Jaguar's bizarre rebranding continues

Good Morning! In today’s edition:

👉 Jaguar’s crazy rebranding continues with a new concept car

👉 Origins of COVID-19 virus

👉 AC/DC’s upcoming tour in America

and many more!

Today’s issue is a 5.1-minute read.

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Quote of the day

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

Aristotle (Ancient Greek philosopher)

Must Know

Jaguar stuns after disastrous rebrand

🚘 Jaguar has introduced its new electric car, the Type 00, at Art Miami. This car is a big change for Jaguar, which has a history of 90 years. The Type 00 has a very different look that some people might not like. It is a concept car, which means it won’t be sold as it is, but it will inspire future models.

The design is bold and modern, with a stylish exterior and a simple interior made from fancy materials like brass and travertine stone. The Type 00 is part of Jaguar's plan to attract younger, wealthier customers and to 🔋 become fully electric by 2026.

🚗 The first car you can buy will be a four-door grand tourer, revealed in late 2025. Jaguar hopes this new direction will help the brand grow and appeal to new buyers while still offering the luxury and performance it is known for.

COVID-19 came from a Chinese lab, not nature

A recent report from a U.S. congressional committee suggests that COVID-19 came from a lab accident in Wuhan, China. Their 520-page report claims that the virus emerged due to a laboratory mishap, supported by evidence that 👨‍🔬👩‍🔬 researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were sick with COVID-like symptoms before the outbreak began in December 2019.

The report also criticizes public health measures, stating that 🔒 lockdowns and 😷 mask mandates were not effective in controlling the virus's spread. It highlights that social distancing guidelines lacked solid scientific backing and that travel restrictions actually saved lives.

While many scientists believe the virus originated from 🦇 animals, the committee's findings add weight to the lab leak theory.

Biggest private company in US is laying off thousands of workers

🌾🥩 Cargill, American multinational food corporation, is laying off about 8,000 workers, which is around 5% of its global workforce. This decision comes as food prices 📉 drop after a period of high profits during the pandemic.

🏭 Cargill has been a major player in the food supply chain, distributing grains and meat worldwide. However, profits fell significantly to $2.48 billion this year, much lower than the record $6.7 billion made in 2021-22.

The company plans to streamline its operations by reducing management layers and responsibilities. While these layoffs will mainly affect senior leaders, the executive team will remain intact.

⚡Speed-Round: The Most Impactful Stories

👨‍🔬🧪 MIT researchers have created a new photonic chip that performs energy-efficient AI computations using light. This chip achieves 96% accuracy during training (teaching AI systems how to do stuff) and 92% during inference (querying an AI system), completing calculations in less than half a nanosecond 🤯. This breakthrough could significantly enhance AI applications, enabling ⚡ faster processing and real-time learning across various fields.

🎧 Apple's new holiday ad, "Heartstrings," showcases the AirPods Pro 2's hearing aid feature through an emotional story of a father with hearing loss. Set on Christmas morning, the ad depicts the father struggling to hear his daughter singing until he uses the AirPods, allowing him to relive precious memories clearly. With nearly 10 million views on YouTube, the ad has been praised for its pro-family message and departure from "woke" advertising trends. (Watch this brilliant ad)

💻 Microsoft is urging Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, warning that installing it on incompatible hardware may lead to loss of support and updates. With over 400 million users lacking the necessary hardware, the company emphasizes these risks as Windows 10 approaches its end-of-support date in October 2025. Users must decide between upgrading their hardware, paying for a one-year support extension, or risking an unsupported version, but recent data shows 📈 increased usage of Windows 10, indicating reluctance to switch.

Top-levels

Markets & Business

• 🚀 SpaceX is in talks to sell shares, a deal that would boost its valuation to $350 billion, effectively doubling its worth from a year ago.

• ⚖ Delaware judge rejects Tesla's attempt to revive Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package (details).

• Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger, retired after the board lost confidence in his turnaround strategy. Gelsinger aimed to restore the company's leadership in the semiconductor industry but faced tough competition from Nvidia.

• MicroStrategy purchased another $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin (this is their 4th purchase) and is motivating Microsoft to do the same. The company now holds nearly 2% of all the Bitcoin in the world.

Media & Entertainment

• 😃 Chris Rock and Martin Short will host last remaining SNL episodes of 2024 on December 14 and December 21 episodes respectively.

• 🎸 AC/DC, extremely popular Australian rock band, will return to the road in the United States for the first time in 9 years on the 2025 Power Up North American Tour. 🎫 Tickets will go on sale on Friday, Dec. 6. (Buy Tickets)

• 👱‍♀️ Margot Robbie says she thought she'd ‘go to jail’ for slapping Leo DiCaprio during audition for the Wolf of Wall Street. (Full interview)

Science & Tech News

• Scientists have developed a new technology that can measure 🧠 brain waves using electronic, temporary tattoos. The method could act as a quicker and more convenient way to monitor brain activity and diagnose neurological conditions, such as seizures, epilepsy and brain tumors, compared to traditional electroencephalogram (EEG) tests.

• 📞 WhatsApp will soon stop supporting some older iPhone models which means it will stop working on iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus after 5 May 2025.

• 🗺 Waze's popular “user reports feature” is finally coming to Google Maps, 11 years after Google acquired Waze in 2013. This Waze feature allows users to share when they come across new or temporary incidents that have occurred, ⚠ warning other users of potential issues that may arise in their similar travels.

Did You Know?

👩 Women talk almost 3 times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man.

🚗 The Volkswagen group owns Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Audi, Ducati, and Porsche

💄 Viking men wore makeup!

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