Elon Musk kills the bird

The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web: Farewell, Twitter, said Oliver Darcy at CNN. This week, “the text-based social media platform that played an outsize role in society by serving as a digital town square was killed by its unhinged owner, Elon Musk.” Musk officially changed the company’s iconic…

Britons favor ‘controlled openness’ over closed door as immigration soars

Balance Europe Britons favor ‘controlled openness’ over closed door as immigration soars | View caption Hide caption High immigration rates motivated many Britons to favor leaving the European Union in 2016. But migrant numbers have risen to record heights since then, and the public seems largely unconcerned, instead happy with “controlled openness.” Anti-immigration hard-liners in…

What links toothbrushes and weapons systems? A $52 billion investment.

First Look What links toothbrushes and weapons systems? A $52 billion investment. The U.S. government has reached a rare bipartisan agreement to invest $52 billion to develop advanced computer chips. Factories, autos, appliances, electronics, toys, toothbrushes, and weapons systems all depend on semiconductors. | View caption Hide caption | A 77-year-old factory in a hard-luck…

Would taxing robots help the people whose jobs they’ll take?

Would taxing robots help the people whose jobs they’ll take? Bill Gates recently offered a simple solution to the problem of automation: Tax the robots. But that premise raises several thorny issues. | View caption Hide caption Automation may soon affect even industries and jobs we thought were immune, so what should countries do to prepare for those…