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Young diners want community, elbow room optional

Gen Z would love to eat dinner right next to you: In the name of human connection, young adults embraced the divisive trend of communal dining this year, according to Resy. Don’t be surprised if they revive hitchhiking next.

The reservation company’s recent survey of 1,000 people who eat out in the US found that:

90% of Gen Z diners said they like sitting at shared tables, compared to 60% of baby boomers, and probably 0% of Larry David.
Among fans of communal dining, 63% cited the possibility of meeting new friends or crushes as a major draw.

Scoot over. Gen Z is so sick of scrolling that the so-called anxious generation is willing to risk personal space and awkward small talk to build real-life community. For many, a forced group setting likely makes socializing less intimidating than, say, asking your neighbor to grab coffee (see also: the rise of supper clubs, run clubs, and apps for IRL stranger meet-ups).

Also…communal plates are in, since it’s often less financially painful to go family style on appetizers and entrees, whether you’re splitting with loved ones or strangers (brave). More than 94% of diners—and 97% of Gen Z—surveyed by Resy said they’re likely to share food when dining out.—ML

CEO again: Bezos is leading his new AI company

Four years after stepping down as CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is ready to lead another company. Well, at least co-lead—the New York Times reported yesterday that Bezos is the co-founder and co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a $6.2 billion AI startup that he’s partially funding.

Bezos is sharing the leadership roles with Vik Bajaj, a physicist and chemist who worked at Google’s “Moonshot Factory,” which was known for its attempts at ambitious technological breakthroughs. Per the NYT, the extremely well-funded Project Prometheus aims to build AI models that learn in more complex ways than the LLMs that power AI chatbots:

The company seems poised to join the competition to create world models. Such models can be taught to understand physical dimensions by getting spatial inputs or watching videos, while LLMs learn from text, which allows them to mimic human speech.
World models can aid in the creation of technologies, like robots and video games, and can also be applied in computer science, engineering, and aerospace.

Hence, Bezos’s interest: The founder of Blue Origin, the space exploration company that turned Katy Perry into an astronaut this year, wants to pursue the tech for engineering and manufacturing.

What else is known? Much like the 2012 movie of the same name, this Prometheus has left a lot of questions unanswered. The NYT reports that the company has ~100 employees, but the publication could not determine when it was founded or where it is based. But like any good startup, it has a LinkedIn page.—DL

People open to rough work amid rough job market

Employment options that could be featured in Dirty Jobs are seeing a surge in applications amid a hiring slowdown. Bloomberg reported yesterday that job seekers are jostling for what are typically high-turnover roles that require physical and mental toughness, while not always paying well.

For example:

Applications to the Georgia Department of Corrections were up 40% in the last three months compared to the same period last year.
The US military met its recruiting goals ahead of schedule this summer, after previously struggling to attract enlistees. Analysts say the recruitment rebound might be due to fewer alternative work options and pay raises.
Waste management recruiting firm HireQuest said that iits unit that staffs recycling and garbage facilities experienced a 50% surge in applications over the past two years, which the company attributes to higher interest and fewer vacancies.

It happens when cubicle gigs are scarce

Unlike people rewatching Sex and the City, the increased allure of unglamorous work can actually indicate economic challenges. While the economy was projected to grow at a solid clip of 3.9% in Q3, layoffs have accelerated and hiring has slowed for office workers—prompting economist to argue over how much AI is to blame.

While private sector hiring recovered slightly last month, per data from payroll firm ADP, most onboarding occurred in non-office sectors like healthcare and construction.

And the road ahead looks bumpy for people early in their careers, as employers are favoring workers with a few years of experience. Companies are more pessimistic about the upcoming spring college grad hiring season than they have been since the pandemic, according to a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers survey.

Looking ahead…there’ll be a wider-angle snapshot of the recent state of the job market available when the reopened government releases September jobs data on Thursday, after it was delayed due to the shutdown. But we’ll have to wait until next month for more current hiring stats.—SK

Feel the burn? This startup would prefer you didn’t

Those of us who’ve ever taken a shot of bottom-shelf liquor have likely immediately regretted it due to its unpleasant taste and worse burn.

Voodoo Scientific, a California startup founded by husband-and-wife team Martin Enriquez and Joana Montenegro, wants to mellow the harsh of spirits, perWired.

How it works

The pair consulted David Julius, head of physiology at UCSF, who explained how they might go about locating which pain receptor triggered the response.

They eventually identified one called TRPA1, but because that receptor can’t be blocked, they pivoted to instead blocking the byproducts of the fermentation process that trigger it.

Voodoo Scientific’s patented method, Viriato, uses enzymes that target the byproducts in fermentation tanks and neutralizes them. Voodoo Scientific is currently testing the product at various distilleries and hopes to eventually produce it at scale.

Why?

For those who drink, the end result is a much smoother spirit, according to Wired reporter Christopher Null, in which additives, like sugar, and other flavors in a particular spirit are far easier to taste.

Distillers may thus be able to add less, which may appeal to consumers who prefer more transparency in what they drink or who enjoy particular flavors.

For distillers, this could mean a better-tasting product or spirits with more nuanced flavors. Voodoo Scientific has compared its product to the way coffee manufacturers experimented with precision roasting to curb bitterness.

It may also be cheaper.

Enriquez toldAgFunder News that one distiller that typically filtered its vodka through charcoal ~16 times was able to achieve similar results sans filtering with Voodoo’s enzyme.

This could benefit distillers at a time when customers are pulling back on both spending and alcohol consumption, and Voodoo Scientific told FoodBev that the process could apply to low- and no-ABV beverages in which the alcohol is removed.

Another benefit: Allowing you to look very tough because you won’t make that gagging face after taking a shot.