đ Apple reaches for the $3 trillion mark
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Hereâs what you need to know
Apple is close to reaching a $3 trillion market cap. The companyâs shares have been on a roll since unveiling the Vision Pro headset, scoring a new high.
Microsoftâs purchase of Activision Blizzard is facing a new obstacle in the US. The Federal Trade Commission wants to block the $69 billion deal.
JPMorgan is settling with Jeffrey Epsteinâs victims. The worldâs largest bank was accused of turning a blind eye to the late sex offenderâs dealings.
Silvio Berlusconi has died. The former Italian prime minister shaped his country for decades to comeâand not for the better.
AI helped Paul McCartney create one last Beatles song. A software extrapolated John Lennonâs voice from a demo to compose the bandâs last tune.
Fun fact: Montanaâs kids are suing for climate protections
Some of the plaintiffs of Held v Montanaâa lawsuit in the US state of Montana that ââdeals with the constitutional right to a âclean and healthful environmentââare so young that they wonât even testify during the trial. But most of the 16 youths, ranging in age from two to 18 at time of filing, are expected to testify this week in the first US trial of its kind. The case aims to establish a governmental duty to protect citizens from climate change, as it happened in the Netherlands.
Nio reluctantly drives into the EV price wars
Joining Chinaâs electric vehicle price war wasnât on Nioâs itinerary, but six price cuts from Tesla alone this year have made some detours unavoidable.
The Chinese EV maker is trimming $4,200 from its price tags to rev up competition with Tesla, BYD, and others. Itâs also getting rid of its free battery swap program. But what is the third most attractive EV stock in China with a $13 billion valuation trying to fend off, exactly? Well, there are a few roadblocks:
đ Luxury EV maker Lucid is hungry, and wants a slice of Chinaâs auto market
đ€ Tesla has made its cars nearly 50% cheaper in China than they are in the US
đ± BYD, Chinaâs largest EV company, had some BIG profit growth last yearâlike, 446%
One big number: 30
The number of people in the UK who will receive ÂŁ1,600 ($1,984) a month for the next two years as part of a universal basic income pilot
How many pilots like this do we really need to prove giving away money works? Quartzâs Tim Fernholz explains what these experiments can and canât teach us.
Quartz most popular
đ New York Cityâs food delivery workers will be the first in the country to get a minimum wage
⥠The White House is trying to persuade Tesla to keep the USâs EV charging standard alive
đ« Toblerone maker Mondelez is facing a boycott in Nordic countries over its Russian business
đđŸ Women are quitting Indiaâs biggest IT firm as it ends work-from-homeÂ
đŻ Most companiesâ net-zero emission plans are largely meaningless
đ Even in countries where women are better educated, men earn more
Surprising discoveries
Successioncore is filling closets. Wearers of taupe suits and cashmere sweaters are all about that soft power.
A $3.4 million luxury Speedmaster watch was found to be fake. It looked real enough to fool its maker.
A warmer planet is making plane rides much bumpier. Instances of severe turbulence are up 55% from 1979 to 2020 for North Atlantic trips.
Avoiding short-term indulgences doesnât make you happy or healthier in the long-term. In fact, giving into short-term desiresâstrategically, that isâmay improve our wellbeing. In other words: eat the cake.
Donât throw away that creepy doll in your grandparentsâ basement. It could sell for $66,000 at an auction.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, mauve blazers, and chocolate cake to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to allâbecome a member. Todayâs Daily Brief was brought to you by Sofia Lotto Persio and Morgan Haefner.