A place to play? OpenAI says it’s releasing a TikTok clone, but not for uploading vids, just for AI-generated ones. Because why not? 👾

In Today’s Open Letter

Are e-hailing safaris a good idea? Uber seems to think so – let's see if it can scale…

Lions, rhinos, giraffes – you can see some wild things on an Uber trip, but nothing quite like last Dezemba season’s Uber Safaris, when Uber trialled Safari daytrips from Cape Town to the Aquila reserve between 2 October 2024 and February this year.

We missed it, but one UK rider said it was pretty cool (and worth the spend for an international tourist), even though Aquila is not quite as wild (lions in camps, etc.) as, say, the Kruger. 

The e-hailing company must think they’re onto something, ‘cos they’re running another one this year (17 September to 17 December), this time in the Nairobi National Park in Kenya.

But just what goes into turning a ride-share trip into a safari experience?

E-hailing gone wild(ish)

The Uber driver in Cape Town didn’t take you on the safari. An Uber Black just fetched peeps at their door and took them to an actual safari vehicle – a 2-hour ride on the N1.

The Kenya trip could be different as the Nairobi National Park is only 14 minutes (7km) from the inner city. Meaning Uber could let the safari vehicle sommer pick you up. (Probs why they chose Nairobi for this once.)

The actual safari is run by a team of nature conservation pros in specialised vehicles, which is what you really want – it’s unlikely that inner-city Uber drivers are trained for guest safety during a stampede or big cat encounter. 

Is this something that could actually scale, though?

Something new for Uber

It’s outside Uber’s comfort zone, requiring some admin with wildlife organisations – government-direct in Kenya, privately-owned reserve in SA (wonder why? 🤭 issa joke).

But Uber’s got the clout to be bold. And Africa has the numbers: Virtually all of Kenya’s 2.4 million yearly international visitors come to view game, while at least ~10% of SA’s 8.9 million (around 1 million) tend to be wildlife tourists.

If the same numbers hold for Africa, those 74 million visits per year could mean around 7.4 million safaris – at $200 a pop, that’s about R25bn.

We’ve seen major growth in nature-based tourism by locals and other Africans visiting SA since the pandemic. And safari-focused YouTube channels like WildEarth (706k) and African Safari Channel (111k) have seen phenomenal growth in recent years. So people are definitely interested.

Whether e-hailing safari could become a permanent thing, though, remains to be seen.

But we’re watching this space.

Who still thinks you need a broker and a banking app to own gold?

Troygold is flipping that idea completely by putting real 99.99% gold ownership inside WhatsApp — buy, sell, redeem Krugerrands, view certificates and even auto-save, all in chat.

But here’s what’s really clever:

✅ Buy or sell instantly, straight from WhatsApp
✅ Redeem Krugerrands (or upload your own) and view certificates and balances securely
✅ Set subscriptions to stack gold automatically — and send gold to your WhatsApp contacts

No portals. No middlemen. Just liquid, borderless gold in your pocket.

Say “Hi” to +27 68 907 2254 on WhatsApp to start.

What would you build on WhatsApp today?

Because every law firm has its own documents.

In the US and UK, standardised templates mean faster closings and less legal bloat.

In SA, we are still redlining Word docs for weeks.

That’s why we worked with SAVCA to create open-source model investment documents for South Africa – faster deals, more clarity, less cost.

Want in?

🎥 Dome Debut. SA's first locally made full-dome film, Close Encounters, premieres at the R55 million revamped Wits Anglo American Digital Dome on October 4th, with the immersive wildlife journey shot in KZN showcasing the power of 360-degree storytelling. Very cool.

🤖 AI Love Affair. A surprising 28.1% of adults in a recent US survey confessed to being in an intimate relationship with AI, notably with ChatGPT leading the list. Mmmm ohhhhkkkaaaayyyy!!!

🚗 Uber for Ladies. Uber is rolling out women-only driver options in SA in response to the growing demand for safer and more inclusive mobility options, to empower women riders and drivers alike. Very cool to see.

🛒 Seamless Shopping Bot. ChatGPT now lets over 700 million users shop and checkout directly in chat using the new Agentic Commerce Protocol. US ChatGPT users (for now) can buy from Etsy sellers, with Shopify merchants coming soon. That’s double the number of Amazon users. Mega.

📜 Cali’s New AI Safety Bill. California has just signed a pioneering AI safety bill, SB 53, that demands transparency from big names like OpenAI and Google DeepMind. Very, very interesting.

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools and suppliers. That’s why our Founder’s Stack gives you the best in IP offshoring and global market access with Finance Isle of Man, all your VC and startup legal sorted by Dommisse Attorneys, and loads more vital startup tools & services.

Yesterday, we told you how Sociable is trying to forge real human connections through events, asking how you prefer to connect. And most say face-to-face…

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👾 Reddit / Discord threads (8%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🙌 IRL, baby (48%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🎥 Video calls (5%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📸 Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn (13%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 WhatsApp texts (26%)

Your 2 cents…

Shame, Peter; we work remotely and know the feeling. If you’re building a business, we all hang out with founders on WhatsApp in the Founder Collab when you feel like it. 💪

Youth 20–30? iHub Africa’s 10-month digital marketing & web dev program closes 3 Oct. Apply here.

Want US traction? Mana Tech’s Miami Immersion Programme (16 spots) runs Oct–Nov. Apply by 13 Oct.

Pre-MVP? ALX Founder Academy’s 4-week bootcamp (15–20 hrs/week) closes 8 Oct. Apply here.

Women-led startups: Naspers & Prosus FoundHER Africa Challenge offers $100k. Apply before 19 Nov.

Want to promote your event/programme here? Let us know.

🛠 Tool to Try: Nonverbia analyses tone, body language and facial cues in video calls to help you win more deals.

🎬 That’s Interesting: Sylvester Stallone only did the flop, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, because Arnold Schwarzenegger tricked him into it.

🧗 Next Level: The only thing more amazing than this bartender’s feat is how uninterested the crowd is.

🧠 Hack: If your brain won't stop spiralling at night, try writing everything down. It offloads stress and clears your head.

🧩 Wow Site: SudokuAutoFiller lets you test pencil numbers in your own Sudokus.

Hey, Renier here 👋, co-founder of The Open Letter.

I’ve spent 17 years in SA tech and seen hundreds of startups rise and fall. The ones that made it all had one thing in common: a strong community.

That’s why I started The Founder Collab — a space where 100+ SA founders connect for:

☕ Meetups & events

🎓 Weekly masterclasses

📚 35+ expert sessions on-demand

🤝 A network unlike anything else

Come build your startup alongside me and 100+ other SA founders in The Founder Collab.

Spaces are limited — new founders join weekly.

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