đ Headaches to the Max
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Hereâs what you need to know
Alphabetâs Google ad revenue didnât look as hot as expected. The search giantâs overall revenue and profit were up though in its latest quarterly earnings. Microsoft, on the other hand, outdid analystsâ projections with its own earnings.
China wants to compete with Elon Muskâs Neuralink. Riding the news of the brain implant company actually putting hardware into someoneâs skull, the countryâs IT ministry said itâs working on similar technology.
âBitcoin Beauteeâ is pleading guilty to her role in a $2 billion crypto Ponzi scheme. The US Securities and Exchange Commission accused Brenda Chunga, known online by the beautee moniker, of defrauding $1.9 billion from investors.
In better news for investors, General Motorsâ CEO had some sweet predictions. Mary Barra said consensus is growing that the âUS economy, the job market and auto sales will continue to be resilientââand the companyâs stock took a liking to that and GMâs latest financials.
UPS is cutting 12,000 workers. The move comes months after unionized Teamster employees (none of which were affected in the layoffs) notched a historic contract with the US package delivery company, and coincides with a return to office push and exploration of AIâs capabilities.
Boeing ditched its request for a Max safety exemption
Boeingâs PR department is getting used to bad turbulence. The company is now withdrawing its request for a safety exemption on its 737 Max 7, which is not the plane that had a door plug fall off mid-flight.
Boeing first sought the exemption in December. It would have covered a defect in the planeâs engine de-icing technology that could have led the engineâs cover, or nacelle, to fall off.
Getting the exemption past the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may have proved a tall order politically, if not bureaucratically. While Boeing said itâs going with an engineering solution instead, every decision it makes is under high surveillanceâgiving Boeing headaches to the max.
Nvidiaâs biggest sales are also its biggest problem
Itâs pretty simple math: If the booming chipmaker Nvidia wants to keep booming, its highest-paying customers will need to keep sending in blockbuster orders.
Right now, the biggest spenders on the companyâs H100, those coveted $30,000 chips that power generative AI products, are Microsoft and Meta. Together, they spend $9 billion on chips.
But therein lies the conundrum: Those big players are trying to make chips of their own, so what use would they have for Nvidia if they are successful?
One big number: $331.5 million
How much one branding consulting firm estimates Taylor Swift has made the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL by simply existing.
Love her or hate her, sheâs an economic force, and the NFL has got to be thrilled sheâll likely be at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 (if she can make the flight math work from her tour stop in Tokyo). Hereâs how that $331.5 million number was calculated.
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đ€ âŠwhile he and Bernard Arnault keep taking turns as the worldâs richest person.
Surprising discoveries
Hermit crabs are using trash for shells. The practice is so pervasive that most land species of the crustacean have sought shelter in bottle caps and other objects, but whether thatâs to simply blend in with all the other garbage or because the homes are easier to find is TBD.
Brazilâs black market for seahorses is very busy. Most of the catch is scooped up along with fish and shrimp, but where the creatures go afterward isnât entirely clear.
Alaska doesnât have enough rocks. The US state wants to build out its roads and infrastructure, but a gravel shortage is complicating that.
Englandâs picturesque hedges, if lined up, could circle the Earth 10 times. Thatâs nearly 390,000 km, or 242,000 miles, if youâre counting.
If you think Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul looks like King Charles III, itâs because theyâre related. Celebrity doppelgĂ€ngers just got a heck of a lot more interesting.
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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, hedge mazes, and doppelgĂ€nger theories to [email protected]. Todayâs Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.