Stock Watch: Emojis

To celebrate World Emoji Day yesterday, we charted the history of this weird-yet-surprisingly-profound means of communication. 

Icebreakers With...NFL Legend Ndamukong Suh

Heart and Hustle Productions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Ndamukong Suh just snagged his first Super Bowl ring this winter, but he’s already preparing for life after football as a business mogul. You can find him dishing insightful business advice on Twitter, and he recently partnered with fintech company Stash to bring financial literacy education to public school students in Portland, OR, through the Stash 101 program.

We chatted with Suh about investing, crypto, and whether anything compares to a pick 6.

Was there a moment when it hit you that you weren't prepared to handle your finances?

Yeah, no question—when I first got into the NFL. Now you’re coming into not only hundreds of thousands of dollars but millions of dollars, and nobody in my family has had that before. I had to ask myself, “How do I understand what a budget is?” and “What are all these expenses?” Not only for myself, but for my future family. If I didn’t have mentors like Joe Moglia at Nebraska [the former CEO of TD Ameritrade who was also a football coach], I’d be lost. 

How do you think the role of head coach in football is comparable to the CEO of a company?

The head coach is definitely the CEO of that organization. The players are the employees and you have to manage them, operate them, and really push them in a direction to build the organization to be one of the best—if not the best—and win a championship.

On the flip side is the ownership group who are your shareholders. You have a fiduciary responsibility to them to make the tough decisions to get the organization to a level where you can walk into a stadium and get a win hands down thanks to your plan. 

Do players talk about business and stocks in the locker room more than they used to? 

There’s for sure more conversations on those topics in the locker room compared to 2010 when I first got in the league. I remember back in the day a long snapper named Don Muhlbach was one of the few guys in the locker room I would talk to about finance, where he was at with his business, and who he aspired to be.

Now, it’s on Reddit and you see all the news about GameStop so I think it’s seen as more “cool” to talk about it and be in the know.

Would you buy an NFT of yourself? 

I don’t see why I wouldn't. I’m still learning about the space and understanding how it all works, but if I were to start anywhere, I might as well start with myself. 

No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence is getting his signing bonus paid out in cryptocurrency. Would you ever consider taking your salary in bitcoin? 

I’ve seen guys do that and it’s very, very interesting. I think it was Russell Okung who actually came out of the same draft as me in 2010—he took half of last year’s salary in bitcoin. It was great at that point because he still probably doubled his money based on where bitcoin is sitting right now.

It’s one of those things where I don't think you need to bet all of your money on one thing, but I do think you need to have exposure to it. I don’t see myself putting my salary fully into bitcoin.

What should people know about Nebraska, where you went to college? 

Best fans in the entire country for college football and college volleyball.

Would you rather have a strip-sack for a TD, a pick 6, a blocked punt return for a touchdown, or four sacks in a game?

Four sacks in a game hands down. All day. Some of them I've already accomplished so that’s probably why I didn’t pick them. Four sacks in a playoff game or a Super Bowl win—that’d be the best.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Tips on Getting a Job at the Brew (or Anywhere Else)

Each week, Morning Brew's Head of People Ops Kate Noel answers reader-submitted questions about work in 2021. 

Hi, Kate! I'm looking for a job, and Morning Brew just posted one that matches exactly what I want! What steps are the best to take to ensure I snag the job?—Ely 

Hey, Ely, thanks for checking us out! I’ve decided to answer your question because I think it’ll be relevant to all readers looking for a new job (which, it seems, is everyone these days). 

Once you apply, our in-house recruiter will reach out to schedule a first-round interview if she thinks you're a good fit. Check out this article for tips on writing a great cover letter to secure that first interview.

Ahead of the chat, I’d recommend that you do some light internet stalking and check out the LinkedIn profiles of the Brew Crew members you’ll be speaking with. Reading our newsletters and listening to our podcasts will also give you insight into what makes Morning Brew the company it is today. Being able to pepper your conversations with some of that context will show the interview panel that you are really interested in the brand and have a curious mind.

Curiosity, by the way, is one of our company’s core values (along with being purposeful, empathetic, and having a “challenger mentality”). Our core values are super important to us and I can almost guarantee you that you'll be asked about them during the process. Last but not least, send a “thank you” email to each person that you met with during your interviews. It goes a long way and has a lasting impression on us Brew folks. 

Wishing you the best of luck in your job search. Hope someday we can chat during orientation :)

Something bothering you at work? Ask Kate here.

Live Look at the FDA's Drug Approval Process

Giphy

It seemed too good to be true—on June 7, the FDA approved a breakthrough medication for Alzheimer’s disease. At the time, Morning Brew wrote that the drug “could mark a new era in treating the leading cause of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the US.”

Or not. 

The FDA’s approval of the drug, called Aduhelm, was met with widespread criticism. And the ensuing scandal has undermined the integrity of the agency’s approval process for new treatments.  

Backlash to Aduhelm continued to escalate this week. On Thursday, influential hospitals Cleveland Clinic, NYC’s Mount Sinai Health System, and Providence in Washington State said they wouldn’t administer Aduhelm, citing concerns over its effectiveness and safety. 

The backstory 

The FDA approving Aduhelm was like you deciding to watch a movie knowing that it had a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In November 2020, an expert panel advised the FDA against approving the drug after a pair of studies showed conflicting results about its effectiveness. 

Instead the agency fast-tracked it, arguing that the benefits of treating a devastating disease like Alzheimer's outweigh the risks. An Alzheimer’s drug hadn’t been approved by the FDA in 18 years. 

Some experts who helped the FDA evaluate Aduhelm protested the decision. Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, the third member of the 11-person advisory panel to resign in the wake of the FDA’s approval, said it was “probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history.”

Effectiveness is one concern around Aduhelm. Side effects, which include brain swelling and brain bleeding, are another. The final issue is the price tag: $56,000. That’s a lot, but it could cost even more since patients might have to pay for periodic tests that look for side effects.

A study by the healthcare nonprofit Altarum concluded that by the mid-2020s, Aduhelm would account for more than 1% of all national health spending, and that’s on the low end of projections. 

Looking ahead...the blowback has been so bad that the acting FDA chief has ordered a federal investigation to explore the perhaps too-cozy relationship between the scientists who approved the drug and the drugmaker, Biogen. 

Still, “once the product is approved, the cat’s out of the bag, the horse is out of the barn,” Johns Hopkins Drug Safety Expert Dr. G. Caleb Alexander told the NYT. More than 600 sites across the US are getting ready to administer Aduhelm, and they’re expecting high demand.

Open House

Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that presents an argument for the carpet to go on top of your barrels. We’ll give you a few stats about a home listing and you try to guess the price.

Zillow

Shout-out to our Brew colleague Elyssa Starkman for sending us what she calls the “Playboy Mansion of the East.” This 4,279 square-foot home in Hurley, New York (about an hour south of Albany), spares no expense, even for things you didn’t know someone would want to spend money on. Amenities include:

• 3 beds, 2 baths
• Your very own indoor waterfall
• One parking space
• A subzero fridge for all your venison

How much to be a low-budget Hugh Hefner? Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to find out.

Just Click It

1. Is Shein the future of ultra-fast fashion? (Vox) 
2. Seeing the same streaming ads over and over again? There’s a fix. (Marketing Brew) 
3. A unified theory of online anger. (Garbage Day)
4. The battle for a liveable future. (Heated)
5. Read about an online tool that spots fake reviews on Amazon. (Retail Brew) 
6. Six cities are vying to become the next Silicon Valley. (Rest of World)
7. Stop calling food “exotic.” (WaPo)
8. Inside LA’s ultimate mid-century modern home. (Vanity Fair)
9. The untold truth of clean beauty products. (NPR)
10. Surely we can do better than Elon Musk. (Current Affairs)

It’s literally called ‘How To Invest.’ And that’s what you’ll learn from this series from Barron’s and MarketWatch. With topics like “All About Funds,” “The Miracle of Compounding,” and more, you’ll be an investor extraordinaire in no time. Level up your financial know-how here.*

Meme Battle

Welcome back to Morning Brew's Meme Battle, where we crown a single memelord every Sunday.

Today's winner: Gillian in Temple, AZ, well done

This week's challenge: You can find the new meme template here for next Sunday. Once you're done making your meme, submit it at this link. We'll pick a new memelord for next week's Sunday Edition and provide you with another meme template to meme-ify. 

$449,00