How to play · FAQ

About daily.surf

daily.surf is a free daily game about the companies you know. Every day there's a new board of eight well-known US companies and eight categories, from sales and profit to how old a company is. Put each company where it scores best, and ride a wave for every match.

How a day works

1. You see the whole lineup of 8 companies, each with a few words on what it does, and the 8 categories.
2. The companies go in the lineup's order. Pick an open category for the one up now and drop it in. Each category takes one company, so plan for the ones still to come.
3. The match scores 0 to 10 from the company's latest annual report, and you see its actual figure and where it would have scored best.
4. When all eight are placed, your score is the total, out of 80.0, set against the best board the day's companies allow and everyone who played today.

Scoring

Every match is a wave, and the waves build through the heat, from 5 ft for the first company to 30 ft for the last. Five judges hold up the match's score out of 10; the highest and lowest cards are dropped, and the three in the middle always average to the score. The better the fit, the bigger the trick:

• 10.0: Backflip or Air 360
• 8.5 to 9.9: Indy grab
• 6.5 to 8.4: Frontside air
• 4.5 to 6.4: Lip snap
• 2.5 to 4.4: Carve
• 0.1 to 2.4: Wipeout
• 0.0: Big wipeout

Every day's board is dealt so a near-perfect heat is possible: each category has a company that fits it well, and the best possible board is always 77.6 or better. Finding it takes planning, since the company that looks best for a category now may be needed somewhere else later.

The categories

Each board uses eight of these fifteen. “Last year” means the company's latest fiscal year, and “at year end” the last day of it. The money categories count doublings, so going from $2B to $4B in sales is worth as much as going from $50B to $100B.

• Sales: Sales in its latest fiscal year: 1.5 points for every doubling over $1.5B, so $6B scores 3, $24B 6, $96B 9, and about $152B or more 10. Under $1.5B scores 0.
• Profit: Net profit in its latest fiscal year: 1.5 points for every doubling over $150M, so $600M scores 3, $2.4B 6, $9.6B 9, and about $15.2B or more 10. Under $150M, or a loss, scores 0.
• Profit margin: Last year's profit as a share of last year's sales: 1 point for every 3%, so a 15% margin scores 5, and 30% or more 10. None, or a loss, scores 0.
• Growth: How much its sales grew last year, on the year before: 1 point for every 2.5%, so 10% growth scores 4, and 25% or more 10. Flat, or a drop, scores 0.
• Workforce: Employees on the last day of its latest fiscal year: 1.5 points for every doubling over 2,500 staff, so 10,000 scores 3, 40,000 6, 160,000 9, and about 254,000 or more 10. Under 2,500 scores 0.
• Sales per employee: Last year's sales for each employee it had at year end: 2 points for every doubling over $60K a head, so $120K scores 2, $240K 4, $480K 6, $960K 8, and $1.92M or more 10. Under $60K scores 0.
• Cash on hand: Cash and cash equivalents on the last day of its latest fiscal year (a bank's cash at the Fed counts): 1.5 points for every doubling over $200M, so $800M scores 3, $3.2B 6, $12.8B 9, and about $20.3B or more 10. Under $200M scores 0.
• Assets: Everything it owned on the last day of its latest fiscal year: 1.5 points for every doubling over $3B, so $12B scores 3, $48B 6, $192B 9, and about $305B or more 10. Under $3B scores 0.
• Inventory: Goods on hand on the last day of its latest fiscal year: 1.5 points for every doubling over $100M, so $400M scores 3, $1.6B 6, $6.4B 9, and about $10.2B or more 10. Under $100M, or none, scores 0.
• Dividends: Cash paid out in dividends in its latest fiscal year: 1 point for every doubling over $5M, so $20M scores 2, $80M 4, $320M 6, $1.28B 8, and $5.12B or more 10. Under $5M, or none, scores 0.
• Buybacks: Cash spent buying back its own stock in its latest fiscal year: 1 point for every doubling over $10M, so $40M scores 2, $160M 4, $640M 6, $2.56B 8, and about $10.2B or more 10. Under $10M, or none, scores 0.
• Heritage: Years since the business was founded: 1 point for every 15, so a 75-year-old company scores 5, and 150 years or more 10.
• California HQ: Headquartered in California: 10 points, and anywhere else 0.
• On the Nasdaq: Its shares trade on the Nasdaq: 10 points, and on the NYSE 0.
• Off-calendar year: Its fiscal year ends in a month other than December (many retailers close theirs in January): 10 points, and in December 0.

Where the numbers come from

Every figure comes from the company's latest annual report (its 10-K) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, read from the filing's own data, with employee counts checked by hand against the report's text. Founding years come from the filings and Wikidata. Companies' fiscal years don't all end in December, so when a match is revealed, it says exactly which year the figure covers.

daily.surf is a game, not financial information: the figures are a snapshot of one year, and nothing here is investment advice.

Questions

When does a new board come out?

Every day at midnight Pacific time. Everyone gets the same board.

Can I play again?

Yes. Your first game on a device is the one that counts on the day's curve; after that, “Play again (practice)” replays the board without counting.

Why can't I pick the order?

The lineup's order is part of the puzzle. You can see every company from the start, but each placement is final before the next company comes up.

How often does a company come back?

A company plays at most once in any 19 days, and a board never has more than two from the same industry.

Which companies are in it?

More than 250 well-known companies listed in the US, across tech, retail, finance, food, travel, health, and more. To keep the game for everyone, there are no alcohol, tobacco, gambling, or firearms companies.

Do I need an account?

No. There's nothing to sign up for. Your streak and your games stay in your browser; see Privacy for what the site stores.

Is it free?

Yes. Ads keep it free, and they never cover the board.

I think a number is wrong.

Tell us at beggsmac@gmail.com, with the company and the category.

Play today's puzzle