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Financial institutions are freezing out the Taliban. The International Monetary Fund removed Afghan access to its resources, while Afghanistan also has 22 tons of gold locked in a New York vault.
The Taliban stopped trade with India. It halted the movement of cargo through Pakistan, raising questions about the $3 billion India has invested in Afghan infrastructure projects.
Robinhood revenue more than doubled in the second quarter of 2020. The company’s first earnings report since last month’s IPO showed a boost from cryptocurrency trading, but it still lost $502 million.
Tencent saw a 29% profit increase for the same quarter. The Chinese tech company also signaled that new government regulations—already a problem for Tencent, Alibaba, and Didi—are likely to affect the market.
Three former Netflix employees face charges over an alleged $3 million scam. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says the software engineers used confidential data for insider trading.
What skeletons are in the new Jeopardy host’s closet? Mike Richards made sexist and racist comments in an old podcast, The Ringer reports.
What to watch for
Tesla is holding an Artificial Intelligence Day today, following up on its Autonomy Day (2019) and Battery Day (2020). Here’s what to watch for at this year’s event:
💼 AI Day isn’t really for retail investors. Tesla is competing hard for talent against every other major technology company (and automaker). AI Day will be the place to showcase its finest (most technical) work: “Convincing the best AI talent to join Tesla is the sole goal,” says CEO Elon Musk.
🚙 Look Ma, no radar. Tesla says it’s now using only camera vision and neural net processing for self-driving in its Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, bucking every other self-driving company, all of which insist that redundant radar, LIDAR, and other sensor suites are needed.
🖥 “Dojo” supercomputer. Tesla needs tons of supercomputer muscle to train its Autopilot and full self-driving neutral networks. Dojo, with in-house chips and novel computer architecture, will be the next supercomputer iteration.
Mapping Hero MotoCorp’s manufacturing plants
When Indian transportation unicorn Ola launched its electric scooter on Aug. 15, it looked well poised to win the market based on existing competition. But Hero MotoCorp—the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer for the last 20 years—is set to debut an electric model by the start of next year.
The company has six plants across India with a total annual production capacity of 11.6 million units. Experts say the massive scale will help Hero MotoCorp keep costs down and price its products competitively. Ananya Bhattacharya has more on what Ola can expect from its much larger rival.
A Bloomberg terminal for the Earth
Planet operates hundreds of low-cost PlanetScope satellites that capture images of Earth’s entire landmass every day. But the company says it’s really a data and software business. That’s an indication of space travel’s real promise: not taking tourists to orbit, but using robots in space to solve problems back home.
✦ Learn more about Planet in the most recent Company email. Sign up in time to get today’s by becoming a Quartz member—get 40% off with the code QZEMAIL40.
Handpicked Quartz
🇨🇳 China’s business operations in Africa may have a human rights problem
🦄 How two Indian techies bootstrapped their way to build the country’s first crypto unicorn
🚋 American cities are experimenting with free public transit
😱 A new bill from Nigeria’s tech regulator is alarming startup founders
💉 How to convince someone to get the Covid-19 vaccine
Surprising discoveries
A group of young stars have splintered off from one of the Milky Way’s arms. It’s the first time astronomers have seen that kind of alignment.
Cachaça cocktail? Brazil is trying to make its national spirit as popular overseas as it is at home.
Palantir recently bought $50.7 million in gold bars. The tech company said it’s preparing for a “black swan event.”
Aspirin could help treat certain breast cancers. Researchers are testing whether the painkiller makes tumors more susceptible to immunotherapy drugs.
Please, touch the art. A new museum exhibit showcases 3D models of existing paintings, which also include sounds and smells.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, gold bars, and art you can touch 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, Michael Coren, Ananya Bhattacharya, Annaliese Griffin, and Liz Webber.