📈 Wish upon a star

Good morning. Tired of showering? Well, Japanese company Science has a solution for you with its Mirai Human Washing Machine. The pod-like device lets users lie down inside, where they are automatically cleaned as soothing music and visuals play. It’s not widely available yet, but the first model was purchased by an Osaka hotel for about US$385,000. 

We truly are getting closer each day to living in the world from WALL-E.

Today’s reading time is 5 minutes.

Markets: Even though an ~11% drop in Oracle shares caused a ripple effect that hit Canadian tech stocks, Canada’s main stock index still reached a new record high yesterday, thanks to surging gold and copper prices.

Get ready to see some creepy AI Disney videos where Iron Man and Elsa from Frozen search for their long-lost father, Darth Vader. 

What happened: Walt Disney is investing US$1 billion in OpenAI and will license its library of characters across the Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney franchises to use in its AI video platform, Sora. This marks the largest investment a Hollywood studio has ever made in an AI company. 

Why it matters: Disney opening up its tightly guarded IP (remember the Disney Vault?) is a major endorsement of AI-generated content. With one of Hollywood’s biggest players now on board, it likely won’t be long until other studios hop on the AI-video train. 

Yes, but: Given the lengths Disney has gone to protect its family-friendly image, this deal is a huge risk. AI video models have been known to generate vulgar content, and while Disney has prohibited videos that include drugs, alcohol, and sex, there’s no guarantee OpenAI will be able to stop users from making clips of Donald Duck smoking a joint and getting busy.—LA 

Canada ran a surprise trade surplus in September. Canada exported more goods than it imported in September. It was the first time this had happened since January (read: when the trade war broke out), boosted by a 44% jump in trade surplus to the U.S. Speaking of which, the reason the September data just came out was because of the U.S. government shutdown. 

Another Conservative MP crosses the floor. Michael Ma, the Member of Parliament for Markham-Unionville, joined the Liberal caucus, bringing the Carney government to just one seat shy of a majority.

Amazon is plotting click-and-collect pickup. In a bid to better compete with Walmart, Amazon is launching a new rush delivery service that will let shoppers grab their orders at Amazon-owned stores within an hour, according to a document obtained by Business Insider.

Eli Lilly’s weight-loss shot could be the next blockbuster drug. Retatrutide, the pharma giant’s new weight-loss drug, helped patients lose up to 29% of their body weight in recent trials. For comparison, Lilly’s own Zepbound showed average weight loss of 15% to 21%, depending on the dose. They gotta come up with a better name than retatrutide, but it’s a good start!

An evacuation order in B.C.’s Fraser Valley was expanded as strong floodwaters from next-door Washington State flowed in. 

Both Mark Carney and trade minister Dominic LeBlanc assured that the U.S. isn’t actively trying to destroy the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

The CEO of Lululemon is quitting after a rough year in which the company’s stock price fell nearly 50%.

Coca-Cola’s CEO James Quincey is also stepping down.—QH

The Peak, in partnership with Alan, is launching Canada’s Workplace Health Leaders – a national program highlighting the people shaping healthier workplaces across the country. We're looking for the best stories of HR and people leaders at Canadian companies who are:

If you know someone (or are someone) leading the charge on workplace health in Canada, we want to hear about it. Nominations are now open. Nominate a leader today.

The feds are hoping that national pride will be enough to lure Bay Street hotshots into the public service. 

Driving the news: Ottawa’s Major Projects Office (MPO) — the body in charge of streamlining approvals and coordinating financing for projects of “national interest” — is trying to convince Bay Street to lend it some young talent, sources told the Globe and Mail. 

Why it’s happening: While the MPO is filling senior roles with bankers, lawyers, and execs with long careers who don’t mind taking a pay cut, it’s been harder to staff junior or mid-career positions as younger workers aren’t so keen on disrupting promising careers. 

Why it matters: The whole conceit of ‘nation-building’ requires, well, builders. And there appears to be a dearth of them, both in the MPO itself, and on the ground where the literal building happens. According to a Deloitte report from earlier this year, Canada will need around half a million more tradespeople by 2030 to meet federal infrastructure and housing goals.—QH

Fusion energy firm General Fusion raises $51.5 million. In May, the Richmond, B.C., company laid off staff and slashed operations amid a cash crunch. Now, it’s back from the brink, securing a $30 million raise in August, and this new $51.5-million round led by 67 investors. The raise is contingent on General Fusion going public as soon as possible. 

Why it matters: Nuclear fusion has long been a white whale for scientists, promising an energy source that’s powerful, abundant, and carbon-free. The problem is harnessing a mercurial process into something commercially viable and easily repeatable. General Fusion believes that it has what it takes, and this funding will allow it to continue building its demonstration program.

🚂 12. Hours that Via Rail passengers were stranded near Brockville, Ontario, overnight after a mechanical failure delayed three different trains. In a comedy of errors, one train suffered a mechanical error, resulting in passengers being moved to different trains several times throughout the ordeal. This is a rare occurrence, but not as rare as it should be for Via.

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