Muchos Grassias |
Grassias is an artisanal cheese made from a mixture of fresh cow and goat milk, wrapped in lemongrass. With all that going on, you can only imagine the various layers of refreshing, herbal, aromatic layers…unless of course you eat the cheese. Imagination be damned. Gracias, in other news, is the Spanish word for "thank you," so today's cheese pun is bilingual and is also the opposite of what Open AI's leaders are saying to Elon Musk (or what European leaders are saying over the president's new metal tariffs): |
Today's Cheddlines You Need2Know |
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De nada. |
—Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor |
P.S. We've got a new wearable robot at Hyundai's factory on our 'gram. |
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Cheddheads Prefer Owl to Eagles, Chiefs |
On Monday we asked: "Who Did You Want to Win the Super Bowl?" |
The results are clear: |
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Taylor Swift's Boyfriend's Team (65) |
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Gritty (56) |
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 This superb owl 🦉 (118) |
TAKE NOTE! |
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Quote of the Day |
| ❝ | | | We transport flowers all year round, but during the Valentine's season we more than double our capacity. | | | | — Diogo Elias |
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Should You Check Your 401(k) Today? |
👎 |
(nope) |
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Elon Musk, alongside his AI startup xAI and a consortium of investors, has posed a staggering $97.4 billion unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI, the powerhouse behind the revolutionary ChatGPT. |
Musk initially co-founded OpenAI with the vision of it being a beacon of nonprofit research aimed at navigating the perilous waters of AI development safely and ethically. However, OpenAI's subsequent path, especially with the commercial success of ChatGPT, has seemingly diverted from Musk's original blueprint. According to Musk's attorney, Marc Toberoff, the intent behind the acquisition is to realign OpenAI with its foundational non-profit ethos, emphasizing the paramount importance of ethical guidance in the AI space. |
The bid was met with a brisk rebuttal from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who countered on X with a proposal to purchase Twitter (now X) for $9.74 billion. He may as well have written "how much will you offer me to go ____ ______?" |
At the core of this high-stakes drama is a lawsuit Musk filed alleging that OpenAI has strayed from its mission, prioritizing profit over public good and safety in AI advancement. |
"Musk's offer could end up costing Altman, whether he takes it or not," the Wall Street Journal reports: |
The OpenAI chief said at an AI summit in Paris Tuesday that Musk was trying to hamper his company's development. "I think he is probably just trying to slow us down. He obviously is a competitor," Altman told Bloomberg's TV channel. "I wish he would just compete by building a better product, but I think there's been a lot of tactics, many, many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff, now this." |
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If anyone wants to make an unsolicited offer on any of my assets for $97 billion, however, I'm all ears. |
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Media literacy has never been lower. A staggering portion of young people now trust their influencers to read and interpret the news on their behalf, and more than 50% of Gen Z get their news on social media. |
A recent study by the Pew Research Center has cast a spotlight on this phenomenon. It turns out that American news influencers on social platforms played a pivotal role in disseminating more favorable content about Donald Trump as opposed to Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign period. |
Pew's extensive study delved into over 150,000 social media posts by roughly 500 influencers — a selection of individuals renowned for their regular commentary on current affairs and boasting a follower count exceeding 100,000 on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The findings were telling; influencers discussed both Trump and Harris with similar frequency, yet the underlying tone and volume of the content showed a marked preference for Trump. |
The digital age has given birth to a new demographic of news consumers — 20% of all Americans, according to the study, who turn to social media influencers for their daily news fix. These individuals are not just passive consumers; two-thirds believe the insights provided by these influencers afford them a deeper understanding of ongoing events. Such a statistic underscores the undeniable clout these figures wield over the public consciousness. |
One key insight from the study is the differential engagement of the presidential candidates with the influencer community. Notably, Trump secured a coveted interview on the Joe Rogan podcast — a platform widely regarded as a beacon for youth engagement. Harris, on the other hand, did not seem to exploit this avenue to the same extent (although she did an interview on Alex Cooper's podcast). |
The data speaks volumes about the reciprocal relationship between influencers and candidates. While both Trump and Harris received criticism in equal measure (42% each from the influencers), the sheer number of pro-Trump posts by his supporters tilted the scale in his favor. This was especially true on Elon Musk's platform X, a popular outlet for political influencer content, where twice as many posts about Harris were negative compared to those about Trump. |
An even more striking aspect of the study concerns the political leanings of the influencers themselves. On X, almost half — 48% — of the influencers were categorized as right-leaning, as opposed to a mere 28% who were said to be liberal. Not only did the conservatives dominate in sheer numbers, but they also engaged more prolifically, posting with greater frequency than their liberal counterparts. |
In other words? Be careful who you trust to interpret the news on your behalf, Cheddheadz. |
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From @cheddar |
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He wasn't bluffing, after all. President Donald Trump has re-imposed a 25% tax on imported steel and aluminum, a move reminiscent of similar tariffs imposed during his first term. |
The tariffs aim to provide relief to the American steel and aluminum industries, which have faced intense global competition, allowing them to increase prices. Following the anticipation of the new tariffs, shares of steel and aluminum producers such as Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs, and Alcoa saw significant gains. |
However, the tariffs also come with negative repercussions, notably straining U.S. relationships with key allies and inflating costs for downstream U.S. manufacturers that utilize these materials. Timothy Zimmerman, CEO of Mitchell Metal Products in Wisconsin, told the Associated Press that he suffered badly under similar tariffs imposed by the previous Trump administration back in 2018, and he lost many contracts as a result. |
"We were significantly impacted,'' he said. "The challenges we faced were unprecedented — rapid inflationary impacts from domestic steel producers. We saw steel prices rise within a few months about 70% over what they had been ... Our (steel) suppliers simply broke contracts and gave us an option: Take this or take nothing.'' |
In response to the newly re-imposed tariffs, there is concern over the repetition of the adverse outcomes experienced during their initial implementation. Zimmerman is preparing for the impact, noting that steel mills in the U.S. have already announced price increases in anticipation of the tariffs, reminiscent of 2018. This time, his company plans to proactively negotiate with customers to mitigate the financial strain. |
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In an escalating trade tiff, the European Union has drawn a line in the sand — or more aptly, in the Atlantic. Following President Donald Trump's decision to reimpose a significant 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum, the echo of his first term's trade policy has reverberated across the Atlantic, stirring vows of retaliation from the EU. Much like a jar of peanut butter, this dispute may spread. |
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum "will not go unanswered," European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc. |
The premise of the Trump administration's tariffs, ostensibly designed to protect American industries from foreign competition, has inadvertently lit the fuse of a potential trade war. The EU's counterplay, targeting quintessentially American products such as bourbon, jeans, and peanut butter, is not just a tit-for-tat; it's a message wrapped in the fabric of global trade policies and international relationships. |
For American producers, Europe represents a lucrative market, and the EU's countermeasures could lead to decreased exports, job losses, and an overall dampening of economic activity in targeted sectors. Companies are bracing for impact, uncertain of the long-term consequences but aware of the immediate challenges to their international sales. |
One heartfelt plea, Mr. Trump: For the love of God, do not now impose a tariff on Roquefort. |
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In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine's Day on Friday come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles. |
Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights. They journey mostly from Colombia and Ecuador to Miami across the U.S. and Canada. |
Miami's largest flower importer is Avianca Cargo, based in Medellín, Colombia. In the past three weeks, the company has transported about 18,000 tons of flowers on 300 full cargo flights, senior vice president Diogo Elias said during a news conference last week in Miami. |
"We transport flowers all year round, but specifically during the Valentine's season, we more than double our capacity because there's more than double the demand," Elias said. |
Did you buy yours yet? |
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Cheddar will be at SXSW - see you there! |
As part of this partnership, Cheddar will be on-site in Austin, TX in the speaker-prep room for both the Fast Company Grill and Inc. Founder House events. Cheddar will interview speakers as they prepare to go on-stage, connecting our audience with some of the most influential names shaping the future of business, technology, and entertainment. From visionary founders and rising entrepreneurs to top executives and creative pioneers, Cheddar will deliver new insights straight from the heart of two of the most influential SXSW experiences. Learn More
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| Want more Cheddar? Watch us! | Search "Cheddar" on Samsung, YouTube TV, and most other streaming platforms. | N2K is the tip of of the cheeseberg for financial news, interviews, and more. | |
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