Media

6 Most Important Things in Business Today

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: November 29, 2017 5:27 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 5:57 am

The price of bitcoin soared above $10,000. According to The Wall Street Journal:

Bitcoin crossed the $10,000 mark for the first time in its nine-year history, the latest burst in a rally that has transformed the virtual currency from a curiosity to a hot topic for mainstream investors.

The digital currency on Tuesday traded as high as $10,025.96 and is up 21% since Friday, according to research site CoinDesk. For the year, it is up 933%, having started the year at $968.23.

In recent months, investors have set aside doubts about bitcoin’s use by criminal elements and focused instead on the potentially transformative technology behind it and the prospect that bitcoin could replace gold as an investment to hold when faith ebbs in fiat currencies.

DHL made an order for some of Tesla Inc.’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) new trucks. According to The Wall Street Journal:

DHL Supply Chain, which handles logistics operations for retailers and manufacturers, intends to use the heavy-duty Tesla trucks for shuttle runs and same-day customer deliveries in major U.S. cities, the company said Tuesday. DHL also plans to test the electric trucks on longer runs, and to evaluate its impact on driver safety and comfort.

Robots could take hundreds of millions of jobs, according to new research from McKinsey:

As many as 800 million workers worldwide may lose their jobs to robots and automation by 2030, equivalent to more than a fifth of today’s global labor force.

That’s according to a new report covering 46 nations and more than 800 occupations by the research arm of McKinsey & Co.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) will build huge additions to its offices outside Seattle. According to CNBC:

Microsoft announced that it will rebuild its iconic Redmond campus in a project that will take between five and seven years to conclude and will make room for 8,000 new employees.

“At a time when space is at a premium and many companies are looking for room to grow, we recognize that our 500-acre campus in Redmond, Washington, is a unique asset,” Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, said on the company’s blog on Tuesday evening.

The project will add 18 new buildings, 6.7 million square feet of renovated workspace and $150 million in transportation infrastructure improvements, public spaces, sports fields and green space.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) is buying a large number of what are known as “flying delivery trucks.” According to CNNMoney:

FedEx is keen on Cessna’s newest small plane.

Cessna on Tuesday unveiled an all-new design for a small freighter and passenger aircraft, dubbed the SkyCourier.

FedEx Express has agreed to buy 50 of the flying delivery trucks, adding roughly one per month for four years, and holds options for 50 more. The global delivery company is rapidly modernizing its fleet of small planes to stay ahead of competitors like Amazon, which are trying to fly and deliver more orders themselves.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) workers have complained about their treatment so far during the holiday season:

Amazon warehouse workers unable to handle the strain of punishing quotas are regularly taken away by ambulance, according to an exposé revealing shocking working conditions at the e-commerce giant.

Alan Selby, a journalist with the Mirror newspaper in the UK, spent five weeks undercover at a sprawling warehouse at Tilbury, Essex, wearing a hidden camera which captured images of exhausted staff falling asleep on their feet.