Do They Have Chargers At Camp Sites?

TOGETHER WITH

"Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved." — Pooh, Winnie the Pooh

Simple wisdom from a simple childhood friend on this Friday morning. Enjoy the weekend of serving customers and co-workers, friends!Keep Pushing Back-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

MARKETS

Stocks closed lower on Thursday after the market responded to labor reports of jobs growth mid-week and the Fed changing their tune on interest rates. Friday will be host to more jobs and payroll reports that will again influence Fed discussions on the speed and rate of potential increase of interest rates. 

DEALERS

Going Where Kids Are

Mike Terry and the folks at Mike Terry Auto Group exemplify the generous culture we love sharing in our dealership content. Monthly donations to the Hillsboro Interfaith food pantry, charity car shows, high school scholarships, Christmas gift donations, including 50 bikes every year; the list of the group's giving spirit goes on. But, today we are sharing Mr. Terry's newest feat – a $10K donation to the Hills County Boys & Girls Club! 

"I'm always working to increase future opportunities and assist with projects that help develop young people. I love taking care of youth. They are our future.", Mr. Terry shared. "They appreciate what you do, never feel entitled, and have fun all the time with no worry. Some kids are in tough situations through no fault of their own, and it hurts my heart to see."

We asked Mike how his team raised the donated funds, and he said, "I use the funds generated through car sales. I normally have a spur-of-the-moment feeling, and I get in my vehicle, head to wherever kids are, and donate money." 

Telling it like it is - Thank you for all you are doing, and who you are being in your community, Mike Terry Auto Group!

AUTOMOTIVE

Electrification Timeline Confidence Surveyed

An auto industry survey conducted by ABB Robotics and Automotive Manufacturing Solutions found that just 39% of 590 respondents think going all-EV by 2040 is achievable.

Other notable numbers include:

• 80% of manufacturing leaders think sustainability is achievable. 

• Cost increases, lack of specific skilled labor, and supply chain issues were the main concerns leading people to call 2030, 2035, and 2040 goals unrealistic. 

• 26% of respondents cited a lack of charging infrastructure as the main constraint to EV adoption growth. 

49% of respondents were from Europe, scoring the overall realistic possibility of the electrification targets lower than those surveyed in North America or Asia. 

Telling it like it is - What do you think about the 2030, 2035, 2040 timelines? Are they realistic? And if not, what would be a more realistic target?

TOGETHER WITH HILINE

What did the accountant say to the insanely popular Pro Gamer?

Answer: Pray you never get audited.

Pro Gamers, fast-moving tech companies, and rocket-ship media companies (ahem…ahem) all have very similar challenges regarding bookkeeping, accounting, and HR. They are mainly moving so fast that they don’t have time to prioritize keeping their books running as fast as they are. 

That’s why the ambitious and savvy team at Hiline is here to the rescue. Their accountants understand entrepreneurs…because they ARE troublemaking entrepreneurs! 

They’ll ensure your books are tighter than Freddie Mercury’s jeans so you can keep being your rockstar self.

AUTOMOTIVE

GM’s Volunteers, CATL’s Q4, and Porsche’s Campout

General Motors is offering a "majority" of its salaried US workers a voluntary separation buyout as part of its push to "remain nimble." 

Workers with the company for five or more years, or executives for two or more, must sign up by March 24th to be paid one month of their salary for each year they have been with the company for up to 12 months. 

This is part of GM's plan to cut $2B in costs over the next few years. 

Chinese battery maker CATL says Q4 profit growth was slower than expected. 

Profits for the world's largest battery maker increased year over year by 60.6% from October to December, while growth in Q3 and Q2 were more than double at 130% and 164%, respectively. 

Tesla's Shanghai production cuts, efforts to slow the spread of Covid, and the sudden end of prevention policies that lead to a massive spike in infections across the country all contribute to lower EV demand, lowering the desire for CATL batteries.

Airstream and Porsche have unveiled a camping trailer for EVs that fits in your garage. 

With rent prices increasing and sustainability on many people's minds, it makes sense that the "silver bullet" is due for a makeover. 

Of course, since Covid, camping has become a more popular way to get outdoors while enjoying some space between you and the next family (because we all know they got the plague, y'all). Many other RV companies are working to meet the electric demand of people looking for their own adventure. 

TL;DR - GM is asking for volunteers, CATL is asking if anybody wants any of these extra batteries, and Porsche is asking if y’all wanna go touch some grass.

CULTUR

Music in Tech

Spotify is taking a page out of TikTok and Instagram’s playbook by revamping the design of its home screen to showcase new audio and video content. The new design features imagery beyond just album covers by introducing vertical scrolling to the platform. The update intends to make it easier for users to find new content across multiple A/V avenues including podcasts, audiobooks, live audio, and video podcasts.

Apple has launched a new music streaming service, Apple Music Classical, that will offer users access to over five million classical music tracks. Was there a huge demand for this? We’re not so sure. But, if you’re rockin’ them baroque bops, it’ll be out later this month.

Music streaming startup Stationhead has introduced a live commerce tool allowing select artists and hosts to sell digital tracks during live-streaming parties. The platform has already raised $12M in funding and piqued the interest of prominent musicians like Bruno Mars and Coldplay who have already begun using it to engage with fans.

Telling it like it is - Spotify is getting visual, Apple is going old-school, and Stationhead is gaining interest.

Quick Hits

• This insane Star Wars personal theater has an insane Star Wars house around it. 

• A new musical about the life and career of Frank Sinatra will open in the British city of Birmingham later this year.

• Unemployment claims jumped to their highest point in 5 months last week. 

• The Apple Car could be just two more years away.

History

• 1862: The US issued first paper money in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 bills.

• 1876: The first-ever telephone call was made.

• 1980: A console version of Space Invaders was released for the Atari 2600.

• 2006: After seven months of travel, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrived safely to Mars.