Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Titans of tech speak in Paris. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella, and Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi are among the heavy-hitting guests at the VivaTech conference today. Zuckerberg will be interviewed by Publicis chairman Maurice Lévy, co-founder of the conference.
The annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Investors want to know what Vladimir Putin has to say about his country’s uncertain economic outlook amid shaky international relations and ongoing sanctions. French president Emmanuel Macron and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will also speak.
Gap tees up its quarterly report. The Old Navy brand is expected to have boosted the clothing retailer in the last quarter. Investors are predicting around a 5% growth in revenues.
While you were sleeping
Apple found a friend in Volkswagen. After reportedly being rebuffed by BMW and Mercedes in its quest for a partner to co-develop a self-driving vehicle, Apple will team up with VW to turn T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for Apple staff. It’s still unclear whether Apple’s goal is to build its own self-driving vehicles or just the software inside.
Uber made a flying-taxi investment in France. The ride-hailing giant plans to invest €20 million ($23 million) in a research partnership with France’s elite École Polytechnique over the next five years to develop aerial taxis (paywall). On Wednesday, Uber unveiled a $2.5 billion first-quarter profit after years of mounting losses.
Angela Merkel bigged up German-Chinese ties. On her two-day trip to China, the German chancellor said the two countries can work together to solve the world’s crises, including saving the Iran nuclear deal. She also stressed the need for a level playing field for German companies doing business in China.
North Korea called Mike Pence “stupid.” Choe Son-hui, a senior aide of Kim Jong-un, also said the vice-president’s comment that North Korea could end up like Libya was “ignorant.” She said if the US didn’t stop insisting on unilateral nuclear disarmament from Pyongyang, then there could be a “nuclear showdown.”
Deutsche Bank got ready to axe 7,000 jobs. The German lender is cutting its headcount by 25% in its equities sales and trading business to try and return to profitability. Chairman Paul Achleitner faces a no-confidence vote from angry investors today, who say he has failed to turn the troubled bank around.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Brandon Keim on how it’s not necessarily a bad thing that alligators keep turning up in unexpected places. “They might represent an unexpected and possibly wonderful development: large predators rebounding from past persecution and recolonizing their ancestral habitats. So ancestral, in fact, that people don’t even realize they once lived there.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Bitcoin is bad for the planet. It wastes 0.1% of the world’s energy, but crypto fans are spinning this news in a positive way.
Companies aren’t ready for GDPR. They’ve been hoarding data for so long that becoming compliant with the EU regulation will take time.
Technology’s impact on your brain is overblown. The moral panic over tech “addiction” is based on weak data.
Surprising discoveries
Black Panther has inspired a new trend in Ramadan attire. Shirts worn by the film’s hero look like traditional Indonesian kokos, so fans merged the two.
An app matching sugar daddies with babies is China’s hottest social network. SeekingArrangement, a controversial American dating service, has surged in China’s iOS App Store.
France could soon combat catcalling with a €750 fine. A majority of lawmakers backed the idea.
Amazon’s just not fashionable. Millennials made it the second-biggest apparel retailer by buying basic duds.
Sweet potatoes originated in Asia. Plant-fossil evidence debunked the myth of the superfood being indigenous to North America.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, superfoods, and koko shirts to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Jill Petzinger and edited by Lianna Brinded.