How the state runs business in China
A story examining the intersection between business and politics in China.
Facebook, Libra, and the Long Game
Tech and media analyst Ben Thompson provides a thorough primer on Facebook’s new cryptocurrency play.
WeWork Wants to Become Its Own Landlord With Latest Spending Spree
A look at the growth and funding plans of the office rental company that is valued at $47bn and losing $1.9bn a year.
The making of Amazon Prime, the internet’s most successful and devastating membership program
A look back at the time when Amazon launched a transformative product, Prime. It’s a time that seems hard to imagine now, when Amazon was not an all-conquering behemoth and “there wasn’t a blind faith that every Jeff idea was going to be a home run”.
Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands
The tale of the epochal, fierce business war between increasingly sophisticated hand dryers and paper towels for primacy in the public bathroom.
How China’s ‘Unicorns’ Shook a Bicycle Town
Unicorn startups at China’s scale can produce some alarming by products. This is an example from the transportation industry, where the town of Wangqingtuo has been left with sizeable bicycle cemeteries.
A Dispatch From the Fast-Paced, Makeshift World of High-End Catering
Behind the scenes in the silver service catering world.
‘It’s genuine, you know?’: why the online influencer industry is going ‘authentic’
Behind the scenes in the world of influencers, where “authenticity” is the new watchword.
How Big Business Is Hedging Against the Apocalypse
“Unlike almost every other future event, climate change is 100 percent certain to happen.” This story makes this assertion and goes on to explore how big businesses are making investment decisions based on it.
The Golden Age of YouTube is Over
A piece examining a widening rift between YouTube creators and a platform pivoting away from user generated content.