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Finishing your work early is great... until someone says “I’ll find you something to do”.
Pick & Scroll News
August 13, 2025
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Good morning. Finishing your work early is great… until someone says “I’ll find you something to do”.
One Aussie Corp Redditor’s solution is a masterclass in staying off the radar: download random reports and “accidentally” upskill in Excel and Power BI.
It’s the corporate equivalent of refilling your coffee before a meeting, a small bit of performance that makes you look busy and engaged.
All the headlines and more below...
AUSTRALIAN NEWS
Australia cuts interest rates, signals more to come as inflation slows
The RBA cut the cash rate by a quarter point to 3.6% while forecasting a productivity growth downgrade to just 0.7% annually. LINK
All four major banks - Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ANZ and Westpac - have announced they will pass the full rate cut to variable home loan customers by the end of August. LINK
The RBA's latest rate cut to 3.6% will save mortgage holders $2,884 annually on a $500,000 loan. LINK
Australian business confidence reached a 3-year high whilst service and construction sectors led growth despite retail price pressures. LINK
The compulsory Superannuation Guarantee has boosted retirement incomes by $11,388 per year for low and middle-income earners. LINK
Land costs have become the primary challenge for small developers in Sydney and Melbourne projects under $15M, surpassing financing concerns. LINK
The ACCC has reported that frequent flyer members pay 8% more for flights due to points and status incentives. LINK
GLOBAL NEWS
US, China extend tariff truce by 90 days, staving off surge in duties
COMPANY NEWS
Deloitte sacks 14 over misconduct issues
Deloitte has reduced its workforce by 900 staff and terminated 14 employees for misconduct as revenue declined 8.3% to $2.55B in FY25. LINK
The Federal Court has ruled that Apple and Google misused market power in app store charges against developers. LINK
NBN Co plans to upgrade standard internet speeds to 500Mbps amid $963M loss. LINK
Westpac CEO Anthony Miller has admitted rural branch closures were a mistake whilst announcing plans to expand regional services. LINK
Meta has denied allegations of scraping Australian news sites for AI model training. LINK
KPMG, Deloitte and PwC have dismissed 35 employees for misconduct including sexual harassment cases. LINK
DocuSign has partnered with Microsoft Azure to establish Australian data centres by year-end to meet AI and security requirements. LINK
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has switched to commercial flights from private jet travel whilst advocating for environmental sustainability. LINK
ONE MORE SCROLL
Editor’s Pick: Flights to Tokyo $737 return, Osaka $747/$742 return (Aug-Dec) flying out from SYD/MEL with China Airlines.
Draft Pick: Dylan Shiel learns fate at AFL tribunal over questionable act.
Odd Pick: These are Sony’s new noise-canceling headphones for NFL coaches, which are made to be thrown on the ground.
TOGETHER WITH
Take what you’re doing offline and circle back on team wellness because real team bonding happens with puppies, not PowerPoint. Give your team an event they’ll actually look forward to with Puppy Yoga!
We’ve got you covered with Corporate Cuddles and Puppy Yoga 🐶
BRAINTEASER
There are four boxes. One contains $100, and the other three are empty. A player may pay X each time they choose to open a box and keep whatever is inside. Once a box is selected, it is removed from the game. A player can continue opening boxes as many times as they wish.
Assuming the game is fair, what is the fair value of X?
Answer below
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ANSWER
$40.
Many people incorrectly answer $25, using the geometric distribution, assuming there’s a ¼ chance of winning on each independent trial. However, this is incorrect because the boxes are opened without replacement, and the game ends as soon as the $100 is found.
Since the $100 is randomly placed in one of the four boxes, each position (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th opened) is equally likely. The expected cost is therefore:
(1X + 2X + 3X + 4X)/4 = 2.5X.
As 2.5X = 100
X = 40.
Source: Puzzleaday.com
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