The Power of Illusion: Red Bull, Simulated Realities, and 18,000 Water Cups

This week’s edition of The Sunday Signal takes readers from banned energy drinks to the very edges of reality itself.

In my Yorkshire Post column, I looked at how Red Bull turned prohibition into the best marketing campaign money could never buy. Bans didn’t kill the drink; they made it irresistible. That lesson in scarcity and strategy is as relevant to entrepreneurs today as it was to Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya in the 1980s.

From there, the newsletter dives into one of the most mind-bending ideas of our time: the simulation hypothesis. Elon Musk argues that if technology continues on its current trajectory, the odds we’re living in “base reality” are vanishingly small. Physicists like Dr Melvin Vopson are even proposing experiments to test whether our universe is, at its core, nothing more than code. Whether you believe it or not, the very act of asking the question forces us to rethink what it means to be human.

And finally, to end on a lighter note, we looked at how Taco Bell’s AI-powered drive-through was outsmarted by a customer who ordered 18,000 water cups. It’s a funny story — but it also reminds us of something profound. AI is powerful, but brittle. Humans are creative, unpredictable, and mischievous. That remains our sharpest advantage.

👉 You can read the full issue here: The Sunday Signal: The Power of Illusion.

The Sunday Signal is my weekly newsletter exploring technology, society, and human potential. If you enjoy these themes, you can subscribe on [Substack] or [LinkedIn] to receive it every Sunday.