Business News at a Glance

U.S. Races Past China, for Now, With World’s Fastest Computer

For five years, China had the world’s fastest computer, a symbolic achievement for a country trying to show that it is a tech powerhouse. But the United States retook the lead thanks to a machine, called Summit, built for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. (China still has the world’s most supercomputers overall.) Summit’s speeds, announced Friday, boggle the mind. It can do mathematical calculations at the rate of 200 quadrillion per second, or 200 petaflops. A person doing one calculation a second would have to live for more than 6.3 billion years to match what the machine can do in a second.

Pixar Co-Founder to Exit After Misconduct Claims

John Lasseter, the animation titan who has been on leave from The Walt Disney Co. following complaints about unwanted workplace hugging, will not return to the conglomerate. Disney said on Friday that Lasseter — the creative force behind the billion-dollar “Toy Story,” “Cars” and “Frozen” franchises — would take on a consulting role at the company until the end of the year and then leave permanently. He will not have an office in the interim. Lasseter, 61, served as chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, which he helped found, and the separate Walt Disney Animation studio. Disney did not name replacements.

Verizon’s Choice of CEO Shows Its Focus on 5G

The telecom giant Verizon said on Friday that it was installing its head of technology as chief executive. Verizon said that Lowell McAdam, the current chief executive, was retiring and that Hans Vestberg, the chief technology officer, will succeed him Aug. 1. The changing of the guard comes at a time when the wireless industry as a whole is grappling with new technologies. The choice of Vestberg, 52, who has overseen the deployment of next-generation 5G mobile services, underscores the importance Verizon places on that technology, which will lay the wireless foundation for self-driving cars and smart appliances.

China’s ZTE, Problem Child of Telecom, Has Checkered Past and Shaky Future

With Chinese electronics maker ZTE’s deal this week to replace near-fatal U.S. sanctions with a $1 billion fine, the company will be able to get back to making smartphones and network equipment. Barred from buying U.S.-made components for the past two months, it halted operations and will now have to mend relations with customers. It will also need to confront deeper questions about its way of doing business, which has left a trail of accusations of bribery, overbilling and rule-breaking. “Even with the ban lifted, operators will think twice about bringing them in,” said Bengt Nordstrom of the consultancy Northstream.

Cosmetics Retailer Drops Campaign Against Undercover British Police

The cosmetics retailer Lush is unapologetically strident when it comes to social issues. Its new campaign in Britain, however, may have gone too far. The company on Thursday took down storefront displays that had prompted controversy in recent days for being sharply critical of undercover police. The posters and advertising alluded to public anger over the actions, over several years, of undercover detectives who used sexual relationships to infiltrate environmental and social justice advocacy groups. In 2015, the police formally apologized for the tactics.

Pilot for ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Will Be Made by HBO

The premium cable channel HBO announced Friday that it would make a pilot for one of the five “Game of Thrones” prequels it has in development. The pilot will take place “thousands of years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones,’” the network said in a statement. It did not say when the pilot might air. George R.R. Martin, the author of the “Game of Thrones” books, wrote the story for the pilot, along with Jane Goldman, who wrote the teleplay and will serve as the showrunner for the pilot.