Tuesday's Assorted Links
AI-generated movies, smartphones, wealthy families, value of a statistical life, and teaching capitalism
Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to education:
Roku’s CEO thinks we’ll see a 100% AI-generated hit movie within the next three years [Roku Blog]
1 in 5 smartphones sold in 2025 was made by Apple [Sherwood News]
An inside look into the lives and mindsets of the world’s wealthiest families [J.P. Morgan Chase via Peter Coy]
E.P.A. to stop considering lives saved when setting rules on air pollution [The New York Times]
How America’s high schools are teaching capitalism [Business Insider | Archive]
Have you ever paused at self-checkout and felt the math kick in? This week’s post explores why that moment has become more common and how economists like Gary Becker help explain rising theft at grocery stores. The key insight is simple: even as stores increase monitoring, higher prices have changed the calculation.
When Self-Checkout Turns Shoppers Into Economists
There’s a moment at self-checkout that feels familiar to almost everyone.
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I'm glad to read that Apple CEO Tim Cook's tenure lasts during 2026. Hopefully, this move by the corporation will help their AI strategy, Jadrian Wooten.