10 Sunday Reads

• Fox News: The Engine of Disinformation That Shaped and Shattered America: From the moment it launched, Fox News wasn’t interested in being a conservative counterweight to the so-called liberal media. It set out to create an alternate universe where facts were malleable, and the truth was whatever kept its audience hooked. Think of it as a political reality show, except instead of roses, viewers were handed fear, outrage, and lies. It wasn’t about keeping the public informed; it was about keeping them addicted. (The Intellectualist)

• The Great €3 Billion Shipping Container Heist: How P&R Containers shifted from shipping to the more profitable business of simply ripping people off. (Businessweek)

• How Intel’s $108 billion buyback gambit backfired—a cautionary tale for tech giants: Intel’s focus on stock price over innovation left it playing catch-up in the AI race—and tech leaders should take note. (CTech)

• The Work From Home Free-for-All Is Coming to an End: Amazon’s CEO just called everyone back to the office full time. If you thought your two days a week at home were safe, think again. (Wall Street Journal)

• Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe? The company is in trouble, and anyone who has spit into one of the company’s test tubes should be concerned. (The Atlantic)

• Why Owning (and Buying) a Florida Condo Has ‘Turned Into a Nightmare’ In the wake of a tragic 2021 building collapse, lawmakers are requiring condos to fund restoration projects. The bills are crippling homeowners. (New York Times)

• Bad Climate Socialism: The opening salvos of the interstate insurance wars. (How Things Work) see also How Hurricane Helene became a monster storm: Helene packed a powerful punch because of its unusual size, strength, and speed. (The Verge)

• Defense, Denial, and Disinformation: Uncovering the Oil Industry’s Early Knowledge of Climate Change: As early as 1959, oil industry executives understood the connection between burning fossil fuels and climate change. Soon thereafter, industry scientists confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt that the burning of fossil fuels contributed to anthropogenic climate change. In response, oil companies scrambled to promulgate climate change denial and disinformation in order to avoid government regulation. It was not until the late 1990s and early 2000s that oil companies began publicly acknowledging the scientific consensus on climate change and responded by promoting market-based solutions to mitigating emissions. (Common Home)

• Main character syndrome: Why romanticising your own life is philosophically dubious, setting up toxic narratives and an inability to truly love.(Aeon) see also Make it awkward! Rather than being a cringey personal failing, awkwardness is a collective rupture – and a chance to rewrite the social script. (Aeon)

• Trae Stephens Has Built AI Weapons and Worked for Donald Trump. As He Sees It, Jesus Would Approve: He’s deep in the defense-startup world as a Founders Fund partner and Anduril cofounder. His bunker, though, isn’t fully prepped for the end times. (Wired)

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend with Vincent Aita of Cutter Capital. The firm is a market- and factor-neutral, long/short hedge fund focused on health-care companies. Prior to launching Cutter, he focused on U.S. and European healthcare at Citadel and Millenium. Cutter has put-up impressive numbers since its 2022 launch, and now manages more than $500 million in institutional assets.