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- The Zeitgeist: August 2, 2024
The Zeitgeist: August 2, 2024
Today’s Edition: Olympic Games, PowerPoint and Free Beer
Happy Friday! In a dramatic twist, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were freed in a landmark prisoner exchange between Russia, the U.S., and Germany. McDonald's $5 meal deal is a hit, driving up traffic and sales in the U.S. In the political arena, the United Auto Workers threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for president, shaking up the race as both parties scramble to win over labor and working-class voters.
In Olympics news, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles have wowed the world once again in Paris, securing their spots as the ultimate G.O.A.T.s of their sports. The Games are getting a high-tech makeover with AI-powered chatbots and performance-boosting algorithms, all aiming to give athletes an extra edge. Google's new AI ad, featuring a dad using the Gemini chatbot to help his daughter pen a fan letter to an Olympic gold medalist, has the internet buzzing with debate over whether tech is killing the charm of fan notes.
Campaigns
Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments
Also, Chipotle’s burrito-proof “Lipotle,” Little Spoon x Graza’s "Little Drizzle" collection, and Wendy's x Lonely Ghost.
Culture
Snackable bites of consumer culture
Corporate
Trends at work and for good
Commerce
Shopper society snapshot
Connections
Feed intelligence
Media Moves:
Michele Luhn has been named deputy editor for business and company news at CNBC.
Mark Milian has been named deputy editor of Bloomberg Businessweek. He’s overseeing the news teams at Businessweek, including digital and the magazine’s front of the book.
The Information has shifted Jon Victor to the enterprise artificial intelligence beat, which includes companies such as Oracle and Salesforce.
The Information reporter Erin Woo is now covering Google and Alphabet.
Jessica Roy is joining the San Francisco Chronicle as its personal finance and utility columnist.
Politico healthcare reporter Megan Messerly is joining the news organization’s politics team to cover the Kamala Harris campaign.
Eve Crosbie has been named a senior entertainment reporter at Business Insider, based in London.
Katrina Northrop will join The Washington Post as a China correspondent.
Business Insider editor-in-chief Nicholas Carlson has stepped down.
Also... read how a Norwegian swimmer made chocolate muffins a hit at the Olympics.
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