IRL Life

DoorDash tests IRL meals, TikTok tests an ad-free subscription tier, Instacart to accept Medicare for grocery payments

Happy Wednesday! As if taking over YouTube wasn’t enough, Mr Beast is now coming for the NBA. His snack brand Feastables is officially the new jersey sponsor for the Charlotte Hornets 🔥 

🌶 Daily highlight 🌶

DoorDash is testing a ‘Dine Out’ feature for IRL meals. In the DoorDash app, users tap to “claim credit” for eating at select restaurants. To receive the credit, users then swipe to “check in” while they’re at the restaurant 🍽️

It’s an intriguing move by DoorDash – credits may hurt its margins, but the company’s betting that it’ll be able to capture more of discovery value it creates. IMO the success will depend on what the user behavior looks like.

If users browsing DoorDash end up eating out at restaurants they found through the “Dine Out” feature, it’ll be a big win. On the other hand, if users primarily discover through word-of-mouth or Google Maps, but then end up checking DoorDash to get discounts, it’ll be a net loss for restaurants ❌

I’m not bullish on this working out, but that’s why companies do a/b tests!

♨️ Latest launches

Big tech

  • TikTok tests an ad-free subscription tier

  • Linkedin unveils AI products for job hunting, marketing, and sales

  • Google tests adding 'personalized memory’ to its Bard chatbot

  • Instacart to accept Medicare for grocery delivery payments

  • Spotify tests AI-generated playlists created with prompts

General and early-stage

  • Walmart ships a generative-AI shopping assistant

  • Plug launches a wholesale marketplace for used EVs

  • Discovery+ increases the price of its ad-supported tier

  • Sparx launches a spend management platform for enterprises

  • Headspace unveils an immersive VR meditation experience

🔍 Other good finds

  • Green shoots. How venture capital funding is bouncing back 

  • Ozempic. Role of telehealth tech firms in weight loss drugs

  • Fee time. Meta pitched EU on ad-free tiers for IG and FB

🧈 Twitter nugget

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- Amol