đ Netflix's great expectations
Good morning, Quartz readers!
Hereâs what you need to know
Netflixâs earnings are poised to show good news on subscriptions. As for concerns about the impact of the Hollywood strikes, thatâs for another time.
Taco Johnâs has given up its Taco Tuesday trademark. But the fast-food chain is not going down without taking a jab at Taco Bell.
A fatal Tesla crash is being probed over the use of autopilot mode. The collision between a Tesla Model 3 and a Subaru Impreza caused the death of two people.
In-N-Out Burger has reignited the debate over covid masks. The compan is requiring employees in five states to provide a doctorâs note to mask up at work.
Charted: The rise of foreign investment in US manufacturing
Foreign investment towards the USâs manufacturing sector last year more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels, thanks largely to measures such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act. Quartzâs Mary Hui dived into the data and found that, contrary to widespread fear, those incentives have not triggered a a outflow of European investments to the US.
Where is Qin Gang?
Rumors are swirling about Chinese foreign minister and âwolf warriorâ Qin Gangâappointed last Decemberâwho has not made a public appearance since June 25. Since that date, Qin has been conspicuously absent from a series of high-level diplomatic meetings.
Some of the sit-downs with foreign officials that went on without the Chinese foreign minister:
đ July 4: Josep Borrell, the EUâs top diplomatâcanceled
đ July 6-9: Janet Yellen, US finance chiefâabsent
đ July 11: ASEAN summit in Jakartaâabsent âfor health reasonsâ
đ July 17: Rodrigo Duterte, former Philippines presidentâabsent
Questions about his disappearance have been widely censored on Chinese social media and elsewhere, and if heâs really sick, critics ask, why all the censorship?
Donât expect AI to be free forever
After unveiling the new AI-beefed up Bing search engine and making a slew of announcements about integrating OpenAIâs tech into its Office products, Microsoft now plans to start charging businesses to use its AI tools.
Pricing plans for AI bots were always on the horizon; free lunches, after all, famously donât exist. But letâs put it this way: Microsoft has invested $10 billion into OpenAI, and itâs going to want to recoup that money. And, as Quartzâs Michelle Cheng explains, it wonât be the only company to do so.
Quartzâs most popular
đ Canadaâs massive wildfire problem is worsening
đš Even Oppenheimer wants to warn the world about AI
đŹ Elon Musk said Twitterâs ad revenue has halved
â Bidenâs automatic student debt cancellation is set to benefit 800,000 borrowers
đ„€ Soda companies have nothing to fear from the WHOâs warnings about aspartame
đ The psychological effects of growing up with an extremely common name
Surprising discoveries
The Toronto Zoo asked people to stop showing gorillas videos because they were getting distracted and not doing gorilla things. Monkey see, monkey⊠donât.
Benjamins have always had a counterfeit issue. Back when Franklin himself was in charge of printing money, he used a reflective material to spot fakes.
The worldâs largest office is now a diamond trading hub in Surat, India. For the past 80 years, the Pentagon in the US has held that title.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, gorilla videos, and Franklins to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to allâbecome a member. Todayâs Daily Brief was brought to you by Sofia Lotto Persio, Susan Howson, and Morgan Haefner.