Community | University 

Aug 28, 2025

Hello, GrowthHackers! 

Welcome to your daily unfair advantage.

Every morning, we cut through the noise to bring you sharp insights, fast news, and fresh sparks to light up your brain and fuel your hustle. From scrappy hacks to big tech moves, AI shifts to culture flips—this is your intel to stay ahead, move fast, and break boring.

Think of it as your growth-fueled espresso shot.
Short. Smart. Addictive.

Let’s dive in.👇

Quick Hits

1. Mysterious ‘Nano-Banana’ Project 
   (If it’s half as innovative as the name, I’m intrigued.)

2. Plaud launches a new AI hardware notetaker
   (Interesting shift: AI moving from software in the cloud to physical, everyday devices.)

3. SpaceX notches major wins during 10th Starship test
   (Each test is a step closer to Mars. Failure is data, success is history.)

The Growth joke of the day

My SEO strategy?
Pray to the Google gods and sacrifice a keyword.

What's New in Growth Hacking/Growth Marketing?

Strategies

• Google Brings Loyalty Offerings To Merchant Retailers
  Google launched loyalty features in Merchant Center and Google Ads, enabling retailers to display member perks and optimize ad campaigns for higher-value customers, connecting retention with acquisition strategies.

• Why The C-Suite Must Take Web Effectiveness Seriously

  When the C-suite ignores web performance, business suffers. Why leadership must own SEO, UX, and strategy to unlock real growth.

• Instagram Launches Video Education Series for Edits App

  Instagram introduced a 20-episode educational video series teaching creators how to use its Edits app for better video production, including updates like teleprompter usage, framing, and video editing techniques for audience engagement.

• Pinterest Adds New Elements to its Pinterest Academy Education Platform

  Pinterest added new certifications (such as “Media Planner”) and expanded its Performance Essentials badge program, providing marketers free training to demonstrate promotional proficiency on the platform.

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People

• Millionaire Alexis Ohanian walked out of the LSAT 20 minutes in, went to a Waffle House and decided he was ‘gonna invent a career.’ He founded Reddit

  Many successful entrepreneurs have humble beginnings: Jeff Bezos started Amazon in his garage. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in his dorm room, and Steve Jobs built Apple at his parents’ house.

  However, for Alexis Ohanian, the start of Reddit all began at table 19 of his local Waffle House.

3-Minute News Bulletin with
Growth Hackers

This week's 🙌 News Bulletin explores:
Tech Trends and Insights Driving Innovation and Growth

🚀 GrowthHackers Weekly: AI, Metrics & Growth

From GrowthRocks’ guides on PMF and startup metrics to TeslaMate’s security scare, the week is packed with lessons in scaling smart and staying safe. Meanwhile, Google, Anthropic, Snapchat, and Instagram push AI deeper into learning, browsers, and social engagement—just as Apple readies the iPhone 17.

Innovation belongs to those who measure fast and adapt faster.

What's New in Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

• 911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls

  When Max Keenan joined Y Combinator’s summer 2022 batch, he was working on Aurelian, a company that automated appointment bookings for hair salons. But less than a year later, a conversation with one of his clients led him to a far more significant problem.

• OpenAI co-founder calls for AI labs to safety-test rival models

  OpenAI and Anthropic, two of the world’s leading AI labs, briefly opened up their closely guarded AI models to allow for joint safety testing  a rare cross-lab collaboration at a time of fierce competition.

Top Publishers Hand-Selecting Amazon Brands to Promote this Holiday Season

This holiday season, top publishers are actively sourcing brands to include in their gift guides, newsletters, listicles, reviews, and more to drive high-intent shoppers straight to Amazon storefronts.

Here’s why it matters:

• Amazon brands are seeing a 5:1 conversion rate compared to their DTC site

• Millions of shoppers discover products through trusted publishers

Levanta is working directly with these publishers to introduce them to a small number of 7–9 figure brands.

If you qualify, your products could be featured in high-traffic placements that deliver predictable CAC and directly measurable sales.

See if your brand qualifies