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| Greetings N2K reader! | Vote on the winner of this week'’s world famous News Haiku™ competition in today’s poll! | Also, we have a quick correction, courtesy of Janet Barton. Two days ago in our post about the Louvre heist I said Queen Hortense was Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife. In fact she was his sister-in-law as well as his step-daughter. Off with my head! Or did that come later? Thanks for your sharp eyes, Janet. | We also heard from a diamond expert, Michael Fried, who tells me the combined value of the stones in the “priceless” jewels taken was only about $5 million: | The value is not in the actual diamonds, it's in the jewelry. That would be like someone stealing the most expensive Shigeki Tanaka/Bob Kramer knife and trying to figure out the value by the cost of steel. These are museum quality pieces that are part of the royal collection. I would estimate the value of the diamonds, jewels and metal to be less than 5 million dollars (probably significantly lower than that). But once you add the craftsmanship, history and cultural significance to them, the price increases exponentially. |
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| | What’s the stock market up to, eh? | $SPX ( ▲ 0.58% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.31% ) $NDX ( ▲ 0.89% ) | | Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter | $SBUX ( ▼ 0.07% ) $TSLA ( ▲ 2.28% ) $DIS ( ▼ 0.04% ) $UVV ( ▼ 0.06% ) | | Starbucks introduces AI barista | | Starbucks $SBUX ( ▼ 0.07% ) is stepping into the future with its new AI-powered assistant, “Green Dot,” which promises to revolutionize how customers order coffee (and, you know…save on labor costs). Announced by CEO Brian Niccol at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce event, the AI technology is designed to help baristas anticipate a customer’s order, creating a faster and more personalized experience. Or at least, that’s Brian’s story, and he’s sticking to it. Amazon aims to replace 600,000 workers with robots, the New York Times reported yesterday. So, sure. Green Dot is there to help people. Not replace them. | Niccol described Starbucks’ mission to become the “world’s greatest customer service company again” through innovations like Green Dot. Acting as a “barista assistant,” this tool will streamline the coffee-making process while improving order accuracy. Piloted in select locations since June, the system is now rolling out across more stores. Despite its technological focus, Niccol reassured customers that Starbucks isn’t replacing its human employees. “We’re not near that right now,” he said, emphasizing the desire to deliver a “great, not robotic” experience. | Right now. | The AI features will also extend to the Starbucks app, allowing customers to order by voice. Imagine saying, “Hey, I need my Starbucks order. I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” without needing to touch your phone. This is the kind of world-changing breakthrough AI was developed for. Right? | | | Song of the day: Alison Brown, Steve Martin, Jackson Brown, ‘Dear Time’ |  | Alison Brown & Steve Martin - Dear Time (feat. Jackson Browne with Jeff Hanna) |
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| GRAMMY Award-winning banjoists Steve Martin and Alison Brown have released their debut collaborative album, “Safe, Sensible and Sane.” The title, issued on October features guest appearances from the likes of Jackson Brown (right, above), who sang my favorite song ever, “The Pretender.” This one is really rather good, too. Enjoy! | | Free yourself from advertising forever! | Now you can sign up for an optional ad-free version of Need2Know! Subscribe for just $5 a month, or $50 a year, and you can continue to enjoy this reasonably high-quality newsletter uninterrupted. Bonus: The immense satisfaction that comes from supporting journalism*! | | | ADVERTISEMENT | Smart leaders don’t write books alone. | | You built your business with a team. Your book should be no different. | Author.Inc helps founders and executives turn their ideas into world-class books that build revenue, reputation, and reach. | Their team – the same people behind projects with Tim Ferriss and Codie Sanchez – knows how to turn your expertise into something that moves markets. | Schedule a complimentary 15-minute call with Author.Inc’s co-founder to map out your Book Blueprint to identify your audience, angles, and ROI. | Do this before you commit a cent, or sentence. If it’s a go, they’ll show you how to write and publish it at a world-class level. | If it’s a wait, you just avoided wasting time and money. | Get Your Free Book Blueprint. | *This counts as journalism, right? | |
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| Tesla’s profit fell in third quarter even as sales rose | | Tesla’s $TSLA ( ▲ 2.28% ) third-quarter earnings report revealed a mixed bag of results, with profits dropping for the fourth consecutive quarter despite a rise in sales. The company’s earnings fell 37% to $1.4 billion, or 39 cents per share, compared to $2.2 billion, or 62 cents per share, in the same period last year. Tesla’s shares reflected investor concerns, falling 3.5% in after-hours trading. | Despite the revenue increase to $28.1 billion from last year’s $25.2 billion, analysts warn that part of the surge was fueled by customers rushing to take advantage of a $7,500 federal EV tax credit before its expiration on October 1, potentially cannibalizing sales from the current quarter. Garrett Nelson of CFRA Research noted, “It’s a positive that they are increasingly diversifying from the auto business, but our primary concern is demand for EVs. There’s a lot of uncertainty.” | Elon Musk, however, remains optimistic about diversifying Tesla’s offerings beyond EVs. On a call with investors, Musk highlighted ventures like the driverless robotaxi service, its AI products, and humanoid |
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