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U.S. chip sanctions against China are working. Appleās rival Huawei is having a hard time producing its AI semiconductors under the restrictions, which keep American companies from sending advanced chipmaking tools to China.Ā
EU antitrust regulators came for Microsoft. The European Commission said that Microsoft breached its antitrust rules by abusing its position in the market for productivity software ā just one day after it charged fellow tech giant Apple with violating its Digital Markets Act.
Amazon is working on a new AI bot to rival ChatGPT. Continuing its theme of naming AI after Greek mythological figures, Amazon is calling the bot āMetisā after the Titan goddess of wisdom, and it will reportedly be able to turn off house lights and book flights.
Boeingās French rival Airbus said itās facing supply chain issues. Airbusā stock price dove yesterday after reporting that it would deliver 30 fewer commercial aircraft in 2024 than previously expected, but thatās still more than twice as many aircraft as those expected to be delivered by its troubled American competitor.
Janet Yellen said excessive inflation will be over soon. The U.S. Treasury Secretary thinks the Federal Reserve could hit its 2% inflation target in 2025, with a soft landing for the American economy well in her sight.
Weight loss drugs are coming to China
China isnāt always known for looking outside of its borders for help. But with over half of its adult population diagnosed as overweight or obese, regulators are hoping the booming success of weight loss drugs in the U.S. and Europe will aid its own population.
The Chinese National Medical Products Administration recently approved Wegovy for use in the country, the blockbuster GLP-1 weight loss drug produced by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk. The approval opens up one of the worldās largest weight loss markets to the company.
But Novo Nordisk wonāt be alone in that weight loss market for long. Quartzās Bruce Gil explains.
One big, truck-sized number
Well actually, itās pretty small: 11,688. Thatās how many Tesla Cybertrucks were produced and sold between last November and June 6 ā and far short of the 2 million orders that have been placed for the vehicle so far.
Tesla has tried to keep its Cybertruck sales figures under the hood, but a recall of every one of the electric pickups from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ā over windshield wiper issues ā gave its numbers away.
More from Quartz
šø A German airline is making customers pay for their pollution
š Apple isnāt doing an AI deal with Meta, after all
š Ford is recalling over half a million vehicles
āļø Boeing is hitting a snag in buying its 737 Max fuselage supplier
šļø Big box retailers are kicking off their deep discount periods
š» A massive cyberattack on car dealerships has lawsuits flying
Surprising discoveries
A rare pink dolphin spotted in North Carolina last week was actually AI-generated.Ā Meta blocked fake photos posted of the brightly-colored mammal and labeled them as false information, but only after they went viral among locals.
Las Vegas weddings hit a post-COVID high this year. The number of marriages filed in the cityās home county reached nearly 8,000 in April ā more than 35 times higher than the same month in 2020.
A Mexico City-based artist made a crushing display of his feelings about Tesla. Sculptor Chavis MƔrmol created a nine-ton replica of an Olmec head and dropped it onto the roof of a blue Tesla Model 3.
iPhone users say Appleās āBy the Seasideā ringtone gives them heart palpitations and fills them with dread. The tune has sparked passionate online debates ā and a rumor about Adele.
Crystal quartz isnāt as wholesome as wellness fanatics may think. The celebrity-endorsed trend of using the mineral for healing and wellness has driven unregulated, āback breakingā work conditions for miners in countries such as South Africa, India, and China.
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, real pink dolphin pics, and āBy the Seasideā conspiracies to talk@qz.com. Todayās Daily Brief was brought to you by Laura Bratton and Morgan Haefner.