🌍 Spotify doubles down on Rogan

Plus: Is Peloton for sale? [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](. Forward to the friend who [refuses to use new slang](. Here’s what you need to know Spotify’s CEO doubled down on support for Joe Rogan. [Daniel Ek said]( he is “deeply sorry” for his $100 million star’s past use of racial slurs, but also insisted that “canceling voices is a slippery slope.” Amazon and Nike are reportedly interested in buying Peloton. According to the Wall Street Journal and [Financial Times](, the two giants are each evaluating bids for the faltering fitness firm, which reports second-quarter earnings tomorrow. Ottawa declared a state of emergency. More than 10 days of protests against covid-19 vaccine mandates [are overwhelming police](, the Canadian capital’s mayor said. Emmanuel Macron is in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. [The French president]( is there for “de-escalation” over Ukraine, with US officials warning yesterday that a Russian attack is close. Australia is reopening its borders for fully vaccinated travelers. After nearly two years of restrictions, visitors can [enter from Feb. 21](. Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai resurfaced at the Winter Olympics. Once thought to have disappeared following a sexual assault allegation, [Peng did an interview]( with French publication L’Équipe, and met Olympic chief Thomas Bach for dinner. Subscribe to our [Need to Know: Beijing Olympics]( newsletter for all the conflict and controversy of the 2022 Winter Games. [⚡ Sign me up!]( Subscribe with one click Sponsor content by Global X ETFs Reasons to Consider a Covered Call Strategy A volatile start to the year has many investors re-thinking their asset allocation. Explore how the Global X [Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF]( (QYLD) can offer a potentially diversified source of income through variable market conditions. What to watch for There are few sectors more interesting right now than [video games](, making today’s earnings release from Take-Two Interactive Software a [must-watch]( for many. But one of the biggest questions about the company’s future has [already been answered](: The next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series is [currently under development](—the news contributed to a 7% one-day rise in the company’s shares. There’s plenty more investors will want to know about Take-Two, including: - How it will jumpstart earnings growth ([profit was forecast to fall]( last quarter, even as revenue rose); - Its plans for hit mobile games maker Zynga, which [agreed in January]( to be bought by Take-Two in a deal valued at $12.7 billion; - What it has to say about [Microsoft’s proposed purchase]( of Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion. Bid on the big screen [a set picture from Dr Calligari's Cabinet] Image via Sotheby's Auction house Sotheby’s is accepting bids until Feb. 8 on [a selection of movie posters]( and original set photos. Prices start at £300 (about $400) for two stills from [Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan](, and go all the way to £30,000 ($34,400) for the 1962 [original poster of Dr. No](, the first James Bond movie. Other lots available include: 🕴️Pierre Etaix’s poster for Jacques Tati’s [1958 classic Mon Oncle]( (current bid £2,000) 🚀 A graphic poster for the 1980 British launch of [The Empire Strikes Back]( (current bid: £10,000) 💃 The original Italian poster for [Federico Fellini’s 1960 La Dolce Vita]( (starting bid £14,000) 🐦 A 1965 [conceptual Polish poster]( for Alfred Hitchcock’s (Alfreda Hitchcocka, in Polish) Ptaki (The Birds) Best Companies for Remote Workers Are you working remotely by design or as a result of the pandemic? Either way, how your company supports you is paramount. [Enter them]( for our Best Companies for Remote Workers 2022 list. Handpicked Quartz 🤑 [Amazon’s price hikes are a test of Prime’s stickiness]( 🎧 [Listen to the voice that soothed India for decades]( 🙅 [Facebook was on the defensive for years—until the metaverse came along]( 📑 [Scientific journals are incentivized to publish positive drug studies]( 🔥 [China tried deflecting criticism over Uyghurs with an Olympic torchbearer from Xinjiang]( 🚫 [Jamie Dimon says he no longer uses the word “cryptocurrency”]( Sponsor content by Global X ETFs Reasons to Consider a Covered Call Strategy A volatile start to the year has many investors re-thinking their asset allocation. Explore how the Global X [Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF]( (QYLD) can offer a potentially diversified source of income through variable market conditions. Surprising discoveries An American man took down North Korea’s internet from his living room. He was tired of [state-sponsored spies]( hacking him. A search for the Endurance shipwreck has begun… Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s vessel [sank in the waters of Antarctica]( in 1915. …while James Cook’s ship was found? Australian historians said Endeavour is [lying off the US East Coast](, but US researchers aren’t sure. Meet the flatworm named covid-19. Locked down with no field work, scientists spent a lot of time [running computer analyses]( on Humbertium covidum. An Icelandic company likely sold $30,000 worth of eiderdown to fill a coat for Vladimir Putin. But Russian media said the coat was worth $11,000. Learn more in the first episode of the [Quartz Obsession podcast’s second season](. 🎧 Listen on: [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google]( | [Stitcher]( SPREAD THE WORD Over 500k readers and counting. You already know why half a million people read the Daily Brief, so why not spread the word? [Share the Daily Brief today]( and get rewarded. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, underwater treasure, and $30,000 coats to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by [downloading our iOS app]( and [becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Heather Landy, Annalisa Merelli, and Morgan Haefner. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10010 | United States Copyright © 2022 Quartz, All rights reserved.