Mee-sah Think-sah This-ah Means Trade War
Welcome to Wednesday, futurists.
This past weekend in a theater not so far, far away, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith took the number 2 spot, raking in $25M in domestic box office receipts. A twenty-year-old film suddenly resonating with audiences all over again—perhaps because its political themes of democracy eroding through trade disputes feel eerily relevant to our current economic moment.
Looking back on the prequel trilogy's arc, maybe those "boring" scenes about taxation and trade blockades leading to a Senate takeover, then the Judiciary falling—and eventually a calculated rise to fascism—weren't so silly after all. The Phantom Menace's opening crawl about "taxation of trade routes" that once made audiences yawn now feels like prophetic foreshadowing for our own timeline.
It's all too prescient as the Trump administration accuses Amazon, a publicly traded corporation, of engaging in "hostile and political" acts. The offense? The eCom giant was rumored to be considering displaying breakdowns of duties and tariffs on its Amazon Haul store, showing those costs separately from base product prices. Amazon has denied having plans to implement such a feature, but the mere suggestion provoked executive ire.
The irony, of course, is that transparent tariff display would (in my opinion) likely encourage more purchases of duty-free domestic products—ostensibly aligning with the administration's "America First" ethos. But, much like Palpatine's machinations, the stated goals and actual motivations may not perfectly align.
Today also saw Q1 2025 GDP numbers, and, futurists, in the words of Jar Jar, it was “pitty bad.” We saw negative growth, but according to senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro, these are the "best negative print" he's ever seen. A statement that would make even Jar Jar Binks's logic seem sound by comparison.
As we have long maintained, Commerce is Culture™, and what we're witnessing is a war for control of Commerce itself.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly gives Congress the power to regulate Commerce; what we're seeing now is the Executive branch testing these boundaries through the power of taxation. Like the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo, this conflict is simultaneously about economics and power—a high-stakes game where the rules themselves are up for grabs.
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen is forecasting empty store shelves by July 2025. Retail Analyst Neil Saunders forecasts toy shortages at Christmas. Trump shrugs it off, “Maybe [retailers] have 2 dolls instead of 30 dolls.”
To hear the Cabinet speak, er, praise profusely, it’s been quite successful so far. I suppose we’ll see. To quote Padmé Amidala: "So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."
The question remains—who will be our Obi-Wan?
— Phillip
P.S. Early bird pricing for VISIONS: NYC ends tomorrow. Get your ticket for just $249 before prices go up! More speakers to be announced next week. futurecommerce.com/visions
The Art of Luxury. Chanel’s Culture Fund is bringing a major high-tech initiative to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). The Chanel Center for Artists and Technology will focus on AI, machine learning, and digital imaging, funding dozens of new roles and fellowships for artists, technologists-in-residence, and graduate students.
Although a firm dollar amount for the grant was not disclosed, the Fund is providing sufficient support to also enable further investment in cutting-edge software. While this partnership undoubtedly positions Chanel at the forefront of “what comes next,” it also illustrates how intrinsically linked fashion and technology are. In fact, both parties envision the center as a hub where tech companies, philanthropists, and other industry players will contribute in the future.
DNA-Coded Skincare (What Could Go Wrong?). A new school of skincare brands are tapping into genetic code to give us our ideal routines. Skin + Me and Trust Club are two brands asking consumers to submit swabs so their scientists can analyze how we respond to UV exposure, pollution, inflammation, and aging. While receiving a highly relevant, even curated, regimen is an alluring proposition, the idea of a skincare brand holding onto our DNA is chilling, making us wonder whether the fall of 23andMe taught us anything.
Not ready to hand over your DNA? No worries, just inject some robots instead! A team at Stanford is working on drug delivery systems via nanobots, finally answering that age-old question: "How can I make my skincare routine both more expensive AND more dystopian?"
Stop and Smell the Pits. Personal care brand Billie is bringing interactive advertising to a new, dare we say, stinker, level. Instead of relying on QR codes and dynamic digital displays, Billie is using out-of-home advertising to encourage Manhattanites to literally stop and sniff their newest deodorant. Located in several high-traffic areas, these installations put the brand's Coco Villa scent to the test against the many competing fragrances of New York City—including hot garbage, subway steam, and that indefinable odor emanating from that one guy on the 6 train. Nothing says "luxury personal care" quite like encouraging strangers to congregate and sniff armpits together in public spaces. Urban romance is truly dead.
Big Smasher Burger, Side of Inflation. Chili’s is winning the great fast-food race by encouraging consumers to go a little more upscale. As many people flocked to TikTok to rant and rave about the rising cost of McDonald’s, Kevin Hochman decided to use it to the chain’s advantage by making its tableside experience, and competitive prices, the stars of the marketing show. He even went so far as to do a side-by-side comparison between Chili’s and the legendary Golden Arches.
The Chatbot Who Loved Me. Having not learning his lessons with the AI BIPOC queer single mom last year, Mark Zuckerberg is betting big on AI-powered digital companions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. While he believes these new “friends” are the future of social media, internal team members have new concerns about whether these AI personas have the capacity for fantasy sex, opening new risks for underage users.
"What if we took all the problems of social media and added sentient horny robots?" A question that literally nobody was asking, but we’re all soon going to have to deal with.🔮 Internet culture analyst, reporter, and ethnographer Katherine Dee will explore the evolution of animism and how it has been influenced by technology, myth, and psychology during our upcoming VISIONS Summit in New York City. Join us on June 10 to learn how this concept will shape the future of your brand’s fandom. Get your ticket here.
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