There was a different kind of shadow cast over a Groundhog Day event in Canada, where beloved groundhog "Fred la marmotte" was found dead hours before he was supposed to forecast the weather. To the eager crowd the event organizer declared, "I announce to you the death of Fred." And we thought 6 more weeks was the worst possible outcome...

In today's edition:

• Meta's remarkable day

• The zoos have gone mad!

• 20 Questions

🔑 Key Stories

ChatGPayT

OpenAI announced ChatGPT Plus, a paid version of AI program ChatGPT

• OpenAI publicly released ChatGPT, which can provide human-esque response to prompts, in Nov. 2022. Per UBS, a bank, in January it had 100M users — a level that took Instagram 2.5 years to reach

• Companies have begun using ChatGPT to write sales pitches, analyze code, and more. Some schools have said it makes homework obsolete

• On Thursday, OpenAI announced a $20-a-month premium ChatGPT tier — ChatGPT Plus — that gives priority access and early features and updates

Dig Deeper

• In a statement, OpenAI said ChatGPT was originally a "research preview" of its AI program to "learn more about the system’s strengths and weaknesses and gather user feedback." Given the software's popularity, though, OpenAI says it is launching the paid version to offset the price of operating the program

Oldest Brain Fossil Found?

The world’s oldest preserved brain of a vertebrate was found in a 319M-year-old fish fossil

• Researchers were analyzing the fossilized skull, originally found in 1925, with CT scans when they discovered a highly-preserved brain. Researchers say the fish likely died and fell into a low-oxygen environment, slowing brain decay and allowing minerals to slowly replace the tissue and fossilize it

• Researchers say the brain had grown as if it had folded in on itself, an “unexpected find” that gave “startling insight” into brain evolution. One said this finding shows scientists’ theories need “reworking”

Dig Deeper

• The fossil was originally found in a British coal mine. One of the study's authors said it "tells us a more complicated pattern of brain evolution than suggested by living species alone, allowing us to better define how and when present day bony fishes evolved"

Bones For Bail?

Massachusetts state legislators proposed a bill to let inmates exchange organs and bone marrow for reduced prison sentences

• ~4,600 Massachusetts residents are currently waiting for an organ transplant. One of the program’s goals is to expand the pool of donors

• If passed, the bill would establish a committee to determine how much time would be reduced per donation, but it would be between 60 days and 1 year

• The bill’s backers say it restores “bodily autonomy” and serves a good cause; opponents say it’s unethical and exploits prisoners

Dig Deeper

• Many US prisons offer other pathways to earlier releases, including good behavior or participating in programs designed to reduce inmates' chance of reoffending. However, critics of this proposal claim the program would exceed normal boundaries

Zuck’s All Good, Very Great Day

Meta, formerly Facebook, had its second-best day ever on Thursday as its stock price soared 23%+

• Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — lost 60% of its stock value last year amid one of the tech industry’s worst years ever. A worsening ad market, increased competition from TikTok, and declining revenue drove that downturn

• Amid that, Meta laid off 11k workers (~13% of its staff) and CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced pressure to resign

• On Wednesday, Meta announced a better-than-expected outlook. The news caused a 23% spike in Meta’s stock value, adding ~$100B in value to the company

Dig Deeper

• The day's ~$100B gain is the company's largest single-day gain in its history, and makes it one of the US' top 10 most valuable companies by market cap again

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• CopycatGPT: Google promised to add new AI features to its search engine amid rising competition from ChatGPT, a product of Microsoft-backed Open AI

• Scent-a Fe: New Mexico may become the first state with an official aroma. A new bill would make "green chile roasting in the fall" the state's official smell

• From Hunted to Hunter: Hunter Biden's lawyers have requested a criminal probe into Republican officials for "theft" of his laptop data

Wildcard

• True Zoo Detective? The 2 emperor tamarin monkeys who went missing from the Dallas Zoo this week were found in the community house of a local church

• Now Louisiana, too?! 12 squirrel monkeys have been stolen from a Louisiana zoo after their facility was broken into last weekend

• "Make that 36 Pad Thais": A Michigan 6-year-old spent $1,000 on GrubHub while playing on his dad's phone. The kid left 25% tips for each order

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week.

The Roca HQ drink fridge is becoming bare, so we thought we'd enlist the help of our riders (because we know you have superior taste)! Red Bull, Yoohoo, and Capri Suns have served us well to this point, but now it's time for....

DRINK RATINGS EDITION!

This week we'll give you a variety of beverage options and you tell us whether you want to take it or leave it! Or should we say, drink it or dump it!

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!

🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Do you send greeting cards? 📫

Yes: 48%

No: 52%

Yesterday's Question:

How long is too long to wait in a drive thru?

Robin from Dallas: "20 Minutes. It's called fast food for a reason."

John from Louisiana: "If it’s for Taco Bell, there is no amount of time too long. The Cheesy Gordita Crunch is worth every second."

Seth from California: "If I can make food faster at home, I'm waiting too long."

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

Monday: 4.25

Tuesday: 4.6

Wednesday: 5.6

Thursday: 6.7

Friday: 8.4

Saturday: 9.2

Sunday: 8.2

January: 4.4

February: 4.4

March: 5.5

April: 6.5

May: 7.56

June: 8

July: 7.8

August: 7.3

September: 7.7

October: 8.2

November: 7.4

December: 7.7

Spring: 7.9

Summer: 7.7

Fall: 8.6

Winter: 5.4

🧠 Final Thoughts

Happy, happy, HAPPY Friday all. We hope you have wonderful weekends that are warmer than ours – here at Roca HQ we're looking at 5º(F) weather.

For those of you on the beta, check out the weekend news tomorrow. We've got a few great feature stories coming out this weekend.

See you on Monday!

Max and Max