What we’re reading (6/28)
“Is It A ‘Richcession’? Or A ‘Rolling Recession’? Or Maybe No Recession At All?” (Associated Press). “The warnings have been sounded for more than a year: A recession is going to hit the United States. If not this quarter, then by next quarter. Or the quarter after that. Or maybe next year. So is a recession still in sight? The latest signs suggest maybe not.”
“FTX Begins Talks On Reboot Amid Regulatory Crackdown On Crypto Exchanges” (Wall Street Journal). “FTX is moving ahead with plans to restart its flagship international cryptocurrency exchange, an effort that will face major challenges as regulators ratchet up their oversight of the industry and the company works its way through bankruptcy proceedings.”
“How Plastics are Poisoning Us” (The New Yorker). “How worried should we be about what’s become known as ‘the plastic pollution crisis’? And what can be done about it? These questions lie at the heart of several recent books that take up what one author calls ‘the plastic trap.’”
“Scared Tech Workers Are Scrambling To Reinvent Themselves As AI Experts” (Vox). “Big tech companies are scouting AI talent from universities, even while rescinding offers for non-AI talent, says Zuhayeer Musa, co-founder of Levels.fyi, which also helps candidates negotiate offers. Those companies are also trying their best to hold on to the talent they have, offering key AI engineers multimillion-dollar retention bonuses lest they leave for more exciting opportunities at other firms, especially smaller ones where the work might be more interesting and the potential for growth, both financial and technical, higher. ‘It’s kind of a bonanza,’ Musa said. ‘We’re seeing people go from everywhere to everywhere.’”
“Airline Delays And Cancellations Are Bad. Ahead Of The Holiday Weekend, They’re Getting Worse” (Associated Press). “Travelers are getting hit with delays at U.S. airports again Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers. By late afternoon on the East Coast, about 4,800 U.S. flights had been delayed and more than 950 were canceled, according to FlightAware.”
