Midea

Roundup: Piketty Plan, AI Slowdown, Drones, Borjas Errors

This roundup criticizes Thomas Piketty and the World Inequality Lab’s new global plan—centered on degrowth and a proposed Global Justice Fund—arguing it relies on an outdated RCP8.5 baseline and is politically impractical. The newsletter also highlights data and market signals around generative AI: a chart (via John Burn-Murdoch) using Demirer et al. (2026) suggesting the number of apps with significant usage is falling despite many new releases, and reporting that Sam Altman warned of a meaningful pullback in AI spending. Other items: analysis of modern drone warfare and Western militaries’ slow adaptation, China exporting manufacturing capacity abroad, a paper claiming India’s recent GDP growth may be misestimated, and critiques showing errors in George Borjas’s recent research on immigration and ideology.

Morgan Stanley: Chinese Stocks to Get AI Boost

Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the upcoming inclusion of two Chinese AI companies — Knowledge Atlas Technology (operator of Zhipu AI) and MiniMax — into the Hang Seng Tech Index on June 8 will trigger substantial passive inflows, estimated at HK$10.9–15.3 billion (about $1.25–1.75 billion). The bank raised price targets for both listings and said frontier Chinese AI model firms could each earn at least $1 billion in revenue in 2026, more than doubling the following year. Morgan Stanley also noted rising costs to access Chinese AI models (to ~17% of U.S. model prices from ~5% a year earlier) and argued AI is becoming a durable, liquidity-driving force for Hong Kong equity markets amid strong regulatory and IPO activity in tech.

Nadine Bruer wird Managing Director und verstärkt Geschäftsführung von OMD Hamburg

OMD Hamburg announced Nadine Bruer as Managing Director, strengthening the site's management team. Bruer brings more than 20 years in the media agency industry and previously served as managing partner at Mid.Media in Hamburg. She also founded Impulswerkstatt Spacemaker and works as a systemic coach focused on women's development. At 49 years old, Bruer is tasked with expanding OMD Hamburg’s client portfolio, consolidating partnerships, and advancing talent development. Frank Sültmann, Managing Director of OMD Hamburg, welcomed the move as key to future growth and benefiting clients and staff. Bruer expressed eagerness to apply her entrepreneurial and innovative experience to grow the Hamburg office and drive new thinking. Susanne Grundmann, CEO of OMD Germany, praised Bruer’s long-term experience in strategic media consulting and digital expertise and noted the management appointment.