On the agenda:

• Finland residents roll their eyes at its ranking of “world’s happiest country.”
• China’s economy is way more screwed than anyone thought.
• Amazon is furiously working to take advantage of the generative-AI boom.
• Oracle laid off hundreds in its $28 billion Cerner health unit.

Return-to-office fight

Google, for example, has told staff they’re expected in the office three days a week, and has now said that those who don’t keep to that schedule could see their performance reviews impacted. Googlers are not happy about it.

Amazon, Snap, and Meta are among the other companies that are requiring workers to return to the office. Workers who don’t want to return are faced with the prospect of landing one of a dwindling number of remote jobs, with no guarantee that these jobs will pay as well.

In a survey of 1,000 respondents, Schwab asked which better described wealth: having the flexibility of working where and how they wanted, or having a higher salary. 60% picked flexibility over more money.

And in a recent post on Fishbowl, one user asked how much of a pay cut people would take to work from home or have a minimal commute. Many said they’d choose a pay cut, with some saying they’d take a 15% reduction.

How about you? I’d love to hear from you. Let me know at insidertoday@insider.com.

Secrets of the ‘happiest’ country

However, when Insider’s Beatrice Nolan spoke to locals about the ranking, many were exasperated by it. Others were annoyed. Some even rolled their eyes or sighed. “We don’t agree with it — it’s just not real for us,” one local said.

In fact, many Finns say the problem might be that we’re confusing happiness for something else.

Read the full story.

But six months into the year, disappointing industrial production, slowed trade, and a private sector that’s running scared are turning Wall Street’s dreams for the country into a nightmare. The old China is gone — and that’s a problem for the US.

The end of China’s economic miracle. 

Also read:

• China plans big stimulus jolt and looser property rules as Beijing reaches for stronger measures to revive economy

The document covered everything from auto-generating software code and marketing materials to providing better customer support. “Amazon must be really scared about being late on all of this,” an Amazon employee told Insider. “Everything is ‘ChatGPT’ and it feels incredibly rushed.”

Inside Amazon’s rush to respond to ChatGPT.

Also read:

• Investors shut out of traditional funding rounds are scouring secondary markets to snap up shares in buzzy AI startups like Dataminr, Hugging Face, and Anthropic

The layoffs were due in large part to Cerner’s challenged work with a massive government contract. The US Department of Veterans Affairs had hired Cerner to replace its homemade medical records. Work on the project began in 2020, and has since been plagued by fits and starts.

Read our full story here.

— Gia Mora, who traveled 18,000 miles in her Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle, on one of the things that has surprised her the most about long-distance EV road trips.

Disney, BlackRock, & more

• Disney is at a crossroads with Hulu, and CEO Bob Iger’s decision about the streamer could affect his legacy.
• The inflation-trader hiring frenzy: Where top players are landing as the war for talent heats up.
• “I moved to Germany and regret it.” An American expat says the hassles aren’t worth it.
• The tightrope CEOs are walking is getting more precarious.
• Homebuyers on a budget should look for a house in these 15 smaller markets.
• The fertility business is booming as startups go after big profits in a $54 billion market.
• BlackRock is on the hunt for deals to double its private-markets business.

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