❗Let's close the gap: We still need your help to raise $40,000 by April 1. Donate now
By The Numbers

This blog is brought to you by a human

Marketplace Staff Sep 11, 2015
1 minute

That’s how long it took a robot created by the Chinese company Tencent to write a 916-word business article. As reported in the South China Morning Post, the quality of the piece was verified by a local Chinese reporter, who said it was hard to tell it wasn’t written by a human. For the record, this blog post was written by a person, not a Marketplace bot.

500 people

That’s about how many people will be employed by Kroger’s newest store in Ohio — the grocery chain’s largest store to date. The company has beat expectations in a crowded market, consistently showing strong profits on Wall Street. Part of its successful strategy: using data to predict what consumers will be interested in buying.

$15

That’s how much fast food workers will make per hour, as approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration on Thursday night. It’s the first time a state has approved a wage minimum that high. As the Associated Press writes, Vice President Joe Biden was on hand for the announcement and said that he hoped this would inspire other states to follow suit.

60,000

That’s how many centenarians now live in Japan, which has proven a financial burden on the government as it provides for an increasingly large aging population. Aside from the cost of care, the 30,379 turning 100 this year are slated to receive a commemorative silver medal that costs about $65 each. As Yahoo News writes, cheaper options are currently being explored.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.