EVs + Yeti + Moon + Higher Education + Animal Meat + Robot Delivery

The future's electric at the Shanghai Auto Show: Bloomberg reports, There’s electricity in the air at the China auto show in Shanghai this week, as the battery-car brigade rolls into town like never before. Established global makers and dozens of local startups are rushing to showcase electric-vehicle models in a push led by China, the world's largest car market. But there’s a dark side: While companies have plowed billions of dollars into development, projected EV sales may not be enough to keep the assembly lines moving, suggesting only a few companies will survive when the dust settles.

@web: Why Yeti is a strong lifestyle brand: 

- They chose a customer.
- They charge full price despite the half-price substitutes.
- You’ll find YETI stickers on laptops, trucks, boat windshields.
- It became a status symbol in just three years. 
- The products are excellent.

Carmakers eye the moon: The next frontier for carmakers could be the moon. China’s BAIC Group is developing joint technology with the country’s Lunar Exploration Project for lunar exploration. Toyota is also teaming up with Japan’s space agency to build a lunar rover, expecting to put it on the moon by 2029. 

The coming obsolescence of animal meat: Companies are racing to develop real chicken, fish, and beef that don’t require killing animals. Here’s what’s standing in their way. http://bit.ly/2KLdxw7
 
HBR: Does higher education still prepare people for jobs?http://bit.ly/2KMlW2t

'More and more students are spending more and more money on higher education, and their main goal is largely pragmatic: to boost their employability and be a valuable contributor to the economy. Even if the value attached to a university degree is beneficial to those who obtain it, companies can help change the narrative by putting less weight on “higher education” as a measure of intellectual competence and job potential, and instead, approach hiring with more open-mindedness."

French supermarket tests robot delivery: Reuters reports, Casino’s Franprix chain will test the delivery robots on the streets of Paris’s 13th arrondissement for a year. In the French capital, where Amazon has been running its Amazon Prime Now express delivery service since 2016, the speedy and convenient delivery of food has become a battleground among retailers.

Consumer Spending + EVs + Mickey Mouse + Burgers

US shopping centre vacancies rise to eight-year high: FT reports, increase comes on signs of faltering consumer spending and pressure from ecommerce.

58.4 percent market share for EVs in Norway: In March, fully electric cars made up nearly 60 percent of the new-car market in Norway, a world record. A recent increase in the electric sales coincided with deliveries of Tesla’s Model 3 and Audi’s e-tron. The country aims to end sales of all fossil-fuel vehicles by 2025.

David Perell: What did Gutenberg’s printing press actually change?

Book prices fell. The raw price of books fell by 2.4 percent a year for over a hundred years after Gutenberg.

In places where there was an increase in competition among printers, prices fell swiftly and dramatically. Competition works. When an additional printing firm entered a given city market, book prices there fell by 25%.

Extreme loneliness or the perfect balance? How to work from home and stay healthy: More and more people are working where they live, attracted by the promise of flexibility, efficiency, and no commute. But does this come at a cost to their wellbeing? http://bit.ly/2K3BH4J

How Disney grew its $3 billion Mickey Mouse business–by selling to adults: Apple, Gucci, Kate Spade, Uniqlo, L’Oréal, and Maybelline are just a few of the companies that sell Mickey-branded products for grown-ups. Here’s how Disney made adults fall in love with a cartoon character. http://bit.ly/2K9n3c2

Inside the race to build the burger of the future: Trump says Democrats and environmental wackos are waging a war on beef. But corporations, not politicians or activists, are leading the post-meat revolution. https://politi.co/2K3tgGx

The heart of a swimmer vs. the heart of a runner: Regular exercise changes the look and workings of the human heart. And researchers are discovering that different sports affect the heart differently. https://nyti.ms/2Uwmw7W

Body Language + Silicon Valley + Power Suits + Robot Receptionists + Gas Guzzlers

Smile, you're on camera: Japanese company Vaak developed software that uses artificial intelligence to detect body language suggesting someone intends to shoplift and alerts staff so they can intervene. 

New York, Beijing chip away at Silicon Valley: Growth of digital tools at companies world-wide is set to unseat the world’s go-to technology hub, a KPMG survey finds.

"Nearly 60 percent believe that it is likely or very likely that the technology innovation center of the world will move from Silicon Valley by 2023."

Read the 2019 Technology Innovation Hubs report - click here.

It's over - The end of tailor-made power suits and leather-soled shoes: Goldman Sachs is shifting to a more casual working style. The investment bank has told its 36,000 staff that the time is right to relax its dress code to “create a welcoming environment for all.” Although suits and ties are now optional employees are still expected to dress smartly for business meetings, with the bank advising that they wear attire that is “consistent with your clients’ expectations.”

Michael Skapinker: Are robot receptionists the future of hospitality? Automation may be fashionable — but never underestimate the value of human contact. https://on.ft.com/2EBWzKn

China's Hainan province to end fossil fuel car sales in 2030: AFP reports, China's southern Hainan island will end sales of fossil fuel-only cars in 2030, officials said, becoming the first province to announce a target end date for a transition away from gas guzzlers. Beijing announced plans in 2017 to phase out petrol vehicles across the nation, but it did not set a date, as the country aims to cut pollution and reduce its dependence on imported oil.

Did you know? Mars + Mobile + Scooters + EVs + Weight

Mars for less than $100k: Elon Musk says he's confident moving to Mars will eventually cost less than $500k, possibly less than $100k, with a return ticket included.

Mars One is dead: The Mars colony startup was declared bankrupt by a Swiss court. The company was the brainchild of Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, previously the founder of green energy company Ampyx Power. Lansdorp's aim was to start a company that could colonize one of our nearest neighbors.

Debit cards everywhere: Fintech companies from Square to Venmo are launching products that let customers spend money directly out of digital accounts using physical debit cards.

SE Asia eclipses China as world's mobile economy hot spot:Thais, Indonesians and Singaporeans are big-time online bankers, shoppers and ride-hailers.

1,545 scooter injuries: Electric scooters have caused 1,545 injuries in the US since late 2017, according to new findings by Consumer Reports. The report collected data from hospitals and public agencies in 47 different cities where leading scooter-sharing platforms Bird and Lime operate.

China’s demand for electric vehicles charges copper: Citi expects prices to hit $6,700 a tonne as metal is core to next motoring generation.

Your company wants to know if you’ve lost weight: WSJ reports, as more employers launch high-tech wellness programs that keep tabs on workers’ exercise, sleep and nutrition, employees worry about privacy and the consequences of opting out.