The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of Colombia Tolima Los Brasiles Peaberry Organic coffee, grab a seat outside, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads:
• How a shipping error 100 years ago launched the $30 billion chicken industry: The accidental origins of the chicken on your plate, explained. (Vox)
• A twisted tale of celebrity promotion, opaque transactions and allegations of racist tropes: January 2022 was a time capsule showing the temporary alliance between celebrity marketing and the crypto industry. Bored Ape Yacht Club was not the biggest crypto phenomenon, but it was one of the top beneficiaries of celebrity hype. That celebrity hype, in turn, helped draw new consumers to crypto — an industry rife with manipulation and fraud, and one that US regulators are now giving more scrutiny in the wake of the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. (CNN Business)
• How the inventor of the troll doll missed out on a fortune: Trolls were one of the hottest toys of the 20th century — twice. But the original inventor only made a sliver of the proceeds. (The Hustle)
• Remote Work Is Costing Manhattan More Than $12 Billion a Year: Three years into the pandemic, business leaders and city officials around the world are still trying just about everything to lure employees back into offices and revive local economies. But new data on in-person work analyzed by Bloomberg News show that in a number of cities across the US, Fridays at the office are dead. Mondays are a crapshoot. And returning to pre-pandemic work schedules looks like a lost cause. (Citylab)
• How Ben & Jerry’s Ended Up at War With Itself: The activist ice cream brand made the controversial decision to pull out of Israel’s occupied territories. Instead of a humanitarian win, the company set off a legal battle with its owner, Unilever. (Businessweek)
• The ancient diseases that plagued the dinosaurs: Scientists have discovered the tell-tale signs of a range of dinosaur diseases – and found that they’re remarkably similar to those affecting animals alive today. (BBC)
• On One of the Most Influential Essays of the 21st Century: Of Snark and Smarm: Stephen Marche Considers the Long Tail of Tom Scocca’s “On Smarm.” (Literary Hub)
• ‘Picard’ Gets the ‘Next Generation’ Band Back Together: The new season provides a victory lap for some of the most beloved “Star Trek” characters and actors. “I had long since given up on any hope of a conclusion as satisfying as this one is,” LeVar Burton said. (New York Times)
• The Real Story of Blues Legend Robert Johnson’s ‘Deal with the Devil’ at the Crossroads: In this section from my new book, I uncover neglected source materials from the 1930s and provide new insights into the most famous story in blues history (Ted Gioia)
• No More Spring Trainings: John Jaso walked away from Major League Baseball at 34, potentially leaving millions of dollars on the table. The sea was calling. (New York Times)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend with Tim Buckley, CEO of the Vanguard Group, which manages $7.2 trillion in assets. He began his career at Vanguard 32 years ago as an assistant to then Chairman John Bogle. He previously served roles as Chief Information Officer, as well as Chief Investment Officer.
What is the Most Successful Hollywood Movie of All Time?
Source: Information Is Beautiful
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