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Is Gibson, a Totem of Guitar Godhead, Headed for Chapter 11?

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Supported by Business Day Is Gibson, a Totem of Guitar Godhead, Headed for Chapter 11? Photo Credit Jens Mortensen for The New York Times Gibson, what happened?
There’s been talk of bankruptcy swirling around Gibson, the venerated Nashville-based guitar company, which takes in more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue but is more than $500 million in debt. Buzzards are circling. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the private equity giant, is a bondholder. Blackstone is also a major lender.
Gibson’s problems are not hard to diagnose. The company’s longtime chief executive, Henry Juszkiewicz, wanted to diversify by turning Gibson into what he has called a “music lifestyle company” — basically a consumer electronics business that sells headphones and hi-fis as well as guitars. He made a splashy purchase of the audio and home entertainment division of Netherlands-based Royal Philips in 2014, and then ran headlong into the collapse of the euro.
It was a disaster. Mr. Juszkiewicz, in an interview,..

Bits: The Self-Driving Car Industry’s Biggest Turning Point Yet

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Supported by Technology The Self-Driving Car Industry’s Biggest Turning Point Yet Photo Waymo said it would order up to 20,000 vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover in the next two years for its self-driving consumer ride service. Credit Joshua Bright for The New York Times Each week, Kevin Roose, technology columnist at The New York Times, discusses developments in the tech industry, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here.
One perk — or hazard, I suppose — of being a technology writer for the past few years has been getting invited to ride in a bunch of autonomous vehicles. I’ve been shuttled around in nearly a dozen self-driving prototypes, including a Ford in Michigan, an Uber in Pennsylvania and a Chrysler minivan in the California desert.
Whenever anyone asks what it’s like to ride in self-driving cars, my reply is: “Which self-driving cars?” Casual observers tend to talk about the progress of autonomous vehicles as if they’re a ..

Trump, Lacking Leverage Over North Korea, Takes Aim at South Instead

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Trump, Lacking Leverage Over North Korea, Takes Aim at South Instead Photo President Trump delivering a speech in Richfield, Ohio, on Thursday. Analysts say Mr. Trump’s decision to link a trade deal with South Korea to progress in denuclearizing North Korea shows a growing unease in Washington. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea settled disputes with the Trump administration over steel tariffs and the revision of a free-trade agreement this week. With those stumbling blocks cleared, it hoped the two governments could focus on the more pressing crisis of North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
As it turned out, South Korea was celebrating too early.
On Thursday, President Trump said he might postpone finalizing the trade agreement with South Korea, which he had earlier described as “a wonderful deal with a wonderful ally,” until he secured a deal in denuclearizing North Korea.
“You know why?” he said. “Because it’s a very strong card.”
By tying a trade deal wi..