Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Uber’s board tries to limit Travis Kalanick’s power. The ousted CEO, who abruptly named two allies to the board on Friday, is embroiled in a power struggle with other investors who want to strip him of most voting power and move the company toward an IPO. Separately, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will meet with transportation regulators in London.
Donald Trump visits Puerto Rico. The president plans to tour the stricken US territory, despite an ongoing feud with San Juan’s mayor over allegedly lackluster disaster relief efforts. Trump will also visit the US Virgin Islands, where he owns a home that was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
Equifax’s former CEO is called before Congress. Richard Smith will face questions about the catastrophic data leak that exposed the sensitive data of 143 million Americans (paywall). In a prepared testimony, Smith blamed the incident on the credit bureau’s inept IT department.
While you were sleeping
The death toll rose to 58 in the massacre on the Las Vegas Strip. A 64-year-old gunman, identified by police as Stephen Paddock, opened fire at a concert from a window in the Mandalay Casino. He was found dead in his hotel room of a suspected suicide, with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and at least 20 legally purchased rifles. His motive remains unknown.
Goldman Sachs may dabble in bitcoin. The investment bank is exploring ways to help clients trade in cryptocurrencies, Bloomberg reports. That’s a stark contrast to Wall Street rivals like JPMorgan, whose CEO called bitcoin “a fraud” and threatened to fire any employees who traded it.
Facebook said it would hire 1,000 people to screen ads. The social media platform is under heavy criticism for running ads promoting fraudulent news—not just during the US presidential election, but during the recent Las Vegas shooting, when it linked to news coverage from several sketchy sources.
US automakers upped their electric vehicle game. General Motors pledged to sell 20 all-electric vehicle models in six years. Meanwhile, Ford launched an internal “Project Edison” unit to develop electric cars—a name that nods to the historical battle between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla over electricity standards.
Quartz obsession interlude
Mike Murphy and Keith Collins on the scariest part of Facebook’s safety check in a mass shooting: “In May, in response to a rash of violent videos users had posted to Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company was adding staff to its ‘community operations’ team, taking it from 4,500 workers to 7,500 by the end of the year. The function of that team, according to Zuckerberg, is to review the offensive content that users have reported. Those 7,500 workers, which Facebook is apparently still working on hiring, represent just 0.000375% of Facebook’s 2 billion monthly users.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
When horror happens / it’s all too predictable / which stocks will go up.
Matters of debate
Apple is bad at design. The iPhone X’s “notch” is the latest in a series of abrasive choices, suggesting the company is resting on its laurels.
Does Mark Zuckerberg know what Facebook is? The CEO has adopted the language of governments and NGOs to explain the media company’s agenda.
Amazon is “too basic” for the fashion industry. Poor photography and a reputation for being utilitarian may quash its style ambitions.
Surprising discoveries
MRI machines may be replaced with stocking caps. A wearable sensor could make it easier to peek inside someone’s head—potentially even leading to telepathy.
Merlot is bouncing back. Sales have spiked for the first time since “Sideways” ruined its reputation. Plus, it happens to taste great.
A delivery startup is helping Nigerians have safe sex. Slide Safe discreetly delivers on-demand STD kits, condoms, and lubricants.
“Pride and Prejudice” is getting the virtual reality treatment. A game inspired by Jane Austen novels takes players to the Regency era, where gossip is the weapon of choice.
Russia is North Korea’s new internet provider. TransTeleCom will bolster the broadband connection provided by China.
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