☕️ What happened to Starbucks?

Today’s pick

What happened to Starbucks? How a progressive company lost its way. Starbucks's app has made the coffee giant healthier financially, but at a cost to its culture, cafés, and even its brand identity. (Clint Rainey / Fast Company)

Clint Rainey @clintrainey

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson's departure may feel abrupt. But truth is, the brand is in the throes of an identity crisis. Back in Feb, @FastCompany asked me to dig into what had gone wrong. Here's the picture insiders & astute observers painted for me

fastcompany.comWhat happened to Starbucks? How a progressive company lost its wayStarbucks’s app has made the coffee giant healthier financially, but at a cost to its culture, cafés, and even its brand identity.

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Amazon completes its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM. Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, the company announced on Thursday. The completion of the transaction will see more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows become a part of Prime Video, the online retailer's streaming service. (Aisha Malik / TechCrunch)

Ted Gioia @tedgioia

“Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, the company announced on Thursday. The completion of the transaction will see more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows become a part of Prime Video.”

techcrunch.comAmazon completes $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM – TechCrunchAmazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, the company announced on Thursday. The completion of the transaction will see more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows become a part of Prime Video, the online retailer’s streaming service. The list includes the “James Bond” and “Rocky” …

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Most Medical Debts to Be Removed From Consumers' Credit Reports. The biggest credit-reporting firms will strip tens of billions of dollars in medical debt from consumers' credit reports, erasing a black mark that makes it harder for millions of Americans to borrow. (AnnaMaria Andriotis / Wall Street Journal)

David Dayen @ddayen

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned credit reporting bureaus that they would hold them responsible for not fixing erroneous medical debts. Then the credit bureaus dropped medical debt from credit reports. Govern and good things happen.

wsj.comWSJ News Exclusive | Most Medical Debts to Be Removed From Consumers’ Credit ReportsEquifax, Experian and TransUnion are making sweeping changes to how they report medical debt in collections beginning this summer.

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A Zelensky Deepfake Was Quickly Defeated. The Next One Might Not Be. On March 2, the Ukraine government's Center for Strategic Communication warned that its enemies might be preparing a “ deepfake ” video that appeared to show president Volodymyr Zelensky announcing his surrender to Russia's invasion. (Tom Simonite / WIRED)

WIRED Science @WIREDScience

The response to a video impersonating the Ukrainian president gives a blueprint for how to stop more sophisticated attempts.

trib.alA Zelensky Deepfake Was Quickly Defeated. The Next One Might Not BeThe response to a video impersonating the Ukrainian president gives a blueprint for how to stop more sophisticated attempts.

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Mortgage Rates Top 4% for the First Time Since 2019. The era of ultralow mortgage rates is over. The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage topped 4% for the first time since May 2019, Freddie Mac said Thursday. (Orla McCaffrey via Wall Street Journal)

Miriam Gottfried @miriamgottfried

The era of ultralow mortgage rates is over as the average rated for a 30-year fixed mortgage tops 4% for the first time since 2019 @Orla_McCaffrey

on.wsj.comMortgage Rates Rise Above 4% for the First Time Since 2019Rising borrowing costs pose another challenge for would-be homeowners already facing soaring home prices.

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