Thursdays are now all about longform links on Abnormal Returns. You can check out last week’s linkfest including a look at the history of the automated rice cooker.
Quote of the Day
"That even a stripped-down version of the 2021 Games will happen is hardly a foregone conclusion. The pandemic may not be under control by then. Even if it is, and even if an effective vaccine against the coronavirus is developed in time, the Games still might not happen."
(Dvora Meyers)
Big Tech
- On the difference between anti-competitive and hyper-competitive behavior when it comes to Apple ($AAPL). (stratechery.com)
- There is nothing simple or easy about regulating Big Tech at this point. By the time the government does something markets will have moved. (ben-evans.com)
Profiles
- The many-layered story of the downfall of Ben Meng, former CIO of Calpers. (institutionalinvestor.com)
- The story of how Den Fujita brought American brands to Japan, including McDonald's ($MCD). (neckar.substack.com)
Longreads
- Short-sellers have seen nothing but pain from Tesla ($TSLA) in 2020. (institutionalinvestor.com)
- Why TikTok may never be safe, even in US hands. (ftalphaville.ft.com)
- A reopened Las Vegas is likely serving to spread the coronavirus around the country. (propublica.org)
- What it's like to binge Masterclass classes in pandemic. (longreads.com)
- How robocalls get routed through local entities is fascinating. (wsj.com)
- Some 23% of fiction sales in the US are romance novels and the industry has a race problem. (texasmonthly.com)
- Tracking the trade in bluefin tuna. (hakaimagazine.com)
