Thursday morning news drop
Construction in a digital world A deep dive into technological adoption in Canada’s construction industry. Many construction firms have had little incentive to invest in technology, with current procurement practices placing much of the project risk and associated costs on the shoulders of contractors. The benefits, however, are becoming more apparent. With a workforce shortage, climate change realities and solutions reaching greater maturity, the industry is poised for significant transformation. Companies that seize the digital opportunity and integrate with others in their ecosystem over the next decade stand to gain a significant competitive advantage. Construction companies are starting to see the competitive advantages made possible by technology, and we encourage them to keep working from this perspective. The companies that come out ahead will be those that don’t wait: Develop a vision, hire a team and get started. (Canadian Construction Association)
Streaming TV Costs Add Up as Americans Add More Services U.S. consumers turned to Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and others like never before during the height of the pandemic, stuck indoors and starving for novelty (and something to distract their kids). Several services, including Peacock and Discovery+, launched in the middle of it all. People are subscribing to more services than they were a year ago—and their budgets have gone up, too. (Bloomberg)
Why Amazon is paying nearly $9 billion for MGM and James Bond Amazon isn’t competing with Netflix, but it is spending billions trying to figure out Hollywood. Maybe 007 can help. (Vox)
Is There Really A Truck Driver Shortage? The real problem is not a shortage but retention. According to ATA’s statistics, the average annual turnover rate for long-haul truckers at big trucking companies has been greater than 90% for decades. If a company has 10 truckers, nine will be gone within a year because so many new drivers leave within a few months. (NPR)
Meet Your Next Angel Investor. They’re 19 A growing cohort of Gen Z investors who are beginning to make their mark on the startup ecosystem. Like-minded young people congregate on TikTok and Twitter, where talk of startups can lead to valuable connections and deal flow. A Slack group called Gen Z VC has more than 7,000 members, many of them still in their teens. (Wired)
4 Lessons From the Crypto Crash You have to stay in the game to survive as an investor. (A Wealth of Common Sense)
Is Our Political System Up for the Fight Against Climate Change? A revolutionary politics isn’t necessary to combat a world-changing problem. But, to succeed, liberal democracies must adapt (Walrus)
A Giant Old Growth Cedar Rolling Down a BC Highway Went Viral. What’s Its Story? As a new ‘war in the woods’ brews, a social media post has emerged as a rallying call. (Tyee)\
