My end of week morning train WFH reads:
• Escape to Zoom Island: When the pandemic untethered millions of workers from their offices, a new species of digital nomad was born. They set off with laptops and passports, and have made it clear they’re never coming back. Now, on a sun-dappled island in the middle of the ocean, a group of them is engaged in a novel experiment that might foretell the future of work. (GQ)
• Elon Musk probably won’t buy Twitter There are good reasons for him to get cold feet. The biggest is Tesla. The electric-vehicle maker’s stock has fallen around a fifth since Musk first revealed his stake in Twitter, partly because Musk may sell shares to fund his new adventure. If Tesla’s stock bounces back – likely if the Twitter deal falls away – the $40 billion of recouped wealth would more than make up for the break fee. (Reuters) see also There’s a Reason No Smart Buyer Already Purchased Twitter If you want to understand why the board of Twitter capitulated to letting Elon Musk take it over despite having no clear plan to enhance revenue, turn a profit, or even grow user numbers, you only have to focus on the fact that sticking with Twitter meant for them less money, more problems over time (Slate)
• Netflix’s Big Wake-Up Call: The Power Clash Behind the Crash As rivals toggle between schadenfreude and fear, top creators and insiders are increasingly becoming vocal about what’s gone wrong with the streaming giant’s culture. (Hollywood Reporter)
• How polyester bounced back Somehow, polyester went from being the world’s most hated fabrics to one of its favorites. It reinvented itself thanks to advances in materials science, and did it so successfully that many people don’t even realize they’re wearing polyester today. (Works in Progress)
• Autocorrect Explained: Why Your iPhone Adds Annoying Typos While Fixing Others Tpying truble? During the iPhone’s first 15 years, its keyboard software has evolved, but it still sometimes flubs your lines. Here’s how it works and what you can do about it. (Wall Street Journal)
• Were The Stimulus Checks A Mistake? Lawmakers passed a $2.2-trillion stimulus package in March 2020 (followed by two more in 2020 + 2021). In total, it added up to one of the most generous fiscal responses to the virus globally. As U.S. prices continue to rise by rates not seen in decades, it’s become clear that the stimulus came at a significant, unintended cost: inflation. (FiveThirtyEight)
• Why does swearing make us stronger? Profanity offers surprising benefits. But why? (Big Think)
• Russia Is Being Hacked at an Unprecedented Scale From “IT Army” DDoS attacks to custom malware, the country has become a target like never before. (Wired)
• Biden’s support among Gen Z and millennials is collapsing. Why? What Biden (and Democrats) got wrong about young voters. (Vox) see also Why Republicans are favored to win the Senate — and how Democrats could stop them The 2022 Senate battleground states, explained. (Vox)
• ‘It’s just good energy!’ How TikTok and Covid made drum’n’bass hot again The 90s genre is being freshened up by young, often female artists mixing hyper-fast breakbeats with soft vocals. But why is it so suited to our post-lockdown, attention-deficient era? (The Guardian)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend with Michael Lewis. We discuss Season 3 of his podcast Against the Rules. We also delve into the 30th anniversary of Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street, and his new audio recording of the book. He is also the author of Undoing Project, Moneyball, Flashboys, The Big Short, and so many others.
Robinhood’s Golden Era of Fun and Games Comes to an End
Source: Bloomberg
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