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Here’s what you need to know
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried will go on trial today in New York City. He’ll have to convince a jury his failed cryptocurrency brokerage didn’t take money from customers and use it illegally.
Ford and GM laid off 500 factory workers, citing the impact of the United Auto Workers strike. Contract negotiations between the union and automakers are still ongoing as the walkout enters its 19th day.
Tesla’s sales took a hit from factory downtime and softening demand. Its vehicle deliveries were up 27% in the third quarter compared to last year, but still missed analyst expectations. Rival Rivian’s third quarter deliveries, however, did beat projections.
The US announced its first space debris fine. Dish Network will pay $150,000 to the Federal Communications Commission after failing to de-orbit its EchoStar-7 satellite.
Department of jargon: Whoosh
An onomatopoeia that’s an acronym for “Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal,” which means “time-saving, optimal operation, reliable system” in Indonesian.
The aptly named Whoosh is Southeast Asia’s first bullet train that as of this week connects Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta to its second largest hub, Bandung. The route is 88.4 miles (142.3 km), and the train will reach 217 mph (350 kph)—that cuts a formerly three-hour travel time to just 36 minutes.
Whoosh wouldn’t have been possible without funding from China, and while it’s the first high-speed rail contract that the country has secured and completed abroad, it’s far from the last. Beijing is laying down tracks (see also: geopolitical influence) on at least two other continents.
Knitters are tugging at techno-feudalism’s loose ends
In February 2022, two ecommerce bros plucked the domain Knitting.com from obscurity. Their goal was easier to parse than a mitten pattern: flip the undeveloped site into a million-dollar business within a matter of years.
Mistake one—seeing knitters as consumers instead of a fandom. Purchasing Knitting.com was akin to claiming land in foreign, ancient domain, and it didn’t help that the duo trumpeted its arrival like a pair of conquerors. To knitters online, it felt like an invasion, and they responded as such, with criticism so harsh that one of the bros compared it to high school bullying or the Salem witch trials.
Quartz’s Julia Malleck points out that knitters’ all-out revolt against Knitting.com wasn’t much different from striking Redditors and boycotting Etsy sellers. They’re all reactions to techno-feudalism, a word mash-up that makes more sense than you’d think.
Carnival’s seas are looking mighty high
Knitting needles are allowed on planes, in case you were wondering, but for a lot of people, that doesn’t matter—they’re packing their craft carriers for a cruise instead.
2023 may have been the year to get sick on a cruise, but for ship operator Carnival, business has been at peak health. In its latest quarter, Carnival’s revenue hit a record $6.9 billion as higher ticket prices (inflated by fuel costs) did nothing to deter vacationers from seeking a cheaper alternative to leisure hotels and resorts.
If you think it’s just seasoned riders back on deck after the pandemic, think again: The number of first-time cruisers increased by 170% this year compared to 2021. Clarisa Diaz explains why bookings into next year are already cresting.
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Surprising discoveries
No US state is growing clean energy jobs faster than Tennessee. Electric vehicle plants aren’t even the biggest reason why—but will there be enough skilled workers to fill the openings?
Mobile Suit Gundam can be yours for $3 million! Well, at least a Japanese company’s four-wheeled robot that looks a lot like the anime character can be yours.
Paris’s bedbug problem has made it to public transit. Even train operators are finding the pests in their cabins.
There are two Jupiter-sized planets just floating around in space without a star to orbit. This happens sometimes to single planets, but the pairing is stumping astronomers.
When the US government avoided a shutdown, it also averted the postponement of Fat Bear Week. It’s exactly what it sounds like, and it’s Alaska’s most-watched popularity contest.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, a Gustav Holst remix, and bear pics to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—become a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner and Julia Malleck.