
<p><strong>Tanzania’s beer-guzzlers have a locally-brewed option as this entrepreneur attempts to change the country’s drinking culture with a social enterprise.</strong></p>



<p><strong><em>By Inaara Gangji</em></strong></p>



<p>&#8220;Tanzania has a rich beer history. Each tribe has its own beer. They were producing beer [even] before the Germans,” Swiss native and Tanzania-resident Raphael Flury says, in an interview with FORBES AFRICA.</p>



<p>That was perhaps the impetus for running his own outfit – a first-of-its-kind craft brewery and brewpub located in Arusha, Tanzania </p>



<p>When Flury acquired Twiga Brewery and its talented team in 2015, he wanted to offer more options to the Tanzanian market as an alternative to wine and mainstream beers. He got on board Tanzanian native Damian Mosoka as the head brewer, and more locals from the community to create locally-crafted beer.</p>



<p>“It was a desire for better beer but also to combine job creation and social impact. We did the research and thought this would be an interesting way to enter the beverage industry. We wanted to learn on the job about how this industry works,” says Flury.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/tanzania-beer.png" alt="" class="wp-image-58088" width="407" height="309" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/tanzania-beer.png 407w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/tanzania-beer-300x228.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The brewery is his second sustainable venture; the first being an organic food company. It was a natural instinct to work with local staff and build capacity before expanding.</p>



<p>In line with its mission, Twiga focuses on premium beers and offering customers an experience – 80% of his client-base is Tanzanian.</p>



<p>“We do small quantities, which is typical for a craft brewery. All our ingredients are of the highest quality,<br>and we give it plenty of time to develop flavors. We aim to offer the customer a fresh tasting beer,” adds Saphira von Moos, Flury’s COO.</p>



<p>Served on draft and bottled, the beer aims to be all-natural, unlike industrial beer produced on a large scale.</p>



<p>“People deserve a premium product, brewed the German way. It is unfiltered with no additives,” echoes Mosoka. However, their challenge is to convince the beer-favoring Tanzanian consumer that locally brewed beer is good, especially since it’s not standard in the market.</p>



<p>“We have an innovative product and a lot of customer interaction as well. You can touch the brewery [the<br>machines and processes] which is an innovative concept in Tanzania.</p>



<p>“Not a lot of people know what a brewery is… but we are constantly trying to change the beer culture, and that Tanzanian SMEs can make quality products just as [well] as international brands,” says Flury.</p>



<p>Another challenge is to convince customers that beers are best enjoyed cold, which is how it is served fresh from the draft. “It’s fun to do all this work and take the customer with you on this journey…” avers von Moos, who also has a mandate to encourage women to join in key production jobs at the brewery.</p>



<p>At the end of the day, Flury wants to be a role model and show other companies that it is possible to create and sustain equitable businesses in Tanzania. </p>



<p>“As a social enterprise, we mirror our values in the company too. It’s a marathon, it’s not easy, but we want to be sustainable and a hub for young Tanzanian talent,” he says.</p>


tanzania

Tapping Into The Market: What’s Brewing In Tanzania


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Big-tech stocks rallied after earnings this week and drove big gains for major indexes, but the number of stocks actually outperforming the broader market has slipped to levels unseen in decades—and in some cases, ever—pushing some experts to warn the strength may be a telltale sign of economic weakness.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Buoyed by blockbuster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/04/25/microsoft-earnings-stock-climbs-as-company-rides-ai-wave-to-profit-sales-beats/">earnings</a>&nbsp;releases from Microsoft, Meta and Google-parent Alphabet, the S&amp;P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq have jumped about 2% and 3% since Tuesday, respectively—tacking on to a rally that&#8217;s seen the Nasdaq surge 17% this year.</p>



<p>Despite the gains, however, JPMorgan analysts led by Dubravko Lakos-Bujas warned clients in a note that market breadth—as measured by the percentage of stocks in the S&amp;P that have outperformed the broader index—is the &#8220;weakest ever&#8221; by some measures.</p>



<p>For one, the market value of the S&amp;P&#8217;s two largest stocks, Apple and Microsoft, commands some 14% of the index&#8217;s value as a whole—the most ever in history; meanwhile, the 10 largest stocks are responsible for nearly 90% of the S&amp;P&#8217;s return this year—also the most ever.</p>



<p>Such &#8220;extreme concentration&#8221; in stocks supports a &#8220;bearish outcome for the market&#8221; because it has typically preceded economic slowdowns or recessions in the past, Dubravko Lakos-Bujas wrote, adding that the current rally, in particular, seems fueled by optimism that should soon fade about the end of the Federal Reserve&#8217;s interest rate hikes.</p>



<p>To make matters worse, JPMorgan notes the current degree of crowding implies &#8220;the risk of recession is far from priced in&#8221; even though fears have re-emerged following the collapse of Silvergate, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month.</p>



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<p>Morgan Stanley&#8217;s Michael Wilson is no more optimistic, saying on Tuesday he&#8217;s not convinced the bear market is over unless the performance of small-cap and regional bank stocks—both of which have underperformed while big tech rallies—improves.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>&#8220;We are challenged to find a period in history during which these indices have underperformed to such a degree while a new bull market was beginning,&#8221; says Wilson.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>After slipping into a bear market late last year, stocks have largely rallied over the past four months. Much of the bullishness has been fueled by hopes the Fed may soon cut interest rates (after more than a year of hiking them) to help ease uncertainty in the financial sector. &#8220;Big tech has been outperforming this year as Wall Street expects rate cuts to provide relief,&#8221; explains Oanda analyst Edward Moya—before expressing some doubts: &#8220;For the rally to continue we need to see a few hundred basis points in rate cuts, which is not necessarily going to happen if the Fed chooses inflation over financial stability over the next year.&#8221;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>The Fed’s next policy meeting concludes next Wednesday. The futures market implies just a 14% chance the central bank will keep rates the same and an 86% chance it will again raise rates by 25 basis points, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. Over the past few weeks, the odds have only grown in favor of another rate hike. Annual inflation fell for a ninth-straight month in March, but consumer prices still&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2023/04/12/prices-rose-another-5-in-march-lowest-inflation-reading-in-nearly-two-years/?sh=613fed083932">rose</a>&nbsp;by 5% on a yearly basis—well above the Fed&#8217;s 2% target.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/04/10/these-7-tech-stocks-command-almost-90-of-the-sp-500s-gains-signaling-market-rally-may-not-be-so-healthy/?sh=1b83adce65d5">These 7 Tech Stocks Command Almost 90% Of The S&amp;P 500’s Gains</a><em>&nbsp;(Forbes)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/04/27/dow-gains-500-points-thanks-to-big-techs-320-billion-rally/">Dow Gains 500 Points Thanks To Big Tech’s $320 Billion Rally</a><strong>&nbsp;</strong><em>(Forbes)</em><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/"></a></p>



<p><strong><em>By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Illustrations of Cryptocurrency In Indonesia

This Stock Market Indicator Is The Weakest It’s Ever Been—And Other Warning Signs Are Flaring


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>New Covid strain XBB.1.18, nicknamed arcturus, is quickly spreading across the U.S., but experts are warning that pink eye and high fever, two symptoms of the new variant, are particularly present among children.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Arcturus is a subvariant of the highly contagious omicron variant, which is the most prevalent variant in the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>



<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen an&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#traveler-genomic-surveillance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">uptick</a>&nbsp;in this variant among travelers—the week of March 6, it made up 1.1% of cases among travelers, and by the week of April 3, it made up 19.8%.</p>



<p>As of the week of April 22, the CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>&nbsp;arcturus makes up 9.6% of all U.S. cases, the second most prevalent subvariant behind XBB.1.5., which makes up 73.6% of cases.</p>



<p>The World Health Organization is tracking arcturus and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/21042023xbb.1.16ra-v2.pdf?sfvrsn=84577350_1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">labeled</a>&nbsp;it a “variant of interest” alongside XBB.1.5. on April 17, a step below a variant of concern—WHO previously labeled it a “variant under monitoring” in January.</p>



<p>WHO also reports the subvariant has been detected in 33 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Singapore, Libya, Iran, Kuwait and Qatar, but it’s the most prevalent in India.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>94,142. This is the weekly average of Covid cases in the U.S. as of April 19, the CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklycases_select_00" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>. However, this is a sharp decline from the weekly average of 296,279 this time last year, when BA.2, another omicron subvariant, was the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-sub-variant-ba2-makes-up-nearly-75-covid-variants-us-cdc-2022-04-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dominant strain</a>.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>WHO’s Covid technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove,&nbsp;<a href="https://time.com/6268467/omicron-subvariant-xbb116-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;during a press conference in March arcturus replaced the other variants in circulation in India, so it’s “one to watch.” The University of Minnesota&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/who-elevates-xbb116-variant-interest-levels-rise-us-and-other-countries" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>&nbsp;the subvariant is fueling India’s biggest Covid surge in seven months. The Indian government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>&nbsp;a total of 61,000 Covid cases as of Wednesday, a significant uptick compared to the 13,509 cases&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1912092" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;on March 30.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-arcturus-origins">ARCTURUS ORIGINS</h2>



<p>Arcturus is a descendant of the recombinant variant XBB, which stems from two separate BA.2 sublineages, according to WHO’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/21042023xbb.1.16ra-v2.pdf?sfvrsn=84577350_1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">risk assessment</a>. It is one of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/multi-media/details/who-press-conference-on-covid-19-and-other-global-health-issues-29-march-2023" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">600</a>&nbsp;omicron subvariants circulating the world. Though it has yet pinpointed its exact origins, WHO’s risk assessment reports the subvariant was first detected in January. Van Kerkhove also said in the press conference what sets this subvariant apart is a mutation in the spike protein, which “shows increased infectivity, as well as potential increased pathogenicity.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-symptoms">SYMPTOMS</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/pink-eye-symptom-covid19-coronavirus-children" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According</a>&nbsp;to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, pink eye (medically known as conjunctivitis) is suspected to be a symptom of the arcturus subvariant, particularly among children. If children have itchy, red eyes the AAO advises parents shouldn’t be alarmed, as it’s a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/red-pink-eye-goop-conjunctivitis-babies-infants" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">common</a>&nbsp;eye condition at any age and associated with allergy. However, Covid testing should be done to rule the virus out. Brad Hutton, a public health consultant at Hutton Health Consulting,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-to-know-about-the-new-covid-19-strain-known-as-arcturus#What-to-know-about-the-Arcturus-COVID-variant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;<em>Medical News Today&nbsp;</em>arcturus seems to have “a competitive advantage to the current predominant variant in the globe, XBB.1.5.,” but it probably won’t be a “major cause for concern” since it doesn’t seem to cause more severe illness than XBB.1.5. Fevers have always been Covid symptom, but the fevers related to arcturus are higher-grade, Matthew Binnicker, the director of clinical virology at Mayo Clinic,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-arcturus-covid-variant-symptoms-doctors-are-seeing-the-most-right-now_uk_64410d19e4b039ec4e7cf84c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the Huffington Post.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stamfordhealth.org/healthflash-blog/primary-care/fever-in-adults-when-to-worry/#:~:text=5.,103%20degrees%20F.%20or%20higher." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According</a>&nbsp;to Stamford health, a high-grade fever in adults is 103 degrees fahrenheit or higher for infants up to three months, 100.4 degrees fahrenheit or higher is considered high-grade, in children three months to three years, 102 degrees fahrenheit is high-grade and 103 degrees fahrenheit in older kids. If a patient develops a fever alongside pink eye, it’s a way to differentiate the infection from allergies because “allergies aren’t associated typically with a fever,” Binnicker said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/01/04/omicron-subvariant-xbb15-the-dominant-covid-strain-in-the-us-surges-in-major-metro-areas-with-slightly-different-symptoms/?sh=3a14fea0af2c">Omicron Subvariant XBB.1.5: The Dominant Covid Strain In The U.S. Surges In Major Metro Areas With Slightly Weaker Symptoms</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/01/26/covid-vaccines-heres-evidence-they-work-despite-persistent-misinformation-along-with-side-effects-and-common-misconceptions/?sh=67c5ed4547c3">Covid Vaccines: Here’s Evidence They Work—Despite Persistent Misinformation—Along With Side Effects And Common Misconceptions</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-to-know-about-the-new-covid-19-strain-known-as-arcturus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New COVID-19 strain: What to know about &#8216;Arcturus&#8217;</a> (Medical News Today)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/"></a><strong><em>By Arianna Johnson, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


A Covid-19 Vaccination Site As Children Under 5-Years Old Become Eligible For Shot

What To Know About ‘Arcturus’: New Covid Variant Causing Pink Eye


<p><strong>An armed conflict headed by the armed forces chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, began on April 15 in Sudan. The conflict rages on in the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region, where at least 460 people have been killed and 4,063 people have been injured, reports the country’s Health Ministry. Foreign states are fast evacuating their citizens from Sudan.</strong></p>



<p>Noon Abdelbassit Ibhrahim, a 21-year-old medical student at Ibn Sina University in Khartoum, Sudan, was living in Burri before a missile struck outside her family home on day four of the conflict gripping Sudan.</p>



<p>“It hit right outside our door, all our glass windows and doors shattered, our house was basically destroyed and we left it in a state where it&#8217;s open and anyone can get inside. All our belongings, all our life is there. And we left everything behind to try and get to safety,” a distraught Abdelbassit Ibhrahim says to FORBES AFRICA on a WhatsApp call.</p>



<p>The family left the house in Burri on Friday, April 21, arriving in the Egyptian capital of Cairo two days later.</p>



<p>At first, they stayed with a relative in Soba, a suburb on the outskirts of Khartoum. The family organized a bus to take them to Cairo, traveling with Swedish, American and Irish friends. The whole bus trip cost a total of SDG2,000,000 ($3,322).</p>



<p>Halfway through the journey, at 8PM, they were stopped by officers and told it would be better to turn back and sleep at a nearby city, as there was the imminent threat of hijackers on their way. The group decided to continue and drive through the night.</p>



<p>When they arrived safely at the Egyptian border after many hours of travel, the women, children and elders were allowed in without a visa. The American, Swedish, and Irish citizens were issued a visa on arrival for $25, Abdelbassit Ibhrahim says.</p>



<p>Her brother, Mohamed Abdelbassit Ibrahim, 19, as well as her uncles, Moez Hassan Zain, 40, and Momein Hassan Zain, 34, were turned away at the border because they didn’t have the right paperwork, she says.</p>



<p>Abdelbassit Ibhrahim has not been in contact with her brother or uncles since Sunday and is worried about them.</p>



<p>Internet outages have been reported across the country.</p>



<p>“The situation in Sudan is escalating by the minute. It&#8217;s completely unsafe, and they still haven&#8217;t declared a state of emergency. People are running out of food, water. People can’t get to the hospital to get emergency services and those that can – all these hospitals are going out of service because they have no staff and no equipment. We&#8217;re very slowly losing contact with everyone.”</p>



<p>The death toll is believed to be higher because people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of the city&#8217;s hospitals have been forced to close. The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far recorded 11 attacks on health facilities in the country.</p>



<p>“Hundreds and apparently now thousands of people are stuck at the border and can&#8217;t cross over –people who don&#8217;t have passports, people whose passports have expired, men aged 16 to 49 who can’t get their visas issued. The situation is just very chaotic and not enough light is being shone onto this.</p>



<p>People still don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going on. This is a point in time where we really do need food, water and medical supplies,” says Adbelbassit Ibhrahim to FORBES AFRICA.</p>



<p>The armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces seemingly agreed upon several ceasefires, the latest being a three-day break in fighting over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which started on Friday. The ceasefires have largely been ignored.</p>



<p>The UN reports that up to 20,000 people, predominantly women and children, have escaped from Sudan to Chad.</p>



<p>A total of 77 South African citizens were trapped in Sudan, according to South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela.</p>



<p>“Our nationals and embassy staff are on their way out of Khartoum. I can&#8217;t disclose the security and logistics of the operation. But they are moving out. We are in constant contact with them,” says Monyela on Twitter, on April 24.</p>



<p>Forty one South Africans have been bussed out of Sudan through the Egypt border along with seven Angolans, as part of a multi-South African government department effort on Monday, reports The Gift of the Givers. The organization, along with the South African government, organized the evacuations, but cell phone networks are down and hindering efforts.</p>



<p>The remainder of the South Africans were evacuated on Tuesday, April 26, reports The Gift of The Givers.</p>



<p>An increasing number of countries have evacuated diplomats and citizens from Sudan&#8217;s capital as the conflict continues. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada have flown diplomats out, reports the BBC. France, Germany, Italy, Spain and India have also been removing diplomats and other nationals.</p>



<p>Turkey began evacuation efforts by road on Sunday, with plans halted due to a nearby “explosion”. The citizens of Gulf countries, as well as of Egypt and Pakistan were evacuated, reports the BBC.</p>



<p>On Sunday, lines of UN vehicles were seen leaving Khartoum heading towards Port Sudan on the Red Sea, carrying &#8220;citizens from all over the world&#8221;, a Sierra Leonean refugee told AFP.</p>



<p>In recent months, Sudan had been attempting to transition towards democracy, after the 2019 coup of autocrat Omar al-Bashir. The Rapid Support Forces and the armed forces were both held responsible for the military coup.</p>



<p>If the conflict continues without aid or a ceasefire, it will have ramifications for the horn of Africa as the region enters yet another year of drought.</p>


UK Government Continues Efforts To Evacuate British Nationals From Sudan

‘Left Everything Behind… Very Chaotic’: Account From Citizen Fleeing Sudan Conflict


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The market value of LVMH, the company chaired by the world’s richest person Bernard Arnault, just surpassed that of Tesla, the firm led by the world’s second-richest person Elon Musk, for the first time in several months, as Arnault’s lead on Musk as the richest man extends to nearly $70 billion.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>LVMH, the French luxury conglomerate behind brands such as Tiffany, Christian Dior and Moët Hennessy, had a market capitalization of $484 billion Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET.</p>



<p>That narrowly falls short of Tesla’s $510 billion market cap after shares of the American electric vehicle titan slipped, bringing its April&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/?sh=49a4ec1d76f9">stock slide</a>&nbsp;to 22% amid investor concerns about dwindling profit margins.</p>



<p>It’d the first time since mid-January that LVMH’s market cap topped Tesla’s, according to YCharts data, and the first time since June 2020, excluding the three-week blip for Tesla at the turn of 2023.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuations">FORBES VALUATIONS</h2>



<p>Arnault is worth $240.4 billion, according to our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#2426131b3d78">latest estimates</a>, $67.1 billion more than Musk’s $173.3 billion wealth pile. Roughly 97% of Arnault’s fortune&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/article/behind-the-billions-bernard-arnault/?sh=3ca8b6e8316d">comes from</a>&nbsp;his 48% stake in LVMH, while Musk’s 23% stake in Tesla&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/article/elon-musk/?sh=b48f04026afa">accounts for</a>&nbsp;about 58% of his net worth.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>LVMH hit another key milestone earlier this week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-24/lvmh-s-market-value-surpasses-500-billion-a-first-in-europe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">becoming</a>&nbsp;the first European company to ever exceed a $500 billion valuation. Tesla and LVMH are the 10th and 11th most valuable companies in the world, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://companiesmarketcap.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Companies Market Cap</a>. Arnault&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2022/12/07/elon-musk-was-overtaken-as-richest-person-in-the-worldbriefly/?sh=4682c562778e">overtook</a>&nbsp;Musk as the richest person on earth in December. Musk’s net worth has cratered by 15% thus far in April.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2023/04/04/the-worlds-richest-person-2023/?sh=108c50344e49">The World’s Richest Person 2023</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/article/behind-the-billions-bernard-arnault/?sh=3ca8b6e8316d">Behind The Billions: Bernard Arnault</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/article/elon-musk/?sh=b48f04026afa">Behind The Billions: Elon Musk</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/"></a><strong><em>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff </em></strong></p>


Untitled design (8)

LVMH Is Almost More Valuable Than Tesla—As Wealth Gap Widens Between Arnault And Musk


<p><strong>With over 600 young brand ambassadors and/or business leaders expected to be part of the four-day event, the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa kicked off in Botswana’s economic and political capital, Gaborone, on April 23.</strong></p>



<p>Thousands gathered in Botswana’s capital Gaborone yesterday, April 23, in the historic Main Mall and square, for the pan-African opening of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa, held for a second year in the southern Africa city.</p>



<p>The four-day event kicked off with celebrations at the outdoor shopping and commercial hub as summit delegates and members of the public swayed to live on-stage music featuring energetic performances from some of Africa’s finest musical talent including Sauti Sol, Stabito, local Botswana artist Dato Seiko and one of the country’s rising stars, ATI.</p>



<p>South African Grammy award-winner Nomcebo Zikode also enthralled the audience with her foot-tapping music and viral smash single, <em>Jerusalema</em>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The eager crowds gathered outside the Cresta President Hotel, known as a legacy hotel, overlooking the main stage.</p>



<p>“I am thrilled to be attending the 2023 summit,” said Muhle Ndwalane, the Managing Director of Asante Tech Solutions&nbsp;and FORBES AFRICA’s 2022 Under-30 lister. “This is one incredible platform that brings together some of the brightest minds and most innovative leaders from across the world.”</p>



<p>“With this being the first day of the summit, we have really been having fun,” said FORBES AFRICA’s 2021 Under-30 lister, filmmaker and creative director, Ifan Ifeanyi Michael, during the festivities.</p>



<p>“Apart from it being fun, it&#8217;s actually such a good networking experience for me. Meeting people from all parts of the continent, and all over the world; sharing business ideas, and also connecting with individuals who are also very optimistic about changing the narrative of Africa.”</p>



<p>Throughout the summit, attendees are looking forward to riveting conversations with change-makers from Africa and across the globe including the continent’s youngest billionaire Mohammed Dewji and Grammy award-winning artist Davido (who is also set to perform at the Bush Party), but part of the “fun” will be hearing from some of the past listers as well continuing the African growth story.</p>



<p>“This year I’m at the summit to speak on the topic of securing equitable funding, with fellow FORBES AFRICA listers Shaun Shoriwa and Charlot Magayi,” said Dr Brett Lyndall Singh, 2022 Under 30 list-maker, and founder and CEO of AOM GrouP.</p>



<p>“Last year, I came to the summit as an excited delegate, eager to learn from successful young entrepreneurs, and I ended up meeting a fellow lister, who became my co-founder! This year, I’m here to hear more! This summit is the most important event for any serious young entrepreneur, and I’m excited to share, learn and support this wonderful community.”</p>



<p>Held under the theme <em>Entrepreneurial Africa—with Botswana at the Center</em>, the summit will start day two with conversations and panel discussions with several African leaders and elite entrepreneurs, at the Botswana Innovation Hub.</p>


Copy of Copy of Ilan Godfrey for Forbes_T1A5622

‘This Summit Is The Most Important Event For Any Serious Young Entrepreneur’: The Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa Opens In Gaborone 


<p>Nomcebo Zikode, the multi platinum-selling South African singer-songwriter who won the Grammy in February for Global Music Performance with Wouter Kellerman and Zakes Bantwini, will be performing at the pan-African welcome celebration of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa in Gaborone, Botswana, on April 23.</p>



<p>The artist, who is the founder of the Nomcebo Zikode Foundation, was also at the eighth annual FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit on March 8 in Pretoria, South Africa, where she spoke on stage about her tough journey to becoming a successful singer.</p>



<p>She outlined her trials and triumphs before performing the foot-tapping hit song Jerusalema and evoking tumultuous applause and cheers from the audience at the SunBet Arena.</p>



<p>She also won the 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Entertainer Award at a glittering ceremony in the evening on the same day.</p>



<p>Speaking to FORBES AFRICA after the win, she said: “You know, people have read everywhere about my struggles. But I did not focus on my struggles – I kept on pushing. That is why today, [I am] the woman who is a Grammy winner, because I didn’t give up. I kept on pushing. I am so happy as an African woman.”</p>



<p>From being a backing singer to an artist receiving recognition, Zikode is a part of South Africa’s burgeoning music landscape.</p>



<p>“There’s so much that is happening in this industry – when I say so much I mean going through so much. So, for me as a woman, to be recognized by FORBES AFRICA is great,” Zikode added in March.</p>



<p>Zikode worked with Master KG on the 2019 hit single Jerusalema and later remixed with Burna Boy, the song debuted at Number 1 on Billboard Music Charts. It became an anthem in South Africa and across the world as “a feel-good” song during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>


Nomcebo Zikode, image supplied

‘I Didn’t Focus On My Struggles, I Didn’t Give Up’: South Africa’s Grammy Winner Nomcebo Zikode


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The Gen Z generation is tracking ahead of Millennials and Gen X for homeownership, a new Redfin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.redfin.com/news/gen-z-millennial-homeownership-rate-home-purchases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;shows—but the housing market threatens to create inequality across generations as those who didn’t buy homes in the past three years now face elevated prices and mortgage rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Roughly 30% of 25-year-olds in 2022—the oldest of the Gen Z (born between 1997 to 2013)—owned their home in 2022, a slightly higher percentage than the 28% of Millennials (born between 1981 to 1996) who owned homes at that age and the 27% of Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1980)—but lower than the rate for Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), 32% of whom owned homes at age 25.</p>



<p>While Gen Z is ahead of their parents’ generation, Millennials are still tracking behind—62% of 40-year-old Millennials owned a home in 2022 compared with the 69% homeownership rate for Baby Boomers at that age.</p>



<p>The oldest of Gen Z were buying houses during the purchasing boom in 2020 and 2021, while the oldest Millennials reached age 25 right around the 2008 mortgage crisis.</p>



<p>Gen Z homebuyers have been flocking more toward affordable parts of the country, like Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Cincinnati, while Millennial buyers are more prevalent in job centers like Seattle and Philadelphia.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Many from Gen Z took advantage of the 3% mortgage rates in 2020 and 2021 to become homeowners, with the average mortgage rate for homebuyers under 25 in 2021 at 3.1%. A tight labor market during the pandemic also helped that generation build their incomes quickly, as wages rose 12% in 2022, double the increase for the overall population, according to a Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-13/gen-z-americans-keep-spending-in-face-of-high-inflation-consumer-prices?sref=fRZXrT1O#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>. Gen Z also focused its homebuying in smaller cities where housing was much less expensive, making it easier to afford a mortgage down payment. For example, Virginia Beach, which was the most popular location for Gen Z buyers in 2022, has a median home sale price of $225,000, while Seattle, the most popular among Millennials, averages $775,000 for a house. This is partly because people under 25 may be more flexible about their location as they enter the workforce in the era of remote and hybrid work, while older adults may be more tied to locations near existing careers, according to the study.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“Millennials have been financially unlucky. Their parents had a more straightforward financial journey,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “The oldest millennials entered the workforce during the 2001 recession. Then came the 2008 financial crisis, with many millennials in their first post-college job.”</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Now that mortgage rates have risen sharply from their pandemic lows, there’s a likelihood those who do not own their homes may have a harder time finding an affordable mortgage, the study shows. The “mortgage Millennials” or Gen Z members who bought homes before prices shot up more than 30% during the pandemic, or when mortgage rates were around 3%, have the upper hand over those who did not buy during that time and now face record-high monthly mortgage payments and rising housing costs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nigelwilson/2021/08/18/us-millennials-home-ownership-and-the-growing-chasm-between-aspiration-and-reality/?sh=6eee2e035498">U.S. Millennials: Home Ownership And The Growing Chasm Between Aspiration And Reality</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennials-real-estate-investing-mistakes-buying-homes-early-2023-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gen Z is coming for the housing market</a>&nbsp;(Insider)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/mortgage-rates/">Compare Current Mortgage Rates</a> (Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/"></a><em><strong>By Katherine Hamilton, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


Lesbian couple carrying moving boxes into home

Gen Z Ahead Of Millennials—And Their Parents—In Owning Their Own Homes


<p><strong>Winifred Nwania is using her status as a YouTuber and influencer to seek out Nigeria’s rich repertoire of ingredients and recipes to put her country on the global food map.</strong></p>



<p>When Winifred Nwania was 12 years old, her world turned upside down. The happy, idyllic life she and her six siblings were accustomed to in Lagos in Nigeria was shattered overnight when their father passed away.</p>



<p>“In the Igbo culture [of Nigeria], when a person loses her husband, the husband’s relatives come and make life really difficult for the woman, especially if they don’t like her and that was the case for my family. They took my father’s assets, his properties and everything he owned from us and my mother had to start life from scratch,” says Nwania.</p>



<p>In that tragic moment, Nwania would serendipitously find her calling. Noticing her brothers were hungry, Nwania decided to step up to give her mother a breather during the mourning period.</p>



<p>“I don’t know where that strength came from but I decided to do something for my brothers who were hungry and wanted to eat. So, I made the worst pot of jollof rice ever in my life but because I had this winning spirit that my dad had taught me, I changed my strategy the next day,” recalls Nwania.</p>



<p>The next day she decided to enlist the help of her mother. In between running back and forth from the family kitchen to her mother’s room for instructions, Nwania made her second pot of food and this time, it came out a lot better. That was all Nwania needed to convince her that she wanted to spend the rest of her life in the kitchen, cooking for all.</p>



<p>As fate would have it, during her one-year mandatory tenure as a National Youth Service Corps, the Nigerian government introduced an initiative called the skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development program to help everyone learn a skill before they left the youth camp.</p>



<p>“It came to my mind that I loved to cook and so I looked for a catering trainer in the camp and I joined her class and the first [dish] she cooked was with yam. She made a yam piccata and I still have the picture to this day. I was so intrigued by how she transformed the yam and I said this is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I made up my mind that I [would] delve deeper and make something out of this,” says Nwania.</p>



<p>But first she needed to pay her bills. After graduating from the camp, she joined an oil and gas company where she worked in the finance department to help foot her daily expenses but reserved the weekends for learning all she could about catering.</p>



<p>“I would go online, and on social media for articles and videos and the next step was to go to culinary school. The prices in Nigeria were too high and I couldn’t afford it at the time. So, I decided to go to the website of the school and I went to their curriculum section and saw that they had put the names of the books and the materials that they were going to use to teach the students. So, I took down all the names of the books and I bought them myself and trained myself by practicing in the kitchen.”</p>



<p>Nwania decided to post the images of her culinary creations on her Blackberry phone and soon began to get recipe requests from her followers. Her sister introduced the idea of blogging to Nwania and before long she was building a steady following online.</p>



<p>“I wasn’t really excelling in my nine-to-five job anymore. I was given a task and I was making so many errors and mistakes. My boss came and asked me why. He decided to check my computer and saw that I had so many windows opened about food. None of it had anything to do with my actual job at work and my boss said ‘if you want to go and cook in the kitchen why don’t you go and do that instead of sitting here’. And that is when it hit me. I quit my job without a plan,” laughs Nwania.</p>



<p>Her first plan was to have her own cooking channel and she reached out to every network she could find for a TV spot. No one responded. Yet again, her sister came to her rescue with another plan. This time, she suggested Nwania create her own YouTube channel and self-publish her content.</p>



<p>“At that time, YouTube was not that much of a big deal. So, I went on the platform and there was no one there I could look up to. So, I got a one-man production company and our goal was to get 5,000 subscribers but in the first six months, we got over 50,000 subscribers and grew so fast.”</p>



<p>Zeelicious Food was born. Today, Nwania boasts her own cooking show, My Naija Plate, on DSTv’s Honey TV where she has aired two seasons. She her own cook book and a lucrative YouTube channel with over 840,000 subscribers. Her videos average over a million views with brand partnerships from telco companies and other brands wanting to tap into her growing audience as an influencer.</p>



<p>“The main goal was to actually put Nigerian food on the global food map and help people with the opportunity to have a food repertoire. We are blessed with a very rich array of ingredients and I took it upon myself to research and use them to develop recipes that the people in this part of the world can relate to. The feedback has been amazing with people [even] telling me how I am saving their marriage by helping them be better cooks,” says Nwania.</p>



<p>Next up in building her food empire is to become a qualified nutritionist. Looking back on that fateful day when she was 12, Nwania believes everything happened for a reason. She ponders out loud at the end of our call that it was her mother’s tenacity in the face of unimaginable difficulty that made her a successful food entrepreneur.</p>


Why Success Is On The Menu For This Nigerian Chef

In this photo illustration the American online social media

2023 Layoff Tracker: Latest Meta Cuts Could Hit 4,000

banner

FORBES AFRICA 30 UNDER 30 CLASS of 2023: TOMORROW’S TITANS


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>India will overtake China to become the world’s most populous nation by this summer, data released by the United Nations on Wednesday showed, a tipping point that highlights shifting demographics between the two Asian countries collectively home to more than a third of the global population.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>India’s estimated population by mid-2023 will stand at 1,428.6 million compared to China’s 1,425.7 million,&nbsp;<a href="https://reliefweb.int/attachments/e13a9007-9523-4fd4-8bae-21f7123e6e3d/SWOP2023-ENGLISH-230329-web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNPFA) “State of World Population Report.”</p>



<p>The exact date of when the shift is unclear, but a UNPFA spokesperson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-overtakes-china-as-world-s-most-populous-country-with-2-9-million-more-people-says-un-report-101681880853544.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<em>Hindustan Times</em>&nbsp;that this may have already happened.</p>



<p>The spokesperson added that China’s population peaked in late 2022 and has been declining since, while India’s population continues to grow.</p>



<p><em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;has contacted the agency for comment.</p>



<p>India’s population is not only larger than China, but also a lot younger, with 25% being in the 0-14 age group, 18% in the 10-19 group and 26% in the 10-24 group, compared to 17%, 12% and 18% respectively for China.</p>



<p>With an estimated population of 340 million, the United States comes in at a distant third place.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>The shifting population dynamics come at a critical time for both India and China as the two Asian giants seek to become both regional and global economic leaders. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/01/17/chinas-population-falls-for-first-time-in-60-years-heres-why/?sh=4de09bc12f09">aging population</a>&nbsp;and declining birth rate have raised fears of a looming demographic crisis. This is likely to lead to a shrinking of its labor force, which could in turn have a significant impact on Beijing’s status as a major world power. India, on the other hand, is scrambling to take advantage of what experts call a “demographic dividend” with a large portion of its population being young. This development will likely ramp up India’s government’s efforts to expand employment opportunities as millions of young people enter the workforce.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>8.045 billion. That is the estimate for the world&#8217;s total population by mid-2023, according to the UN data. The global population crossed 8 billion for the first time in November last year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/state-world-population-2023-8-billion-lives-infinite-possibilities-case-rights-and-choices-enarru#:~:text=State%20of%20World%20Population%202023,ReliefWeb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;accompanying the report, the UNPFA addressed what it calls myths about the global population, including the opposing concerns that too many or too few people are being born. “There is no perfect number of people, nor should we prescribe a number of children that each woman should have. History has shown the damage this kind of thinking can cause, such as eugenics and genocide.” The statement also pushes back against the argument that higher fertility worsens the climate crisis by pointing out the fact that the wealthiest 10% of people—who tend to live in low fertility rate countries—are responsible for nearly half of all greenhouse gas emissions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-overtakes-china-as-world-s-most-populous-country-with-2-9-million-more-people-says-un-report-101681880853544.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">India is now world’s most populous country, suggests UN data</a>&nbsp;(Hindustan Times)</p>



<p><a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/state-world-population-2023-8-billion-lives-infinite-possibilities-case-rights-and-choices-enarru" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities &#8211; The case for rights and choices</a> (UNFPA)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/"></a><strong><em>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


India Passes China on Population

India Will Become The World’s Most Populous Country—Overtaking China—By This Summer, UN Says


<p>This is a business that started with two things.</p>



<p>“$150 and resilience!”</p>



<p>“I call myself the jack of all trades and muscle [to mean strength] of everything,” Oluwabusayo Victoria Abiri says to FORBES AFRICA. “My business is all about making sure that all black women feel comfortable in their own skin.”</p>



<p>Abiri’s energy came through in her bright dress at the FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 photo shoot in Johannesburg.</p>



<p>“I started Koko By Khloe Beauty as a response to limited quality skincare products in Africa. Unfortunately, there [are too many] hazardous skincare products in the African market. I wanted to go against the status quo and launch a cosmetics line that embraces different skin types and shades, providing them with well-trusted and patented products that nourish and promote healthy glowing skin.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="#FORBESAFRICA30Under30 Class of 2023: Meet COVER STAR Oluwabusayo Victoria Abiri" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m-prC1vWk4E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>However, starting a business in the beauty industry as a woman from Nigeria did not come without its challenges.</p>



<p>“Being an entrepreneur in Nigeria in general is hard,” Abiri explains. “Already, there are a lot of stigmas about doing business with Nigerians, and there is a lot of competition that comes with it.”</p>



<p>Through her business, Abiri has been able to amass over 1.5 million followers on Instagram and over 200,000 daily Snapchat viewers. With that viewership, she has been able to mobilize conversations with her audience around the age-old standards of beauty across Africa and how they are changing.</p>



<p>“The beauty industry is highly competitive, and local brands face a significant challenge competing with global giants,” says Bright Jaja. “However, I am impressed with Victoria’s success in breaking into the industry and making a significant impact in a short period. By leveraging her Instagram following, she has managed to create a community of people who appreciate and purchase her products.”</p>


Untitled design (4)

#FORBESAFRICA30Under30 Class of 2023: Meet COVER STAR Oluwabusayo Victoria Abiri “Being an entrepreneur in Nigeria in general is hard.”


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>A new TikTok trend known as “Watertok” has made a splash in recent weeks — as users experiment with flavored water “cocktails” — but the trend has raised many questions, including a debate over whether the drinks are still technically “water” and whether there are health risks associated with the latest viral craze.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>“Watertok” videos often feature women filling up large cups—Stanley tumblers are usually the mode of choice—with ice and water, and then creating an elixir by adding different water flavorings, typically in pursuit of drinking more water throughout the day</p>



<p>Some of the most infamous “water recipes” include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3c5wPF/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birthday cake</a>&nbsp;water,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3cwP2a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">peach ring</a>&nbsp;water and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3cyXrV/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">piña colada</a>&nbsp;water—the creators use powdered flavorings from brands like Skittles, Sonic, Crush and Jolly Ranchers and syrups by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.skinnymixes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jordan’s Skinny Mixes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kerryfoodservice.com/collections/sugar-free-syrups?scroll=780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DaVinci</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.makeitmio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MiO</a>&nbsp;to create the drinks.</p>



<p>While the flavorings are typically zero-calorie and sugar free, Watertok’s popularity and the vibrant color and sweetness of the drinks have caused people to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3c2VCD/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wonder</a>&nbsp;where to draw the line between water and juice.</p>



<p>Others have resorted to mocking the trend, like this TikTok&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3cUaCY/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">video</a>&nbsp;with over 330,000 likes and 2.5 millions views, in which the creator pretends to make a water recipe, but makes a pitcher of Kool-aid instead.</p>



<p>The trend, which began among patients of weight-loss surgery who were advised to consume water before and after their operations, has picked up steam on TikTok, causing some health experts to praise increased water consumption while others warn that replacing meals with water could lead to disordered eating.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>134.2 million. That’s how many views the hashtag&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3vswEU/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#WaterTok</a>&nbsp;has accumulated on TikTok.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“In a perfect world, [people] would be drinking just regular water, but we know some people just don&#8217;t like it or don&#8217;t don&#8217;t drink enough,” obesity medicine specialist and medical director of diabetes reversal company Virta Health, Jeff Stanley, told&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>. “So, adding in a bit of [flavoring] can be helpful.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watertok-origins">WATERTOK ORIGINS</h2>



<p>WaterTok originated from bariatric patients who needed to spice up their water intake while on pre- and postoperative liquid diets that last no more than&nbsp;<a href="https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/c/colorectal-cancer-surgery/what-to-expect/clear-liquid-diet-guidelines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">five days</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/watertok-tiktok-water-experts-concerned-1234714010/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to popular WaterTok creator Tonya Spanglo. Stanley told&nbsp;<em>Forbes&nbsp;</em>the reason for the liquid diet is for “people to lose a little bit of weight before the surgery… and shrink the liver a little, which makes the surgery easier.”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=135&amp;contentid=82#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20types%20of,the%20top%20of%20your%20stomach." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According</a>&nbsp;to the University of Rochester Medical Center, there are three common types of bariatric surgeries: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy (or the gastric sleeve) and adjustable gastric banding (or the lap band). During the gastric sleeve, 85% of the patient’s is removed, creating a narrow tube that resembles a sleeve, during gastric bypass the surgeon removes part of the stomach to create a pouch and the lap band involves an adjustable band being placed at the top of the stomach and a port under the skin to tighten the band. Spanglo, known on TikTok as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3vg4uy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">takingmylifeback42</a>, is a bariatric patient with almost 800,000 TikTok followers. In a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3cNUDN/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">video</a>&nbsp;addressing the hate she’s received, she made it clear her “dietician and surgeon approved [flavored water].” Spanglo is no longer on a liquid diet as she got her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3cPLxg/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surgery</a>&nbsp;three years ago, so she drinks flavored water to meet her water intake goal of at least 64 ounces a day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits">BENEFITS</h2>



<p>The main reason people drink flavored water is to up their water intake. TikToker Haley Staggs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.today.com/food/trends/watertok-flavored-water-recipes-tiktok-rcna79555" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;NBC’s&nbsp;<em>Today&nbsp;</em>show that WaterTok has helped her drink more water, and she now consumes “over 100 ounces of water a day.” Stanley said water recipes help his diabetic patients curb their sweet tooth, and he found flavored water was a good alternative to juice and soda because most flavorings use sugar substitutes. For the most part, Stanley believes the WaterTok trend is harmless and a way to “keep things interesting,” while having fun, and considers it water “for all intents and purposes.” Dietician Frances Largeman-Roth told&nbsp;<em>Today</em>&nbsp;“it’s a fun thing to make and drink,” and she loves how people are leveling up their water intakes, but advised against using artificially colored and flavored syrups.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-dangerous">IS IT DANGEROUS?</h2>



<p>Just like any trend, WaterTok has become popular among people who were not originally the target audience. Some WaterTok videos are also hashtagged as weight loss videos, though the trend is not overtly related to weight loss outside of the bariatric surgery requirements. However, chief strategy officer for the eating disorder treatment organization the Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative, Jillian Lampert,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/watertok-tiktok-water-experts-concerned-1234714010/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;<em>Rolling Stone&nbsp;</em>flavored water is a recipe for a potential eating disorder. Lampert labels people drinking water in place of food as “long-term, old-school eating disorder behavior.” Around 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetimes, the Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders&nbsp;<a href="https://anad.org/eating-disorders-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>. Abdul Matin Azizi, principal dentist at Harley Private Dental,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/watertok-hydration-flavoured-water-receipes-healthy-b2320966.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;<em>The Independent&nbsp;</em>about the dangers the trend can pose for dental health. Azini said the additives, artificial sugars and citric acid in the flavorings can “erode tooth enamel and cause tooth decay,” and recommended rinsing the mouth after consumption. Most flavorings, like Skinny Mixes syrup, are sweetened with stevia and erythritol, both sugar alternatives used in the diabetic community. However, a recent study&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/03/01/new-warning-about-zero-calorie-sugar-substitute-what-experts-are-saying-about-erythritol/?sh=3c1ac8ca5385">linked</a>&nbsp;erythritol with an increased risk of heart disease, though the study only featured participants with heart problems.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/03/01/new-warning-about-zero-calorie-sugar-substitute-what-experts-are-saying-about-erythritol/?sh=3c1ac8ca5385">New Warning About Zero-Calorie Sugar Substitute: What Experts Are Saying About Erythritol</a>&nbsp;Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.today.com/food/trends/watertok-flavored-water-recipes-tiktok-rcna79555" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#WaterTok: Why ‘water recipes’ are taking over TikTok</a>&nbsp;(Today)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/watertok-tiktok-water-experts-concerned-1234714010/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TikTok Is Obsessed With Water. Experts Are Concerned</a> (Rolling Stone)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/"></a><strong><em>By Arianna Johnson, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>



<p><br></p>


In this photo illustration the TikTok logo seen displayed on

Divisive TikTok Trend ‘WaterTok’: Why Some Experts Warn Against It And Others Encourage It


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Alphabet shares are on pace for their worst day in over two months following a report indicating the Google parent company is in danger of losing a key multibillion-dollar search engine contract to Microsoft, as the artificial intelligence rivalry between the two technology giants rages on.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Samsung is mulling a switch from Google to Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its smartphones and tablets, the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/technology/google-search-engine-ai.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;Sunday, putting a contract worth a reported $3 billion per year in jeopardy.</p>



<p>Though that represents just over 1% of Alphabet’s roughly $280 billion in annual revenue, it’s the latest indication that Google’s search engine dominance may be fading, with the&nbsp;<em>Times&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/technology/google-search-engine-ai.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reporting</a>&nbsp;there was “panic” among Alphabet employees over the Samsung contract.</p>



<p>Alphabet shares slid as much as 4.1% in early trading Monday, shedding $57 billion in market capitalization, while Microsoft shares climbed 1.6%.</p>



<p>That continues a months-long trend of Microsoft’s stock outperforming Alphabet’s, as Microsoft shares are up 21% since the November launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s viral chatbot incorporated into Bing; Alphabet shares are up 10% during the same period.</p>



<p>Microsoft has an “early lead” in the artificial intelligence space as it exhibits a “renewed vigor” in the search market, Goldman Sachs analysts led by Kash Rangan wrote in a note to clients last month.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Microsoft&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/23/chatgpt-parent-open-ai-gets-game-changing-multibillion-dollar-boost-from-microsoft/?sh=7e64a4253c0c">announced</a>&nbsp;in January it made a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/23/chatgpt-parent-open-ai-gets-game-changing-multibillion-dollar-boost-from-microsoft/?sh=7e64a4253c0c">reportedly</a>&nbsp;infusing $10 billion into the budding generative AI company and taking what will be a 49% stake in the firm. Just three weeks later, Microsoft&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/02/07/reinventing-search-with-a-new-ai-powered-microsoft-bing-and-edge-your-copilot-for-the-web/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rolled out</a>&nbsp;its integration of ChatGPT into Bing and its Edge web browser. Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT, has received more lukewarm feedback, with Alphabet shares&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-ai-chatbot-bard-offers-inaccurate-information-company-ad-2023-02-08/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tanking</a>&nbsp;7% on February 8 after the chatbot provided inaccurate information during a demo.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Microsoft is the “clear early leader” in the generative AI space and has “potential to achieve escape velocity” and separate itself from competitors, JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy wrote earlier this month.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>20%. That’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-smartphone-share/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">roughly</a>&nbsp;the proportion of the roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsma.com/mobileeconomy/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/270223-The-Mobile-Economy-2023-Infographic.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4.4 billion</a>&nbsp;smartphone users worldwide that use a Samsung device, according to Counterpoint Research and GSMA Intelligence data.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/ai50/?sh=1c90f134290f">AI 50</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/03/01/ai-is-the-new-electricity-bank-of-america-picks-20-stocks-to-cash-in-on-chatgpt-hype/?sh=5a8f4d9777ac">‘AI Is The New Electricity’: Bank Of America Picks 20 Stocks To Cash In On ChatGPT Hype</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/technology/google-search-engine-ai.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Devising Radical Search Changes to Beat Back A.I. Rivals</a> (<em>New York Times</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Coronavirus Pandemic

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