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China is eyeing November for its next big move against US companies. The Wall Street Journal reports that vice premier Hu Chunhua is ready to release an “unreliable-entity” list of US-based companies in response to the US government’s treatment of Chinese tech giants. A new Chinese Air Force video depicting an attack on the US territory of Guam adds to rising tensions between the Pacific powers.
It’s quitting time for Quibi. Launched at the peak of the US economic slowdown in April, the short-form video streaming service is reportedly looking for options—including a sale—as the company’s content has failed to catch on and its $1.75 billion war chest begins to run dry.
Nikola’s founder’s departure zapped the electric vehicle company’s stock. Trevor Milton’s swift exit from the company, following a widely-read research memo that depictied it as a fraud, sent shares down 20% on Monday with the stink spreading to its production partner General Motors, who also saw its stock sink 5%.
The 75th United Nations General Assembly kicks off. Covid-19 has transformed this year’s gathering of nations to the mother of all Zoom calls. Member states are expected to focus on easing the pandemic against a backdrop of increased calls for international cooperation.
Microsoft splattered $7.5 billion on “Doom”-maker ZeniMax. The all-cash deal—announced alongside news that the company’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service reached 15 million subscribers—puts Microsoft in charge of popular video games such as “Elder Scrolls,” “Doom,” and “Fallout.” Elsewhere in Microsoft land, the company’s annual Ignite conference (virtually) kicks off today.
Who won the TikTok challenge?
The ink on the TikTok-Oracle deal isn’t yet dry, but all parties involved are claiming victory.
- The US government: The current US president didn’t quite get the sale he was looking for, but is already signaling a willingness to frame it as a victory over China—a useful talking point on the campaign trail.
- The Chinese government: Beijing, though, is presenting it as “crucial progress,” and ByteDance has indicated it’s still 100% involved.
- Larry Ellison: Oracle’s chairman is the world’s seventh richest person, one of the few prominent Silicon Valley leaders to publicly back Donald Trump, and the real winner of the deal, which offers Oracle a much-needed win.
Charting RBG’s voting record
With the death of US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Roberts Court may have lost its least business-friendly member.
But despite her position on the below chart, she was hardly anti-business. SCOTUS is scheduled to hear an argument about Facebook’s digital privacy practices, but it’s not clear yet whether it will come before the court before Ginsburg’s replacement will have joined the bench.
The Home Office Handbook
There is no prescription for creating a perfect home office, but there are ways to experiment with new configurations to do our best work. Dig into the details:
1️⃣ It takes work to set up a space that’s conducive for working.
2️⃣ We need to make over not just our physical spaces, but our outlook as well…
3️⃣ … and seize the opportunity to embrace new ways of working.
4️⃣ Being able to work remotely is fast becoming a core competency.
5️⃣ A home office offers a testing ground for figuring out how, where, and when we do our best work.
Creating a joyful home office entails a physical and mental makeover, but there’s no single prescription for everyone’s living situation. Our latest field guide provides answers for how to improve your home office setup. And if you haven’t yet, please become a member today and let our (home) offices go to work for you.
Obsession interlude: Future of work
The flexibility of remote work has been a boon to many, but teleworking’s contributions to income inequality could be felt for years to come.
When IMF economists looked at workers’ ability to telework in 35 countries, they found that roughly 100 million people—15% of the workforce in those places—would struggle with being able to do their specific jobs online or with accessing the internet. The ability to telework also varied dramatically from country to country: More than half of households in most developing countries don’t have a computer at home.
There’s something about “Jerusalema”
The South African song “Jerusalema”—recorded by producer Master KG and featuring vocals by Nomcebo—was released in December of 2019, but this month, a viral video by a dance troupe helped it become the world’s most Shazamed song. If you haven’t heard it yet, you’re missing out.
Surprising discoveries
Curbing gold smuggling is a lockdown silver lining. A lack of international flights dropped airport bullion seizures in India to a 6-year-low.
Freezing avocados is so hot right now. It’s the story of a Queensland man’s quixotic quest to save the precious fruit from going toast.
Thailand invented a new type of junk mail. The country’s environment minister is behind a new program to mail garbage left in parks back to the homes of the offenders.
This guy is just a sucker for an octopus. A chance human-cephalopod encounter that turned into a year-long interspecies attraction is now coming to Netflix.
Literally anything can go viral on TikTok. Short videos depicting all forms of manual labor, from landscaping to beekeeping, are increasingly popular on the app.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, frozen avocados, and mailed litter to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Norma Young, Susan Howson, and Max Lockie.