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- Are $80 Games The New Norm Or Will CEO AI Mandates Make It Cheaper?
Are $80 Games The New Norm Or Will CEO AI Mandates Make It Cheaper?
Good morning, business and tech friends!
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for easy ChatGPT prompts to leverage today’s news for entrepreneurs, workers, and investors!
“Don’t fall behind. Get ahead.”
- Keith Andrade, Founder
Top Mentions
🎮 Nintendo / $NTDOY ( ▲ 0.28% )
🔊 Amazon / $AMZN ( ▲ 1.31% )
🛍️ Shopify / $SHOP ( ▲ 2.1% )
🏦 Wells Fargo / $WFC ( ▲ 0.24% )
💻 Microsoft / $MSFT ( ▲ 1.18% )
Trending
Nova Sonic
Amazon's new voice AI model that outperforms competitors in quality while costing 80% less. For example, it wins against GPT-4o in 50% of blind tests and processes speech with 36.4% fewer errors.
The industry trend of major game publishers increasing base prices to $80, reflecting higher development costs that now exceed $100 million. For example, Nintendo's Mario Kart World is pioneering this pricing strategy.
AI Productivity Mandate
Corporate requirement for employees to integrate AI into daily workflows or justify exemptions, tied directly to performance reviews. For example, Shopify's approach freed up 95,000 work hours through mandatory AI adoption.

🔊 Amazon just launched Nova Sonic, a voice AI that beats both Google and OpenAI in quality while costing 80% less. Business Wire, 5 min read
• Wins against GPT-4o in 50% of blind tests
• Outperforms Google Gemini nearly 70% of time
• Processes speech with 36.4% fewer errors
👨💼 Shopify CEO requires all 8,100 remote workers to integrate AI into daily tasks or justify why they shouldn't. WSJ, 4 min read
• Mandate will directly impact performance reviews
• Teams must demonstrate AI integration plans
• Company already freed up 95,000 work hours
🏦 Wells Fargo's AI assistant "Fargo" processed 245.4 million customer interactions in 2024—double their projections. VentureBeat, 5 min read
• 80% of interactions now from Spanish speakers
• Multi-layered approach keeps data secure
• Uses multiple AI providers rather than single source
👩👧 Microsoft's new AI specifically for Latina moms speaks Spanish and positions itself as a modern "comadre." PR Newswire, 3 min read
• 56% view AI as a "parenting village member"
• Only 38% currently use it for parenting advice
• 70% still trust their mothers first

📊 A single fake social media post about Trump tariffs triggered a massive $2.4 trillion market swing in just 10 minutes. NPR, 4 min read
• Took only 1 minute to move from social media to NYSE
• Reuters and CNBC repeated claims without verification
• Blue checkmarks no longer signal true credibility
🎮 Nintendo boldly priced Mario Kart World at $80, marking the first major publisher to set this premium standard. Ars Technica, 6 min read
• AAA development costs now exceed $100 million
• Today's $80 matches inflation-adjusted 1980s prices
• Games follow pattern of $10 increases every 7-8 years

⚖️ The DOJ has disbanded its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, declaring "The Department of Justice is not a digital assets regulator." AP News, 5 min read
• Will only pursue cases funding actual crimes
• Policy change effective April 9, 2025
• Crypto market cap has topped $3 trillion

Leverage Amazon's Nova Sonic to build cost-effective voice solutions that can outperform competitors at 80% less cost. The AI voice market is heating up, and early adopters will gain advantage.
Prompt:
"Create a business strategy for integrating Amazon Nova Sonic into my [product/service], including cost comparison with Google/OpenAI alternatives, implementation timeline, and 3 unique customer experience improvements possible only with Nova Sonic's capabilities."

With Shopify mandating AI for all 8,100 employees, the writing is on the wall - demonstrate AI proficiency or risk obsolescence. Document how you're using AI to improve productivity.
Prompt:
"Design a weekly AI productivity report for my manager showing: 1) Tasks I automated with AI, 2) Hours saved, 3) Quality improvements, and 4) New AI skills I'm developing. Include a template I can fill out in 10 minutes each Friday."

Consider the implications of the DOJ disbanding its cryptocurrency enforcement team while the crypto market cap tops $3 trillion. This regulatory shift creates investment opportunities.
Prompt:
"Analyze 5 publicly traded companies positioned to benefit from reduced DOJ crypto enforcement, including: 1) Current crypto exposure, 2) Regulatory risk reduction percentage, 3) Potential market expansion opportunity, and 4) Options strategy for 6-month time horizon with specific strike prices."
That’s it for this today! Stay tuned every weekday for more insights in tech, the market, and policy.
best,
Keith R. Andrade
Chief Editor & Founder
[email protected]
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