☕ More Taco Bells

The results of a big four-day workweek test... February 22, 2023 [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop]( [Morning Brew]( TOGETHER WITH [The Ascent]( Good morning. For years, the No. 1 request from Morning Brew readers has been an audio companion to the newsletter. Well, it’s finally here. [Morning Brew Daily](, a 5x/week podcast and YouTube show, will give you a rundown of the news with more context, analysis, and debate than we have room for in email. It’s hosted by good friends Toby Howell and Neal Freyman, the Brew’s managing editor. We’re very excited to hear your thoughts. The first episode dropped yesterday, and, depending on how early you’re reading this, the second one will arrive shortly. Listen on [Apple Podcasts]( and [Spotify](, watch on [YouTube](, or check us out [wherever you get your shows](. —Abby Rubenstein, Max Knoblauch, Matty Merritt, Neal Freyman MARKETS Nasdaq 11,492.30 -2.50% S&P 3,997.34 -2.00% Dow 33,129.59 -2.06% 10-Year 3.955% +13.4 bps Bitcoin $24,270.53 -1.92% Home Depot $295.50 -7.06% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 3:00am ET. [Here's what these numbers mean.]( - Markets: . Stocks posted their worst day of 2023, because—broken record alert—the Fed may have to hike rates even higher than anticipated to coax inflation back to normal. Home Depot added to the negative vibes when it warned that consumers may get spooked by higher prices in the coming year and buy fewer upscale toilets.  TECH [The Supreme Court doesn’t want to break the internet]( [Magnifying glasses examining a computer with the Google logo]( Morning Brew The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a case with the potential to upend the internet…but it looks like the justices would prefer not to. The [suit]( pits Google against the family members of a young woman killed in a terrorist attack, who maintain that YouTube should be held responsible for its algorithm recommending ISIS recruitment videos. The case has all of Silicon Valley nervous because it asks the court to consider the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, the law that protects Big Tech from liability over users’ posts. The law has even been called the “Magna Carta of the internet.” Why is Section 230 such a big deal? It’s just 26 words long, but those words, penned before the founding of Google, have been credited with creating the internet as we know it. They’re what shield Big Tech (and anyone else who runs a website with any user-generated content—even comments or reviews) from being sued into oblivion for what users post. Given Section 230’s Atlas-like role in holding up the internet, there’s real concern that the not-so-tech-savvy Supreme Court—which has never weighed in on Section 230 before—could issue a ruling with explosive, unintended consequences. Google’s lawyer claimed that a ruling against the company would turn the web into “The Truman Show versus a horror show,” since companies would have to curate content until it’s as bland as a white bread and mayo sandwich or stop moderating at all. But the justices don’t seem keen to open Pandora’s box: - Justice Elena Kagan deadpanned that the court isn’t made up of “the nine greatest experts on the internet.” - Several justices brought up the tech industry’s fears that narrowing the law would lead to a deluge of lawsuits. - Justice Brett Kavanaugh cautioned that the court should not “crash the digital economy.” Looking ahead…the court is expected to rule on the case by the end of June. But even if the Supreme Court does leave Section 230 totally intact, Congress might not—it’s got high-profile critics on both sides of the aisle.—AR �  �  �  TOGETHER WITH THE ASCENT [What could you do in 21 months?]( [The Ascent]( Or 1.75 years, for those of you who don’t speak months—which is a pretty long time. For 21 whole months, you could be getting ready for your first free solo climb, building a kart for your first race, or paying *no* interest when you transfer your balance to a [new credit card](. Specifically [this credit card](, which offers one of the longest 0% intro APR periods for balance transfers ever. And if that wasn’t enough, this card offers a lengthy 0% intro APR on purchases, too. With a $0 annual fee, you could have your most interesting (but interest-free) 21 months yet. [Apply here](. WORLD Tour de headlines [Biden giving a speech in Poland]Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images Biden and Putin give dueling speeches. Fresh off a surprise visit to Kyiv, President Biden gave a speech in Poland where he vowed [“unwavering” support]( for Ukraine. With the war about to hit its one-year anniversary, Biden has been emphasizing that Western allies will stand with Ukraine for the long haul. Hours before Biden’s speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West and said he was suspending Russia’s participation in its final remaining arms control treaty with the US. Norfolk Southern told to clean up its mess. The EPA took its most aggressive action yet against the company whose train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February. The agency [ordered]( Norfolk Southern to identify and clean up contaminated soil and water, and reimburse the EPA for the cleanup it does on its own. The head of the EPA, Michael Regan, vowed that Norfolk Southern will “pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on this community.” ​​ Starbucks mixes olive oil with coffee. The chain is rolling out a [new line]( of olive oil-infused coffee drinks in Italy today and will bring them to Southern California this spring. CEO Howard Schultz said he conceived of the idea while watching the locals in Sicily drink olive oil. He started drinking the oil alongside his coffee, and, like a 13-year-old in front of a soda fountain, decided “Why not combine them?” Olive oil coffee may sound like a gimmick, but Schultz called it a “transformational moment” for the company. WORK [Even companies want a 4-day workweek]( [A calendar shows four days of work with a three-day weekend.]( Francis Scialabba The results of the world’s largest four-day workweek trial are in, and folks: Less is more. After six months, a majority of the participating companies have [reported]( positive results in employee morale, productivity, and retention. And an overwhelming 92% of the businesses will continue the shorter week schedule. All great things to bring up the next time you’re stuck in the elevator with your CEO. About 2,900 workers across 61 companies took part in the UK study, in which British businesses in industries ranging from marketing to construction agreed to allow employees to work 80% of their usual hours for the same pay (and the same output). Participating companies and employees reported a range of benefits, including: - Reduced employee burnout rates (71% reported a decrease) - High productivity and performance (employers scored both a 7.5/10 over the trial) - Greater ability to balance responsibilities at work and home (60% said it became easier) This isn’t the first trial pointing to the potential benefits of a shorter workweek. Around 2,500 workers in Iceland switched to a 35- or 36-hour workweek between 2015 and 2019 and researchers called it a major success. In France, a 35-hour workweek cap has been the law since 2000.—MK �  �  �  TOGETHER WITH HOKA [HOKA]( A spring in your stride. The shoes we wear can really impact our mood. And with the just-released [HOKA Clifton 9 running shoe](, you can count on a serious mood booster. So whether your last run was this AM or in high school gym class, the Clifton 9 can introduce you to a whole new running mood, no matter the terrain. [Shop now](. TECH [Another published writer to compare yourself to: AI]( [Book with binary code on cover and the words "ChatGPT"]( Francis Scialabba AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming published authors without even having to attempt a braided essay about their parents’ divorce in an undergrad creative writing class. With advanced chatbots at their disposal, side hustlers are flooding Amazon with bot-written e-books and lit mags. Reuters [found]( more than 200 e-books on Amazon’s Kindle Store that credit ChatGPT as either the author or a coauthor. But because Amazon doesn’t require authors to disclose the extent to which AI helped them write their books, the number could be much higher. One author using bot assistance bragged that he churned out a 119-page novella in less than a day and could produce 300 similar books a year. Big picture: The publishing industry is grappling with how to respond to the growing popularity of ChatGPT, the author. Prestigious science-fiction magazine Clarkesworld [closed]( rolling submissions yesterday after it said it received a huge amount of AI-generated submissions. In February alone, it banned nearly 500 bot-authors from submitting again. AI-cademics is also the Wild West. Springer Nature, the world’s largest academic publisher, said in January that ChatGPT cannot be credited as an author of a paper, but the chatbot can still be used in the writing process—if it’s disclosed.—MM �  �  �  GRAB BAG Key performance indicators [Chart showing there are more hedge funds than Burger Kings]Morning Brew Stat: You might have thought of the hedge fund industry as a small, exclusive club of Patagonia vests, but a [new count]( by Preqin shows that it’s actually a large—and growing—sector of investing. In fact, there are more hedge funds globally (30,000+) than Burger King locations (more than 18,700), and there are more hedge fund managers than Taco Bell managers, per the FT. The takeaway? We need to build more Taco Bells. Quote: “This is going to be absolute chaos.” Amazon’s return-to-office mandate is not going over well with employees. According to Insider, more than 14,000 Amazon employees have joined a Slack channel called “Remote Advocacy” to [push back]( against the company’s recently announced requirement that corporate staff return to the office at least three days a week. Employees have also drafted a petition to Amazon’s leadership team, asking them to rescind the new rule, which is slated to go into effect on May 1. Read: I was awake during my brain surgery for Parkinson’s. Here’s how it changed my life. ([CBC]() NEWS What else is brewing - [A record 6,542 guns]( were intercepted at US airports by TSA last year. That’s about 18 per day. - [Don Lemon]( is returning as co-host of CNN This Morning today after taking several days off following his controversial remarks about women in their “prime.” - [Tesla’s Model 3]( sells for $4,930 less than the average new vehicle sold in the US, per Bloomberg. That’s the cheapest it’s ever been relative to other new cars. - [145,000 cans]( of Enfamil ProSobee baby formula are being recalled over potential bacterial contamination. FROM THE CREW Prepare for the (uncertain) future [Two guys asking ]The Block via Giphy Have recent layoffs and recession talk left you feeling uneasy? Knowing how to make accurate forecasts is critical to weathering challenging economic conditions. To help you gain this skill, we’ve brought back our best-selling course, Financial Forecasting. You’ll learn how to quantify your team’s strategies, goals, and successes over the next year. [Grab your seat now](, because forecasting begins March 20. RECS [Wednesday to-do list] When you hack someone’s Netflix account: At least leave them a [nice thank-you note](when you’re done bingeing. Game night: How to [win at Monopoly]( and lose all your friends in the process. Incredible geography fact: It’s about [Greenland and Iceland](. Grooming tip: Here are [eight facial hair styles]( on one face. Pitch pointers: What separates a subpar pitch from a standout pitch? Leaders from Dell for Startups in collaboration with Intel join Morning Brew’s [virtual event]( to discuss the perfect pitch’s must-have ingredients. [Register here](.* *This is sponsored advertising content. GAMES The puzzle section Word Search: How well do you know your state license plates? Find out in today’s [Word Search]( (btw, New Mexico’s is the best). Two or three? Today is 2/22/23, and with that three sticking out in a sea of twos, it gave us a little inspiration for trivia. We’ll give you a clue, and you have to determine whether there are two of those things or three. - Brontë sisters - Members of The White Stripes - Moons of Mars - Oscars for Meryl Streep - NBA championships for Dwyane Wade - Eyes on a green iguana AROUND THE BREW [Make the money you deserve]( [Make the money you deserve]( It’s promotion season—or, as we like to think of it, your chance to make the money you deserve. Check out our free [Salary Negotiation Guide]( to get the best tips and tricks to make more money. Money with Katie’s newest on-demand course, Budget Like a Millionaire, is designed to help you create an intentional spending (and saving) plan that actually works. [Sign up now](. Understanding today’s consumers is no easy feat. Join Retail Brew tomorrow for a [conversation about tactics]( that’ll keep your customers engaged and coming back for more. 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