”

Dude Perfect is best known for their elaborate YouTube trick shot videos that made them famous. With over 60 million followers on YouTube, they are one of the most successful channels. They’ve done nationwide tours, had a TV series on Nickelodeon, and they even had their own alternate broadcasts for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football (which was like the ManningCast, only funnier).

Dude Perfect is in the process of building a new headquarters in Frisco, Texas, where they’ll be able to create even more content and host live events for fans.

This family-friendly approach to entertainment that Dude Perfect has perfected is also wildly profitable. To date the team has reinvested their profits into growing their brand. In 2022 they brought in $25 million dollars from YouTube, touring, and merchandise sales. In 2023 they doubled their revenue to $50 million dollars. That’s an increase in revenue of 100% in one year! I think I know why Highmount Capital was interested in investing $100+ million in Dude Perfect!

Dude Perfect scores more than $100M investment

Tech

Big news from the world of Elon Musk and Tesla. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has just announced something pretty groundbreaking coming August 8th.

He says that by the end of this year, Tesla will be rolling out robotaxis.

That's right, Tesla cars driving themselves around, no humans needed.

Now I know what you’re thinking - Elon Musk is known for his ambitious promises that he doesn’t always deliver on time, but this one is particularly bold and specific.

He's talking about rolling out a fleet of autonomous taxis in just a few months. I mean, they must have been working on this secretly for years now to get to this point I would think.

As always experts and Tesla haters are skeptical. They're raising questions about whether Tesla's technology is truly ready for this level of autonomy, especially given past incidents and regulatory hurdles.

Plus, there's the whole issue of public perception and trust in self-driving technology. So, while Elon Musk's vision of a robotaxi future is certainly exciting, it might be a bumpy road getting there. We'll be keeping an eye on this story as it develops.

Elon Musk announces Tesla will unveil a ‘robotaxi’ on August 8

Entertainment

Move over, y'all, because Queen Bey is shaking things up in the country music scene! Beyoncé's new foray into Country Music is making waves, boosting streams for Black artists in the genre, and making some racists unhappy (but who cares about them!). Looks like even in the land of cowboy boots and pickup trucks, Beyoncé reigns supreme. Who knew the Beyhive could turn Nashville into their own personal honey pot?!?!

The mere mention of Beyoncé might conjure images of fierce choreography and chart-topping R&B hits, but now she's adding cowboy boots and Stetsons to her wardrobe. Turns out, her venture into country music isn't just a phase; it's a full-blown crossover that's got tongues wagging and Spotify playlists spinning. 

Beyoncé's venture into Country Music is opening doors for other diverse artists wider than a Texas ranch gate, finally giving them the recognition and platform they deserve. So while some (*cough* racists) may scoff at the idea of Beyoncé singing about hay bales and heartache, she's actually doing a service to diversity in an industry that's often as homogeneous as a field of corn in Iowa.

So to quote Tylor Swift, haters gonna hate, but Beyoncé is proving once again that she's not just a pop icon – she's a genre-bending force to be reckoned with. And if her country music experiment keeps bringing more Black voices to the forefront, well, I reckon Nashville might just have to make some room for the Beyhive after all.

Beyoncé's country songs are drawing new listeners to the genre, boosting streams

Social Media

Hello irony, it’s Elon Musk’s X/Twitter calling.

In a change of policy that literally everyone saw coming, Elon Musk’s X/Twitter is now giving out Blue checks marks to some large accounts.

The timing was a bit coincidental, coming on the same day that Mark Zuckerberg's Threads announced they had begun testing monetization on their platform.

And this all occurs with the backdrop of X/Twitter continuing to lose subscribers as the platform’s place in social media work continues to shrink, while platforms like Threads, Post, and Mastadon’s social cachet continue to grow.

Blue check marks reappear on some large X accounts

Real Estate

Balmoral Castle, the Scottish retreat of the British royal family, has traditionally been closed to visitors when the royals are in residence. Now, they are throwing open the doors to welcome guests on guided tours during certain times of the year when the royal family is not present.

This presents a unique chance for Anglophiles to visit and explore the stunning grounds and learn about the history and significance of Balmoral Castle, which has been a royal residence since the mid-19th century.

King Charles is opening up Balmoral Castle for the first time