Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Kenya goes to the polls. About 20 million Kenyans will pick between president Uhuru Kenyatta and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga to run East Africa’s largest economy. Nairobi has emptied out due to mounting tensions, and there are worries that basic voting equipment could fail.
Rex Tillerson visits Southeast Asia. The US secretary of state is making his inaugural visit to Malaysia, where he seeks to make good on president Donald Trump’s vow to strengthen ties. He will also stop in Thailand, where he’ll be the most senior US official to visit the country since a 2014 coup.
China begins talks with Panama. A Panamanian envoy of officials is in China to talk bilateral trade for the first time since establishing ties. The partnership follows Panama’s break from Taiwan in June, a victory for Beijing and the latest blow to the self-ruled island nation, whose allies have been dwindling in the face of a powerful China.
While you were sleeping
Google fired an engineer over a controversial memo on gender differences. CEO Sundar Pichai sent a note to employees saying parts of the memo “cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes.” The memo argues the company lacks ideological diversity and that biological differences help explain the shortage of women in tech and leadership positions.
Hackers demanded millions in bitcoin for stolen HBO files. The move follows a second release of the files, including Game of Thrones scripts and emails from a high-ranking executive. The hackers threatened to release (paywall) more data and information damaging to the company if the ransom wasn’t paid. HBO believes there was no breach of the entire email system.
The Pentagon gave the green light for US military bases to shoot down drones. The move follows the ban in April of nearly all drones near US bases. Now, both private or commercial drones can be seized or destroyed if they threaten aviation safety or pose other dangers. The US Army recently banned drones made by China’s DJI, citing security concerns.
Travis Kalanick won’t return as CEO of Uber. In an email to employees, the ride-sharing company’s co-founder Garrett Camp said that Uber’s “new chapter” won’t include Kalanick. The announcement dispels rumors that Kalanick is “Steve Jobs-ing it” and would have returned to leadership in due time.
China’s international trade grew less than expected in July. Exports were up only 7.2% year-on-year in dollar terms, compared to analyst expectations of 10.9%. Imports meanwhile were up 11%, short of the forecasted 16.6%. Strong exports helped China’s economy grow faster than expected at 6.9% in the first half. The slowdown stoked concerns of cooling global demand.
Quartz obsession interlude
Alden Wicker on how multilevel-marketing companies like LuLaRoe are forcing people into debt and psychological crisis. “MLMs sell themselves using self-empowerment language and sparkly beauty products. They’re #girlboss mythology repacked for Christians and Mormons; entrepreneurialism for women brought up believing men should be the breadwinners; and a peppy dream for millennials who were told they could do anything.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Buffett’s quandary: / Too much dough. The solution? / Some bad investments
Matters of debate
Typing is on the way out. “The next billion” (paywall) mobile users, which include the world’s less educated, will rely on voice, video, and images to communicate.
“Leapfrogging” is overrated. Advanced economies didn’t take shortcuts, and neither should markets in Africa.
Pet owners aren’t as kindhearted as they think. Ethicists say ownership is a form of cruelty.
Surprising discoveries
A Welsh man turned himself in over an unflattering mugshot. He complained to police after they posted the photo on Facebook.
In San Francisco, it’s cheaper to buy a street than a house. The exclusive Presidio Terrace was auctioned off after a homeowners association failed to pay property taxes.
MIT researchers developed an algorithm that can detect sarcasm on Twitter. It’s more skilled at interpreting emotional subtext than many humans.
Cindy Sherman is on Instagram. The art world’s patron saint of selfies is taking self-portraiture to the next level.
Amazon owns at least 19 secret brands. Selling everything from lingerie to trail mix, the relentlessly growing e-commerce site is luring customers with the illusion of options.
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