Wedding tastings, the WNBA's historic payday, and Apple's pulling vibe coding apps

WNBA players are about to make more money than most of us (and they deserve every cent), your favorite protein bar is having a very public identity crisis, and BTS is SO BACK.

Let's get into it.

WNBA players just got the raise of a lifetime

The WNBA and the players' union just ratified a new collective bargaining agreement that increases salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million. This means the league's average salary went from $120,000 to $583,000, and the top players can now earn up to $1.4 million. For context, A'ja Wilson made $200,000 last year. She's projected to make seven times that this season. It's the first time WNBA player salaries have been tied directly to league revenue, which means as the league grows, so do the paychecks. The deal also includes charter air travel (slay), league-provided housing, and expanded maternity benefits. Women's sports followers (hopefully all of you?), we are thriving.

Apple is coming for vibe coding apps

Apple pulled a vibe coding app called "Anything" from the App Store last week, and it's part of a bigger crackdown on apps that let you build other apps using AI. The issue (per Apple) is that these tools can generate and run code that changes how the app works without going through App Store review, which violates their guidelines. The developer tried to fix the exact thing Apple was complaining about, and Apple rejected the update AND removed the whole app. Meanwhile, similar vibe coding apps like Replit are still up. So the enforcement here is, shall we say, selective. If you've been casually building little apps on your phone using AI, just know Apple is watching and they do not think it's as fun as we do.

The Hannah Montana x Alex Cooper special just dropped and literally everyone watched it

If you grew up gluing yourself to the Disney Channel after school, brace yourself: the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special just dropped on Disney+ and it is the most-watched special on the platform WORLDWIDE. Alex Cooper hosted, Miley performed "The Best of Both Worlds" and "The Climb" live, and Selena Gomez showed up as a surprise guest (she played Hannah's pop star rival Mikayla, in case your brain just unlocked that memory). Oh, and Chappell Roan was there too. The special pulled 6.3 million views in its first three days and streaming of the original show shot up 1,000%. Miley also debuted a new song called "Younger You," written from the perspective of her younger self, and I will not be discussing how hard it made me cry at 9pm on a Tuesday. Twenty years. We are so old.

This past weekend I met up with my friend Kaitlan at Frankie's in SF, where we sat outside, consumed wine, and made a new friend: a very sweet dog who Kaitlan was absolutely not trying to touch. I realized mid-hangout that I had taken exactly zero photos all day, which is very on-brand for me and very off-brand for someone who writes a newsletter with a personal life section. So you're getting this one selfie featuring wine glasses and a dog who didn't consent to being photographed.

Here’s an EXCLUSIVE first look at my tasting fit this week! The all-white outfit is a bold choice for someone who will be within arm's reach of red wine all day, but bridal duty calls, and I must answer. Because that’s just the type of team player I am.

Your Q1 performance review is coming, and you should not be scrambling!!

End of quarter is here, which means performance reviews, self-assessments, and that dreaded "what are your goals for Q2?" conversation are all about to descend upon your calendar. Those who prep for these in advance always come out on top, so let's get you there in under 15 minutes.

Open a blank doc right now and write down three things you did this quarter that your manager might not know about. Focus on the stuff that went above and beyond, the cross-functional project you jumped on, the process you improved, the fire you put out…. stuff you think you'll remember in the moment, but might not.

For the "I don't track my wins" crowd: Go scroll through your Sent folder in email and your Slack messages from the last 90 days. You will be SHOCKED at how much you actually did. Screenshot anything that makes you think "oh right, I crushed that" and dump it in a folder.

For the girlies eyeing a promotion: Write one sentence about where you want to be by end of year and bring it up proactively. Managers love when you have a direction, and it gives them something to advocate for behind closed doors.

If your company uses any kind of feedback tool, go request peer feedback NOW before everyone's swamped with their own reviews. The early bird gets the thoughtful, non-rushed endorsement.

Thanks for reading!