Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Joe Biden names his economic team. The US president-elect is reportedly set to hire Neera Tanden as White House budget office director, and Princeton economist Cecilia Rouse as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. Biden fractured his foot while out playing with his dogs.
S&P Global is nearing a deal to buy IHS Markit. The $44 billion acquisition would combine two of the largest providers of financial data to Wall Street and could be announced as soon as today, the Wall Street Journal reports (paywall).
The UK will ban Huawei from its 5G network earlier than expected. September 2021 is the new deadline. The news was confirmed to Quartz last week by individuals with knowledge of the matter, and the UK government formally announced it today.
Topshop is about to collapse. The British fast fashion pioneer’s parent group, Arcadia, is set to call in the administrators and put 13,000 jobs at risk. A last-minute rescue deal is unlikely, BBC News reports, while the timing is crucial: from tomorrow, a new tax rule (paywall) would make the UK government the main creditor.
Police searched the home and clinic of Diego Maradona’s doctor. Leopoldo Luque is being investigated in Argentina for possible manslaughter, following the death of the 60-year-old soccer icon last week. He denies any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the sport has been in mourning, particularly in Naples, Italy.
What to watch for
Monday: Oil cartel OPEC and its allies plot their next moves; Biden receives his first presidential intelligence briefing; and Japan orders the Tokyo Stock Exchange to improve its operations.
Tuesday: The UK parliament votes on a tiered system of Covid-19 restrictions; Euro zone finance ministers meet; US Fed chair and treasury secretary testify before the Senate; and China’s new export control law takes effect.
Wednesday: Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam are sentenced for their roles in last year’s protests.
Thursday: South African president Cyril Ramaphosa faces a vote of no confidence.
Friday: ByteDance faces a deadline to sell off the US business of its video app TikTok.
Charting Amazon employment
In a year plagued by widespread layoffs, Amazon is bucking the trend. As of October, the company added 427,300 employees, increasing its workforce to 1.2 million, according to the New York Times. Currently listed as the fifth largest employer in the Fortune 500, Amazon’s historic levels of hiring are likely to move it up to third.
Walmart, the largest employer on the list, has 2.2 million workers; at Amazon’s current pace of hiring, it would be able to take the title in two years. Of course, Walmart has also been staffing up during the pandemic.
Danke pain
See if you can recognize this company:
“[X] rents space from landlords on long-term leases. It then slices up and furnishes the units before subletting them. The company gained investor interest by positioning itself not simply as a property management firm, but as a tech company that uses big data and apps to offer a seamless user experience.”
If you guessed WeWork, you’d be right… but also wrong. In this case it’s Danke Apartments, a Chinese startup that rents out 415,000 flats in 13 cities. Just one problem: Cash-strapped Danke has stopped paying some landlords, and tenants are complaining about electricity, water, and wifi outages.
Keep calm and carry on
This year is hammering home some basic truths about management, starting with the fact that it was evolving long before the pandemic. Working remotely, integrating work and home life, thinking beyond a job description: All of these things started years ago. Except now, not noticing is not an option. Our latest field guide on leading through change provides practical advice on how to update your management handbook, including:
😎 The updated guide to modern leadership
💫 5 rules for managers ready to buck conventional wisdom
🌈 Advice for managers who are serious about inclusion
🎥 Quartz’s workshop on leading teams through tension
✦ Ready for us to hammer home another basic truth? Life is better with a Quartz membership. Find out for yourself with a seven-day free trial.
Surprising discoveries
A fireball lit up Japan. A type of shooting star known as a bolide was spotted falling from the sky in a burst of light.
A fragment of meteorite did not make its finder a millionaire. Not surprising? Read this and decide.
The mysterious monolith is gone. Less than two weeks after it was discovered in the Utah desert, a metal structure planted in the ground was removed by an unknown party.
Kenya’s best social commentary comes from puppets. This season of The XYZ Show uses puppet caricatures to tackle subjects like rising debt and gender representation in parliament.
Goldman Sachs is using drones for M&A deals. The investment bank has conducted drone-driven virtual tours of everything from shipping ports to chemical factories.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, a space rock, and missing sculptures 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 Hasit Shah, Amanda Shendruk, and Kira Bindrim.