Gates’ Bitcoin Warning | Burger King Gets Grilled | America’s Best Startup Employees

Plus:  Inside ‘The Firm’: How The Royal Family's $28 Billion Money Machine Really Works

Good morning.

As bitcoin heads to new highs, Bill Gates renewed a debate over the sustainability of the cryptocurrency’s carbon footprint. Burger King’s global CMO explains the thinking behind that International Women’s Day slogan and we unveil America’s 500 best startup employees.

In The News Today

The FBI released footage of a person hiding bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters the night before January’s Capitol riot. 

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan faces one more hurdle in Congress before it can be signed into law—although the $1,400 stimulus checks themselves won’t bear President Joe Biden’s signature. 

Top Take-Aways

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is sounding an alarm on bitcoin’s strikingly high carbon footprint. The debate about the cryptocurrency’s energy consumption isn’t a new one, and don’t expect it to die down any time soon.

No wonder Warren Buffett likes Chevron stock. During 2020 Berkshire Hathaway snapped up 48.5 million Chevron shares worth $5.3 billion. With oil prices up to $67 per barrel in recent days, life is looking good for Big Oil again.

The recent cyber attack against Microsoft Exchange servers shows that email remains a significant target for hackers, in spite of the rise of messaging platforms such as Slack and Microsoft’s own Teams service, which are now widely used in the corporate world. 

Burger King has a track record of successful-but-risky campaigns, but an ad for International Women’s Day meant to support gender parity in hospitality jobs got a good grilling. The fast food chain’s Global CMO Fernando Machado explains what went wrong. 

Tesla says that its Autopilot feature that enables vehicles with a $10,000 “Full Self-Driving'' option to do things like steer themselves on city streets doesn’t offer a level of autonomous capability that requires state approval. Californian regulators are still investigating.

Curaleaf, the largest cannabis company in the U.S., is on its way to become the largest of its kind in the world after announcing a $286 million deal to acquire European marijuana company Emmac Life Sciences.

Not all startup environments are created equal. Forbes and Statista teamed up to evaluate companies founded between 2011 and 2018 who employ at least 50 people and boast the best employer reputations, employee satisfaction and growth. The result: America’s Best Startup Employers list.

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