September 22, 2022

Photo: Nicolas Armer/picture alliance via Getty Images
Good morning! Green hydrogen is where the money’s at right now, and thanks to the U.S.’s new climate law, the money will keep on flowing. But it needs to overcome some challenges if it’s to be a true climate savior.
The most abundant element in the universe is having a moment. Hydrogen’s chemical properties make it appealing as a fuel that could help clean up the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors, or as a sort of gaseous battery that stores up solar or wind energy for later use.
Green hydrogen is where the money is flowing. Hydrogen comes in a rainbow of “color” labels tied to how it's produced, ranging from gray (coal) to blue (methane gas) to pink (nuclear) to green (renewables). The first two are climate catastrophes. While pink hydrogen sounds very sci-fi, it’s green hydrogen that has the most transformative potential.
The Inflation Reduction Act could drive the industry to new heights. Green hydrogen was the talk of the town in New York for Climate Week this week. At a panel I moderated on the topic for the Danish Consulate as part of its Citizen Sustainability Summit, it became clear the U.S.’s shiny new climate law is likely to be a game-changer.
Green hydrogen is far from perfect, though. There are challenges green hydrogen — or most any color of hydrogen, really — will need to overcome before declaring it a climate savior.
Bottom line: the green hydrogen hype is real, but there’s still a way to go for it to meet expectations.
— Brian Kahn
The FDA this week announced that cooking chicken in NyQuil isn’t safe, which seems obvious; it came from a “NyQuil cooking challenge” video that went viral — more than a year ago.
Government warnings about viral online fads may come too late to be effective. The NyQuil chicken challenge resurfaced in January after starting as a joke on 4chan in 2017.
Government leaders need a lesson on virality. The timing of these warnings highlights the difficulty of staying on top of potentially dangerous challenges, which can go viral in a matter of days. “The FDA is always playing catch-up with these things,” Jeffrey Blevins, a professor at the University of Cincinnati’s journalism department, told me. “It’s impossible for them to be ahead of it. Who in their right mind would have thought of NyQuil chicken?”
It’s not just the government; pediatricians, schools, and other organizations are aware of the dangers of social media trends and are trying to catch on to them quickly. But word spreads fast, and in order for the government’s warnings to be effective, they need to happen sooner.
— Sarah Roach
This week, President Biden told millions of viewers on “60 Minutes” that the pandemic is “over,” signaling a shift in how the country is living with and thinking about COVID. The announcement proved more than a little controversial — but tech offices are already moving in the same direction.
Many tech employers have relaxed COVID restrictions, letting go of mask and vaccine mandates and doing away with symptom questionnaires, Protocol’s Allison Levitsky reports.
This summer seemed to be a tipping point for companies relaxing their rules. Du Bey said use of Eden’s vaccine tracking tools dropped off, and the desk-booking tool Officely returned half as many health surveys in August as it did in March.
The pandemic might not be as “over” as people think. For example, after returning to the office, Google employees received notifications of colleagues’ infections. Plus, loosened restrictions can make high-risk employees feel less safe at work, Allison told me. But even as COVID persists, she said, “Some employers are deciding that some increased risk of COVID transmission is worth the benefits of bringing workers together.”
— Nat Rubio-LichtHear what 1,000 C-suite execs have to say about the challenges facing accounts receivable teams today. Plus, learn why collaborative AR is the answer to the AR Disconnect that hurts customer relationships and kills cash flow.
Peter Thiel thinks Florida real estate is getting just as pricey as California:
DIsney CEO Bob Chapek said he’d love to integrate Hulu into Disney+, but it can’t happen yet:
Larry Page's Kittyhawk is winding down. The flying car startup said in a LinkedIn post that it's “still working on the details of what’s next.”
Dinna Eskin is Tesla’s new legal chief. She’s worked in Tesla’s legal department since 2017.
Satjiv Chahil is Inery’s new principal adviser. He’s Apple’s former SVP of global marketing.
Dave Ripley is replacing Jesse Powellas Kraken’s CEO. Powell will stay on the board as chair.
Jacky Wright is McKinsey’s first CTO. Wright was previously Microsoft’s chief digital officer.
The U.K. plans to investigate cloud competition between Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, as well as digital markets like FaceTime and Zoom.
Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy can't avoid testifyingas part of the FTC's probe into Amazon Prime, the commission said. Amazon had asked the FTC to cancel subpoenas for the two.
Florida wants the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether states have the right to regulate how social media companies moderate content.
Meta’s looking to cut even more costs, which may include job reductions rather than formal layoffs, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Google wants to offer HDR video and 3D audio under a new consumer-recognizable brand for free, aiming to compete with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.
TikTok is banning videos aimed at political campaign fundraising. The company will also require all accounts run by U.S. government departments, politicians, and political parties to be verified.
Microsoft said it won’t label fake news as disinformation, in order to avoid looking as though it's censoring free speech, company President Brad Smith said.
More than 80% of tech companies have taken climate actionor have committed to doing so by 2030. That compares to 42% of Fortune Global 500 companies that have made climate pledges.
Mark Zuckerberg’s expecting his third child. Congrats!
In this event, we’ll examine the current best practices for securing both large and small to medium-sized businesses, providing viewers with a true threat landscape and information they can use to make decisions about the strategy that best supports their business goals. Join us at 10 a.m. Oct. 4. RSVP here.
Keeping track of the exec behind your favorite shows is difficult, especially as big media continues to merge and grow. Vox made a handy map of which companies are ruling the entertainment game. Big takeaway: Tech companies are dominating traditional media.
Hear what 1,000 C-suite execs have to say about the challenges facing accounts receivable teams today. Plus, learn why collaborative AR is the answer to the AR Disconnect that hurts customer relationships and kills cash flow.
Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to sourcecode@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. Enjoy your day, see you tomorrow.
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