Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Hong Kong’s medical strike escalates. Just three crossings between the city and mainland China remain open, but a union of hospital workers says doctors and nurses will strike today if authorities don’t completely close the border. Meanwhile, South Korea’s ban on foreign travelers from China’s Hubei province takes effect.
The Iowa caucuses take place… The Democratic presidential hopeful who wins the Iowa vote, the first of the primaries, usually gets a boost in funding and attention. The famously low-tech voting process in Iowa is under scrutiny over hacking fears.
…while Donald Trump’s trial heads to a finale. Senators heard closing arguments Monday, will debate today, and vote, likely to acquit the president, Wednesday. In a stroke of bizarre timing, Trump will also deliver his State of the Union address.
While you were sleeping
Tesla has gone practically parabolic… Shares of the electric vehicle manufacturer rose 12% to above $725, after its biggest Wall Street booster—ARK Invest—set a $7,000-per-share price target on the stock. Tesla’s market valuation has tripled over the past four months.
…But Google’s path is less clear-cut. Parent company Alphabet reported an underwhelming fourth-quarter profit, but its bottom line blew expectations out of the water. For the first time, Google broke down figures for YouTube, Google Cloud, and search.
Good and bad news from health officials. China’s coronavirus death toll has officially exceeded that of SARS in 2003 and 2004, but the rate of recovery is much higher, giving officials hope. Meanwhile, oil prices tumbled as China’s demand fell.
Post-Brexit negotiations kicked off. Trade talks between the UK and the EU began in earnest with both sides laying out competing visions of their future economic relationship. One early sticking point: financial sector ties between London and the European market.
Quartz Membership
By nearly every measure, the venture industry has boomed. Venture capital has evolved from small-scale, hyperlocal deals to a global industry that invests $250 billion each year. Quartz contributor Dave Edwards reports on the forces that transformed VC—and lays out what the explosion of private investment means for all of us.
Quartz Daily Obsession
Open plan offices aren’t the paradises we thought they’d be. They kill concentration, lower productivity, increase stress, and somehow also make us less social. (But the headphone industry isn’t complaining.) It wasn’t supposed to be this way: When Frank Lloyd Wright designed an early open office in the 1930s, he saw it as an anti-fascist symbol that could tear down corporate hierarchies. Tell your chatty coworker you’re busy—it’s time for the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Matters of Debate
High-speed rail services can increase the talent pool for your company board. Researchers studied the impact of expensive, fast trains.
Electric cars aren’t just for yuppie urban commuters anymore. The rise of plug-in pickups shows that EVs have broadened their appeal.
Social media algorithms exacerbate cancel culture. They encourage the pile-ons that leave public figures shunned—and fuel the counter-outrage that paves the way for their comebacks.
Surprising discoveries
Albatrosses are spying on illegal fishing boats. They carry their own albatrosses around their necks, in the form of digital surveillance equipment.
TikTok is ushering in a new age of porn. Young millennials and Gen Z are more open to paying for porn, especially if it’s self-produced by their favorite social media stars.
More and more cities are declaring climate emergencies. Quartz’s charts show you the scale of the problem.
An artist created a phantom traffic jam with a wagon full of phones. By dragging the devices down Berlin streets, he tricked Google Maps into reporting massive congestion.
A macabre fishing experiment revealed a new species of bone worm. What do you get when you drop three frozen gators to the bottom of the ocean? Results.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, spy birds, and tasty gator-cicles to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson and Nicolás Rivero.