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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Fwd: ☕️ Elon Musk Insurance Co.





Why is Apple apologizing to customers?
August 29, 2019 Read in Browser

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The Ascent

Good morning. It's Week 3 of our Pumpkin Spice Author Series, and a heavy hitter is coming into town. Scroll down to see what NYU prof Jonathan Haidt has to say about Gen Z.

Then, keep scrolling to see how much money we've raised so far for DonorsChoose.org. There are still two more days for you to help fund classroom projects across the country.

But before we get to all that fun stuff⁠—let's hit the news.

 


MARKETS

S&P

2,887.94

+0.65%

NASDAQ

7,856.88

+0.38%

DJIA

26,036.10

+1.00%

10-YR

1.481%

+0.9 bps

GOLD

1,548.60

-0.21%

OIL

55.90

+1.77%

*As of market close

  • Brexit: Word of the day? Prorogue. Queen Elizabeth II approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request to prorogue (or suspend) Parliament for almost five weeks ahead of Brexit. That'll give opponents less time to block a no-deal Brexit scenario set for Halloween.
  • Crypto: Can we prorogue something here too? Bitcoin dropped below $10,000 for the first time since July yesterday afternoon.

 


TECH

Apple Unveils the Apology S Max

please turn your images on

Francis Scialabba has done it again

Yesterday, Apple (+0.67%) apologized for a series of privacy oopsies involving its voice assistant, Siri. Some advice for Tim Apple: Flowers say I'm sorry, chocolate says I love you. 

What happened

Apple came under fire for hiring humans to listen to recordings of user interactions with Siri to train and improve the artificial intelligence (AI) product. Apple had tapped hundreds of third-party contractors to listen in as part of this "grading" program.

  • Apple said less than 0.2% of all Siri requests were reviewed using audio samples.
  • Those that were reviewed weren't tied to an Apple ID or phone number.

Still, the program meant humans were listening to the more private things other humans did in front of Siri's watchful gaze, like having sex, (possibly) committing crimes, and trying to hit the high note in "Shallow." 

The bigger problem? Apple didn't explicitly disclose the grading to users. Amazon and Google both engage in similar practices, but after also getting in trouble, Amazon lets users opt out of reviews. Google's reviews are still suspended. 

Which brings us to today: Apple said, "We realize we haven't been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologize." 

What's changing

Apple suspended the grading program a few weeks ago when the internet caught on. It'll bring the practice back this fall after sending us all flowers and installing some software updates to give users more privacy controls.

  1. Apple will by default "no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions." It'll still use automated, anonymized transcripts to improve Siri's AI, but users will be able to opt in.
  2. Third-party contractors are out. Apple reportedly axed over 300 contractors in Europe as it officially benched the old grading program.

Looking ahead...Apple faces a class-action lawsuit over human-listener privacy violations. As a company that claims to prioritize privacy, it's also doing time as the butt of the joke—this is the same company that made this at CES:

@chrisvelazco

        

 


HOSPITALITY

Marriott Wants You to Please Stop Hoarding Shampoo

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Giphy

Stock up on your next trip, because Marriott International (-0.01%) is phasing out small plastic toiletry bottles across its hotels by December 2020. This move is expected to reduce Marriott's waste by around 500 million containers, or 1.7 million pounds of plastic, annually. 

Zoom out: Marriott joins a growing band of hotel lines including IHG and Disney in curbing single-use plastics. But Marriott's an especially big deal. The hospitality chain services over 1 million guests daily across 7,000+ properties and 30 brands, including Sheraton, Ritz-Carlton, and Residence Inn. 

  • Marriott will install tamper-resistant large bottles or wall-mounted dispensers across its hotels. 
  • But the Ritz has a reputation to uphold, so don't worry—it'll offer "luxurious" options so regular shampoo bottles don't ruin your $10k-a-night stay. 

The recycling problem 

Even if single-use plastics are technically recyclable, hotels have to clean out the residual product first. If bottles aren't cleaned, like used pizza cartons or to-go cups, they can't be recycled. 

Get up to date on what plastics you can (or more importantly can't) recycle here.

        

 


AUTO

Elon Musk, but as a Little Green Lizard

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Tesla

Tesla (+0.71%) is taking its talents to the "I definitely thought that sign was Stoptional" market by launching its own auto insurance.

Tesla owners who opt in could see rate reductions of up to 30% compared to third-party insurers, according to a company blog post. Tesla says it's able to offer lower rates thanks to "active safety and advanced driver assistance features" like Autopilot. Have more than one Tesla? 1) incredible flex and 2) you might get a discount.

  • The program is only available in California for now, but Tesla said it's expanding to "additional U.S. states in the future." 
  • Considering Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in April that the insurance program would likely be ready by the end of May...Tesla Insurance should be rolling out to your great-grandchildren in no time. 

FYI, the Tesla Model S was the most expensive vehicle to insure in 2018. 

Zoom out: As CNET notes, Tesla has a history of bringing the vehicle experience in-house, most famously with its direct-sales model. The insurance product is another step in that direction. 

        

 


TELECOM

The DOJ Wants to Block Big Tech's Undersea Cable Project

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Giphy

In a major victory for Bikini Bottom property owners, the Justice Department is reportedly opposing a bid from Google, Facebook, and China's Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group to finish building an undersea internet cable between the U.S. and Hong Kong. The reason? National security concerns.

  • Dr. Peng's chairman was a government official in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, and the company lists Huawei as a partner. You know how D.C. feels about Huawei.

The $300+ million project, which aims to haul loads of internet data across the Pacific, runs out of temporary authority next month. But ships have already laid most of the 8,000 miles of high-capacity fiber-optic cable.

If officials keep the group from finishing what it started, it would be the first time the U.S. has denied an undersea cable license for national security reasons. It would also be a blow to the internet infrastructure ambitions of Google and Facebook, which funded the project from the U.S. side.

Why subsea cables matter: They carry 99% of the world's data traffic. That's a lot of TikToks.

Screenshot from Submarinecablemap.com

        

 


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What's more, the laundry list of rich perks reads like a novel:

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  • Flexible rewards redemption (most cards have at least a $25 minimum redemption)
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Bottom line: This card cuts interest charges and doubles down on cash back rewards. Make room in your wallet.

 


AUTHOR SERIES

Jonathan Haidt Doesn't Mind Ruffling Feathers

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Amazon

In fact, he's betting we could all use a little extra ruffling, especially university students. 

Because in 2014, the NYU Stern professor noticed something happening on college campuses. Students began protesting speakers, equating speech with violence, and calling for safe spaces. 

So he wrote a book. In The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan and his co-author Greg Lukianoff argue Gen Zers are taking their grievances too far and engaging in cognitive distortions that, instead of protecting them and making them stronger mentally, are actually making them weaker. And now that they're graduating, the phenomenon is starting to spill into the workplace. 

Jonathan recently sat down with the Brew to discuss...

  • Why it's not all Gen Z's fault (overprotective parenting, social media, and political polarization may be at fault)
  • How we can start reversing course 
  • What this means for your office dynamics 

Check out our full conversation and pick up a copy for some thought-provoking, back-to-school reading.  

 


BACK 2 SCHOOL

Give Yourselves a Standing O

By sharing the Brew this week, you've helped raise over $9,000 for DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit that helps public school teachers fund classroom projects and programs. We're donating $1 for every new reader. 

$9k is good...but it's not great. Our goal is to hit $15,000 by EOD Friday. 

How we can get there together: Just copy and paste the message below to your network. That includes you, Lady Gaga. 

I highly recommend signing up for Morning Brew's free daily email covering the latest business news. For each new Brew reader this week, they're donating $1 to the nonprofit DonorsChoose.org. Sign up here: morningbrew.com/back2school/?kid=5e25388f

Or, you can click the big share button below to seamlessly share on your platform of choice. 

Bottom line: $15k is verrrry doable. Get sharing now.

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING
  • Facebook (+0.25%) announced new rules over political ads ahead of the 2020 election. 
  • FBI agents searched the home of United Auto Workers President Gary Jones. They're expanding a probe into alleged corruption at the union. 
  • An Atlanta KFC location sold out of its vegan Beyond Fried Chicken in a single day. 
  • Hudson's Bay is selling Lord & Taylor to fashion subscription service Le Tote for about $100 million.
  • Hurricane Dorian is expected to pay a nasty visit to Florida this Labor Day weekend. It hit the U.S. Virgin Islands yesterday.

 


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BREAKROOM

Brew's Bets 

You're probably paying too much for your prescriptions. The Brew's resident physician Dr. Gutowski says to check out GoodRx, a free app that lets you compare prescription drug prices and gives you discounts at U.S. pharmacies.

From the Crew

Going back to school means a fresh start. And if you're a student or teacher, we want to help you set goals and chart your progress. 

So here's the deal: Fill out this form with your email address and your goals for this school year. In May 2020, we'll send you an email with those goals so you can see how you measure up

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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Morning Brew <crew@morningbrew.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 5:14 AM
Subject: ☕️ Elon Musk Insurance Co.
To: <joaoa.dsilva2019@gmail.com>

 


BREAKROOM ANSWERS

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