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Happy New Year—2026 is already delivering sharp pivots and sharper tools. Meta is quietly scaling back its $70B metaverse moonshot. Hostinger just edged out every AI site builder we tested. And a solo builder prototyped a working travel app in 20 minutes—no boilerplate, no code hell.
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In this issue:
Ship a full travel app in 20 minutes 🚀
A real AI site builder face-off 🥊
Meta’s $70B metaverse pivot ✨
Write like a founder, faster
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Tutorial
TL;DR: Learn how to build a full-stack, AI-powered travel planner—from backend to working frontend—in under 25 minutes. Using Xano (backend), Cursor (AI coding assistant), and Lovable (frontend builder), the app lets users input a destination and number of days, then instantly generates an OpenAI-powered itinerary.
Cursor writes 100% of the backend logic using Zanoscript, including API routes and database schemas, with the user guiding via prompt.
Xano’s Logic Assistant helps debug, visualize API flows, and fix data persistence issues with minimal effort.
Lovable generates a full React frontend by parsing the API spec from Xano, adapting to changing JSON structures on the fly.
This workflow is a case study in where AI-native dev environments are headed: fast, modular, prompt-driven. For solo builders and early-stage teams, tools like these shift the bottleneck from coding to clarity—how well you can specify what you want.
Vibe Coding
TL;DR: A head-to-head test of three AI website builders—Hostinger Horizons, Lovable, and Base 44—reveals that only one delivers a site that’s ready to publish without edits. Same prompt, no tweaks, judged on design, UX, originality, and whether it’s truly shippable.
Lovable builds a structurally solid but bland site; not unique, not live-ready without handoff steps.
Base 44 improves layout clarity and spacing but still leans on generic patterns.
Hostinger Horizons stands out with polished, deployment-ready output and transparent one-credit pricing.
For side projects, MVPs, or fast idea validation, AI builders are increasingly viable. But “Can I ship this right now?” is still the real test—and most tools aren’t quite there. Horizons is the closest yet to replacing the traditional web stack for ultra-simple launches.
Make 2026 the Year Your Money Works for You
This New Year, don’t just set resolutions – secure them. Mindy West provides holistic financial planning that brings together smart investing, reliable insurance protection, and clear long-term strategy tailored to your goals.
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Whether you want to build wealth, safeguard your family, or finally get organized financially, we’ll help you start the year with confidence – and keep the momentum going all year long!
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New Year. New Goals. A Better Financial You.
News
TL;DR: Meta has begun cutting over 1,000 jobs in its Reality Labs division—the Bay Area tech industry’s first major layoff of 2026. The cuts reflect a retreat from metaverse ambitions and a shift toward more commercially viable products like AI-enhanced wearables.
The layoffs target Reality Labs employees focused on VR headsets and metaverse platforms like Horizon Worlds, while core social products (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) remain unaffected.
Meta is shutting down several VR game studios tied to Reality Labs as part of the restructuring.
Reality Labs has generated decades-scale losses (>$70B) since its launch, prompting a look toward wearables and AI hardware as growth engines.
Meta’s Reality Labs was once the emblem of its future vision—the metaverse as the “next computing platform.” These layoffs underscore a broader industry reckoning: unproven, capital-intensive bets are giving way to more grounded, revenue-driven priorities in AI and hardware. For founders and product teams, this reinforces a market truth: sustained consumer traction and clear monetization are non‑negotiables for long‑term bets, even under the biggest tech brands.
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