Elon Musk polled Twitter users—his preferred decision-making method—on whether he should step down as the company's CEO. Of 17.5 million votes, 58% said yes.

Catch up: In recent days, Musk has faced backlash over creating some off-the-cuff platform rules, like banning accounts for sharing people’s real-time locations (including one tracking his jet) or promoting other social media sites in their bios. 

Why it matters: Critics suggest Musk's polls offer the illusion of public sway on decisions he’s already made, like reinstating Donald Trump or selling Tesla stock. Musk has said he didn’t intend to stay on as Twitter’s CEO for the long term. 

• Whether or not this is a convenient way to step back during a rocky time, Musk deserves some credit for usually going with what the “people” want.
   
• Other factors could be pushing Musk to step down. Tesla, of which Musk is the CEO, has been hurting as shareholders worry about his lack of focus.

Yes, but: It’s not clear how the company's direction would change under a new leader, considering Musk would still get the last word, you know, since he owns it.

What’s next: Users are fleeing, the EU has threatened sanctions, and Musk is looking for investors. The search for a successor could create more chaos at Twitter and guarantee more Musk-filled news cycles (which we apologize for in advance).

Donald Trump could face criminal charges. The US House committee on the Capitol riots referred the former president to the Justice Department, accusing him of conspiracy and assisting an insurrection, among other things. It’s the first time Congress has taken such actions against a former POTUS. (The Guardian)

The EU agrees on a gas price cap. Starting in February, the EU will cap the price of natural gas at €180 per megawatt hour if its benchmark prices exceed that level for over three straight workdays. The contested measure aims to lower energy bills that have soared since Russia cut off most EU gas deliveries. (CNN)

Bank of Canada advisors call out the Finance Department. A group overseen by the BoC called out a decision to cancel new inflation-linked bonds, considered a hedge against inflation, for the potential to undermine confidence in the debt market. Canada is the only G7 country not issuing these bonds. (Financial Post)

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It seems like most carmakers are aboard the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon these days… 

But not according to Toyota President Akio Toyoda. The executive said he’s among the auto industry’s silent majority in questioning whether EVs should be pursued exclusively, per The Wall Street Journal, as uncertainty about the realistic speed of the EV transition gowns.

• GM and Honda have set dates for when their lineups will be fully electric, but Toyota is investing in more a diverse lineup by continuing to fund hybrids.
   
• Toyota is also one of the few carmakers developing zero-emission cars powered by hydrogen, a contested but high-potential power source. 

Why it matters: Consumer demand for EVs is high, but supply challenges (like securing raw materials for batteries) have caused prices to skyrocket. If the cost of an EV becomes out of reach for buyers, it throws a wrench into carmakers’ plans.  

• The world’s biggest carmaker sees hybrids, a technology it invented with the Prius in the 90s, as an important (and affordable) option for consumers. 

Zoom out: EV makers have a big set of challenges to address, including worries that demand will drop once supply catches up, government subsidies and the building of charging networks might lag behind, or that cars won’t fulfill their green promises. 

Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, has agreed to pay US$520 million to resolve two US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints.

Driving the news: Epic was dinged for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and for its use of “dark patterns”—tactics like using confusing selection options and obscuring refund features to trap or trick players into unwanted transactions. 

• Epic collected info about players under 13 without parental consent and enabled real-time chat for those under 18 by default (a no-no). 
   
• The company also ignored over one million complaints about unwanted charges and locked the accounts of users who disputed them with credit card companies.

In Canada, Epic’s also in hot water.

A Québec Superior Court judge approved a class action lawsuit claiming Epic purposefully designed Fortnite (the same game relevant in the FTC complaint) to addict child players, leading to excessive spending and health issues.

Why it matters: Other game makers that target kids with addictive games that are free to play, but incentivize spending and the exchange of personal information might reconsider their approach after seeing Epic pay out such hefty fines.

Epic released a statement that read: “The old status quo for in-game commerce and privacy has changed… many developer practices should be reconsidered”. 

🏈 $3.5 billion. Rumoured price (in USD) the NFL wanted Apple to pay for exclusive rights to its Sunday Ticket streaming package. Apple has reportedly exited negotiations. 

🧾 10-12%. Share of Canadians who don’t file their taxes, with many low-income Canadians losing out on money due to language barriers, cognitive issues, or being unaware.

💸 $1.02 billion. Amount (in USD) that crypto exchange Binance is buying bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital’s assets for. Now-defunct FTX was the initial buyer.

• Boxing Day is almost here—stay on top of the best deals with The Peak Money, our twice-a-week personal finance newsletter. Sign up now with one click.
   
• What Canadians would change about Canada, according to Reddit.
   
• Last minute Christmas gift: Surprise your loved ones with this US$11,500 Alexa-equipped toilet.
   
• Could a thin layer of gold be the secret to glasses that never fog up?
   
• Holiday fitness tips from Star Wars star John Boyega’s trainer.
   
• Read: How Millenials became cringe.

• Let The Peak know, and we might add you to our 2023 class of Emerging Leaders. 

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