It’s Tech Tuesday and based on a 30% drop in annual robot orders, North American companies are no longer super hyped about the robo-revolution.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

After scoring 4.6M users, Bluesky is gearing up to take on X

This year’s Super Bowl didn’t just pit Chiefs devotees against 49ers fans. Two other groups went to war, too: viewers eager for Taylor Swift news and those who would rather keep their football experience Swiftie-free.

The strategy: Both coalitions found a safe haven on Bluesky over the weekend. Days after exiting its invite-only period, the app demonstrated its commitment to user choice by launching two Super Bowl-themed feeds: one designed to exclude Swift-related content and another stocked with updates about the star’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The background: By providing more customizable experiences, Bluesky aims to give users—not algorithms—the power to determine which posts appear on their feeds. That philosophy has already garnered plenty of interest: since doing away with required invite codes last Tuesday, the app has added roughly 1.6 million users (bringing it to a total of 4.8 million).

• The result: despite purposely limiting its user base for nearly a year (as it developed the AT Protocol underpinning its federated structure), Bluesky is now lightyears ahead of fellow X rivals like Mastadon.
  
  

• Now, the Jack Dorsey-backed app is putting its carefully developed AT Protocol to the test by “rolling out an experimental early version of ‘federation’” (aka “the feature that makes the network so open and customizable”).

Why it matters: Decentralized services have become an attractive option for users frustrated by seemingly all-powerful algorithms—but so far, none have managed to maintain a sustainable balance between user choice, accessibility, and moderation.

• If Bluesky’s AT Protocol and moderation systems can withstand its rapidly growing user base, the service could pose a real challenge to X, which has struggled to regain user trust since Elon Musk’s takeover.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• BBC Studios‘ social media division has launched Bluey Book Reads, an original YouTube series that pairs Bluey stories with celebrity narrators like Bindi Irwin and Eva Mendes. (Tubefilter)
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• X announced yesterday that brands will soon be able to “run ads against a curated list of premium content creators via Creator Targeting.” (TechCrunch)
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• Threads’ latest Twitter-style test feature offers certain U.S.-based users a look at “today’s top topics.” (Engadget)
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• Thanks to Spotify’s expanded partnership with Riverside, creators will now be able to access the latter company’s editing and recording tools directly through the Spotify for Podcasters website. (TechCrunch)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: Is the future already written? (And is American cheese really cheese?)

For the first time since 2023, MrBeast is no longer #1 in Gospel Stats’ weekly rundown of top-viewed branded videos. In fact, YouTube’s most-subscribed-to creator didn’t claim a single spot in our most recent list of Top 3 Branded Videos. Here’s who did:

🥇 Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell x Brilliant: Did The Future Already Happen? – The Paradox of Time
Kurzgesagt’s very first video of the year brought it to #1 in this week’s ranking. With a little funding from Brilliant (which sponsored 16 videos in just seven days), the “optimistically nihilistic” channel encouraged 5 million viewers to consider whether the future has already been written.

🥈 NileBlue x Brilliant: Making American cheese to debunk a conspiracy
Kurzgesagt wasn’t the only channel to score Brilliant a spot in this week’s Gospel chart. NileBlue added 4.7 million views to the educational company’s total by bringing viewers along for a deep dive into the “shady underground world of processed cheese.”

🥉 LazarBeam x air up: My First UNREAL Win!
Flavored water bottle brand air up gave LazarBeam all the energy he needed to achieve the highest possible title in Fortnite‘s ranked division. The former gaming pro’s strategy for reaching “Unreal” was unique: he leveled up by doing absolutely nothing and hoping for the best.

FYI: Our weekly brand report is just a sneak peek at Gospel Stats’ in-depth analysis of YouTube sponsorships, rising stars, and established creators. Check out the full site for more info.

PRESIDENTIAL PRANKS

The Biden campaign is officially trolling users on TikTok

U.S. legislators might be considering a TikTok ban, but the Biden campaign isn’t letting that get in the way of some good old-fashioned trolling (in the name of voter outreach, of course).

The videos: The Biden campaign showed off its new TikTok account on Sunday by posting three wildly-different videos: one that offered viewers a Dark Brandon-inspired meme, another that addressed a serious policy question, and a third featuring Biden’s lighthearted remarks at NACo’s Legislative Conference.

• The first of those clips entertained 5 million viewers by revealing Biden’s opinions on hot-button topics—including his preferred Kelce brother—and offering up a conspiracy-inspired meme of the president with blazing red eyes. (That image also made its way onto Biden’s Twitter account.)
  
  

• The caption for that presidential TikTok debut:

The defense: Biden’s campaign is well aware that its TikTok debut doesn’t exactly align with congressional concerns regarding the app’s handling of user data. In defending its new account, campaign advisors assured The New York Times that their team is taking “advanced safety precautions around our devices and incorporating a sophisticated security protocol to ensure security.”

The motivation: Legislative controversy aside, Biden campaign’s hands-on approach to TikTok is a bit surprising given its previous tactic of working with pro content creators (rather than creating content of its own).

• The motivation behind that new strategy is more predictable. With Gen Z approval ratings tanking in response to Biden’s lukewarm student loan forgiveness policies and his stance on Israel’s war on Palestine, the president’s campaign advisors are eager to reach skeptical young voters on their home turf.

WATCH THIS 📺

The first trailer for Wicked has arrived

Super Bowl show tunes: “Yes, and?” might still be making the rounds on TikTok (despite UMG’s best efforts), but Ariana Grande’s next major project has already hit the net.

• After months of gossip over the movie’s cast (which includes Grande as Glinda and Broadway star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba), Universal Pictures has at last dropped a trailer for Wicked. That teaser premiered on Super Bowl Sunday and has now made its way to YouTube.
  
  

• Check out the full trailer here for a sneak peek at the film. (But be warned—it will leave you dying to hear Erivo’s rendition of “Defying Gravity.”)

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.