A little shy? While the Musk-Altman battle rages on (with Apple now dragged into it), one AI researcher claims Sam Altman has a tell when lying: Looks up at the sky and away from the camera a lot. Can’t wait for OpenAI’s next big announcement to test the theory. 🔍

In Today’s Open Letter

Companies pour R billions into static billboards when we have 6’400 food delivery and over 2’500 couriers zipping through neighbourhoods every day – meet the startup marrying the two to give SA billboards wheels…

SA brands pour just over R4 billion into outdoor advertising each year, with the bulk (circa 71%) of that out-of-home (OOH) ad spend going to static billboards and posters. Nice for brand building, but there’s a problem: Billboards can’t tell you who actually saw them or when. 

Sure, it’s eyeballs, but are they the right eyeballs?

The moving billboard opportunity

Static billboards can’t follow your audience, target them by location or adapt in real time. And in the digital age of precision targeting and programmatic buying, that’s a pretty blunt instrument.

That’s where mobile digital out-of-home (DOOH) becomes interesting. 

The tech exists to run geofenced, dynamic ads from the roof of a moving car, swapping out creative based on location, time of day or even audience profile. The hardware for this is smaller, lighter and cheaper than five years ago, and today software can manage entire fleets from a laptop. 

Combine that with SA’s fast-growing rideshare, courier and delivery sectors, and you’ve got an untapped distribution channel.

The local startup moving your ads

Social Circle Media is an out-of-home advertising agency turning rideshare and mobility fleets into data-driven media channels.

The company provides rooftop LED screens with geotargeting and in-vehicle displays capable of programmatic, personalised ads. Campaigns can be updated remotely and tailored by suburb. Imagine a fast food ad in Sea Point flipping to another product when the car leaves a geo-fenced area.

It’s clever…

We chatted to Massimo Di Benedetto, Co-Founder of Social Circle Media, and the idea came after spotting mobile digital billboards mounted on vehicles in Europe.

Social Circle Media already has 20 vehicles, just a handful of months after launching, across rideshare, courier and delivery partners, plus niche activations like run clubs where ad vehicles double as safety cars. 

And it’s a win for drivers in their network as well. They can earn an extra R1’500–R2’000 a month simply by hosting a screen on their vehicle.

Mobility is prime advertising real estate in a market where “out-of-home” has barely moved in decades. And brands that get this first will own a channel their competitors won’t see coming, until it’s everywhere.

We’re watching this space.

Looking to automate customer service? International service provider Intercom is running an early-stage promotion that gives startups 90% off their entire CS suite + free use of their AI agent, Fin. Year 2 is 50% off, and year 3 at 25% off, as you grow.

The most downplayed recent launch in AI? Google DeepMind’s Genie3 is not getting as much publicity, but it does something stunning: With 1 prompt, it can generate an entire 3D world you can traverse and explore in VR — realistic physics, the works. Imagine a dragon invading London. PS: Is DeepMind pivoting to gaming?

Want ideas on how Big Tech is using AI? Engineering.fyi finds and displays engineering blogs and content from 15+ companies like Google, Meta, Uber, Shopify, Palantir, Airbnb, Stripe and more in one place, so you can get a glimpse of how they actually build things that are currently in production.

For years, Mac has set the benchmark for security, stability and seamless integration. But when viewed through the lens of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), its business value becomes even more compelling.

✅ Mac devices require significantly less IT support thanks to Apple’s zero-touch deployment and integrated mobile device management (MDM) capabilities.

✅ With no separate operating system licence, fewer performance issues, and a much lower incidence of malware compared to traditional PCs.

✅ Which means the long-term savings on support and downtime can be substantial.

And with Apple pushing out automatic OS and security updates, IT teams can shift their focus from routine device maintenance to higher-value strategic work.

“Mac represents stability, reliability and serious long-term value,” says Gaynor MacArthur, Managing Director at Digicape. “When paired with structured leasing, businesses can scale without compromising their budget or operational agility.”

Shouldn’t you be using a Mac instead?

💳 Point of Sale. Nedbank is acquiring iKhokha for a whopping R1.65 billion, aiming to bolster its SME support with cutting-edge mobile point-of-sale technology. Wonder if they tapped to make a payment.

🛒 Cashing In. Absa and Shoprite are teaming up for cashback clout for customers hitting Checkers and Sixty60 with up to 60% back in cash in the first two months, dropping to 30% thereafter. Whoa.

🧠 Brainwave Showdown. Sam Altman is rumoured to be launching Merge Labs, a new brain-to-computer interface, to challenge Elon Musk's Neuralink. No wonder their exchanges on X have been so spicy.

🏨 Hotel Facelift. South Africa's iconic Ritz Hotel in Seapoint is getting a posh new lease on life with a R240 million deal from OKU Hotels. This Mediterranean luxury chain plans to restore the once vibrant hotel that shut down in 2015 due to crime and decay. Fancy.

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools and suppliers. That’s why our Founder’s Stack gives you your own CFO for a fraction of the cost with OCFO, WhatsApp marketing with 2'000% ROI powered by Chat Inc, and loads more vital startup tools & services.

Yesterday, we showed you how FARO’s helping bring the best fashion prices to SA, asking about your last clothing purchase. And most here bought an item for an event or interview…

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🧥A fancy new winter coat (23%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👔 Got a new shirt for a special event/interview (29%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🧦Socks. Last Christmas (23%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🧢Conference/event SWAG (23%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🛍️Picked up some high-end fashion over the weekend, darling (2%)

Your 2 cents…

Interesting, Nontando. Investing in a business or side hustle? 🚀

Oh no, Tony! Was it designed by MISSterious? 🤭

He he, what kind of event was it, Candice? 👘

Service delivery may be broken, but the salaries at the top are still flowing.

Joburg’s municipal CEOs are earning:

💡 City Power’s CEO takes home the highest: R4.8 million a year, excluding any bonus.

💡 Pikitup’s CEO follows at R4.4 million — including a R536k “performance bonus”.

💡 Even Johannesburg Water and Roads Agency CEOs earn R3.6m and R3.5m — despite being responsible for the gaping Randburg sinkhole, still unresolved after a year.

For the entities managing electricity, sanitation, roads and more, one thing is clear: executive compensation isn’t the problem.

🛠 Tool to Try: ElevenLabs’ new AI music generator now creates royalty-safe beats with built-in licensing, big-name partners and zero copyright stress.

🤔 That’s Interesting: Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne was the first video to hit 100M views on YouTube.

🔥 Next Level: Watch as the flight instructor grabs the controls and lands a powerless plane mid-air after engine failure.

🍔 Hack: Learn how the ultra-wealthy avoid taxes by borrowing against assets with this handy chart.

🌐 Wow Site: AnxietyAidTools is a calming toolkit of breathing and grounding techniques, open source and free to use anytime.

Help us make The Open Letter more useful to you.

Vote in the poll, leave a quick comment, or hit reply — we read every single one.