Elon Musk’s Mystery Charity | Razzlekhan Released | Most Popular NFTs On The Block

Plus: The Pandemic Crushed Most Movie Theaters – But This 27-Year-Old’s Chain Doubled in Size

Good morning.

Elon Musk’s disclosure of a $5.7 billion donation to an unspecified charity begs more questions than answers. We’re also covering the latest developments in the case of the couple arrested over an alleged bitcoin laundering scheme, and the most popular NFT collection you may not have heard of. Finally, meet the 27-year-old whose movie theater chain surged back from pandemic shutdowns thanks to a blend of bowling, food and booze.

In The News Today

Russia said it’s withdrawing some of the combat troops deployed along its border with Ukraine, as diplomatic efforts to thwart a military confrontation continue.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s legal team argued that the 15-year-old may have failed a doping test after accidentally coming into contact with her grandfather’s heart drug. 

Top Take-Aways

A judge ruled that Heather Morgan, aka Razzlekhan, could be released on a $3 million bond while her husband Ilya Lichtenstein, also a suspect in an alleged massive bitcoin-based money-laundering scheme, should remain in custody.

Elon Musk disclosed a donation of more than $5 billion worth of shares in Tesla to an unspecified charity in November, a transaction that came weeks after he promised to sell 10% of his holdings in the company.

Levi Strauss’ chief marketer Jennifer Sey has left her role, claiming she was forced out after arguing schools should remain open during the Covid-19 pandemic. She said she was offered a $1 million severance package in exchange for her signature on a nondisclosure agreement.

If you’re even superficially familiar with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), you’ll know of the “Bored Ape” images—but a new digital collection is already eating their lunch. Meet Azukis, anime-like skateboarder characters that notched $300 million in transactions in the past four weeks.

Few of the apps that sprung during lockdown remain popular as pandemic restrictions are lifted—but Heygo, a British streaming platform allowing guides to take stay-at-home travelers on city and market tours, has just raised a $20 million Series A funding round as it looks to buck the trend.

As the New York Times’ takeover of Wordle is found to have altered some elements of gameplay, spinoffs of the viral word game find new niches for the once-a-day, limited-guesses formula—for instance, cartography.

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With the NBA All-Star Game rosters set after Thursday’s draft, it’s up for debate which squad has more game on the floor. Off the floor, though, it’s no contest—the star-power accounting clearly favors Team LeBron.

Tips You Can Trust

Great communicators aren’t born; they’re made through deliberate practice. These five tips are at the root of all good writing.

The best formula for loving your work is to find as much alignment as you can between what you love to do, and what you must spend time on. Here are five aspects of your work life to focus on.

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