ITK Daily | January 19
Happy Thursday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
Insights | The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer
32,000 respondents from 28 countries took the online survey between November 1-28, 2022.
The survey aims to understand why people hold the views they do and to understand how personal attitudes interconnect to shape broader societal forces.
This year's theme: "Navigating a polarized world."
Datapoints I found compelling - click?here .
The Ukraine front is likely to move in 2023. But which way??David Ignatius
Bulgaria to the rescue: How the EU’s poorest country secretly saved Ukraine: Sofia provided fuel and vital Soviet specification arms to Kyiv, but had to keep supplies secret because of pro-Moscow politicians in government.?Politico
Pentagon sends US arms stored in Israel to Ukraine: Israeli officials had initially expressed concerns that the move could damage its relations with Russia.?NYT
US prepping major military package for Ukraine: Politico reports Friday’s announcement is expected to include Stryker vehicles, but not tanks.
Thousands answered Ukraine’s call for volunteers. Here’s what motivated them.?An estimated 1,000 to 3,000 such foreign fighters are believed to be active. Some went to defend democracy after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Others went to escape their own demons.?WP
How spies, soldiers, and the public should use open-source intelligence: Its abundance in Ukraine is transforming how the world witnesses war.?Economist
Moscow details plan to boost military as Ukraine warns of fresh Russian offensive: US-led assembly set to gather later this week to discuss supplies for Kyiv.?WSJ
+ The Russian Embassy in Sweden accidentally identified Crimea as part of Ukraine.
US invests millions to expose regime to North Koreans: Utilizing radio and "internet freedom tools," Washington intends to tell North Korean citizens the truth about Kim Jong Un's repressive regime and encourage them to "ask more questions."?DW
China returns to Davos with clear message: We’re open for business: Emerging from coronavirus lockdown to a world changed by the war in Ukraine, China sought to convey reassurance about its economic health.?NYT
+ “The Chinese are worried, and they should be. The entire international business community is way more negative about China over the long-term. A lot of people are asking, ‘Have we reached peak China?’”
+ Global oil demand is set to hit a record high this year as China reopens, according to the International Energy Agency.?
Yellen plans China trip as Beijing, Washington work to revive ties: WSJ reports the Treasury Department said Chinese officials would also visit the US soon.
Analysis: Jack Ma downfall spells end of China's golden age: Alibaba's founder was blown off the scene like a cloud in the sky.?Nikkei
China’s new foreign minister and the taming of “wolf warrior” diplomacy: A former ambassador to the US, Qin Gang has a ferocious reputation. Who is he, and what does his rise reveal about Beijing power politics??Katie Stallard
Can India emerge as a rival to China??Manufacturing hasn’t been a strong suit, and technology alone won’t do the trick.?Walter Russell Mead
+ "America’s problem in Asia is not that China is too rich. It is that India is too poor."
Catalan separatist leaders raise the flag again: Plans are afoot to overshadow tomorrow’s meeting between Spain’s prime minister and France’s president with a mass protest.?The Times
Pension reform: The left hopes to transform day of strikes into public opinion victory: To prevent the movement from losing steam, representatives of the NUPES left-wing alliance want to present their own counter-arguments to the government's position.?Le Monde
Von der Leyen’s Davos tightrope: Calm Europe, reframe US spat: The EU chief argued Europe and the US should team up against China to secure a climate friendly future.?Politico
In Davos, leaders fret over fragmenting global economy: WSJ reports business executives and officials warn of a threat to business and the challenges of regulatory compliance as global powers diverge on trade and industrial policy.
Davos struggles to get used to a world without Russia: Behind the scenes, global CEOs and leaders question how long the West can ignore Moscow and still find new markets for energy, metals, and food.?Politico
Crypto is back — in Davos, at least — as redemption tour rolls on: The World Economic Forum’s annual gathering has become an unlikely destination for the crypto industry as it tries to raise its profile — and new funds.?WP
+ More than a third of Congress got campaign funding from FTX executives.
+ Crypto companies spent $7.1 million on lobbying in 2021, up from $2 million the year before, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Biden-McConnell: Personally mismatched, professionally bound?AP
Democrats scramble to limit fallout from Biden documents debacle: Furore over handling of classified material has rattled run-up to expected 2024 presidential bid.?FT
Josh Shapiro took Harrisburg. Is DC next??Philadelphia Inquirer
WP: Wes Moore sworn in, making history as Md.’s first black governor
DeSantis inauguration sponsored by companies he loves to bash: Lobbyists for the governor’s favorite corporate punching bags, such as Disney and BlackRock, were also co-chairs for his inauguration.?WP
Top Michigan Republicans move to draft DeSantis for 2024: Politico reports a quarter of the Republicans in the Michigan state House signed a letter to Ron DeSantis asking him to run for president.
Back on the Facebook??Donald Trump's team requests that Facebook allow the former president back on the platform.
The growing Trump-DeSantis electability gap: Polls have repeatedly shown Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running better than former president Donald Trump against President Biden. Here’s a breakdown of the choice ahead for the GOP.?WP
+ Former President Trump holds at 17-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a hypothetical GOP primary match-up, according to a Morning Consult poll.
+ You need this, trust me. Total Communications Reset. More?here .?
This 22-year-old is trying to save us from ChatGPT before it changes writing forever?NPR
The AI magic show?John Herrman
+ Tech like ChatGPT might even pioneer new sensations of disenchantment — the funniest chatbot will lose its mystique pretty quickly when your employer decides it should make you 45% more productive or when it shows up in Word dressed as a paper clip.
+ They will depend on access to massive amounts of computing power, meaning expensive computer hardware, meaning rare minerals, and meaning unspeakable amounts of electricity.
+ They will depend on access to massive amounts of computing power, meaning expensive computer hardware, meaning rare minerals, and meaning unspeakable amounts of electricity.
+ They will then be passed to other workplaces where their outputs will be corrected and monitored by better-paid workers figuring out if the AI models are helping them or automating them out of a job, while their bosses try to figure out something similar about their companies.
Quantum computing has a noise problem: Today’s devices can be thrown off by the slightest environmental interference. Algorithmiq is developing ways to counteract this and harness quantum’s power.?Wired
Science is losing its ability to disrupt: The decline in truly revolutionary research may have serious implications for humanity.?Anjana Ahuja
What it would take for Apple to disentangle itself from China: The tech giant increasingly finds itself beholden to America’s biggest geopolitical rival. But is diversification even possible??FT
+ Virtually all of Apple’s hardware is made in China. The company directly employs only 14,000 people in the country, but it monitors the weekly hours of 1.5mn workers in its global supply chain, the vast majority in China.
+ “There is no supply chain in India. They have to import pretty much everything from China.”
+ Although 200mn phones were made in India last year, they are not in the same league as Apple’s products. The most popular models typically sell for $250 or less, while average iPhones cost nearly $1,000 and require more sophisticated automation and labor intensity.
+ “It’s like comparing a Kia Sorento with a Ferrari. It’s a way more technically advanced device, a more finessed product.”
+ China, according to some estimates, has more factory workers than Vietnam has people.
+ Many companies are, like Apple, attempting to diversify from China, they are typically “China+1” strategies rather than full exits, as no other place has the same combination of quality and scale.
+ “Today, every component has a supply chain dependency in China. Either it is directly manufactured in China, or has at least several parts that go into it that are made in China."
Microsoft?will lay off 10,000 employees by the end of March.
Twitter’s daily revenue has fallen 40%, the Information reported.
Crypto firm?Genesis?is laying the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing as soon as this week.
Crypto is just a ‘hot ball’ of momentum-chasing money, new paper says: This is what happens in the absence of fundamentals.?Odd Lots
Shein?is in talks to raise up to $3bn in a move that would lead to the Chinese fast-fashion group accepting a vastly reduced valuation of $64bn.
Emerson Electric?made a nearly $7 billion hostile takeover bid for National Instruments.
Businesses and schools are facing pressure to drop TikTok, too?WP ?
Peloton names Twitter’s former top marketer as CMO: WSJ reports the incoming Leslie Berland left Twitter amid Elon Musk’s takeover of the social-media company.
Ulta Beauty hires new marketing chief: WSJ reports Michelle Crossan-Matos formerly held a lead marketer post at Samsung Electronics America.
Shell?is buying EV charging network operator Volta for $169 million.
Hertz?is buying 25,000 electric vehicles to rent to Uber drivers.
A giant auto market is short of EV buyers: Consumers are back and willing to spend on electric vehicles in India, but the infrastructure to support the sector is lagging. Hybrids could be the answer.?Anjani Trivedi
Lufthansa bids to buy stake in Alitalia’s successor: WSJ reports the German airline said a deal for ITA Airways would boost its exposure to the Italian market.
The Disney executive who made $119,505 a day: Geoff Morrell received over $8 million in compensation for less than four months’ work in 2022.?WSJ
What the Kardashians can teach climate activists: Scary headlines and numbers aren’t as influential as human stories.?Lara Williams
What will happen in 2023?Fred Wilson
Harvard Medical School?joins the US News rankings exodus.
OTD: In 1937, Howard Hughes set a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
Madonna’s upcoming tour will defy society’s limits on female pop stars: Madonna has announced the North American and European dates of her concert tour, during which she will perform her most popular, era-defining songs. That’s 40 years worth of club dancing, provocative shape-shifting, and sex-positive proselytizing.?WP
Bomani Jones calls an audible: “Game Theory,” his HBO talk show, has pulled off the difficult feat of mixing sports and comedy with a political bite. Now he’s trying to up his game by going unscripted.?NYT
Dua Lipa, Federer to host Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala: AFP reports pop phenom Dua Lipa and tennis legend Roger Federer will be among the hosts of this year's Met Gala, whose theme will be "In honor of Karl."
OTD: In 1953, almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States were tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
France plots surveillance power grab for Paris 2024 Olympics: Security services want smart camera technology. Critics fear it’ll turn the country into a surveillance state.?Politico
+ IBM helped Rio de Janeiro install a "control room" in view of the 2016 Olympics, and the tech is still operational to this day.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc?
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry.
Caracal is here to help.
Caracal is a geopolitical business communications firm specializing in global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.
Caracal believes that to be a world-class geopolitical business communicator, you need global street smarts coupled with holistic, high-frequency, and high-low communications.?