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Disney’s Mulan could flop in China. The movie has only generated roughly $1 million in advance opening day ticket sales, signaling another blow for a film that has already drawn heavy criticism for using its film credits to show appreciation for authorities facilitating the mass incarceration of Muslims in Xinjiang.
A Chinese tycoon goes on trial for corruption. Ren Zhiqiang, a longtime Communist party member prior to his recent expulsion over public criticism of President Xi Jinping as an “emperor” and a “clown,” faces charges of graft and embezzlement that could result in the death penalty.
There are new signs of a truce in the retail battle for India… Hot on the heels of last month’s $3.4 billion purchase of India’s leading brick-and-mortar retailer, Future Group, Reliance Industries is reportedly considering offering a 40% stake in its retail operations to Amazon for around $20 billion.
…And in the border dispute between India and China. The Earth’s two most-populous nations signaled their intent to resolve recent deadly disagreements through diplomatic channels. But just to be safe, India also agreed to a military pact with Japan designed to shore up defenses against the regional hegemon.
Microsoft released its dual-screen Duo device. The $1,400 Android handset features a foldable notebook design that allows separate apps to run on each screen and peace of mind when the phone is closed.
Who built this Citi?
Among Wall Street insiders and spectators, Citigroup’s announcement that Jane Fraser will succeed CEO Michael Corbat was met with a mixture of excitement (a glass ceiling finally shattered) and impatience (it’s about damn time). Fellow US mega bank JPMorgan, after all, has positioned several women executives as potential contenders for the CEO title, but chief Jamie Dimon, 64, said in April 2019 that he expected to stay with the bank for another four or five years.
Citigroup has struggled to bring its stock prices closer to its competitors’, but is teaching a diversity lesson to the other three of the top four US banks. Fraser’s appointment shows there’s a point at which companies simply need to trust that women who’ve spent years demonstrating their competence and capability are ready to take the lead—and in order to make space, some white men have to be willing to step aside. Read more.
Charting forest fire jobs
In the wake of the wildfires devastating the US west coast, at least one profession stands to benefit: forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently estimated the number of people working in the occupation, which offers a median wage of about $53,000 per year, is set to increase by 24% from 2019 to 2029.
Only five years ago, the US government estimated the profession would grow by 13% between 2014 and 2024. By last year, employment was already higher than predicted for 2024, and even the most recent forecasts may be too low. Read more about the latest surefire career path.
Living in a wildfire-affected area? Quartz reporter Michael J. Coren is, too, and he did some research on how to get your lungs through it.
COULD YOU BE A SUPERFORECASTER?
Maybe! Do any of these sound like you?
- Smart, analytical, open-minded, and highly numerate
- Open to considering the “outside view”
- A fan of balancing competing theories and evidence that contradicts your views
If so, your future is looking bright, which you know already because you probably predicted it long ago. Superforecasters are individuals who have proved themselves over several years of geopolitical forecasting tournaments by scoring in the top 5% for forecasting accuracy. Their combined wisdom has proven more accurate than that of professional intelligence analysts in several research projects. Our latest field guide explores what we can learn from these modern-day oracles in order to become better decision-makers.
✦ We can forecast with great accuracy that you’d enjoy a Quartz membership—that’s a pretty easy prediction though, because you’d get a perk-heavy, paywall-free experience while supporting quality journalism. What’s not to enjoy? Sign up today!
You asked about carpooling
I’m returning to work soon but my carpool is not. Is it possible for anyone to safely carpool to work anymore if we can’t social distance within the car?
Carpooling actually appears poised to make a modest comeback due to Covid-19. Dani Simons, head of public sector partnerships at Google’s Waze says that she’s already seeing an increase in carpooling in Brazil and Mexico and is also expecting a major rebound in carpool usage as more schools and businesses reopen in the US.
Continue reading to learn more about safe carpool recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health officials.
Obsession interlude: Beyond Silicon Valley
To help you keep tabs on the tech scene beyond Silicon Valley, here are five start-up hubs you can’t see from California.
🇧🇾 Minsk is the outsourcing capital of Europe. The Belarusian city has built a $3.1 billion tech sector making software for global firms and developing games like mega-hit “World of Tanks”—though ongoing political repression threatens to squash the budding startup scene.
🇺🇸 North Carolina’s Research Triangle combines Big Tech, Big Pharma, and a big startup scene. Planted between three Tier 1 research universities, the district hosts tech giants like IBM, Lenovo, and Cisco alongside medical research firms Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline.
🇨🇳 In this southern Chinese city, you can build a smartphone from scratch. Shenzhen, home to Tencent and Huawei, among other tech giants, has the country’s largest consumer electronics market—Huaqiangbei—and is home base for China’s aspiring entrepreneurs and hackers.
🇮🇳 India’s ‘80s IT capital is now the “Silicon Valley of India.” Bengaluru houses the third-highest number of tech startups globally and has secured 57% of India’s startup funding. The Garden City in the southern state of Karnataka is also India’s millennial billionaire capital, having produced 10 out of 17 self-made entrepreneurs under the age of 40.
🇳🇬 This Lagos neighborhood is ground-zero for Nigeria’s $2 billion tech ecosystem. Several startups, including the Chan Zuckerberg-backed Andela, first set up shop in the Lagos suburb of Yaba, which is best known for being home to tech founders and colonial-era architecture.
Keep up with the larger tech world with our Beyond Silicon Valley obsession.
Surprising discoveries
Maybe she’s born with it? Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes’s lawyers are arguing she has a mental disease, and a judge ordered an examination.
The hottest new sneaker has teeth. The red-capped chompers of Christian Louboutin’s “Loubishark” take 67 hours for machines to sculpt.
Even spies are working from home. Remote workers at the National Security Agency are staying busy on home networks by compiling unclassified reports on cybersecurity.
Russian gravediggers held their first tournament. The winner took only 52 minutes to produce someone’s eternal resting place.
IKEA put 70 years of catalogs online. The digitization project shows that the Swedish furniture-maker’s designs haven’t had to evolve much since 1950.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, predator shoes, and EKTORP sofas to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Jackie Bischof, Ananya Bhattacharya, Yomi Kazeem, Nicolás Rivero, Jane Li, Michael J. Coren, Dan Kopf, Sarah Todd, Susan Howson, and Max Lockie.
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