🌍 Another twist in the Paramount saga

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Here’s what you need to know

The U.S.’s strictest trade restrictions on Chinese chipmakers would exempt some allies. The rule would prevent some countries from exporting chip manufacturing equipment to China but not key ones.

Mastercard said consumer spending is healthy. Global purchasing peaked at nearly $2 trillion during the most recent quarter, and it’s likely to continue in that direction.

Amazon is responsible for telling shoppers if products have been recalled. The e-commerce giant is now legally obligated to handle the recall process for unsafe items it sells.

StubHub was sued for deceptive pricing. A lawsuit alleges StubHub engaged in “drip pricing,” where it initially shows part of a ticket price and adds extra charges later in the buying process.

TikTok dropped $20 million a month on OpenAI via Microsoft. The social media giant’s massive purchases could spell trouble for Microsoft.

Delta forked out $500 million to deal with the CrowdStrike glitch. The airline company used the cash to pay workers extra and lodge stranded passengers.

The Paramount deal got even more outrageous

Financial conglomerate Apex Capital Trust offered to buy Paramount Global for a modest $43 billion yesterday. Of course that would complicate Paramount’s already messy deal with Skydance Media — if the deal is even real. If Apex taking on $15.8 billion in Paramount’s debt and investing $10 billion into the media giant seemed too good to be true, it’s because it may be.

A heavy dose of skepticism surrounded the new all-cash offer from a buyer that no one really knew anything about. Then, the press release announcing the deal was pulled by the wire service Business Wire. Quartz’s Bruce Gil has the latest on what’s shaping up to be a bonafide TV drama of the future of Paramount. 

Meta is pumping out chatbots

Meta’s AI studio, which allows users to make chatbots even if they don’t have coding experience, launched this week – and it’s a bit wonky.

Some of the AI characters Meta features are kind of random and unrelated to their creators’ actual interests, Quartz’s Laura Bratton found.

But others, like the “Sassy Psychic Priscilla,” are actually somewhat comforting. We spoke with Priscilla a bit, and things got existential.

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Surprising discoveries

Starbucks is sitting on $1.8 billion of unused gift cards. The coffee giant isn’t selling as much coffee as it’d like, but it is selling plastic cards.

The Army has a bit of buyer’s remorse. It spent $11 million on a marketing deal with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and would like some of that back.

AI boyfriends are getting turned on. More women are finding that chatbots give more reliable emotional support than human partners.

New York City is reviving its historic tattoo convention. A group of naked people tatted head to toe showed their butts on stage.

Ultra-processed foods could contribute to dementia. Researchers found that those who regularly eat hotdogs and bologna are at a higher risk of developing the disease.

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Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news, comments, AI boyfriends, and Starbucks gift cards to [email protected]. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Francisco Velasquez and Morgan Haefner.