Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Greece’s leader visits Washington, DC. Prime minister Alexis Tsipras will discuss military cooperation and economic issues (paywall) with Donald Trump. Europe will be watching for Trump’s stance on possible Greek debt relief. Later, Trump will give a major speech on tax reform at the Heritage Foundation.
The US and Japan face off in a robot duel. Eagle Prime, a 12-ton robot from the US company MegaBots, will battle a 6.5-ton rival from Japan’s Suidobashi Heavy Industries. The companies hope the match will pave the way for a billion-dollar fighting robot league.
Earnings reports from Goldman Sachs and Big Blue. Investors will scrutinize Goldman’s trading business after both Citi and JPMorgan made poor showings in that arena last week. IBM is expected to post its 22nd straight quarter of revenue decline.
While you were sleeping
Facebook bought an anonymous polling app that US teens are obsessed with. The two-month-old app—called tbh, as in “to be honest”—lets people send each other positive feedback through anonymous, quiz-style polls. The app’s users have sent each other over a billion messages. Facebook similarly bought WhatsApp and Instagram after those apps went viral.
Netflix stock jumped after earnings beat expectations. The streaming video company added 5.3 million subscribers versus analyst estimates of 4.5 million, for a total of 109.3 million. With Disney and others moving deeper into streaming, Netflix said its “future largely lies in exclusive original content,” on which it will spend $7 billion to $8 billion next year.
Airbus agreed to acquire Bombardier’s C Series jetliner program. The European planemaker thrust itself into a bitter trade dispute, with Boeing accusing Canada’s Bombardier of selling its new jets for “absurdly low prices,” prompting the Trump administration to impose steep tariffs. Airbus might be able to circumvent those tariffs by using its Alabama factory for final assembly.
Toys R Us is exploring an IPO in Hong Kong for its Asia unit. While the retailer filed for bankruptcy in the US last month, business on the other side of the Pacific has been growing. A deal could value the unit at $2 billion, reports Bloomberg. Toys R Us owns about 85% of it, with the Fung Group, a private holding company in Hong Kong, claiming the rest.
Quartz obsession interlude
Keith Collins on the newly discovered wifi bug that lets hackers snoop on your devices. “When major vulnerabilities like this one are announced, the first thing you should do is update your devices. That includes computers, mobile phones, tablets, and routers. To be safe, update your devices immediately and then keep updating them over the next few weeks as companies release new patches. Android and Linux devices are the most susceptible to KRACK, according to Vanhoef.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Two Trump Twitter thrills: / Talking up the bull market / And taking firms down
Matters of debate
Adorable robots are still dangerous. People are more likely to trust and divulge data to a super cute machine.
Facebook should be forced to act like a newsroom. Its users are its authors, so it’s time to take responsibility for the fake ones.
North Korea won’t collapse. Despite its crumbling economy, a lack of political institutions (paywall) means there’s no way to channel mass discontent.
Surprising discoveries
Baby talk is a sophisticated language. Infants respond to the pitch, rhythm, and timber of their mothers’ coos while ignoring other adult chatter.
The Atlantic Ocean has spawned 10 hurricanes in 10 weeks. It’s the first time that has happened in over a century.
Magic mushrooms may cure depression. The active ingredient psilocybin dims the areas of the brain that process stress and fear.
House of Cards was used to train Russian fake news agents. They watched the Netflix original for troll fodder.
Palladium is the new gold. Its value is surging as car companies stock up on a material that’s central to curbing emissions.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, palladium futures, and magic mushrooms to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.