🌎 Run It Back

Hard drives are the unlikely winner of the AI boom

Does that mean VHS tapes are next in line? Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), the physical hardware devices used to store digital data on electronics, are making a huge comeback thanks to booming demand from the AI industry, per the WSJ.

A relic revival

As AI use grows exponentially, AI companies are increasingly relying on data centers to store and manage the enormous amounts of text, images, and video their systems consume and generate.

• Unlike many previous storage trends, where data was deleted after it was processed, AI workflows keep data long-term for training and content generation.

Surprisingly, HDDs offer the most cost-efficient way to store huge volumes of data in those data centers, even if SDDs (HDDs’ modern older brother) are better for speed and reliability.

HDD demand

The low cost of hard drives has driven a surge in demand, and with around 80-90% of data center storage now held with HDDs, hard drive manufacturers are reaping the benefits.

In the last quarter alone:

• The two leading hard drive makers, Western Digital and Seagate Technology, both reported revenue growth of around 30%.

• Western Digital generated 90% of its revenue from cloud services, delivering 32% more exabytes (which is one billion gigabytes) than last year, while Seagate’s shipments jumped 45%.

HDDs are the next hot investment: Western Digital and Seagate have each seen their stock prices more than double in 2025, and Seagate now leads the S&P 500 for YTD returns, ousting Palantir from the top spot.

Uber wants a drone to deliver your next Big Mac

We got drone Ubers before GTA 6. Uber Technologies announced a partnership with Flytrex, an autonomous drone delivery company, to begin drone food deliveries in the US by the end of this year.

Run it back

Uber launched its first attempt at drone-powered food delivery in 2019 through an internal program, but was quickly halted after strict regulations prevented the project from moving forward.

Now, Uber wants another go. The company is investing a hefty sum into Flytrex to help spur the development and deployment of food delivery drones. Fortunately for Uber, Flytrex already has experience:

• Over the past three years, its drones have carried more than 200,000 meal deliveries to suburban households.

• Flytex is also one of four companies cleared by the FAA to fly drones in “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” conditions, meaning the drone pilot doesn’t need to see it directly with their eyes (watch demonstration).

Uber is making a big bet that drones can revolutionize the food delivery industry, and thinks the flying robots will make food delivery faster, safer, cheaper, and more sustainable.

They could be pretty popular: Drone deliveries may become mainstream soon since the FAA is considering a new rule introduced last month that would loosen regulatory hurdles, allowing for easier deployment.

Egyptian pharaoh’s 3,000-year-old bracelet found after heist

Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly in great condition. Egyptian authorities recovered a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet recently stolen from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, and while it is technically in one piece, it’s not what everyone was hoping for.

Bracelet burglary

The bracelet, which was being prepared for an upcoming exhibit in Italy, was eventually sold for around $4,000 to a gold workshop worker who, to many people’s dismay, melted it down into new jewelry.

How was it stolen?

• A restoration specialist working at the museum reportedly confessed to giving the artifact to an acquaintance who owns a silver shop.

• From there, it passed through a chain of dealers until it was ultimately sold and melted down.

The bracelet once belonged to Pharaoh Amenemope, a ruler of Egypt’s 21st dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period (see history). His burial site stands out as one of only three royal tombs to be found completely intact, surviving the looting that claimed most others.

Outrage in Egypt

The theft sparked widespread fury in the nation. Many citizens, experts, and archaeologists criticized the museum’s lax security, especially the lack of security cameras in labs where the priceless artifacts are handled.

• One archaeologist, Monica Hanna, called for stricter safeguards, including suspending overseas exhibits until better protection measures are in place.

The robbers face a harsh punishment: All four suspects, including the restoration specialist, have confessed. Egypt maintains strict protections for its antiquities, as anyone caught stealing artifacts can face life in prison and fines of roughly $200,000.

In partnership with Masters in Marketing

How 1,500+ Marketers Are Using AI to Move Faster in 2025

Is your team using AI like the leaders—or still stuck experimenting?

Masters in Marketing’s AI Trends Report breaks down how top marketers are using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Breeze to scale content, personalize outreach, and drive real results.

Inside the report, you’ll discover:

• What AI use cases are delivering the strongest ROI today

• How high-performing teams are integrating AI into workflows

• The biggest blockers slowing others down—and how to avoid them

• A 2025 action plan to upgrade your own AI strategy

Download the report. Free when you subscribe to the Masters in Marketing newsletter.

Learn what’s working now, and what’s next.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Ever wonder how people are using AI chatbots?

Hopefully, you weren’t searching for anything too weird. As people increasingly go to AI chatbots for answers, leading AI companies OpenAI and Antropic recently dug into millions of anonymized conversations to see how people are using their products.

Chatbot breakdown

Perhaps the most surprising revelation was that personal queries (like asking Google if your bug bite is poisonous) made up the bulk of ChatGPT requests, according to over 1.5 million conversations analyzed by OpenAI (see here).

• This year, 70-73% of all usage was for non-work or personal use, a jump from about 50-53% a year earlier.

• The top uses in those personal or “non-work” contexts? Asking for advice, help with everyday tasks, writing and editing, summarization, translations, and general info-seeking.

Surprisingly, highly technical tasks are much less common, with only about 4% of messages being programming-related. OpenAI also found ChatGPT use is growing fastest in lower-income countries, where adoption is over four times higher than in wealthier nations.

By contrast, Anthropics’ analysis of over one million conversations (see here) found that use of its chatbot Claude was highest in higher-income countries, where users are increasingly using it for education and to refine skills.

Meanwhile, in the US… Claude usage patterns tend to mirror state economies, as travel planning dominates in Hawaii, while tech-related queries are common in California. See a map of state usage here.

Scientists make “pivotal step” in resurrecting the dodo Bird

I mean, why not? Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech firm, has announced a significant step toward reviving the dodo bird, which has been extinct for over 300 years.

Dodo de-extinction

Colossal, the self-proclaimed de-extinction company, successfully cultivated primordial germ cells (the precursors to sperm and eggs) from Nicobar pigeons, the dodo's closest living relatives.

• Next, the cells will be gene-edited and implanted into genetically modified chickens, which will serve as surrogates to produce dodo-like birds.

• Colossal’s goal is to create a genetically diverse population of dodos capable of rewilding parts of Mauritius, the birds’ original habitat.

The company, which recently created pups reminiscent of the extinct dire wolf (see here), believes it can create a bird similar to the dodo within the next five to seven years.

A little history: The dodo bird was a large, flightless pigeon that lived on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It is believed to be the first known species eradicated by people, with the last recorded sighting occurring in 1662. Learn more here.

Catch up on this week’s weird news

 > Starting today, Fat Bear Week returns at Katmai National Park and Preserve, inviting people worldwide to vote in a bracket-style competition to determine which adult brown bear is the chubbiest this season. Vote here.

 > In advance of the 45th Ryder Cup, trainers are using VR headsets with realistic fan simulations to help prepare Europe’s golfers for the notoriously loud and unforgiving American fans.

 > A cheating scandal rocked the World Stone Skimming Championships after accusations emerged that some participants brought unusually round stones— created using shaping techniques—that gave them an unfair advantage.

 > A recent study revealed that some dogs show a complex understanding of linguistic cues, similar to toddlers, and can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not just appearance.

 > Race car driver Fabio Barone drove a Ferrari on an aircraft carrier, hitting 109 mph and breaking the record for fastest car driven on a boat.