Lab Weekly — 05/16/2025 Airbnb’s new Services; Plus, the latest news about Gemini AI, ESPN, Uber, and more must-know stories and stats
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Airbnb’s Rebranding & What It Says About the Service Economy
The issue with scaling local services and experiences, and how AI might play a part in Airbnb’s future
In case you missed it… What Brands Can Learn from the Labubu Fad
Decoding the Labubu phenomenon, the “Little Treat” Culture, and the gamble-fication of everything
How “A Minecraft Movie” Hit Box Office Gold
Decoding how the latest video game adaptation broke out and became a huge hit by riding on memes, deeply engaging its fan base, while also appealing to broader audiences
Video Podcasts are Crashing the Creator Party
How video podcasts become the new power play for digital creators, and where it goes next
Android and Wear OS are Getting a Big Refresh [Google Blog]
Google is rapidly expanding its Gemini AI assistant across the broader Android ecosystem, as announced ahead of its annual developer event next week. Gemini will soon be integrated into Wear OS smartwatches, enabling hands-free help for tasks like setting reminders and checking messages. On Android Auto, Gemini will power more natural voice interactions to help drivers bypass complicated commands and stay focused while driving. Google TV is also getting Gemini support, offering personalized content recommendations and voice navigation. Notably, Gemini will extend into Samsung’s upcoming XR headset to enable conversational interactions in immersive environments.
This wide rollout underscores Google’s ambition to make Gemini a ubiquitous, multimodal presence across everyday life. The latest data shows that while ChatGPT, with its 600 million monthly active users, is still more popular than Gemini (350 million MUAs), Gemini is experiencing rapid growth — Gemini had just 9 million daily active users in October 2024. Now that Google is leveraging its widespread ecosystem from the car to the smart TV to put Gemini in front of more users, Google could move the default expectations around AI away from isolated chatbot queries and toward an always-on, assistive presence across platforms.
Related: Apple rolls out CarPlay Ultra, the next generation of CarPlay, in new and existing Aston Martins in North America [TechCrunch]; YouTube unveils Peak Points, a pilot Gemini feature for targeting ads after viewers are most engaged with a video [CNBC]
ESPN Reveals Name and Price of Forthcoming Stand-Alone Streaming Outlet [Deadline]
ESPN is gearing up for a fall 2025 launch of its DTC streaming platform that brings together all its programming — live sports, studio shows, and premium broadcasts — under one digital roof. This service, simply named “ESPN,” will differ from ESPN’s current streaming product ESPN+, which does not include the most-watched live games, such as Monday Night Football, that currently only air exclusively on traditional pay-TV. ESPN+ will remain a less expensive offering for consumers. Beyond content, ESPN plans to enhance the platform with digital-only features like real-time stats, betting tools, fantasy sports integrations, and ecommerce options.
This marks a decisive shift from the cautious approach of ESPN+, which debuted in 2018 with niche content but excluded marquee events like Monday Night Football and NBA games. That strategy eventually hit a ceiling, with subscriber growth stalling at 24.1 million and a $65 million quarterly loss reported in early 2025. This new ESPN streaming service should convince more sports fans to cut the cord, but its $30 starting price might also give some people pause. After all, the landscape of sports broadcast rights is more fragmented than ever, and consumer fatigue around rising subscription costs is growing.
Related: NFL announces YouTube to carry Brazil game exclusively [NBC Sports]; Fox to launch new streaming service, Fox One, this fall [NYT]
Uber Targets Commuters with Cheaper Pooled Rides [Bloomberg]
Uber debuts Route Share, a pooled rides option that is similar to a bus and up to 50% cheaper than UberX, available during commuting hours in SF, NYC, and more. Route Share operates during weekday rush hours, with pickups every 20 minutes along busy corridors, and requires riders to walk to designated pickup points. Jokes about Uber “reinventing public transportation” aside, the company is smart to target commuters by blending the affordability of public transit with the convenience of ride-hailing, especially considering that only a few U.S. cities have a strong public transit system.
More importantly, this is also setting up Uber’s long-term AV plan, as it reportedly aims to integrate Route Share with self-driving EVs, such as Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz AD, starting in Los Angeles by early 2026. This move towards automation is expected to reduce operational costs and enhance service efficiency, contributing to the evolution of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) models.
Related: Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East [TechCrunch]; Uber announced a new “Dine Out” restaurant reservation feature powered by OpenTable [Bloomberg]
Situational Awareness: Perplexity partners with PayPal for in-chat shopping [CNBC]
Perplexity is partnering with PayPal to let US customers book travel, buy products, and secure concert tickets via Perplexity’s chatbot, paying with PayPal or Venmo. This marks a big step towards a future of “agentic commerce,” where AI agents complete purchase requests on demand, or even proactively. By incorporating PayPal’s popular and secure payment solutions, Perplexity enhances user trust and removes friction from the purchasing process.
Warner Bros Discovery to change Max back to HBO Max [Variety]
While this branding reversal might seem silly — which Max’s social media team gamely acknowledges with self-deprecating memes — it also reflects the market reality of the streaming services today. Recall that when AT&T invented HBO Max, the point behind the rebranding was that HBO was too narrow and tied to niche, prestige TV, and it needed a more comprehensive branding to compete with Netflix. And now, WBD is returning to HBO Max because it no longer wishes to compete with Netflix, emphasizing quantity over quality. As Tony Maglio pointed out at THR, returning HBO to Max could be the latest sign of a potential Warner Bros. Discovery split.
American Eagle is launching its first Substack to court Gen Z amid shopper slowdowns [AdAge]
Newsletters are the new social feeds. Lately, some brands like American Eagle and Hinge are turning to Substack to engage Gen Z audiences through authentic, narrative-driven content. By using Substack’s direct-to-inbox format and avoiding the noise of algorithmic feeds, these brands are building more personal, trust-based relationships with younger consumers who crave transparency and meaningful storytelling.
Audible to partner with publishers to create AI-voiced audiobooks [Bloomberg]
The initiative offers both managed and self-service tools to make audiobook production more affordable and accessible. Audible also plans to add AI translation features to expand its global reach across language barriers. While this AI-driven approach broadens access, it has sparked concerns among authors and narrators about potential impacts on quality and employment, highlighting the broader implications of AI-generated content in creative fields.
- Mobile gaming spending has seen modest growth over the past 12 months, Citing data from Appfigures, Bloomberg reports that mobile gamers spent $65.4 billion in 2024, up 4% YoY. But, less than $4 billion went to games released in 2024. Overall, game studios launched 126,000 games in 2024, down 43% YoY.
- Netflix’s ad-supported tier keeps growing its user base. The global streamer said on Wednesday that its ad-supported tier now has 94 million monthly active users — an increase of more than 20 million since its last public tally in November — and that it now reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds than any US broadcast or cable network.
- Meanwhile, Amazon says the ad tier of Prime Video now reaches 130 million US customers and it plans AI-powered tools for advertisers on Amazon including contextual ad copy, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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