🌏 The Cybercab’s coming-out party

Plus: Jamie Dimon’s geopolitical worries.

The Tesla Cybertaxi
The Tesla Cybertaxi
Image: Courtesy of Tesla

We’re off today for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, also known as Columbus Day. That means no Daily Brief tomorrow. We’ll be back in your inbox first thing Wednesday morning.

Good morning, Quartz readers!


HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Elon Musk finally launched Tesla’s robotaxi. The biggest takeaway: The two-seater Cybercab won’t enter production until at least 2026, “probably.”

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Wall Street was not impressed by Tesla’s robotaxi. Shares in the carmaker sank the day after the launch.

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In fact, robotaxi taxi disappointment was good news for regular taxis. Uber and Lyft saw their stock prices surge amid a wave of relief buying.

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It’s possible that Tesla is a victim of its own hype. The five years spent drumming up Cybercab interest didn’t pay off.

That’s not to say Musk isn’t good at managing expectations. He reportedly worked with Donald Trump’s campaign to downplay the X social media chatter about a trove of hacked documents.

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Jamie Dimon is just a little bit scared

Though J.P. Morgan Chase just reported another quarter of blockbuster earnings, its CEO isn’t all smiles. He warned investors that the global geopolitical situation is “treacherous and getting worse.”

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Previously, his discussions on the topic have included the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions between Israel and its regional neighbors. This time, he only mentioned that “there is significant human suffering, and the outcome of these situations could have far-reaching effects on both short-term economic outcomes and more importantly on the course of history.”

What does all this mean for America’s biggest bank? Quartz’s Rocio Fabbro explains Jamie Dimon’s vocal worrying.

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A Chart to Think About

Airbus started the year with the chance to put some distance between it and Boeing after the latter had a door plug blow out on one of its planes. But its own stock is struggling to take off because it’s dealing with a string of supply chain challenges. Quartz’s Melvin Backman digs into the factors that have clipped Airbus’s wings.

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THIS WEEK AT QUARTZ

Look for stories about:

🤖 The landscape of major artificial intelligence launches (by Britney Nguyen)

Which airlines are most likely to mishandle your wheelchair (by Melvin Backman

⛓️ Cryptocurrency criminals who are serving the longest prison sentences (by Vinamrata Chaturvedi)

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☺️ Which American cities are deemed the “safest” (by Rachel Dalloo)

🏃 The funniest ways to quit your job (by Madeline Fitzgerald)


SURPRISING DISCOVERIES

Trump Media stock still has some fans out there. Shares are up 50% this month as the presidential election nears.

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TikTok’s screen time warnings weren’t primarily about reducing screen time. Unearthed emails from company executives suggest they were instead about making TikTok look more responsible.

There once was a scientist who tried to weigh Earth. Henry Cavendish did a lot of wild experiments, including one designed to break water down into parts.

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Some robot vacuum cleaners have been yelling slurs at their owners. The internet-connected “smart” devices had a security vulnerability that was exploited by hackers.

There were tons of people making Hurricane Milton content — as the storm hit them. Among their number was the internet phenomenon Caroline Calloway

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Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news, comments, job-quitting strategies, and things keeping bank executives up at night to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Melvin Backman and Sarah Douglass.