Business
The 70-Year Marriage Between McDonald’s and Coke Has Some Issues. An interesting article on the long-standing partnership between McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. I did not know that it was Coca-Cola that suggested the idea of bundling a burger, fries and a coke as a value meal which would go on to become a standard in the fast food industry.
The CEOs of US Bank and PNC dismissed the narrative that AI would jeopardize the deposits business. They are absolutely right. Such a narrative sounds plausible on the surface before you dig deeper into the details. Which high-net-worth individuals care about one or two basis points in interest? Would someone with a low net worth care enough about additional interest income while there are better alternatives out there (investing, real estate for instance)? Meanwhile, the CEO of consumer banking at Chase said that agentic AI was still years away. Spot on again. Moving money is just part of a transaction. If Agent AI purchased something and the customer did not authorize it, could the customer claw the money back? Would the merchant bank be on the hook? Would they agree to do so? Would the juice be worth the squeeze?
Why is Meta destroying its engineering organization? Culture is the one thing in business that is extremely difficult to replicate. If it’s your company’s strength, as long as it still serves the business well, try to maintain it. Facebook had a legendary engineering culture that catapulted the company to where it is today. Since the arrival of ChatGPT, though, Facebook has done massive damage to its culture, trying to chase success in AI. Its leaders need to take a hard long look at what is happening and reconsider their actions.
Apple to Raise Prices Due to Memory Chip Crunch, Tim Cook Says. You know how terrible the supply of memory chip must be for even Apple, a company known for world-class supply chain expertise and incredible scale that is enough to attract any vendor in the world, has to say that they have no choice, but to raise prices. It also explains why Apple announced it would no longer focus on neutral net cash and, instead, would see how it could leverage its monster balance sheet better.
Why American Airlines Stopped Making Money. American Airlines’ best days were behind them already and the future outlook does not look bright either. It’s remarkable how the management team and the Board kept making one strategic blunder after another and have not paid the price.
Other Stuff I Find Interesing And You May Too
Does Remote Work Make Employees Happier? Here’s What the Evidence Says. Like everything else, the type of work schedule (remote, hybrid or in-office ) varies from one person to another, depending on life situation, personal mental make-up and where they are in their professional career. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for companies to establish a work culture that pleases everybody. Covid created an interesting situation – it allowed people to experience work-from-home, something that had not existed before. Once people tasted the freedom, it’s hard to tell them to forget all about it.
Apple’s new Foundation Models explained: on-device AI, cloud AI, and everything in between. Apple’s focus on delivering consumer-friendly features and ability to market it widely may lead to people thinking that it does not innovate any more. How can a company stay on top of its game for so long in a competitive market such as personal computing without innovation? Or is it more like that Apple does innovate and instead of talking about all the sleep-inducing technical aspects, they choose to let the user experience and revenue numbers do the talking? It is super interesting what Apple did with the new Foundation Models.
Chile turned to China for an undersea cable. The U.S. said no. Wow, I did not know about this incident at all. The US is right to be concerned about China’s ambition to grow its presence in South America. But even the world’s most powerful country may find that bullying can only take it so far. If the US wants to have allies, it may want to show other countries what it can do to further their interests.
Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary school. I admire the Norwegian government for realizing their mistake in prioritizing digital content over physical books, reversing course and now banning the use of AI among young students. I don’t think I will let my son near a digital device and AI soon. It is ultimately a tool and I want to train the man who will wield it.
The US military is spending big on critical minerals. “Although minerals like lithium and nickel can be used for renewable energy and green technology like electric vehicle batteries, they are also key components for military equipment and weapons. Indigenous leaders have been demanding corporations and countries respect their right to consent to mining projects on their land, regardless of the intended use of those minerals. As global demand for these minerals continues to rise, Indigenous communities say that state backing has fast-tracked approvals without essential environmental safeguards or meaningful consultation by companies.”
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Minh Quang Duong 
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