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Here’s what you need to know
Google’s newest Gemini AI tool can analyze and fetch photos from your camera roll with a simple prompt. That’s just one of the AI updates the tech giant announced at its annual I/O developer conference yesterday.
The Biden administration’s 100% tariffs on Chinese electric cars are a go. The range of new tariffs announced by the White House yesterday will be phased in over the next three years.
Amazon Web Services’ chief executive is stepping down. Adam Selipsky is leaving the company right as the division is ramping up its AI efforts.
Walmart is laying off hundreds of corporate workers. The world’s largest retailer is also requesting that a majority of its remote workers relocate to some of its central hubs.
Wegovy has shown to keep weight loss off for up to four years. That’s one of the findings from two new analyses of the longest clinical trial of the drug’s active ingredient, semaglutide.
Bumble apologized for mocking celibacy. The dating platform said it was sorry for ads that tried to make edgy jokes and capture young users — but instead sparked a backlash.
Why this meme stock frenzy won’t last
GameStop and AMC are once again the talk of the stock market. The resurfacing of Keith Patrick Gill, the investor known as “Roaring Kitty,” on social media has sent share prices for meme stocks well into the atmosphere.
But will they go to the Moon? Not everyone thinks it’s 2021 all over again. Dan Egan, the head of behavioral finance at investment advisor Betterment, pointed out some key differences between then and now:
📈 Interest rates are much higher
🏠 People aren’t stuck at home during the pandemic…
💰 …and stimulus checks are long gone
But 2024 has something 2021 didn’t: higher housing costs, which may mean people might be more willing to take a risk than save for a home. Read the full interview with Egan — plus, see which other stocks are rallying around GameStop, and why one strategist is already telling people to sell.
When it comes to Tesla, Americans are living in different universes
It’s pretty unusual for a car company to truly be divisive; outside of labor strikes or the occasional scandal or recall, they’re generally not something to be fought about at the dinner table. Tesla, as usual, is the exception.
While most Americans have heard negative things about Tesla, Tesla owners have heard very different things about Elon Musk’s automaker — mainly positive, a recent poll from YouGov found.
It makes sense. Tesla owners likely have a different media diet (including Tesla Reddit and X forums) they frequent that the average American may not. But one thing the chatter isn’t affecting, according to the survey: sales.
More from Quartz
💎 De Beers’s owner is dropping diamonds for copper
📍 Apple and Android phones will tell you if someone’s tracking you
🚗 Google’s self-driving car startup Waymo is being investigated after safety incidents
🇹🇼 Uber is investing in food delivery with one of Taiwan’s largest international acquisitions ever
1️⃣ JPMorgan Chase is the top financier of fossil fuels, report says
💼 Online job board Indeed is laying off 8% of its staff
Surprising discoveries
Hackers are scrambling Christie’s plan to sell almost $1 billion worth of art. One of the auctions that’s being affected was expected to bring in $500 million alone.
First there were executive assistants, then executive nannies, and now… executive butlers? Their duties extend well beyond polishing and priming estates of the uber rich.
The sedan is rolling toward the great junkyard in the sky. General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis are all done with the car model, and its demise may not be for the best.
A Nepali sherpa just etched his 29th climb up Mount Everest. It wasn’t the only world record set on the peak over the weekend.
“Pineapple belongs on pizza” is a phrase lots of people hate on dating apps. New features are now allowing users to mute certain words, and that can affect choices.
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, an executive butler, and Chevy Malibus to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.