What we’re reading (10/18)
“The Rise Of ‘Luxury Surveillance’” (The Atlantic). “Imagine, for a moment, the near future Amazon dreams of. Every morning, you are gently awakened by the Amazon Halo Rise. From its perch on your nightstand, the round device has spent the night monitoring the movements of your body, the light in your room, and the space’s temperature and humidity. At the optimal moment in your sleep cycle, as calculated by a proprietary algorithm, the device’s light gradually brightens to mimic the natural warm hue of sunrise. Your Amazon Echo, plugged in somewhere nearby, automatically starts playing your favorite music as part of your wake-up routine. You ask the device about the day’s weather; it tells you to expect rain. Then it informs you that your next ‘Subscribe & Save’ shipment of Amazon Elements Omega-3 softgels is out for delivery.”
“Goldman Shuffle Aims To Reduce Reliance On M&A” (Wall Street Journal). “Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is so dependent on its investment bank that a slump in deal making sent third-quarter profit down 43%--by far the steepest slide among its big-bank peers. A broad restructuring announced Tuesday is meant to change that: Goldman will fold investment banking and trading into one unit and merge asset and wealth management into another—giving it a higher profile at the same time.”
“Companies Are Being Forced To Reveal What A Job Pays. It’s A Start.” (Vox). “You wouldn’t rent an apartment or even buy a pair of jeans online without knowing the price. Soon, many Americans won’t search for a job without knowing what it pays, either.”
“Globalism Failed To Deliver The Economy We Need” (New York Times). “We don’t yet have a new unified field theory for the postneoliberal world. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to question the old philosophy. One of the most persistent neoliberal myths was that the world was flat and national interests would play second fiddle to global markets. The past several years have laid waste to that idea. It’s up to those who care about liberal democracy to craft a new system that better balances local and global interests.”
“The Only Direction For Xi’s Dictatorship” (Project Syndicate). “After a decade in power, Xi Jinping is all but certain to be confirmed as China’s first three-term president at the Communist Party of China’s 20th National Congress this week. But before they make Xi a potential dictator for life, the party faithful should bear in mind that dictatorships never end well. Despite his iron grip on power, Xi’s is no different.”
