US workers want to go boss-free, the coming elevator revolution, and more top insights

During the week, the Daily Rundown brings you the day’s trending professional news. On the weekend, we try to keep you current on the big ideas that can help you see what’s coming. Read on and join the conversation.

America is about to become freelance nation. The number of self-employed US workers could triple by 2020 to 42 million, according to a survey by accounting firm FreshBooks. A staggering 97% of those who freelance say they're not interested in returning to traditional work. Some 43% think the switch will give them more control over their career. The survey results lend credence to what other studies have suggested: For many, climbing the corporate ladder isn’t as appealing as professional freedom. • Share your thoughts: #SelfEmployedRising

Your next elevator may go sideways. To support the nearly 200 supertall megatowers going up in the next few years, elevator companies are racing to give the cable-pulley approach used since Roman times a massive upgrade, reports Bloomberg. What’s on tap? Maglev-powered systems that can move elevator cars horizontally, vertically and even outside buildings; and ultralight carbon fiber wire that can hoist an elevator car 1,000 meters in a single run. Industry leaders “are setting benchmarks so fast that one of the biggest hurdles to innovation now is the human body.” • Share your thoughts: #ElevatorRevolution

China has a baby problem

China’s working-age population has been shrinking since 2012, posing a threat to the nation’s economic growth prospects, reports Bloomberg. In response, Beijing loosened its one-child policy in 2016, which led to an initial 7.9% baby bump — but the birth rate dipped in 2017, as the cost of living in China’s cities climbed. • Join the conversation: #ChinaBirthRate

Good news for universal basic income fans. Critics worry that giving out no-strings-attached cash will encourage people to stop working — but a new study suggests that’s not the case in Alaska, which has had its own version of UBI since 1982. Using tax revenues from the oil industry, Alaska has been cutting checks to its residents; researchers found that such payments had almost no effect on employment. While the checks aren’t enough to live comfortably, they do keep people above the critical $2 a day poverty threshold. • Share your thoughts: #BasicIncomeAlaska

Pigs may not fly, but they could give you a new heart. Researchers are looking to use CRISPR gene editing to generate potentially transplantable human organs out of pig and sheep embryos, The Economist reports. Researchers snip out pieces of the animal genome critical to organ formation and replace them with human stem cells, yielding a human-livestock combo. 75,000 people in the US are waiting for organ donations, around 20 die every day, and the need is expected to grow as life becomes safer. • Share your thoughts: #PigOrganDonor

One last idea: On Saturday, Warren Buffett released his famed annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. Using a Rudyard Kipling poem to illustrate his point, the legendary investor emphasized the importance of keeping a cool head — and avoiding debt — amid volatile markets. • Share your thoughts: #BuffettLetter

“Even if your borrowings are small and your positions aren't immediately threatened by the plunging market, your mind may well become rattled by scary headlines and breathless commentary. And an unsettled mind will not make good decisions.”

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— Scott Olster / Share this using #DailyRundown