Good morning.
A Venmo glitch revealed the spat between banks and fintech companies. PNC Bank cut customers' access to Venmo, then suggested that they switch over to its rival payments platform Zelle.The Wall Street Journal
US and China de-escalate their trade war
Houston, we have a trade deal. US President Donald Trump and Chinese officials have approved a "phase one" trade agreement that will prevent further tariff increases and see Beijing increase purchases of American agricultural products. Trump also tweeted that "phase two" trade negotiations will begin immediately.CNBC
Is the UK facing a crisis of democracy?
The fashion pages
This was the year everyone wanted to dress like eboys and VSCO girls. More people than ever were interested in niche outfit inspiration this year, according to Google Trends. These very online aesthetics are a testament to the power social media and the internet now wield in defining fashion.Quartz
Well, that didn't take long. Less than a year after closing down its massive flagship location, Lord & Taylor is returning to New York just in time for the holidays with a pop-up store to showcase its new clothing rental service.CNN
It would be so interesting to see how this performs. It definitely makes me sad not to have the L&T windows this year - it really does mark the end of an era south of the NYPL.
60% of startups don’t have a woman on the board
Part of the problem is the scarcity of female venture capitalists... A new study finds that investors occupy more than half of private company board seats. So a lack of women in VC investing hurts female representation on boards.Crunchbase News
120 of the top 200 venture-backed companies have zero women on their Boards. A total of 1,265 men serve on these Boards..and just 101 women. I'm one of a handful of women that serve on two or more of these Boards, so the actual number of unique women is even lower! As someone making a career in venture-backed
120 of the top 200 venture-backed companies have zero women on their Boards. A total of 1,265 men serve on these Boards..and just 101 women. I'm one of a handful of women that serve on two or more of these Boards, so the actual number of unique women is even lower! As someone making a career in venture-backed tech, this is just embarrassing. As the authors point out, these companies are the ones driving innovation and creating US jobs. We should have another 582 women on these Boards (not to mention the lack of women and men of color...). Making that happen will influence the future of products, services and the economy. If you're among the hundreds (thousands?) of women who are qualified for these roles: call the VC you know best tomorrow and tell him that you're interested in serving on these Boards; or ask a friend to introduce you to a VC, then take him for coffee and ask him for a seat at this table.
How politics works
Here’s how the policies for political advertising break down. Major online platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter are figuring out their political ad policies. Here's where they stand now, all in one table.Quartz
Impeachment succeeds best when coupled with mass protests. From South Korea to Lithuania, successfully removing heads of government around the world typically requires sustained and substantial public demonstrations.Quartz
Impeachments that don't draw on manifest popular support never manage to remove a head of state.
Just spitballing here, but it seems the biggest supporters left favoring impeachment are Congressional Democrats, Democrat leaning bureaucrats, members of Main Stream Media, and Twitter users. Most of the rest of us see this for the sham that it is.
If you support impeachment, hit the streets, and don't forget to call and write your senators--especially in swing states!
There’s a world beyond shareholder returns
We got our management history wrong—and capitalism is worse for it. An intrepid research duo has uncovered several “inconvenient truths” about the foundational management theorists so often cited in business textbooks.Quartz
What would an “employee obsessed” startup look like? The recent scandal at the trendy luggage company Away raises important questions about what happens when well-being and company culture aren’t considered measures of success.Quartz
We are only as strong as our employees. We have to create an environment where all of our employees can be brave, not perfect - where they can feel comfortable discussing a new idea that can boost production and discussing why they need a mental health day or a sick day. We are at our best when our employees
We are only as strong as our employees. We have to create an environment where all of our employees can be brave, not perfect - where they can feel comfortable discussing a new idea that can boost production and discussing why they need a mental health day or a sick day. We are at our best when our employees are at their best and so we have to take care of them and give them space to take care of themselves as well.
Your people are your key differentiator. Especially in a client services industry, if you don't take care of your employees, they can't take care of your customers. Not only are they your most important advocates for creating change inside and outside your org, they're the face of your brand and responsible
Your people are your key differentiator. Especially in a client services industry, if you don't take care of your employees, they can't take care of your customers. Not only are they your most important advocates for creating change inside and outside your org, they're the face of your brand and responsible for your reputation in the market.
Stripe is trying to rewire the attention economy
Winter weather warnings
This is the year we found microplastic in the snow. Although microplastics have been found everywhere from the waters of Antarctica to our table salt, the knowledge that it could fall as precipitation is extremely new.Quartz
Greenland is melting faster than we thought. The country’s ice sheet is vanishing seven times faster than it was in the 1990s, with the risk of inundating hundreds of millions of people.the Guardian
Concerning to hear that Greenland’s ice sheets are melting much faster than previously thought, threatening floods for hundreds of millions of people.
Planning for the holidays
The big business of video games
Africa ❤️ Cardi B and Cardi B ❤️ Africa
A rock and roll icon looks ahead
Fender bets on machine learning for its future. As it builds out its digital presence, Fender is trying to straddle generations by launching forward-thinking apps and bolstering its direct to consumer business while continuing to craft iconic instruments.Quartz
There is likely not going to be a single industry that won’t be existentially challenged by technology. It could come in how products are manufactured, how customers are reached, or even how work is done. Fender has been making guitars the same way for nearly 75 years, using machinery that’s almost as
There is likely not going to be a single industry that won’t be existentially challenged by technology. It could come in how products are manufactured, how customers are reached, or even how work is done. Fender has been making guitars the same way for nearly 75 years, using machinery that’s almost as old as the company itself. At the same time, it’s building apps using cutting-edge machine learning, and trying to be a part of the conversation for the musicmakers of tomorrow, while also balancing its long hardware heritage. It’s a story we’re going to see play our time and again in the coming years.
Reader, rock on 🤘
Impeachment exists to protect the US, not to punish its president
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Why we geek out over sleek interface designs
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Scientists want to rewrite the evolution of walking—but should they?
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Drought is crippling small farmers in Mexico—with consequences for everyone else
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2019年、ビル・ゲイツが語った、読書、教育、経済のこと
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The UK’s electoral system is a disaster for democracy
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Here’s what the UK parliament would look like under proportional representation
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What Cardi B’s Lagos and Accra visits say about travel and media representations of Africa
Quartz Africa
Each platform’s approach to political ads in one table
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The year’s top-trending fashion styles in the US only existed online
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