Child care costs are soaring, but workers still get rock-bottom pay. That's one reason staff is fleeing, putting already pricy care further out of reach for parents.
Why it matters: The industry's problems — magnified during the pandemic — are ricocheting and weighing on the economy.
Workers at a Netflix office in Los Angeles and its Los Gatos. California, headquarters staged a protest on Wednesday over the company's handling of anti-transgender comments made by Dave Chappelle in his latest comedy special for the service.
Why it matters: The move comes amid growing controversy over Netflix's handling of the situation, which has also included the firing of one transgender employee for allegedly leaking company information.
Cyngn, a company that began as an attempt to build a more open flavor of Android and later pivoted to autonomous driving tech, is set to begin trading today following its initial public offering.
Why it matters: While special purpose acquisition companies got a lot of flack over the past year for acquiring expensive pre-revenue companies — especially in the automotive space — Cyngn's deal suggests IPOs of nascent, futuristic tech businesses aren't limited to SPACs.
A trio of bipartisan senators sent a letter to Universal Electronics demanding the Nasdaq-listed company provide details on an alleged deal it struck with Chinese authorities to transport hundreds of Uyghur workers from Xinjiang to a plant in southern China.
Why it matters: The U.S. government has warned that businesses with supply chains and investments in Xinjiang, where China is accused of carrying out a genocide against Uyghur and other Muslim minorities, run a "high risk" of violating U.S. laws on forced labor.
Tesla is likely on track for another strong earnings report after logging record deliveries as the company appears to be weathering the storm of the global chip shortage.
What's next: The electric automaker will report third-quarter earnings this evening after markets close.
Retail execs are prepping for supply problems this holiday season. About 43% expect their ordered holiday inventory to be delayed — and 64% are concerned about receiving it in time for the holidays, according to a new Deloitte survey published Wednesday.
By the numbers: 43% of retailers placed their holiday orders earlier than they did last year — some as early as March.
Housing starts and building permits both ticked down in September, with shortages of labor and building materials keeping a lid on activity.
Why it matters: Home prices have risen rapidly over the last year, as the pandemic reshuffled where we live and work — leading many Americans to relocate.
It was easy — far too easy — for Andrew Pearse, a Credit Suisse banker, to negotiate $45 million of kickbacks for himself as part of a deeply corrupt series of loan and bond issues in Mozambique.
Driving the news: That's the verdict of a major international fraud investigation that culminated Tuesday in the Swiss bank paying some $475 million in fines.
Tech companies are learning what everyone in Washington already knows: Leaks of confidential info are inevitable, and "plumbing" operations to close them rarely work.
Why it matters: Most tech firms talk up the power of transparency but prefer to keep details of their operations secret from competitors and the public. Researchers, regulators and the media are increasingly relying on information provided by dissident employees and whistleblowers to see inside companies' workings.
Good news for fretting parents: The doomsayers who've been sounding the alarm about 2021 holiday toy scarcities are being tempered by sanguine optimists.
Why it matters: While shopping early is definitely a good idea, fears of empty shelves and online shortages are probably overblown, given how skilled the toy industry has grown at managing global supply chains and pandemic-fueled demand for its products.
The strike at John Deere is the biggest of the pandemic era, with 10,000 workers on the picket line calling for better pay and benefits.
Why it matters: The walkout could deal a blow to an economy rattled by a supply chain crisis that executives don't want to see get worse — one of the economic tailwinds behind the strikers.
The Delta variant and hospital labor shortages didn't crush sales of medical devices, earnings reports from Johnson & Johnson and Intuitive Surgical show.
Why it matters: The resurgent coronavirus forced some hospitals and patients to delay care, like spine and knee procedures. But deferred care across the world was nothing like it was at this time last year.
A top U.S. communications regulator is moving to officially brand DJI — China's largest commercial drone manufacturer — a national security threat.
Why it matters: The action by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr is the latest policy escalation targeting a major Chinese tech firm. "We do not need an airborne version of Huawei," Carr said in a statement, referring to the Chinese telecommunications company added to the FCC's Covered List in 2019.
