Veteran game designersWill Wright (The Sims, Sim City) and Peter Molyneux (Black & White, Fable) announced plans to make new NFT-based games during a weekend showcase held by NFT gaming company Gala Games.
Why it matters: It’s part of an attempt to prove that NFT gaming is legit, trading on the reputations of two prominent men who haven’t made hits in many years.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the fatal collapse of an Amazon warehouse that killed at least six workers over the weekend when a tornado struck an Illinois facility, the agency said Monday.
Why it matters: The deaths come as Amazon is in high gear to fill holiday orders and amid ongoing pressure on the company to improve working conditions.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Monday revealed its 2022 Golden Globes nominations, amid continued scrutiny over its lack of representation.
Why it matters: Globes nominations are typically celebrated by studios and actors. But Hollywood has distanced itself from the ceremony following criticism that the HFPA has not been committed enough to diversity.
Private equity funds should incentivize larger numbers of portfolio company employees, because it will better align interests and improve investment performance.
I've been writing that for years, but now it's also being said by limited partners in private equity funds.
SenseTime, a Chinese developer of facial recognition technology, is delaying its Hong Kong IPO after being added to a U.S. Treasury Department blacklist of "Chinese military-industrial companies."
Why it matters: This is China's most highly valued AI company, fetching a $13 billion mark after being placed on a different U.S. government blacklist for its alleged involvement in human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. That original designation prevented SenseTime from doing business with U.S. companies, whereas the new one prevents U.S. investors from buying or selling its listed shares.
Driving the news: "Person of the Year is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too," said Time CEO and editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal in a press release.
Veterinary hospital operator Alliance Animal Health has secured an investment from private equity firm L Catterton at a valuation of between $750 million and $800 million, Axios has learned from four sources.
Why it matters: Private equity in 2021 has shown an insatiable appetite for veterinary care.
For all the hype that wage growth has received this year, pay isn’t keeping up with price growth. Real earnings, or wage growth less inflation, turned sharply negative the last two months, after eeking out gains over the summer, consumer price data out Friday show.
Why it matters: That’s an erosion of spending power, which is a bummer. But for the time being, it takes the edge off worries of a wage-price spiral, which happens when higher wages fuel inflation, which fuels the need for even higher wages — and so on.
Almost half of unemployed Americans say health issues are the primary reason they're not working, according to new survey data from McKinsey, shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: If one of the key drivers of the labor shortage is Americans' physical and mental health, rather than any lack of economic growth, then that means the Fed is not well placed to get millions more people working.
69% of Americans disapprove of President Biden's handling of inflation, according to an ABC News-Ipsos poll published Sunday.
Why it matters: When broken down along party lines, 71% of independents disapprove and a slim majority of Democratic voters (54%) approve of Biden's handling of inflation. The survey was conducted Dec. 10-11, as inflation continued to surge.
