Stephan's Thursday Picks

• The QR backlash has won. Restaurants are ditching them (WSJ)
• How Amazon blew Alexa's shot to dominate AI (Fortune)
• Applebee's, IHOP look to service diners hungry for deals. Will profits take a hit (WSJ)
• Games are proving their pull on news and tech sites (NYTNYT)
• Target's online chief turned to stores to solve its online fulfillment problem (WSJ)

 Stephan's Wednesday Picks

• The restaurant QR code is being shown the door (NYT)
• Pasta prices are surging, prompting crisis meetings in Italy (CNBC)
• Beware of the food that isn't food (The Atlantic)
• Aldo to expand to wholesale in licensing deal with Ted Baker and Brooks Brothers (Globe and Mail)
• Retailers clamp down on returns (WSJ)