Good morning, Quartz readers!
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Southwest Airlines is trying to show its haters what-for. The company’s CEO called an activist hedge fund’s criticisms “inane.”
OpenAI is closing in on a ton of money. On the verge of a $100 billion valuation, the company is moving to formally ditch its non-profit status.
Ozempic might be the solution to another health problem. A study suggests the medication could help prevent opioid overdoses.
Wendy’s took a sweet shot at McDonald’s. The former is doing a $1 Frosty deal to poke fun at the latter’s ever-broken McFlurry machines.
Elon Musk has found another way to insert himself in the skies. Air France is joining United Airlines in signing a deal to use the billionaire’s Starlink internet service.
Theft’s down, but Target’s still locking up deodorant
After a couple years of freaking out about shoplifting, Target CEO Brian Cornell says he feels “so much better” about the problem that pushed his company and other retailers to lock up what felt like everything in their stores.
But he recently said in an interview that the goods are still going to be behind glass for a while. When various essential goods like deodorant and underwear will satisfy their yearning to breathe free on store shelves remains a mystery.
Quartz’s Francisco Velasquez gets into the executive’s comments and the reason why your favorite products can’t get out of their cages.
A ‘Kammunist’ she’s not
Vice President Kamala Harris wants to dead the notion that there’s anything red about her policy proposals. The Democratic presidential nominee firmly stated to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh: “I’m a capitalist.”
She made the confirmation as she unveiled a $100 billion manufacturing plan that she hopes will revitalize the nuclear energy and technology sectors, among others. To be clear, she said, “I believe in free and fair markets.”
Quartz’s Will Gavin breaks down Harris’s speech and how her campaign promises about the economy compare to Former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump’s.
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SURPRISING DISCOVERIES
You, too, can drive a Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car. “Drive” meaning “pay $136,448 for,” and “Formula 1 car” meaning “racing simulator.”
A past blaster may be aviation’s future. Startup JetZero designed a new jetliner shape that resembles the B-2 stealth bomber. (paywall)
A lot of Kias had the wrong kind of remote starters. Hackers discovered a since-fixed vulnerability that let them access ignition systems and unlock doors. (paywall)
The fashion sheep are wearing Woolf’s clothing. Bloomsbury Group authors are the latest runway muses. (paywall)
Eric Adams is the New York of Elon Musks. The indicted mayor hired Musk’s go-to personal attorney to defend himself against a battery of federal charges.
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