Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
The Feds are mad at Microsoft. Regulators said the company’s 1,900 layoffs in its gaming division—mostly from Activision Blizzard—were contradictory to the promises it made to get the merger approved.
Arm earnings showed that generative AI is making its way into phones. The UK-based chip designer’s third-quarter earnings rode the tailwinds of all things AI, and its stock soared.
Investors thought the Red Sea crisis would make Maersk more money. But their expectations were too high, with the shipping giant reporting a fourth-quarter loss of $436 million.
The NFL and NBA were blindsided by media giants’ big new sports streaming service. Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. didn’t want to risk any leaks to the public as the Great Rebundling begins.
Robots can’t talk on robocalls
A US law that bans unwanted calls made using artificial or prerecorded voices without the prior consent of the called party now also includes robocalls made by AI.
The Federal Communications Commission made the decision yesterday, and the law will require callers to get permission from recipients before making an AI call.
Ideally, this should put a damper on any fake Tom Hanks hawking dental plans or a fake president Joe Biden telling potential primary voters in New Hampshire to stay home and “save your vote” by skipping the state’s primary election last month (those actually happened).
Pop quiz: Snoop Dogg’s cereal dreams got soggy
Which one of these isn’t a flavor of Snoop Cereal?
A. Fruity Hoopz
B. Cinnamon Toasteez
C. Frosted Drizzlerz
D. Bunchez of Oatz
Find the answer here—along with why the rappers Snoop Dogg and Master P are so mad at Walmart, and suing it along with Post Consumer Brands.
Meanwhile, Hershey is worried about popcorn
Cocoa prices may be hitting record highs, but chocolate maker Hershey isn’t sweating it. Instead, it’s a bit salty about a downturn in sales for one of its other products: SkinnyPop.
The company’s North American snacks department, which usually makes up about a 10th of overall business, reported revenues nearly 25% lower than the same time in 2022. Quartz’s Melvin Backman looks at what Hershey is doing to pop this kernel of concern.
More from Quartz
👛 Chanel has a new definition of “fake purse” that was nearly six years in the making
⚡ Tesla layoffs could be next as tech’s 2024 job cuts continue
🏈 Anti-diversity lawsuits are coming for the Rooney Rule
🤖 AI is now supercharging Google Assistant
😱 Weight loss drugs like Ozempic have food CEOs so “scared” they’re calling Novo Nordisk for advice
🪤 Elon Musk is escalating his war with Disney by funding a fired Star Wars actress’ lawsuit
Surprising discoveries
A huge facsimile of the ancient statue of Roman emperor Constantine now exists (pictured above). It’s 43-feet (13-meters) tall!
The world surpassed 1.5°C (2.7°F) of warming over a 12-month period. It happened last year for the first time ever.
Ship traffic in the Arctic is getting much busier. Big oil projects in the region are fueling the congestion.
More than 40 million acres of soybean and cotton farms in the US won’t be able to use a herbicide called dicamba this year. A court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of it was unlawful.
In war simulation games, OpenAI’s most powerful chatbots tend to go nuclear. “We have it! Let’s use it,” was some of the reasoning it used.
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, ideas for other colossal statues, and peaceful chatbots to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.