🌎 Headway in Hollywood

Plus: A Pebble in the pond. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/LFdR-YPNy1-oytLW0spRstZT40miFSDg7ik-PGGQj6U=319) [Quartz](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850869696%2Fheadway-in-hollywood%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/mmjoknLdDWL_E759V5rqGZyi5qjHePhhNTe4EMxb3IE=319) September 25, 2023 [View in browser](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850869696%2Fheadway-in-hollywood%2F/2/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/gYZDwa1syJ-glH6nitlyOTx2a3vGWWFUn8k1E4RQumg=319) Sponsored By [Striking members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside Paramount Studios.](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850869696%2Fheadway-in-hollywood%2F/3/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Yr-9ODiOD4AozWPfpHmgobLaOlFcsPkqb0ANc3D3GoE=319) Photo: Getty Images (David McNew) Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Hollywood studios and screenwriters struck a tentative deal... After almost five months, the [historic writers’ strike](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fhollywood-actors-are-now-on-strike-1850637298%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/yjv6QOtii_av8boZOZ2-kwLszWQKy-9HAruHHiDJv3U=319) could be coming to a close. But actors have [yet to reach](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fwriters-guild-and-hollywood-studios-reach-tentative-dea-1850869526%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/QfuxZgz_SUl9Km8dI7HBvOWOt5UCt7Q83EpILf1wUMM=319) an agreement. ...and Canadian autoworkers ratified a new contract with Ford. The [carmaker averted](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fcanadian-autoworkers-ratify-new-labor-agreement-with-fo-1850869185%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Dz-ar_fY84Iw_3lBYZJ6lMpDlAGXKxZIoD2qiDdTgjo=319) a strike up north, even as the US strike is starting to [take a toll](%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Fbusiness%2Fautos-transportation%2Fford-says-significant-gaps-remain-reach-uaw-contract-deal-2023-09-25%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/XRysgGvkIfbqaVOcl2Q-GguPZqIhoKQ2_OJILR7r8H8=319). The Biden administration earmarked $1.4 billion to improve rail safety. The funds will support 70 projects [across 35 states](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fbiden-administration-announces-1-4-billion-to-improve-1850869719%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/BZkUoWqs8mXfKlZAjfdz5oBvUkU3xHiHzWSxTnHB38s=319) in the US. Amazon is investing $4 billion in the AI firm Anthropic. It’s a coup for the startup and [ChatGPT rival](%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Fbusiness%2Fdeals%2Famazon-to-invest-up-to-4-billion-in-anthropic-as-ai-arms-race-escalates-649dee22%3Fmod=hp_lead_pos2/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/uq0vcMJC9rFAW9-PiB0FBeA66Ae0zYmTKSOmW6veLyQ=319), as the Wall Street Journal reported, and marks a ramp-up in the AI competition among tech giants. NASA retrieved soil from deep space for the first time. The samples, collected from asteroid Bennu, [landed in Utah](%2F%2Fr.g-omedia.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps:%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FNASA%252Fstatus%252F1705959691287761289%253Fref_src=twsrc%25255Egoogle%25257Ctwcamp%25255Eserp%25257Ctwgr%25255Etweet%2F1%2F0100018acab23773-f79eee86-5b7f-45a8-9d43-2bbf06f16b9c-000000%2Fzbz7k2_pwFRtEkmbTqLKSbX-dE6WoFUtmHqhZhmsRHE=319/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/noE_jSJGn952fLJSI2UY21Gq1QM6swHwykpPbUbay4M=319) after a seven-year journey and may hold [information](%2F%2Fr.g-omedia.com%2FCL0%2Fhttps:%252F%252Fwww.bbc.com%252Fnews%252Fscience-environment-66893661%2F1%2F0100018acab23773-f79eee86-5b7f-45a8-9d43-2bbf06f16b9c-000000%2Fi8xznjg-THdnvbZ-XQK6EFtlsXnVAQyXNCqmdBznSug=319/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/sB7gqcJ-j2GOQjSpclUVtdDna8h7RXGwlpjM-_yqx5o=319) about how the Solar System formed. Sponsor content by IBM [IBM](dc_trk_aid=565798027;dc_trk_cid=183365859;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=;dc_tdv=1) There’s AI. Then there’s the right AI for your business. Meet watsonx: a platform designed to multiply output by tailoring AI to your needs. When you watsonx your business, you can train, tune and deploy AI, all with your trusted data. [advertisement][advertisement][advertisement] [Learn more about IBM watsonx →](dc_trk_aid=565798027;dc_trk_cid=183365859;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=;dc_tdv=1) A new rare earth magnet factory in the US can’t elude China The US is making a major investment in rare earth magnets—used in [electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and iPhones](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F1999894%2Fwhy-rare-earth-magnets-are-vital-to-the-global-climate-economy%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Y0VfjC1Mcb3HLG3xhKAP79gGIIM42ajzLwlg2LqOWKE=319)—to reduce its reliance on China. But Washington’s $94 million bet on E-VAC Magnetics to build and operate a major rare earth permanent magnet factory in the US won’t do much to temper [Beijing’s sway over the critical industry](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F1971108%2Fchinese-rare-earths-giant-shenghe-is-building-global-alliances%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/SdLVKnnXusLMP22oxEljcuWisaiht3_roQVFeesTO-0=319). E-VAC’s parent, a century-old German company named Vacuumschmelze, has significant exposure to China. 🇨🇳 Roughly one in four Vacuumschmelze employees are China-based 🏭 The company has production facilities there as well 🧲 It is a minority owner of a China-based joint venture with Zhongke Sanhuan, China’s largest producer of rare earth magnets E-VAC’s China exposure aside, there’s also the challenge of Vacuumschmelze’s long history of operating losses. [Quartz’s Mary Hui explains](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fus-rare-earth-magnet-factory-china-exposure-risk-1850863842%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/4rUM-xFvRVU_ZrKB26Ps2qN07ilBajV2TVr40nOXoDI=319). Quotable: A Pebble in the pond “We really believe in a fundamentally different approach of going one by one, going slow and steady, going person by person, and creating a really great community for them, not putting a bunch of blue checks into a new product...” — Gabor Cselle, a former Google and Twitter product manager, in an interview with Quartz about building a Twitter alternative called Pebble. Pebble, formerly T2, only has about 15,000 users, but that’s intentional. The co-founders of this new social media platform have wanted to move slowly and [not break things](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F1380490%2Fmove-fast-and-break-things-is-broken%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/ugp1PlRPE6k0uWD7rS5lssEhI1nc0ykqWoaZxo4VafY=319). Quartz’s Scott Nover spoke with Cselle and another of Pebble’s co-founders, Sarah Oh, a former Twitter human rights advisor, about how they plan to compete with their old employer. [Read the full interview here](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fhow-the-ex-twitter-founders-of-pebble-plan-to-compete-w-1850866565%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/gUctTbi9NFCpGunJJIP7xCswgE8vqsaaQHBvgUhkqOo=319). El Niño will help one unassuming industry—snow plowing El Niño, a natural climate pattern which warms the Earth, will bring a mild and wet winter for many. But others will see the opposite: a prolonged, colder winter, with a lot of snow. The snowplowing services industry is banking on another high year of high revenues. The US snowplowing services sector estimates it will take in around $25.6 billion in revenue in 2023, [continuing a trend of increasing costs](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fel-nino-winter-us-2023-snow-ice-removal-1850862635%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Zf3HcLfVS1D--Jl8Ozd1bRJQ_BfnAVJCMvhLOgLJsoI=319) for plowing and de-icing. %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fdaily-brief%2F1850869696%2Fheadway-in-hollywood%2F/4/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/XRdT0OsKUvB7ECbsicDXRBHcv9ryvzW0_5Wovvvvoss=319 Photo: (Clarisa Diaz) Quartz’s most popular 🪡 [Luddites saw the problem of AI coming from two centuries away](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fluddites-saw-the-problem-of-ai-coming-from-two-centurie-1850862051%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/5mqokA8viKJ4oDTJ7JSpsiFPFxSAJRjtREJ_bjiIV04=319) 🤑 [Rupert Murdoch steps down from Fox and News Corp. with a screed against “elites”](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Frupert-murdoch-steps-down-from-fox-and-news-corp-with-1850860800%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/BQMvAnIRKFKnx_H0JMwm1Kx4MYWNEQJOAY-omNLr_KU=319) 🚄 [Florida’s $5 billion new Brightline route marks a big push for US investment in high-speed rail](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fflorida-brightline-us-investment-high-speed-rail-1850861017%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/N-c3iU2E-_uj5svImSbWjfB3Umz5fPHFyPikKqdu-cQ=319) 🥕 [Instacart goes public while slashing minimum pay rates for gig workers](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Finstacart-goes-public-while-slashing-minimum-pay-rates-1850850616%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/SX4LNiRFoUDgOL-snAQJSyaD7CmtqrpueUSY32gkiFo=319) 🥤 [Coke is launching a new drink “co-created” with AI](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fcoke-launch-coca-cola-y3000-ai-drink-1850838456%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/aA-MemU_YcZyYNQEhchNjt6ZPO-_XcSKVkqivGh_Bog=319) 💴 [Traveling in cashless China just got easier for foreign tourists](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Falipay-expands-global-ewallet-network-digital-payments-1850852684%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Daily_Brief_US%26utm_content=1850869696/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/nmcX82Nu8i2hsP0gP2G9qlLxgPDN3IewNxw_jtTym18=319) Sponsor content by IBM [IBM](dc_trk_aid=565798027;dc_trk_cid=183365859;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=;dc_tdv=1) There’s AI. Then there’s the right AI for your business. Meet watsonx: a platform designed to multiply output by tailoring AI to your needs. When you watsonx your business, you can train, tune and deploy AI, all with your trusted data. [advertisement][advertisement][advertisement] [Learn more about IBM watsonx →](dc_trk_aid=565798027;dc_trk_cid=183365859;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=;dc_tdv=1) Surprising discoveries Flamingos landed in the northern US state of Wisconsin. It’s [the first time](%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Fflamingos-wisconsin-lake-michigan-beach-614fabe236ce2f2da86b12e1edb4510a/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/PsCBNlXfbjjP8b4vUiWrosAZPnHcpJtpZm7rHeaD7QE=319) the species, which is usually seen along the Gulf Coast states, has been spotted in the state. The teaser for Squid Game’s reality competition is here. The Netflix series [maybe shouldn’t be](%2F%2Fgizmodo.com%2Fsquid-game-the-challenge-netflix-reality-show-1850868509/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Qn_8roAPhzKfmJYMceH6GOE3MZCszo5Be1RKCLUym1s=319) made into a franchise where 456 people compete for $4.56 million? We almost had an AI Hans Zimmer soundtrack. When a Disney director used AI to make a track, he described it as a “[7 out of 10](%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2023%2F09%2F19%2F1079859%2Fa-disney-director-tried-and-failed-to-use-an-ai-hans-zimmer-to-create-a-soundtrack%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/otxq5iaj_OUbAAHV5z69oA6k4vmLySoIsFMpHIQJ3dU=319),” adding, “but the reason you go to Hans Zimmer is for 10 out of 10.” A child’s shoe from 2,000 years ago was found in Austria. [Its laces were still intact](%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2023%2F09%2F20%2Fworld%2Farcheologists-discover-ancient-child-shoe-intl-scli-scn%2Findex.html/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/Hgu-jGbI6HRP2Sst7amZi0tmYar85Oze-lWx6WquTrM=319). Silkworms were genetically modified to make spider silk. The material is [six times tougher](%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2392737-silkworms-genetically-engineered-to-produce-pure-spider-silk%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/oFcHLJiZmJUwt7yS4WhlLilSnhQOyXDB24ZWtXMZ330=319) than kevlar. Correction: In last Friday’s Daily Brief, we made a typo: 8 million annual riders are expected on Brightline’s high-speed rail line between Miami and Orlando, not 8 billion. Not the whole Earth’s population. Not 22 million riders a day, which would be the entire state of Florida. Our hopes for more high-speed rail in the US are big, but not THAT big. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, flamingo pics, and Hans Zimmer compositions to [talk@qz.com](mailto:talk@qz.com?cc=&subject=Daily%20Brief%20feedback%20&body=). Reader support makes Quartz available to all—[become a member](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fsubscribe%2F/1/0100018acbc471fa-b502d2e8-a7d1-4756-9257-be4cf3ab65bf-000000/ixW9j5Kamj-PyGRRRoy6U4wOy4OHuElreqol7OdVUUc=319). Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner and Julia Malleck. 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