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Here’s what you need to know
Joe Biden announced his Covid-19 task force. The US president-elect’s diverse picks include former surgeon general Vivek Murthy, whistleblower and former Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority director Rick Bright, and professor and surgeon Atul Gawande.
Pfizer said its Covid-19 vaccine is 90% effective. However, the early data are far from conclusive—even if oil companies (📈) and everyone’s favorite lockdown businesses (📉) are already feeling the results—and little is known about the company’s deal with the US. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said a vaccine rollout is possible by March, which would “fundamentally change the direction” of the pandemic, and Japan said it would prioritize vaccines for elderly residents.
SoftBank is back in the black. The Japanese tech conglomerate reported a $6 billion quarterly profit—six months after bad bets like WeWork led to a record $9 billion annual loss—thanks in part to a stellar return on Chinese online real-estate broker Beike Zhaofang.
Zoom settled over its misleading encryption claims. Earlier this year, the US Federal Trade Commission sued the video software company for allegedly misrepresenting the security of its calls. On Monday, Zoom agreed to provide end-to-end encryption to all users and offer additional safeguards on data storage, but it will not have to pay a fine.
Pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong threatened to quit. If a report that Beijing plans to disqualify four lawmakers over a protest in the legislature turns out to be true, other opposition politicians said they would resign en masse. Meanwhile, current US president Donald Trump’s administration reportedly has more sanctions in the works over China’s crackdown on Hong Kong.
Biden’s global ripples
- 🇹🇼 🙌 Taiwan congratulated the US president-elect. China kept silent.
- 🇷🇺 🇹🇷 🤐 Russia and Turkey are also staying mum. That should get your attention.
- 🇮🇳 🤝 Ties with India will get even stronger. Even more so than with Donald Trump.
- 🌍 🇨🇳 Africa will see some changes. But China’s presence there will still be a focus.
- 📺 🗣 Meanwhile, Donald Trump may get back to TV. It won’t be Fox, and it won’t be easy.
Charting voter turnout
Americans turned out to vote in record numbers this year, which is good news. And yet, those numbers are still far below voter turnout in other major rich countries. Why don’t more eligible Americans vote? One big reason is that the electoral system is seen as difficult to navigate, meaning that a lot of people avoid it or get it wrong. Registration is opt-in, and election day is just that—a single day, and a weekday at that. And then there’s a general distrust in the system to contend with. Annabelle Timsit will help you sort out the discrepancy.
Climate tech’s second shot
Hundreds of startup founders in Silicon Valley are reorganizing their lives around the idea of “decarbonize everything.” A small but passionate group of founders and engineers are leaving companies like Tesla, or skipping the tech giants entirely, to take aim at what they call the biggest opportunity of a generation: climate tech.
A decade ago, enthusiasm swelled for the renewable energy boom known as clean tech, leading to billions of dollars in losses as startups furiously spent venture capital with few solvent companies to show for it.
But climate funds are popping up once again. Billions of dollars are pouring back into the sector. Still, as Silicon Valley stands on the brink of another potential boom, investors remain a bit nervous about the next big bust. Can Silicon Valley invest its way out of climate change? Read more in our guide to climate tech.
We’re obsessed with micromobility
Tiny vehicles for tiny trips. With large areas underserved by public transportation, and urban car ownership often more trouble than it’s worth, what’s going to move urbanites on shorter missions, like a quick trip to the corner store? Enter the micromobility industry, whose ethos is: Small is beautiful—in terms of the trip, and also the vehicle to get you there. This undersized focus could have an oversized impact on the way we move, the sustainability of our transport, and the way we design our cities. The Quartz Weekly Obsession will take you from point A to point B.
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Surprising discoveries
Search “loser” on Twitter… And you might find that Donald Trump is the first result.
…and search for “Jo Baiden” in Japan. The 73-year-old mayor of a small Japanese town has found viral internet fame because the characters of his name sound like that of the US president-elect.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Netflix is testing a linear TV channel similar to what subscribers gave up when they cut the cord on cable.
Two Virgin Hyperloop executives took it for a test run. The travel pod’s first passengers reached speeds of up to 107 mph (172 km/h).
Australian Instagrammers are being put out to pasture. With most foreign travel canceled, local canola fields have become a top destination for like-inducing photos.
Correction: In yesterday’s DB, we said Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan fired Murat Uysal for the second time. The first central bank chief named Murat to feel Erdoğan’s wrath was in fact Murat Cetinkaya.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, streaming programming we don’t have to think about, and the next trendy Instagram background 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 Annabelle Timsit, Walter Frick, Amanda Shendruk, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.