Sunday Reads: Tight-lipping at Exxon

Hi, Quartz members!

This week, we listened in on some very interesting whispers: those of the BP executive whose husband eavesdropped on her calls and turned them into a $2 million insider trading windfall. What else are we hearing about? The crackling of Wendy’s PR fire, the screech of Porsche’s EV dreams, and the footsteps of a major AI chip foundry as it tiptoes into Japan.

Here are our other favorite reads from Quartz from the past week and a sneak peek for next. Happy reading!

5 things we especially liked on Quartz

🍟 Sir, this is a dynamically priced Wendy’s. And yikes, did that PR nightmare burn across the internet. The fast food chain has made it clear that its new strategy isn’t like the kind of surge pricing Uber and Lyft use, a.k.a charging more when demand is high… but then, what exactly is dynamic pricing?

🇨🇳 EV secrets are no fun. China is pulling away in the global carmaking race, beating Japan last year to become the world’s biggest exporter of automobiles. More and more of those Chinese-made vehicles are electric, which track a ton of data, and the White House is concerned exactly how that data is being used.

💊 Hims & Hers may have cracked telehealth. At least the platform has figured out how to buck the trend of patients opting for in-person doctor’s visits rather than their online alternatives. It credits its success to weight loss products and personalized medicine, which could illustrate a path forward for the industry.

🤑 The wealthiest generation to ever exist probably loves millennial pink. A massive transfer of wealth — to the tune of $90 trillion — is set to take place over the next decade, with millennials set to come out on top. The thing is, their attitudes are much different from their parents, so asset managers are going to have to adapt (yep, that means climate-friendly investments).

🙊 And when it comes to the climate, Exxon would like its shareholders to shut up — forever. The oil giant is digging its heels into a fight with activist investors who attempted to speed up the oil giant’s climate change commitments, and some of the U.S.’s biggest business lobbying groups are jumping into Exxon’s corner. They’re all arguing that the Securities and Exchange Commission is too permissive of shareholder speech.

1 sneak peek

It’s no secret that bitcoin’s been on a hot streak. Since the start of the year, investors have been clambering for coins, putting prices in striking distance from their all-time record. Behind the boon? Besides something called the halving.

But bitcoin halving isn’t like tearing a paper bill in two. It’s actually a technical event intended to maintain a sustainable pace at which bitcoin is put in circulation — and stymy any oversupply.

This weekend in Quartz, reporter Bruce Gil breaks down the halving coming soon. Among the big, bill-free questions he tackles:

⛏️ How are new bitcoins mined?

½ What’s halving, and how does it work?

📈 How does halving impact bitcoin’s price?

🗓️ What to watch for this week

Here’s what our newsroom will be keeping an eye on:

• Tuesday: Disney CEO Bog Iger is speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference at about 1:15pm ET. Target is also reporting earnings before the market opens.
• Wednesday: The Securities and Exchange Commission is finally voting on a rule that would require U.S. companies to disclose their climate risks. The U.S. is also releasing its latest JOLTS report.
• Thursday: Costco will release its latest results after the bell, and Kroger after the market closes.

Thanks for reading! Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out with comments, questions, feedback, viral hues, and no digital currencies, please. Sunday Reads was brought to you by Morgan Haefner and Gabriela Riccardi