Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for
Thailand issues a verdict on its former prime minister. Yingluck Shinawatra, deposed in a 2014 military coup, fled the country last month while facing a trial for negligence while in office. She faces up to 10 years in prison and is rumored to be in Dubai with her exiled brother.
Uber defends its independent contractor business model in the UK. The company will appear before the Employment Appeal Tribunal (paywall), which is determining whether its drivers should be classified as employees. Last week, London’s transport regulator stripped Uber of its operating license, though appeals could take several months.
US Republicans unveil their long-awaited tax plan. The GOP, still smarting from the demise of its last-ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare, will propose major tax cuts for large and small business. It’s not clear whether they will seek to reduce the top individual tax rate of 39.6%.
While you were sleeping
Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive. The only country in the world that doesn’t allow female drivers said it will finally end the repressive policy (paywall). The reversal is only the latest sign of the modernizing influence of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Equifax CEO Richard Smith “retired.” The 57-year-old executive presided over a catastrophic data breach at the credit monitoring company, exposing the sensitive information of 143 million people and decimating Equifax’s stock price. Smith won’t have much time to relax: He is due to testify next month before Congress.
The FBI busted a college basketball corruption scheme. The US filed criminal charges against a number of high-profile coaches, managers, and representatives for sneaker giant Adidas.
Vacuum-maker Dyson announced a big move into electric cars. The British manufacturer plans to roll out a vehicle in 2020 after spending £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on vehicle development and another £1 billion on battery production, according to founder James Dyson.
Alstrom and Siemens merged their rail operations. The deal creates a Franco-German high-speed rail “European champion” to compete with the likes of China’s CRRC and Canada’s Bombardier. Alstom’s Henri Poupart-Lafarge will be CEO.
Quartz obsession interlude
John Detrixhe on why the New York Stock Exchange still has human brokers on the trading floor. “One reason to keep humans around is, indeed, showmanship: When Snap CEO Evan Spiegel rang the opening bell for the first time earlier this year, it was … a Super Bowl for Wall Street that was broadcast around the world. Software can be quickly commodified, but NYSE’s bell ringing ceremony is unique—thanks to the trading floor.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Chipotle burger / with a Top Chef at the helm: / Bad news for Shake Shack
Matters of debate
Amazon is the new Sears. The retail trajectory of 2017 is looking a lot like 1917.
Credit monitoring should be a public utility. Equifax’s woes are proof that the economy needs security, standards, and oversight.
Hollywood created its own worst enemy in Rotten Tomatoes. It encouraged the film review aggregator, until critics started turning against would-be blockbusters.
Surprising discoveries
Researchers have been terrifying guppies for science. Regular doses of fear were used to determine whether they have individual personalities (paywall). (They do, sort of.)
Smile, you’re getting a flu shot. Being in a good mood at time of the injection increases the vaccine’s efficacy.
North Koreans need help understanding Trump. They’ve reached out to Republican analysts for assistance (paywall).
You can invest in Eminem’s future royalties. A new startup is going public to monetize his back catalog, but without Slim Shady’s consent.
French scientists used an experimental procedure to bring a man out of a 15-year vegetative state. They tickled his vagus nerve with a little electrical stimulation.
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