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What to watch for today
Asia celebrates the Lunar New Year. Schools, businesses, and government offices will close in countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In China, the holiday week will yield a boom in tourism and shopping.
Afghan and Taliban diplomats meet in Russia. Two days of peace talks in Moscow will attempt to settle hostilities in the region—though the ruling Afghan party and the US government will be notably absent (paywall).
Greece’s prime minister visits Turkey. Alexis Tsipras is calling on the EU to support its neighbor and longtime rival, which is hosting an estimated 4 million refugees.
While you were sleeping
Alphabet beat expectations. The Google parent’s earnings, profits, and costs were all better than analysts’ estimates, though its other bets—like Waymo autonomous cars—fell short of revenue targets. Alphabet shares dropped about 3% in after-hours trading.
Slack filed to go public. The ubiquitous work collaboration company is expected to follow Spotify’s lead by pursuing a direct stock listing. The company has submitted confidential documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and will pursue its listing when it receives regulatory approval.
The El Chapo jury began deliberations. After 11 weeks of horror stories about the alleged crimes of Joaquin Guzmán from more than 50 witness, an anonymous jury being held under heavy guard will decide whether he deserves life in prison.
Tesla is acquiring Maxwell Technologies. A $218 million all-stock deal will see Tesla pick up the manufacturer for a 55% premium. Maxwell makes ultracapacitors (paywall), which can be used to speed up battery charging, and dry electrode technology that could make batteries more dense and inexpensive.
Super Bowl ratings dropped to a 10-year low. A defensive slog between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams resulted in a viewership decline of more than 5% from last year’s game. The Patriots’ 13–3 championship win also set a new record for the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
Quartz obsession interlude
A tribute to scissors. The simple-but-critical cutting tool has snipped its way through history, creating several lasting business empires. Some manufacturers have lasted for centuries, while small groups of artisan scissor makers—called “putters”—continue to ply their handcrafting trade. Cut into the matter in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Membership
Esports: If you think “watching other people play video games” is a flash in the pan, you haven’t been paying attention. Last year, an estimated 200 million people watched the League of Legends World Championship Series—about twice as many as the Super Bowl. We’re kicking off esports week with a state of play memo explaining its origins and projecting its future. We also have a timeline of key dates in the industry’s short but fast-moving history.
Matters of debate
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Facebook’s “weak” connections are designed to live forever. The site’s “vestigial friendships” are unprecedented in human history.
Americans are ready to soak the rich. Formerly extreme proposals to sharply raise taxes are receiving mainstream support.
Is the world in danger of running out of people? Mainstream projections of population increases may not account for the disruptive effect of cheap technology.
Surprising discoveries
The untimely death of a crypto exchange founder stranded $200 million in assets and payments. Quadriga CX’s CEO, who died last month in India, was the only one with the necessary passwords (paywall).
Japan is moving toward one-handed junk food. Manufacturers are experimenting with “snack tongs” and “drinkable” potato chips (paywall) for smartphone-obsessed customers.
Donald Trump’s schedule is 60% free time. Aides assign large blocks of “executive time,” a euphemism for watching TV and tweeting.
The Philippines leads the world in screen time. Internet usage there averages more than 10 hours a day, while Japan is in last place with about three hours a day.
Art restorers are finding new clients on insanely large superyachts. Champagne corks and breakfast cereal are among the new threats to priceless artworks.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, nautical art restoration tips, and one-handed chip techniques to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Adam Pasick.