June, 2017

• 17 June

  Trump would be wise to ignore his friends

  

  Forewarned is forearmed. So perhaps the country is lucky that President Trump’s allies have floated the possibility that he might fire special counsel Robert Mueller. This speculation allows citizens to reflect on the consequences of such an action. Trump has already taken the country to a darker place than even his sharpest critics would have imagined six months ago. He …

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• 17 June

  China’s skyscraper age is likely coming to an end

  

  At more than 2,000 feet, Shanghai Tower is the world’s second-tallest building. It looms over its neighbors — the world’s ninth and 19th tallest buildings — in a supercluster of supertall structures unlike any other in the world. The only problem? Finding people to work there: Only 60 percent of Shanghai Tower is rented out, and only a third of …

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• 17 June

  Trump’s plan for financial reform is half-right

  The Trump administration’s latest plan to reform financial regulation starts in a very good place: It attacks the ridiculous complexity of the current system. But it fails to follow through with new rules that promote safety as well as simplicity. Put into practice, it could be a big step backwards. The Treasury Department’s new report is right to complain that …

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• 17 June

  US has the ability to spin oil market on its axis

  For OPEC, Russia and others that have lived off oil (and little else) for decades, the worst-case scenario is about to become the present-tense scenario. America has discovered the magic beanstalk, and it is named “shale oil production.” The US now has the ability to not only be energy self-dependent but to become a major exporter of oil and natural …

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• 17 June

  In RBI’s spat with the govt, reform is the victim

  

  During the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) press conference last week, one exchange stood out. Asked about a meeting scheduled by the finance ministry in New Delhi to discuss the RBI’s policy, the governor of India’s central bank, Urjit Patel, replied: “The meeting did not take place. All the MPC members declined the request of the finance ministry for that …

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• 17 June

  Mommy, Ambani broke my business

  

  India’s billionaires believe in rugged, muscular capitalism—so at the first hint of trouble, they go running to mommy. Sunil Mittal, who controls India’s biggest wireless service, and Kumar Mangalam Birla, who’s in the process of merging his number 3 operator with the second-ranked local unit of Vodafone Plc, are seeking the Indian government’s intervention. The big three claim the entry …

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• 17 June

  Political correctness won’t fix Uber’s problems

  

  There’s a disconnect between the way Uber, the ride-hailing company, is trying to transform itself and what it really needs to fix to become a sustainable business. Instead of reconsidering its business model and protecting itself against a regulatory backlash, it has decided to go politically correct. As a result of much highly public soul-searching, caused by accusations of mistreating …

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• 17 June

  FB enlists AI, human experts in new push against terror

  

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc. has hired more than 150 counterterrorism experts and is increasingly using artificial intelligence that can understand language and analyze images to try to keep terrorists from using the social network for recruiting and propaganda. Monika Bickert, director of global policy management, and Brian Fishman, counterterrorism policy manager, outlined aspects of Facebook’s latest efforts in a post to …

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• 17 June

  Apple hires Sony’s ‘Breaking Bad’ team as TV push gains pace

  

  Bloomberg Apple Inc. hired two former Sony Corp. television executives who oversaw the development of acclaimed shows like “Breaking Bad” and “The Crown,” further evidence that the technology giant is getting serious about producing its own video programming. Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, who had been presidents of Sony Pictures Television since 2005, will report to Eddy Cue, Apple’s …

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• 17 June

  Message startup Slack draws interest from Amazon.com

  Bloomberg Corporate chatroom startup Slack Technologies Inc. has received recent inquiries about a potential takeover from technology companies including Amazon.com Inc., people with knowledge of the situation said, a deal that would be the internet-commerce giant’s biggest ever. San Francisco-based Slack could be valued at at least $9 billion in a sale, the people said. An agreement isn’t assured and …

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