🌏 Playing nice with Elon

Stories from Quartz and surprising discoveries from around the web.

Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

Good morning, Quartz readers!


HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jeff Bezos doesn’t think Elon Musk will use his political power against business rivals. The Blue Origin founder called Musk’s SpaceX “very good competitors.”

A former car dealer and incoming senator slams EV tax credits as “catastrophically stupid.” Bernie Moreno of Ohio is angling to become the next president’s “car czar” and scrap the credits.

Advertisement

American Airlines just ditched Barclays for Citi. American and Citi forged a 10-year exclusive co-branded credit card partnership.

Advertisement

These eight niche streamers are outperforming major platforms. Hallmark+, BritBox, Crunchyroll, and other niche streamers are growing faster than bigger competitors.

Advertisement

Here are tips on how to buy a private island, according to someone who owns a few. Chris Korlow of HGTV’s “Island Hunters” offers his advice for purchasing your own slice of paradise.


Donald Trump takes credit for Bitcoin price

Bitcoin hit $100,000 this week, a record price for the cryptocurrency.

Donald Trump — who once called Bitcoin a “scam” — now thinks that investors should be thanking him for its rise. Cryptocurrency prices went up by a lot after he was elected U.S. president.

Advertisement

Why does Trump think he’s responsible for the new milestone? Quartz’s William Gavin explained the president-elect’s plans for token traders.


Jeff Bezos wants to improve Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos started his career revolutionizing shipping as the founder of Amazon. Now, he spends more of his time working on his space company Blue Origin.

Advertisement

Bezos grew Amazon into one of the biggest companies in the world and thinks he can do the same for Blue Origin — although he admits it’s “not a very good business yet.”

What future does Bezos see for Blue Origin? Quartz’s Rocio Fabbro examined his recent comments about it.

Advertisement

MORE FROM QUARTZ

đŸ„± The Fortune 500 companies where workers are the most bored

💧 The ‘Hawk Tuah’ memecoin launch went just as poorly as you’d expect

🐕 Elon Musk’s DOGE has some Democratic friends on Capitol Hill

📉 Trump Media stock didn’t rally after the election. Here’s why

🧠 The “smartest” version of ChatGPT yet comes with a price

✈ Boeing’s 737 Max plea deal was struck down for having too much DEI


SURPRISING DISCOVERIES

A researcher believes mythic stories about Hernan Cortés might be plagiarized from Arabic. The tales resemble ones about Umayyad commander Tariq Ibn Ziyad.

Advertisement

There’s a cottage industry for building EV chargers in Vietnam. Small-scale entrepreneurs are trying to get in on the action.

Charms are a popular merchandise item in the beauty industry. Customers like to put them on their purses and bags.

Advertisement

Leaded gasoline may have led to increased levels of depression and anxiety. Scientists say exposure to the fuel raised the frequency of mental illness.

College graduation rates are going up in the U.S. It may have something to do with more people getting community college degrees.

Advertisement

Did you know we have two premium weekend emails, too? One gives you analysis on the week’s news, and one provides the best reads from Quartz and elsewhere to get your week started right. Become a member or give membership as a gift!

Our best wishes on a safe start to the day. Send any news or comments to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Melvin Backman and Audrey McNamara.