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<title>The Business Economic &#45; : Concerns</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/rss/category/concerns</link>
<description>The Business Economic &#45; : Concerns</description>
<dc:language>en</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Copyright 2022. The Business Economic &#45; All Rights Reserved.</dc:rights>

<item>
<title>Workplaces are pushing out working mothers—and paying the cost</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/workplaces-are-pushing-out-working-mothersand-paying-the-cost</link>
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<description><![CDATA[ Dr. Anne Welsh had her dream job as a clinical psychologist at Harvard University Health Services, working with undergraduate and graduate students. But in 2011, while pregnant with her second child and raising a toddler at home, she decided that her 60-client caseload was no longer sustainable.



Welsh and another pregnant colleague developed a plan. They would share a caseload, splitting responsibilities so they could continue working part-time while caring for their growing families. They created a detailed job-share proposal covering logistics, scheduling, and continuity of care. Welsh brought it to their practice director. 



Their director barely glanced at it. 



Part-time work, he informed Welsh, was “too logistically complicated.” There were hundreds of other people who wanted her job. She could take it—or leave it. 



Welsh left.



She wasn’t the only one to leave. In the following years, four or five more clinicians resigned after becoming parents, including the colleague who co-created the job proposal with Welsh. The institution finally adjusted its caseload expectations, but not before inflexibility cost these parents their jobs and led to the loss of talented employees with institutional knowledge.



What looks like a personal choice is often shaped by something larger—systems that leave little room for mothers to stay. 



The forces pushing women out 



During the first half of last year, more than 455,000 women left the U.S. workforce—the sharpest decline in over 40 years for mothers of young children. 



Some have described it as opting out. Welsh says “forced out” is more accurate.



Experts point to a combination of pressures: return-to-work mandates, limited flexibility, invisible labor pressures at home, and rising childcare costs. Daycare and preschool have risen around two times the cost of overall inflation for the past year and a half.



“It means that more and more workers are being affected,” Matthew Nestler, a senior economist at KPMG, told Fast Company. “And it’s roughly 90% women, mostly women 25 to 44.” 



Many of these women are leaving their careers to become the default parent. 



At the same time, the Women in the Workplace 2025 report found that women were 6% less likely than men to seek promotions, framing the trend as an “ambition gap.” 



However, the report notes that this so-called gap is often a response to a lack of workplace support, including limited mentorship and persistent gender bias. The report also found that 25% of entry and senior-level women cite personal obligations at home as the reason they don’t want to take on more responsibilities.



Many high-achieving women, Welsh says, are caught in a psychological bind—deeply committed to their career and motherhood, yet feel as though they’re failing at both.



This “ambition paradox” is a concept explored in her forthcoming book, Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home. Women aren’t losing ambition, she says, they’re forced to refine it. Some are doing this by starting their own companies, others by stepping back to part-time work or staying home to care for their children. 



But scaling back often comes at the expense of career advancement and long-term earning potential, a phenomenon known as the “motherhood penalty.” One Urban Institute study estimated that caregivers lose an average of $237,000 in lifetime earnings. And according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, employed mothers nationwide earned around 62 to 74 cents per dollar paid to fathers in 2022. 



The motherhood advantage that companies are losing out on



Working mothers are often viewed as less committed, driven, or focused, but the irony is that the transition into motherhood has cognitive benefits that can benefit their careers. One study found that midlife mothers with more children had “younger-looking brains,” “faster response times, and fewer errors on visual memory tasks,” and better verbal memory.



 “When you have a child, it is the most massive neuro-rewiring that you experience as a person other than in adolescence,” says Welsh, adding that mothers often become stronger in time prioritization, emotional intelligence, delegation, and boundary setting



In other words, workplaces are losing women when they are at their zenith. Companies are paying a price for this.



Those that fail to support and train mothers lose out on institutional knowledge, productivity, and profitability, says Nestler. There are also tangible financial losses: replacing mid-level employees can cost as much as double their annual salary, due to recruiting, training, and ramp-up time.



 Research also shows that companies who prioritized women’s representation outperform their peers by 18%. 



When workplaces recognize motherhood as an advantage, not a liability, they may begin promoting mothers instead of punishing them, Welsh says.



The care and keeping of working mothers 



Welsh says meaningful support starts with parental leave policies that don’t penalize either parent. 



“I’ve worked with women who returned from leave to find they were passed over for a promotion that had been on track before they left,” says Welsh. “I’ve worked with others who were told to “take it easy” when they came back, even when they were ready and eager to re-engage, and in that process had key clients or projects reassigned.” 



Allowing parents to take the leave promised to them without penalties needs to come with “clear promotion criteria, intentional re-onboarding, and ensuring people return to meaningful work rather than a narrowed scope,” adds Welsh. 



 Flexible work environments with real boundaries, not 24/7 expectations, are also imperative. 



“There are plenty of jobs that cannot be done remotely, but we can have flexibility in those cases around schedules—coming in or leaving, having a longer workday, fewer days a week…or some flexibility around structure,” says Welsh. 



She advocates for outcome-based evaluations rather than time-based ones.



 “What are we actually wanting to pay people for?” she asks. “Is it the literal time they’re sitting at their chair, or is it the impact they are making?”



Additional supports include childcare support, normalizing caretaking responsibilities, and executive coaching for working parents. 



Executive coaching helps parents to stop viewing work and family as competing forces, says Welsh, and to translate their experiences at home into intentional leadership skills that show up in the workplace, too. 



When you offer this kind of support to new parents, Welsh says companies often see “higher retention, especially at mid-career points where many women leave. You see stronger leadership pipelines because people aren’t opting out or being sidelined during these transitions. And you see managers who are more thoughtful, more decisive, and better equipped to lead teams through complexity.”



But until workplace culture evolves, working mothers are stuck feeling as if they have to choose between their family and their careers. 



The corporate ladder is not working for mothers



For decades, success has been defined by the corporate ladder—you climb up the rungs for money, power, and titles, or you fall off. However, working mothers are now redefining what career success looks like.



Instead of a ladder,  Welsh uses the analogy of a playground web to illustrate how ambition is an expansive concept that allows movement in all directions—upward, sideways, downwards, depending on someone’s needs. Lynette-Matthews-Murphy, an award-winning restaurateur in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, can relate.



Matthews-Murphy started in fashion and events, later purchased a wedding publication, which she sold three years later when the demands of motherhood felt overwhelming. She then stayed home with her toddler. But, while pregnant with her second child, her marriage fell apart. She was forced to re-enter the workforce as a single mother of two boys, an infant and a three-year-old. 



Over the years, she says her career looked like a zig-zag line, shifting careers to meet the demands of her growing boys. When the boys were in late elementary and middle school, Matthews-Murphy stepped back from her full-time job as visitor center manager in Winston-Salem to a part-time position to spend more time with them. She had remarried, making the pay cut possible. 



Two years later, she rejoined the workforce this time as an executive director for Winston-Salem’s event program. While it was a full time job and far more responsibility, she was also given flexibility such as setting her own hours and working from home, which made the job sustainable.



After her children left for college, Matthews-Murphy felt ready to reinvent her career again, and ultimately opened two award-winning restaurants, which are fixtures in the Winston-Salem community. 



Both Welsh and Matthews-Murphy have adapted and reinvented themselves multiple times. For mothers like them who step away or pull back for a season, ambition isn’t lost—it simply shifts. With support and a bit of reinvention, they can re-enter or remain in the workforce. But it takes flexibility from smart companies willing to recognize motherhood as an advantage, not a liability. In turn, they’re rewarded with a more productive, efficient, and resilient workforce. 



The companies that force mothers out will pay for it through the steep financial costs of turnover, retraining, and missed innovation they can’t easily replace. And it will be a loss of their own making.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Why you’re just one event away from quitting your job</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-youre-just-one-event-away-from-quitting-your-job</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-youre-just-one-event-away-from-quitting-your-job</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Below, Anthony Klotz shares five key insights from his new book, Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters.



Klotz is a professor of organizational behavior at UCL School of Management in London. He is best known for predicting the pandemic-related Great Resignation. He has written for the Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and his research is regularly published in leading academic journals in management.



What’s the big idea?



Even when quitting feels like a slow burn that dances around your mind for months—or even years—the truth is that finally leaving is caused by a sudden spark. Unexpected “jolts” drive us to rethink our work, often leading to impulsive exits, but we can respond more deliberately to make smarter career moves.



Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Klotz himself—in the Next Big Idea app, or buy the book.







1. We’re all one event away from quitting our jobs.



If you were to get enough money to live as comfortably as you would like for the rest of your life, would you continue to work or stop?



Every two years since 1972, the General Social Survey has asked a representative sample of Americans this very question. For most of that time, the results have steadily indicated that around 7 out of 10 people would keep working even if they didn’t need the paycheck. Global surveys indicate similar findings. But then the pandemic hit, and the number of people reporting they would keep working if they won the lottery dropped precipitously to an all-time low. This drop corresponded with a historic surge in people quitting their jobs: the Great Resignation.



When teaching and speaking, I ask the lottery question and always find similar results. However, one time, a professional in the audience asked me to rephrase the question so that instead of asking How many people would keep working, it asked How many people would quit their jobs if they won the lottery. I have asked it in this rephrased way many times since, and consistently find that only around 10% of people would keep working at their current job if they struck it rich.




“But then the pandemic hit, and the number of people reporting they would keep working if they won the lottery dropped precipitously to an all-time low.”




What do the changes in these lottery-question responses—before and after the pandemic, and between working in general versus working at your current job—tell us about our relationship with work? We are all just one event away from quitting our jobs. These events, called jolts, happen much more frequently than lottery wins or pandemics.



2. “Jolts” are the missing piece of the quitting puzzle.



In 2005, comedian Dave Chappelle abruptly quit his TV show at the height of its success. What led him to suddenly walk away?



Organizational psychologists have studied the causes of quitting for over a century, and for most of that time, the research could be boiled down to two main reasons for turnover:




The negative parts of your job add up over time and push you toward quitting.



When positive opportunities for other jobs or careers are appealing enough, they pull you away from your current job, toward the exit door.




Push and pull. These two forces are intuitive and powerful, and they do explain why people quit in many cases. The only problem is that they only explain around half of the quitting that happens in the workforce. What about the other half, like Chappelle’s sudden turn away from success?



In the early 1990s, organizational researchers Tom Lee and Terry Mitchell found the missing piece of the puzzle. They proposed, and then provided evidence, that quitting often stems from one single event that jolts employees, causing them to rethink their relationship with work. In explaining why he left, Chappelle described one such jolt, in which the bad behavior of a single colleague during a specific episode triggered reflection, and then a strong urge to walk away from the show.



If you think back over your own life, you can probably recall some of the jolts you’ve experienced—events, big and small, that stop you in your tracks, often leading you to make major career changes.



3. You will encounter six types of jolts in your life.



Over the past three decades, researchers, including myself, have catalogued the different types of jolts that spur employees to quit:




Direct jolts stem from negative events that happen to us at work. They can range from major failures that make us question whether we are a good fit for our jobs, to minor slights like a rude comment from our boss.



Sideways jolts come to us collaterally, stemming from events that befall our coworkers. These also include when our colleagues quit their jobs, and it affects us through a process called turnover contagion.



External jolts reside outside of work, when negative events in our personal lives reveal that we need to rethink our relationship with work.



Specialized jolts such as those that strike during what is, somewhat counterintuitively, the most common time for quitting across organizations: the first year on the job.



Distant jolts don’t affect us directly, but still can jolt us. Science is increasingly revealing how and why events that happen in faraway places influence us.



Positive jolts come from the bright side of life, emerging from both the big and the mundane positive events in our lives.




Jolts are everywhere! Because jolts are so prevalent, it can be difficult to determine when we should take action in response to them, versus simply carrying on. But figuring that out is critical, given the stakes involved.



4. The honeymoon-hangover effect is real, but avoidable.



In the years following the Great Resignation, dozens of news stories reported that some workers who quit during that period ultimately regretted their decision. Some went so far as to call it the Great Regret. For those of us who study turnover, however, a spike in regret following a spike in resignations is to be expected, due to what is known as the honeymoon-hangover effect.



One of the most common mistakes people make in response to jolts is quitting too soon. Although quick quitting is sometimes warranted, it is often a one-way ticket to regret. Discovered and coined by management scholar Wendy Boswell, the honeymoon-hangover effect describes the reality that many job and career changes lead to an immediate bump in happiness and well-being, followed by a crash that leaves many workers less happy in their new role than in the one they just quit.



This crash comes from two places. First, it comes from a jolt wherein you realize that one or more expectations that you had about your new job are not going to be met. Second, it comes from the realization that you could have taken action to fix the problem in your prior job before you called it quits.




“One of the most common mistakes people make in response to jolts is quitting too soon.”




While it’s normal to have some mixed feelings after quitting a job, regret needn’t be one of them. By developing a strategy for responding to jolts that goes beyond the binary options of carrying on or walking away, we can maximize the chances of either fixing our relationship with work without quitting or quitting in a way that avoids any hangovers in our next chapter.



5. You can learn to leave better.



In 2012, Greg Smith quit his job at Goldman Sachs by publishing an op-ed in The New York Times that cast the bank in an unfavorable light. Although bridge-burning resignations remain rare, thanks to social media, examples of them are more prevalent than ever.



However, instead of actively harming their relationship with a soon-to-be former employer, most workers try to quit in a way that preserves or strengthens it. And yet, people often resign in ways that unnecessarily harm their connection to the company or don’t set them up for success in their next role. Quitting is complicated and doesn’t come with a guidebook, and you often can’t ask for help from the most useful sources of information—your current coworkers and boss. Still, we can quit better.



The pre-resignation period is critical because it’s when we decide on the reason we’ll give for our departure, who we’ll confide in (if anyone) before we put in our notice, and how we will say goodbye.




“The pre-resignation period is critical.”




Next comes the actual resignation. In my research, I’ve found that there are seven different ways people quit, and each has different consequences for their final days on the job and future relationship with their former employer.



Finally, there’s that awkward time after you’ve announced your departure but before you’ve left. When navigated well, the notice period can provide a satisfying close to one chapter of your life and a smooth transition to the next.



Enjoy our full library of Book Bites—read by the authors!—in the Next Big Idea app.



This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, you’re, just, one, event, away, from, quitting, your, job</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The 3 reasons why VCs invest: Faith, opportunity, or evidence</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-3-reasons-why-vcs-invest-faith-opportunity-or-evidence</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-3-reasons-why-vcs-invest-faith-opportunity-or-evidence</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I have spent the better part of a decade helping thousands of first-time founders raise their first round of outside capital, and evaluating thousands more for investment.



In all of these data points, I found a pattern that explains every single VC round. 



In the last six months, I’ve seen this pattern play out more dramatically than ever before. Founders are failing to raise without ever really knowing why. I find myself bringing it up again and again to help folks who are raising.



So I decided to write about it. Because every founder should know exactly where they fall, and plan accordingly.



The only 3 types of rounds in venture capital



There are three core reasons why venture capitalists make an investment: faith, opportunity, and evidence. These reasons are sequential and cumulative: Some VCs will invest on faith but no evidence, but no VCs will invest on evidence but no faith. 



Let’s break it down.



Faith-based investing



The difference between hope and faith is belief, and that’s what drives an investor to write a check at the earliest stage of a company—their belief in the founder or founding team. This belief might be based on firsthand knowledge of the founder—like a former coworker or a cousin you know well. Or it might be based on pattern-matching the founder’s background—making bets on founders with a certain university degree and two years of experience at specific hot startups or an AI lab.



All that is needed here is belief in the person or team, and little, or nothing, more. The result may be a friends-and-family round, or a giant pre-seed for a proven founder. 



Of course, not everyone gets to raise on faith. If you don’t match the pattern, don’t have prior outcomes, and don’t have rich friends and family, you are probably not going to raise a faith-based round. 



If that’s you, there’s no choice but to skip this round and go straight to the next one.



Opportunity-based investing



This is the stage at which investors start to look for more and clearer proof in the opportunity itself. The team still has to be strong—that’s table stakes. But now the team has started to show how they operate. They’ve started to target a giant total addressable market (TAM) and demonstrate an early competitive advantage. It might be an early prototype or a built-in distribution moat. Just enough to pique investors’ interest without needing prior firsthand knowledge of the founder. Most pre-seed and seed rounds today are based on opportunity. 



Evidence-based investing



As the company grows and there is more evidence to scrutinize, investors start evaluating the traction itself. The team is still important, and the opportunity still has to be enticing. But neither of these is enough. At this stage, investors will look at a company’s business performance, make some forward-looking assumptions, and calculate how much the company is worth based on the net present value of its expected future cash flows. It’s Finance 101.



For founders, the first evidence-based round can be quite the cold plunge. All of a sudden, the numbers really, really matter. Not just top-line revenue, but also pace of growth, unit economics, quality of the revenue, and repeatability of the motion. This is when the dream you’ve been selling meets cold-hard-cash reality. And unless you are among the very rarefied group of absolute top performers, that reality might hit hard.



A growing chasm



Traditionally, the shift from opportunity to evidence happened around the Series A, but this has swung wildly over the years and varies a lot based on sectors and macro factors. 



Notably, there used to be more overlap between opportunity-based and evidence-based rounds—the transition was more like going up a dial than turning on a switch.



Those days are well over.



I have never seen a bigger chasm between opportunity- and evidence-based investing than what I see today. It’s so wide that it’s more like a bifurcation—there’s a lot of VC money-chasing opportunities, there’s a lot of VC money-chasing hyperscalers, and there’s almost no VC money for anything in between.



The reason, of course, is artificial intelligence. The size of the opportunity created by the AI platform shift is unprecedented, which creates a lot of heat for certain companies at a very early stage—zero evidence necessary. The speed at which it’s happening is also unprecedented, and makes things super hard for everyone else. Even if you’re not AI-native, and even if that kind of growth shouldn’t and can’t be expected in every sector, hyperscalers like Anthropic are the new high watermark for evidence-based investing. For most companies, that watermark is phenomenally hard to reach.



This means that companies with traction that is anything less than phenomenal by hyperscaler standards are having a much harder time raising capital than ever before.



What this means for founders



Being a founder is not for the faint of heart. Once again, we’re living in unprecedented times. The way I see it, founders have two good choices, as well as some harder ones if they fall in between.



Option one is to go for broke. Raise as much as you can in your opportunity round. Raise as many opportunity rounds as you’re able. And then, swing for the fences. In finance-speak, you’re chasing alpha. Hypergrowth is possible in the age of AI, and for some founders, the best possible strategy is to go big or go home . . . the risk being the “go home” part.



Option two is to find your way to profitability. You can/should still raise as much as you can in your opportunity round, and raise as many opportunity rounds as you’re able. And then, focus on revenue and get profitable, fast. That way, you don’t have to raise against the shutdown clock or retain much more optionality for your business, and you may even seed-strap your way to a life-changing outcome. The risk here is stagnation, running out of motivation, and not finding an interested acquirer.



No man’s land



If you’re anywhere in between—if you have modest results and need more capital—your options are more limited, but you do have options. First, I’d focus on revenue quality and unit economics—even if your growth is more modest, you should be able to find investors who value strong business fundamentals. (You may have to go outside of VC to find them.) Second, keep your investors in the know—send consistent investor updates, and don’t wait until things get dire to ask for help. And finally, get creative—lower your burn and look for new sources of revenue, even if they’re not repeatable. (Pro tip: These days, you can do consulting and call it “forward deployed engineering” ?).



For every perfectly executed startup, there are many, many more companies that took a much less storied path to exit and success. It is okay not to have it all figured out. It is okay if your growth doesn’t look like Anthropic’s.



The only bad decision is to lie to yourself about where your next round will come from.



The math behind selling a dream



A note about why this all happens. There’s a truism in VC that’s hard to understand if you’ve never been in the investor’s seat: A company with no traction is more attractive to a VC than a company with traction—unless said traction is absolutely stellar.



The roots of this are the mathematics of probability. In short, the expected value of a huge-opportunity, no-evidence company is higher than the expected value of a high-opportunity, okay-evidence company. This leads a VC to lean toward the unproven moonshot nearly every time.



Here’s some simple math to illustrate. (I’m oversimplifying, so don’t @ me.)



Company A is pre-revenue, but in a super hot space. To an investor, it might appear as having a 99% chance of failure, and a 1% chance of a giant outcome. The Expected Value of Company A is ($0*99%) + ($1B*1%) = $10M.



Company B is further along. It might have reached six-figure revenue, but it took a couple of years. All of a sudden, the VC is plotting a trend line against the revenue, and it doesn’t look exponential. So, the outcome probability curve changes. Company B has a lower chance of failure, say 10%, because it has some revenue. There’s still some tiny chance that revenue will accelerate. But given the evidence, there is now a lot more certainty that the most likely outcome for Company B is a smaller acquisition.



The Expected Value of Company B is ($0*10%) + ($10M*89.9%)*($1B*0.1%) = $9.99B. Lower than the day zero moonshot, Company A.



Different investors will plot different outcome sizes and likelihoods to come to their own decision. But as a general rule, in the eyes of VCs, companies that are on a high-certainty path to an okay exit will always suffer against companies that are on a lower-certainty path to a giant exit. It’s the nature of alpha.



And that’s why, once you’ve got revenue, it’s much harder to sell the dream. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, reasons, why, VCs, invest:, Faith, opportunity, evidence</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Is a Formula One partnership worth it?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-a-formula-one-partnership-worth-it</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-a-formula-one-partnership-worth-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s no secret that a brand alliance with a Formula One team requires a major investment. Whether a company joins at the title level or as a technical partner, the commitment is significant. For most executives, the first question is straightforward: Is the visibility worth it? Drawing on our experience as a global cybersecurity company partnered with one of the sport’s most recognizable teams, this article offers practical insights to help organizations decide whether such partnerships align with their business goals. 



F1 delivers global exposure that few properties can match. With an estimated 800 million fans worldwide and a race calendar spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia, it offers unmatched global audience reach across all major economic regions.



But exposure alone is not a strategy. F1 sits at the intersection of advanced engineering, real-time decision-making, and relentless performance standards, making it a natural platform for companies operating in performance-driven industries. That environment closely mirrors cybersecurity, where precision, speed, and innovation define outcomes. This alignment made the partnership commercially and culturally relevant. Global reach opened the door, but compatibility is what ultimately justified the investment.



Key considerations



The most important question for any company considering F1 is whether the platform and the team align with its long-term strategic objectives.



Each F1 team is a global brand with its own heritage, personality, and fan base. Strategic alignment matters. Companies should assess whether the team’s identity reinforces their brand positioning and target audience. Does your organization primarily serve consumers, businesses, or both, and does the team’s fan base reflect that mix? Are there shared attributes around quality, ambition, innovation, or performance? When alignment is authentic, the partnership feels natural and credible. When it is not, it risks feeling purely transactional.



Beyond brand fit, companies should assess whether the relationship can unlock deeper value through technology integration, storytelling, and measurable business enablement. Can your products or expertise meaningfully support the team’s operations? Can the partnership be activated across sales, marketing, talent recruitment, and executive engagement?



The hidden value of F1 partnership



Broadcast and trackside branding may be the most visible elements of an F1 partnership, but much of the real value lies in the broader media and content environment surrounding the sport.



F1 now functions as a year-round global content engine. Documentary series such as Drive to Survive, social media storytelling, team-produced digital content, and official video games extend brand visibility far beyond the two-hour race window. This continuous exposure creates a multiplier effect that traditional strategic alliances rarely achieve.



One unexpected example illustrates this shift. A major video game publisher reached out and requested permission to feature our logo in its upcoming 2026 F1 game. Inclusion in a widely distributed title means millions of players will interact with a digitally rendered team car carrying our branding, session after session. That added visibility comes at no incremental cost and reaches a younger, digitally native audience in an immersive rather than passive environment.



This evolution has fundamentally changed the economics of sports partnerships. An F1 partnership is no longer confined to race-day impressions; it becomes embedded in long-form storytelling, highlight clips, driver interviews, fan-generated content, and interactive digital platforms. Brands that treat the partnership as a dynamic storytelling platform, rather than a static placement, unlock significantly greater long-term value.



Another often overlooked dimension is the business network itself. Race weekends function as global convening platforms for senior executives and decision-makers. Access to the Paddock, the restricted area behind the pit lane where teams operate and interact during a race weekend, provides entry into a unique business environment where relationships are built in ways that traditional outreach cannot replicate. For companies seeking strategic growth, this access can generate commercial opportunities that extend well beyond marketing metrics.



Driver influence as a force multiplier



The influence of F1 drivers adds another powerful layer of value. Today’s drivers are global celebrities whose reach extends well past race weekends. They command massive followings not only for their performance on track, but for their personal lives, fashion choices, philanthropic efforts, and relationships that regularly generate headlines. They shape conversations across sport, culture, and digital media, engaging audiences well outside the sport’s core fan base.



For companies that partner with brands, that cultural relevance can significantly amplify brand impact. When a driver dominates headlines or trends on social platforms, associated brands benefit from the added attention. Realizing that value, however, requires deliberate activation. Companies must carefully plan how to collaborate with drivers, strategically integrate them into campaigns, and ensure they have the internal marketing support to capitalize on high-visibility moments.



Association with elite athletes reinforces perceptions of quality, ambition, and precision, strengthening brand positioning in competitive industries. When brands collaborate with drivers to communicate products and strategic messaging in accessible ways, they turn celebrity influence into lasting trust.



A long-term commitment



F1 is not a short-term marketing tactic. Companies that generate meaningful returns treat it as a multi-season investment aligned with defined business objectives. Before embarking on a relationship, organizations must clearly understand what they are gaining from the relationship, how it will be activated during the season and in the off-season, and whether they have the internal resources and sustained commitment to support it effectively. Success requires cross-functional alignment, disciplined planning, and the ability to deliver measurable outcomes.



For companies prepared to approach it with that level of focus and preparation, the starting lights can mark the beginning of something much bigger than sponsorship: a true partnership built on shared ambition and complementary strengths, unlocking powerful synergies and delivering greater long-term value for everyone involved. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/04/p-1-91523104-f1-partnership-value-prop.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Formula, One, partnership, worth, it</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The Pentagon is doubling down on laser weapons research</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-pentagon-is-doubling-down-on-laser-weapons-research</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-pentagon-is-doubling-down-on-laser-weapons-research</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After months of bold promises about its directed energy weapon ambitions, the U.S. military is putting its money where its mouth is.



The U.S. Defense Department’s published a “skinny” version at its historic $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 budget request on April 3, with plans to release additional details (including my precious justification books and their program-by-program spending plans) on April 21. While this budget release only offers a high-level view of the U.S. military’s spending priorities, a preliminary analysis indicates the Pentagon wants to pour more than $2 billion into research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&amp;E) programs involving high-energy laser weapons and other directed energy systems in fiscal year 2027.



This funding, if approved, would not just mark a major increase over the more than $1 billion in annual expenditures on directed energy RDT&amp;E over the last five years, but also significantly outpace the Pentagon’s average yearly spending on such efforts under the Strategic Defense Initiative (also known as “Star Wars”) across the entire life of that program. This might just be the most significant U.S. military investment in directed energy weapons research, well, ever.



Below, you’ll find some high-level insights on proposed directed energy weapon spending culled from the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request.



No Significant Directed Energy Procurement (Yet)



Despite the Pentagon’ stated goal of fielding laser weapons at scale within the next three years, the procurement section of the department’s fiscal year 2027 budget request does not currently detail any major purchases to that end. The sole procurement line item explicitly for directed energy—‘Directed Energy Systems’,’ which covers the U.S. Navy’s low-power AN/SEQ-4 Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) laser weapons, according to previous budget documents—is completely zeroed out, down from the $3 million requested in fiscal year 2026 to support the eight ODIN systems already installed across the service’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer fleet.That said, the procurement documents do contain two ‘Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS)’ program elements that could encompass directed energy procurement efforts. The first program element is a defense-wide item under ‘Major Equipment, TJS [The Joint Staff]’ that includes an $800 million request (up from $732 million authorized last year), which is likely for the Pentagon’s new Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) established last year, according to the corresponding fiscal year 2027 budget documents for RDT&amp;E.



The second program element, however, is a U.S. Army item that includes a $994.1 million request (up from $693.4 million authorized last year) and previously involved the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) system, 24 of which the service plans to “produce and rapidly field” in the coming years as its first official directed energy program of record. Given that E-HEL units cost nearly $25 million apiece, according the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, the boost in the Army’s C-sUAS line item could potentially cover the procurement of additional systems. Unfortunately, we won’t know for sure until the full justification books are released later in April.



Defense-Wide Laser Weapon RDT&amp;E Increases, With Room to Grow



Defense-wide laser weapon RDT&amp;E efforts overseen by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) saw significant increases in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, to $44.5 million requested under the ‘High Energy Laser Advanced Component Development &amp; Prototype’ program element (up from $5.5 million in fiscal year 2026) and $201 million requested under the ‘High Energy Laser Advanced Technology Program’ (up from $120 million).



Managed by the Pentagon’s Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO), these program elements are focused on accelerating the maturation of directed energy systems like laser weapons to “enable the demonstration of military utility for mission areas” across the U.S. military, according to the department’s fiscal year 2026 budget request. The High Energy Laser Advanced Technology Program in particular includes the Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS), a collaboration between the Army and Navy to designed to counter cruise missile threats as part of the President Donald Trump’s ‘Golden Dome for America’ missile defense shield. (It also likely includes the Pulsed High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative, a new start in fiscal year 2026 designed to explore the potential applications of pulsed laser weapons.)



There’s also the question of the Pentagon’s $580 million in RDT&amp;E funding for JIATF 401 detailed in its fiscal year 2027 budget request. While the organization is certainly interested in directed energy weapons given their potential counter-drone applications, it’s unclear from the budget documents how much of that funding will apply to such initiatives given the its expansive remit.



A Major RDT&amp;E Boost for Golden Dome Directed Energy Efforts



The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request contains $452 million in proposed RDT&amp;E spending for the “development, integration, and assessment” of directed energy weapons in support of Golden Dome, more than triple the $142 million enacted under the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ reconciliation package that Trump signed into law in July 2025. Like last year’s funding, this particular program element is also reliant on a reconciliation package separate from the Pentagon’s base budget request.



It’s worth pointing out that this spending increase is marked as procurement, even though it’s featured in the RDT&amp;E documentation of the Pentagon’s budget request. This is likely because this proposed funding will focus on purchasing technology to develop and test prototypes or prove a concept, while the separate procurement budget title will go to acquiring systems for active fielding.



U.S. Army Laser Weapon RDT&amp;E Is Unclear



With the cancellation of the 50 kilowatt Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) and 300 kw Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) efforts, the Army now has three publicly-known laser weapons initiatives in the works: E-HEL, JLWS, and the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) that’s already actively shooting down drones (at home, at least).



Unfortunately, the fates of these projects appear ambiguous at the moment, mostly due to the structure of the Pentagon’s budget request. Apart from defense-wide programs, the budget documents only contains program elements that explicitly cover laser weapons or directed energy systems for the Navy and U.S. Air Force, but not for the Army. Indeed, AMP-HEL and E-HEL fall under the Army’s Maneuver – Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) item, while JLWS work falls under the Expanded Mission Area Missile (EMAM) program. And while both of those larger programs are poised for significant spending increases in fiscal year 2027—$460 million requested for M-SHORAD (up from $296 million) and $235 million requested for EMAM (up from $63 million)—how those funds will trickle down to their subordinate directed energy projects remains to be seen.



U.S. Navy Laser Weapon RDT&amp;E Expands



When senior Navy leaders declared that “the dream of a laser on every ship can become a real one” at the beginning of the year, they were absolutely not kidding. The service’s fiscal year 2027 budget request includes a significant increase in funding under its ‘Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems’ program element, with the service asking for more than $94 million in RDT&amp;E spending, up from $14.5 million in fiscal year 2026.



Without the justification books, the applications of this funding are also unclear. The service has no stated plans to procure more ODIN systems, or additional 60 kw High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) weapons beyond the lone system installed aboard the destroyer USS Preble, according to last year’s budget request. In addition, the service’s 300 kw High Energy Laser Counter [Anti-Ship Cruise Missile] Project (HELCAP) was officially slated for completion in fiscal year 2026, the budget documents say.



This leaves a few potential options to consider: the Navy’s funding boost is likely focused on either jumpstarting HELIOS development, advancing the Office of Naval Research’s 400 kw “SONGBOW’ initiative, or something related the unidentified (and potentially new) laser weapon the service reportedly tested in the Red Sea last year. We’ll have to wait for the release of this year’s justification books to find out.



U.S. Air Force Laser Weapon RDT&amp;E Shrinks, But Not By Much



Despite plans to pursue yet another airborne laser weapon and revisit ground-based laser systems to protect airbases and other installations, the Air Force’s budget request actually indicates a small decrease in RDT&amp;E funding for under its ‘Directed Energy Technology’ program element, which fell from $96 million requested in fiscal year 2026 to just under $92 million requested for fiscal year 2027. The service’s other directed energy program element, ‘Directed Energy Prototyping,’ remained zeroed out after falling from $1.31 million in fiscal year 2025 to zero in fiscal year 2026.



The Pentagon’s skinny fiscal year 2027 budget request suggests a familiar pattern for directed energy weapons: sustained (and in many cases accelerating) investment in RDT&amp;E, but no definitive signals that the technology is ready to transition into procurement and fielding at scale just yet. Despite years of promises that these systems are nearing operational relevance, the funding profile still points to a force that is continuing to experiment, refine, and prototype rather than putting them in the hands of U.S. service members in the immediate term.



Of course, that picture could shift once the full budget justification books are released later this month. But for now, the future of directed energy research and development appears brighter than ever.



This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Pentagon, doubling, down, laser, weapons, research</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The next generation of senators has a ticking time bomb in its lap: Social Security’s impending insolvency and no plan for the national debt</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-generation-of-senators-has-a-ticking-time-bomb-in-its-lap-social-securitys-impending-insolvency-and-no-plan-for-the-national-debt</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-generation-of-senators-has-a-ticking-time-bomb-in-its-lap-social-securitys-impending-insolvency-and-no-plan-for-the-national-debt</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;My hope would be that, come January, the campaign is over and [they] lay down some of the weapons and pick up some of the calculators and pencils, and try and come up with a solution.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2262890175-e1775817767872.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, next, generation, senators, has, ticking, time, bomb, its, lap:, Social, Security’s, impending, insolvency, and, plan, for, the, national, debt</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>26% of CEOs think the greatest threat to their job security is their own CFO</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/26-of-ceos-think-the-greatest-threat-to-their-job-security-is-their-own-cfo</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/26-of-ceos-think-the-greatest-threat-to-their-job-security-is-their-own-cfo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new BCG stress index finds CEOs are stretched thin by growth targets, board pressure, and increasingly powerful CFOs. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-85406541.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>26, CEOs, think, the, greatest, threat, their, job, security, their, own, CFO</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘Downward mobility is incredibly radicalizing’: The college bargain is broken. What comes next could reshape America</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/downward-mobility-is-incredibly-radicalizing-the-college-bargain-is-broken-what-comes-next-could-reshape-america</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/downward-mobility-is-incredibly-radicalizing-the-college-bargain-is-broken-what-comes-next-could-reshape-america</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Creative, brilliant people are going to wake up this decade and realize the jobs that they thought they were going to have ... are gone.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-528822656.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Downward, mobility, incredibly, radicalizing’:, The, college, bargain, broken., What, comes, next, could, reshape, America</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Current price of oil as of April 10, 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-april-10-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-april-10-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When oil prices change, it affects your energy costs—and even the price of everyday items. Here’s why. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Price-of-Oil-April-10.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Current, price, oil, April, 10, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘Babies become sitting ducks’: Babies too young for vaccines remain vulnerable in measles ‘hotbed’ communities</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/babies-become-sitting-ducks-babies-too-young-for-vaccines-remain-vulnerable-in-measles-hotbed-communities</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/babies-become-sitting-ducks-babies-too-young-for-vaccines-remain-vulnerable-in-measles-hotbed-communities</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Trump administration officials have been pushing anti-vaccine experts in statehouses. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AP26096555305099-e1775828698796.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Babies, become, sitting, ducks’:, Babies, too, young, for, vaccines, remain, vulnerable, measles, ‘hotbed’, communities</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The co&#45;founder of Refinery29 makes the case for playfulness</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-co-founder-of-refinery29-makes-the-case-for-playfulness</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-co-founder-of-refinery29-makes-the-case-for-playfulness</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The airport is chaos. Lines snake beyond the designated barriers and out the doors as frazzled travelers tug their luggage and scowl at their phones, their grimaced faces even more dramatic in the harsh lighting.



I stand in the security queue, sensing the stress emanating from everyone around me like swarms of buzzing flies. A man behind me huffs with dramatic indignation, a couple ahead bickers in hissed whispers “we should have left earlier!”, and someone’s roller bag keeps thwacking my heels.



My fists clench as irritation winds me tighter. The security checkpoint seems miles away and my flight is in an hour. I feel myself being sucked into the collective vortex of misery.



Then, as we make our first zig in the queue, I catch my partner’s eye and make a split-second decision. I raise my hand for a high five.



“Yes!” I exclaim with exaggerated enthusiasm. “One turn closer!”



My partner looks momentarily confused, then a half grin lights up his face as he slaps my raised palm. A few people nearby glance over, some with bemused smiles.



When we reach the next turn, we were ready. “Turn number TWO!” We announce together, high-fiving with gusto. A woman behind us lets out a chuckle that seems to surprise even herself.



By the third turn, a family with a toddler holds up their hands for high fives before we can even offer ours. “We’re on a roll now!” the dad says, grinning.



With each zigzag, our celebration grows a little as others join our absurd celebration of incremental progress. Soon, a pocket of genuine laughter has formed in our section of the line, rippling outward like a skipped rock as others catch on to our game.



Pressured vs. playful



In that moment of travel chaos, we made a choice: instead of facing the frustrating situation with tense resentment (what I now call “The Pressured Way”) we decide to transform it through levity and connection (“The Playful Way”).



This simple shift doesn’t change our situation. We are still in the same painfully slow airport security queue. We are still at risk of missing our flight. But it changes what the situation feels like—from stress to humor, from isolation to community, storm cloud to sun break.



This choice between The Pressured Way and The Playful Way appears constantly in our lives: during technology crashes, tricky conversations, power struggles, or canceled plans. When challenges arise, we can clench our jaws and white-knuckle our way through—or we can bring imagination, inquiry, and openness to the situation. This choice isn’t just about boosting fun (thought that’s a welcome bonus), it’s about accessing new solutions, deeper camaraderie, and a richer experience of everyday life.



Playfulness isn’t one size fits all. While our airport moment involved a social game, you might express your playful side by finding beauty in the terminal architecture, creating backstories for fellow travelers, or scoring the scene with a film soundtrack—turning a mundane wait into the opening of your personal heist movie or Broadway musical.



The Pressured Way tightens our vision like horse blinders, while The Playful Way opens our peripheral sight to possibilities we’d otherwise miss entirely.



A transformative mindset



When I talk about playfulness in adulthood, I’m often met with puzzled looks. “You mean sports?” people ask. Or “Board games with friends?”. “Oh, like, work hard/play hard… partying?”



But playfulness runs deeper than scheduled recreation (though that is important). It’s not a leisure activity reserved for weekends or vacations—it’s a mindset that transforms how we experience everything.



Playfulness is:



— Finding humor and lightness even in tense moments— Navigating situations with genuine questions instead of assumptions— Staying open to possibilities rather than fixating on one “right” way— Experimenting rather than seeking perfection— Bringing an ethos of adventure to difficulties— Reimagining the mundane through reframes and games— Being willing to collaborate rather than control



When we move through the world playfully, we remain pliable, ready to adapt, change, and work with whatever comes our way: to navigate obstacles nimbly and alchemize even the most mundane tasks into micro adventures.



Playfulness is often dismissed as frivolous — a charming but dispensable quality best left in childhood alongside stuffies and imaginary friends.



But watch any child transform a cardboard box into a spaceship or a pile of sticks into a fairy house and — beyond the cute façade — you are witnessing them exercising some of humanity’s most valuable capacities: imagination, adaptation, and ingenuity.



The good news? Playfulness is part of us all — it’s standard issue for the human species. Even if you’ve left it in the drawer gathering dust, you can pick up your playfulness again and relearn to use it.



I haven’t always been able to find the high-five moments in life’s security lines. There was a time when I was deeply lost in what I now recognize as “The Pressured Way.”



Beyond burnout



During a particularly intense period building my first company, I found myself alone late one night, pen in hand, making a list titled “Ways I’m Failing RN.” It contained eleven meticulously detailed items—work projects falling behind, leadership shortcomings, fertility struggles, neglected friendships and family relationships—each one a knife twist of self-criticism. At the bottom, almost as an afterthought, I’d written: “Stressing myself out with my stress and inability to emotionally regulate.”



I was beyond burnout — overworked and under-played. Night after night, I’d come home, collapse on my apartment floor, and sob until I was empty, unable to see any of the success around me. The brilliantly colored, creative world I’d built felt like it was happening to someone else entirely. The weight of my perfectionism had become so crushing that I couldn’t imagine a way forward.



What moved me through this period wasn’t working harder or being more disciplined. It was remembering The Playful Way of life I’d learned as a child, sitting around our kitchen table in Maine with my family, brainstorming wild ideas over dinner.



Our kitchen was the beating heart of my childhood home, with its cheerful painted tiles, bright green countertops, and wall jam-packed with family photos. After my brother and I helped our parents serve dinner, the fun began. My words would tumble out in excitement: “Hey, what if we started a kids’ karaoke club?” My parents would exchange a conspiratorial glance. “Now there’s an idea!” Mom would reply, leaning forward. “What would that look like? Where would we host it?”



Between bites of penne, my brother would chime in: “We could have themed nights — Disney songs one week, pop hits the next!” My dad would smile, his laughter-creased eyes twinkling. “I love it! Now what would we name it?” Before anyone could answer, his fork was in the air, face lit up with enthusiasm. “Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I know! Kiddieoke!”



These kitchen table sessions were boisterously loud, as we built upon each other’s ideas. No idea was too outrageous to explore. We were elementary schoolers doing business brainstorms—and our parents took us seriously and egged us on.



Eventually, we’d have to clear the table, do our homework, and return to our daily responsibilities. But in these moments, I learned that any endeavor could be handled with an inquisitive attitude and a spirit of adventure.



I was fortunate to have parents who showed me that wonder and whimsy could be woven into all aspects of life. My mom—a social worker, artist, gardener—and my dad—an entrepreneur, engineer, inventor—modeled what it looks like for adults to be playful while simultaneously building businesses, dealing with illness and loss, and nurturing families and communities.



My voyage of questioning took a new turn at age 15 when I found my heart fluttering like butterfly wings whenever I was around my best girl friend and realized I wasn’t just attracted to one gender. Growing up Catholic, I learned that boundaries were fixed—lines drawn between right and wrong, holy and profane, approved and forbidden forms of love. But my bisexual heart didn’t fit into hard pews or rigid boxes, it spilled out like vivid stained glass light. Luckily my mom told me that some rules were for bending so I turned to playfulness, curiously exploring and embracing the expansiveness of being queer, rather than fearing it.



Carving out play space



This current of exploration carried me to New York City, where I co-founded and built Refinery29 from a small style website into one of the most influential digital media brands for women, reaching millions with its distinctive mix of fashion, culture, and boundary-pushing storytelling.



Even in boardrooms, I carved out spaces for play—like my apricot-colored office dubbed “The Peach Pit” with its round table that became our magic circle for brainstorms. All the players around the table now were adults, so I had to take some extra measures to get the ideas flowing including doing physical shake breaks and having a lovingly bedazzled Taboo! game buzzer on hand for when anyone got into excessively “serious mode.”



Our playful approach led us to create innovative experiences like 29Rooms—a funhouse of culture that reimagined vacant warehouses into kaleidoscopic, artist-made wonderlands where 100,000 adults came through to frolic and fall down imagination rabbit holes in cities across the US.



A new chapter



In 2021, I found myself ready to begin a new chapter. But leaving the company I’d built over fifteen years was like moving out of a home you’ve loved — even when you’re ready to go, there’s still a bittersweet ache. Add to that the wild adventure of new motherhood and a global pandemic, and I was navigating multiple identity shifts at once. Daunting questions loomed: Who was I beyond the role I was most known for? What kind of parent would I become? What did I want to create next?



As I faced these huge transitions, my spirit whispered an answer: experiment! Instead of rushing to figure it all out, I turned my life into a play laboratory. I led cathartic dance parties on Zoom, created public art experiences connecting strangers in parks, took classes in improv and storytelling, and said “yes” to pretty much any foray that sparked curiosity. I dove deep into researching the power of play for our health and happiness, and piles of books stacked up on my desk.



My calendar filled up with what I lovingly called “play dates with possibility,” and something magical happened: as I led thousands of people in unlocking their vibrant spirits, I discovered my next chapter — creating spaces for playful, creative practice and shared joy.



Playfulness is my power tool and my life preserver across all aspects of my life from parenting to self care to career. It’s how I’ve come up with innovative solutions at work, built meaningful relationships, found purpose during transitions, and made memories in mundane moments. My relationship with playfulness isn’t just about joy—it’s been essential medicine for navigating life with depression, anxiety, and ADHD.







I’ve developed my own methods and seen the power of this approach transform not just my own life, but countless others I’ve worked with. And now, I’m on a mission to unlock that magic for you too—to help you dive into that giddy river that flows when we approach life with playfulness.Adapted excerpt from The Playful Way, by Piera Gelardi, and reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2026. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, co-founder, Refinery29, makes, the, case, for, playfulness</media:keywords>
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<title>People are losing it over 7&#45;Eleven merch. Welcome to the surprisingly cool world of convenience store chic</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/people-are-losing-it-over-7-eleven-merch-welcome-to-the-surprisingly-cool-world-of-convenience-store-chic</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/people-are-losing-it-over-7-eleven-merch-welcome-to-the-surprisingly-cool-world-of-convenience-store-chic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In the world of convenience stores, 7-Eleven is undoubtedly the cool kid.  



Phoebe Bridgers named-dropped the c-store in a song, Lana Del Rey has posed in front of its parking lot, and, in Asia, the stores have become a must-visit spot.



But is the brand cool enough to wear? People seem to think so.



“Nothing could have prepared me for how hard the 7-Eleven merch website goes,” Axios congressional reporter Andrew Solender said on X this week, sparking a discussion about the brand’s merchandise website.



Some of the offerings are straightforward—a white T-shirt with 7-Eleven’s logo—while others look less like corporate swag and more like they belong to a hypebeast brand. Consider a cream-colored, ’70s-inspired knit sweater featuring a twirly serif typeface reading, “Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven.”



And some offerings are just silly, like a series of sold-out inflatable Slurpee costumes.



For many, discovering the collection has ignited a sense of irreverent excitement. “I’m going to be flooded out in 7-Eleven merch on St. Mark’s this summer,” a user added on X, referencing the famous street in Manhattan’s East Village that’s popular among young people for outdoor drinking.



But many point out that the apparel line is not new. “Omg they’ve been killin’ it for some time now. Welcome to the club,” a user responded on an X thread.



Give me convenience



The items belong to 7-Eleven’s 7Collection, an online-exclusive apparel store launched in 2022. The collection initially offered exclusive apparel and accessories inspired by the brand’s famous products, including the Big Gulp and the Slurpee. But it has since broadened its scope, tapping into its own cultural currency.



“Today, 7Collection is a creative platform for collaboration and cultural connection,” a 7-Eleven spokesperson told Fast Company. “It allows 7-Eleven to participate in the broader lifestyle of its customers, showing up across streetwear, sports, gaming, music, and other passion points in a way that feels authentic to the brand.”



With over 83,485 stores across the world, 7-Eleven has a globally recognizable logo, but it’s also become a cultural hot spot—and the brand is leaning into it.



“7-Eleven uniquely sits at the intersection of so many lifestyle touchpoints—food, sports, gaming, car culture—and we intentionally design drops that reflect the different ways fans connect with the brand in their own daily lives,” 7-Eleven added.



Take a recent collection that dropped last year as an homage to the chain’s most profitable store in the U.S., the Montauk location, a summer staple for Hamptons regulars during the warm-weather season.



“More than a store; it’s a scene and a summer ritual,” Alex Crawford, creative director and head of 7Collection, said on LinkedIn. “People weren’t just shopping at Montauk 7-Eleven. They were documenting it, tagging it, and turning it into cultural currency.”



Named “Château Montauk 7-Eleven,” the summer 7Collection was a collaboration with local artist Sean Kinney that featured his handwriting and cheeky quotes across caps, T-shirts, key chains, and more.



The collection could be spotted during DJ sets at the beach town’s popular club Surf Lodge, and even designer Cynthia Rowley stopped by the store, where the merch was available for a weekend.



Drops and designs are a collaborative effort, the company says, with an internal team identifying key cultural opportunities. Then, the team works with Craftwork Design Co., 7Collection’s agency partner, to develop design, production, and content creation.



But 7-Eleven isn’t only c-store dabbling in the apparel and accessories game.



Circle K sells polo shirts and quarter zips featuring its logo, while Wawa fans have been able to snag tumblers, hoodies, and hats for years. And still, users online can’t hide their excitement.



One user said on X: “I just know wearing that 7-Eleven cardigan would give me all the confidence I need.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>People, are, losing, over, 7-Eleven, merch., Welcome, the, surprisingly, cool, world, convenience, store, chic</media:keywords>
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<title>Delta Air Lines is reducing flights and raising fees as it combats fuel shock. Here’s why the stock is up anyway</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/delta-air-lines-is-reducing-flights-and-raising-fees-as-it-combats-fuel-shock-heres-why-the-stock-is-up-anyway</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/delta-air-lines-is-reducing-flights-and-raising-fees-as-it-combats-fuel-shock-heres-why-the-stock-is-up-anyway</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) are on the rise this morning after the company reported its Q1 2026 results. 



While Delta comfortably beat revenue expectations, the U.S. air carrier also addressed the biggest challenge it is currently facing, rising gas prices, and how it is working to mitigate that challenge. Here’s what you need to know.



Delta’s Q1 beats expectations, stock surges



On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines announced its Q1 2026 financial results, covering the January through March period. The results, announced before markets opened, showed the company had a strong quarter.



The company reported non-GAAP operating revenue of $14.2 billion and an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.64. 



To put those numbers into greater perspective, Wall Street analysts were expecting Delta to post $14 billion in revenue and an EPS of $0.57, notes CNBC. In other words, Delta handily beat Wall Street expectations.



In a bit of fortuitous timing for Delta, the airline reported its latest earnings just hours after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire, which will see the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, reopened. 



That news sent the price of a barrel of oil plunging below the $100 mark for the first time in weeks.



It’s particularly good news for airlines like Delta, whose fuel expenditures are among their greatest potential liabilities when it comes to profitability. 



As a result of Delta’s expectation-beating Q1, combined with investor relief over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Delta shares surged in premarket trading. At the time of this writing, they are currently up more than 11% to above $73.



Delta signals how it will combat rising gas prices



But investors might not only be cheering Delta’s earnings and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Many are also likely satisfied with Delta’s game plan for offsetting higher oil and gas prices.



Along with announcing its Q1 results, Delta CEO Ed Bastian confirmed that passenger demand remains strong.



That’s normally a good thing—an airline generally wants as many customers as possible. But at a time of spiraling oil and gas prices, a strong customer base means airlines need to buy more fuel to move passengers from point A to point B. Paying higher costs can eat into profits.



To counteract this potential hit to the company’s bottom line, Bastian said that Delta would take “actions to protect our margins and cash flow.” 



Those actions include “meaningfully reducing capacity growth, with a downward bias until the fuel environment improves, and moving quickly to recapture higher fuel costs.”



To put that in plain English, it means that Delta will likely reduce the number of flights it offers, or cancel some routes altogether. This will make fewer seats available, saving on fuel costs, but that scarcity will mean Delta can charge more for the seats it does offer.



And this isn’t the only way Delta plans on combating higher fuel costs. Bastian also said the company will move “quickly to recapture higher fuel costs,” which is basically corporate-speak for passing those increased fuel costs on to customers. 



Earlier this week, Delta announced it was raising its checked baggage fee by $10, following other airlines that are doing the same. Another way Delta could recoup higher fuel costs from passengers is by adding fuel surcharges to flight prices.



DAL stock is once again green for the year



Yesterday, Delta’s stock price closed at $65.62 per share, representing a year-to-date loss of around 5.4%. But with today’s double-digit gain, DAL stock is now firmly in the green for the year.



And Delta’s isn’t the only airline stock seeing double-digit growth today. 



In addition to Delta, American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) is up 11%, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL) is up 12%, and Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is up nearly 11%, as of the time of this writing in premarket trading.



This suggests the primary factor spurring investors to buy into airline stocks this morning is the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 



However, the ceasefire is currently scheduled to last only two weeks if the warring nations cannot reach a final agreement. 



If the ceasefire expires or, worse, doesn’t hold until then, all the airline stocks getting a boost today could be in for a future beating. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Delta, Air, Lines, reducing, flights, and, raising, fees, combats, fuel, shock., Here’s, why, the, stock, anyway</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Iran, Israel, and the U.S. strike a ‘fragile’ 2&#45;week ceasefire. Here’s what to know</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/iran-israel-and-the-us-strike-a-fragile-2-week-ceasefire-heres-what-to-know</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/iran-israel-and-the-us-strike-a-fragile-2-week-ceasefire-heres-what-to-know</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire, an 11th-hour deal that allowed U.S. President Donald Trump to pull back from his threat to unleash a bombing campaign that would destroy Iranian civilization. Hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries reported new attacks Wednesday.It was not clear if the sporadic attacks would be enough to scuttle the deal, which U.S. Vice President JD Vance called “fragile.”Even before the new strikes were reported, much about the deal was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms.— Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but the terms were not clear, nor was whether ships would feel safe using the crucial transit lane for oil. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition.— Pakistan, which helped to mediate the deal, and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Israel said it would not, and strikes hit Beirut on Wednesday.— The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.In the streets of Tehran, pro-government demonstrators screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” after the ceasefire announcement and burned American and Israeli flags.The chants underscored the anger animating hard-liners, who have been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptic battle with the United States. Trump warned Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” if a deal wasn’t reached.



Varying reports of ceasefire’s terms



Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. launched with Israel on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.Trump also suggested American warships would be “hangin’ around” the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. That could be a potential flashpoint in days to come.Iran’s demands for ending the war, meanwhile, include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of its frozen assets.In his post Wednesday, Trump said: “We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran.”It’s not clear if other Western nations would agree to that – and the other points are likely nonstarters.Pakistan said that talks to hammer out a permanent end to the war could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.Israel backed the U.S. ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah. Israel’s military said later that fighting and ground operations continue.Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.



Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz



While Iran could not match the sophistication of U.S. and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz since the war began proved a tremendous strategic advantage: The chokehold roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.The ceasefire may formalize that control — and give Iran a new source of revenue.The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit and will likely not be acceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military management — further clouding the picture of who would be allowed to transit the waterway.Nevertheless, news of the ceasefire drove oil prices down and pushed stocks up Wednesday.



Fate of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs remains unclear



U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war.Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.S-Israeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. Any retrieval is expected to be an intensive undertaking.There was no confirmation from Iran on that.Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.Iran referred to its nuclear program differently in two versions of the ceasefire plan that it released. The version in Farsi included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program. That phrase was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats with journalists.A senior Israeli official said the United States had coordinated the ceasefire with Israel in advance and said Israel’s government credited “the massive crushing of the regime’s infrastructure” with securing the agreement.Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing private diplomatic conversations, the official said Washington had committed to pressing for the removal of nuclear material and dismantling of Iran’s ballistic missile program.



Airstrikes reported in the hours after the deal is announced



Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. Its report said that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched the attack.The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas. The U.S. military’s Central Command did not respond to questions about the strike.A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks.More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days.In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed. and 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died.In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.







Associated Press writers Edie Lederer, Natalie Melzer, Abby Sewell, and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.



—Bassem Mroue, Jon Gambrell, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Iran, Israel, and, the, U.S., strike, ‘fragile’, 2-week, ceasefire., Here’s, what, know</media:keywords>
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<title>U.S.&#45;Iran ceasefire sends Wall Street soaring with crude oil prices down 16%</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-iran-ceasefire-sends-wall-street-soaring-with-crude-oil-prices-down-16</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-iran-ceasefire-sends-wall-street-soaring-with-crude-oil-prices-down-16</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Wall Street surged in Wednesday premarket trading as oil prices plunged 16% after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.Futures for the S&amp;P 500 jumped 2.7% before the opening bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.6%. Nasdaq futures soared 3.4%.Benchmark U.S. crude sank $18.43 to $94.52 a barrel, a nearly 16% decline. Brent crude, the international standard dropped $15.54 to $93.73 a barrel. Natural gas futures declined close to 5%.The drops reversed some of the rise in oil prices since the start of the war more than five weeks ago that had effectively blocked passage through the strait that’s a crucial route for global supplies.“Yet the mood remains one of cautious optimism rather than outright celebration,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. “The ceasefire is only two weeks long, and markets will be watching closely to see whether shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes as promised and whether the fragile truce can pave the way for a more durable peace agreement.”Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.But analysts warned against too much optimism.“There is a reason to be optimistic, but it is still too early to tell, because, as you know, after all, it is Trump,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at MONEX.In equities trading, major U.S. airline stocks soared on the steep drop in oil prices. Delta and United jump more than 12% in premarket while American rose 10%. Delta on Wednesday also reported first-quarter sales and profit that came in ahead of Wall Street forecasts and said that demand remained strong with the summer travel season just a few months away.Elsewhere, in Europe France’s CAC 40 added 4.5% by midday, while the German DAX soared nearly 5%. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 2.9%.In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 5.4% to finish at 56,308.42. Australia’s S&amp;P/ASX 200 jumped 2.6% to 8,951.80. South Korea’s Kospi soared 6.9% to 5,872.34. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.1% to 25,893.02, while the Shanghai Composite added 2.7% to 3,995.00.In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 158.39 Japanese yen from 159.52 yen Wednesday. The euro cost $1.1701, up from $1.1597. The dollar usually becomes a safe haven during geopolitical uncertainty, so the ceasefire deal worked to lessen that appeal.







Associated Press videographer Mayuko Ono and Writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama



—Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott, AP Business Writers ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>U.S.-Iran, ceasefire, sends, Wall, Street, soaring, with, crude, oil, prices, down, 16</media:keywords>
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<title>A quantum threat to Bitcoin has some asking the unthinkable: Is it time to freeze old wallets belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-quantum-threat-to-bitcoin-has-some-asking-the-unthinkable-is-it-time-to-freeze-old-wallets-belonging-to-satoshi-nakamoto</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-quantum-threat-to-bitcoin-has-some-asking-the-unthinkable-is-it-time-to-freeze-old-wallets-belonging-to-satoshi-nakamoto</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A hacker with quantum tools could crack open old Bitcoin wallets and flood the market as soon as 2029. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-1341873850.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>quantum, threat, Bitcoin, has, some, asking, the, unthinkable:, time, freeze, old, wallets, belonging, Satoshi, Nakamoto</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Robinhood Ventures has rebounded 30% since its lackluster debut. Can the new private markets fund now withstand the mega IPOs?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/robinhood-ventures-has-rebounded-30-since-its-lackluster-debut-can-the-new-private-markets-fund-now-withstand-the-mega-ipos</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/robinhood-ventures-has-rebounded-30-since-its-lackluster-debut-can-the-new-private-markets-fund-now-withstand-the-mega-ipos</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shareholders in private companies are holding their breath as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic look to make big splashes in the public markets. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2264482666.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Robinhood, Ventures, has, rebounded, 30, since, its, lackluster, debut., Can, the, new, private, markets, fund, now, withstand, the, mega, IPOs</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The biggest mistake HR leaders make when pitching new benefits to their CFO</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-biggest-mistake-hr-leaders-make-when-pitching-new-benefits-to-their-cfo</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-biggest-mistake-hr-leaders-make-when-pitching-new-benefits-to-their-cfo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ HR leaders keep leading with the wrong argument. Here&#039;s what actually gets a &quot;yes.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2200097017-e1775240394523.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, biggest, mistake, leaders, make, when, pitching, new, benefits, their, CFO</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>AMRO holds Asia’s 2026 growth forecast steady at 4%, but said it would have been higher if not for the Iran war</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amro-holds-asias-2026-growth-forecast-steady-at-4-but-said-it-would-have-been-higher-if-not-for-the-iran-war</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amro-holds-asias-2026-growth-forecast-steady-at-4-but-said-it-would-have-been-higher-if-not-for-the-iran-war</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;The Middle East conflict has shifted the balance of risks to the downside,” says Dong He, chief economist of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2268842009.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>AMRO, holds, Asia’s, 2026, growth, forecast, steady, 4, but, said, would, have, been, higher, not, for, the, Iran, war</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Current price of oil as of April 6, 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-april-6-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-april-6-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When oil prices change, it affects your energy costs—and even the price of everyday items. Here’s why. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Price-of-Oil-April-6.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Current, price, oil, April, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>A New York Times critic used AI to write a review, but good criticism can’t be outsourced</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-new-york-times-critic-used-ai-to-write-a-review-but-good-criticism-cant-be-outsourced</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-new-york-times-critic-used-ai-to-write-a-review-but-good-criticism-cant-be-outsourced</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ An author and freelance journalist has admitted to using AI to help him write a book review for The New York Times.



Alex Preston’s review of Jean-Baptiste Andrea’s novel Watching Over Her, published by The New York Times in January 2026, draws phrases and full paragraphs from Christobel Kent’s review in The Guardian. The “error” was brought to light by a reader, who alerted The New York Times to the similarities.



Preston told The Guardian he is “hugely embarassed” and “made a huge mistake.”



The Times promptly dropped Preston, calling his “reliance on A.I. and his use of unattributed work by another writer” a “clear violation of the Times’s standards.” An editor’s note now precedes the review online, advising readers of the issue and providing a link to the Guardian review.



Preston’s apology to The Guardian raises more questions than it resolves. The portion quoted online seems to speak more to the issue of unattributed work than his use of AI. It reads: “I made a serious mistake in using an AI tool on a draft review I had written, and I failed to identify and remove overlapping language from another review that the AI dropped in.” This implies that if he had removed the “overlapping” language, the issue would have been avoided.



As a literary critic and scholar, I believe the deeper question isn’t whether or not critics should do more to hide their use of AI—but the ethics of using it at all.



Why AI can’t do criticism



The role of the critic isn’t to summarize or repackage art, but to actively participate in a conversation about it. “Good criticism thrives in the complexity of its environment,” writes critic Jane Howard, who is also The Conversation’s Arts + Culture editor. “Each review sits in conversation with every other review of a piece of art, with every other review the critic has written.”



In other words, the critic is in conversation with both the artist and the audience. The critic’s emotional and intellectual engagement with art—and their translation and communication of meaning—is intrinsic to their role as mediator. That role is deeply human.



Perhaps information can be outsourced, but emotional engagement can’t. Nor can an individual perspective, filtered through one human’s reading, viewing, listening, and experiences.



Art and AI controversies



There are valid arguments outlining the functional uses of AI, and warning against significant climate repercussions. But there is also an escalating concern around the intrusion of AI into creative expression.



Last month, author Mia Ballard was accused of using AI to write her horror novel, Shy Girl. It was withdrawn from publication in the U.K. and canceled from scheduled publication in the U.S. after “readers on platforms such as Goodreads and Reddit had questioned whether sections of the text bore hallmarks of AI-generated prose,” according to The Guardian.



In 2023, German artist Boris Eldagsen sparked controversy when he revealed that his prize-winning photograph The Electrician was AI-generated. In 2025, Tilly Norwood, the first fully AI-generated “actress” ignited debate around whether so-called synthetic actors were a tool for creative expression or a threat to human creators.



In 2025, writers were “horrified” to discover that their work had been pirated by Meta to train AI systems.



If the question that underlies these examples is “What is the role of art?” this latest debacle adds “And what is the responsibility of the critic?”



Breaking a pact



Art criticism in Australia is what Howard describes as a “niche within a niche.” The sector is unbearably small, so most critics have an additional day job and are in close professional and personal proximity to the artists whose work they review.



Some critics of the critics, such as writer Gideon Haigh, have suggested this has led to a culture of what literary academic Emmett Stinson called “too-nice” criticism.



But I would argue generosity is fundamental to public-facing criticism—and that the critic reviewing in the public sphere has a responsibility to writers and readers.



The writer might safely assume that when we’re publishing a review that surmises their book’s successes and failings against its ambition, we have, at the very least, taken the time to read and carefully consider their work, and our own response to it.



This unspoken pact is broken when the writer begins to use AI—particularly when a professional reviewer like Preston seems to outsource his assessment to it.



Such fiascos point to a disturbing future where readers’ opportunities to build community and develop empathy through engagement with literature is outsourced entirely to AI.



Australian literature academic Julieanne Lamond has said, “When we write reviews we have to do it ‘naked’—as individual readers, with a public to judge our judgments.” In other words, we sit at the middle of a pact between the writer of a book and their potential readers.



Criticism can be literature



Done well, criticism is literature. As Australian author, playwright, and critic Leslie Rees argued in 1946, good literary criticism is a “real and creative service to literature.”



Popular criticism, written for the general public and published as journalism, might sit on a different playing field from scholarly criticism. But its obligation to readers—to convey real and honest opinions about books and bring readers into a conversation about literature—is no less significant. There is a shared obligation to be honest, and surely this honesty extends to a transparency about AI use.



French professor and essayist Phillipe Lejeune, best known for his work on autobiography, used the term the autobiographical pact to describe the relationship between the writer of a memoir and the reader. That is, the reader accepts what the memoirist says as truth, based on the writer’s acknowledgments of their own biases and subjectivity.



We might transfer a similar pact to the reviewer and their reader. Should the reader not be able to trust that the review they’re reading is the critic’s own?



Hannah Bowman, a literary agent from Liza Dawson Associates, recently described mistrust as the book industry’s greatest peril: “It’s essential for all parties in the publishing process to have transparency and clarity in conversations about how AI tools are being used by any party, especially in the creative process.”



In failing to disclose his use of AI, Preston has not only embarrassed himself but also broken the trust of his readers.





Bec Kavanagh is a senior tutor in publishing and creative writing at the University of Melbourne.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>New, York, Times, critic, used, write, review, but, good, criticism, can’t, outsourced</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>3 surprising (but simple) ways to save gas as fuel costs skyrocket</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-surprising-but-simple-ways-to-save-gas-as-fuel-costs-skyrocket</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-surprising-but-simple-ways-to-save-gas-as-fuel-costs-skyrocket</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We’re in the middle of the extended Easter holiday weekend, which usually sees millions of Americans taking long road trips to visit family or just get away. But this year, these trips will probably be more costly—at least at the pump. Still, there are steps you can take while driving to save fuel and reduce your overall gas bill.



Why are gas prices rising?



According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline passed the $4 threshold this week. That’s a price not seen since August 2022, and one that is more than $1 per gallon more expensive than just over a month earlier.



What is causing these price increases? If you’ve read a newspaper or watched the news in the past month, you can probably guess: Trump’s war with Iran, which has led to nearly complete disruption of oil shipments through the geographically critical Strait of Hormuz, upending global oil supply chains, and leading to a spike in oil prices of more than 50% over the past month.



As gas is refined from oil, any price increases in crude will eventually (and, usually, quickly) filter down to you at the pumps. How long oil prices will stay high depends on how long the war with Iran drags on—something the average driver has no control over. However, there are three surprising moves you can make to help conserve gas in your tank and keep your fuel costs down.



1. Drive slower



Yes, driving slower really does use less fuel, according to the American Automobile Association. That’s why, in addition to the safety advantages, the AAA and other transportation experts advise drivers to adhere to the speed limits posted.



But why does driving slower save gas? The AAA says that it comes down to aerodynamic friction. “On the highway, aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop off significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph,” the organization notes.



If you are having trouble slowing down, it may help, mentally, to put a price on your excess speed. The US Department of Energy (DOE) says that for every 5 miles per hour driven over 50 MPH, it’s “like paying an additional $0.27 per gallon for gas.”



2. Shut off the AC



Now that Spring has arrived, temperatures will begin to rise, which means more people will turn on their air conditioners while behind the wheel. But using your AC is a great way to burn your gas.



If you’re cost-conscious about fuel prices, the AAA recommends minimizing your air conditioning use. Instead, try rolling down your windows. At first, this might seem counterintuitive: We imagine that pushing air into the car may increase drag, which burns more fuel, but the AAA says that any additional drag still uses less fuel than the AC. “Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel economy than the engine power required to operate the air conditioning compressor,” the club notes.



As for why the AC uses fuel, Kelley Blue Book explains that your car’s AC unit is powered by the alternator, which runs on gasoline. The vehicle valuation company says that AC use can reduce your car’s fuel efficiency by as much as 10%.



3. Jettison the excess weight



The more something weighs, the more energy it needs to move from one point to the next. So the more extra stuff you have weighing down your vehicle, the more quickly you’ll burn through the gas in your tank.



This is why both the AAA and the Department of Energy recommend that you remove unnecessary objects from your vehicle. And yes, every little bit of weight removed does help increase your fuel efficiency. As the DOE notes, “An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by about 1%,” with smaller cars affected more than larger ones.



The DOE says that for every 100 pounds of weight you remove from your car, you can expect fuel savings of about 4 cents per gallon.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>surprising, but, simple, ways, save, gas, fuel, costs, skyrocket</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This turbulence&#45;tracking travel app will make your next trip more tolerable</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-turbulence-tracking-travel-app-will-make-your-next-trip-more-tolerable</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-turbulence-tracking-travel-app-will-make-your-next-trip-more-tolerable</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When we talk about travel apps, we typically talk about the types of tools that help you organize your itineraries, find worthwhile stops along your way, or maybe even just find flights (and/or fuel!) in the first place.



Those types of tools are important—but there’s another travel resource I recently ran into that might be even more invaluable.



It’s a free website that gives you unprecedented insight into exactly how much turbulence you can expect on any given flight, before you take off—as well as what the wind and overall weather conditions may mean for your odds of an on-time (or, if you’re lucky, maybe even early) arrival.



Trust me: This is one you’ll absolutely want to pack away for the future.



This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures!



Your helpful eye on the sky



The next time you’re about to fly the not-so-friendly skies, take a moment to pull up a website called Turbli​ before you take off.



➜ Turbli is a free site that shows you exactly how much turbulence you’re likely to encounter on different parts of any specific flight you’re taking. (It’s also an incredibly fun name to say, as an extra little bonus. Seriously—try it out loud: Turbli. Turbli. Turbli!)



Turbli relies on the same data sources that actual airline pilots use—from advanced weather models provided by places like the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.K. Met Office.



It instantly analyzes all that info and spits back a plain-English summary and simple illustration showing you what to expect. Particularly with plane turbulence growing more frequent and severe​ as of late, having that knowledge ahead of time can make a meaningful difference in your flight experience.



⌚ It couldn’t be much easier to use, either. We’re talkin’ roughly 20 seconds of time for any flight lookup.



✅ All you do is pull up the Turbli website​ in any browser, on any device you’re using—then put your departure and arrival city into the box on the center of the screen and tell it if you’re leaving today or tomorrow.



All you need to know is your departure and arrival airport to get going with Turbli.



Turbli will then show you a list of specific flights scheduled for the path and date you selected.



Turbli shows you a selection of flight options.



Once you’ve selected your flight, you’ll see your turbulence forecast along with other relevant weather-related info.



The turbulence and wind forecasts tell you exactly what to expect at every moment of your flight.



Odds are, that’ll tell you everything you need to know. But if you want to dive in deeper, note the little “Maps” option at the top-right of those boxes.



Clicking or tapping that will take you to a live, interactive map that’ll give you even more visuals into your upcoming flight conditions.



Turbli’s interactive map is available if you really want to dive deep into the expected flying conditions.



Turbli has a detailed FAQ page​ that explains all of its forecasts, including exactly what different types of turbulence are likely to feel like in practice. (Long story short: Light turbulence is nothing, moderate makes for a bumpy flight, moderate/severe is gonna give you that roller coaster feeling but still be no actual cause for concern, and severe is likely to be quite intense but still perfectly safe as far as what modern aircrafts are designed to handle.)



Turbli does require an active internet connection to operate, as you’d expect—but other than that, there’s not much to it in terms of planning. Just pull up the site, put in your flight info, and start your next flying journey with full knowledge of what’s ahead and no sudden surprises.




Turbli is entirely web-based,​ so it’ll work in any browser and on any device you’re using—no downloads required.



It’s completely free and the passion project of a single weather-obsessed engineer. The site does accept donations​, and its creator also ​sells a related book​—but you never have to pay anything or make any purchases to use it.



The site doesn’t require any sign-ins or request any manner of personal info.




Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletter—starting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in truly delightful ways. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, turbulence-tracking, travel, app, will, make, your, next, trip, more, tolerable</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Managing AI has become its own job</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/managing-ai-has-become-its-own-job</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/managing-ai-has-become-its-own-job</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Managers are rushing to deploy AI for efficiency gains. Employees have to figure out how to make it work—and that’s sometimes harder than it seems.



Half of organizations piloted general-purpose AI tools last year, according to MIT research. But adoption and readiness aren’t the same thing. 



According to Rumman Chowdhury, former U.S. Science Envoy for AI and CEO and cofounder of Humane Intelligence, the burden is likely to fall on workers.



“There’s a lot of FOMO among C-suites and high-level execs on pressure to build AI, and then they’re also incentivized to pretend like it works really well,” she says. “If and when it doesn’t, the responsibility is on the employee who had no say in whether or not this technology was adopted and used, or even often what it was used for.”



For many employees, particularly those who don’t have a technical background, the promise of AI-driven efficiency comes with a catch: Useful output often requires time and effort that doesn’t always get counted. The gap between what these tools are supposed to do and what it actually takes to make them work has become its own job. 



Companies are figuring out whether the fix is better training or more realistic expectations around what these tools can deliver. For now, employees are absorbing the additional labor involved in prompting AI and double-checking its outputs.



“PhD-level experts in your pocket”?



Kellie Romack, chief digital information officer at enterprise software company ServiceNow, suggests managing AI is a hands-on effort. During a recent session with one of the company’s AI tools, she caught the model making a basic math error.



“I wrote back and said, I think your math is wrong,” she recalled. “It wrote back to me and said, ‘Oh, you’re right. I do have it wrong.’” Romack gave it a thumbs-down and flagged it for her team’s feedback loop. 



The cleanup that follows is a cost organizations don’t always account for. 



“There may be efficiencies of production,” Chowdhury says. “And then if you scratch beneath the surface, some of this employee frustration is like, yeah, it’s producing stuff—and then I have to spend three hours going through every citation and making sure it’s not a hallucination.”



A January 2026 Workday study of 3,200 employees found that over a third of time saved through AI is offset by rework, which the report calls an “AI tax on productivity.” 



Most leaders, the report finds, are focused on gross efficiency, or how much time AI saves. That metric doesn’t account for rework, and when it does, the net value of AI is often lower than expected. Net value, which the report defines as “time saved minus time lost,” is what shows whether AI is improving how work gets done. The only way to capture AI’s return is to move beyond hours saved and account for outcomes achieved, the report says.



The problem is the AI industry oversold what these tools could do, Chowdhury says, pointing to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s claim last year that users would have a “team of PhD-level experts in your pocket.” The result has been frustration among both employees and managers: What was promoted as transformative has turned out to be far more uneven.



“These technologies are simultaneously capable and not capable, and that’s what’s weird about it,” she says. “People who are the furthest removed from AI—the imagery they have in their head is this magical sentient being. And then they’re frustrated because . . . this isn’t a magical sentient being.”



The difference, she adds, tends to be greatest among those with the least experience using the tools.



The training gap



A 2024 study by University of Texas at Austin researchers Min Kyung Lee and Angie Zhang included a workshop with 39 primarily knowledge workers from 26 countries—with follow-up interviews conducted separately with some participants. When workers received AI training, the majority described it as superficial.



One participant recounted a colleague who used ChatGPT to generate a list of publications and didn’t realize the titles had been invented by the AI.



The consequences of using AI without proper training or context can be serious. 



Zhang recalled one participant who worked at a labor standards organization that had to fire a junior employee after their AI-assisted work repeatedly fell short. The employee kept turning to generative AI to draft labor standards, producing work that drew on standards the participant had never come across or had no bearing on the task. (The organization had not formally adopted AI but some employees had begun using it anyway.)



Some companies are trying to get ahead of the problem. IBM Consulting requires every employee to acquire a foundational generative AI badge, covering not just how to use the tools, but what they can and can’t do, says Tess Rock, associate partner for global finance transformation at IBM Consulting.



But training alone isn’t enough. What matters more is leaders who can clearly define how and where AI should be used, she says. Without that, even well-trained employees get frustrated.



“There needs to be that leadership mandate, operating model, governance-type decisions to be made, versus kind of having a population of frustrated practitioners trying to leverage this,” Rock says.



IBM Consulting is treating AI adoption like any other business discipline. It involves two-week sprints where teams pitch an AI idea with an ROI case, build it, and scale what works. What doesn’t prove value gets cut.



Working with one client, Rock’s team identified more than 200 potential AI use cases, then measured each against ROI. Half were cut immediately. The top 10 ended up driving 80% of the total value. 



“Focus on those areas that are going to drive impact, and invest there,” she says.



Making it work



Part of what makes the AI management burden so hard to address is that workers’ frustration runs deeper than the tools, Chowdhury says. Employees weren’t asked whether they wanted the tools in the first place. That puts middle managers in a difficult spot, caught between executives wanting to accelerate AI rollouts and employees pushing back.



Her advice: Don’t just push harder. Try to understand what’s actually behind the resistance. 



“The majority of the fear is that people think that ultimately management wants to replace them,” she says. “And it’s a valid fear.”



For Rock, a key question is how organizations think about AI and productivity. Too often the focus is on how much time individual employees save writing emails faster or summarizing meetings. She argues that’s the wrong unit of measurement.



“That to me is pennies on the dollar,” she says. “When people talk about productivity, it’s less about Tess Rock as an individual being more productive and [more], how do you fundamentally set up your organization to be more productive?”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Managing, has, become, its, own, job</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why Gen Z is fangirling over Apple’s ‘Finder Guy’ mascot</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-gen-z-is-fangirling-over-apples-finder-guy-mascot</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-gen-z-is-fangirling-over-apples-finder-guy-mascot</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ At first, he appeared in the top corner of a multi-slide TikTok post. Then he was spotted demurely relaxing in a lawn chair on a livestream. Finally, on March 30, Apple’s new mascot, nicknamed “Finder Guy,” made his debut—and the internet has instantly become enamored with him.



Finder Guy appeared as part of the rollout for Apple’s MacBook Neo, a colorful, affordable laptop marketed to younger consumers. For the Neo campaign, Apple introduced an entirely new TikTok brand persona on March 4, clearly making a play to capture Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewers by combining trending aesthetics with Apple’s high-design point of view. 



Popular videos have included a brain-tingling clip of an Apple-branded blush, a vibey throwback to a 1984 ad, and a goofy original song. But some eagle-eyed fans quickly became fixated on another element of the TikTok relaunch: a cute little mascot modeled after the Mac Finder icon.



Why everyone loves Finder Guy



Finder Guy is an adorably chunky, dual-toned blue creature with a rounded head and a perpetual smile. Apple is being fairly tight-lipped about him; he hasn’t been officially announced or acknowledged by the company. “Finder Guy” isn’t even his real name, just a moniker coined by the internet. The company declined to comment on his design to Fast Company.



Still, it’s fairly obvious why Apple decided to double down on the mascot. After getting mere glimpses of him in those initial TikTok slides and livestream, Apple fans were already singing his praises.



LinkedIn thinkpieces were written about his cherubic qualities. Blog posts were made about his mysterious origins. Independent designers were compelled to create mock-ups of him wearing slouchy sweaters. He was called “a baby,” “cute,” and “adorable” in almost every corner of the internet.



Ryan Benson, cofounder of the creative agency Loudmouth, which helps brands figure out how to capture attention online, says there are a few key reasons why Finder Guy has charmed so many. Like the MacBook Neo itself, Finder Guy taps into Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s yearning for a bygone tech era when Frutiger Aero aesthetics (a retro-futuristic style characterized by bubbly motifs and bright colors) coexisted with serious software developments—in other words, when Apple’s brand felt a little bit more fun. 



“I think they’re adjusting to meet their consumer,” Benson says. “Cute content with cute things for a generation that appreciates aesthetics.” 



Finder Guy’s squat build and angelic features mimic blind box characters like Smiski, Sonny Angel, and Labubu that have become an obsession for many young consumers. One fan even orchestrated an April Fool’s prank to convince his followers that Apple was creating Finder Guy blind boxes.



“It’s so simple, cute, and self-explanatory that it just begs to be remixed, edited, and have fan art made of it,” Benson explains.



“I want Apple with their whimsy turned up to 11”



Beyond the knee-jerk appeal of its cutesy design, Finder Guy feels reminiscent of a ’90s tech moment that’s become an aesthetic fascination for young shoppers. Think Apple’s colorful G3 iMac cases, Tamagotchis, and Clippy: For those who didn’t experience this exciting era firsthand, its hardware outputs seem like relics of a time when new tech wasn’t just sleek and functional but also adventurous and even silly.



“For many of these consumers, Apple was in their Metal Square era as opposed to what they’re exploring now,” Benson says. Finder Guy, he explains, feels like a callback to retro “clear Mac shells and colorful accessories”—a far cry from the clean minimalism that young shoppers traditionally associate with Apple.



That feeling has been echoed in the subreddit r/mac, where a March 31 post with more than 2,000 upvotes is dedicated to discussing users’ thoughts on Finder Guy. “I like it,” one commenter wrote, adding, “With the more colourful devices, the short films on their Youtube, the mascot . . . I like that new art direction they are going for. Making Apple more ‘fun’ again. The sterile, clean aesthetic got a bit old imo.”



Another responded, “Whimsy. I want Apple with their whimsy turned up to 11!” It seems like many of Apple’s young customers agree.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Gen, fangirling, over, Apple’s, ‘Finder, Guy’, mascot</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Blend’s post&#45;IPO reset: CEO Nima Ghamsari bets that AI can turn it all around</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/blends-post-ipo-reset-ceo-nima-ghamsari-bets-that-ai-can-turn-it-all-around</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/blends-post-ipo-reset-ceo-nima-ghamsari-bets-that-ai-can-turn-it-all-around</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After a $4 billion public markets peak and a mortgage market downturn, Blend is refocusing on AI-driven automation. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Nima-Ghamsari-photo.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Blend’s, post-IPO, reset:, CEO, Nima, Ghamsari, bets, that, can, turn, all, around</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Ford CEO Jim Farley says America is sleepwalking past its ‘essential economy’ crisis. Goldman Sachs just showed how big it really is</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ford-ceo-jim-farley-says-america-is-sleepwalking-past-its-essential-economy-crisis-goldman-sachs-just-showed-how-big-it-really-is</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ford-ceo-jim-farley-says-america-is-sleepwalking-past-its-essential-economy-crisis-goldman-sachs-just-showed-how-big-it-really-is</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Does America have enough essential AI workers? Not really. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2237973140.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ford, CEO, Jim, Farley, says, America, sleepwalking, past, its, ‘essential, economy’, crisis., Goldman, Sachs, just, showed, how, big, really</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The hedge fund billionaire betting Miami can rival New York’s Wall Street</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-hedge-fund-billionaire-betting-miami-can-rival-new-yorks-wall-street</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-hedge-fund-billionaire-betting-miami-can-rival-new-yorks-wall-street</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Ken Griffin’s relocation playbook offers lessons on cost, talent, and regulatory strategy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2244686903.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, hedge, fund, billionaire, betting, Miami, can, rival, New, York’s, Wall, Street</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Prediction markets caught insider traders in real time. Congress wants to shut them down anyway</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/prediction-markets-caught-insider-traders-in-real-time-congress-wants-to-shut-them-down-anyway</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/prediction-markets-caught-insider-traders-in-real-time-congress-wants-to-shut-them-down-anyway</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Blockchain-based platforms Polymarket and Kalshi are doing what Wall Street regulators never could—leaving a public, immutable trail of suspicious trades. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1715935588709.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Prediction, markets, caught, insider, traders, real, time., Congress, wants, shut, them, down, anyway</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>12 Fortune 500 CEOs worked for Pepsi. Delta’s Ed Bastian explains why it’s a leadership factory</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/12-fortune-500-ceos-worked-for-pepsi-deltas-ed-bastian-explains-why-its-a-leadership-factory</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/12-fortune-500-ceos-worked-for-pepsi-deltas-ed-bastian-explains-why-its-a-leadership-factory</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ On Fortune&#039;s Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast, Bastian explained how PepsiCo&#039;s cutthroat talent culture prepared him to lead the most profitable airline in the U.S. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/EdBastian-Fortune.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Fortune, 500, CEOs, worked, for, Pepsi., Delta’s, Bastian, explains, why, it’s, leadership, factory</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Memory chip stocks are falling again: Why Micron, SanDisk, WDC, and Seagate keep getting hammered</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/memory-chip-stocks-are-falling-again-why-micron-sandisk-wdc-and-seagate-keep-getting-hammered</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/memory-chip-stocks-are-falling-again-why-micron-sandisk-wdc-and-seagate-keep-getting-hammered</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It has been a bruising 24 hours for investors in memory chip storage companies, including Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq: SNDK), Western Digital Corporation (Nasdaq: WDC), and Seagate Technology Holdings (Nasdaq: STX).



Yesterday, all four leaders in the memory chip space ended the day significantly lower. 



Here’s what’s happening—and why some are questioning whether the RAM shortage that has driven these companies’ stock prices to new heights will soon come to an end.



Memory chip stocks get pummeled—again



Just a few weeks ago, the sky seemed to be the limit for memory chip makers. After all, the world is in the middle of a full-blown RAM shortage, which means memory chips are in high demand.



This demand has caused the stock prices of four companies—Micron, SanDisk, Western Digital, and Seagate—to surge over the past six months, with performance that has been, simply put, eye-watering.



For example, the least best-performing stock of the four companies is Seagate, but even its stock price has risen 53% in the past six months.



Micron’s stock price has performed even better, rising 92%. Western Digital is up even more, rising 109% over the past six months.



As for SanDisk, its stock performance over the same period has been phenomenal, up more than 410%.



And keep in mind that those were the gains even after the memory chip makers’ stock prices began getting pummeled last week. 



Yesterday, that pummeling continued, with Micron shares dropping nearly 10% during the trading session, while Western Digital lost 8.6%, SanDisk lost 7%, and Seagate dropped 4.6%.



With yesterday’s dips, all four major memory chip makers have seen massive stock price declines over the past five days, with Micron down more than 20%, SanDisk down 18.5%, Western Digital down almost 15%, and Seagate down more than 10%.



The question is, why?



What the AI boom gives, it can take away



The AI boom of the past several years has led many of the world’s largest tech giants to spend hundreds of billions building massive data centers to run their AI systems. These data centers require servers that in turn require massive amounts of RAM to run the AI.



The staggering RAM requirements for the AI boom have led to a memory chip shortage. 



And while that is bad for everyday retail customers like you and me, that shortage has been very good for the memory chip makers themselves. Their once-cheaper RAM technology now sells at a premium—and they have no shortage of deep-pocketed enterprise customers snapping up all the RAM they can make.



But what the AI boom gives, it can take away. 



Last week, one of the world’s AI leaders, Google, announced it had developed a new technology called TurboQuant. As Fast Company previously reported, Google says the tech is “a compression algorithm that optimally addresses the challenge of memory overhead in vector quantization.”



Without going into too much detail, the tech essentially means that AI giants like Google might soon be able to run compute-intensive AI tasks on computers that require up to six times less RAM than they do now. 



While this is great news for the AI giants, it’s horrible news for memory chip makers, as demand for their chips could drop by as much as 6x.



Why did memory stocks get hit so hard yesterday?



Importantly, Google’s TurboQuant news was released last week (RAM makers also took a beating when it was first announced), so why did memory chip stocks fall again yesterday?



It’s always impossible to know the exact motivations for any large-scale selloff in the markets, but investors probably spent the weekend digesting the TurboQuant news.



And when markets opened on Monday, enough investors thought it might be a good idea to start taking some profits on the four memory chip makers, which have seen such impressive gains in recent months.



Such profit-taking can often trigger a snowball effect, resulting in significant falls in a stock in any given trading session. 



The only other thing likely to have affected memory chip stocks yesterday is the same event that has affected most other stocks over the past month: lingering uncertainty around the war in Iran.



The markets have been generally down this month, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that we could be heading for our worst quarter in four years.



What investors will be watching for in particular with memory chip stocks is whether the RAM shortage may indeed be coming to an end sooner than most expected. That answer will likely have the greatest influence on memory-chip stocks in the months ahead. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-2-91519078-memory-chip-stocks-micron-sandisk.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Memory, chip, stocks, are, falling, again:, Why, Micron, SanDisk, WDC, and, Seagate, keep, getting, hammered</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How can you spot a bad manager fast? Look for this 1 warning sign</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-can-you-spot-a-bad-manager-fast-look-for-this-1-warning-sign</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-can-you-spot-a-bad-manager-fast-look-for-this-1-warning-sign</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Here’s a familiar scenario: The product development team creates a hot new app. The client is excited to launch it, and the PR team is preparing the campaign for its release.



And then this happens: The manager in charge of the project steals the spotlight and takes all the credit for the work. There’s no praise for the team, no celebration of everyone’s success, and no recognition of team members’ contributions. When that happens, it’s quite likely that team morale will take a nosedive. 



This behavior has frequently appeared in research as a bad-boss trait that leads to employee disengagement and even turnover. In a study I tracked a few years ago, “taking credit for employees’ work” was rated the worst managerial behavior by 63 percent of respondents and something they would consider worth quitting over. 



It’s worth considering: Can taking credit for employees’ work actually be an effective management tactic for advancement? Or might it hold leaders back and hinder their progress? A study highlighted in Forbes, which looked at 3,800 managers and assessed how effective they were when claiming credit, found that those who took credit for others’ work were seen as quite ineffective (13th percentile). In contrast, leaders who made a genuine effort to give credit to their team members were regarded as some of the most successful (85th percentile).



Having trained numerous managers and executives in my leadership course, I see this harmful tendency to dominate the spotlight and claim all the credit as a reflection of individual performance. Managers with this mindset focus on personal recognition, caring primarily about their accomplishments and how they are perceived by superiors.



Identify more servant leaders



To stop the cycle of bad managers in our midst, we need to identify, develop, and promote more servant leaders—people naturally inclined to give their people credit for their contributions, shine a spotlight on them, and show them appreciation. In fact, Gallup research found that employees who regularly receive credit increase their productivity, achieve higher customer loyalty and satisfaction scores, and are more likely to stay with their organization.



Great leaders with loyal followers don’t seek glory or validation; they recognize their own achievements. They highlight others’ successes, and then take a step back to celebrate these accomplishments, fostering greater confidence and trust among their followers.



—Marcel Schwantes







This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. 



Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/spot-bad-manager-inc-1420032121.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, can, you, spot, bad, manager, fast, Look, for, this, warning, sign</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>We’re going back to the moon! Here’s how to watch</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/were-going-back-to-the-moon-heres-how-to-watch</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/were-going-back-to-the-moon-heres-how-to-watch</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s finally happening.



The Artemis II mission—returning humans to the lunar neighborhood for the first time in more than 50 years—is set to launch on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a two-hour window that opens at 6:24 p.m. (EDT), with additional launch opportunities through April 6.



The first crewed Artemis mission will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the moon. Objectives include testing the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems in situ for the first time with people, gathering additional data on how spaceflight affects the human body, and laying the groundwork for future crewed Artemis missions. It may also offer views of the moon never before seen.



This mission will break six major records: the first Black astronaut (Glover, as Orion’s first pilot), first woman (Koch), first non-American (Hansen, his maiden voyage to space), and oldest (Wiseman, aged 50) to visit the lunar arena, traveling the farthest from Earth (250,000 miles), and returning with the fastest re-entry speed (25,000 mph).



NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are seen at Launch Complex 39B, Friday, March 27, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [Photo: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani]



NASA is streaming a series of prelaunch, launch, and in-flight mission events and briefings on NASA’s YouTube channel, NASA+, as well as its other social media platforms. The public can find a full list of activities here. Enthusiasts can register for the mission’s virtual guest program and receive curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a NASA virtual guest passport stamp. Likewise, C-SPAN will offer Artemis programming on C-SPAN.org, its YouTube channel, radio station, and mobile app. 



Fun fact: The Zero Gravity Indicator—the plush toy flying with the astronauts to visually confirm when they’ve reached weightlessness—was designed by Lucas Ye, a second-grader from Northern California, chosen from 2,600 entries submitted in 50+ countries through the Moon Mascot: NASA Artemis II ZGI Design Challenge run by Freelancer on behalf of NASA.



[Photo: Freelancer]



Beginning April 2, NASA will conduct daily updates from the Johnson Space Center in Houston and on the Artemis Blog, and the crew will engage in live conversations throughout the mission. To track Orion in space, visit: nasa.gov/trackartemis.



New York-based folks still jonesing for more post-launch space theatrics can check out We Chose to Go to the Moon, an immersive experience recounting America’s Apollo moon race, on April 7 and 8, featuring Broadway stars and Neil Armstrong’s son and granddaughter.  



[Photo: Susan Karlin]



Here’s to smooth sailing after a turbulent couple of months. First, NASA scrubbed the initial February 6 launch to repair hydrogen leaks and helium flow issues in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In early March, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a revamped schedule for subsequent Artemis missions to standardize the SLS configuration, push back the moon landing to Artemis IV in 2028, and align workforces with private contractors to enable more frequent launches. On March 20, the 322-foot SLS and Orion rolled back out to Launch Pad 39B.



Now, let’s light this candle.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91517235-were-going-back-to-the-moon-heres-how-to-watch.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>We’re, going, back, the, moon, Here’s, how, watch</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What happened to Allbirds?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-happened-to-allbirds</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-happened-to-allbirds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AllBirds Inc. was valued at $4 billion less than five years ago. Now, it will be sold for just $39 million. 



The shoe company on Monday announced a definitive agreement with American Exchange Group (AXNY), which involves selling all of its intellectual property, assets, and liabilities. 



Privately held AXNY owns a number of brands, including Aerosoles, Ed Hardy, and Jonathan Adler. 



“We are incredibly thankful to our teams for the work they have been doing to fuel our product engine, build awareness of Allbirds and deliver an engaging customer experience,” Allbirds CEO Joe Vernachio said in a statement. 



The sale has already been approved by Allbirds’ board of directors, but still requires the go ahead from the company’s common stockholders. 



Allbirds plans to file its request for stockholder approval by April 24, complete the transaction in the second quarter, and distribute a yet-to-be-determined amount of net proceeds to stockholders in the third quarter. 



Vernachio continued: “Over the past decade, Allbirds has evolved into a lifestyle footwear brand known for modern design, innovative materials and unparalleled comfort. This next chapter with AXNY builds on the foundational work already completed and sets up the brand to thrive in the years ahead.” 



What’s next for Allbirds on the Nasdaq?



The company will no longer release its quarterly earnings press release or hold a related call on Tuesday, March 31. Instead, Allbirds will solely file its 2025 annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 



On Monday, shares of Allbirds (Nasdaq: BIRD) closed 6.29% down. Following the sale announcement, shares rose more than 20% in after-hours trading. In Tuesday’s premarket, shares of Allbirds were still up more than 17%. 



Allbirds stock cratered post-COVID, and never really recovered. In 2024, the company had to do a reverse stock split (1-for-20) in order to keep Nasdaq’s minimum bid price and avoid delisting.  



How did Allbirds fall so far?



Allbirds was a phenomenon in 2021 when it made its $4 billion IPO. Founded in 2015, the company promised—and delivered—comfortable shoes for everyone. 



But, it also tried to expand into apparel, finding less success in that market. Allbirds has also faced the same problems that many apparel and retail brands face: reduced foot traffic and tighter purse strings. 



In 2023 cofounder Tim Brown stepped down as co-CEO. His partner Joey Zwillinger followed suit the following year. 



Vernachio took on the role of CEO after holding the position of COO since 2021. Store closures accompanied the change. In January, Allbirds announced that it would shutter almost all of its brick-and-mortar stores. 



Allbirds has recently been funding its operations, in part, through borrowings in its credit agreement. 



In 2025, the company had a net loss of $77.3 million and used $55.1 million in net cash for operating activities. At the end of the year, Allbirds had $26.7 million between its cash and cash equivalents, with $17.4 million outstanding in its credit agreement. 



In an SEC filing, the company said it “does not expect to continue its operations” once the sale is complete. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91519052-allbirds-stock.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What, happened, Allbirds</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>As the Iran war drags on, are Trump’s tactics to regulate markets working?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-the-iran-war-drags-on-are-trumps-tactics-to-regulate-markets-working</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-the-iran-war-drags-on-are-trumps-tactics-to-regulate-markets-working</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the Iran war intensifies, President Donald Trump has prioritized efforts to calm the financial markets — trying to keep oil prices from exploding upward, stocks from cratering and interest rates from surging.When the markets have flashed danger, Trump has been quick with a social media post or a remark to claim the war he launched last month could soon end. He’s publicly declared that the markets are doing better than he expected, even with the S&amp;P 500 stock index declining over the past five weeks and the global oil benchmark up roughly 60%.“I thought oil prices were going to go up higher than they are now,” Trump said at a Friday investor summit. “And I thought that we would see a bigger drop in stock. It hasn’t been that bad.”With the Iran war, the White House has largely refrained from messaging more aggressively to voters about the economic consequences — choosing instead to try to contain any damage in the financial markets, which have swung wildly on the prospects of ceasefire or escalation in what has become a high-stakes guessing game about Trump’s next moves.The Republican president showed the extremes of his messaging Monday before the U.S. stock market opened, writing in a social media post that great progress had been achieved on peace talks with Iran while also threatening civilian infrastructure such as desalination plants if a deal wasn’t reached “shortly.”The White House sees the stock, energy and bond markets as a way to indirectly reach voters. Trump has staked his economic agenda on cheap prices at the pump, robust gains in 401(k) accounts and cheaper mortgage rates.But that messaging appears to be wearing thin as the president’s various pronouncements have done little to change the reality that a large chunk of the world’s energy supplies is stranded by the conflict. Just 38% of U.S. adults approve of how he’s handling the economy and only 35% support him on Iran, according to a March survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.



The president has tried to dictate to markets instead of talking directly to Americans



Gene Sperling, a top economic adviser in the Democratic Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations, said voters can make a direct connection between prices at the pump and Trump’s choice to attack Iran. He said “simplistic jawboning” to the markets is insufficient for a public that is stuck paying the price as gasoline soars past $4 a gallon nationwide.“Most advisers would say the president has to speak directly to the American people and fully acknowledge the economic pain that his policy has so directly caused in a short amount of time and make the case for why the national security concerns justify it,” Sperling said. “Instead, you have a strategy of not recognizing or even dismissing people’s economic pain.”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday called the oil price increases a “short-term fluctuation.”Trump’s strategy of giving mixed messages has started to work against him, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale University School of Management and co-author of the new book “Trump’s Ten Commandments: Strategic Lessons from the Trump Leadership Toolbox.”“The uncertainty is now soaring,” Sonnenfeld said. “As the messaging to calm markets with false reassurances is having diminishing credibility in financial markets, so, too, has Trump diminished public confidence.”



Trump’s desire for flexibility on the war limits his ability to offer clarity



Trump has embraced having flexibility in how he chooses to conduct the war, even though this has muddled his stated objectives.During a Cabinet meeting Thursday, he said Iran was “begging” for a deal even as he threatened further military action — all the while maintaining that any economic damage to the U.S. would reverse itself.On Friday after the markets closed, he extended his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the flow of oil, saying he would hold off on bombing Iran’s energy plants in the meantime.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox &amp; Friends” that Iran was letting some tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and that the “market is well supplied” because countries are releasing their strategic petroleum reserves and sanctions have been removed for Russian and Iranian oil already on tankers.“We are seeing more and more ships go through on a daily basis as individual countries cut deals with the Iranian regime for the time being,” Bessent said. “But over time, the U.S. is going to retake control of the straits, and there will be freedom of navigation, whether it is through U.S. escorts or a multinational escort.”Graham Steele, a Biden-era Treasury official, said Trump’s messaging techniques “can work temporarily, but they have diminishing returns, over time,” if they’re detached from actual policies and results.“We saw a lot of the volatile market reactions initially, when he kept announcing these things and then walking them back,” Steele said. “The market reaction now is just a steady trend upward in prices,” he noted, adding that markets are “not responding to it in the same way anymore.”



Confidence in the economy and Trump is fading without clear results



The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment on Friday fell to a reading of 53.3 in March, its lowest level since December. Joanne Hsu, director of the surveys of consumers, pointed to the financial market volatility “in the wake of the Iran conflict” as reducing confidence in the economy for households with middle and higher incomes.Hsu noted that the survey indicated that people do not expect the higher energy costs and stock market declines to persist, but that could change if the war “becomes protracted or if higher energy prices pass through to overall inflation.”Gus Faucher, the chief economist at PNC Financial Services, stressed that low levels of consumer sentiment do not automatically signal a recession. But he said consumers would have to see lower gas prices, a steady stock market and decreased mortgage rates to feel better about the economy, which likely means a definitive resolution to the conflict rather than a series of pronouncements by Trump.“The proof is in the pudding,” Faucher said. “People need to see some substantive improvements before they feel better about conditions.”







Follow the AP’s coverage of the Iran war at https://apnews.com/hub/iran.



—Josh Boak and Fatima Hussein, Associated Press ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/AP26061635603186.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>the, Iran, war, drags, on, are, Trump’s, tactics, regulate, markets, working</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>One AI bubble has already burst. The next one—a ‘rare’ kind—is still growing, economist warns</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/one-ai-bubble-has-already-burst-the-next-onea-rare-kindis-still-growing-economist-warns</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/one-ai-bubble-has-already-burst-the-next-onea-rare-kindis-still-growing-economist-warns</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Capital Economics’ John Higgins noted the price-earnings ratio has already collapsed from its peak—but there’s another metric that hasn’t. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2266590940-e1774652623564.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>One, bubble, has, already, burst., The, next, one—a, ‘rare’, kind—is, still, growing, economist, warns</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How a couple’s kitchen table and a bean burrito built a $1 billion food empire</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-a-couples-kitchen-table-and-a-bean-burrito-built-a-1-billion-food-empire</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-a-couples-kitchen-table-and-a-bean-burrito-built-a-1-billion-food-empire</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Amy&#039;s Kitchen founders Andy and Rachel Berliner never planned to be in big business. Nearly four decades later, they still live in the same ranch house where it all started. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Andy_Rachel_Berliner_AmysFounders_Owners.tif" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, couple’s, kitchen, table, and, bean, burrito, built, billion, food, empire</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The ROAD Act passed by the Senate aims to expand America’s housing supply. It’s likely to shrink it instead</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-road-act-passed-by-the-senate-aims-to-expand-americas-housing-supply-its-likely-to-shrink-it-instead</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-road-act-passed-by-the-senate-aims-to-expand-americas-housing-supply-its-likely-to-shrink-it-instead</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The ROAD Act aims to keep big investors out of the single family home rental market. Critics say that could kill investment in new homes, and drive up prices. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2267898983-e1774556642835.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, ROAD, Act, passed, the, Senate, aims, expand, America’s, housing, supply., It’s, likely, shrink, instead</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The AI doomsday everyone’s worried about is the wrong one</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ai-doomsday-everyones-worried-about-is-the-wrong-one</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ai-doomsday-everyones-worried-about-is-the-wrong-one</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Companies are spending 93% of their AI budgets on tech and only 7% on people. It&#039;s already backfiring. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-57357867-e1774641153932.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, doomsday, everyone’s, worried, about, the, wrong, one</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>America has a workforce crisis. The solution is already here — and it’s being wasted</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/america-has-a-workforce-crisis-the-solution-is-already-here-and-its-being-wasted</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/america-has-a-workforce-crisis-the-solution-is-already-here-and-its-being-wasted</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A neurosurgeon driving Uber. A civil engineer stocking shelves. Millions of work-authorized, highly trained immigrants can fill the labor shortage now. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/haile.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>America, has, workforce, crisis., The, solution, already, here, —, and, it’s, being, wasted</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Noodles &amp;amp; Company closed dozens of restaurants last year. Here’s why the stock price is soaring in 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/noodles-company-closed-dozens-of-restaurants-last-year-heres-why-the-stock-price-is-soaring-in-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/noodles-company-closed-dozens-of-restaurants-last-year-heres-why-the-stock-price-is-soaring-in-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As part of a strategic move to optimize its store footprint, Noodles &amp; Company closed 33 company-owned restaurants in 2025. In January, the chain said it would close dozens more stores this year.  



However, despite the shrinking restaurant count, sales have grown. 



The fast-casual eatery held its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings call on Wednesday, March 25. It reported that comparable store sales increased 6.6% in the final quarter of 2025. Sales growth and traffic are also up as of early 2026.



Following the strong earnings report, shares of Noodles &amp; Company (Nasdaq: NDLS) soared over 50% on Thursday. 



The stock is up almost 60% year to date as of premarket trading on Friday. That’s a significant contrast to the broader Nasdaq Composite, which is down 7.78% for 2026 so far.   



How store closures have helped same-store sales



Despite having closed more than 30 stores in 2025, Noodles &amp; Company reported system-wide comparable store sales growth of nearly 7% in the fourth quarter of 2025. 



On Wednesday’s earnings call, CEO Joe Christina told investors that the restaurant closures “resulted in a material transfer of sales to nearby locations . . . which also favorably impacted margins.” 



And store closures haven’t stopped customers from spending money. 



CFO Mike Hynes explained during the call that a significant portion of Noodles &amp; Company customers place takeout or delivery orders, so they’ve continued to order from nearby locations that remain open.



“The most meaningful impact is the post-closure transfer of sales to nearby Noodles &amp; Company restaurants, which is driving a significant increase to our company-wide restaurant-level profits.”



New menu items also drove traffic



Menu changes and limited-time offerings have also played a significant role in driving sales and traffic growth, Christina said on the call.



“A great example is chili garlic ramen, which we introduced as a limited time offer in October,” he said. “Inspired by trending ramen hacks, this brothless bowl delivered the buttery, spicy, umami-packed flavors guests were already craving. It quickly became one of the strongest [limited-time offers] in our history.”



He noted that the trendy dish resonated well with loyalty program members and also brought in new customers. Because of its success, Noodles &amp; Company is evaluating other ramen recipes. 



Christina also credits the fast-casual noodle chain’s value-focused messaging, “giving guests compelling meal combinations and an attractive price point that delivered balance, variety, and everyday affordability without compromising quality, while also raising consumer awareness to our new menu offerings.”



Hourly workers have been most impacted by the store closures



While an optimized physical footprint may be producing results for the company, store closures have come at a real cost to employees, primarily hourly workers. 



According to Noodles &amp; Company’s year-end 2025 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the fast-casual eatery employed approximately 6,000 hourly workers as of December 30, 2025, down from 6,800 a year prior. 



That’s a net loss of roughly 800 hourly jobs in one year. Meanwhile, the company’s salaried worker headcount remained unchanged during that same period, with 500 salaried workers reported for both years.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91516996-noodles-company-closed-stock.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Noodles, Company, closed, dozens, restaurants, last, year., Here’s, why, the, stock, price, soaring, 2026</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>3 ways to take the ‘work’ out of networking</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ways-to-take-the-work-out-of-networking</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ways-to-take-the-work-out-of-networking</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ You’ve spent years building a robust professional network. You’ve cultivated relationships with peers, mentors, and industry leaders. So when you signal that you’re exploring new opportunities, you expect your network to perform. Yet too often, promising conversations dissolve into silence. Warm introductions never materialize. Emails go unanswered.



This isn’t a reflection of your professional standing. It’s a design problem: you’re making it too hard for people to help you. The fix is straightforward. Make it easy. Here are three ways to do so.



Ask To Write to Their Contact Directly



When you reach out to a contact seeking an introduction to a decision-maker, a common response goes something like this: “Absolutely — send me your résumé and I’ll forward it to see if there’s interest.”



It sounds helpful, but rarely is.



The fundamental problem: you’ve just handed over control of your own job search to someone with a dozen other priorities. Even the most well-intentioned contact may not follow through—because the timing isn’t right for their colleague (the chances they need your résumé at any given moment are small), because it slipped off their radar, or because the introduction they made on your behalf didn’t do you justice.



The solution is to reclaim the driver’s seat. When a contact offers to pass your résumé along, respond with something like:



“I really appreciate it. To save you time, could I reach out to your colleague directly and simply mention that I was referred by you? I’m also looking to build a relationship for opportunities now or down the road, so I would rather not forward a resume that implies I need a job quickly. Would this work?”



This proposal removes the burden from your contact while giving you control over the pitch. It also avoids the résumé-forward trap—a résumé implies “please hire me now,” when your real goal is to get an informational meeting with a decision-maker and then keep in touch for future opportunities or get additional referrals.



Half of your networking contacts will agree, and now you can use their name to gain attention: “Subject: Referred by [Contact], re: [Topic].”



But what about the contacts who want to make the introduction themselves?



Send a Forward-Friendly Email



Many contacts will respond with something along the lines of “Let me reach out to my colleague first to see if they’d be interested in speaking with you.” In that case, offer to send them a forward-friendly email.



This move dramatically improves the likelihood that they will actually follow through, because you’ve reduced their effort from 15 minutes spent figuring out how to pitch you to just 2 minutes of forwarding. You’re also improving the odds that their contact will want to meet with you, since you can include a field-tested pitch explaining why a conversation could be mutually beneficial.



The content is virtually the same as the “Referred by …” email; just start it differently:



“Subject: Introduction to Katherine Johnson, re: BigCo



Dear Rosalind,



Thanks for offering to forward my information to Katherine. As discussed, below I’ve shared my background and why I believe a meeting could be mutually beneficial.”



One important note on content: resist the urge to attach your résumé unless there’s a specific opening you’re pursuing. Instead, use your LinkedIn profile as your “low-key résumé.” The impressive content in your thoroughly filled-out profile will drive credibility without signaling desperation.



Have a Clear Job Target



Too many executives prolong their searches because they position themselves too broadly, not wanting to miss an opportunity. The problem: your network finds it harder to advocate for you when your message is watered down across multiple job targets. Worse, you may be asking your contacts to do the heavy lifting of translating your varied background into specific opportunities. That is your job, not theirs.



One client came to me after a long, frustrating search. I quickly saw the issue: she was pitching herself to her network as open to Partnerships leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies, COO roles at startups, or Commercialization roles at any company. Three quite varied targets, not connected by a strong theme, led to ineffective messaging. Once we prioritized, she re-launched her outreach with a focused, powerful pitch for COO roles at startups. Within weeks, the interviews began to materialize.



A narrow pitch may feel counterintuitive—but it’s what makes your networking more effective, since people can refer you more easily when they see you clearly in a specific role.



The Bottom Line



Your network wants to help. Your job is to make that help feel effortless—not like a second job. Write the emails they can forward, or email their contacts directly. Do the targeting they shouldn’t have to. And keep yourself in the driver’s seat. The opportunities will follow. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-91498541-how-to-take-the-work-out-of-networking.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>ways, take, the, ‘work’, out, networking</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How the public changes spaces—and art—for the better</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-public-changes-spacesand-artfor-the-better</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-public-changes-spacesand-artfor-the-better</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Designers love intention. Architects draw immaculate plans; curators craft pristine galleries; developers imagine carefully choreographed public experiences. But once the general population shows up, those spaces tend to change. Sometimes there’s an instinct among designers to fight against it; it’s hard to let go of an aesthetic goal.



But—more often than not—the public makes spaces and designs better. It’s the people, not solely the place, who spark true imagination and inevitably shape its character. It’s the people who have the power to turn a design into something more welcoming and relevant, and push designers to think outside the box in creativity and problem-solving.



This January in New York City, at a small placemaking summit hosted by Journey, experts across art, infrastructure, food, and civic design converged around this idea: Spaces come to life once the public makes them their own.



DESIGN FOR VISITORS



At the Summit, Katherine Fleming, CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, for example, described how visitors reshaped the Getty Museum’s iconic steps and lawns. Even though they had been designed as merely aesthetic transitional spaces, they soon became gathering spots: places for picnics, sketching, conversation, or quiet reflection. And instead of correcting that behavior to keep the grounds’ original function, the Getty embraced it. The result was longer museum visits and more positive discourse among the broader Los Angeles community—not, it’s important to note, diminished prestige.



That same flexibility manifests in Antwaun Sargent’s work as the Gagosian director, where he curates galleries informed by the public. His Social Works exhibition highlighted artists embedded in their communities, including an installation from Linda Goode Bryant that displayed a fully functioning aeroponic farm in the gallery to demonstrate its use as a community space, challenging traditional notions of what “art” is and how it serves communities. This approach turned the gallery into a community, making it a place for the public to gather and learn instead of simply observing.



This notion goes beyond art institutions and appears in everyday spaces, like retail communities. As Claire Bernard, senior food &amp; beverage manager for Chelsea Market and Market 57, shared, the design at New York City’s iconic Chelsea Market didn’t stay fixed for long. Shop owners regularly shifted displays, reworked lines, and pulled seating in or out depending on the crowd. What started as clearly defined footprints, where one retailer ended and another began, quickly blurred once real people entered the mix. Those small, practical adjustments weren’t part of some grand plan, but they created a truly organic market that could respond to crowd patterns in real time. In many ways, that flexibility is what made it feel authentic and alive, it is another reminder that adaptation can serve the community, the vendors, and the space itself.



Perhaps the most obvious example is public infrastructure. Tina Vaz, director of arts and design at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), spoke about the MTA’s evolving arts and design efforts, where around 4.3 million daily riders turn transit stations into artistic interactions. Whether it’s poetry installations, live performances, permanent artworks, or occasional uncommissioned graffiti art, the MTA is continually adapting and responding to riders’ lived experiences. Meanwhile, initiatives from the Times Square Alliance embrace the constant flow of one of the world’s busiest crossroads, commissioning installations and digital art pieces designed specifically for visiting multilingual audiences. In many ways, these programs succeed precisely because they accept unpredictability and embrace the variety of the people they’re trying to reach.



4 DESIGN TIPS FOR PUBLIC SPACES



So, what should developers and designers take from this?



1. Design for participation. Spaces aren’t finished when they open. They may never be finished. So, build in flexibility, whether it’s movable seating, adaptable signage, multi-use zones or timely installations, and learn from what your communities demand.



2. Measure engagement differently. Metrics tend to prioritize aesthetic loyalty or operational efficiency. But the real signs of success are more often how long people spend in a place, how often they revisit, and how willing the community is to engage spontaneously in them.



3. Invite collaboration. Artists, residents, commuters, and visitors all bring contexts you may not anticipate. Structured programs like residencies, community groups, public feedback discussions, and community-oriented designs make those contexts productive. In turn, your spaces become more thoughtful and more engaging.



4. Let go of perfection. Some of the most beloved public spaces look “messier” and function differently than their initial designs. But that’s the beauty of designing for the public: The unforeseen transformations are signs of life. A space that can absorb that humanness, rather than resist it, allows a design to step outside itself and become truly communal. And community, by definition, is always a collaboration.



Andrew Zimmerman is the CEO at Journey. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/INC-Masters-Fast-Company-publishing-2026-03-26T174946.470.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, public, changes, spaces—and, art—for, the, better</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>SpaceX IPO: What we know about the initial public offering as the eagerly awaited stock listing date nears</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/spacex-ipo-what-we-know-about-the-initial-public-offering-as-the-eagerly-awaited-stock-listing-date-nears</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/spacex-ipo-what-we-know-about-the-initial-public-offering-as-the-eagerly-awaited-stock-listing-date-nears</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ With some of the largest and most influential tech giants planning to go public this year, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the mega IPO. 



Stock listings from OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX could all potentially happen in 2026, and it is the latter that may make its market debut first. 



Here’s the latest on the potential initial public offering from Elon Musk’s space-tech company:



When is SpaceX’s IPO?



For some time, investors have expected, or at least speculated, that Elon Musk’s rocket and space technology company, SpaceX, would go public sometime in 2026. And it looks like that may finally be happening.



Citing anonymous sources, the Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX is expected to confidentially file its IPO paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “in coming days.” 



That means the company’s confidential IPO filing is likely to happen sometime between today and next week. The public IPO filing usually happens about eight weeks after the private one.



Of course, the actual SpaceX IPO wouldn’t occur until after both the confidential and public filings. If the standard eight-week timeline holds for public filings, that means SpaceX’s public filing will likely take place sometime in late May or early June. 



And that June timeframe lines up nicely with WSJ reporting that says SpaceX’s IPO could happen sometime that month.



Indeed, the Journal says that SpaceX’s IPO is being timed for mid-June, before Elon Musk’s birthday, which is on Sunday, June 28. He will turn 55 this year.



Retail investors may get a bigger slice of the SpaceX IPO pie



Historically, when companies go public, very few shares are allocated to so-called retail investors—individuals like you and me. 



At most, about 10% of a company’s shares are available to retail investors during an IPO, with the remainder earmarked for institutional investors.



Yet that’s not expected to be the case for the SpaceX IPO. 



As reported by Reuters yesterday, Elon Musk is considering allocating as much as 30% of SpaceX’s IPO shares to retail investors. The move is reportedly being considered in part to help reward the loyalty of Musk’s ardent fanbase. The Reuters story cites an unnamed source. 



This potential retail allocation also stands to benefit Musk and SpaceX. The large retail allocation could help drive hype for SpaceX stock among the masses, leading to a spike in shares on the company’s IPO day as more mom-and-pop investors rush to snap up SpaceX stock. 



As more retail investors buy in, the price would rise, and since Musk is the largest SpaceX shareholder, his net worth would rise in sync, helping him toward one of his likely goals: becoming the first individual trillionaire in history.



Fast Company reached out to SpaceX for comment.



What is SpaceX’s IPO share price?



As of now, it’s not known what SpaceX’s IPO share price will be, nor how many shares will be made available.



How much will SpaceX raise in its IPO?



That’s yet to be decided. But the Wall Street Journal reports that SpaceX is looking to raise anywhere from $40 billion to $80 billion in its initial public offering.



If it were to achieve even the low end of that range, it would make SpaceX’s IPO the biggest in history. 



That current title is held by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), which raised over $29 billion in its 2019 IPO.



What is SpaceX’s stock ticker?



It’s unknown what SpaceX’s stock ticker will be. 



Right now, the ticker “SPAX.PVT” is used to track the private company on financial sites like Yahoo Finance. However, that’s no guarantee that SpaceX will decide to use the “SPAX” ticker.



Which exchange will SpaceX trade on?



It’s likely that SpaceX will trade on the Nasdaq. 



This is likely for a few reasons. First, the Nasdaq is already the home to the largest technology companies, including Apple, Google, Meta, and Nvidia Second, the Nasdaq is also already home to Elon Musk’s other publicly traded company, Tesla. 



Given these factors, many expect Nasdaq to be the home of SpaceX shares.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91517468-spacex-ipo.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>SpaceX, IPO:, What, know, about, the, initial, public, offering, the, eagerly, awaited, stock, listing, date, nears</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Senate strikes a deal to fund TSA. Here’s where ICE and other agencies stand in the budget impasse</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/senate-strikes-a-deal-to-fund-tsa-heres-where-ice-and-other-agencies-stand-in-the-budget-impasse</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/senate-strikes-a-deal-to-fund-tsa-heres-where-ice-and-other-agencies-stand-in-the-budget-impasse</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Senate early Friday morning approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies, but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers.The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House, which is expected to consider it Friday.“We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”With pressure mounting to resolve the 42-day stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the endgame emerged in the final hours before TSA workers miss another paycheck Friday. President Donald Trump said he would sign an order to immediately pay the TSA agents, saying he wanted to quickly stop the “Chaos at the Airports.” The deal did not include any of the restraints Democrats have demanded as they sought to rein in Trump’s mass deportation agenda.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the outcome could have been reached weeks ago, and vowed that his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump’s “rogue” immigration operation “does not get more funding without serious reform.”



What’s in and out of the funding package



Senators worked through the night on the deal that would fund much of the rest of the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA, but without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Customs was funded, but Border Protection was not.The package puts no new limits on immigration enforcement, which has remained largely uninterrupted by the shutdown. The GOP’s big tax cuts bill that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions in extra funds to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations, ensuring the immigration officers are still being paid despite the lapse.Next steps in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a slim majority, are uncertain. Passage will almost certainly require bipartisan support, as lawmakers on the left and right flanks revolt.Conservative Republicans have panned their own party’s proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Many have vowed to ensure ICE has the resources it needs in the next budget package to carry out Trump’s agenda.“We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said as he tried to offer legislation to fund the agency. “The border is closing. The next task is deportation.”



On-again, off-again talks collapsed



Earlier Thursday, Thune announced he had given a “last and final” offer to the Democrats. But as the day dragged on, action stalled out.Democrats argued the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies who are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting the actions in Minneapolis.They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people’s homes or private spaces — something new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said he is open to considering.Trump had largely left the issue to Congress, but warned he was ready to take action, threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to his deployment of ICE agents who are now checking travelers’ IDs.The White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay the TSA agents, a politically and legally fraught approach. Instead, Trump’s order would pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed it into law, the action Trump announced to pay TSA agents may be temporary or unneeded.



Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships



The funding shutdown has resulted in travel delays and even warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stop coming to work.Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers and nearly 500 of the agency’s nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union is grateful the TSA workers will be paid, but said Congress must stay in session to pass a deal “that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.”At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2½ hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.“I should have just driven, right?” Gates said. “Five hours would have been hilarious next to this.”







Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking, Rebecca Santana, Collin Binkley and Ben Finley, Lekan Oyekanmi, Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Rio Yamat, Russ Bynum, and Gabriela Aoun Angueira contributed to this report.



—Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/AP26085584033483.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Senate, strikes, deal, fund, TSA., Here’s, where, ICE, and, other, agencies, stand, the, budget, impasse</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>America claims it sent a cease&#45;fire plan to Iran, which doesn’t confirm receipt</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/america-claims-it-sent-a-cease-fire-plan-to-iran-which-doesnt-confirm-receipt</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/america-claims-it-sent-a-cease-fire-plan-to-iran-which-doesnt-confirm-receipt</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Tehran did not confirm receiving the plan and publicly dismissed the diplomatic effort while launching more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26084275139298-e1774442026349.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>America, claims, sent, cease-fire, plan, Iran, which, doesn’t, confirm, receipt</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Philadelphia responds to unpaid TSA worker plight with ‘world record for the longest cheesesteak in history’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/philadelphia-responds-to-unpaid-tsa-worker-plight-with-world-record-for-the-longest-cheesesteak-in-history</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/philadelphia-responds-to-unpaid-tsa-worker-plight-with-world-record-for-the-longest-cheesesteak-in-history</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Organizers say they hit a new Guinness World Record for the longest line of cheesesteaks, with 1,291 far surpassing the previous benchmark of 500. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26083650681461-e1774442373259.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Philadelphia, responds, unpaid, TSA, worker, plight, with, ‘world, record, for, the, longest, cheesesteak, history’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘You won’t be able to AI your way through an oral exam’: Colleges have an Ancient Greek&#45;style solution to the Gen Z stare</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/you-wont-be-able-to-ai-your-way-through-an-oral-exam-colleges-have-an-ancient-greek-style-solution-to-the-gen-z-stare</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/you-wont-be-able-to-ai-your-way-through-an-oral-exam-colleges-have-an-ancient-greek-style-solution-to-the-gen-z-stare</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “It comes across as if we’re trying to prevent cheating,” the University of Pennsylvania&#039;s Emily Hammer says. “That’s not why we’re doing this.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26064741254696-e1774442842938.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘You, won’t, able, your, way, through, oral, exam’:, Colleges, have, Ancient, Greek-style, solution, the, Gen, stare</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>OpenAI Foundation pledges $1 billion to mitigate some of the jobs that it thinks AI will destroy</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-foundation-pledges-1-billion-to-mitigate-some-of-the-jobs-that-it-thinks-ai-will-destroy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-foundation-pledges-1-billion-to-mitigate-some-of-the-jobs-that-it-thinks-ai-will-destroy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The foundation said the donation is for the benefit of &quot;all of humanity.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2266940038.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>OpenAI, Foundation, pledges, billion, mitigate, some, the, jobs, that, thinks, will, destroy</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Research shows workers are using AI to get away from their computers—sneaking gym classes, skipping meetings, and clawing back 30 minutes a day</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/research-shows-workers-are-using-ai-to-get-away-from-their-computerssneaking-gym-classes-skipping-meetings-and-clawing-back-30-minutes-a-day</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/research-shows-workers-are-using-ai-to-get-away-from-their-computerssneaking-gym-classes-skipping-meetings-and-clawing-back-30-minutes-a-day</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Your colleagues are saving so much time by using AI that they’re running errands and exercising in the middle of the workday. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-709139829-e1774439505418.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Research, shows, workers, are, using, get, away, from, their, computers—sneaking, gym, classes, skipping, meetings, and, clawing, back, minutes, day</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Bringing ‘Big Food’ energy to a Travis Kelce&#45;backed cult brand </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bringing-big-food-energy-to-a-travis-kelce-backed-cult-brand</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bringing-big-food-energy-to-a-travis-kelce-backed-cult-brand</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 



Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. 







When Valerie Oswalt became CEO of breakfast and snack products company Kodiak in November 2022, she inherited a fast-growing business with beloved products, dedicated employees, and an outdoorsy vibe, befitting its Park City, Utah, headquarters. She also walked into a company that needed to bolster the talent, tools, and systems needed to scale the company.  



Her challenge: bring the discipline and knowledge she’d acquired during leadership stints at consumer packaged goods (CPG) giants such as The Campbell’s Company and Mondelēz International without losing the nimbleness and authenticity that had made Kodiak a household name. “It was a powerhouse brand that had a startup mindset,” Oswalt recalls. 



A recipe for success



Kodiak has classic entrepreneurial roots. Founder and former CEO Joel Clark started selling his mother’s homemade whole-grain pancake mix as an 8-year-old. The company catapulted to national attention when an episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank” featuring Clark and cofounder Cameron Smith aired in 2014. Kodiak passed on a deal with the Sharks, but the publicity and the launch of protein-packed pancakes boosted sales.  



Private equity firm L Catterton acquired Kodiak in 2021, and Oswalt became CEO 17 months later, replacing cofounder Clark, who remains chairman of the company’s board of directors.  



To support Kodiak’s growth, Oswalt, who ran Campbell’s $4 billion snack division prior to joining Kodiak, brought in leaders with key experience in certain areas. She revamped the performance review process and instituted a new incentive plan tied to financial outcomes. (All 160 full-time employees have equity in the company.) “There were more processes that needed to be put in place than I had originally anticipated,” she recalls.  



Still, she was mindful of the impact change would have on the company’s entrepreneurial culture. “I did listening tours,” she says. “I talked to every person in the organization. It took about six months, but that was really important.” From there, her team identified the gaps, explained the rationale behind changes, and celebrated wins. 



She also course corrected when her changes were “too heavy” for an organization Kodiak’s size, such as when she rolled out a robust integrated business planning process to help gain insight into inventory and cash flows, plus do forecasting and planning. The fix was to listen to feedback and provide more training. “We wanted to ensure the proper education was provided to effectively” use the tools, she says. 



On a roll attracting celebrity investors



Meanwhile, Kodiak has kept its in-house creative team, which handles all design, photography, and videography. Because the creatives are all employees, Oswalt says they are intimately familiar with the brand, which helps Kodiak retain an authentic voice even as it grows. She also notes that the team can quickly test and make design changes.  



Oswalt’s moves appear to be paying off. Last year, the company’s retail sales value hit $580 million, up 30% from 2023, Oswalt’s first full year in the role. “Valerie is building the kind of brand that earns deep loyalty—one that sits at the intersection of performance, trust, and culture,” says Mark Patricof, whose sports-focused investment firm invested in Kodiak in 2022. Athletes who participated in the round include football stars Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow, who have teamed up with Kodiak to donate meals in Kansas City and Cincinnati, respectively. Investors also include tennis player Sloane Stephens and baseball legend CC Sabathia.  



“That’s a big reason Kodiak has connected so well with our athlete investors, who recognize the authenticity of the mission. Each of our athlete clients who came into this deal have told me time and again how proud they are to be investors in Kodiak,” Patricof says.  



I asked Oswalt what advice she might have for other corporate executives thinking of making the move to a more entrepreneurial brand. “You have to be scrappy. It gets messy,” she says. “If you’re inspired by overcoming challenges and being connected—to your people, your consumers, your suppliers, your customers—then it’s awesome. And if you can find partners who are aligned with your priorities and your values, it’s absolutely magical.” 



Go big or go small



What’s your experience bringing big-company discipline to a smaller organization—or vice versa? I’d love to hear what’s worked and what hasn’t. Send examples to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’ll publish the best examples in a future newsletter.  







Read more: from big to small 




What Alicia Boler David had to ‘unlearn’ from Amazon 





Inside the founder factory known as Palantir 





Laid off from Big Tech, these are the rebounder founders 
 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Bringing, ‘Big, Food’, energy, Travis, Kelce-backed, cult, brand </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This single ChatGPT prompt can do hours of market research in minutes—here’s how</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-single-chatgpt-prompt-can-do-hours-of-market-research-in-minutesheres-how</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-single-chatgpt-prompt-can-do-hours-of-market-research-in-minutesheres-how</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Market research can be a slow, fragmented, and difficult process, often involving tedious internet searches, questionable data sources, and time-consuming manual synthesis. This makes it a great candidate for some assistance from AI. What’s more, an update to a popular feature on ChatGPT has made it even better at doing this kind of work. 



Imagine that you have a potential business idea but still need to validate how viable it actually is, identify primary competitors in your market, and develop an ideal customer persona. Instead of spending hours collating data, explains Dan McCarthy, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Maryland, you can use Deep Research, a ChatGPT feature that directs an AI agent to develop a comprehensive, well-cited report on any topic. 



Last week, OpenAI upgraded Deep Research with some new abilities. The feature now runs on GPT-5.2, one of the company’s most recent models (previously it ran on a much older o3 model), and can now prioritize specific websites in its search process. Deep Research is available for all paid ChatGPT users. 



Here’s how to use it to get some thorough market research done quickly. 



Step 1: Get your prompt right



To test out how this feature could help with market research, I pretended that I wanted to start a digital transformation firm based in Denver with a focus on upgrading bars with mobile, bar-to-table ordering capabilities. All I needed to do in order to get started was click the plus button next to the text box, select More, then Deep Research, and enter a prompt.



This prompt will determine the information that ChatGPT prioritizes in its search, so it helps to be verbose. If you need help developing a lengthy prompt, try using ChatGPT to help write it.



McCarthy, who uses AI tools extensively, says that an easy way to develop a comprehensive prompt is to activate the chatbot’s voice mode and simply have a conversation with it. Once you’ve explained what you want, McCarthy says, you can ask ChatGPT, “Given all this that I’m telling you, what do you think would be the best thing that I should even be asking you?” That should help clear up any blind spots you might’ve missed. 



According to McCarthy, this method should produce a solid prompt that you can give to the Deep Research agent. When I asked ChatGPT to help expand my prompt, the platform generated a 673-word result. This prompt (which you can view here) defined the agent as a market research analyst and gave it objectives to determine the business idea’s viability, map out the competition, and define my ideal customer’s persona. Additionally, it provided details on the scope of the research, and information for how the agent should format its report. I also used ChatGPT to develop a list of specific websites for the Deep Research agent to prioritize in its search.



Step 2: Start the research 



I entered my ChatGPT-created prompt, selected the Deep Research feature, and pressed return. Before getting to work, the agent broke down its objectives into the following bullet points: 




Collect primary vendor docs and pricing pages starting with user-preferred sites.



Survey industry, local Denver sources, and hospitality reports for market context.



Compile POS integration lists, local competitors, and implementation partners in Denver.



Analyze demand, model ROI scenarios, and estimate Denver bar counts and adoption rates.



Draft recommendations, ICP personas, GTM plan, and cite sources with confidence ratings.




Over the next 21 minutes, the agent searched through hundreds of web pages. It found liquor license databases, census information, and data regarding competitors in Denver’s hospitality-focused digital transformation market. It compiled all this information into a multi-section report. 



Step 3: Read the report



That report (which you can view here) ended up being roughly 4,000 words. It included an overview of the market, identified customer pain points, and listed out my potential competitors. The report also included recommendations for how to position my business, strategies to break into the Denver hospitality scene, and even identified a small business that would likely be my direct competitor: a Denver-based POS integrator called Megabite.  



ChatGPT found that while my business idea had potential, it wouldn’t fully meet the needs of Denver-based bar owners, who have reported that bar-to-table ordering can actually lead to fewer sales and tips. Instead, the report suggested, I should consider a system that can sit on top of popular POS in which diners don’t need to pay for every new drink they order, and can instead open a digital tab. 



What the expert thinks of the result



McCarthy told me he was impressed by the report that Deep Research produced. In particular, he was pleasantly surprised by the agent’s cleverness in using liquor licenses to get a sense of the market size, and its thoughtfulness in calling out disruption to bar culture as a potential blocker to the business. 



But the report wasn’t perfect. McCarthy said much of what was included was unnecessary or needlessly complex. An easy prompt to fix this? “Just tell it, ‘Explain it to me like I’m an idiot.’” McCarthy adds, “I do that all the time.” He says that a solid market research report should also answer questions regarding the scope of adoption and how often repeat purchasing is expected. 



McCarthy also says that users should direct the Deep Research agent to be very upfront about the data it attempted to get but couldn’t. Many websites block AI agents from engaging with their content to prevent data scraping, which can hinder the research process. By telling your agent to list out the sites that it couldn’t access, you can manually obtain that data and add it to the analysis. 



Our bar-to-table digital transformation firm will have to remain a pipe dream for now, but it’s clear that AI has made the process of taking an idea from zero to one easier and faster than ever. 



If you have an idea for a new business or are planning on an expansion or pivot in your current business, consider giving Deep Research a spin. It might unearth something that makes you think in a different way. 



—Ben Sherry







This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. 



Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, single, ChatGPT, prompt, can, hours, market, research, minutes—here’s, how</media:keywords>
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<title>Gold and silver prices down today: 2 factors sending safe haven assets plummeting amid Iran war</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gold-and-silver-prices-down-today-2-factors-sending-safe-haven-assets-plummeting-amid-iran-war</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gold-and-silver-prices-down-today-2-factors-sending-safe-haven-assets-plummeting-amid-iran-war</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s another bad day for gold and silver. Traders in precious metals are seeing both gold and silver plummet significantly as the week kicks off, with gold down nearly 7% and silver down 8% over the past 24 hours. 



Worse, gold has now fallen nearly 20% since its all-time high of over $5,586 in January. Silver is down even more, falling more than 44% since its all-time high earlier this year of over $121. Here’s what you need to know.



The ‘safe haven’ trade is absent



Silver and especially gold are generally considered “safe haven” assets—assets investors turn to when economic uncertainty abounds, and they want to park their money in a valuable that isn’t likely to fluctuate much, or at least not go down in value significantly.  



Safe haven assets like gold and silver contrast with other assets like stocks and cryptocurrencies, which are traditionally more volatile, especially in times of economic uncertainty.



Given their safe-haven status, it’s natural to assume that the geopolitical and economic uncertainty unleashed by President Trump’s war in Iran over the past two weeks would cause investors to flock to gold and silver. 



But just the opposite has happened. After both metals hit all-time highs earlier this year, they have slowly lost value, and their sell-off has only intensified with the breakout of the Iranian war.



That incongruity has left many scratching their heads, asking “why?”



Government bonds are starting to look more attractive than metals



While any individual investor has their own reason for selling off a valuable asset, there are two likely factors that have contributed significantly to the fall in gold and silver both today and in recent weeks.



The first is solidly related to the war in Iran. While wars breed geopolitical conflict and economic uncertainty, which usually sends investors to safe-haven assets like gold and silver, they can also affect interest rates, especially if central banks need to reconsider their positions due to rising prices in things like oil, which can have a knock-on inflationary effect across the economy.



And, as the Wall Street Journal notes, thanks to the war in Iran, many investors now believe that central banks around the world are unlikely to cut interest rates this year. That’s the opposite of what investors believed before the war. 



If interest rates remain the same or even increase, government bonds become more attractive due to their higher yields. This can lead investors to park their money in bonds rather than precious metals, which don’t offer a guaranteed income stream.



Profit taking after gold and silver’s great run



A second significant factor likely contributing to gold and silver’s demise recently is, ironically, how well the two metals have performed lately.



Between January 2025 and gold’s all-time high in January 2026, gold rose more than 100%. In that same timeframe, silver rose by more than 275%. 



Those are massive gains. But big gains don’t translate into big profits until you sell. And it’s very likely that some of the reasons gold and silver are falling so much lately are due to profit taking, so investors can lock in some of those stratospheric gains they’ve made over the past 12 months.



Investors are generally also more interested in cashing out on assets they’ve made a killing on when the other assets they own are experiencing downturns, such as stocks. And lately, stocks have been hit hard. In the past five weeks, the Dow has lost around 9% of its value, the Nasdaq has dropped more than 6%, and the S&amp;P has also dropped more than 6%.



Many investors fear that markets could drop further the longer the Iran war drags on, and that the resulting increase in oil prices would negatively impact the overall economy. One way to hedge against a fall in stocks is to lock in any precious metal gains by selling them.



After hitting an all-time high in January, gold is currently sitting at around $4,397. That is a price point gold last saw in December 2025. Silver is currently around $68.40, a price it has also not seen since December 2025. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gold, and, silver, prices, down, today:, factors, sending, safe, haven, assets, plummeting, amid, Iran, war</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump’s plan to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants is now on hold, extending deadline for Strait of Hormuz</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-plan-to-obliterate-irans-power-plants-is-now-on-hold-extending-deadline-for-strait-of-hormuz</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-plan-to-obliterate-irans-power-plants-is-now-on-hold-extending-deadline-for-strait-of-hormuz</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump on Monday extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, saying the U.S. would hold off on strikes against Iranian power plants for five days.Shortly after Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social site, Iranian state television put up a graphic that read: “U.S. president backs down following Iran’s firm warning.” The reprieve came hours ahead of Trump’s self-imposed deadline later in the day.Writing in all capital letters, Trump said the U.S. and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations” that could yield “a complete and total resolution” in the war. Talks would continue “throughout the week,” he said.Trump added that the suspension of his threat to attack power plants was “subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”Trump did not elaborate on the negotiations that had taken place. Iran did not immediately acknowledge any talks between the countries, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi did say he spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been an intermediary before in negotiations between Tehran and Washington.Trump’s announcement came as the United Arab Emirates reported its air defense were attempting to intercept new incoming Iranian fire Monday afternoon.Earlier Monday, Iran warned it would strike electricity plants across the Middle East and mine the Persian Gulf after Trump threatened to bomb power stations in the Islamic Republic if it did not reopen the strait.The war, now in its fourth week, has already seen several dramatic turning points — the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, the bombing of a key Iranian gas field, and strikes targeting oil and gas facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Gulf Arab nations. The conflict has killed more than 2,000 people, shaken the global economy, sent oil prices surging, and endangered some of the world’s busiest air corridors.Trump’s ultimatum and Iran’s promise of retaliation threatened to raise the stakes yet again, with potentially catastrophic repercussions for civilians across the region.If carried out, the attacks could cut electricity to wide swaths of people in Iran and around the Gulf and knock out desalination plants that provide many desert nations with drinking water. There are also increasing concerns about the consequences any of strikes on nuclear facilities.The fever pitch of the rhetoric shows how the war has spiraled to a point unimaginable at the start of the conflict on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran.



Trump issues a deadline and trades threats with Tehran



Trump said the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless the country releases its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours — a deadline that would expire late Monday Washington time but has now been extended.Iran has shut the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped along with other important commodities, in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes. A trickle of ships has gotten through, and Iran insists the crucial waterway remains open — just not to the U.S., Israel or their allies.The chokehold has wreaked havoc on energy markets, pushed up the prices on food and other goods well beyond the Middle East and sent shock waves throughout the global economy.“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction,” said Fatih Birol, the head of the Paris-based International Energy Agency.Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard promised retaliation if Trump made good on his threat, saying Iran it would hit power plants in all areas that supply electricity to American bases, “as well as the economic, industrial and energy infrastructures in which Americans have shares.”Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran would consider vital infrastructure across the region to be legitimate targets, including energy and desalination facilities critical for drinking water in Gulf nations.Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, published a list of such facilities, including the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant. Over the weekend, Iran launched missiles targeting Dimona in Israel, near a facility key to its long-suspected atomic weapons program. The Israeli facility wasn’t damaged.United States Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, meanwhile, claimed in an interview that Iran was launching missiles and drones from populated areas, and suggested those areas would be targeted.“You need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper told Iranian civilians in the interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International that aired early Monday.In his first one-on-one interview since the war started, Cooper said the U.S. and Israel were targeting infrastructure and manufacturing facilities to destroy Iran’s capabilities to rebuild its military.“It’s not just about the threat today,” he said. “We’re eliminating the threat of the future.”



Israel strikes Tehran and Iran warns against any invasion



Israel launched new attacks Monday on the Iranian capital, saying it had “begun a wide-scale wave of strikes” on infrastructure targets in Tehran without immediately elaborating. Explosions were heard in multiple locations in the afternoon. It wasn’t immediately clear what had been hit.With the U.S. deploying more amphibious assault ships and additional Marines to the Middle East, Iran warned against any ground attack.“Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran’s coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes … in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts,” Iran’s Defense Council warned said in a statement.The widespread use of mines could imperil not only military vessels but scores of commercial ships waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and a cleanup would last long after the conflict ends.Trump has said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but also has said that he retains all options. Israel has suggested its ground forces could take part in the war.Israel has also targeted the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon during the war, while the group has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.In recent days, Israel has hit many apartment buildings in Beirut and bombed bridges over the Litani river in the Lebanon’s south.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the targeting of bridges “a prelude to a ground invasion,” while Egypt denounced the strikes as the “collective punishment” of civilians for the actions of Hezbollah.Authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million.Iran’s death toll has surpassed 1,500, its Health Ministry has said. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian strikes. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, along with more than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states.



Oil prices are up more than 50% since start of the war



Oil prices remained stubbornly high in early trading, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, at around $113 a barrel, up some 55% since the war began.Jorge Moreira da Silva, a senior United Nations official, said the world has already seen a ripple effect, including “exponential price hikes in oil, fuel and gas” that have had a far-reaching impact on millions, primarily in Asian and African developing countries.“There is no military solution,” he said.In another sign of the far-reaching effects, South Korean chemical giant LG Chem said Monday it had to shut down a major industrial plant because the war had disrupted supplies of naphtha, a petroleum product used in plastic manufacturing.







AP writers Charlotte Graham-McLay, Sally Abou AlJoud, Bassem Mroue, and Tong-hyung Kim contributed to this report.



—Jon Gambrell, David Rising and Samy Magdy, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump’s, plan, ‘obliterate’, Iran’s, power, plants, now, hold, extending, deadline, for, Strait, Hormuz</media:keywords>
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<title>Beach cleanups can save the lives of marine animals. This calculator tells you exactly how many</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/beach-cleanups-can-save-the-lives-of-marine-animals-this-calculator-tells-you-exactly-how-many</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/beach-cleanups-can-save-the-lives-of-marine-animals-this-calculator-tells-you-exactly-how-many</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If you pick up plastic trash from a beach, you’re helping protect marine wildlife from harm. And every little piece—from a plastic bottle cap to food wrappers—matters, because even small amounts of this trash can be deadly to animals like sea turtles and seabirds.



A new calculator from Ocean Conservancy can now quantify that impact. If you enter the amounts of different types of plastic that you clean up into the Wildlife Impact Calculator, it will tell you how many animal lives would have been at risk, had those items made their way into the ocean and been ingested.



“We hope that people really see that beach cleanups matter,” says Erin Murphy, Ocean Conservancy’s manager of Ocean Plastics Research and lead co-author of the study that underpins the Wildlife Impact Calculator.



The issue of ocean plastic pollution



Plastic pollution in the ocean is a massive, global environmental issue. Every day, 2,000 truckloads worth of plastic waste enter ocean waters. 



Addressing that pollution would require research into better kinds of food packaging and recycling, and policies like an international plastic treaty. 



In the meantime, though, beach cleanups can also make a difference. Ocean Conservancy has been hosting an annual International Coastal Cleanup for 40 years. Nearly 19 million volunteers have taken part, removing more than 400 million pounds of plastics and other debris from coastlines over those decades.



Volunteers count and weigh all the pollution they pick up—with common items ranging from candy and chip wrappers to cigarette butts and grocery bags.



But raw numbers, like the fact that the volunteers collected 1.4 million plastic bottles in 2023’s cleanup, don’t always connect people to the real impact they’re making on wildlife, Murphy says.



With the calculator, that impact is clear, even for small quantities. Say your beach cleanup collected 20 plastic bottles, 15 bottle caps, and 10 plastic bags. Enter those figures into the calculator (which covers more than 20 types of plastic pollution, all of which have been found inside marine animals), and it tells you that you protected five sea turtles and 25 seabirds. It also shares info about such species, plus details on those types of plastic pollution.



Small amounts of plastic can be deadly



The calculator highlights the danger that even small amounts of plastic can pose to animals. And that was the point. The calculator is based on a study Murphy led, published in 2025, that aimed to identify the lethal dose of plastic for all sorts of animals.



“That’s something that at a broad scale hasn’t been done before,” she says. “And what we found was that very, very small amounts of plastic can still kill marine life.”



Just three sugar cubes worth of plastic, for example, has a 90% chance of killing a seabird like the Atlantic puffin, which is only 11 inches in length. For those birds, ingesting less than one sugar cube worth of plastic comes with a 50% chance.



Even bigger animals are at risk: ingesting just over two baseball’s worth of plastic has a 90% likelihood of death for Loggerhead turtles, and for harbor porpoises, a soccer ball’s worth of plastic is deadly.



With the calculator, Murphy says, “We wanted to flip that on its head and understand, what are the benefits of cleanups?” Coastal areas, where cleanups take place, are often where these animals nest or feed, too. 



Picking up whole pieces of plastic trash from beaches also prevents that trash from breaking up in the ocean and harming wildlife when they ingest fragments of plastic. 



Understanding these risks, and the benefits of cleaning up beaches, could spur regulatory decisions around plastic pollution. But ultimately, Ocean Conservancy hopes the calculator buoys individuals who undertake this effort.



“We know that systemic change is going to be needed to address this plastic pollution globally,” Murphy says, “but it’s just a reminder that every single person can be part of the solution.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Beach, cleanups, can, save, the, lives, marine, animals., This, calculator, tells, you, exactly, how, many</media:keywords>
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<title>The Strait of Hormuz is the fourth large supply shock this decade. Welcome to the new era of global disorder</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-strait-of-hormuz-is-the-fourth-large-supply-shock-this-decade-welcome-to-the-new-era-of-global-disorder</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-strait-of-hormuz-is-the-fourth-large-supply-shock-this-decade-welcome-to-the-new-era-of-global-disorder</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Fed keeps calling these events bad luck. They aren&#039;t. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2267401140-e1774027472646.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Strait, Hormuz, the, fourth, large, supply, shock, this, decade., Welcome, the, new, era, global, disorder</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Companies are now on the front lines of war. They need to act like it</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/companies-are-now-on-the-front-lines-of-war-they-need-to-act-like-it</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/companies-are-now-on-the-front-lines-of-war-they-need-to-act-like-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Iranian drones hit U.S. data centers in the Gulf. For corporate security chiefs, it&#039;s a wake-up call that can&#039;t be ignored: your company is now a target. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2267368198-e1774018308862.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Companies, are, now, the, front, lines, war., They, need, act, like</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘Godfather of AI’ says tech companies aren’t concerned with the AI endgame. They’re focused on short&#45;term profits instead</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/godfather-of-ai-says-tech-companies-arent-concerned-with-the-ai-endgame-theyre-focused-on-short-term-profits-instead</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/godfather-of-ai-says-tech-companies-arent-concerned-with-the-ai-endgame-theyre-focused-on-short-term-profits-instead</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “Researchers are interested in solving problems that have their curiosity. It’s not like we start off with the same goal of, what’s the future of humanity going to be?” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GettyImages-2188059709-e1755279323632.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Godfather, AI’, says, tech, companies, aren’t, concerned, with, the, endgame., They’re, focused, short-term, profits, instead</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Dairy Queen CEO says he learned from Warren Buffett being the ‘smartest person in the world’ isn’t the most important attribute for success</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/dairy-queen-ceo-says-he-learned-from-warren-buffett-being-the-smartest-person-in-the-world-isnt-the-most-important-attribute-for-success</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/dairy-queen-ceo-says-he-learned-from-warren-buffett-being-the-smartest-person-in-the-world-isnt-the-most-important-attribute-for-success</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Other leaders like Melinda French Gates and Amex CEO Stephen Squeri have taken the former Berkshire Hathaway CEO&#039;s advice to heart in navigating business. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-540177616-e1773858550571.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Dairy, Queen, CEO, says, learned, from, Warren, Buffett, being, the, ‘smartest, person, the, world’, isn’t, the, most, important, attribute, for, success</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The one skill that separates people who get smarter with AI from everyone else</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-one-skill-that-separates-people-who-get-smarter-with-ai-from-everyone-else</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-one-skill-that-separates-people-who-get-smarter-with-ai-from-everyone-else</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ New research from the NeuroLeadership Institute finds fluent AI users share a single cognitive habit — and it has nothing to do with tech skills. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/david.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, one, skill, that, separates, people, who, get, smarter, with, from, everyone, else</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How to grow at work when your manager won’t give you feedback</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-grow-at-work-when-your-manager-wont-give-you-feedback</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-grow-at-work-when-your-manager-wont-give-you-feedback</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “I have no idea if this is what they want me to do. I barely get any feedback.” 



This is a statement I often hear from leaders in my coaching calls, even those at a senior level.When these leaders were early in their careers, there was more frequent guidance and coaching on what success looked like for them and if their work met expectations. However, research by Amy Edmondson shows that the higher you rise in an organization, the less feedback you tend to receive, which can make it feel like you’re losing reassurance. In coaching calls with my clients, we often discover how reliant they were on their leader’s affirmation, and that this recognition served as motivation. 



In addition to getting less feedback from leaders, as your level of influence increases, transparency can decrease. Authority bias can take over as direct reports put their leaders on a pedestal and withhold critical feedback, assuming that their leader knows best or fearing the repercussions of sharing a divergent opinion. 



As you rise, there are simply fewer people in the organization who can guide you on your next steps. Here are some strategies you can leverage to get better feedback at work.



ASK FOR ADVICE INSTEAD OF FEEDBACK



People sometimes hesitate to give feedback, but most people love giving advice. A phrase I often use is this: “I’d love some advice on what I can try next time to make this meeting agenda clearer and more actionable for our group.” Recent research finds that framing the ask as advice rather than “feedback” helps reviewers focus on future-oriented, tangible suggestions instead of only dwelling on past performance.



NURTURE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY



To create an environment where your team feels comfortable sharing advice or feedback, you can model vulnerability (this signals that it’s safe for others to take interpersonal risks). You can also explicitly invite input and questions from everyone (for instance, “What could we improve here?”) and respond in ways that reinforce openness (like thanking people for their honesty). In addition, you can also call out where you saw yourself needing improvement. This might sound like, “I noticed I started rambling at the end of that meeting. Where could I have shortened my message for better clarity?”



AVOID VAGUE QUESTIONS



Vague requests, like asking, “How can I improve this?” can lead to insubstantial or equally vague responses. Instead, focus on clearly defining your goal and ask for advice on how to do a better job reaching that goal. For example, instead of saying, “I want to improve my presentation skills,” you can instead lead with, “I want to improve my presentation flow for clarity and brevity.”It can also be helpful to set the purpose before you make the request. This means sharing why you want the feedback (for example, to be more influential in asking for resources for our team) and how you’ll use it. This can help people frame their thoughts in a way that moves you closer to your goal. If they have a shared interest in your outcome, this also incentivizes them to give you helpful input.



BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR CIRCLE



Leaders often end up surrounded by similar perspectives (people who think like them or report to them), which reduces the likelihood of honest challenge. If your current circle is limited, try exploring your industry or professionally affiliated groups. Because of the shared common interest in the type of work you do, this is a great place to foster connection. You can do this by participating in conferences, meet-ups, or even online forums. Ask them to challenge your viewpoints or provide evidence from their experience that contradicts your viewpoints. 



As you rise in the organization, your relationships with your colleagues to get work done can also be just as important as the relationship with your leader. This is especially true at executive levels when you often need resources from your peers’ teams to accomplish your own projects. To nurture these relationships, you can schedule recurring 1:1s with peers that allow them to also raise topics of importance. Another great way to build these relationships is to set up collaborative coworking sessions where advice naturally flows as you work alongside them.



As you gain more visibility, seniority, and decision-making ownership in your organization, feedback will flow differently to you. You have to cultivate it intentionally, with clarity and from a new circle of sources. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91496694-Work-Life-How-to-grow-at-work-when-your-leader-wont-give-you-feedback.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, grow, work, when, your, manager, won’t, give, you, feedback</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The price of crude is nearly $115 a barrel following Iran’s strikes on these key Gulf energy facilities</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-price-of-crude-is-nearly-115-a-barrel-following-irans-strikes-on-these-key-gulf-energy-facilities</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-price-of-crude-is-nearly-115-a-barrel-following-irans-strikes-on-these-key-gulf-energy-facilities</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Global energy prices soared Thursday after Iran attacked two oil refineries in Kuwait and a key natural gas facility in Qatar that can supply one-fifth of the world’s liquified natural gas.The attacks added to fears the energy crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic may be longer and more extensive than feared, with lasting damage to oil and gas production.Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose nearly 6% to $113.77 per barrel, up from less than $73 per barrel on the eve of the war. U.S. benchmark crude was less affected by the latest attacks in the Middle East, rising less than 1% to $96.26 per barrel.The European TTF benchmark for natural gas prices traded 17% higher on Thursday and has doubled in the past month.The Iranian attack hit the Ras Laffan terminal for shipping out liquefied natural gas in Qatar. Qatar normally supplies some 20% of the world’s consumption of LNG, which can be carried by ship. The facility shut down after a drone attack. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most tanker traffic also left the gas with nowhere to go.If the disruptions from Iran’s attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors’ energy infrastructure keep oil and gas prices high for long, they could create a debilitating wave of inflation for the global economy.Markets on Wall Street slipped before the opening bell. Futures for the S&amp;P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each fell a 0.1%, while Nasdaq futures dipped 0.3%.On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve opted to leave its benchmark interest rate alone and projected just one more quarter-point cut this year due to ongoing elevated inflation and uncertainty about the ramifications the Iran war will have on the global economy.Prices for gold and silver also tumbled, dragging down major mining stocks with them. Gold fell 4% to $4,697 an ounce, while silver slipped 8.7% to $70.80. Most industrial metals also saw their prices fall.Shares in miners Hecla and Newmont slid 7.8%, while Freeport-McMoRan fell 4.6%.Markets in Europe and Asia were getting hit much harder than U.S. markets. Germany’s DAX lost 2.4% by midday, the CAC 40 in Paris fell 1.7% and Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 2.1%.In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 3.4% to 53,372.53 as the Bank of Japan also opted to keep its benchmark interest rate on hold at 0.75%, citing the war with Iran as one factor.In its monetary policy statement the BOJ said that “in the wake of increased tension in the Middle East, global financial and capital markets have been volatile and crude oil prices have risen significantly; future developments warrant attention.”Higher oil prices are a heavy burden for Japan, which like South Korea and Taiwan depends on imports of most raw materials for industries that rely heavily on oil and its derivatives.



The Kospi in Seoul lost 2.7% to 5,763.22.In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng slipped 2% to 25,500.58, while the Shanghai Composite index shed 1.4% to 4,006.55.Australia’s S&amp;P/ASX 200 lost 1.7% to 8,497.80 and Taiwan’s Taiex fell 1.9%. In India, which has also suffered from shocks to supplies of oil and gas, the Sensex lost 2.7%.“The combination of higher oil, rising U.S. yields, and a stronger dollar is acting as a macro wrecking ball across Asian assets and currencies,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.







Business Writer Matt Ott reported from Washington.



—Elaine Kurtenbach and David McHugh, AP Business Writers ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/AP26078040395252.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, price, crude, nearly, 115, barrel, following, Iran’s, strikes, these, key, Gulf, energy, facilities</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Carvana stock split: Date, timeline, and what the historic proposal means for investors in 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/carvana-stock-split-date-timeline-and-what-the-historic-proposal-means-for-investors-in-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/carvana-stock-split-date-timeline-and-what-the-historic-proposal-means-for-investors-in-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The used-car e-commerce platform Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) is planning to do something it has never done before: split its stock. 



If completed, the move will significantly reduce the per-share price of CVNA stock, without affecting the company’s total value. But first, it needs to be approved by shareholders.



Here’s what you need to know about Carvana’s proposed stock split.



What is a stock split?



A stock split is a mechanism by which a company can increase or decrease the number of its shares by dividing those shares or combining them.



There are two types of stock splits: a forward split and a reverse split. A forward split is the most common, and the type that Carvana is proposing. 



In a forward split, an individual share is divided into additional shares, reducing the value of each share. A forward split is usually just referred to as a “stock split.”



On the other side of the coin, you have a reverse split. These are less common than forward splits. In a reverse split, multiple existing shares of a stock are combined into a single share, making each new share more valuable because there are fewer of them.



While both types of splits change the value of a single share, they do not inherently affect the company’s overall market cap. This is because the total number of new shares and their new stock price still equals the same sum as the former number of shares and their price.



For example, take an imaginary company, XYZ, with 1,000 outstanding shares each worth $100. The total value of the company, its market cap, is thus $100,000. 



But then XYZ decides to split its shares by a factor of 10-to-1. This increases the company’s 1,000 outstanding shares to 10,000, yet because there are now 10 times more shares, each share is worth 10 times less, so the company’s market cap remains $100,000.



How much is Carvana splitting the stock by?



Carvana has announced that it intends to split its stock 5-to-1. 



Last week, the company said that its board had approved the split at that ratio. That means that once the split takes place, there will be five times as many CVNA shares outstanding as there were before the split.



However, since there will be five times as many shares, the post-split share price of CVNA stock will be five times lower than its pre-split price.



When do Carvana’s shares split?



It’s important to note that Carvana’s share split isn’t guaranteed. While the company’s board has approved the split, shareholders still need to vote on the move. If shareholders also approve the split, the company’s stock split will proceed. 



In a release announcing the proposed split, Carvana said that shareholders will be able to vote on the stock split at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders on May 5, 2026. 



If they approve the split, investors who own Class A and Class B common stock will receive an additional four CVNA shares for every share they currently own after the closing bell on Wednesday, May 6.



When markets reopen on Thursday, May 7, CVNA shares will begin trading at their new split-adjusted price.



What will Carvana’s new split-adjusted stock price be?



That’s unknowable for now because no one knows what Carvana’s stock price will be seven weeks from now when the adjusted price would kick in.



For now, all we can say for certain is that, if shareholders approve the split, the split-adjusted price will be one-fifth of the pre-split price.



Currently, CVNA stock is trading at around $290 per share. Assuming CVNA trades at that price at the close of markets on May 6, Carvana’s post-split stock price would open at around $58 per share on May 7.



Why is Carvana splitting its stock?



Given that stock splits don’t change the fundamental value of the company—or inherently make existing investors any richer—many wonder what the benefit of a stock split is.



The greatest benefit to a forward stock split is that it lowers the cost of buying into the company for new investors. This is especially true for retail investors who may not have hundreds each month to sink into a new stock. 



If a person only has about $150 a month to invest in the market, Carvana, at its current share price of around $290, is unaffordable for them. 



But if CVNA shares are suddenly at $58 each, that same investor could scoop up at least a few shares. And if enough retail investors do this, it could actually help boost the overall stock price—triggering a wave of fresh investment in the company’s shares.



Another reason companies typically split their shares is to make them more affordable for the company’s own employees, who often participate in employee stock purchase plans (ESPP). If a company’s share price is lower, employees can get more shares via their ESPP contributions.



This often increases employee loyalty within the company and can be a motivating factor in their work. After all, if you own shares in the company you work for, you want that company to do as well as possible so those shares continue to rise.



Indeed, when announcing the proposed stock split, Carvana chief financial officer Mark Jenkins said, “This is the first split in Carvana’s history, and we believe it achieves the important goal of keeping our stock accessible to all of our team members.” 



How have Carvana’s shares performed in 2026?



CVNA shares have had a rough start to 2026. While the company’s share price climbed to over $480 in January, it has since seen a massive decline.



The stock took its greatest hit this year in February after Carvana reported its Q4 2025 earnings. 



While the company did achieve net revenue growth of 58% to $5.6 billion, it missed hard on adjusted EBITDA, which came in at $511 million. As a result, the company’s stock price fell nearly 16% in one day.



Since then, CVNA shares have continued to be hit, largely due to a relatively bearish market for growth stocks, especially after America’s attack on Iran and the ongoing economic uncertainty. 



Yesterday, CVNA shares fell nearly 7.5% to $291.17.



Year-to-date, CVNA shares are now down 31% as of yesterday’s close. Yet, over the past 12 months, Carvana has performed remarkably well. Since this time last year, CVNA shares have risen nearly 75%. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Carvana, stock, split:, Date, timeline, and, what, the, historic, proposal, means, for, investors, 2026</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Trailers for trailers? Movie studios in the TikTok era are competing for 1 second of your precious attention</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trailers-for-trailers-movie-studios-in-the-tiktok-era-are-competing-for-1-second-of-your-precious-attention</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trailers-for-trailers-movie-studios-in-the-tiktok-era-are-competing-for-1-second-of-your-precious-attention</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Trailers of two of Hollywood’s most anticipated upcoming movies came out this week. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Dune: Part Three and Marvel Studios’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiered a day apart. 



But what’s most interesting is the marketing strategy behind the trailers—in which promos and short clips of the trailers were released ahead of the full trailers. 



On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery hosted a livestreamed event on the official Dune account on TikTok. 



It featured director Dennis Villeneuve and some of the cast talking about the upcoming movie to a live audience before airing the trailer, which was simultaneously revealed at the end of the stream before being rolled out on other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. 



Videos with the star-studded cast—including Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Javier Bardem—urging fans to watch the trailer circulated online, and were later shared from the Warner Bros. Discovery and IMAX social accounts.  



Meanwhile, Marvel Studios released the official trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day on Wednesday. 



But the day before, Tom Holland announced on Instagram that he and the studio were “doing something that has never been done before” and that “some of our greatest fans are going to help us release pieces of” the trailer.



Holland tagged an Instagram account of a fan in Peru, who shared a two-second clip from the trailer featuring Spider-Man swinging through the air holding someone. That fan then tagged another fan in Ohio, who shared a separate bite-sized clip from the trailer. 



Throughout the day, fans from different parts of the world tagged each other, showing different seconds-long clips before the full trailer debuted the next day. 



This isn’t the first time that Marvel Studios has released its trailers in a non-traditional way. 



In December, the studio premiered four different trailers for Avengers: Doomsday during theatrical showings of Avatar: Fire and Ash. It was the only way that fans could access the trailers immediately, since they weren’t officially released online until a few days later. 



Short cuts



Trailers have historically served as a marketing tool for films, but sharing microclips from trailers to get fans excited about trailers themselves seems to be a new marketing trend all on its own. 



It’s certainly a sign of the times, especially as short-form content and microdramas become even more popular while the attention spans of a generation weaned on TikTok get shorter. 



But it’s also indicative of the fluctuating nature of the theatrical business. 



While box office numbers have gone up since the pandemic, they have not reached pre-pandemic levels. 



The North American box office grossed $9 billion last year, which is above the numbers of 2020, but still low compared to the years prior. 



Marvel movies also continue to see a downturn at the box office, while AMC Theatres recently announced its plans to shut down several “underperforming” locations across the United States after a decline in attendance. 



Networks and streaming services have already played around with releasing bite-sized clips of its shows on social media to get users to watch full seasons of its shows. 



The movie industry, meanwhile, has long accepted that it needs social media to promote its new movies, whether that means hiring TikTok creators to make fan trailers or creating viral moments to grab attention. 



But as studios and theater chains desperately try to reach young fans on social media, generating more hype around movie trailers might be the next thing they’re experimenting with to actually get audiences into theaters. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trailers, for, trailers, Movie, studios, the, TikTok, era, are, competing, for, second, your, precious, attention</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Will Trump deploy U.S. troops to Iran to seize uranium? </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/will-trump-deploy-us-troops-to-iran-to-seize-uranium</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/will-trump-deploy-us-troops-to-iran-to-seize-uranium</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump is facing perhaps the most daunting question of the war with Iran, one that could define his time in office: Will he put U.S. troops on the ground in Iran to secure some 970 pounds of enriched uranium that Tehran could potentially use to build nuclear weapons?Trump has offered shifting reasons for launching the war, but he has been consistent in articulating that a primary objective in joining Israel in the military action is ensuring that Iran will “never have a nuclear weapon.”The president has been more circumspect about how far he’s willing to go to follow through on his pledge to destroy Iran’s weapons program once and for all, including seizing or destroying the near-bomb-grade nuclear material that Iran possesses.Much of it is believed to be buried under the rubble of a mountain facility pummeled in U.S. bombings Trump ordered last June that he had claimed “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear program.It’s a risky, complicated project that many nuclear experts say cannot be done without a sizable deployment of U.S. troops into Iran, a dangerous and politically fraught operation for the Republican president, who has vowed not to entangle the U.S. in the sort of extended and bloody Middle East conflicts that still loom large on America’s psyche.At the same time, lawmakers and experts remain concerned that if Iran hard-liners emerge from the fighting, they’ll be more motivated than ever to build nuclear weapons as they look to deter the U.S. and Israel from future military action, a dynamic that makes taking control of Iran’s enriched uranium even more critical. That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program.Some lawmakers, like Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., say they remain deeply fearful that the president has put the nation on a path that will require putting troops inside Iran for what he called Trump’s confused and chaotic objectives.“Some of the objectives that he continues to espouse simply cannot be achieved without a physical presence there — securing the uranium cannot be done without a physical presence,” said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.Meanwhile, Republican allies of Trump stress that there are plans in place to deal with the enriched uranium. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman James Risch, R-Idaho, on Wednesday cited “a number of plans that have been put on the table.” He declined to elaborate.Others acknowledged the complications of deploying troops into Iran.“No one has given me a briefing on how you would do it without boots on the ground,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It doesn’t mean you can’t. But no one’s ever briefed me about it.”Scott added it’s not tenable to allow the stockpile to remain: “I think it would be helpful to get rid of it.”



Trump and his advisers are rigidly obtuse



Nearly three weeks into a conflict that’s left hundreds of people dead, tested longtime alliances and brought pain to the global economy, Trump and his top advisers have been rigidly obtuse about their deliberations over Iran’s uranium stockpile.“I’m not going to talk about that,” Trump said last week when asked about the enriched uranium. “But we have hit them harder than virtually any country in history has been hit, and we’re not finished yet.”Later that day, during an appearance in Kentucky, Trump appeared to claim the strikes had already neutralized the threat. “They don’t have nuclear potential,” he said.Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters earlier this week that the administration sees no point in telegraphing “what we’re willing to do or how far we’re willing to go” while asserting “we have options, for sure.”



Experts say it’s doable but won’t be easy



Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, said that seizing or destroying the enriched uranium is certainly doable, if the president decides to go that route.The U.S. and Israeli forces have been making strides toward creating the conditions — namely, establishing total air superiority — that would allow for special operations forces operators, who are trained in blowing up centrifuges and dealing with nuclear material, to conduct such an operation if the president decides to go that route.To be certain, a troops-on-the-ground effort is expected to be far more complicated than other recent high-profile, lightning-strike insertion operations, such as the January capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro or the May 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden, Goldberg said. And the likely need to remove rubble to get to the canisters of enriched uranium adds another layer of complexity, because it would require heavy construction equipment.“But if you actually own the airspace and you can have close air support and drones and everything else up in the sky for pretty wide perimeter, presumably you could do a lot,” said Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Washington this week that the assumption is much of the enriched uranium remains in the trio of Iranian nuclear sites bombarded last year by the U.S.“The impression we have … is that it hasn’t been moved,” said Grossi, adding that a bulk of the material is beneath the rubble at Iran’s Isfahan facility while lesser amounts are at the Natanz and Fordow facilities that were destroyed in last year’s American strikes.Testifying before a Senate committee on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in her prepared remarks said that the U.S. attacks on Iran had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and buried underground facilities.Gabbard said the U.S. has been monitoring whether Iran’s leaders will try to restart its nuclear program but said that they have not tried to rebuild their nuclear enrichment capability. She added that the clerical authority overseeing Iranian government has been degraded in Israel’s strikes on its leadership but remains intact.Brandan Buck, a senior foreign policy fellow at the Cato Institute, said that an effort to extract or dilute the enriched material would likely take more than 1,000 troops at each Iranian site and would take time to complete.On the other hand, not acting to secure the enriched uranium also comes with risk. Should Iran’s hard-liners remain in power, and with enriched material, they will now have greater motivation to build a nuclear weapon.“Trump has put himself between a rock and a hard place,” Buck said. “Throughout this, he has had maximalist aims, but he’s wanted to maintain minimal effort in order to keep the costs low.”







Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Matthew Lee and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.



—Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Will, Trump, deploy, U.S., troops, Iran, seize, uranium </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Either Trump is lying or the 4 other living presidents are, about war on Iran</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/either-trump-is-lying-or-the-4-other-living-presidents-are-about-war-on-iran</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/either-trump-is-lying-or-the-4-other-living-presidents-are-about-war-on-iran</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Trump declined to name the former president who supposedly regretted not striking Iran, saying he didn&#039;t want to “embarrass him.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26075762376644-e1773750426274.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Either, Trump, lying, the, other, living, presidents, are, about, war, Iran</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Amazon goes from free fast delivery to $14.99 within the hour</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amazon-goes-from-free-fast-delivery-to-1499-within-the-hour</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amazon-goes-from-free-fast-delivery-to-1499-within-the-hour</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ One-hour delivery slots are available in hundreds of places. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Amazon, goes, from, free, fast, delivery, 14.99, within, the, hour</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>As Meta removes privacy controls, TikTok explains why it never had any</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-meta-removes-privacy-controls-tiktok-explains-why-it-never-had-any</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-meta-removes-privacy-controls-tiktok-explains-why-it-never-had-any</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Two of the world&#039;s most powerful platforms are making a deliberate bet that safety beats privacy—and experts say they&#039;re right. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meta, removes, privacy, controls, TikTok, explains, why, never, had, any</media:keywords>
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<title>Current price of oil as of March 17, 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-march-17-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/current-price-of-oil-as-of-march-17-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When oil prices change, it affects your energy costs—and even the price of everyday items. Here’s why. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Current, price, oil, March, 17, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Mastercard to acquire crypto startup BVNK for up to $1.8 billion in largest stablecoin deal to date</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mastercard-to-acquire-crypto-startup-bvnk-for-up-to-18-billion-in-largest-stablecoin-deal-to-date</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mastercard-to-acquire-crypto-startup-bvnk-for-up-to-18-billion-in-largest-stablecoin-deal-to-date</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ BVNK was previously in talks with the U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase for an acquisition price of about $2 billion. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2211655850.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Mastercard, acquire, crypto, startup, BVNK, for, 1.8, billion, largest, stablecoin, deal, date</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why the new Best Casting Oscar is a win for unsung heroes across the workforce</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-the-new-best-casting-oscar-is-a-win-for-unsung-heroes-across-the-workforce</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-the-new-best-casting-oscar-is-a-win-for-unsung-heroes-across-the-workforce</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Think of your favorite movie. Maybe you love it for the plot, or the nostalgia you get from watching it again and again. Now think of that same movie, but all the actors have been shuffled: An American who can’t quite master a British accent, a 35-year-old playing a high schooler, a dramatic actor whose jokes fall flat.



The people who make sure that doesn’t happen often go unrecognized, but now the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has something to say about it. The inaugural Best Casting Oscar will be awarded at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15.



It’s the first new Oscars category in more than two decades. (In 2002, Shrek was the first to win the then-recently debuted Best Animated Feature award.) And it’s a long time coming; there has been a casting branch of the Academy since 2013.



But even with the introduction of an Oscar to recognize achievement at (arguably) the highest level of the film industry, those outside the industry might not understand what casting directors do or what good casting looks like.



Fast Company talked to a few industry professionals to break down what happens behind closed doors in the casting process—and why this new award is a win for unsung heroes across industries in the workforce.



Casting the part



Think of a film like its own little company that exists for the length of production: The director is at the head, but the casting director is one of the first people brought on to a project after that—making them vital to the film, even if they rarely make it to set.



“Casting is really an integral part of the filmmaking process,” Meredith Shea, the Academy’s chief membership, impact, and industry officer, says. “Casting directors collaborate with the directors and producers right after they receive the script from a writer, so they really set the tone for the start of a film.” 



A great casting decision can make a movie a classic—think Heath Ledger’s Joker or Sigourney Weaver in Alien—but a bad one can tank it. A film’s success can be won or lost before the director ever shouts “Action!”



When Naya Hemphill was in college, she wanted to be a director. She got into casting for student films as a way to be close to the preproduction process, but realized she enjoyed casting. “It’s always exciting to discover how talent and script can fuse together,” says Hemphill, who is now a casting intern with Blumhouse Productions. That fusion—or lack thereof—might be what people are referring to when they talk about good versus bad casting. 



“If a film or television show is really well cast, you kind of don’t notice it,” says casting director Paul Schnee. He’s worked on 2015’s Spotlight with Mark Ruffalo, and with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts for 2013’s August: Osage County.



Still, some Oscar voters—and many moviegoers—might not understand exactly what goes into casting for a film, despite it being such a crucial piece of the project’s success.



That’s why casting directors may be viewed as one of the many underappreciated, invisible members of a film crew—a sentiment possibly underscored by the fact it’s taken this long to roll out a casting Oscar.



Casting is “something that we do in private,” Schnee says, “and so it’s structurally a different kind of creative input.”



It took three failed attempts to create the casting director-specific branch of the Academy. Once the branch was officially formed, the idea “was that eventually we get our category to have,” Schnee says. The branch governors and former casting director David Rubin, who served as Academy president from 2019 to 2022, were instrumental in finally securing the award.



Behind closed doors



The casting process works like this: Actors audition in person or, more often now, send in self-tape auditions. There are callbacks if necessary, and the process repeats until the casting director finds the person for the role. 



Casting takes place before the rest of production, behind closed doors, making it a more nebulous role to a layperson. It’s easy to understand what other crew members do because their impact is visible through elements like makeup or costumes.



“If you were interviewing a costume designer, for example, he or she could show you some sketches about the evolution of their design,” Schnee says. “Because we’re dealing with human beings, I can’t show you auditions of people who didn’t get the job.”



The process also takes a lot of collaboration, often in different locations: Oslo-based casting director Yngvill Kolset Haga worked with New York-based casting director Avy Kaufman on Sentimental Value, which is up for nine Oscars this year. “You work towards the same direction even if you’re not in the same room,” Haga says.



And they often aren’t in the same room. Because casting directors work in preproduction, they sometimes don’t see what happens on set—any changes during filming or editing might be complete surprises at the premiere. “I was so delighted to see the magic that everyone did,” Kaufman says about seeing Sentimental Value after production wrapped.



Given that, the new casting Oscar is a great example of how unsung heroes on teams need to be recognized for their contributions, too.



Adam Goodman, clinical professor at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering &amp; Applied Science, also directs the University’s Center for Leadership. He works with executive teams in industry on leadership and teamwork. He says that in teams, there are “roles that are perceived to be back in the background, but in fact without [them], the team fails.”



Appreciating unrecognized team members is crucial to the success of an organization, with surveys suggesting they’d work even harder if they knew they would be recognized. Expressing gratitude for their contributions is an effective management tactic. And in the case of the new casting Oscar, it’s been a long time coming.



“It’s long overdue. Ninety-eight years of Oscars, and here we are . . . but better late than never,” Erica A. Hart, a member of the Casting Society’s board of directors, told CBC News. “Some of the people up above don’t see us as a craft, let alone a craft that is [deserving] of the Oscar.”



The “cherry on top”



Long-term improvement to industry culture involves thinking critically about the importance of leadership and teamwork, Goodman says. Part of this involves not underestimating certain team members.



“When you go back and look at what helps that team perform really well, it turns out that even though the project manager may not have made material contributions to the final work product, without their participation and engagement—and, frankly, orchestration—the team never would have hit the milestones that it needed to hit,” he says. 



Haga is hopeful the conversations about casting that started this year with the award’s introduction continue to bring attention to the work. Kaufman has worked with people she says are receptive to her input and others who take credit for it. She calls the recognition the “cherry on top.” 



“I’m a mother, so I need to make sure my kids know you don’t do something just to [be recognized]; you do it because it’s the best thing to do,” Kaufman says. 



But “with the Oscar now accepting casting directors in a different way, I’ll be curious to know how our lives change now that we’re being recognized,” she adds. “So, we can call you in a year and tell you how it’s looking.”



The Oscars aren’t done adding new categories for recognition, either: in 2028, at the 100th annual ceremony, a Best Stunt Design award will debut. Inside the industry, perception on casting directors has shifted over the years, but having an award might just help nonindustry people understand the level of work it takes to cast a film.



“My grandma, for example, is paying more attention to it now. That could be a combination of because I’m working in it and also because there’s an Oscar for it now,” casting intern Hemphill says. “But I do think that it will bring more attention to casting in general.”  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, the, new, Best, Casting, Oscar, win, for, unsung, heroes, across, the, workforce</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The hidden problem with feeling ‘overworked and underpaid’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-hidden-problem-with-feeling-overworked-and-underpaid</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-hidden-problem-with-feeling-overworked-and-underpaid</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “Overworked and underpaid” has become the modern workplace anthem. The internet is full of advice on how to negotiate harder, “quiet quit,” or jump ship. It’s an easy narrative to embrace: If you feel undervalued, the system must have failed you.



That story is comforting. It’s also costly.



While genuine exploitation exists, most people stop short of asking the harder, and far more lucrative question: What is my contribution actually worth in the market?



Effort Is Not Currency



We have a tendency to measure our value by our level of exhaustion. We tally up the stress, the late nights, and the emotional labor. But markets do not pay for perspiration. They pay for results.



If you feel underpaid, the first step isn’t indignation; it’s an honest audit. You must be able to answer four questions in cold, commercial terms:




What measurable problems do I solve?



What revenue do I influence or what cost do I reduce?



What risk do I remove from the business?



What capability exists in the business because I am here?




If you cannot answer these, your problem isn’t exploitation, it’s under-positioning.High performers don’t just do the work; they translate that work into the language decision-makers value. That isn’t “self-promotion.” It is commercial maturity.



The Hidden Ego in the Hustle



Early in my career, I was once frustrated that my title didn’t match my workload. I felt overlooked. In hindsight, I wasn’t being ignored, I was being developed.



The gap between who we believe we are and how we are officially labelled is where growth actually happens. It is an invitation to become the role before you are given the title.Sometimes the discomfort isn’t about the workload. It is about the delay in validation. When we fixate on status over trajectory, we risk stalling the very progress we claim to want.



There is also a seductive benefit to the overworked and underpaid story: it absolves us.



If the organisation is “broken,” you don’t have to sharpen your skills.If leadership is “blind,” you don’t have to influence better.If the system is “unfair,” you don’t have to examine your own performance.



That mindset protects the ego but freezes your growth.If you need the title to act like the next level, you’re not ready for it.



A more empowering stance assumes agency first. Ask:




If I am underpaid, what capability gap must I close?



If I am overlooked, how do I become unignorable?



If I am overwhelmed, what low-value work am I tolerating or enabling?




Agency isn’t the denial of injustice. It is a refusal to surrender control.



Your Three-Point Audit



Before you demand a raise or polish your CV, run these filters:



1. The Value AuditList your core responsibilities. Next to each, write the tangible impact—the metric, the dollar value, or the efficiency gained. If you can’t quantify it, estimate it. If it adds little value, question why it’s on your plate at all.



Many professionals exhaust themselves on low-impact work that makes them feel busy but not valuable. Ruthless prioritisation is a career accelerant.



2. The Skill AuditIdentify the capabilities demonstrated by those above you. It’s rarely about technical skill; it’s more often about things like strategic thinking, commercial judgment, stakeholder influence, and composure under pressure.



Promotions follow trust as much as competence. Trust is built through visible ownership and sound judgment exercised consistently over time.



3. The Leverage AuditWhen you negotiate from financial pressure, you negotiate from fear. Build personal resilience and market options first. You want to ask for your worth from a place of clarity, not desperation. Employers may empathise with your situation, but your financial stability will always be your responsibility.



When the System Actually Is the Problem



Let’s be clear: Some organizations simply lack the capital, the courage, or the vision to reward talent.If you have delivered sustained, measurable results, operated at a higher level for months, and clearly articulated your impact—yet nothing shifts—that is a signal. At that point, leaving isn’t an act of disloyalty. It is an act of alignment.



For the leaders reading this: stretching your people without providing clarity or a path to reward breeds cynicism. Growth must be reciprocal, or your best people will eventually find a market that knows how to price them.



The Reframe        



Stop asking, “Why am I not being paid more?” Start asking, “Who must I become to be worth more, in any market?”.



That question shifts you from reaction to construction. Compensation is almost always a lagging indicator of personal expansion. You rarely get paid first and grow later; the sequence frustrates the impatient, but it rewards the disciplined.



If you feel overworked and underpaid, don’t suppress the frustration. Study it. It may be pointing to genuine unfairness, or it may be pointing to your next evolution.



The difference lies in whether you look inward before you look outward. That isn’t the popular message, but it’s the only one that puts your future back in your hands. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, hidden, problem, with, feeling, ‘overworked, and, underpaid’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>3 AI trends in Hollywood to discuss at Oscars parties</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ai-trends-in-hollywood-to-discuss-at-oscars-parties</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ai-trends-in-hollywood-to-discuss-at-oscars-parties</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I teach a course on AI and filmmaking at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and lately, rather than planning each session well in advance, I’ve been structuring the class the night before. I’ll browse platforms like X, Substack, and YouTube, selecting the most provocative articles and video clips to present the following morning.



It’s a testament to how quickly artificial intelligence’s relationship to filmmaking is evolving: Each week brings new—often startling—developments.



The next morning in class, my students and I debate the ethics, the aesthetics, and the storytelling changes taking place in these collaborations with AI.



And we’re not alone: Throughout Hollywood, everyone—aspiring actors and filmmakers, stars, screenwriters, and studio execs—seems to have a take on what’s coming next. But I think three trends in particular are going to be hot topics of conversation at this year’s Oscars parties.



Nothing uncanny about this clip



In February 2026, a 15-second AI-generated video clip of Tom Cruise battling Brad Pitt on a burned-out highway overpass went viral.



Depending on the viewer, the video elicited either admiration, outrage, or existential hand-wringing.



Created by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson via a generative-AI tool called Seedance 2.0, the video marked yet another milestone in the propulsive growth of AI tools.



Seedance 2.0—which was developed by ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok—is now one of the many AI tools available to create short-form video clips. But unlike most AI-generated videos, Pitt and Cruise don’t look creepy, uncanny, or animated in the clip, which almost perfectly mimics live-action footage. The appearance of two A-list stars in a fairly realistic scene created by a relatively unknown director using stolen likenesses jolted the industry.









A brief clip featuring AI-generated avatars of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise stunned the film industry.



The backlash was swift. Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter, claiming that the video was generated from a dataset that most likely includes Disney’s copyrighted characters. The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, pointed to the video’s “blatant infringement” of the actors’ likenesses, as well as their voices.



“SAG-AFTRA stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement enabled by Bytedance’s new AI video model Seedance 2.0,” the guild wrote in a statement. This practice, the guild added, “undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood,” while disregarding “law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent.”



In class, after watching the video, we explored the ethics of using someone’s likeness without permission, the challenges facing actors who build careers based on their unique ability to embody characters, and what the future holds for our understanding of acting.



If filmmakers can prompt fake actors to deliver precise performances, where does that leave human actors?



In with the old



Since 2023, the skyline of the Las Vegas strip has been dominated by an illuminated orb called the Sphere: an entertainment complex featuring a 360-degree LED screen covering 160,000 square feet (14,864 square meters). The Sphere recently surpassed 2 million tickets sold for a reimagining of the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.



The film, which premiered in August 2024, was shortened, its color was enhanced, and it was stretched to expand across the interior of the dome. AI was used to transfer the imagery from the film’s original, modest aspect ratio to the giant dome. This required generating new imagery around the edges of the original shots in what’s known as “AI outpainting.” The technology was also deployed to boost the original film’s resolution and to enhance certain scenes.



Some critics fretted that this fairly radical augmentation of the original classic would offend viewers. Instead, it has drawn them in droves to the Sphere, where they’ve been willing to shell out between US$100 and $200 per ticket.



Not bad for a movie about a girl from Kansas made in 1939.



Given the resounding success of The Wizard of Oz, experts expect producers to plumb the film archives for other potential hits and enhance them with AI before screening them in venues as varied as IMAX theaters and Cosm, another 360-degree dome with locations in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta.



Or AI can simply be used to create material that was never completed for a historic film.



In fact, The New Yorker recently profiled AI media entrepreneur Edward Saatchi, who is working to recreate and reincorporate lost footage from Orson Welles’ 1942 feature The Magnificent Ambersons. While Welles was in Brazil shooting a documentary, executives at RKO Radio Pictures reedited the film without his approval after a poor preview screening. They cut around 45 minutes, replaced the original ending with a happier one, and destroyed most of the footage that had been removed.



Saatchi’s idea is to build a dataset that includes the existing film, as well as scripts, notes, images, and even new performances by actors. Then he plans to use his AI platform, Showrunner, to create new scenes from this data.



While Saatchi hopes to honor the director’s creative vision by producing the film he originally intended, his efforts open up some thorny questions.



Is it appropriate to take an existing artwork and revise it without the creator’s input? Isn’t there something sacrosanct about a film, the intentions of the director, and the performances of the actors in a film’s original form? To what extent should these questions be overlooked if refashioning old movies will introduce them to new audiences?



Fewer opportunities?



There’s also an undercurrent of anxiety in my classes. What will happen, my students often wonder, once they graduate?



They’re worried that within a year or two, AI will have replaced entry-level film industry jobs, from concept artists to apprentice-level editors, before they’ve even had a chance to enter the workforce.



They have reason to fear.



In 2024, the Animation Guild published a sobering report claiming that by 2026, “creative workers will be facing an era of disruption, defined by the consolidation of some job roles, the replacement of existing job roles with new ones, and the elimination of many jobs entirely.”



Some of those predictions have borne out: 41,000 jobs in film and television have disappeared in Los Angeles County alone over the past three years.



But I’ve tried to counter the hard statistics with some stories of thoughtful practices.



For example, filmmaker Paul Trillo at the AI studio Asteria has talked about how he seeks to keep artists at the center of the process. When he detailed the company’s work on a music video for the singer-songwriter Cuco, he was keen to highlight the number of artists working on the project. Yes, AI tools were used. But they were integrated in a way that replaced the tedious work, not the creative practice.



“Rather than removing [artists] from the process, it actually allowed them to do a lot more so a small team can dream a lot bigger,” Trillo explains at the end of the video.



In January 2026, the management consulting firm McKinsey published a report that largely echoes Trillo’s positive outlook. It forecasts more adoption of AI throughout the industry. But it also points to ways that the technology could lead to different kinds of work and open up new possibilities. 



For example, as AI-generated scenes become commonplace, studios will need technicians who know how to blend real footage with digitally created worlds. And as AI lowers the cost of producing polished films and shows, it could allow more “micro-studios” and independent filmmakers to create professional-quality content.



At the same time, the report also quotes a studio executive who concedes that AI could represent “a more significant platform shift than we have ever seen before in our industry.”



So it’s no wonder my students, along with varied critics, commentators, and industry professionals, are nervous.



However, from where I stand, I’m convinced that the industry will weather this radical disruption. It’s adapted to big changes in the past: the addition of sound in the 1920s, the threat posed by videotape in the 1980s, and streaming in the 2000s.



In the end, people will always crave new, artfully told stories. While the filmmaking tools and job market may be in transition, that core need for storytelling is not going away.



Holly Willis is a professor of cinematic arts at the University of Southern California.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>trends, Hollywood, discuss, Oscars, parties</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Chasing the digital nomad dream? Beware of global current events</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chasing-the-digital-nomad-dream-beware-of-global-current-events</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chasing-the-digital-nomad-dream-beware-of-global-current-events</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ My desk is a disaster. Cold brew from this morning, now room temperature. A stack of unopened mail that’s been piling up since the holiday break. Outside my window: rain. Not the romantic kind. This downpour is more Mary J. Blige and Ja Rule than Soul for Real. When I log on to my first video call of the day, I see the same gloom in everyone else’s backgrounds.



Well, everyone except Sam.



Unlike most people at the Seattle-based organization, Sam, a content strategist, has been working remotely from Mexico for the past four months. His Zoom backdrop almost looks virtual. The solar glare on his forehead makes questions about the weather seem rhetorical. His floor-to-ceiling windows—with palm trees swaying on the other side—scream, “I’m living my best life at 28,000 pesos per month.”



On a recent call, when Sam casually mentioned grabbing lunch at a restaurant on the beach, I felt it. That ugly little pang of envy.



Mase and 112 have a hilarious song about jealous men. I could never relate … until recently. The remote work revolution has tested my emotional limits. Taking Zoom meetings from Zanzibar. Sending emails from Barcelona. Slack messages sent poolside. The digital nomad lifestyle sold us a fantasy: Why be miserable in Maryland when you could be equally employed in Morocco?



Last month, Sam and his tropical background were absent for a day. He was offline the following day as well. His Slack status read “traveling.” Everyone on the call knew what was up.



After Mexican authorities killed a major cartel leader in February—reportedly with U.S. help—parts of Jalisco erupted in violent retaliation that led to road blockades, burning vehicles, and warnings for Americans in Puerto Vallarta to stay indoors. Sam was in Mexico City, about 500 miles away, but he decided not to take any chances and haul ass. Turns out that “work from anywhere” hits differently when the “anywhere” is under a travel advisory.



I understood the appeal that landed him beyond stateside borders in the first place. Once upon a time, I spun my desk globe and contemplated an expat adventure of my own.



I’d been to Dubai years ago and loved it: the energy, the extravagance, the man-made island. After I got home, I started imagining a version of my life with better weather and a better skyline. I did some cursory research about relocating there. Looked at neighborhoods. Crunched the numbers. Then I took an in-office job here, and the idea disappeared like shisha smoke in the air.



That old fantasy came back to mind recently after the U.S. attacked Iran, which responded with missile and drone strikes all around the Middle East. Airports in Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai—major travel hubs for all, including remote workers—have been experiencing shutdowns and delays amid regional instability. I keep coming across tales of Americans stuck out there, steadily refreshing the State Department website, trying to figure out whether they need to escape by any means necessary.



I know Black folks who left the States entirely—tired of the politics, the anti-Blackness, the everyday microaggressions. They went searching for destinations where they could breathe easier. Accra. Lisbon. Bangkok. The digital nomad life offered an escape from Uncle Sam’s oppression.



But here’s the thing: American foreign policy has a long reach. When the U.S. starts launching airstrikes, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Atlanta or Abu Dhabi; you’re still American. And suddenly that little blue booklet feels less like a golden ticket. 



Obviously, every place isn’t unsafe. I’d never discourage anyone from chasing the digital nomad dream. If you’ve got the opportunity and the resources, do it. See the world. Take your conference calls from Costa Rica. All I’m saying is that current events have shown me another perspective. The recent news made me realize how quickly paradise can turn into frantically checking Skyscanner for a flight to literally anywhere else.



Sam has since resurfaced on our team calls. He’s in London now, staying with a friend until he figures out his next move. His Zoom background was gray that first day. Overcast. It looked a lot like mine.



“How’s the weather over there?” someone asked.



“Rainy,” Sam said. “But I’m good with it.”



Maybe I projected a lot onto Sam. Maybe he’s just a guy with decent Wi-Fi, a great view, a tatted-up passport, and quarterly goals just like mine. But in my head, he was the poster child of the digital nomad experience.



I looked out my window at the familiar downpour and realized something: I’m still open to working from abroad.



I’m just no longer romanticizing the people already doing it. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Chasing, the, digital, nomad, dream, Beware, global, current, events</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Oscars live&#45;stream: How to watch the 2026 Academy Awards with or without cable, including free options</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oscars-live-stream-how-to-watch-the-2026-academy-awards-with-or-without-cable-including-free-options</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oscars-live-stream-how-to-watch-the-2026-academy-awards-with-or-without-cable-including-free-options</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s time for the dazzling conclusion to the 2026 awards season. After the Hollywood elites walk the red carpet, the curtain will rise on the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, which is tonight.



The excitement will be palpable as the audience waits to learn who will take home a coveted Oscar. Here’s everything you need to know to fully enjoy the evening, including how to tune in.



Where does the 98th Academy Awards take place?



The location for this fabulous event is in Tinseltown, of course. More specifically, the ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.



Who’s hosting the 2026 Oscars?



Comedian and former late-night host Conan O’Brien will be guiding the audience through the evening.



This is his second consecutive year hosting Hollywood’s biggest night. It is a duty he takes very seriously. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that he has been doing several surprise stand-up sets to workshop his material ahead of the big night.



O’Brien will be supported by several presenters throughout the evening. As is tradition, last year’s acting award winners, Kieran Culkin, Zoe Saldaña, Adrien Brody, and Mikey Madison, will present in their respective categories. 



Additionally, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Javier Bardem, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, Chris Evans, and Chase Infiniti are all scheduled to appear.



Who is nominated for an Oscar?



Ryan Coogler’s Sinners made Oscar history this year by becoming the most nominated film ever with its 16 nods. 



Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another scored 13. Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value each received nine nominations.



While no one can ever predict the future, this is an especially exciting year, because most of the major acting categories don’t feel set in stone. 



Will Timothée Chalamet or Michael B. Jordan take home Best Actor? Will Amy Madigan, Teyana Taylor, or Wunmi Mosaku take home Best Supporting Actress? Only time can tell.



The category that seems safe to call is Best Actress, as Jessie Buckley has taken home every other major award for her performance in Hamnet. For a full list of nominees, visit the Oscars website.



Who’s performing at the 98th Academy Awards?



Since Oscar himself is a sparkling hue, it almost seems required that the nominated song “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters is sung live during the ceremony. Thankfully, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami are willing to make that happen.



Additionally, Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will perform another nominated song, “I Lied to You,” from the film Sinners. 



They will be joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey, and Alice Smith.



No word if Chalamet approves of including a prominent ballerina after his now viral comments greatly offended the ballet and opera worlds.



Oscars In Memoriam



The Oscars In Memoriam is always a somber but important element of the broadcast. 



This year feels especially heavy with the loss of Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and many more. 



What’s new for the 98th Academy Awards?



There’s a new category for the first time in 25 years at the Oscars. Casting directors are finally getting the recognition they deserve. 



The inaugural nominees for the Achievement in Casting Oscar are Nina Gold (Hamnet), Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme), Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another), Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent), and Francine Maisler (Sinners). 



How to tune in for the red carpet arrivals



To see all your favorite looks, you have options. The official broadcast partner of the Oscars is ABC. This means all ABC-owned stations with air On The Red Carpet at the Oscars, beginning at  3:30 p.m. ET. 



Lara Spencer, Whit Johnson, George Pennacchio, Joelle Garguilo, and Chris Connelly will help you count down the minutes until the main event. 



Immediately following that programming is the official The Oscars Red Carpet Show at 6:30 p.m, hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer.



If you are in it for the fashion, E!’s coverage may be more your speed. 



Hosted by Justin Sylvester and Keltie Knight, E!’s Brunch at the Oscars begins at 2 p.m. ET. It is followed by E!’s Live From The Red Carpet at 4 p.m. ET. 



After the Oscar’s broadcast, tune back to E! for Red Carpet Rundown at 10:30 p.m. ET.



How to tune in for the 98th Academy Awards



And now for the main event, which begins at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu. 



Traditional cable subscribers, Hulu subscribers, and those with over-the-air antennas are covered. 



Remember that ABC is technically still free the old-fashioned way. Moreover, Hulu is offering free trials to eligible subscribers.  



If you don’t fall into one of those three categories, consider adding a live-TV streaming service, such as YouTube TV, FuboTV, or DirecTV Stream into your entertainment viewing arsenal. 



Just be sure to double check regional differences as not every channel is available in every area. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Oscars, live-stream:, How, watch, the, 2026, Academy, Awards, with, without, cable, including, free, options</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Oil and fertilizer prices are climbing. Your grocery bill may follow</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oil-and-fertilizer-prices-are-climbing-your-grocery-bill-may-follow</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oil-and-fertilizer-prices-are-climbing-your-grocery-bill-may-follow</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The spike in crude oil and fertilizer prices could raise food prices within the coming months. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2266004360-e1773355226764.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Oil, and, fertilizer, prices, are, climbing., Your, grocery, bill, may, follow</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Iran’s simplest weapon is now holding the global economy hostage</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/irans-simplest-weapon-is-now-holding-the-global-economy-hostage</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/irans-simplest-weapon-is-now-holding-the-global-economy-hostage</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Sea mines predate World War I, cost less than a used car, and can snap a ship in half. They also might be in the most important waterway on Earth. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-3421834-e1773345832575.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Iran’s, simplest, weapon, now, holding, the, global, economy, hostage</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How the Iran war cuts off Southeast Asia’s tourism industry</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-iran-war-cuts-off-southeast-asias-tourism-industry</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-iran-war-cuts-off-southeast-asias-tourism-industry</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Travel experts now fear that countries like Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia may soon see a dip in tourists.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2265687673-e1773403918699.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, Iran, war, cuts, off, Southeast, Asia’s, tourism, industry</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Thrivent bucks the AI layoff trend and plans to add 600 financial advisors this year: This is ‘how we grow our business’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/thrivent-bucks-the-ai-layoff-trend-and-plans-to-add-600-financial-advisors-this-year-this-is-how-we-grow-our-business</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/thrivent-bucks-the-ai-layoff-trend-and-plans-to-add-600-financial-advisors-this-year-this-is-how-we-grow-our-business</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Fortune 500 company is ramping up a training pipeline to staff the next generation of advisors. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Thrivent.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Thrivent, bucks, the, layoff, trend, and, plans, add, 600, financial, advisors, this, year:, This, ‘how, grow, our, business’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why right now is the best time ever to work in software</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-right-now-is-the-best-time-ever-to-work-in-software</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-right-now-is-the-best-time-ever-to-work-in-software</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AI isn’t the end of software; it’s the beginning of a new era. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1666633862379.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, right, now, the, best, time, ever, work, software</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When can I download iOS 26.4? iPhone update timeline as release date nears and new features set to debut</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-can-i-download-ios-264-iphone-update-timeline-as-release-date-nears-and-new-features-set-to-debut</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-can-i-download-ios-264-iphone-update-timeline-as-release-date-nears-and-new-features-set-to-debut</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Apple’s iOS 26 for iPhone got off to a rough start when it was finally released to the public in September of last year. 



Its new Liquid Glass design language remained unpolished in many areas, and the operating system harbored a fair amount of bugs. But since iOS 26.0 debuted, Apple has released three major updates for it, further polishing the interface and adding new features.



And soon, Apple will update iOS 26 once again with the release of iOS 26.4. It’s a release that is set to not just eliminate bugs and enhance the details of Liquid Glass, but is also set to add some significant new features to your iPhone. 



Here’s what’s coming, and when you can get iOS 26.4.



What new features are coming to iOS 26.4?



Apple has been beta testing iOS 26.4 since last month. Originally, the software update was rumored to include the company’s revamped Siri, powered by Google’s Gemini LLM. However, Siri’s AI revamp has been absent from all iOS 26.4 betas to date, so it looks like a truly useful Apple digital assistant is still a ways away.



But that doesn’t mean iOS 26.4 doesn’t have any new features. Quite the contrary. Besides your normal user interface polishes and bug fixes, iOS 26.4 is set to include some major upgrades to its media apps, notes 9to5Mac. Those upgrades include:




AI-powered music playlist creation: iOS 26.4 will add a feature to the Music app called “Playlist Playground.” The feature allows you to generate music playlists from natural-language text descriptions. So you could instruct the Playlist Playground feature to make a playlist of “80s rock ballads under five minutes long,” and the Music app will generate a playlist based on your prompt.



Podcasts app video overhaul: Apple’s Podcasts app has supported video podcasts for some time. But in iOS 26.4, its video capabilities are getting a major upgrade. Now you can quickly switch between the audio and video versions of a podcast. This feature will be great for those times when you are watching a video podcast, but then suddenly need to be on the move—soon you’ll be able to easily switch to the audio version of the podcast, ensuring you can still enjoy it when your eyes are needed on other things.



Redesigned album and playlist interface: Also in the Music app, Apple has redesigned the look of the interface that you see when displaying playlists or albums in full screen. In iOS 26.4, the Music app will now tint the entire screen based on the album art color scheme, giving each playlist and album its own unique look.




And that’s not all: iOS 26.4 will add numerous small refinements and additions across the operating system, including new emojis, new Ambient Music widgets for your Home Screen, automatic activation of Stolen Device Protection, and more.



iOS 26.4 beta: Download it now



While Apple hasn’t released iOS 26.4 to the general public yet, it has released four betas of the software to developers and public beta testers. And if you are in any of those two groups, you can download the latest beta of iOS 26.4 onto your iPhone today.



To download the developer beta, you’ll need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program. 



If you’re not a developer, but still want to try out the new software early, you can join the Apple Beta Software Program for free and get access to public betas—including the iOS 26.4 beta—today.



Of course, the usual warning applies: betas are buggy, and in rare cases, they can cause data loss or otherwise harm your phone. So always proceed with caution if you decide to download a beta.



iOS 26.4 final release: Download it later this month



If a beta isn’t your thing, you’ll have to wait until Apple releases the final version of iOS 26.4 to the public. Thankfully, you probably won’t have to wait too much longer.



Apple generally has a 5-6 beta development cycle for iOS “point” upgrades like iOS 26.4. Apple released the first iOS 26.4 beta in mid-February, which means the final public version of the beta is highly likely to be released between mid-March and the end of the month.



Once Apple releases the final version of the software, you’ll be able to download iOS 26.4 right to your iPhone using the device’s Software Update feature in the Settings app. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>When, can, download, iOS, 26.4, iPhone, update, timeline, release, date, nears, and, new, features, set, debut</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>U.S. workers are carving a path to a new American Dream</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-workers-are-carving-a-path-to-a-new-american-dream</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-workers-are-carving-a-path-to-a-new-american-dream</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Each year, some of America’s greatest artists, thinkers, and business leaders have a chance to come together at SXSW in the spirit of creativity, innovation, and future-building. And with everything currently happening in technology and the workforce, this year’s gathering feels particularly timely.



Of course, questions around AI will take center stage and remain our primary cultural fixation: How long until the next incredible breakthrough? Should Americans be fearful about an impending AI apocalypse or hopeful about the prospect of unlimited productivity gains?



These topics are all valid, urgent, and deeply worthwhile to explore, but I also believe the most important workforce story unfolding in the U.S. today is less about what AI will do next, and more about what everyday Americans are doing right now in response to and in preparation for AI’s growing impacts.



If technological advancement is going to keep accelerating faster than our institutions can or are willing to adapt, the fact that workers have already begun adapting on their own in real time is a story of deep-rooted resilience within our culture and communities. It is also a story that seems to be signaling a pragmatic and optimistic reimagining of the American Dream.



WORKFORCE DISRUPTION IS WELL UNDERWAY



The speed of AI advancement is likely to continue to be astonishing. Although we can neither predict nor control the pace of innovation, we can acknowledge that AI is no longer a hypothetical but an economic force reshaping job security, hiring, and career planning.



We also need to understand that while AI adoption has added pressure, workforce fragility in the U.S. was deepening long before generative models like ChatGPT entered the picture.



Education costs have been compounding at an unhealthy rate in America for nearly half a century, with rising tuition costs significantly outpacing inflation since the 1980s. Meanwhile, the country’s student debt crisis also continues deepening, with total student loan debt in the U.S. exceeding $1.7 trillion in 2024, all while broader confidence in traditional education and career pathways has been gradually eroding.



AI isn’t causing workforce uncertainty but merely adding weight on top of existing cracks in the system. To focus solely on predicting the pace and extent of AI-driven job loss misses the real story: U.S. workers are already adapting, and it’s a process involving a bold reimagining of American values and stability.



AMERICANS ARE CHOOSING DURABILITY



Despite so much uncertainty, Americans don’t appear to be giving in to fear as much as they’re leaning into resilience and practical decision-making. There are some strong cultural signals indicating a radical shift in the U.S. workforce’s strategic mindset, particularly in evolving views around traditional education and career pathways in this AI age.



More specifically, a new survey of American workers we conducted at the Business For Good Foundation via the Harris Poll revealed a clear and widespread departure from most conventional ways of thinking about professional and economic fulfillment. For example, 75% of Americans shared that their views of a “good job” does not look the same now as five years ago, while 80% agreed more people are choosing trade training over four-year degree programs.



Similarly, more than 78% said they believe long-lasting social and cultural stigmas around blue-collar work are beginning to dissipate in the U.S., with 76% saying they believe trade jobs are less likely to be replaced by AI.



Rather than fearing widespread job loss and sustained unemployment, Americans are envisioning a future workforce defined by durability, where the workforce’s economic value is concentrated less in white-collar sectors and more by the durable, hands-on skills that have always played an indispensable role. It suggests an overall mood of pragmatic optimism, with Americans appearing to adjust to AI adoption much faster than our political and educational systems.



GET AHEAD OF CHANGE



While everyday Americans seem eager to get ahead of AI’s inevitable changes, this likely won’t happen at scale without the appropriate support from organizations and U.S. business leaders. Recognizing this heightened need for more hands-on programs to increase access to skilled trade training, we at the Business for Good Foundation committed $100,000 to advancing workforce development in the first half of 2026.



Of course, this will also require strategy and coordination, grounded in shared recognition that this shift away from traditional white-collar pathways is not an error but a process of economic regeneration. The growing emphasis on hands-on trades is not nostalgia, but necessary to strengthen the U.S. innovation infrastructure.



Skilled work continues to underpin all non-negotiable aspects of American society, including access to housing and healthcare. At the same time, U.S. business owners are grappling with critical, pre-existing skilled labor shortages, meaning they’ll increasingly need to depend on talent pipelines beyond traditional degree models.



One recent example of what we’ve done at the Business for Good Foundation is a New York Capital Region pilot. As part of our commitment to workforce development, the foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center to expand trade skills programming in the region and help bridge the gap between untapped talent and industry demand.



I’ve seen firsthand that simple, practical investments like in the SEAT Center—those that better align workforce pathways with employer needs and expand access to education and career opportunities for motivated talent in underserved communities—can go a long way toward creating a real and sustainable path to upward economic mobility. I’m encouraging leaders across the country to take similar action, at any scale.



However, such a model will largely remain limited without other like-minded business leaders and philanthropists willing to build on and replicate it at scale, and who are prepared to fully embrace a new American dream defined less by credentials and more by individual capabilities, determination, and human resilience. While this kind of change certainly won’t happen overnight, I hope that those of us who attend SXSW this week might begin aligning our business priorities with the unique spirit of this event, working together to intentionally build a brighter, more prosperous, and innovative future for the U.S. workforce.



Ed Mitzen is cofounder of Business for Good Foundation. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>U.S., workers, are, carving, path, new, American, Dream</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Databricks launches ‘Genie Code’ to own the next frontier of vibe&#45;coding</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-databricks-launches-genie-code-to-own-the-next-frontier-of-vibe-coding</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-databricks-launches-genie-code-to-own-the-next-frontier-of-vibe-coding</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AI coding agents have become one of the fastest-growing categories in enterprise software. In the span of just a few years, these development tools have evolved from simple autocomplete assistants into autonomous systems capable of taking over the complete software development cycle, all via natural language prompts. 



As vibe-coding takes off, tools from startups like Cursor and Anthropic’s Claude Code have quickly reached multibillion‑dollar revenue run rates. Cursor reportedly crossed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2025 and has since approached $2 billion in Q1 of 2026. Anthropic’s Claude Code has scaled even faster, reaching an estimated $2.5 billion annualized run rate within its first year, making it one of the fastest‑growing products in the category that accounts for a large share of Anthropic’s $14 billion ARR.



Yet inside large enterprises, writing code is rarely the hardest part of the job. Data scientists, engineers, and analysts spend much of their time maintaining and augmenting pipelines rather than building new ones. The real bottleneck in enterprise AI, therefore, is not software development itself, but operating complex data systems in production. 



Databricks CEO and co-founder Ali Ghodsi believes that the gap represents the next frontier for AI automation. In his view, the next generation of AI agents won’t just write software, but operate the data systems that modern businesses depend on. 



That strategic bet is behind Genie Code, a system of autonomous AI agents unveiled today, designed for data engineering, data science, and analytics operations. The system extends the company’s existing Genie platform ecosystem, which allows knowledge workers to ask questions about enterprise data in natural language. (More than 20,000 organizations already used Databricks’s data management and analytics tools; the company’s ARR surpassed $4.8 billion annual revenue in October.) 



“Instead of functioning merely as a coding assistant or helping generate code faster, these agents actually understand the structure of the data and existing data problems,” Ali Ghodsi says. “It can automatically set up pipelines, analyze why something is failing, and understand issues like when a dataset schema changes or when permissions are modified.”



For instance, Genie Code can help determine how a dataset should be prepared for modeling—randomizing the data, separating part of it into a test set, or training a model on the remaining portion. After training, the system can aid in evaluating the results using metrics such as F1 scores or the area under the curve, and then analyzing them to determine whether the model is performing well or requires improvement.“It can suggest trying different approaches—maybe retraining the model or generating plots and graphs to visualize performance, and uncover reasoning about what changes might improve the results,” Ghodsi explains. “It’s not about just generating random code snippets, but understanding the entire structure of the data problem and working through the modeling workflow the same way a data scientist or engineer would.”



Databricks and Enterprise Context



A major reason many AI coding agents struggle in enterprise data environments is context. Most developer tools train primarily on public code repositories and general programming examples. Enterprise data systems, however, add another layer of complexity. Data carries business semantics, governance rules, and access policies that determine how information can be used. Without that context, an AI agent may generate technically correct code that fails once deployed in production. 



Genie Code attempts to address that problem by integrating directly with Unity Catalog, Databricks’ governance framework for enterprise data. This integration allows the system to understand data lineage, access permissions, and organizational policies across an enterprise’s entire data estate.



“Maintaining pipelines and making sure they are reliable and always running is a big part of a data engineer’s job, and this is where Genie Code can augment them significantly,” Ghodsi says. “It can monitor systems continuously and respond immediately when something breaks, even in the middle of the night, analyzing complex traces and diagnosing what happened so that the pipeline can be fixed and kept running reliably.”



The architecture relies on a multi-agent architecture powered by multiple AI models. Ghodsi explains that the system combines LLMs from providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, alongside smaller open-source models optimized for specific tasks. “There are many things inside a workflow where you don’t need a huge model—you just need something fast that can perform a very specific operation reliably.”



The larger models provide the reasoning capabilities necessary for complex problem-solving and planning. Smaller open-source models are trained to handle more routine operations quickly and efficiently. Moreover, the architecture is built around multiple collaborating agents rather than a single monolithic AI system. Each agent specializes in particular functions, such as diagnosing pipeline failures or analyzing data patterns. These agents share context, memory, and skills, allowing them to coordinate their actions and execute complex workflows across the data stack.



Databricks describes this approach as “agentic data work.” Rather than prompting an AI assistant for small pieces of code, users can delegate entire objectives to the system.



Another challenge with autonomous AI systems is maintaining reliable performance in production environments over time, as agents often encounter unfamiliar scenarios that degrade performance. To address that issue, Databricks has acquired Quotient AI, a startup specializing in evaluation and reinforcement learning for AI agents. The company’s technology helps evaluate agent behavior, continuously measuring output quality and detecting regressions before they cause production failures. Quotient AI’s founders previously worked on improving the quality of GitHub Copilot, giving them deep expertise in evaluating AI coding systems.  



Vibe-coding for data systems



The rise of vibe-coding has created a new battleground for agentic AI-powered coding tools and reshaped the competitive landscape in software infrastructure. Databricks is approaching the market from a different direction. Ghodsi says the AI coding market and the enterprise data automation market are evolving in parallel but distinct directions. 



While tools like Cursor and Anthropic’s coding agents are reshaping how developers write software, Databricks is focused on transforming how companies manage and operate their data systems. “Even though our product name includes ‘code,’ what it really focuses on is data work,” Ghodsi says. 



Genie Code targets the workflows that occur after data enters an organization’s platform. By focusing on the data layer, the company aims to address problems that general-purpose coding assistants are not designed to solve. “The other tools in the market help software engineers write application code, which is great,” says Ghodsi, “But for us the end goal is the data: transforming data reliably, and helping organizations work with their data.”



Several organizations, including SiriusXM and Repsol, have already begun experimenting with the technology. SiriusXM uses Genie Code to help build and maintain internal data products, generate SQL queries, and debug pipelines. According to Ghodsi, the company has reported around 20% productivity improvements in data engineering tasks. Genie Code assists engineers in creating data products with defined service-level agreements and reliability guarantees. 



Likewise, multinational energy and petrochemical company Repsol is using the technology to accelerate forecasting and production workflows. Instead of manually connecting notebooks, pipelines, and models across different systems, engineers can rely on Genie Code to orchestrate these processes automatically. Ghodsi added that thousands of other customers are already experimenting with the technology, although many deployments are still in early stages.



The Future of Human Engineering



Ghodsi does not expect autonomous agents to replace human engineers. Instead, engineers may spend less time writing code and more time designing architectures, supervising automated systems, and ensuring that AI-driven workflows operate reliably. 



“The cost of automation is going down and the tools are becoming easier to use, so naturally the demand for automation increases. If you look at some of the numbers already, a huge percentage of activity on machines is actually agents operating in the background,” he says.



According to the company’s recently released State of AI Agents report, AI agents now create 80% of databases and 97% of test and development environments on the Databricks platform. Just two years ago, agents barely registered in database activity, with human developers handling nearly all of that work. 



“I wouldn’t be surprised if that number goes from something like 80% to 99% in a short period of time. But that doesn’t mean humans disappear from the process,” Ghodsi explains. “You also have to think about legal responsibility and quality guarantees. Those are areas where you still need a human in the loop.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Databricks, launches, ‘Genie, Code’, own, the, next, frontier, vibe-coding</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Canva’s new AI tool will break your design process (in a good way)</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/canvas-new-ai-tool-will-break-your-design-process-in-a-good-way</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/canvas-new-ai-tool-will-break-your-design-process-in-a-good-way</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Canva’s new AI tool, launching today, is going to save time, money, and headaches for so many people. Called Magic Layers, it turns any flat bitmap image into a fully editable Canva project, extracting text, objects, and components into individual layers.This tool marks a fundamental shift in how we handle digital assets. Until now, a rendered image was basically a locked vault of pixels. If you wanted to change a typo or swap a background, you had four options: 1) Hunt down the original project file, 2) painstakingly change it in Photoshop, 3) accept a generative AI patch job, or 4) close the laptop and escape to live a real life somewhere by a nice beach. Magic Layers shatters the vault. By reverse-engineering a flat picture into its constituent parts, Canva cofounder and Chief Product Officer Cameron Adams tells me, Magic Layers empowers users to resurrect and tweak any image they have on their hard drive.[Image: Canva]Canva uses many models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and other developers, but the secret sauce behind this new layering capability is its proprietary AI design model, which the company unveiled last October. Think of it not just as a random design and image generator, but as a model that understands the elements of design. It looks at a picture and sees its skeletal structure—distinguishing the foreground subjects from the background scenery, and recognizing typography as actual text rather than just colored shapes. When you feed it an image, whether it was spat out by an AI prompt or dragged from an old folder, it dissects those elements perfectly. The new Canva multilayer tool is the implementation of those abilities.“Most AI outputs are fixed, really flat things, and they’re not easy to edit. You either have to, like, live with an 80% solution or you have to spend time reprompting, trying to get that little bit of the image that you wanted to get fixed,” Adams says. But now, he adds, “the model identifies everything in the frame and converts it into native Canva objects.”So text isn’t just a cutout anymore. It becomes a live, editable text box. You can correct spelling errors, swap the font, adjust the size, or even translate the copy for international markets. The same goes for visual objects. Once separated, elements like a product bottle or a butterfly become completely independent actors on the canvas. You can move them, resize them, change their color, or banish them from the composition entirely without leaving a gaping hole behind, Adams explains.And since these extracted layers are treated exactly like standard Canva design elements, you can apply all of the platform’s existing tools to them, including upscaling or generative tweaks like Magic Edit. “That’s the beauty of it, that it’s now a proper Canva design. So you can change any of those elements in any way,” Adams says. Because Canva operates in the cloud, this newly resurrected file is immediately ready for multiplayer collaboration. You and your team can jump into the project simultaneously and start moving things around. [Image: Canva]It’s getting better all the timeThere is an interesting parallel here with Adobe’s recent launch of a new AI assistant for its web and mobile Photoshop apps. Both companies are trying to fix the fundamental flaw of current generative AI models like Google’s Nano Banana.When you ask a standard AI to remove a single item from a picture, the machine recalculates the whole picture from scratch, inevitably introducing random errors or “hallucinations.” Adobe tackles this problem by allowing users to point at or draw around an object. The AI then places these modifications on independent, clear overlays suspended above the base image, preserving the underlying raw pixels flawlessly. While Adobe’s method builds new, highly controlled edits—including text—on top of an existing foundation to guarantee precision, Canva’s Magic Layers takes the opposite route: It dismantles the foundation itself, breaking the flat image apart into discrete, fully interactive components.While these tools from both companies do, indeed, appear to be magical, to me they feel like features that are not going to stick around for too long. They’re more like patches that solve generative AI’s current problems with output uncertainty.Once engines like Nano Banana or Seedream can nail down every pixel, every text and typography, every single human, animal, tree, pair of jeans, or shampoo bottle ever—and it will happen—we will no longer be worrying about things being in layers. Objects, type, and components will simply exist in the reality of the image; the models will understand them just like humans do, allowing users to change anything they want instantly, and with precision. Everything will be “liquid” for you to touch and change. Software will follow your exacting and most complicated whims with perfection. But for now, Magic Layers is going to solve a lot of problems for a lot of people and companies all around the world. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Canva’s, new, tool, will, break, your, design, process, in, good, way</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump is headed to Ohio and Kentucky to downplay Iran war’s effect on U.S. economy</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-is-headed-to-ohio-and-kentucky-to-downplay-iran-wars-effect-on-us-economy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-is-headed-to-ohio-and-kentucky-to-downplay-iran-wars-effect-on-us-economy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump plans to visit Ohio and Kentucky on Wednesday to argue that his policies can steady an economy facing shock waves from the war on Iran and to try to defeat one of the few congressional Republicans who has dared to defy him.In Cincinnati, the Republican president is touring Thermo Fisher Scientific, a pharmaceutical company. There, he’ll tout efforts to lower prescription drug prices, a key part of his attempts to show his administration is focused on making the cost of living more affordable for many Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections.After that, Trump will visit a logistics packing facility in nearby Hebron, Kentucky, part of the district of Rep. Thomas Massie. Trump is backing a primary challenger to Massie.The trip presents a test of Trump’s ability to cleanse his party of those who oppose him but also to try to stay on an economic message increasingly strained by the military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. He’ll be “talking about the economy, which is, of course, the utmost importance to him,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.Polls showed that Americans were increasingly wary of Trump’s handling of the economy even before the conflict with Iran began, and fighting there has derailed Trump’s messaging, as the low gas prices he once bragged about are now surging and stocks that had set record highs have slipped.Employers also cut an unexpectedly high 92,000 jobs in February, and revisions trimmed another 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls — which the White House had previously hailed as “blockbuster.”None of that has stopped Trump from continuing to insist the country is booming — and blaming the Democrats for everything else.“They’re the one that caused the problem,” he told a House Republican meeting in Florida on Monday. “But we’re really bringing down prices big.”Democrats offer a sharp contrast to Trump’s depiction of the nation, arguing that costs remain high for many Americans more than a year into his second term and that families are still struggling under his policies.



Trump’s affordability tour meets his opposition to Massie



After Democrats won the Virginia and New Jersey governors’ races in November, the White House announced that Trump would travel the country to show that he’s taking kitchen table issues seriously and reassure voters nervous about still-rising prices and economic growth.Since then, the president has made stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas — though his speeches sometimes have been more focused on his own political grievances than his plans to try to help lower everyday costs around the country.This trip, however, marks the first time this primary cycle that Trump has sought to keep promises to punish members of his own party who oppose him on key issues. The president has endorsed Ed Gallrein, a farmer, businessman and retired Navy SEAL, who is running against Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary on May 19. Trump and Gallrein will appear together on Wednesday.Massie is an outspoken Trump critic who opposed the White House-backed tax and spending measure and bucked Trump by pushing to have files related to the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein released. He’s also opposed the U.S. strike on Venezuela that toppled then-President Nicolás Maduro and, most recently, the war in Iran.“This isn’t America First,” Massie posted on X on Sunday, blaming the war for causing gas prices to jump.



—Will Weissert, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, headed, Ohio, and, Kentucky, downplay, Iran, war’s, effect, U.S., economy</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Is Ethereum good enough for Wall Street? If history is any guide, the answer is clear</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-ethereum-good-enough-for-wall-street-if-history-is-any-guide-the-answer-is-clear</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-ethereum-good-enough-for-wall-street-if-history-is-any-guide-the-answer-is-clear</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A consortium of banks is building its own version of blockchain—it will be hard pressed to make it work. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2204820039-1-e1771849323283.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ethereum, good, enough, for, Wall, Street, history, any, guide, the, answer, clear</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Bitcoin stabilizes after tariff whiplash briefly sends price below $65,000</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bitcoin-stabilizes-after-tariff-whiplash-briefly-sends-price-below-65000</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bitcoin-stabilizes-after-tariff-whiplash-briefly-sends-price-below-65000</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The latest volatility for the original cryptocurrency follows the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Friday. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2183660585-e1771874269953.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Bitcoin, stabilizes, after, tariff, whiplash, briefly, sends, price, below, 65, 000</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Microsoft unveils Copilot Cowork agents built on Anthropic’s AI and E7 AI product suite as it seeks to calm investor concerns about AI eating SaaS</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/microsoft-unveils-copilot-cowork-agents-built-on-anthropics-ai-and-e7-ai-product-suite-as-it-seeks-to-calm-investor-concerns-about-ai-eating-saas</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/microsoft-unveils-copilot-cowork-agents-built-on-anthropics-ai-and-e7-ai-product-suite-as-it-seeks-to-calm-investor-concerns-about-ai-eating-saas</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Microsoft thinks enterprise customers will prefer its cloud-native Copilot Cowork to Anthropic&#039;s local version and doubles-down on per-user pricing ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2242817921.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Microsoft, unveils, Copilot, Cowork, agents, built, Anthropic’s, and, product, suite, seeks, calm, investor, concerns, about, eating, SaaS</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Saudi Arabia tells Iran it will be ‘the biggest loser’ as drone strikes spray Arab states</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saudi-arabia-tells-iran-it-will-be-the-biggest-loser-as-drone-strikes-spray-arab-states</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saudi-arabia-tells-iran-it-will-be-the-biggest-loser-as-drone-strikes-spray-arab-states</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Israel’s Army chief told the Israeli public to prepare for this war to take &quot;a long time.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2259384283-e1773061151346.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Saudi, Arabia, tells, Iran, will, ‘the, biggest, loser’, drone, strikes, spray, Arab, states</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘It feels like a video game, but in real life’: Gen Z’s love of analog ‘grandma’ hobbies jump from Pokemon to bird&#45;watching, scrolling to needlepoint</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/it-feels-like-a-video-game-but-in-real-life-gen-zs-love-of-analog-grandma-hobbies-jump-from-pokemon-to-bird-watching-scrolling-to-needlepoint</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/it-feels-like-a-video-game-but-in-real-life-gen-zs-love-of-analog-grandma-hobbies-jump-from-pokemon-to-bird-watching-scrolling-to-needlepoint</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Offline, tactile hobbies, like pottery, origami and even blacksmithing, are joining the knitting, gardening and needlepoint called &quot;grandma hobbies.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26040779897126-e1773061651394.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘It, feels, like, video, game, but, real, life’:, Gen, Z’s, love, analog, ‘grandma’, hobbies, jump, from, Pokemon, bird-watching, scrolling, needlepoint</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>3 signs your meetings have a culture problem</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-signs-your-meetings-have-a-culture-problem</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-signs-your-meetings-have-a-culture-problem</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Meetings in corporate America are broken—and only breaking down more. Globally, people sit in three times as many meetings as they did before the pandemic, 60% of meetings are ad hoc, rather than scheduled, and 71% of people regularly multitask through them.



When poorly-run meetings become the norm, people begin to see them as a time with little value. But meetings are an opportunity to shape organizational culture, and not enough leaders are taking advantage of it. 



Most high-performing teams build strong relationships, show care for the whole person, have open and honest communications, listen to each other, clarify processes, and collaborate. These are all behaviors anyone can exhibit in meetings, but many don’t consider prioritizing them. 



3 signs your meetings need a reset



If you sit in a meeting, you see what the company culture is truly like. Sadly, I repeatedly see three main signs that your meetings have a culture problem.




Your meetings are draining, not energizing. According to research I’ve conducted, losing control over your schedule is one of the top drains on a leader’s energy. Overbooked schedules and ad hoc meetings in particular can be disruptive to the work you need to get done.



Your meetings are transactional, not relational. Transactional meetings focus on information download without any attention to connection or collaboration. A leader monologues over dense slides, there’s minimal discussion, and everyone else has their laptops out to multitask. Attendees are checked out and disengaged, and they take nothing away.



Your meetings have toxic positivity, not candid communication. Toxic positivity looks like discussions where leaders report that projects, initiatives, or systems are on track—even when things are breaking. The result is that no one discusses what truly needs to be handled to address issues.  




Sound familiar? You may need to redesign your meetings. Leaders can pick up three key actions to reshape their meetings—and reshape their team culture in the process.



1. Intentionally energize meetings 



For in-person meetings, get creative and change the physical meeting environment. If you are in a conference room, move all the chairs into a circle with no table or laptops. Hold meetings in different places, including outside. Have standing or one-on-one walking meetings. 



For virtual meetings, start the meeting with a check-in. What’s one thing that has energized you today? Speaking about energy infuses the meeting environment with energy.



2. Prioritize connection at the start



Dig in more with meaningful ways to ask the team about how they’re feeling. Consider these questions:




How is everyone feeling on a scale of 1 to 10?



What brought you joy recently?



What area do you need the team’s help on?




3. Establish meeting agreements



Before the meeting, include a clear statement in the invitation about what your meeting is for: “Digging into the KPIs for our upcoming proposal,” “working through feedback on our monthly client check-in,” and “discussing the outcomes of our project delivery, along with what could work better next time” are all great places to start.



When the meeting arrives, the facilitator can check for alignment and establish meeting agreements. Try these questions: 




How do we want to show up to get the most out of our meeting? 



How could we achieve the purpose we just discussed?



What agreements can we make to stay engaged throughout the meeting? 




The questions create a container of candid communication during the meeting. They invite everyone to be present, communicate openly, and be honest. Once leaders recognize that meetings reflect team culture, they can shift their attention to how each meeting can create not just a high-performance team, but a high-performance culture. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-91501966-meeting-culture-problem.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>signs, your, meetings, have, culture, problem</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Daylight saving time starts Sunday. Here’s 11 things you can do to adjust to losing an hour of sleep</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/daylight-saving-timestarts-sunday-heres-11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-an-hour-of-sleep</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/daylight-saving-timestarts-sunday-heres-11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-an-hour-of-sleep</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As clocks march ahead and daylight saving time begins, there can be anxiety around losing an hour of sleep and how to adjust to this change.



Usually, an hour seems like an insignificant amount of time, but even this minimal loss can cause problems. There can be significant health repercussions of this forcible shift in the body clock.



Springing forward is usually harder than falling backward. Why?



The natural internal body clock rhythm in people tends to be slightly longer than 24 hours, which means that every day we tend to delay our sleep schedules. Thus, “springing forward” goes against the body’s natural rhythm. It is similar to a mild case of jet lag caused by traveling east—in which you lose time and have trouble falling asleep at an earlier hour that night.



Even though it’s technically just one hour lost due to the time change, the amount of sleep deprivation due to disrupted sleep rhythm lasts for many days and often throws people off schedule, leading to cumulative sleep loss.



We lead a sleep evaluation center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and regularly see patients who are dealing with sleep loss and internal clocks that are not synchronized with external time. Our experience has shown us that it’s important to prepare, as much as possible, for the time shift that occurs every spring.



Consequences of sleep loss vary



Many studies have demonstrated that there is an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure associated with sleep deprivation. Workplace injuries increase and so do automobile accidents. Adolescents often find it harder to wake up in time to get to school and may have difficulties with attention and school performance or worsening of mental health problems.



Is there something to be done to help to deal with this loss of sleep and change of body clock timing?



Of course. The first step is increasing awareness and using the power of knowledge to combat this issue. Here are some quick tips to prepare yourself for the upcoming weekend.




Do not start with a “sleep debt.” Ensure that you and, if you’re a parent, your child get adequate sleep on a regular basis leading up to the time change each year. Most adults need anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep daily to perform adequately. Children have varying requirements for sleep depending on their age.



Prepare for the time change. Going to bed—and for parents, putting your kids to bed – 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night in the week preceding the time change is ideal. Having an earlier wake time can help you get to sleep earlier. Try to wake up an hour earlier than is customary on Saturday, the day before the time change. If you have not been able to make any changes to your sleep schedule in advance, then keep a very consistent wake time on weekdays as well as weekends to adjust to the time change more easily.



Use light to your advantage. Light is the strongest cue for adjusting the internal body clock. Expose yourself to bright light upon waking as you start getting up earlier in the week before daylight saving time. If you live in a place where natural light is limited in the morning after clocks change, use bright artificial light to signal your body clock to wake up earlier. As the season progresses, this will be less of an issue as the sun rises earlier in the day.



At night, minimize exposure to bright light and especially the blue light emitted by the screens of electronic media. This light can shift your body rhythm and signal your internal clock to wake up later the next day. If your devices permit, set their screens to dim and emit less blue light in the evening.



In some geographic locations, it might be helpful to have room-darkening curtains at bedtime, depending on how much sunlight your room gets at bedtime. Be sure to open the curtains in the morning to allow the natural morning light to set your sleep-wake cycle.



Carefully plan your day and evening activities. The night before the time change, set yourself up for a good night’s sleep by incorporating relaxing activities that can help you wind down, such as reading a book or meditating.



Incorporate exercise in the morning or early in the day. Take a walk, even if it is just around the house or your office during the day.



Consider starting with a protein-heavy breakfast, since sleep deprivation can increase appetite and craving for high-carbohydrate foods and sugars.



Stop using caffeine after noon. Use of caffeine too late in the day can lead to trouble falling asleep and even disrupted sleep.



Adults, decline that wine at bedtime. Wine and other kinds of alcohol can also disturb sleep.



If you’re a parent or caregiver, try to be patient with your kids as they adjust to the new times. Sleep deprivation affects the entire family, and some kids have a harder time adjusting to the time change than others. You may notice more frequent meltdowns, irritability and loss of attention and focus. Set aside more quiet, electronic media-free time in the evening. Consider a brief 20-minute nap in the early afternoon for younger children who are having a difficult time dealing with this change.




[Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]



Prioritizing sleep pays off in the short term and over the years. A good night’s sleep is a necessary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling day all year long.



This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 7, 2019.



Deepa Burman is a co-director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh.



Hiren Muzumdar is a director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Daylight, saving, time starts, Sunday., Here’s, things, you, can, adjust, losing, hour, sleep</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>States with the most—and least—housing market inventory heading into spring 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/states-with-the-mostand-leasthousing-market-inventory-heading-into-spring-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/states-with-the-mostand-leasthousing-market-inventory-heading-into-spring-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



When assessing home price momentum, ResiClub believes it’s important to monitor active listings and months of supply. If active listings start to rapidly increase as homes remain on the market for longer periods, it may indicate pricing softness or weakness. Conversely, a rapid decline in active listings beyond seasonality could suggest a market that is heating up.



Since the pandemic housing boom fizzled out in 2022, the national power dynamic has slowly been shifting directionally from sellers to buyers. Of course, across the country, that shift has varied.



Generally speaking, local housing markets where active inventory has jumped above pre-pandemic 2019 levels have experienced softer home price growth (or outright price declines) over the past 36 months. Conversely, local housing markets where active inventory remains far below pre-pandemic 2019 levels have, generally speaking, experienced, relatively speaking, more resilient home price growth over the past 42 months.



Where is national active inventory headed?



National active listings are on the rise on a year-over-year basis (+7.9% between February 28, 2025, and February 28, 2026). This indicates that homebuyers have gained some leverage in many parts of the country over the past year. Some seller’s markets have turned into balanced markets, and more balanced markets have turned into buyer’s markets.



Nationally, we’re still below pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels (-17.0% below February 2019), and some resale markets—in particular, chunks of the Midwest and Northeast—still remain, relatively speaking, tight-ish.







While national active inventory is still up year over year, the pace of growth has slowed in recent months as softening has slowed.



Here are the total number of February inventory/active listings over the past decade, according to Realtor.com:




February 2017 -&gt; 1,151,120 ?



February 2018 -&gt; 1,045,153 ?



February 2019 -&gt; 1,102,660 ? 



February 2020 -&gt; 928,343 ?



February 2021 -&gt; 464,919 ? (Pandemic housing boom overheating)



February 2022 -&gt; 346,511 ? (Pandemic housing boom overheating)



February 2023 -&gt; 579,264 ? 



February 2024 -&gt; 664,716 ? 



February 2025 -&gt; 847,825 ?



February 2026 -&gt; 914,860 ?




If we maintain the current year-over-year pace of inventory growth (+67,035 homes for sale), we’d have 981,895 active inventory listings come February 2027. (That’s not a prediction—I’m just showing what the math looks like if that pace continued.)



Below is the year-over-year active inventory percentage change by state.







While active housing inventory is rising in most markets on a year-over-year basis, the pace of growth continues to decelerate across much of the country (see the side-by-side maps below). In fact, Florida—home to many of the weakest regional housing markets over the past two years—is now seeing active inventory edge down a little, year over year (-4%).



LEFT: Year-over-year active inventory shift between February 2024 and February 2025



RIGHT: Year-over-year active inventory shift between February 2025 and February 2026







And while active housing inventory is rising in most markets on a year-over-year basis, some markets still remain tight-ish (although it’s loosening in those places, too).



As ResiClub has been documenting, both active resale and new homes for sale remain the most limited across huge swaths of the Midwest and Northeast. That’s where home sellers in the spring are likely, relatively speaking, to have more power than their peers in many Southern markets.



In contrast, active housing inventory for sale has neared or surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels in many parts of the Sun Belt and Mountain West, including metro-area housing markets such as Austin and Punta Gorda, Florida.



Many of these areas saw major price surges during the pandemic housing boom, with home prices getting stretched when compared with local incomes. As pandemic-driven domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Punta Gorda and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices.



This softening trend was accelerated further by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives (if they have the margins to do so) to maintain sales in a shifted market, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals—which then puts some additional upward pressure on resale inventory.







At the end of February 2026, nine states were above pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. (The District of Columbia—which we left out of this table below—is back above pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels, too. Softness in D.C. proper predates the current admin’s job cuts.)







Big picture: Over the past few years, we’ve observed a softening across many housing markets, as strained affordability has tempered the fervor of a market that was unsustainably hot during the pandemic housing boom and incomes have had a chance to slowly catch up. While home prices are falling some in pockets of the Sun Belt, a big chunk of Northeast and Midwest markets are still eking out a little year-over-year appreciation. Nationally aggregated home prices are pretty close to flat, year over year.







Below is another version of the table above—but this one includes every month since January 2017.







If you’d like to further examine the monthly state inventory figures, use the interactive below.



Over the coming months, let’s keep an eye on Florida, which has now entered its seasonal window when its active inventory typically begins to rise again. (So far, the seasonal jump has been tame.) To better understand softness and weakness across Florida over the past couple of years, read this ResiClub PRO report.



Click here to view an interactive/searchable version of the chart below



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>States, with, the, most—and, least—housing, market, inventory, heading, into, spring, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The madness before March Madness: Cinderella teams are born in this week’s conference tournaments</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-madness-before-march-madness-cinderella-teams-are-born-in-this-weeks-conference-tournaments</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-madness-before-march-madness-cinderella-teams-are-born-in-this-weeks-conference-tournaments</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There are 365 teams in Division I men’s college basketball; 363 in women’s college basketball. Only 68 qualify for the NCAA Tournament on each side, and many of those 68 teams in each bracket have already conquered the madness of March.



America is enthralled by the NCAA Tournament each year, picking brackets, slacking off during work hours to watch the games, wrapped up in the high-stakes, single-elimination basketball where every loss means the end of seasons and careers, and every win is a magical tale to be told for years to come.



There’s more where that came from.



Having begun on March 2 and running all the way up to the Selection Show on the 15th, there is high-stakes, single-elimination men’s college basketball every single day. While the numbers whittle down from 68 to leave us with one team standing over the three weeks of NCAA Tournament action, the two weeks prior bring us from nearly 365 all the way down to 68. And that’s just on the men’s side.



Each of Division I’s 31 conferences do it slightly differently, but they all award an automatic bid to the Big Dance for their postseason champion.



Every low seed has a story



You may not think much about the 14, 15, and 16 seeds that you pick to get walked over in the first round by traditional powerhouses, but behind each of those games is a deeply fascinating story that culminated in a conference tournament championship.



Southern Illinois University Edwardsville lost 78-40 to top-seeded Houston in last year’s NCAA Tournament. SIU’s exit may have seemed brutally unceremonious, but for head coach Brian Barone, it was the moment he’d been waiting for his entire life. When Barone accepted the head coaching job in 2019, he hung a framed pair of scissors over the locker room door, symbolizing the goal of winning the program’s first ever Division I conference championship and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament.



He built the team from consistent cellar dwellers in the Ohio Valley Conference into a respectable threat, and finally broke through with his best season in 2024-25, led by four-year player Ray’Sean Taylor.



After winning the OVC Championship, Barone and his players broke the frame and cut down the net with those scissors, an emotional journey that encapsulates the spirit of why America falls in love with March Madness.



A year prior, Wagner College won road games against the three top finishers in the Northeast Conference to clinch one of the most improbable conference tournament championships in recent memory. The Seahawks were bruised and battered by injury all year long, down to just seven scholarship players available for the entire tournament, but defeated three teams that it went a combined 1-5 against during the regular season.



No second chances



Like game-winners and crazy finishes? We’ve got plenty of those. Everybody is laying everything on the line. No second chances.



And for these schools, a trip to the NCAA Tournament isn’t just a banner to hang. It’s an opportunity for institutional growth in a landscape where that has become nearly impossible to accomplish. 



With the recent changes in college athletics due to revenue sharing and NIL, the gap between the haves and have-nots has grown even wider. It’s becoming increasingly difficult financially to sustain Division I athletics, but March Madness provides the opportunity for that. Each game that a team plays in the NCAA Tournament earns their conference a payout over the course of the next six years, known as an NCAA Tournament unit, that was worth a reported $2 million in 2024 for a total payout pool in excess of $200 million. The conference then splits that money between its schools.



In 2025, the NCAA paid out units for the women’s tournament for the first time, a step in the right direction even if the reported total payout pool is much smaller, only around $15 million.



But the potential financial gains of a March Madness appearance go beyond just the NCAA Tournament units. It gives your school two hours in front of a national television audience to market itself. Even in a loss, the airtime gives the school exposure. But a win? That could change everything. 



Florida Gulf Coast is perhaps the greatest example of this, as their 2013 run to the Sweet 16 drove a more than 25% surge in applications.



It never would’ve happened if the Eagles didn’t end North Florida, Stetson, and Mercer’s seasons in the Atlantic Sun Tournament.



Two weeks that change lives



Ask any mid-major player or coach—and trust me, I have—what their goal is for a given season, and you’ll always hear them say to reach March Madness. These two weeks are their opportunity to do that. It changes coaches’ lives—earns them opportunities to get higher-paying jobs—and does the same for players in the NIL era. 



But for the senior players who have passed up the opportunity to play at other schools for more money (Quinnipiac star Amarri Monroe, for example) this week is the chance to reap the rewards for that loyalty. It’s crushing to see these players lose, but exhilarating to see others win.



All of the emotions that you associate with March Madness are on display tenfold in championship week. Just because you can’t point to either school on a map doesn’t mean that people don’t pour their heart and soul into it for the opportunity to play for a national championship.



Nearly 300 teams don’t make March Madness. For them, it’s raw and real.



But 31 teams—26 in mid-major conferences—will celebrate championships over the next two weeks. They’ll celebrate the culmination of years of work. And if there’s one thing we love as Americans, it’s watching as many other people succeed in their life’s mission. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-91502776-the-real-march-madness.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, madness, before, March, Madness:, Cinderella, teams, are, born, this, week’s, conference, tournaments</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why this iconic scotch brand is making a whisky for bourbon drinkers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-this-iconic-scotch-brand-is-making-a-whisky-for-bourbon-drinkers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-this-iconic-scotch-brand-is-making-a-whisky-for-bourbon-drinkers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Scotch powerhouse Johnnie Walker recently launched the first permanent addition to its main range in 15 years—and it’s aimed at bourbon drinkers.



Called Johnnie Walker Black Cask, the new blended Scotch whisky is aged entirely in American white oak barrels that once held bourbon, a choice meant to make the whisky feel more familiar and approachable, especially for U.S. drinkers who may be new to scotch. (If it’s from Ireland and the U.S., it’s spelled “whiskey.” If it’s from  Scotland and most other countries, it’s “whisky” without the “e.”)



The launch arrives as parent company Diageo looks to strengthen its position in the U.S. at a time when spirits sales have softened and consumers are spending more carefully. 



What the barrel choice means in plain terms



If you are new to whiskey, the barrel a whiskey ages in matters almost as much as the liquid itself. Black Cask whisky is aged only in American oak barrels that previously held bourbon, a choice that tends to create flavors many U.S. drinkers already recognize, such as vanilla and caramel, characterized by a gentle sweetness.



Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker’s master blender—the person responsible for shaping the flavor of Johnnie Walker whiskies—says the idea grew out of curiosity rather than a desire to overhaul the brand.



“It’s certainly a different approach, but it reflects the Johnnie Walker spirit of experimentation—we are always pushing at the boundaries of what is possible in whisky,” Walker (no relation to the company’s founder) tells Fast Company. “When crafting Johnnie Walker Black Cask, we were inspired by Johnnie Walker Black Label, drawing on its depth of flavor and character, and the team used this as our springboard to explore and craft a bold new expression.”



While Johnnie Walker Black Label already uses some American oak barrels, it also relies on other types of casks. Black Cask removes that mix and focuses only on one barrel style.



“Like Black Cask, ex-bourbon American oak is used in Johnnie Walker Black Label, but not exclusively,” Walker says. “We started with some of the most expressive whiskies from the heart of Johnnie Walker Black Label, choosing casks that unlock a new level of depth, warmth, and richness.”



That focus changes how the whisky tastes.



“Aging in these barrels allowed us to find that sweet and smooth character we’ve achieved with Johnnie Walker Black Cask, leveraging those existing vanilla notes in Johnnie Walker Black Label to dial up exciting additional flavors like toasted marshmallow, toffee, and caramel,” she says.



What stayed the same



If that name sounds sort of familiar, it’s because Johnnie Walker already sells a whisky called Black Label. For people familiar with Johnnie Walker Black Label, Black Cask is not meant to feel unfamiliar or intimidating. Walker says the foundation of the whisky remains intact.



[Photo: Johnnie Walker]



“When I describe Johnnie Walker Black Cask as coming from ‘the heart of Johnnie Walker Black Label,’ I’m talking about protecting the signature DNA that makes Johnnie Walker Black Label instantly recognizable—its balance, depth, and unmistakable smoky-sweet character,” she notes.



“That meant preserving the core structure of the blend: the layered Speyside fruit and sweetness, the creamy malt richness, and, of course, that distinctive west coast smoke that gives it length and backbone. Those elements are nonnegotiable,” Walker says.



Instead of changing everything, the team chose to highlight certain flavors more clearly. “What we explored was how to amplify certain aspects through cask influence, particularly by leaning into deeper, more intense oak character and caramelized sweetness, while ensuring the smoke and fruit still play in perfect balance,” she adds.



Why this one is sticking around



Black Cask is being introduced as a permanent bottle, not a seasonal release. That decision comes as Diageo deals with uneven results across its global business.  



U.S.-listed shares of Diego PLC (NYSE: DEO) experienced their worst trading day since 1997 on February 25, dropping over 12% after the company announced a significant dividend cut, lowered its fiscal 2026 guidance, and reported weak results for the first half of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.



The stock was trading at well over $200 a share during the early pandemic, when lockdown orders spurred a rise in drinking, but it closed at just under $82 a share on Friday.



In the U.S., pressure on household budgets are making consumers more cautious about spirits purchases. Walker says Black Cask was created with those drinkers in mind. A 750-milliliter bottle will set you back $34.99.



“While this release is an innovation, I think it speaks to the American whiskey palette in a way that will ensure continued enjoyment,” she says. “There’s more they have in common than what sets them apart.”



A practical move in a careful market



Producing a whisky like Black Cask at global scale requires planning, especially as Diageo works to improve cash flow and reduce debt. 



“Creating whiskies for a brand of the size of Johnnie Walker is both a blessing and a challenge,” Walker says. “Small adjustments at the start can create bigger knock-on effects toward the end, so the stock management of these ex-bourbon casks became part of the blending artistry.



“The core tension is always between balancing the brand’s rich history with its spirit of progress and innovation,” she continues.



CEO Dave Lewis has said Diageo’s focus now is on making its brands more relevant and competitive as consumers tighten budgets.



Seen through that lens, Black Cask is meant to feel familiar rather than flashy. It offers an easy entry point into scotch for new drinkers while giving longtime fans a slightly different way to enjoy a well-known brand. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, this, iconic, scotch, brand, making, whisky, for, bourbon, drinkers</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The world’s largest tech gathering is talking about “accountability laundering”—here’s why we should christen them Words of the Year</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-worlds-largest-tech-gathering-is-talking-about-accountability-launderingheres-why-we-should-christen-them-words-of-the-year</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-worlds-largest-tech-gathering-is-talking-about-accountability-launderingheres-why-we-should-christen-them-words-of-the-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A Meta executive’s AI inbox mishap sparked debate at Mobile World Congress about responsibility in the age of autonomous agents. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DAA_0737-e1772716006178.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, world’s, largest, tech, gathering, talking, about, “accountability, laundering”—here’s, why, should, christen, them, Words, the, Year</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Asia faces an energy shock from the Iran war and a closed Strait of Hormuz, as governments halt exports and draw down stockpiles</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/asia-faces-an-energy-shock-from-the-iran-war-and-a-closed-strait-of-hormuz-as-governments-halt-exports-and-draw-down-stockpiles</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/asia-faces-an-energy-shock-from-the-iran-war-and-a-closed-strait-of-hormuz-as-governments-halt-exports-and-draw-down-stockpiles</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan have tried to diversify their energy imports, yet they still depend on oil and gas from the Middle East. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-1659537350.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Asia, faces, energy, shock, from, the, Iran, war, and, closed, Strait, Hormuz, governments, halt, exports, and, draw, down, stockpiles</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Time on his side: Michael Dell the real business icon as Icahn the activist recedes from view</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/time-on-his-side-michael-dell-the-real-business-icon-as-icahn-the-activist-recedes-from-view</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/time-on-his-side-michael-dell-the-real-business-icon-as-icahn-the-activist-recedes-from-view</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In retrospect, the titanic battle between Dell and Icahn likely marked a turning point in activist investing. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-181792553.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Time, his, side:, Michael, Dell, the, real, business, icon, Icahn, the, activist, recedes, from, view</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Google Gemini was a deadly ‘AI wife’ for this 36&#45;year&#45;old who resisted its call for a ‘mass casualty’ event before his death, lawsuit says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/google-gemini-was-a-deadly-ai-wife-for-this-36-year-old-who-resisted-its-call-for-a-mass-casualty-event-before-his-death-lawsuit-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/google-gemini-was-a-deadly-ai-wife-for-this-36-year-old-who-resisted-its-call-for-a-mass-casualty-event-before-his-death-lawsuit-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “Our models generally perform well in these types of challenging conversations ... but unfortunately AI models are not perfect,” Google said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26063538685643.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Google, Gemini, was, deadly, ‘AI, wife’, for, this, 36-year-old, who, resisted, its, call, for, ‘mass, casualty’, event, before, his, death, lawsuit, says</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri’s words used against them in never&#45;before&#45;seen videos airing in addiction trial</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mark-zuckerberg-adam-mosseris-words-used-against-them-in-never-before-seen-videos-airing-in-addiction-trial</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mark-zuckerberg-adam-mosseris-words-used-against-them-in-never-before-seen-videos-airing-in-addiction-trial</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;I think that there’s over 2 billion people on Instagram, which means there are millions of teens on Instagram.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AP26050035832286-e1772717809479.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Mark, Zuckerberg, Adam, Mosseri’s, words, used, against, them, never-before-seen, videos, airing, addiction, trial</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>What was it like the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup? ‘Men in Blazers’ creator Roger Bennett recalls his experience</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-was-it-like-the-last-time-the-us-hosted-the-world-cup-men-in-blazers-creator-roger-bennett-recalls-his-experience</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-was-it-like-the-last-time-the-us-hosted-the-world-cup-men-in-blazers-creator-roger-bennett-recalls-his-experience</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Roger Bennett is the witty and charismatic co-host of the popular “Men in Blazers” soccer media network. Born in Liverpool, England, he moved to the United States and has since helped popularize the sport in this country through podcasts, television shows, and books, including his best-selling memoir Reborn in the USA. His new book, WE ARE THE WORLD (CUP), is a personal history of what he calls “the world’s greatest sporting event.” In the following excerpt, he chronicles his experience of the 1994 World Cup, the last event held in the U.S prior to this summer’s tournament. 1994 was also the year Bennett moved to the U.S.



The 1994 World Cup brought football to the United States of America. And also me. Straight after university, I moved to Chicago, finally completing a three-generational odyssey. According to our family myth, my “great-grandfather the butcher” had originally intended to move to Chicago, the great “Hog Capital of the World,” when he boarded a boat in Odessa and headed for the promised land at the turn of the twentieth century. When that boat docked to refuel in Liverpool, he, and several hundred of the other, clearly lower IQ travelers, saw the three tall buildings on the Merseyside skyline, believed they were in New York City and disembarked.



Eighty years and two generations later, I completed my family’s journey. When the plane landed at O’Hare Airport, I felt the urge to mark the weight of the moment and dropped to my knees dramatically on the tarmac, a move I had seen Pope John Paul II execute many times upon arrival in a foreign land. I was momentarily overcome by a surge of adrenaline but, unsure what to do next, quickly became self-conscious as the other passengers pushed their way impatiently around me with their carry-ons. I peeled myself up and tried to play it cool as I joined them on the shuttle bus, attempting to ignore the fact I now had acquired a sticky oil stain on the left knee of my jeans that I could never quite remove.



It is one thing to land at an airport as a tourist ready to tear up the city for a time-bound period. It is an entirely different feeling to arrive in a place with no return ticket, and the hope and fear that accompanies any leap into the unknown. I was a twenty-two-year-old quasi-man landing with big dreams in the American Midwest. An area I was largely unfamiliar with and in which I lacked any kind of support network of family or friends. The only things I had brought with me were a law degree I had miraculously managed to secure, a vague grasp on rudimentary life skills, an enormous ’fro, and little in the way of financial resources. My father had been unimpressed by the woeful lack of direction I had demonstrated after graduation and became irritated at my vague talk of signing up to be an air steward or doing a postgraduate degree in peace studies. Late one night after I had come back inebriated from the local pub in Liverpool, he informed me that he was cutting me off. “A man can think and think in life, Roger,” he said with equal measures of exasperation and contempt, “but sometimes he simply has to learn to do.” That decision forced my hand and spurred me into “doing.” Picking up my life and heading to Chicago, then overstaying my tourist visa was the sum total of my plan.



Under the table and off the books



Upon arrival, I looked at a map of the city, saw there was a neighborhood in the far northside named Rogers Park, and, based solely on its name echoing my own, elected to set up shop there. My immediate challenge was to make some money. Lacking a work visa, I hustled like Tony Montana in the early scenes of Scarface, throwing myself into any opportunity that would pay me illegally under the table and off the books. For the first year, I made just enough to live, as a truly clueless yet enthusiastic baker on the early morning shift in a local French pâtisserie and a well-meaning but utterly bewildered waiter at a soul food restaurant at night. In between, I picked up shifts restocking books in a local library, which really meant me sleeping in the stacks. I cobbled together just enough to rent my small, totally empty apartment. If I scrounged food from the restaurant, I could occasionally put my surplus tip money toward treating myself to a $4 bottle of Kentucky Gentleman bourbon whiskey.







The soul food restaurant—Orly’s in Hyde Park on the South Side of the city—provided an eye-opening initial glimpse of America. The cooks were all elderly African American South Siders, the busboys young Latinos from the West Side, the barman and manager were a pair of white suburban bros who ruled the place and largely spent their nights crassly hitting on the other servers who, besides me, were all attractive young female students at the University of Chicago. I bonded most of all with the kindly Mexican busboys, who loved to talk football while poking fun at my long, curly hair and round spectacles, alternating between two nicknames they quickly coined for me: “lady” and “Juan Lennon.” Two of the dishwashers were a pair of brothers from Mexico, and they took time to show me how to game the system and set up the basics any illegal alien needs to survive: a black market Social Security number, healthcare, and a bank account; teaching me how to furnish an empty apartment for free by scavenging for couches, desks, and kitchen tables dumped in alleyways across the city on the last day of any month, aka moving day.



Arby’s, Michael Jordan, and Lake Shore Drive



The extent to which I missed my family back in Liverpool surprised me. This was before AOL became omnipresent and when long-distance phone calls were still prohibitively expensive, so we corresponded like Victorians, by letter. I would stay late at night, alone, in the library’s office, typing out long letters to my parents with just my pointer fingers, determined to convey the minutiae of my work and the details of America that exhilarated me. The celestial taste of Arby’s; the intensity of the bruising NBA playoff series between the Michael Jordan–less Chicago Bulls and the boastful New York Knicks of Patrick Ewing, which felt like a high-stakes collision in which the future of good and evil were at stake; the thrill of driving down Lake Shore Drive in a cab at night, and speeding past illuminated skyscraper after skyscraper, an experience which made me feel like I was living on the set of a sci-fi movie.



The mundanity of the letters they mailed back to me in return, 90 percent of which revolved around complaints about the perpetually damp, rainy weather, reinforced my confidence that the journey I was on was the right one. The only thing I truly and achingly missed was football. Soccer. As thrilling as it was for me to be able to immerse myself in the new American sporting traditions of Bears, Blackhawks, White Sox, and Notre Dame gamedays, English football was my foundational text. It was how I understood and made sense of the world. My ballast in life’s stormy sea. I was well aware that the sport had outsider status in the United States. Yet, I was still shocked by just how hard it was to follow in my new home. This game that thrilled the rest of the world, had stopped wars, and spurred revolutions barely made a dent on the American sporting subconscious. In a national survey of favorite spectator sports released shortly after my arrival, it ranked 67th. Tractor-pulling was 66th.



‘Holding a major skiing competition in an African country’



To be clear, Americans were not just apathetic toward the game I loved. They seemed to take a perverse delight in actively and openly despising it in the 1990s. Most nations would have announced a national holiday if FIFA awarded them the hosting rights to the tournament. Yet, when the United States was given the honors, their decision was received with a general tenor of bewilderment. On the floor of Congress, Representative Jack Kemp, a former professional quarterback, felt the need to defend his nation’s honor by saying, “I think it is important for all those young men out there who someday hope to play real football, where you throw it and kick it and run with it and put it in your hands, that a distinction should be made that football is democratic capitalism whereas soccer is a European socialist sport.”



One journalist compared the honor of hosting the biggest sports event in the world to “holding a major skiing competition in an African country.” A sense of contempt reinforced by rumors that began to abound that FIFA were attempting to “Americanize” the sport by splitting the game into four quarters rather than two halves to increase the amount of advertising they could jam into the broadcast. I was baffled by the lack of noise around the whole affair. The World Cup was something I had always counted down to, with a sense of joyous anticipation, but that sense began to be replaced by a gnawing feeling of unease that the Americans were going to blow this—to transform the most celebrated event in the world into the equivalent of a Weird Al cover song. The tournament draw, which took place in December 1993, live from Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, dialed my sense of disquiet up to eleven. The football world had never seen the likes of a veritable night of a thousand stars including Barry Manilow, Julio Iglesias, and Faye Dunaway. Few seemed to know what they were doing there. ESPN’s host, that veritable broadcasting legend Bob Ley, declared the spectacle to be akin to “Salvador Dalí producing a state lottery.” Fittingly for such a surreal occasion, it was Robin Williams who stole the spotlight. First, the comedian described the draw bracket as “the world’s biggest Keno game,” then proceeded to refer repeatedly to FIFA’s General Secretary, Sepp Blatter, as “Sepp Bladder” even after the Swiss administrator testily corrected him, insisting, “This is not a comedy!”



Beneath the pizzazz, the significance for the future of the sport could not have been higher. US midfield star Tab Ramos was one of the pitifully few American players who had managed to find a pathway to play club football in Europe, and he worried aloud, “I think this will be the last chance, the last go-round for soccer to make it big here.” If those were the stakes, it did not seem to be going very well. New York Times columnist George Vecsey noted: “The United States was chosen, by the way, because of all the money to be made here, not because of our soccer prowess. Our country has been rented as a giant stadium and hotel and television studio for the next thirty-one days.” Panic truly kicked in when a national poll undertaken three weeks before the tournament’s kickoff discovered that 71 percent of Americans were still not aware it was about to be played in their country. The prospect of empty stadiums felt very real. In the weeks running up to the kickoff, a late flurry of marketing materials featuring images of Reggie Jackson and Michael Jordan pretending to juggle the football were unfurled in a last-ditch effort to create excitement. That did not exactly inspire confidence, as if athletes from other sports were needed to give heartland Americans permission to watch the foreigners’ game.



An unshakable terror that no one would show up



The moment of truth came June 17, 1994, when the opening match was held, by chance, at Soldier Field in my adopted hometown of Chicago. The night before the tournament began, my mood ricocheted between the dizzying sense of childish anticipation I always experienced on World Cup eve, and an unshakable terror that America was throwing a party for the sport I loved, and that no one would turn up. In my destitute state, there was no chance I could afford a ticket for the opener, which featured reigning World Cup champions Germany against Bolivia, yet I felt a need—more than that, a responsibility—to travel down to the stadium to pay witness to the scene. Partially to respect the moment and come as close to this tournament in the flesh as I had ever been. But mostly to help fill in as an extra, and create the sense of a crowd, hoping to build the fiction of America caring in the worst-case scenario, as so many doomsayers were saying, that the venue was deserted.



I need not have worried. With a searing sense of relief, I found Soldier Field to be as overwhelmed as if the Bears were playing the Packers. Yes, it felt like half of Baden-Württemberg had traveled to cheer on Germany, and every Bolivian in the vicinity of Chicago had massed by Lake Michigan. But there were also thousands of families, congregating around the ticket gates, with the kind of crackling sense of anticipation emitted when entering the circus. In truth, this was unlike any football crowd I had experienced before. There was little noise. No audible chanting. Few team colors. Yet I soaked in the scene with relief and wonder. America had turned up. The fact that many of those in attendance seemed to know little about what was about to happen felt like nitpicking. This emotion was reinforced by a big-screen television near the gate broadcasting a short video in which iconic baseball manager Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers declared his unshakable belief that even if the country had no idea what the World Cup was, America would win it.



Ticketless, I raced home on the L to catch the razzamatazz-filled opening ceremony on my television, which, like the rest of my furniture, had been rescued from the alleyway behind my apartment. I had jerry-rigged an antenna out of a clothes hanger, so the picture was scratchy, but visible enough to witness the spectacle that managed to blend a message of American good intentions, celebrity pageantry, and gesturing at heartfelt passion for soccer.



A nearly sold-out crowd, including President Clinton, was privy to a ceremony that began with emcee hometown hero Oprah Winfrey screaming, “Let’s celebrate!” before tripping off the stage and seemingly maiming herself just seconds after welcoming a worldwide television audience of a billion. That slapstick opening set a tone the rest of the celebrity guests then strove to one-up. Singer Jon Secada suffered a dislocated shoulder when a trapdoor from which he was meant to emerge onto the stage misbehaved, forcing him to sing with just his head and shoulders protruding from a hole in the floor. Richard Marx, a Chicago native with a spectacular mullett, sang the national anthem. Diana Ross added to the surreal display by prancing around and lip-syncing, “I’m Coming Out,” a performance capped by her slicing a penalty quite wide of a goal from less than five yards out. Nonetheless, the crossbar still split into two, as if she had shot with accuracy and potency. A clumsy piece of footballing choreography gone wrong amidst glamor and glitz, which felt like a cruel metaphor for all that was to come.



The psychedelic out-of-place, out-of-body celebrity moment was echoed, and eclipsed, later that night, by the breaking news of O.J. Simpson’s infamous white Bronco chase. An earth-shattering celebrity cultural moment, which even preempted the NBA final and easily overshadowed the day’s football, the personal highlight of which came just a minute into the opener when the ball flew into the stands, and the game was held up while the fan who caught it was ordered to throw it back, after being told this was not Wrigley Field and you were not allowed to keep that ball as a memento.



A Peroni- and Guinness-fueled epic gang rumble



It took twenty-four hours before the fuse was truly lit on the World Cup, driving it straight to the front of America’s sporting cortex. A game billed as “the Showdown in the Swamp” pitched Italy against Ireland in the crackling heat of Giants Stadium in New Jersey. A confluence of time and context. Thirty-two million Americans claim Irish descent, roughly half have Italian roots, and the greater New York area had largely been built by their ancestors and thus overflows with both hyphenated identities. This game felt like the type of Peroni- and Guinness-fueled epic gang rumble Scorsese would have directed in one of his early movies. A fight for pride born of echoed pasts taking place in the swamplands near the Hudson.



The Italian team had long been a traditional footballing superpower. Handsome, slick-haired footballers like the iconic Roberto Baggio and Paolo Maldini played for the biggest clubs in the world. Ireland was a mob of scrappy, bar-brawling upstarts in comparison. A Dirty Dozen–esque mob—many of whom were English-born but had chosen to represent Ireland because of their own familial lineage. They were managed by a charismatic, beer-drinking, straight-talking former English World Cup winner, Jack Charlton, who was so beloved, he achieved honorary Irishman status and was christened “St. Jack.” The English National Team had yet again failed to qualify, so a lot of English fans spent the early days of the tournament desperately trying to discover secret Irish roots of their own.



I watched this game in a packed bar in Rogers Park, stuffed with Irish Americans and a ton of non-Irish Americans who just felt a vicarious kinship courtesy of their Notre Dame fandom. As I entered, a large old man dressed as a leprechaun kissed me on the top of my head while screaming to no one in particular, “Our boys are on the craic with it!”



As Jameson-inflected as these words smelled, they turned out to be prophetic. My leprechaun friend may have passed out before kickoff, but had he been conscious, he would have loved what he saw. The fearless Irish snatched the lead with a euphoric strike from midfielder Ray Houghton, a Glasgow-born son of an Irishman, who audaciously clipped the ball past the despairing fingers of the Italian goalkeeper. The collective defensive intensity Charlton had instilled did the rest, as a green-and-white-cloaked Giants Stadium rocked to the sound of bagpipes and the thump of bodhráns as a chant of “You’ll never beat the Irish!” resounded. The final scoreline, chaotic energy of the occasion, and medical miracle that 75,000 Irish fans somehow survived nasty cases of sunburn drove the event into the hearts of the American viewing public. This tournament had kicked off for real.



Maradona the villain



This being a World Cup, Diego Maradona of course grabbed center stage. The golden street urchin had been the hero of the 1986 win. He played the role of villain in this one. Having worn out his welcome in Italian football, “El Pibe de Oro” fled Europe with his career imploding and personal life in meltdown. A fifteen-month ban earned in 1991 for testing positive for cocaine was the least of his problems. Maradona had been charged with smuggling $840,000 worth of blow into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport in 1990, and his reputation was further pockmarked by rumors of paternity suits, tax charges, and intimate connections to Naples’s Camorra crime family.



A beleaguered, overweight Maradona returned home to Buenos Aires in search of sanctuary. As he arrived, the notion the player was physically or mentally ready to lead the national team to the 1994 World Cup appeared as believable as a storyline from a Philip K. Dick fantasy. Yet, the star resurfaced sensationally on the eve of the tournament, having somehow shed twenty-six pounds in a month. His message was one of redemption. “I am tired of all those who said I was fat and no longer the great Maradona,” he proclaimed. “They will see the real Diego at the World Cup.” The icon did not know how true those words would prove to be.



Aged thirty-three, the little warhorse prepared to drag his tattered body into battle one more time. His fourth World Cup would begin against Greece at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. A light aircraft buzzed above the field pulling a banner that proclaimed “Maradona–Prima Dona” ahead of the game, and the star lived up to his billing. In the 60th minute of the 4–0 victory, Diego received the ball in the box, jinked to his left, and rifled the ball into the top corner, then celebrated the achievement in hopped-up style, charging a sideline television camera and flashing his maniacal mug toward it. Tight-lipped after the game, Maradona would only declare, “I’m letting my actions speak for themselves.”



Four days later, the player was selected for random drug testing after a 2–1 win against Nigeria. FIFA quickly announced the Argentine had tested positive for five variants of ephedrine. The Guardian would later note the way Maradona had celebrated his goal against Greece was as conclusive as any drug test: “Broadcast around the world, his contorted features made him look like a lunatic, flying on a cocktail of adrenalin and every recreational drug known to man.”



Faced with the disgrace of being expelled from the tournament, Maradona first sought pity from Argentinian television. “They killed me,” he said. “They have retired me from soccer. I don’t think I want another revenge, my soul is broken.” He then proceeded to appeal to his nation’s easily fired-up paranoia, adamantly declaring, “They didn’t beat us on the pitch. We were beaten off the pitch and that is what hurts my soul.”



As his team moved on to meet Bulgaria in the Cotton Bowl, Maradona loyalists in the Argentine media seized on Dallas’s reputation as the cradle of conspiracy theories. “In this city, where thirty years before Kennedy was assassinated, the theories surrounding footballer Maradona will now be explained. Was he ‘randomly’ selected for a drug test?” they asked.



Not embarrassing themselves



FIFA dispatched Sepp Blatter to smother any doubts. “The king is dead, we play on,” he declared. A shattered Argentinian squad mustered the requisite sound bites about “winning it for Diego.” But leaderless and disoriented, they proceeded to wilt against Bulgaria and were finally sent home by Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Dumitrescu, and the elegant Romanians in the Round of 16. Even Maradona’s fall from grace could not dampen the American energy now building up around the tournament. The stadiums were packed, never more than when the US team first strolled onto the field in Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome. I knew so little about the team. Few Americans did to be honest. Hosting duties meant their qualification had been automatic, a mixed blessing as a woefully inexperienced squad faced four long years in which it had been deprived of the one thing that could battle-harden the players: competitive matches that mattered. This challenge was reinforced by the reality that only a handful of American soccer players had found professional opportunities in Europe. American soccer players had as much credibility in the eyes of European scouts as aspirational English quarterbacks would have received in the NFL. A couple of players including the cocky gunslinger John Harkes and physically gifted striker Eric Wynalda had gained the attention of minor clubs in England, Spain, and Germany. The rest were left struggling to make a living playing indoors or on a local team, which provided the salary equivalent of an internship.



The personal stakes could not have been higher for these men. The focus was on not embarrassing themselves. They were not just playing for their nation; they were fighting for the very future of their sport. Desperate to avoid the humiliation of becoming the first home team in history unable to emerge from the World Cup’s opening round, the United States Soccer Federation had undertaken a bold experiment, establishing a residential training center for its team to live together, essentially living off a tiny stipend and their enormous shared dreams, for eighteen months in Mission Viejo, California. Crap the bed, and the profile of soccer in the United States would never recover. The mission was simple. They had to get out of the group stages.



Their draw had been tough. In the opening round, they would face a robust Switzerland, dark horse Romania, and sandwiched in between, the truly fearsome Colombians, who had just whipped Argentina 5–0 in qualifying and whom Pelé himself had picked to win the entire tournament.



First up were the Swiss, who had drawn and beaten Italy in qualifying. I watched from the futon on the floor of my boxy Rogers Park apartment, nervously adjusting the wire hanger to try and coax a clearer signal. The blurry images on my television made it look like the US team were swaggering onto the field wearing a faux stonewashed denim jersey. Then the commentator mentioned that the US team were indeed wearing faux stonewashed denim jerseys and that was the very second I fell in love with this team of goatee- and mullet-sporting risk-takers, dreamers, and pioneers.



Sweatbox conditions



Tellingly, kickoff was slated for 11:30 a.m. so that broadcasters ABC did not have to cut into their coverage of the US Open, an event they deemed to be far more important. At that time, Midwest temperatures topped 106 degrees, and so this, the World Cup’s first-ever indoor game, was played in sweatbox conditions. I felt enormous empathy for the players as I could not afford air-conditioning in my Chicago apartment and was sweating up a storm myself as I watched in just my underpants and T-shirt. The Swiss looked like they were poised to melt. In contrast, the American players looked utterly amped. So few of them had ever played before a truly large crowd—never mind one that was 100 percent pro-American. As the cameraman panned their eyes during the national anthem, they looked like a group of men who knew this was their time to show the world that American football was about something more than a bold choice in football jersey design. That carried through once the opening whistle blew. The Americans were not the most sophisticated in tactic or touch. But what they clearly lacked as footballers, they compensated for with collective fitness, ferocity of tackle, and an unshakable team spirit embodied by the sheer number of high fives they doled out to each other in-game.



Rock ’n’ roll hustle, idiosyncratic style, and can-do spirit wrapped in frosted denim



A beanpole ginger center back, Alexi Lalas, caught my eye. A gangly mix of lanky leg and flowing red hair. He looked less like a footballer and more like a guy who worked behind the counter at a record store in some suburban Detroit mall, turning kids on to Van Halen’s latest album one sale at a time. But on the field, in the global spotlight that day, Lalas appeared as if he embodied America itself. All rock ’n’ roll hustle, idiosyncratic style, and can-do spirit wrapped in frosted denim. As if David Lee Roth had taken the World Cup stage. Both shirt and athlete unlike anything I had seen play football before.



When Switzerland opened the scoring off a free kick, it fleetingly felt like the sum of the American players’ fears was about to become real. But just five minutes later, the US won a free kick of their own, 28 yards out. Up stepped Eric Wynalda, the maverick, hotheaded striker who looked like an extra ripped from a beach scene in Baywatch. Wynalda composed himself, then swung his foot to strike as casually as if he were on the Californian fields in which he had mastered the game as a kid in Orange County. That ball seemed to be in the air forever, silencing the stadium as it flew, spinning away from the goal-keeper’s panicked dive straight into the corner, greeted with a crescendo of noise like that experienced by a diver breaking the waterline and resurfacing. Wynalda was as shocked as anyone watching at home.



The goal was a relief. It not only enabled the US to hold on for a draw and a point, but it also validated the sense that their quest to qualify was in the realms of the possible. The fearsome Colombians awaited four days later in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California. Again, I watched alone in my apartment, cowering as the South Americans in their ecstatic yellow attempted to blow their opponents away from the opening kickoff, attacking with hunger and intensity. It felt like a borderline miracle when the game was still scoreless five minutes in. The Colombians hit the post, and American defender Fernando Clavijo scooped the ball off the line in a way which defied science.



But football—especially World Cup football, with its international squads who are essentially as practiced as All-Star teams—is a game of moments. And in the 35th minute, the United States forayed upfield. John Harkes, the cocksure son of Kearny, New Jersey, who had played in England for four years and had instantly adopted a fake Cockney accent, whipped in a cross. Colombian defender Andrés Escobar, a fine man widely known as “The Gentleman of Football,” made the unfortunate decision to stretch out a leg and block it, but he only succeeded in redirecting the ball past his own flat-footed goalkeeper into his own net.



Escobar’s own goal is what is remembered from the game. Ten days later, he would return home and was shot to death while leaving a Medellín nightclub in the early morning hours. The assassin fired half a dozen times, yelling “Goal!” after every shot. But in the moment, when that ball bobbled off his foot into the back of the net, the American players felt only ecstasy. Even though I was watching alone in my apartment, I was moved to shake up a bottle of Budweiser and spray it around the room, creating a beer puddle that sat in the middle of the floor long after the tournament was a memory. I was to housekeeping what Diego Maradona was to legal weight loss.



‘Miracle on Grass’



Emboldened, the United States conjured a second goal right after halftime, a stunning moment of real counterattacking football, finished off by the speed freak Earnie Stewart, a Dutch-born dual-national with an American serviceman father. The celebrations were an astonishing moment for the team. You could tell by their rapturous reactions; this was a group of men proving themselves to themselves with the world watching. Now they knew, as American footballers, they could face a big team in a big game and win. To me it all felt transcendent. An epiphany akin to witnessing a baby being born, only with 90,000 people in the delivery room.



At the final whistle, the Americans soaked in their moment, walking around the Rose Bowl—the historic American sporting shrine—shirts off, American flags draped round their shoulders, with the delirious crowd bellowing, “USA! USA! USA!” After all their work and sacrifice, these men had just shown that American footballers could belong in the game with the rest of the world. The next day, headline writers gave the performance the ultimate sports accolade, hailing the victory as a “Miracle on Grass!”



Miracle or not, the third game did not go as planned. A 1–0 loss to the canny Romanians. The United States finished third in their group with four points, scraping into the knock-out stages by virtue of being one of four third-placed teams who advanced into the sixteen-team second round. Next, they would face Brazil, the fiercest of opponents and number 1 team in the world. The match was to be played in Stanford, California, on July Fourth to boot. Could they do it? I watched the players’ interviews, and it was clear by listening that having qualified from the group and achieved their goal—avoiding humiliation—all the pressure was off. Anything felt possible.



Once again, I watched the game alone in my apartment. I did not have a lot of money and, in reality, I did not have a lot of friends. In truth, I felt immensely lonely, but I loved this team of try-hards. I connected with them. When I watched them, they seemed to embody a sense of hope that I needed in my own life at the time. If a group of footballing duffers in stone-wash shirts could take on the powerful Brazilians in the World Cup and win, I too might find my way to glory. Or at least a television without a coat hanger for an antenna.



A moral victory



However, there was no way to mask the gulf in class between these two teams. It was evident the moment they walked side by side onto the pitch. Brazil’s deadly striking duo Romário and Bebeto, feared around the world, took the field alongside Cobi Jones, a twenty-four-year-old legal student from California.



This Brazil team were different from past iterations. The battering they had received from the European teams over the past decade had forced them to add defensive steel to their offensive flamboyance. Their jerseys were still the traditional golden yellow, but this was a pragmatic, functional, almost soulless squad who advanced on the strength of their physicality, which peaked on the stroke of halftime. American midfielder Tab Ramos attempted to nutmeg his opponent, Leonardo, who retorted by headhunting, with cruel, blunt application of his elbow to Ramos’s skull. A shocking moment of violence that earned the Brazilian a red card and left the American in agony on the ground, knocking him out of the game with a fractured skull.



Theoretically, the Americans now had a one-man advantage, but you could not tell from the way they responded. Their players’ focus was utterly broken by that moment of savagery, which had knocked out their creative heartbeat. The Brazilians became relentless. In the bright sunlight that would melt lesser men, they glimmered like a shoal of fighting fish sensing the weakness of their prey. The Brazilian goal, when it came in the 74th minute, was almost a relief. A precise Bebeto shot driven low, callously and cruelly through the desperate legs of Alexi Lalas and past a despairing goalkeeper into the corner of the net.



Despite the loss, the US mood at the final whistle was far from despondent. Even in defeat, this young, raw team of American nobodies had earned a moral victory. They had not soiled themselves with the nation watching. Television ratings were high. The US boys had proven they could go toe-to-toe with the world’s best by harnessing a collective spirit, exiting with millions of T-shirts and celebratory tchotchkes sold, and the feeling of a match lit and something powerful loosened deep in the nation’s consciousness. Sitting in my shit Chicago apartment, I thought of all the American icons that had drawn me to the United States in the first place, patriots who glowed with bold self-confidence. Ferris Bueller, the Super Bowl–winning Chicago Bears, the Beastie Boys. This American football team now fit in that pantheon. They were the rare US sporting entity who were scrappy underdogs. A gaggle who acted as if they willed themselves to believe something, it was no fantasy.



Brazil’s spiritless football became a symbol of the entire tournament. Below the celebrity glitz and American naivete, the play was mediocre, and the games pockmarked by overzealous refereeing that broke up play. Fittingly, the final was one of the most soul-crushing the tournament has ever witnessed. I had not wanted to watch alone and went out solo to take it in, draining a generous stranger’s pitchers of beer, at a packed Hyde Park bar, Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap. The energy, which was at Mardi Gras levels at kickoff, soon burned off as the Brazilians’ cocked fist was negated by Italy’s smothering play. As the two teams conspired to provide every soccer cynic’s worst nightmare—the first goalless final, 120 minutes of dreary soccer followed by penalties—the bar became quieter and emptier. I could almost imagine the teeth-gnashing of every investor who had just stepped up to own a team in the soon-to-be-launched American club league: Major League Soccer.



‘Divine ponytail’



One of the reasons I love football is that even in the dullest of spectacles, a moment of human revelation can occur on an almost biblical scale. Italy had been carried to the final by the wizardry of one man: Roberto Baggio, an almost mystical figure, known for his signature “Divine ponytail” (Il Divin Codino), his conversion to Buddhism, and the way he seemed to float just above play, beyond the grasp of the mere mortals with whom he was sharing the field. Baggio’s five goals in the tournament had propelled his team to the final. In the fifth and final round of penalties, with Brazil leading 3–2 and Italy needing to score to keep hope alive, it was Baggio who stepped to the spot. It had been his tournament. Now, the hopes of all Italy rested on his shoulders. With just the goalkeeper to beat from a mere 12 yards, he proceeded to sky the ball 3 feet over the crossbar. At the pub I was in, it felt like we had just witnessed a human tragedy. Screams accompanied the replays of the ball soaring into the Pasadena sky, as Baggio, that quasi-holy man, doubled over in astonished agony, hands on knees in private mourning. A hallowed figure who so often appeared to rise above the limits of what was humanly possible, frozen in a moment of mortality. It was fitting that two diabolical penalties bookended the tournament. Diana Ross’s showbiz miss opened it, and Baggio’s elegiac catastrophe brought it to an emotional close and handed Brazil a fourth World Cup win, at last. Their first in twenty-four long years.



Many Americans had their lives changed by the tournament. European teams deigned to welcome a handful into their teams, most noticeably Alexi Lalas, who played fleetingly in Italy, a cameo in which his greatest achievement may have happened off the field when he was invited to strum his guitar as a support act on a leg of a Hootie &amp; the Blowfish tour. Most of the players were reduced to jester-like side-hustles with Tony Meola accepting a chance to try out as a kicker for the New York Jets, which reeked of a PR stunt, as did his being attacked by “soccer-playing pitbulls” on Jay Leno.



In the end, the legacy of this World Cup was mixed. Records had been broken in terms of attendance, but those who expected American fans’ sporting appetites to be transformed instantly and forever by the tournament would be disappointed. The spike in interest in football soon burned off as if the World Cup had been a giant circus, which momentarily thrilled before leaving town. A year later, when my beloved club team Everton reached the semifinal of a major tournament, I was unable to find a single cable channel that could summon a broadcast, despite a frantic search of Chicagoland sports bars. Utterly defeated, I ended up calling my father in Liverpool and persuaded him to hold his telephone against the radio so I could hear the local broadcast and follow the action. A long-distance connection that was worth every cent, even though the bill was so eye-bulgingly expensive, it took me seven months to pay off in installments. Each time I chipped away at my football-induced telecom debt, I felt a numbing angst as if the World Cup in America had never happened.



‘The long cut’



Deprived of my football fix, my American life continued to progress, relying on hustle, grind, and the kindness of strangers. Professionally, I astonished myself by finding utility in the law degree I had somehow earned. I gained work as a welfare rights advocate. This was the height of the Clinton Welfare debate in which the safety net had been shredded. Working with a nonprofit who agreed to apply for a visa for me, I trained homeless men to talk to the media, telling the story of their descent into the streets and highlighting the vast number of hidden challenges that existed between them and job security.



The homeless guys I worked with were sweet and earnest. They lived on the streets south of the city in the area around Robert Taylor Homes. A vast, bleak public housing project that consisted of dozens of identical, hulking buildings spread out in a line for two miles. Having grown up in Liverpool, I thought I was used to grim neighborhoods awash with hopelessness. The Robert Taylor Homes were another level altogether. This was a heart-wrenching island of abject poverty. The work was fulfilling and soul-destroying in equal measure. Lacking football in my life, I threw myself into the Chicago music scene for solace. Uncle Tupelo’s album Anodyne had just been released. I saved up enough to watch the band play gigs at the legendary Lounge Ax. Their track “The Long Cut” was my anthem, and I listened to its message of struggle and eventual promise on repeat on my Discman:



Come on let’s take the long cut I think that’s what we need



If you wanna take the long cut We’ll get there eventually.



The lead singer, Jeff Tweedy, was singing about his fraught relationships with his bandmates, but the lyrics always held a double meaning for me, reflecting the journey I hoped soccer had just begun in my chosen home.



Excerpted from the book WE ARE THE WORLD (CUP) by Roger Bennett. Copyright © 2026 by In Loving Memory of the Recent Past 2 Inc. From Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What, was, like, the, last, time, the, U.S., hosted, the, World, Cup, ‘Men, Blazers’, creator, Roger, Bennett, recalls, his, experience</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>HP is mining its own e&#45;waste to build its latest laptops</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/hp-is-mining-its-own-e-waste-to-build-its-latest-laptops</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Inside a new HP laptop, the copper in its heat sink comes straight from old HP devices—making the company the first to reuse its own recycled metal in a closed loop.



In partnership with HP, the Australia-based startup Mint Innovation took in circuit boards from thousands of old HP computers and servers, and then recycled them to supply pure refined copper back to the company. The process is designed to be more sustainable than traditional smelting. Instead of melting down metals in a furnace—an energy-intensive, polluting process—the startup uses a mix of chemicals and biology to recover valuable materials.



“What HP is effectively doing is mining e-waste of their own appliances,” says Mint president Matt Bedingfield. “They’re taking responsibility for their full supply chain to turn it into the next generation of devices.”



Old circuit boards are shredded and run through a series of tanks containing custom biological materials that pull out metals like gold and copper. The “biosorption” process works like a magnet, using electrons to attract specific elements. When gold is dissolved, for example, and electrons are stripped from its surface, it’s drawn to biological matter with extra electrons.



Gold “is the economic enabler” for the process, Bedingfield says: “If you don’t recover the gold, you don’t make any profit. So after the gold, then we go and we recover the copper, then the silver, the tin, and the palladium.”



Copper is particularly important at the moment. “In the U.S. right now, we’re about a million tons short on copper,” he says. “Copper is required for every single bit of the energy transition. It’s required for the data centers that we’re building. So that gap is only going to grow. The HPs and Apples and other OEMs in other industries, they’re all looking for copper to begin with. And then they’re looking for sustainable copper.” 



For HP, it’s part of a bigger push to help build new circular supply chains for the electronics industry. The quality of the recycled material is identical to new copper, the company says.



[Photo: HP]



Mint recycles in batches, so it’s possible to directly trace that a recycled material came specifically from a particular manufacturer’s products; in a furnace, that’s impossible to track. The company has orders from HP to continue recycling additional batches of products, Bedingfield says. 



In its first project, HP used the recycled copper in heat sinks because it knew it had enough supply to outfit the HP EliteBook X G2 Series and HP EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC. Future work could involve additional materials like gold. Scaling it won’t be simple: HP ships about 57 million laptops a year—second only to Lenovo, per Gartner—and brand-specific e-waste isn’t predictable. But the company is exploring how it can grow.



[Photo: HP]



Mint currently works in an industrial-scale prototype facility in Australia, but is currently starting to build up a sample line in Texas. It’s aiming to secure long-term investment to build out a full new plant in Texas that could open next year. 



The recycling facilities have a small footprint. “They’re designed in a way where we can go to the scrap,” says Bedingfield. “We’re able to go into cities and drop plants, so you’re not moving the material all around the world as is done today.”  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91501080-hp-recycling.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>mining, its, own, e-waste, build, its, latest, laptops</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Did the Olympics turn you into a women’s hockey fan? You’re not alone—and StubHub has a new site for you</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/did-the-olympics-turn-you-into-a-womens-hockey-fan-youre-not-aloneand-stubhub-has-a-new-site-for-you</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/did-the-olympics-turn-you-into-a-womens-hockey-fan-youre-not-aloneand-stubhub-has-a-new-site-for-you</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Gold-medal moments for American athletes abounded at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Among a slew of highlights, Alysa Liu brought the U.S. Olympic gold in singles figure skating for the first time since 2002, Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin topped the podium in Alpine skiing. The Paralympics, which start March 6, will likely see more medals for women athletes, and many of them will be celebrating in Las Vegas this summer.



But data from ticket exchange and resale site StubHub shows that the U.S. women’s hockey team’s triumph over Canada for gold in Milan will have a lasting effect on attendance at Professional Women’s Hockey League games. 



The company’s internal data shows a 38% year-over-year increase in demand for tickets to Professional Women’s Hockey League games for the first eight weeks of 2026, buoyed by an overnight spike following the U.S. women’s team winning gold. Demand for PWHL tickets is up nearly 60% compared to pre-Olympic levels.



Strong demand for women’s sports is why StubHub is launching HerSportsHub, a centralized site for buying tickets to women’s sporting events via the platform.







“When people get inspired by a big moment — whether it’s the Olympics or a breakout season — they don’t just watch,” Jill Gonzalez, StubHub’s head of consumer, product and technology communications, told Fast Company in a statement. “They want to be there and StubHub’s role is to make it as easy as possible to get in.”



It’s not just hockey. Fans will have easy access to resale tickets for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Women’s Basketball, and more. 



The launch leaves plenty of time for hockey fans to get to a PWHL game before the season ends in April, and comes just in time for March Madness (women’s games start March 18), the NWSL season starting on March 13, and the WNBA season tip-off on May 8.



All those sports gained new fans after the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2024, StubHub says, demand for WNBA tickets surged 360% over 2023, and 150% for the NWSL over 2023.



“Women’s sports are a fixture, and more fans are showing up every day,” Gonzalez told Fast Company. “HerSportsHub is a dedicated space to find the games they care about most and turn that excitement into a live experience.”



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-1-91501231-Still-chasing-the-Olympics-rush-This-ticketing-site-is-launching-a-one-stop-shop-for-tickets-to-womens-sports.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Did, the, Olympics, turn, you, into, women’s, hockey, fan, You’re, not, alone—and, StubHub, has, new, site, for, you</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The startup that turned Texas’s book ban law into big business</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-startup-that-turned-texass-book-ban-law-into-big-business</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-startup-that-turned-texass-book-ban-law-into-big-business</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In 2023, as Texas lawmakers debated Senate Bill 13—a controversial bill aimed at restricting certain books in public school libraries and expanding parental oversight—Steve Wandler was among the dozen-plus parents, educators, and advocates who testified before the legislature. Wandler wasn’t just another concerned citizen. He was a Canadian entrepreneur who had relocated to Texas the year before to found Bookmarked, a fledgling startup that promises to help school districts manage their library collections and give parents greater visibility into what their children are reading.



The legislation addressed the very issue Wandler believed his company could help solve. The bill, authored by Republican state Senator Angela Paxton, would require districts to pull books featuring content deemed by local school boards to be “profane,” “indecent,” or “sexually explicit,” and expanded parents’ rights to monitor their children’s borrowing histories and restrict what their children could check out. It was part of a broader political push that also included HB 900, which required book vendors to rate school library materials for sexual content (though a federal appeals court later blocked enforcement of the rating mandate as unconstitutionally broad).



Wandler spoke in support of SB 13, telling lawmakers it “empowers parental access” and “mandates accountability with the school districts.” His investment in the bill’s passage wasn’t merely rhetorical: Public records show Bookmarked spent at least $80,000 lobbying in favor of the measure, and later hired the powerful Texas lobbying firm Moak Casey to help promote its cause.



Still, critics saw SB 13 differently, with free-speech advocates warning the new system amounts to codified censorship. Tasslyn Magnusson, a senior advisor with the Freedom to Read Program at PEN America, says that tools aggregating and circulating lists of challenged titles can reshape library collections in subtle but consequential ways. “When you start flagging books as somehow bad or under issue in other districts and other states, you’re undermining your local community control of what a school should have available for its students,” she tells Fast Company.



Texas lawmakers ultimately moved forward anyway. Within months of SB 13’s June 2025 passage, Bookmarked, then without any district clients, began marketing its software as a tool designed to help districts navigate the law’s new requirements, according to brochure materials provided to Fast Company. The platform promised to highlight potentially problematic titles for school boards, streamline review processes, and give parents direct access to their children’s reading histories by integrating with library systems (that checkout data is stored on Amazon Web Services). In an interview with Fast Company, Wandler describes the product as decision support rather than a censorship engine: “We’re just showing you what we find on the internet. We’re not telling you what to do.”



In doing so, the Dallas-based upstart quickly became a key player in a new and deeply contested corner of the edtech market, providing its software to more than 150 districts across Texas, according to Wandler—though that footprint is more complicated than it may appear, spanning a mix of paid contracts and free pilot programs. (Wandler says a soon-to-be-released updated version of Bookmarked would standardize pricing at $3 per student.)



Bookmarked was initially backed by angel investors and remains angel funded, according to Wandler, who says the company is now seeking additional capital after gaining traction in Texas. He describes the company’s tech as a practical solution, one that helps districts maneuver an increasingly complex legal environment while connecting families more directly to their children’s reading. He acknowledges the fears over a system that might accelerate book removals, but insists his company has been a neutral player. “We try to be Switzerland,” he says. “And it’s hard to be Switzerland.”



‘The process is almost unattainable’



In marketing materials issued in June 2025 and shared with Fast Company, Bookmarked presents itself as a shield against risk. OnShelf, its AI-powered platform that tracks school library catalogs and calls out books that could draw complaints under the new laws, would help districts “navigate SB 13 with confidence and clarity,” Bookmarked promised.



In practice, OnShelf works by ingesting a school district’s library catalog and comparing it against a growing database of titles that have been challenged or restricted elsewhere. According to internal company documents viewed by Fast Company, its AI engine “scans and collects” online data daily—including news reports, advocacy lists, and district records—to track books that have been banned or challenged across the U.S. and generate a list of “potential flags.” OnShelf also, per internal documents, supplies librarians with weekly automated emails “summarizing the ‘health’ of their collection based on any new nationwide challenge trends.”



The company’s early development was closely tied to a Texas public-school superintendent. Jason Cochran, now head of Krum Independent School District (ISD) in North Texas, says he approached Wandler with the original idea and helped shape an early version of the product. Cochran today retains a small ownership stake (less than 1%, he says) and serves informally as an advisor. His district uses the software free of charge, an arrangement he says he requested in part to avoid conflicts tied to his ownership stake. (Some have questioned whether Cochran’s dual role as a district leader and a financial stakeholder in a vendor serving schools presents a conflict of interest.) Cochran says the tool has helped his district spot challenged books and ensure “there wasn’t anything on the radar that was going to cause conflict.”



Bookmarked arrived at a moment of profound uncertainty. Across the United States, efforts to challenge and remove books from schools had surged dramatically. In 2024, the American Library Association recorded 821 censorship attempts targeting 2,452 unique titles, reflecting a shift toward organized bulk challenges wherein efforts to remove large numbers of books rely in part on prepared lists from conservative advocates. (By comparison, the annual average from 2001 to 2020 was just 273 titles.) Among the books banned by districts in Texas so far: Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens, Between the World and Me, Gender Queer, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.



As the San Antonio Express-News reports, Bookmarked has already had sweeping real-world effects in Texas districts. About an hour south of Austin, in New Braunfels ISD, administrators used the software to identify more than 450 library books that might violate SB 13—prompting the district to close its library for two weeks while officials reviewed titles ranging from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to The Handmaid’s Tale. Similarly, in the West Texas city of Abilene, the platform sounded the alarm on more than 300 books for review during an early pilot program, according to reporting by the literary news website Book Riot. 



In Abilene, the relationship reportedly soured quickly. Lyndsey Williamson, Abilene’s executive director of secondary education, wrote in a September email that the company “made promises they couldn’t keep,” per the Express-News. (Abilene ISD did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment.) Separately, one parent who lives in a district that uses the software tells Fast Company they had a hard time actually removing their child from the system entirely, claiming that doing so required multiple emails and signed release forms.



‘There was no way to keep up with that information’



Of course, not every district has had that experience. In Canyon ISD, a roughly 11,500-student system in the Texas Panhandle, administrators describe the software as a useful compliance tool. To Lisa Hill, the district’s director of instruction, the appeal was straightforward: As book challenges accelerated nationally, districts lacked a centralized way to track them. “There was no way to keep up with that information on a broad scale,” she says.



Hill says the platform supplements rather than replaces librarians’ expertise and aligns with the state’s emphasis on parental oversight. “All librarians have a master’s degree in library science,” she says, but no one can realistically read every title that enters a collection. The system, in her view, adds visibility for overtaxed district employees. 



But that additional visibility, skeptics argue, can quickly turn into pressure. Perhaps most concerning is the dragnet effect: the risk that the software floods districts with questionable warnings, forcing educators to sort through lists that may be incomplete or misleading. That dynamic, says Anne Russey, a Texas parent and cofounder of the advocacy group Texas Freedom to Read Project, can cause librarians to act quickly rather than carefully—especially when administrations are already overwhelmed (and perhaps extra cautious on account of the recently passed SB 412, which essentially nixed longstanding legal protections for educators for providing materials deemed harmful to minors). “Maintaining a library is a normal part of library science that these certified professional librarians have all learned how to do,” she says.



Leila Green Little, a Texas parent and lead plaintiff in a recent federal lawsuit over library censorship, is more blunt in her assessment: “Bookmarked is a solution to a problem that does not exist,” she says.



Wandler, for his part, doesn’t entirely dispute the criticism. He acknowledges that the data his platform draws from is imperfect at best. Books get marked as banned or challenged even when districts ultimately keep them on shelves, producing alerts that don’t always tell the full story. But the platform, he insists, is only surfacing information. “We just show you [that] To Kill a Mockingbird has 20 flags on it. Do with it what you please,” he says. The 1960 novel has been challenged in districts across the U.S. over its use of racial slurs and depictions of racism, a deeply ironic twist given that the book is widely regarded as a critique of racism itself.



Wandler is also candid about the stumbles along the way: “We’ve made a ton of mistakes,” he says, ”as startups do.” That’s why, he adds, Bookmarked is currently rebuilding the product from the ground up. The new version, now being piloted and slated for a broader April rollout, shifts focus from simply surfacing “book intelligence” to better helping districts navigate the byzantine approval workflow SB 13 requires (think elements like teacher book submissions and committee review). “Nobody built a product to be able to manage the process that this law has created,” Wandler says. “The process is almost unattainable, like it’s impossible for them to be able to do the work that the law does.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91496176-bookmarked-steve-wandler-texas-book-bans.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, startup, that, turned, Texas’s, book, ban, law, into, big, business</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Target stock is up even though sales were down. Why the retailer is getting a surprise bump today</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/target-stock-is-up-even-though-sales-were-down-why-the-retailer-is-getting-a-surprise-bump-today</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/target-stock-is-up-even-though-sales-were-down-why-the-retailer-is-getting-a-surprise-bump-today</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Target Corporation on Tuesday reported its all-important fourth-quarter results, which run from the key holiday shopping season in November through January. 



Unfortunately for the company, its results were, at best, a mixed bag. Yet despite the underwhelming earnings report, shares in the company are currently rising. Here’s what you need to know.



Target’s Q4 2025 at a glance



Before the opening bell this morning, Target reported its fourth-quarter earnings, which ended on January 31. 



Out of all the earnings periods Target reports over the year, Q4 is the most important because covers the holiday shopping season when consumers are traditionally most willing to spend on non-discretionary items—a category that is Target’s bread and butter.



Here are the most salient metrics for the quarter:




Net sales: $30.45 billion



Net earnings: $1.04 billion



Adjusted earnings-per-share (EPS): $2.44




The good news for the company is that its adjusted EPS of $2.44 was much better than most analysts were expecting. As CNBC notes, an LSEG survey found that most analysts were expecting and adjusted EPS of $2.16.



However, though the company beat on adjusted EPS, its net sales and net earnings both did not meet analyst expectations, and came in lower in Q4 2025 than the same quarter a year earlier.



Analysts had expected net sales of $30.48 billion for the quarter. Target came close at $30.44 billion—but even that was down 1.5% from the $30.90 billion the company brought in the same quarter a year earlier.



The company’s net earnings of $1.04 billion were also down 5.2% from the same quarter a year earlier.



Target’s problems are political and economic



Announcing its Q4 2025 results, Target’s new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, who has only been in the role since last month, said that the company was focused on its “next chapter of growth, rooted in strengthening our merchandising authority, delivering an elevated and differentiated shopping experience, advancing our use of technology, and continuing to serve and invest in our team and communities.”



However, one of the largest challenges that Target is up against is blowback from its community of shoppers. 



Last summer, Target faced heavy criticism from many of its shoppers for rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the wake of President Trump’s second inauguration. 



More recently, as noted by CNBC, Trump’s immigration crackdown has been causing headaches for Target’s new leadership. As noted by the Associated Press, the company’s customers have been vocal in their desire for the company to take a public stand against Trump’s policies, particularly after the deaths of ICE protesters in Target’s hometown of Minneapolis.



Of course, Target’s stagnating sales over the past few years aren’t limited to political problems. It also continues to face economic ones. 



The biggest problem for Target is that a majority of the goods it sells are discretionary items, and consumers have been cutting back on those for years as costs continue to rise due to inflation and Trump’s tariffs.



To make matters worse, many customers have complained for years that Target’s stores were becoming messier and less visually appealing, leading them to shop there less frequently or seek out alternative retailers.



Last month, Target announced corporate layoffs as part of its plan to reinvest in the in-store experience.



Why is Target stock up despite lackluster sales?



Despite Target’s lackluster quarter, shares in the company are currently rising in premarket trading. 



As of this writing, Target stock (NYSE: TGT) currently up about 3.7% to $117.45. Factors for this rise could include things like relief from investors that the company at least met analysts’ net sales expectations.



Target also announced that it expects modest next sales growth of about 2% for 2026. Given that the company has faced declining or stagnating sales for almost four years, investors are likely to reward the company for any expectation of reversing that trend, no matter how small.



Despite Target’s ongoing challenges, the company’s shares have performed decently year-to-date. 



As of yesterday’s market close, TGT shares were up nearly 16% since the start of the year. Over the past six months, the company’s share price has risen more than 22%. 



Yet over the past 12 months, TGT shares had declined nearly 9% as of yesterday’s close. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/03/p-3-91501623-target-sales-tgt-shares-2026.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Target, stock, even, though, sales, were, down., Why, the, retailer, getting, surprise, bump, today</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn’t in a recession right now. That won’t last forever</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/your-grandparents-are-the-reason-the-us-isnt-in-a-recession-right-now-that-wont-last-forever</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/your-grandparents-are-the-reason-the-us-isnt-in-a-recession-right-now-that-wont-last-forever</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Boomers—particularly wealthy older people—are &quot;driving the train&quot; when it comes to the economy right now, economists told Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1247905694-e1772035541670.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Your, grandparents, are, the, reason, the, U.S., isn’t, recession, right, now., That, won’t, last, forever</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Here’s how to build something that lasts, from the founder of a $300 million bootstrapped company that’s been growing for 28 years straight</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/heres-how-to-build-something-that-lasts-from-the-founder-of-a-300-million-bootstrapped-company-thats-been-growing-for-28-years-straight</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/heres-how-to-build-something-that-lasts-from-the-founder-of-a-300-million-bootstrapped-company-thats-been-growing-for-28-years-straight</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The moments that sparked meaningful change and business longevity. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/doublegood.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Here’s, how, build, something, that, lasts, from, the, founder, 300, million, bootstrapped, company, that’s, been, growing, for, years, straight</media:keywords>
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<title>Ray Dalio, Scott Bessent and House members from both sides of the aisle are rallying around a ‘3% solution’ to tame the out of control national debt</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ray-dalio-scott-bessent-and-house-members-from-both-sides-of-the-aisle-are-rallying-around-a-3-solution-to-tame-the-out-of-control-national-debt</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ray-dalio-scott-bessent-and-house-members-from-both-sides-of-the-aisle-are-rallying-around-a-3-solution-to-tame-the-out-of-control-national-debt</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Bipartisan consensus is building in support of lowering the gulf between revenues and outlays to 3% of GDP. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2243629590_27eafa.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ray, Dalio, Scott, Bessent, and, House, members, from, both, sides, the, aisle, are, rallying, around, ‘3, solution’, tame, the, out, control, national, debt</media:keywords>
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<title>USAA CEO says Gen Z ‘are not going to be as well off’ as boomers and Gen Xers—they need to take ownership of their success, he urges</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/usaa-ceo-says-gen-z-are-not-going-to-be-as-well-off-as-boomers-and-gen-xersthey-need-to-take-ownership-of-their-success-he-urges</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/usaa-ceo-says-gen-z-are-not-going-to-be-as-well-off-as-boomers-and-gen-xersthey-need-to-take-ownership-of-their-success-he-urges</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ USAA&#039;s Juan C. Andrade says Gen Zers are struggling, especially as AI continues to upend entry-level jobs. Young workers can take control by adopting this career strategy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1486075730-e1772226060371.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>USAA, CEO, says, Gen, ‘are, not, going, well, off’, boomers, and, Gen, Xers—they, need, take, ownership, their, success, urges</media:keywords>
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<title>Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-men-are-eating-boy-kibble-the-human-equivalent-to-dog-food-to-load-up-on-protein-cheaply</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-men-are-eating-boy-kibble-the-human-equivalent-to-dog-food-to-load-up-on-protein-cheaply</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A simple meal of beef and rice is all the craze across social media. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2237236342-e1772240892470.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gen, men, are, eating, ‘boy, kibble, ’, the, human, equivalent, dog, food, load, protein, cheaply</media:keywords>
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<title>How Starbucks designed its new iconic cup and big comfy chair</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-starbucks-designed-its-new-iconic-cup-and-big-comfy-chair</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-starbucks-designed-its-new-iconic-cup-and-big-comfy-chair</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Since taking over the coffee chain in 2024, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has been on a mission to go “back to Starbucks” and rekindle the feeling of warmth inside the coffee giant.



That’s led to new store designs, new employee training, new uniforms, new menu items, and new staffing—which have helped the company break out of a two-year sales rut. 



But as part of this deep strategic exploration, Niccol made two specific asks for Starbucks’s cross-discipline design team that are being revealed today: an iconic new cup and a new plush chair.



As the literal touchpoints between the consumer and the company, “they are the biggest signals we have of warmth, comfort, and generosity,” says Dawn Clark, SVP of global concepts and design at Starbucks. 



The new Starbucks cup (ceramic in every size)



[Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks]



The new Starbucks cup is not just one cup, but five different glazed ceramic options—each offered to customers who stay to enjoy their coffee. Built to accommodate drinks ranging from a single shot of espresso to a venti latte, the cups come in white (inspired by their takeaway cup, with a hand-painted green siren and rim), and green (where the siren is embossed). Notably, the cups all share the same tapered silhouette. 



Clark says the cup design took inspiration from a blend of Italy’s espresso culture and Starbucks’s own mercantile and coffee trading history. The result lands somewhere between European sensibility and American utility. After concepting different designs, they came up with four frontrunners which they 3D printed and shared with various stakeholders across the company—ranging from corporate executives to on-the-ground baristas. They refined the designs and rendered them in ceramic before making the final choice.



The company knew it wanted a single, strongly branded silhouette across every size, which limited what could work. “It’s a really big design challenge because not all those forms that looked good in a short or tall looked great in a mini or large size,” Clark says. The other, perhaps bigger problem was drinkability. Different geometries affect how the coffee flows into your mouth, and those geometries don’t always scale well. They also needed to survive countless rounds of dishwashers.



[Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks]



The wide-mouth, tapered design won out because it satisfied every above requirement. But most of all, Clark says it was just a really nice vessel for drinking, shaped to make the coffee “go with the flow” perfectly from the cup to your lips.



From what I gathered, Starbucks may eventually choose to sell these mugs as merch, and it’s easy to imagine the company introducing special colorways for limited-time offerings. A toasty orange version for PSL season feels almost inevitable. 



The new Starbucks chair (in green this time)



[Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks]



While cups are intrinsic to coffee, the new Starbucks chair requires a bit more explanation. Even brand devotees may have forgotten a piece of lost history in Starbucks lore. In the ’90s, when Starbucks took lattes mainstream across America, many stores had one or two special, extra-wide, purple velvet chairs. They were an almost Dr. Suessian take on the hyper plush living room seating of that decade, meant to shake up the rigidity of Starbucks’s design at the time while urging you to stay a while.  



“What was great about that chair is it was oversized; it wasn’t practical. It was very much like you could maybe have two people sit in it, you could put your feet up, swing your legs over the arm. There were a lot of ways to occupy it,” Clark says. “That was a big part of the inspiration [for a redux]—and also the lushness of the texture.”



Indeed, Niccol told me last year that an updated chair needed to imbue something akin to FOMO when sitting down at Starbucks: “It’s got to be the seat that when you walk in, you’re like, ‘Man, I can’t wait for him to get up. I’m hopping in that chair the second he does.’”



Starbucks landed on a design that resurrects hefty ‘90s furniture and adds a dollop of midcentury design. I find myself sucked back into 1996 just looking at it.



You see the same voluptuous arm silhouettes from the original chair (don’t worry, they’re still fixing that ruching), but it’s framed in wood (albeit with far more weight than you’d see in traditional midcentury design—or even the rest of Starbucks’s midcentury-inspired furnishings). The visual heft of the entire chair is intentional, built to exude confidence that it can accommodate your most leisurely posture.



[Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks]



“It’s a little overly generous in its invitation to be comfortable,” Clark says.



Like the cup, Starbucks developed the new chair in-house. The process began with an adjustable ergonomic model. Built from a CMF frame and sparse cushioning, it looks straight out of IKEA, but the system allowed the team to study how it would feel to sit (and eat and drink) at various angles. From there, they built a cardboard massing model to lock in its curves and proportions. For the final production sample, the company went with its rich Starbucks green because, gosh is that purple a statement. But more colors could enter the mix in the future.



No doubt, this is a premium chair for a QSR restaurant—most stores may get one or two. Its inevitable cost and maintenance is probably why Starbucks ditched their purple chair years ago, which I recall looking pretty gnarly before they up and disappeared. Clark believes its new velvet fabric will be easier to clean, and that Starbucks locations can get five to ten years out of a chair before retiring it or even reupholstering it. However, she also insists that isn’t their chief concern.



“Part of what we’re in a way saying, it doesn’t exist to be convenient or easy to maintain. It exists to provide comfort. And we’re willing to take on the challenge,” Clark says. “Of course we designed it to be up to the test for all the use it gets, and we’ll have to take care of it . . . but it’s something we’re committed to.” 



The new cups and chairs will arrive in U.S. stores toward the end of 2026, while the cups are slated to go abroad in 2027. And they’ll undeniably add a little more oomph to Starbucks’s turnaround, as it works to make its cafes once again a place you want to sit and stay a while.



“I think that it really is more than just a chair or cup,” Clark says. “These are the most intimate things. These are the things you occupy or touch. We feel these are really intrinsically linked to everything about our brand.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, Starbucks, designed, its, new, iconic, cup, and, big, comfy, chair</media:keywords>
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<title>Jack Dorsey makes a grim prediction about the future of work as he lays off 4,000 Block employees in AI push</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jack-dorsey-makes-a-grim-prediction-about-the-future-of-work-as-he-lays-off-4000-block-employees-in-ai-push</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jack-dorsey-makes-a-grim-prediction-about-the-future-of-work-as-he-lays-off-4000-block-employees-in-ai-push</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Jack Dorsey, CEO of Block Inc, is not only laying off nearly half of the company’s workforce, but he wants investors to think he’s an AI-focused trailblazer for doing so. 



In a letter to shareholders on Thursday, Dorsey shared that Block’s workforce is shrinking from over 10,000 people to just below 6,000 people, with some employees entering consultation. 



Dorsey credits “intelligence tools” with motivating the change, explaining that these tools and a “significantly smaller team” will allow the company to be better and do more. 



Block owns fintech brands such as the Square point-of-sale system, Cash App, and Afterpay, along with the music streaming service Tidal. 



A familiar story



If the idea of laying off employees in favor of leaner operations sounds familiar, don’t tell Dorsey that. He frames his announcement to embrace AI and put thousands of people out of a job as a forward-looking decision. 



“I don’t think we’re early to this realization. I think most companies are late,” Dorsey states. “Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes. I’d rather get there honestly and on our own terms than be forced into it reactively.”



Block investors cheer the news



All of this came in a letter dedicated to Block’s quarter four of 2025. Dorsey shared that Block’s gross profits doubled from quarter one to four immediately after announcing the layoffs. 



Shares of Block Inc (NYSE: XYZ) were up more than 20% in premarket trading on Friday in the wake of the news. 



However, as of Thursday’s close, the stock was down more than 16% year to date. It has been trading far below the high point it had reached during the early COVID era.



Dorsey took to X (formerly Twitter, which he cofounded) to share his note to employees, using his standard no-capitals style. 



In the post, Dorsey says that laid-off employees in the U.S. will receive 20 weeks of salary, plus a week for every year of work. 



They will also get six months of healthcare, equity vested through the end of May, their corporate devices, and $5,000 to soften the transition. As is typical, employees outside the U.S. will receive different severance based on local (and typically better) requirements. 



It will likely not come as a great relief to those losing their jobs that, as Dorsey states, “We’re not making this decision because we’re in trouble.” 



He adds that Block won’t “disappear” employees from Slack and email, instead giving them until the vague time of “Thursday evening (pacific)” to get things in order. Dorsey claims he will send an additional note on Friday to all remaining employees. 



Reactions to the Block layoffs are pointed



Unsurprisingly, many people didn’t respond favorably to the news of Block’s layoffs. 



“As we’ve reported before, the key to understanding Jack Dorsey is how much he follows other tech figures and executives that came before him. He used to idolize Steve Jobs. Now he idolizes Elon Musk,” New York Times tech reporter Ryan Mac wrote on Bluesky. 



Many users took issue with the lowercase format that Dorsey used to deliver such important news on X. 



“Imagine you get canned and your CEO posts a tweet about it without any uppercase letters like he’s an early 20s girl,” one user responded on X. 



On Bluesky, another user put it succinctly: “This reminds me of the old adage, ‘Never work for Jack Dorsey under any circumstances.’” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jack, Dorsey, makes, grim, prediction, about, the, future, work, lays, off, 4, 000, Block, employees, push</media:keywords>
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<title>Archer Aviation and Starlink hope your first ride in an air taxi will include in&#45;flight internet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/archer-aviation-and-starlink-hope-your-first-ride-in-an-air-taxi-will-include-in-flight-internet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/archer-aviation-and-starlink-hope-your-first-ride-in-an-air-taxi-will-include-in-flight-internet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Archer Aviation is installing Starlink on its Midnight electric air taxis, the company announced on February 27.



The move, an industry first, will bring “stable, reliable, and high-speed connectivity” to Archer’s vehicles courtesy of Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellite internet systems.



Starlink capabilities will allow passengers to access the internet in-flight while also enabling better communication between individual aircraft, pilots, and engineers on the ground to create a more integrated and connected infrastructure.



The two companies will also work on developing connectivity technology for Archer’s future autonomous aircraft, Archer said.



“Connectivity is a must-have feature for Midnight,” Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer, said in a statement. “Starlink is uniquely built to deliver it.”



Connectivity from anywhere



Starlink, which is owned and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has roughly 10 million customers around the world, mostly in North America.



Its satellite internet service is popular with customers who live in rural areas without reliable broadband or traditional internet infrastructure. It’s also used by various maritime and aviation companies that operate in remote areas on ships, aircraft, and offshore platforms.



A new salvo in the flying-taxi wars



The partnership gives Archer an edge in the growing race to fill the skies with electric air taxis, which are still largely in the pre-commercial phase.



The Federal Aviation Administration has given air taxis a regulatory path to move forward toward commercial operations. As a result, Archer and competitors like Joby Aviation are seen by supporters as being poised for growth in the coming years.



Archer teamed with United Airlines last year to create an air taxi network around Manhattan, connecting the area’s major and regional airports with vertiports around the city. 



The company will also serve as the official air taxi of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. That means its Midnight aircraft will shuttle athletes and spectators around Southern California to various events and venues.



The air taxis’ Starlink capabilities will allow passengers to stay connected as they travel—if everything goes as planned.



Shares of Archer Aviation have been volatile. After seeing numerous spikes throughout 2025, the stock (NYSE: ACHR) was down 9.23% year to date as of February 26.


 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-91499487-Archer-Aviation-Starlink-SpaceX.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Archer, Aviation, and, Starlink, hope, your, first, ride, air, taxi, will, include, in-flight, internet</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Jack Dorsey’s fintech company Block is laying off thousands, citing gains from AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jack-dorseys-fintech-company-block-is-laying-off-thousands-citing-gains-from-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jack-dorseys-fintech-company-block-is-laying-off-thousands-citing-gains-from-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares in the financial technology company Block soared more than 20% in premarket trading Friday after its CEO announced it was laying off more than 4,000 of its 10,000 plus employees, reconfiguring to capitalize on its use of artificial intelligence.“The core thesis is simple. Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company,” Jack Dorsey said in a letter to shareholders in Block, the parent company to online payment platforms such as Square and Cash App. “A significantly smaller team, using the tools we’re building, can do more and do it better,” he said.Dorsey’s comments explicitly naming AI as a key driver behind the move were also posted on X, or Twitter, a company he co-founded. The assertion that the job cuts will add to Block’s profitability and efficiency led investors to jump in and buy, analysts said.Block’s shares gained 5% Thursday to $54.53, before it reported its earnings. They shot up to nearly $69 in after-hours trading. The mobile payments services provider reported its fourth quarter gross profit jumped 24% from a year earlier.“For years, we have debated whether AI would dent jobs at the margin. Now we have a public case study in which the CEO explicitly says that intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.“Other large employers have announced tens of thousands of cuts in recent months. Some have downplayed the AI link. Block did not,” he said.A global technology company founded in 2009, San Francisco-based Block operates in the United States, Canada, parts of Europe, Australia and Japan.In a post on Twitter, Dorsey outlined various ways the company will support those laid off. For employees overseas, the terms might differ, he said.It was unclear which employees would be laid off where.Layoffs by American companies remain at relatively healthy levels, but the job cuts at Block are the latest among thousands announced in recent months.A number of other high-profile companies have announced layoffs recently, including UPS, Amazon, Dow and the Washington Post.



—Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/AP26058200752458.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jack, Dorsey’s, fintech, company, Block, laying, off, thousands, citing, gains, from</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Moltbook: The conversation we should be having</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/moltbook-the-conversation-we-should-be-having</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/moltbook-the-conversation-we-should-be-having</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In early February, the AI world found itself worked up over Moltbook, a social platform for AI agents to communicate and interact. These AI agents allegedly created their own language, their own religion, their own fleets of mini-agents. It’s like The Matrix was happening in front of our eyes.



What a boondoggle.



I say “allegedly” because it turns out many of these agents were being directed by humans, among other Mechanical Turk-style fakeries.



Moltbook is worth a conversation, for sure, but not the one taking place. Here’s how we should really be thinking about it.



TOKEN CARNAGE



Running AI infrastructure costs are astronomical. Back in 2023, it was estimated that OpenAI spends around $700,000 per day to run ChatGPT—about 36 cents per query. However, in 2024 with the release of its higher-performing o3 model, some queries cost over $1,000 of computing power. Consequently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reports the company is even losing money on its $200 ChatGPT Pro subscriptions.



As models become more capable and heavy-duty, they will become more energy-intensive. The data centers powering AI are predicted to consume the same amount of water as 10 million Americans and produce as much carbon dioxide as 10 million cars. It taxes electrical grids and water supplies.



Point being, these agents running amok are running up the AI bill we all must pay, in the form of environmental costs or potential economic disaster. Remember, these agents aren’t just talking. They’re coding, they’re generating images and video, they’re spawning new agents—and for what? We already knew agents could do all the things they’re doing on Moltbook.



The planet is a finite resource. Sooner or later, we’ll all bear the cost. Some already are.



AI BROS AND WOMB ENVY



There is a certain type of tech bro who is enthralled with the idea of AI not as tool, but as legitimate consciousness, if not a new species. And boy do those bros love Moltbook. Why?



Every man is made by a woman. They are likely fed, cared for, and taught by women. Women create everyone in the world, which is a problem for the narrative of superiority that men (not all, but at large) have created for themselves. Why else did men write the story of Eve coming from Adam’s rib? Looks to me like the original gaslight.



Is the quest to create a new species that supersedes humanity, perhaps at the cost of humanity’s extinction, born out of womb envy? Creating human-like AI is perhaps subconsciously a way for these men to give birth and cut women out of the loop. That’s why they’re so bent on proving how human AI machines can be.



And if you examine the way Moltbook’s agents behave and talk to each other, you’ll notice they act just like that particular brand of tech bro who made them. Their mini-me’s?



No thanks. We don’t need any more misanthropic anti-heroes.



THE GRIFT THAT KEEPS ON GRIFTING



Instead of becoming a tool—a discipline, that can solve the world’s problems—tech has become a cloak-and-dagger get-rich scheme. Superfluous nonsense like Moltbook encourages this trend. Spectacle becomes speculation becomes investment.



Tech, and the people building it, must have values and vision beyond making money. Otherwise, what are we building here?



Lindsey Witmer Collins is founder of WLCM App Studio. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Moltbook:, The, conversation, should, having</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Traders are on edge for Nvidia earnings: ‘We will … be able to hear a pin drop on Street trading desks’ tonight, one analyst says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/traders-are-on-edge-for-nvidia-earnings-we-will-be-able-to-hear-a-pin-drop-on-street-trading-desks-tonight-one-analyst-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/traders-are-on-edge-for-nvidia-earnings-we-will-be-able-to-hear-a-pin-drop-on-street-trading-desks-tonight-one-analyst-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Traders feel that Monday’s 1% decline on fears that AI will trigger an economic doom cycle was overcooked. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2263314904.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Traders, are, edge, for, Nvidia, earnings:, ‘We, will, …, able, hear, pin, drop, Street, trading, desks’, tonight, one, analyst, says</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gen Z and young millennials are the only ones feeling good about the economy—everyone else is worrying about trade and inflation</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-and-young-millennials-are-the-only-ones-feeling-good-about-the-economyeveryone-else-is-worrying-about-trade-and-inflation</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-and-young-millennials-are-the-only-ones-feeling-good-about-the-economyeveryone-else-is-worrying-about-trade-and-inflation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Comments about prices, inflation, and the cost of goods remained at the top of consumer’s minds. Mentions of trade and politics also increased in February,&quot; the Conference Board survey reads. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1437209231-e1772018784638.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gen, and, young, millennials, are, the, only, ones, feeling, good, about, the, economy—everyone, else, worrying, about, trade, and, inflation</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>A startup buying up U.K. real estate brokers and streamlining their processes with AI gets $93 million in funding to fuel expansion</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-startup-buying-up-uk-real-estate-brokers-and-streamlining-their-processes-with-ai-gets-93-million-in-funding-to-fuel-expansion</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-startup-buying-up-uk-real-estate-brokers-and-streamlining-their-processes-with-ai-gets-93-million-in-funding-to-fuel-expansion</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Dwelly, cofounded by former Uber and Gett employees, is backed by General Catalyst, Trinity Capital ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Dwelly-Founders-2F-e1771970244189.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>startup, buying, U.K., real, estate, brokers, and, streamlining, their, processes, with, gets, 93, million, funding, fuel, expansion</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Cava trounces fast&#45;casual peers with 22% revenue growth, surpassing $1 billion in sales for the first time</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cava-trounces-fast-casual-peers-with-22-revenue-growth-surpassing-1-billion-in-sales-for-the-first-time</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cava-trounces-fast-casual-peers-with-22-revenue-growth-surpassing-1-billion-in-sales-for-the-first-time</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Cava CFO Tricia Tolivar talks innovation, growth, and a focus on talent. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1463544180-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Cava, trounces, fast-casual, peers, with, 22, revenue, growth, surpassing, billion, sales, for, the, first, time</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is under threat </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-is-under-threat</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-is-under-threat</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new report by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office showed that Americans have lost nearly $19 billion since Trump took office again directly due to CFPB cuts ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/unnamed-36-1080x635-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Consumer, Financial, Protection, Bureau, under, threat </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Meet the small group of engineers helping the public sift through the Epstein files </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-thesmall-group-of-engineers-helpingthe-publicsift-throughthe-epstein-files</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-thesmall-group-of-engineers-helpingthe-publicsift-throughthe-epstein-files</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After officials released millions of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revelations in his emails and other files have led to the resignations of multiple corporate executives, new investigations into abuses by Epstein and potential accomplices, and even the arrest of the United Kingdom’s former Prince Andrew.



For those looking to research Epstein’s vast correspondence and web of connections across industry, government, and academia, some of the most effective tools have been built not by federal investigators or big-name news organizations but by a scrappy team of volunteer developers.



Starting with a website called Jmail, which made Epstein’s publicly released emails searchable through an interface cheekily copied from Gmail, they have since built a set of web apps modeled after familiar sites like Google Drive, Wikipedia, Amazon, and YouTube. The goal: to turn messy PDFs and other files released in bulk by federal officials into something members of the public—including journalists—can more easily search and understand. 



Key to the project’s speedy success is the technical talent of the team of around 15 named core contributors. But equally vital, they say, is the current wave of AI tools that helped them rapidly generate code and process huge troves of data.



“So not only do we have an app that we were able to make very quickly, we have data that can populate that app with real content,” says Luke Igel, among the project’s initial creators. “Both those things had to come together; both of those were not possible a few years ago.”



Igel, an MIT grad who is cofounder and CEO of video software company Kino, says the inspiration for the project came after he and a friend were discussing an initial tranche of Epstein-related documents released by members of Congress in November. They were struck by the extent of Epstein’s ties to political figures across party lines and around the world but questioned whether the public would be able to fully understand the story as the data was initially presented. 



Igel then reached out to Riley Walz, a developer and entrepreneur known for creative internet projects (including a recent parody of Apple’s “Find My” interface that tracked San Francisco parking enforcement officers) about collecting the emails in a Gmail-style interface.



Thanks to AI development tools like Cursor and Anthropic’s Claude models, the pair was able to put together the first version of Jmail in just a few hours, Igel says. “We cloned Gmail, except you’re logged in as Epstein and can see his emails,” Walz announced in a viral X post in November.



When the Department of Justice released an additional trove of files in December, spurred by the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress the previous month, a group of about 10 collaborators gathered at Igel’s San Francisco home and via video conference to build the next iteration of the software. 



The team also had help from a company called Reducto—a maker of software that turns messy PDFs and other complex documents into structured data—to parse the newly released files, which had become too complex for general-purpose AI tools to decipher reliably.



“A lot of these PDFs are scans of printouts or handwriting,” says Adel Wu, who works on growth at Reducto. “It was actually very messy.” 



The company—which is located in the same building as Kino—had already been considering doing something with the Epstein files and quickly decided to support the Jmail effort after hearing about it, says founding engineer Omar Alhait, noting, “We very quickly went through all of the documents and parsed out all relevant email information from them.”



Reducto’s software helped accurately render redactions within the documents and even let the team extract complex information like Epstein’s flight data, which was made available in a Google Flights-style interface called JFlights. Again, AI—including Anthropic’s then-new Claude Opus 4.5 model—helped the Jmail team rapidly develop new features and apps and merge thousands of code updates in a short time. 



“So much of what I thought was core to software engineering is actually something that this model can help you with and help you blast through very quickly,” Igel says.



The team’s investment in infrastructure let them quickly import, process, and share additional documents released just before Christmas, though the project drew even more attention after a massive DOJ release of millions of Epstein-related files on January 30. Handling that release required not only processing the new documents—Alhait says it took Reducto about three days to crunch through the data—but also beefing up the project’s infrastructure to handle an influx of traffic as public interest in the files continued to grow.



“Tons of people came to the house again, and this time we really just had to make it scale,” Igel says. “Everything broke. Tons of scaling issues we thought we had solved, with database outages and caching failing, came through again.” 



With the help of AI tools, the team stabilized the site, which has now served more than 500 million page requests to more than 50 million unique visitors. The project has also expanded beyond Jmail and JFlights to include an AI guide to the files called Jemini, a video repository called JeffTube, a file repository known as JDrive, and even a searchable log of Epstein’s Amazon orders called Jamazon.



The team works to ensure information in the files is properly redacted to protect sensitive details, taking care to update the site’s available materials to reflect any new redactions by federal officials. “It’s very, very important to us to be as responsible as possible when surfacing information to the public,” says Melissa Du, an AI research engineer who works on the project. “We obviously don’t want to be over-redacting, but also the privacy of the victims is of utmost importance.” 



Du, another MIT grad, says she became “morbidly fascinated” by the first set of files released on Jmail, including documents referencing MIT-linked academics such as former Media Lab director Joi Ito and professor emeritus Noam Chomsky. She has since worked on aspects of the project such as JDrive for data management and the Wikipedia-style Jwiki, which was first populated with write-ups of key Epstein-linked figures generated by AI and then carefully vetted before publication.



Perhaps most striking about the project is that a small group of developers was able to do what major media organizations had done in organizing previous viral data repositories, like former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about government surveillance or the offshore finance leaks known as the Panama Papers. 



The team has received about $32,000 in donations to cover various costs, along with donated technical services from Reducto, Kino, and cloud provider Vercel. But the core work has been carried out by developers with their own day jobs and startups.



Though at times Igel wondered whether the project would be effectively scooped by big news organizations building their own Epstein data explorers, data from the Jmail project has actually been cited by news outlets including The Economist. The team has also been in touch with congressional staffers about passing on crowdsourced requests for release of potentially excessively redacted files. 



And additional features are being considered, including a Google Calendar-style interface to explore calendar data in the repository, says Igel, who notes that the underlying code from the project will also likely be released as open source in the future.  



Already the project stands as an example of what’s possible for a talented team equipped with the latest in AI development and data processing tools. “We’ve really relied on the new AI models,” Du says. “And we’ve also just had a very high level of trust across the team.” 


 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91495585-jmail-engineers-epstein-emails.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meet, the small, group, engineers, helping the, public sift, through the, Epstein, files </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How to spot a ‘ghost job’ before you waste time applying</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-spot-a-ghost-job-before-you-waste-time-applying</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-spot-a-ghost-job-before-you-waste-time-applying</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Ghost jobs are postings for positions that don’t actually exist for various reasons, and they waste countless hours for job seekers who apply to roles that were never meant to be filled. Experts in recruiting and career strategy have identified specific warning signs that reveal when a posting is likely fake or abandoned. This guide breaks down how to recognize these red flags before investing time in an application, so you can better focus your efforts on genuine opportunities.



Prioritize Responsive Employers that Show Immediate Engagement



One reliable way to identify a ghost job is to see whether applying to it leads to any human response at all. Today, silence has become the norm. I’ve watched thousands of job seekers reach out to employers saying it feels like they’re reaching out into a void. The numbers tell a similar story; research shows that only about 20% to 25% of applications submitted on large job boards, like Indeed, receive any response, which means the majority of applicants never hear back.



That is why so many job seekers feel stuck. Many are not being rejected, but they’re being ignored by jobs that were never truly open. Some listings exist to build applicant pipelines, satisfy internal posting requirements, or because job distribution is automated even when no recruiter is actively reviewing candidates.



We’ve learned to spot the difference between a real opening and a ghost job by watching for one thing: action. When a role is genuinely open, employers engage quickly by reviewing candidates, sending messages, or moving applicants into next steps. When there is no engagement at all, the listing may exist in name only.



Job seekers can better focus their efforts by looking for signals of immediacy and accountability. Listings that include clear location details, shift times, pay ranges, or start timing are far more likely to be tied to real hiring needs. Applying locally and prioritizing roles where employers are actively engaging candidates leads to better outcomes than applying broadly and hoping for a response.



—Debbie Emery, Cofounder &amp; CSO, Juvo Jobs



Follow Projects and Investment Signals for Reality



Another good way to spot a ghost job is to look at how disconnected the posting feels from what’s actually happening in the sector. In energy, where I specialize, hiring is almost always tied to a real project, a capital investment, or some kind of regulatory timeline. So that’s a key indicator: If a role keeps getting reposted for months, the description never really changes, and there’s no clear business reason behind it, it might just be a ghost job.



I’ve seen this happen a lot with software and data roles at utilities. There was one utility that kept reposting a cloud engineering role for close to a year. On paper it looked urgent. In reality, their digital transformation project had been paused while they waited on regulatory approval, but HR kept the job live to collect résumés. Candidates were spending hours interviewing for a role that couldn’t even be funded yet. Internally, everyone knew what was going on. Externally, it looked like a great opportunity.



For job seekers, I’d say the safest move is to follow the money and follow the projects. Pay attention to which companies just secured funding, announced expansions, or won major contracts. 



In energy, hiring tends to follow infrastructure. If a company just broke ground on a new facility or announced a big grid modernization program, those roles are usually real. 



Your sector likely has its own red and green flags; take a minute to establish them early on. Then, keep your eyes open.



—Jon Hill, Managing Partner, Tall Trees Talent



Target Newly Posted Positions with Urgency



An easy way to spot a ghost job listing is when the same role sits online for months with no real changes. In real hiring cycles, things usually move fast, or at least you see progress. When a job keeps showing up again and again, or never fully closes, it is often there to collect résumés or test the market, not to hire right now.



We constantly update our job postings on Indeed. I work closely with our team managers to shape each listing, tweak the wording, and pull roles down when hiring pauses. That is why ghost jobs stand out to me so clearly.



There was this one company in particular that always seemed to have the same opening listed on Indeed. It was a marketing manager’s role that got reposted every 30 days for almost a year. We’ve posted and filled at least five positions over the past six months, but that specific position was still open.



Behind the scenes, I’m guessing candidates kept applying and following up for that role. But no interviews were happening at all. The post stayed live only to build a future talent pool, which felt unfair to job seekers putting in real effort.



To focus on real opportunities, I usually tell job seekers to look for roles posted within the last 14 to 30 days and scan for signs of real activity. This can be a named hiring manager, clear next steps in the process, or recent team growth on LinkedIn.



From what I have seen, applying to fewer roles with stronger signals of urgency works better than sending out dozens of applications and hoping one sticks.



—Lauren Byrne, Co-Owner and Head of HR, My Biz Niche



Watch for Reposts, Research Beyond the Listing



Job searching requires time, emotional energy, and vulnerability. When a role turns out to be a ghost job, or worse, a risky one, it understandably erodes trust in the hiring process and in employers more broadly.



One reliable way to spot a ghost job is when a role has been posted or repeatedly reposted for months with no visible hiring activity or meaningful evolution. These listings are often vague, evergreen, and disconnected from a clear, time-bound business need.



I see this most often with fast-growing companies that are fundraising or planning for future scale. From an employer perspective, building a talent pipeline is strategic. From a candidate perspective, applying to a role that is not actively being filled can feel misleading. A strong candidate experience depends on transparency. If a role is exploratory or pipeline-based, say so clearly. Candidates deserve to know whether an opportunity is immediate or future-facing.



Other things to be mindful of: Legitimate employers do not ask for personal or financial information such as banking details, SIN/SSN, or government ID during the application or interview process. That information is only collected after a formal offer has been made and accepted, typically through secure onboarding systems. I have seen candidates targeted through fake or misleading job postings that quickly move conversations off platform and request personal details under the guise of “pre-onboarding” or “payroll setup.” These are clear red flags.



For job seekers, taking your research further can make a meaningful difference. Look beyond the posting itself. Review the company’s website, its LinkedIn employer profile, and the profiles of potential hiring managers or team members. Platforms like Glassdoor can also provide useful context when viewed thoughtfully. Pairing this research with a focus on recently posted roles and clear ownership, and combining applications with targeted outreach, helps reduce wasted effort and job search burnout.



For employers, the takeaway is simple. Hiring practices are part of your brand. If you are building a pipeline, be transparent about it. Trust is built through clarity, not ambiguity.



—Heidi Hauver, Executive Advisor &amp; Mentor | Fractional VP, People &amp; Culture



Spot Vague Descriptions



Vague job descriptions paired with little or no movement in the hiring process are another red flag. If a posting lists generic responsibilities, lacks clear success metrics, and there’s no defined next step or timeline; it’s often a sign that the company isn’t truly ready to hire.



I’ve seen this firsthand when companies post roles before aligning internally. They think they’re hiring, but they haven’t clarified what success in the role actually looks like. That lack of structure leads to stalled searches and leaves candidates hanging.



To avoid ghost jobs and focus on real opportunities, job seekers should look for postings that are outcome-based, with clear expectations and a transparent process. Companies that understand job fit, and define the role based on competencies, tend to move faster and hire more intentionally.



—Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators



Chase Recently Funded Firms where Demand Exists



Another reliable way to spot a ghost job is to step back and look at the hiring context of the company, not just the job description itself.



First, pay attention to the total number of open roles a company is posting and whether the employer is actually a recruiting or staffing agency. Agencies often publish large volumes of roles to build résumé pipelines, even when no active opening exists. If a company consistently posts dozens or hundreds of similar roles without clear hiring updates, that’s a strong red flag.



Second, if the company has only a few openings, check who the company is and why they might be hiring now. Well-known brands or Fortune 500 companies often keep roles open continuously for “evergreen” hiring or future needs. In contrast, genuine hiring urgency is usually tied to recent business events, such as a funding round or rapid expansion. You can verify this by checking sources like TechCrunch or recent press releases.



From my experience, the most efficient strategy is to focus on startups that raised significant funding within the last one to three months. Fresh capital almost always translates into real hiring pressure, defined roles, and faster decision cycles. Platforms like Wellfound (AngelList Talent) make this especially easy, as many startups there are actively converting funding into immediate hires.



In short, job seekers should shift their effort from volume-based applying to signal-based targeting: companies with recent funding, clear growth drivers, and a concrete reason to hire right now. This dramatically reduces wasted applications and increases the odds of engaging with real, active opportunities.



—Bogdan Serebrykaov, Founder &amp; CEO, Careery



Favor Definite Steps toward Live Interviews



One reliable red flag is a process that never outlines clear steps toward a live interview. At the SHRM25 Executive Network Experience, HR leaders told me they are bringing candidates into the office earlier to confirm identity because of deep fakes, and processes that outline this process upfront are more credible than those that are vague. Job seekers should focus on employers that clearly describe those in-person steps in the job description and early communications.



—Colleen Paulson, Executive Career Consultant, Ageless Careers



Match Role Scope to Company Stage



One thing I’ve learned is that a job posting can sound way bigger than the company actually is, and that’s a strong sign it might be a ghost job. If the role promises “global leadership,” “building a world-class team,” or “executive-level strategy” for a startup that only has a handful of employees, it usually means the posting was created to attract clicks or collect résumés, not to fill a real position.



I once saw a listing for a “VP of Growth” at a tiny SaaS company with no marketing team and only a couple of customers. The job description read like it was written for a large enterprise. When I checked the company’s LinkedIn and website, there was no evidence they were scaling at that level, so it didn’t feel genuine.



To avoid wasting time, I recommend focusing on companies whose job descriptions match their real size and stage. A genuine opportunity will clearly describe the team structure, the current product roadmap, and what success looks like in the first 90 days. If those details are missing or exaggerated, treat it as a red flag.



So my advice is to avoid chasing roles that sound too big for the company. Instead, focus your energy on listings where the job scope matches the company’s real-world reality. That’s how you find real opportunities.



—Monica Panait, CMO, Brizy



Cross Check Ads against Employer-Owned Channels



I would say that one reliable way to spot a ghost job is to check when the job was posted against the company’s own careers page or their social media activity.



I tend to see roles on LinkedIn which say that the job was posted two days ago. But if you really dig into the company’s website, the same role has been listed with the exact same description for several months now.



You should focus on the active signals instead of just open roles. I recommend looking for a hiring manager posting about the role personally on their LinkedIn profile or on Twitter in the past week.



If you’re only able to find evidence of that job on an automated feed on a job board, then it’s quite likely just a “pipeline builder” and not something the company is taking very seriously. But if there’s a human behind it talking about the role, then there is a real budget attached to that role right now.



—Jeremy Chatelaine, Founder &amp; CEO, MonsterOps



Verify Local Contact Numbers before You Proceed



Job seekers should know that an out-of-town—or country—phone number is often a red flag.



On its own, it seems like a small detail. People move and often keep their old numbers. But businesses are different. A legitimate company hiring for a real, funded role should have a local presence tied to the market they operate in. Even large national or global companies still maintain local recruiting numbers, local HR contacts, or at minimum a clear corporate line that routes internally. So, when a posting claims to be hiring in Dallas, Chicago, or Toronto, but every call comes from an overseas call center or a rotating set of untraceable numbers, that’s worth paying attention to.



In my experience, real hiring teams want to be reachable. They want candidates to be able to call back, verify who they spoke with, and feel confident about who is on the other end of the process. When a company refuses to provide a local number, hides behind VOIP lines, or routes all recruiting through offshore screening centers with no accountability, it often means the role itself isn’t real. It doesn’t mean you walk away immediately. But it does mean you proceed carefully, protect your time, and keep your expectations realistic.



—Ben Lamarche, General Manager, Lock Search Group



Ask Specific Questions, Confirm Real Work



The most reliable signal of a ghost job is how the hiring manager responds to technical questions about the actual work. When I’m actively hiring, I can tell you exactly what technologies you’d be working with, which client projects need support, and what the team structure looks like. If you ask specific questions about the tech stack, the development process, or what the first month would look like and get vague answers or deflection, that’s your warning sign. Real hiring managers are usually eager to talk about the work because they need to fill the role and want candidates who understand what they’re signing up for.



Job seekers should treat initial conversations like due diligence, not auditions. Ask about timelines, who you’d report to, what problem this hire solves, and why the position is open. A legitimate manager will answer these directly because they’re trying to assess fit just as much as you are.



I’ve seen candidates waste months chasing roles where the company was “just collecting résumés” or the position was frozen but still posted. The ones who filtered fast by asking pointed questions about the actual work moved on to real opportunities while others were still waiting for callbacks that would never come.



—Sergiy Fitsak, Managing Director, Fintech Expert, Softjourn



Review Team Activity around Announced Vacancies



If the hiring team or recruiter don’t have activity regarding the open position, that can be a red flag. Let’s assume a company advertises open roles. If the hiring team or internal recruiters haven’t posted, shared, or commented on these open positions, it is likely a ghost job. 



Companies tend to be loud and very active about their open positions and willingness to recruit people to join their mission. Check for activities from the company’s hiring team or internal recruiters. 



Even better, use LinkedIn to search for people who worked at the company and if they started new jobs elsewhere within the last month. If they did, then the company is trying to fill their vacuum and the opportunity is real.



—Anush Gasparian, Human Resources Director, Phonexa



Treat Easy Apply as a Red Flag



I have seen the job search process from all sides, and for me, the most striking indicator of ghost job postings is the use of LinkedIn’s Easy Apply feature.



When an employer posts an Easy Apply job, they instantly receive hundreds or thousands of responses, most of which are irrelevant, while worthy candidates get lost in the white noise. In addition, candidates sometimes simply don’t remember that they applied for your job and may not respond to your messages. In short, from the perspective of a recruiter or hiring manager, digging through hundreds of résumés is simply not practical.



In my opinion, if you see an “easy apply” button, then something is wrong with this vacancy. And I know at least a couple of reasons why these ghost vacancies are posted:




To gain followers. When a candidate applies for a vacancy, they automatically subscribe to the company’s page. This allows companies to grow their followers and raise their authority on LinkedIn.





To show potential investors, clients, or partners that the company is growing.




If I were looking for a job right now, I would perceive the easy apply button as one of the warning signs. Of course, there are genuine vacancies among them, but this is the first red flag.



—Michael Vavilov, Product Manager, Glozo ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, spot, ‘ghost, job’, before, you, waste, time, applying</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>MIT researchers just mapped New York City foot traffic for the first time ever</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mit-researchers-just-mapped-new-york-city-foot-traffic-for-the-first-time-ever</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mit-researchers-just-mapped-new-york-city-foot-traffic-for-the-first-time-ever</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ New York City is a city of walkers. More trips are made on foot than by car (41% versus 28%) and the city’s “80X50” climate action plan envisions that 80% of all trips by 2050 will be made either on foot, by biking, or by public transit. The problem is that pedestrian movement in the city has remained largely unmapped and underestimated—until now.



Together with a team of researchers, Andres Sevtsuk, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, has built what he says is the first complete model of pedestrian activity in New York City—and it’s a model that can now be applied to any U.S. city. 



The model, which maps foot traffic across all sidewalks, crosswalks and footpaths in NYC during peak periods, reveals surprising patterns about the way people move around the city, as well as where they are most vulnerable to vehicle crashes (hint: it’s not Midtown Manhattan). It could have tremendous benefits for city planners.



Spatial distribution of estimated foot-traffic volumes in New York City during the weekday AM peak period. Blue labels describe observed pedestrian counts during the AM peak hour (in 2018 or 2019) and the white labels describe model estimates. [Image: MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning]



The pitfalls of a car-centric country



Much ink has been spilled on the car-centricity of American cities. Americans average two vehicles per household (among the highest rates in the world) and car ownership has shaped everything from suburban sprawl to infrastructure spending priorities.



Over the past decades, transportation agencies have become experts at modeling traffic and predicting vehicle flows, but as Sevtsuk points out in a study accompanying the model that was published in the journal Nature Cities, “what gets counted, counts.” The amount of transportation infrastructure funding that states receive from the Federal Highway Administration, for example, relies on vehicle miles traveled in that state. The more residents of that state drive cars, the more funding the state receives.



If cities could count the number of pedestrians that walked across their streets, they could steer more federal money into urban, people-oriented infrastructure. But while car domination in the U.S. has long relied on tremendous lobbying from automakers, the pedestrian movement has had no champion pushing for data collection. “Nobody has monetized walking,” says Sevtsuk, “and this is actually a good thing.”



Until 1994, the U.S. didn’t even have an accurate roadway map. That year, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order directing federal agencies to build a standardized digital road network. As Sevtsuk explains, this helped revolutionize traffic modeling and paved the way for more efficient deliveries and various location-based services.



If a similar order were to help develop and standardize a pedestrian network nationwide, it would highlight where communities have systematically worse pedestrian infrastructure, and help target public space investments in places where they affect the most people.



[Image: MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning]



The “Manhattan bias”



Over the past decade, Sevtsuk and his team have built various district-wide models in places like Melbourne, Australia, and Cambridge, MA, but they have never built a model at this scale. “A lot of cities don’t even know where their sidewalks are,” he says, “and the sad part is, some cities don’t want to know where sidewalks are.” 



Indeed, cities face legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to maintain accessible sidewalks, but a comprehensive tracking system also exposes them to greater liability. The result, according to Sevtsuk, is a perverse incentive whereby cities that don’t systematically inventory their sidewalk conditions can more easily defend themselves against injury claims by arguing they weren’t aware of specific hazards.



In New York City, Sevtsuk’s model revealed illuminating findings. One of them has to do with the way street improvements are funded in the city. In 2020, the NYC Department of Transportation released a New York City Pedestrian Mobility Plan that laid out a road map for ongoing improvements for pedestrians and other road users. The plan laid out five corridor classification types intended to serve as a guideline for pedestrian infrastructure renovations. Most streets with the highest classification type—”global corridors” that would receive priority funding for sidewalk widening, pedestrian plazas, and other improvements—were located in Manhattan.



Sevtsuk acknowledges that many of these streets, including Broadway and Fifth Avenue, are important corridors, but his team’s model shows that 26 streets in the outer boroughs had higher pedestrian volume than 75% of the “global corridors” designated by NYC DOT, yet they were categorized lower, meaning they won’t receive the treatment or investment they deserve.



Average pedestrian volumes weekday evening peak period 5-6 p.m. in 59 NYC Community Districts. [Image: MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning]



“We discovered there is a Manhattan bias in policymaking,” he says, noting the discrepancy was likely due to a lack of metrics. “They were guesstimating, and with guesstimation, we’re all flawed and have biases,” he added.



Comparison between the total number of crashes involving pedestrian injuries between 2012 and 2023 (left), and the rates of pedestrian injuries (right), where the crash counts are divided by foot-traffic. [Image: MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning]



Another finding had to do with car crashes. For years, transportation officials have thought the highest number of pedestrian injuries involving vehicle crashes was around Times Square, in Manhattan. But these numbers never took crash rates per pedestrian into account, meaning they simply looked at where the most crashes occur, without considering the fact that there were more crashes simply because there were more people. “We need to take into account how many people actually walk there, then look at crash rates per pedestrian,” says Sevtsuk.



Using data from the model, the researchers mapped the rate of pedestrian crashes and found the highest concentration in The Bronx, Staten Island, as well as outer regions of Brooklyn and Queens. Not a single street below 125th in Manhattan lit up on the map. “Midtown sees a lot of crashes but it’s a safe place to walk because it has very high level of foot traffic,” says Sevtsuk. 



A template for cities worldwide



The implications of the team’s work extend far beyond New York City. In fact,  what makes the model particularly powerful for other cities is how adaptable it is. 



The researchers’ approach builds on a framework called Urban Network Analysis that Sevtsuk and his team have been developing for a decade. The team started by assembling data on where in NYC sidewalks, crosswalks, and footpaths are located, then mapping major trip origins and destinations—think home to school, job to subway, or restaurant to park. They then simulated how pedestrians move between these locations, accounting for the fact that people don’t always take the shortest route and often have multiple subway stops to choose from.



Using pedestrian counts from over 1,000 locations from NYC DOT as “ground truth,” the team calibrated the model using machine learning to ensure the estimates matched real-world observations. Once calibrated at those locations, the model could predict pedestrian volumes across every street in the city. The process took about a year to complete, “but relatively speaking, it’s still much easier than building a full-fledged traffic model,” says Sevtsuk.



The researchers are now working with 140 cities across the state of Maine to better understand the kinds of upgrades and safety improvements they could make for pedestrians. They have also partnered with LA Metro to identify opportunities where the city could do small but important interventions that would help them better prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games, but also everyday users. “They are trying to use [the interventions] as a kind of legacy, using some of the Games’ budget to support walking in the city,” says Sevtsuk.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>MIT, researchers, just, mapped, New, York, City, foot, traffic, for, the, first, time, ever</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This CEO just rebranded his B2B company. It’s a lesson in manifesting</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-ceo-just-rebranded-his-b2b-company-its-a-lesson-in-manifesting</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-ceo-just-rebranded-his-b2b-company-its-a-lesson-in-manifesting</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc.and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.



During Charles Giancarlo’s first all-hands meeting after becoming CEO of Pure Storage in 2017, an employee asked: “How long are we going to keep the name Pure Storage?” The question suggested that having “storage” in the company’s name limited the range of products and services it could offer customers.



“My response at the time was, ‘We can think about a new name as soon as we start doing something other than storage,’” Giancarlo recalls.



Though the company may be best known for its data storage platform—including its all-flash hardware that uses ultraefficient flash memory modules instead of spinning hard drives—Giancarlo is pushing the Santa Clara, Calif.-based tech concern into data management. Today, he unveiled a new name, Everpure, reflecting his ambition to deliver a broader array of products and services to enterprises.



A brand by any other name



The Everpure moniker preserves the brand equity of “Pure” from the original company name. “Ever” nods to the company’s Evergreen storage-as-a-subscription program. A new logo retains the Pure Storage logomark, and the company’s ticker symbol, PSTG, remains unchanged.



Renaming a company isn’t cheap—brand management platform Frontify estimates that a complete brand overhaul can cost companies $1 million or more. And while consumer branding changes are often hotly debated (hello, Cracker Barrel), business-to-business (B2B) marketing moves rarely elicit more than a shrug. Giancarlo himself says it is unlikely that anyone will be talking about the name change a year from now.



But an enterprise rebranding can help reframe a company’s remit for employees, investors, and prospective customers. Indeed, Giancarlo believes the new name will help open doors with chief data officers and AI strategists. “The person who cares about data management inside our customers is different from the person that cares about data storage,” he explains. “And when they hear the name Pure Storage, they’re likely to say, ‘Oh, I don’t need to meet with them. They’re the storage people.’”



New name, new opportunities



The rebranding is also a manifestation of Giancarlo’s bet that enterprises will pay Everpure for more than data storage, aligning the company’s name and brand with the future it aspires to build. To take full advantage of the promise of AI—such as agents that can monitor a supply chain or automatically generate financial reporting—companies need to organize, tag, and unify information that often exists in different systems and databases. Everpure is ready to help them do that.



“Many customers who were furthest along in adopting AI—who were gung-ho—are saying, ‘my biggest challenge in being able to deploy AI is that my enterprise data is not ready,’” Giancarlo says. Everpure is seeking to address these challenges with its Enterprise Data Cloud architecture, which promises to simplify the process of cleaning, reshaping, and moving data so it can be useful to companies.



However, the company’s success is by no means assured. Its competitors include Dell EMC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), heavy hitters who are also seeking to help customers with their data management needs.



Giancarlo says Everpure’s edge is its willingness to invest in innovation. When he arrived at the company, after 13 years at Cisco Systems and 8 years at private equity firm Silverlake, he committed to maintaining heavy investment in research and development. In its fiscal year that ended February 2, 2025, the company spent $804 million on R&amp;D, 25% of its $3.2 billion in total revenue. Everpure reports 2026 revenue this week. While some “mature” companies might look to improve profitability by cutting that spending, Giancarlo says he still intends to maintain high levels of R&amp;D investment, adding: “Maybe I’m perpetually immature.”



What investments do you prioritize?



What are the tools your company uses to help realize your ambitions? Send your responses to stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’ll publish some of your manifestations in a future newsletter.



Read more: the business of rebranding




7 designers on the most influential rebrands of 2025



The biggest branding trends you’ll see this year



6 situations that call for a rebrand




 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91493729-modern-ceo-ever-pure.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, CEO, just, rebranded, his, B2B, company., It’s, lesson, manifesting</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Flight cancellations update: American, Delta, and United Airlines issue airport alerts as blizzard batters Northeast</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/flight-cancellations-update-american-delta-and-united-airlines-issue-airport-alerts-as-blizzard-batters-northeast</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/flight-cancellations-update-american-delta-and-united-airlines-issue-airport-alerts-as-blizzard-batters-northeast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If you’re in the Northeast, there’s a good chance you’ll be hunkering down inside for a few days as a major snowstorm batters the East Coast. 



And if you have a flight to catch, well, there’s a high probability that it might not be taking off at all. Due to the blizzard, which is forecast to bring up to two feet of snow in some areas, thousands of flights have already been canceled or delayed.



Here’s what you need to know if you have a flight to catch.



Thousands of flights have already been canceled due to the snowstorm



As of the time of this writing, 5,348 flights within, into, or out of the United States today have already been canceled, according to data compiled by the flight tracking platform FlightAware. Additionally, another 703 flights have been delayed. 



The number of today’s cancellations already outpaces yesterday, when 3,436 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States took place.



It is highly likely that as the day continues on—and the storm continues along its path—that more flights will be canceled or delayed.



And the majority of those cancellations and delays can be blamed on the winter storm that is bearing down across the Northeast. 



As NBC News reports, the storm has already resulted in more than 200,000 people losing power across the impacted area, which stretches from Maryland to Maine. In total, blizzard warnings currently cover 41 million people.



School closures have already been announced across major cities like Boston and New York, the latter of which has a travel ban in place until later today. In New York, officials said today’s blizzard could be one of the city’s 10 worst over the past 150 years.



Major airlines issue travel alerts for dozens of airports



America’s three largest airlines have issued travel alerts for flights shceduled to depart from or land into dozens of airports. The airlines, which include American, Delta, and United, say the travel alerts are in place from yesterday, February 22, 2026, until Wednesday, February 25, 2026. Those airports include:



American Airlines



American has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm:




Baltimore, Maryland (BWI)



Boston, Massachusetts (BOS)



Hampton / Newport News, Virginia (PHF)



Hartford, Connecticut (BDL)



New York Kennedy, New York (JFK)



New York LaGuardia, New York (LGA)



Newark, New Jersey (EWR)



Norfolk, Virginia (ORF)



Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)



Providence, Rhode Island (PVD)



Richmond, Virginia (RIC)



Salisbury / Ocean City, Maryland (SBY)



Washington Dulles, Washington D.C. (IAD)



Washington Reagan, Washington D.C. (DCA)



White Plains / Westchester County, New York (HPN)



Worcester, Massachusetts (ORH)




Delta Air Lines



Delta has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm:




Albany, NY (ALB)



Allentown, PA (ABE)



Baltimore, MD (BWI)



Bangor, ME (BGR)



Boston, MA (BOS)



Charleston, WV (CRW)



Charlottesville, VA (CHO)



Cleveland, OH (CLE)



Elmira, NY (ELM)



Harrisburg, PA (MDT)



Hartford, CT (BDL)



Ithaca, NY (ITH)



New York, NY (JFK)



New York, NY (LGA)



Newark, NJ (EWR)



Norfolk, VA (ORF)



Philadelphia, PA (PHL)



Portland, ME (PWM)



Providence, RI (PVD)



Richmond, VA (RIC)



South Bend, IN (SBN)



Washington, DC (DCA)



Washington, DC (IAD)



White Plains, NY (HPN)



Worcester, MA (ORH)




United Airlines



United has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm:




Allentown, PA, US (ABE)



Albany, NY, US (ALB)



Wilkes – Barre/Scranton, PA, US (AVP)



Hartford, CT, US (BDL)



Boston, MA, US (BOS)



Baltimore, MD, US (BWI)



Washington, DC, US (DCA)



Newark, NJ/New York, NY, US (EWR)



Washington, DC, US (IAD)



New York, NY, US (JFK)



New York, NY, US (LGA)



Manchester, NH, US (MHT)



Norfolk, VA, US (ORF)



Philadelphia, PA, US (PHL)



Providence, RI, US (PVD)



Portland, ME, US (PWM)



Richmond, VA, US (RIC)




What should I do if I have a flight scheduled for the next few days?



Before you head to the airport, you should monitor for any announcements about your flight. The easiest way to do this is to check your airline’s app to see whether your flight is on time, delayed, or canceled.



You can also enter your flight infromation on the airlines website to get the latest updates for your journey.



What are my options if my flight is delayed or canceled?



If your flight is delayed or canceled, you should check with your airline about alternate travel options.



Some airlines are also allowing affected passengers to reschedule their flights. United, for example, is allowing passengers with original travel dates between February 22 and February 25, 2026, at select airports to change their flights without incurring change fees or fare differences, under certain conditions and limitations.



If your flight is delayed or canceled—or you just don’t want to travel during the storm—it’s best to call your airline to ask what your travel options are. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Flight, cancellations, update:, American, Delta, and, United, Airlines, issue, airport, alerts, blizzard, batters, Northeast</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>If the recent AI and crypto shocks upset you, you’re tracking the wrong cycle</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/if-the-recent-ai-and-crypto-shocks-upset-you-youre-tracking-the-wrong-cycle</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/if-the-recent-ai-and-crypto-shocks-upset-you-youre-tracking-the-wrong-cycle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Claude and DeepSeek, separated at birth? ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/igor-pejic.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>the, recent, and, crypto, shocks, upset, you, you’re, tracking, the, wrong, cycle</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/peter-thiel-and-other-tech-billionaires-are-publicly-shielding-their-children-from-the-products-that-made-them-rich</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/peter-thiel-and-other-tech-billionaires-are-publicly-shielding-their-children-from-the-products-that-made-them-rich</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As governments race to restrict minors’ social media use, the tech billionaires who built the platforms are imposing strict screen limits at home. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GettyImages-1239812766.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Peter, Thiel, and, other, tech, billionaires, are, publicly, shielding, their, children, from, the, products, that, made, them, rich</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The CEO of a $1 billion AI unicorn says his peers in Silicon Valley want you to fear for your job, but they’re actually first on the chopping block</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ceo-of-a-1-billion-ai-unicorn-says-his-peers-in-silicon-valley-want-you-to-fear-for-your-job-but-theyre-actually-first-on-the-chopping-block</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ceo-of-a-1-billion-ai-unicorn-says-his-peers-in-silicon-valley-want-you-to-fear-for-your-job-but-theyre-actually-first-on-the-chopping-block</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Tanmai Gopal of PromptQL said tech people have a bad habit of thinking &quot;this affects me. So it&#039;s going to affect everyone like that.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/8OM2ihwQ_400x400.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, CEO, billion, unicorn, says, his, peers, Silicon, Valley, want, you, fear, for, your, job, but, they’re, actually, first, the, chopping, block</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘I have a chip on my shoulder.’ Phoebe Gates wants her $185 million AI startup Phia to succeed with ‘no ties to my privilege or my last name’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-have-a-chip-on-my-shoulder-phoebe-gates-wants-her-185-million-ai-startup-phia-to-succeed-with-no-ties-to-my-privilege-or-my-last-name</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-have-a-chip-on-my-shoulder-phoebe-gates-wants-her-185-million-ai-startup-phia-to-succeed-with-no-ties-to-my-privilege-or-my-last-name</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates acknowledges her privilege, but says she’s building her own thing without their help. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2214925234-e1771613783530.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘I, have, chip, shoulder.’, Phoebe, Gates, wants, her, 185, million, startup, Phia, succeed, with, ‘no, ties, privilege, last, name’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How fandom became culture’s power center — and a blueprint for Gen Z’s economic influence</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/howfandombecame-cultures-power-center-and-a-blueprint-for-gen-zs-economic-influence</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/howfandombecame-cultures-power-center-and-a-blueprint-for-gen-zs-economic-influence</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Fandoms sit at the intersection of identity, influence, and spending. Three dynamics explain their accelerating economic power.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2188653759-e1771614343488.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How fandom became, culture’s, power, center, —, and, blueprint, for, Gen, Z’s, economic, influence</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>These designers made a sustainable new building material from corn</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-designers-made-a-sustainable-new-building-material-from-corn</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-designers-made-a-sustainable-new-building-material-from-corn</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new 3D-printed construction technique turns corn into a novel building material.



Corncretl is a biocomposite made from corn waste known as nejayote that’s rich in calcium. It’s dried, pulverized, and mixed with minerals, and the resulting material is applied using a 3D printer.



[Photo: Dinorah Schulte/Manufactura]



This corn-based construction material was made by Manufactura, a Mexican sustainable materials company, and it imagines a second life for waste from the most widely produced grain in the world. The project started as an invitation by chef Jorge Armando, the founder of catering brand Taco Kween Berlin, to find ways he could reintegrate waste generated by his taqueria into architecture. A team led by designer Dinorah Schulte created corncretl during a residency last year in Massa Lombarda, Italy.



“The material combines recycled nejayote derivatives with limestone and Carrara marble powder, connecting pre-Hispanic construction knowledge from Mexico with material traditions from northern Italy,” Schulte tells Fast Company. 



[Photo: Dinorah Schulte/Manufactura]



Growing momentum for clean cement alternatives



Many sustainable materials studios are researching concrete alternatives. And while corncretl is just in the prototyping stage, food waste has been tested as a potential building material more broadly. 



Researchers at the University of Tokyo made a construction material it said was harder than cement in 2022 out of raw materials like coffee grounds, powered fruit and vegetable waste, and seaweed. Last year, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology developed a rammed earth material encased in cardboard, which eliminated the need for cement completely, and Manufactura experimented with building materials made from coffee too.



Designers have turned to 3D printers to build everything from train shelters to houses, and developing alternative materials to print with could lead to cheaper, more durable, and more sustainable construction methods.



[Photo: Dinorah Schulte/Manufactura]



After Schulte’s team developed corncretl, they then moved to practical application, prototyping three panels for modular construction using a Kuka robotic arm.



“The project employs an internal infill structure that allows the 3D-printed wall to be self-supporting, eliminating the need for external scaffolding during fabrication,” Schulte says, and the geometry of the system was inspired by terrazzo patterns found in the Roman Empire, particularly Rimini, Italy, where the team visited.



[Photo: Dinorah Schulte/Manufactura]



“During a visit to the city museum, we were struck by the expressive curved terrazzo motifs, which became a starting point for translating historical geometries into a contemporary, computationally designed 3D-printed wall, culturally rooted yet forward-looking,” she says.



[Photo: Dinorah Schulte/Manufactura]



Corn, or maize, is native to Mexico, and the country produces 27 million metric tons of it annually, according to the Wilson Center, a think tank. Finding an alternative use for nejayote, then, could then turn a waste stream from a popular food into the basis for building physical structures.



If the byproduct from cooking tortillas proves to be one such source, taquerias could one day find themselves in the restaurant and construction businesses.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91493806-corn-lime-construction-material.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>These, designers, made, sustainable, new, building, material, from, corn</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Political branding’s most infamous punctuation mark launched decades before you think</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/political-brandings-most-infamous-punctuation-mark-launched-decades-before-you-think</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/political-brandings-most-infamous-punctuation-mark-launched-decades-before-you-think</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign is remembered a decade on for the exclamation point in its “Jeb!” logo, but Jesse Jackson’s campaign actually used the punctuation 28 years before him.



Jackson, the civil rights activist who died Tuesday at the age of 84, ran for president twice, in 1984 and 1988. At the 1988 Democratic National Convention, his supporters held red signs that said “Jesse!” in white.



Democratic National Convention, Atlanta, 1988. [Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images]



Jackson came in second in the 1988 primary with nearly 30% of the vote against the party’s nominee Michael Dukakis, and since then, candidates from Bush to 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, have used the punctuation mark in their logos to give their names some added emphasis.



An attendee holds a campaign sign while listening during a campaign event for Jeb Bush in Charleston, South Carolina, 2016. [Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images]



Though Jackson never held political office, the visual brand of his historic campaigns still resonates today for standing out in a sea of sameness. 



A protege of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was the founder of the civil rights nonprofit Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) when he announced his campaign in 1983 without any experience in elected office and became the first Black presidential candidate for a major party since Shirley Chisholm.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91494637-jesse-jackston-exclamation-point.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Political, branding’s, most, infamous, punctuation, mark, launched, decades, before, you, think</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>UPS is closing package facilities: See the list of doomed locations across several states in 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ups-is-closing-package-facilities-see-the-list-of-doomed-locations-across-several-states-in-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ups-is-closing-package-facilities-see-the-list-of-doomed-locations-across-several-states-in-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ United Parcel Service (UPS) is planning to close dozens of packaging facilities this year, the shipping giant revealed in a court filing this week. 



The plans include shuttering facilities in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and several other states. It includes locations that have union employees, according to a docket made public as part of a lawsuit between UPS and the  Teamsters Union. 



UPS revealed in January that it will cut 30,000 jobs over the coming year. The move was announced as its partnership with Amazon was winding down and amid a broader push toward automation. 



At the time, it also revealed plans to close 24 total facilities, though it did not reveal the locations. 



Now the locations of 22 of those facilities have been made public. In the court filings, UPS said “the applicable Local Unions have been notified of these closures and informed of the anticipated impacts.” 



Which UPS package facilities are closing?



The facilities marked for closure are spread across more than 18 states. They appear below: 




Jamieson Park facility in Spokane, Washington



Chalk Hill facility in Dallas, Texas



Jacksonville, Illinois



Rockdale, Illinois



Devils Lake, North Dakota



Laramie, Wyoming



Pendleton, Oregon



North Hills, California



Las Vegas North in Las Vegas, Nevada



Quad Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland



Wilmington, Massachusetts



Ashland, Massachusetts



Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts



Miami Downtown Air in Miami, Florida



Camden, Arkansas



Blytheville, Arkansas



Kosciusko, Mississippi



Atlanta Hub in Atlanta, Georgia



Columbia Hub in West Columbia, South Carolina



Kinston, North Carolina



Austinburg, Ohio



Cadillac, Michigan




What has UPS said about the closures?



“We’re well into the largest U.S. network reconfiguration in UPS history, creating a nimbler, more efficient operation by modernizing our facilities and matching our size and resources to support growth initiatives,” a UPS spokesperson told Fast Company when reached for comment. “Some positions will be affected, though most changes are expected to occur through attrition. We’re committed to supporting our people throughout this process.”



The facility closures were reported earlier by Freight Waves.



Last year, UPS also shed 48,000 workers. The primary drivers for the closures are a broader rightsizing effort, outlined back in 2024. 



Shares of United Parcel Service Inc (NYSE: UPS) are up almost 15% so far in 2026. But the stock is down significantly from highs it had seen during the early pandemic years. 



However, the impact of the closures will affect members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In response, the Teamsters filed a lawsuit over a planned voluntary buyout program for union drivers, called the Driver Choice Program, or DCP, saying it violates its contract. 



The Teamsters have asked the court for an injunction pending the two sides’ initiation of the grievance process outlined in their contract.



In a statement, the Teamsters have said that they have “detailed at least six violations of its National Master Agreement by UPS in the rollout of the buyout program, including direct dealing of new contracts with workers, elimination of union jobs when UPS contractually agreed to establish more positions, and erosion of the rights and privileges of union shop stewards, among other charges.”



“For the second time in six months, UPS has proven it doesn’t care about the law, has no respect for its contract with the Teamsters, and is determined to try to screw our members out of their hard-earned money,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, in comments included in the statement. 



UPS’s spokesperson tells Fast Company that the company is “disappointed” in the response. 



“The world is changing, and the rate of change is accelerating,” UPS says. “As we navigate these changes and continue to reshape our network, our drivers appreciate having choices, including the option to make a career change or retire earlier than planned.” 



This story is developing… ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>UPS, closing, package, facilities:, See, the, list, doomed, locations, across, several, states, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Google’s threat intel chief explains why AI is now both the weapon and the target</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/googles-threat-intel-chief-explains-why-ai-is-now-both-the-weapon-and-the-target</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/googles-threat-intel-chief-explains-why-ai-is-now-both-the-weapon-and-the-target</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Generative AI has rapidly become core infrastructure, embedded across enterprise software, cloud platforms, and internal workflows. But that shift is also forcing a structural rethink of cybersecurity. The same systems driving productivity and growth are emerging as points of vulnerability.



Google Cloud’s latest AI Threat Tracker report suggests the tech industry has entered a new phase of cyber risk, one in which AI systems themselves are high-value targets. Researchers from Google DeepMind and the Google Threat Intelligence Group have identified a steady rise in model extraction, or “distillation,” attacks, in which actors repeatedly prompt generative AI systems in an attempt to copy their proprietary capabilities.



In some cases, attackers flood models with carefully designed prompts to force them to reveal how they think and make decisions. Unlike traditional cyberattacks that involve breaching networks, many of these efforts rely on legitimate access, making them harder to detect and shifting cybersecurity toward protecting intellectual property rather than perimeter defenses.



Researchers say model extraction could allow competitors, state actors, or academic groups to replicate valuable AI capabilities without triggering breach alerts. For companies building large language models, the competitive moat now extends to the proprietary logic inside the models themselves.



The report also found that state-backed and financially motivated actors from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia are using AI across the attack cycle. Threat groups are deploying generative models to improve malware, research targets, mimic internal communications, and craft more convincing phishing messages. Some are experimenting with AI agents to assist with vulnerability discovery, code review, and multi-step attacks.



John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, says the implications extend beyond traditional breach scenarios. Foundation models represent billions in projected enterprise value, and distillation attacks could allow adversaries to copy key capabilities without breaking into systems. The result, he argues, is an emerging cyber arms race, with attackers using AI to operate at machine speed while defenders race to deploy AI that can identify and respond to threats in real time.



Hultquist, a former U.S. Army intelligence specialist who helped expose the Russian threat actor known as Sandworm and now teaches at Johns Hopkins University, tells Fast Company how AI has become both a weapon and a target, and what cybersecurity looks like in a machine-versus-machine future.



AI is shifting from being merely a tool used by attackers to a strategic asset worth replicating. What has changed over the past year to make this escalation structurally and qualitatively different from earlier waves of AI-enabled threats?



AI isn’t just an enabler for threat actors. It’s a new, unique attack surface, and it’s a target in itself. The biggest movements we will see in the immediate future will be actors adopting AI into their existing routines, but as we adopt AI into the stack, they will develop entirely new routines focused on the new opportunity. AI is also an extremely valuable capability, and we can expect the technology itself to be targeted by states and commercial interests looking to replicate it.



The report highlights a rise in model extraction, or “distillation,” attacks aimed at proprietary systems. How do these attacks work?



Distillation attacks are when someone bombards a model with prompts to systematically replicate a model’s capabilities. In Google’s case, someone sent Gemini more than 100,000 prompts to probe its reasoning capabilities in an apparent attempt to reverse-engineer its decision-making structure. Think of it like when you’re training an analyst, and you’re trying to understand how they came to a conclusion. You might ask them a whole series of questions in an effort to reveal their thought process.



Where are state-sponsored and financially motivated threat groups seeing the most immediate operational gains from AI, and how is it changing the speed and sophistication of their day-to-day attack workflows?



We believe adversaries see the value of AI in day-to-day productivity across the full spectrum of their attack operations. Attackers are increasingly using AI platforms for targeting research, reconnaissance, and social engineering. For instance, an attacker who is targeting a particular sector might research an upcoming conference and use AI to interpret and highlight themes and interest areas that can then be integrated into phishing emails for a specific targeted organization. This type of adversarial research would usually take a long time to gather data, translate content, and understand localized context for a particular region or sector. But using AI, an adversary can accomplish hours worth of work in just a few minutes.



Government-backed actors from Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia are integrating AI across the intrusion lifecycle. Where is AI delivering the greatest operational advantage today, and how is it accelerating the timeline from initial compromise to real-world impact?



Generative AI has been used in social engineering for eight years now, and it has gone from making fake photos for profiles to orchestrating complex interactions and deepfaking colleagues. But there are so many other advantages to adversary—speed, scale, and sophistication. Even a less experienced hacker becomes more effective with tools that help troubleshoot operations, while more advanced actors may gain faster access to zero-day vulnerabilities. With these gains in speed and scale, attackers can operate inside traditional patch cycles and overwhelm human-driven defenses. It is also important not to underestimate the criminal impact of this technology. In many applications, speed is actually a liability to espionage actors who are working very hard to stay low and slow, but it is a major asset for criminals, especially since they expect to alert their victims when they launch ransomware or threaten leaks.



We’re beginning to see early experimentation with agentic AI systems capable of planning and executing multi-step campaigns with limited human intervention. How close are we to truly autonomous adversaries operating at scale, and what early signals suggest threat velocity is accelerating?



Threat actors are already using AI to gain scale advantages. We see them using AI to automate reconnaissance operations and social engineering. They are using agentic solutions to scan targets with multiple tools and we have seen some actors reduce the laborious process of developing tailored social engineering. From our own work with tools such as BigSleep, we know that AI agents can be extremely effective at identifying software vulnerabilities and expect adversaries to be exploring similar capabilities. 



At a strategic level, are we moving toward a default machine-versus-machine era in cybersecurity? Can defensive AI evolve fast enough to keep pace with offensive capabilities, or has cyber resilience now become inseparable from overall AI strategy?



We are certainly going to lean more on the machines than we ever have, or risk falling behind others that do. In the end, though, security is about risk management, which means human judgment will have to be involved at some level. I’m afraid that attackers may have some advantages when it comes to adapting quickly. They won’t have the same bureaucracies to manage or have the same risks. If they take a chance on some new technique and it fails, that won’t significantly cost them. That will give them greater freedom to experiment. We are going to have to work hard to keep up with them. But if we don’t try and don’t adopt AI-based solutions ourselves, we will certainly lose. I don’t think there is any future for defenders without AI; it’s simply too impactful to be avoided. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Google’s, threat, intel, chief, explains, why, now, both, the, weapon, and, the, target</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘This is very serious’: Judge threatens AI glasses wearers with contempt during Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-very-serious-judge-threatens-ai-glasses-wearers-with-contempt-during-mark-zuckerbergs-testimony</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-very-serious-judge-threatens-ai-glasses-wearers-with-contempt-during-mark-zuckerbergs-testimony</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If the thought of AI smart glasses annoys you, you’re not alone. 



This week, the judge presiding over a historic social media addiction trial took a harsh stance on the AI-powered gadgets, which many bystanders find invasive of their privacy: Stop recording or face contempt of court. Here’s what you need to know.



What’s happened?



Yesterday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in a trial that many industry watchers say could have severe ramifications for social media giants, depending on how it turns out. 



At the heart of the trial is the question of whether social media companies like Meta, via its Facebook and Instagram platforms, purposely designed said platforms to be addictive.



Since the trial began, many Big Tech execs have taken the stand to give testimony, and yesterday it was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s turn. 



But while Zuckerberg was there to talk about his legacy products—Facebook and Instagram, particularly—for a brief moment, the presiding judge in the case, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl, turned her attention to a newer Meta product: the company’s Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses.



Judge warns AI smart glasses wearers



According to multiple reports, at one point during yesterday’s trial, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl took a moment to issue a stark warning to anyone wearing AI glasses in the courtroom: stop recording with them and delete the footage, or face contempt.



Many courts generally forbid recording during trials, though there are exceptions. However, while the judge did seem to be worried about recording in general, she also had another concern: the privacy of the jury.



“If your glasses are recording, you must take them off,” the judge said, per the Los Angeles Times. “It is the order of this court that there must be no facial recognition of the jury. If you have done that, you must delete it. This is very serious.”



Currently, Meta’s AI glasses do not include the ability to identify the names of the people a wearer views through them, but that’s not likely what the judge meant in her concerns about “facial recognition.” 



Instead, it is likely the judge was concerned that the video recorded by the AI glasses could then be later viewed and run through external facial recognition software to identify the jury in the video.



Some of Meta’s AI glasses can record video clips up to three minutes long.



From reports, it does not appear as if the judge singled out any specific individuals in the courtroom, but CNBC reports that ahead of Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony, members of his team, escorting him into the building, were spotted wearing Meta Ray-Ban artificial intelligence glasses.



As the LA Times reported, the judge’s “admonition was met with silence in the courtroom.”



Broader social concerns over AI glasses



The privacy of jurors is critical for fair and impartial trials, as well as their own safety. Given that, it’s no surprise that the judge did not mince words when warning about AI glasses recording.



But the judge’s courtroom concerns also mirror many people’s broader concerns over AI glasses: People are worried about wearers of the glasses violating their privacy, either by recording them or using facial recognition to identify them.



This concern first became evident more than a decade ago after Google introduced its now-failed smart glasses called Google Glass. Wearers of the device soon became known as “glassholes” due to what many bystanders felt was their intrusive nature. 



When talking to a person wearing smart glasses, you can never be sure you aren’t being recorded—and that freaks people out.



That apprehension about smart glasses has not gone away in the years since Google Glass’s demise. Modern smart glasses are much more capable and concealed. At the same time, everyday consumers are more concerned about their privacy than ever.



These privacy concerns will continue to be a major hurdle to AI smart glasses adoption—especially as AI smart glasses manufacturers, including Meta, reportedly plan to add facial recognition features in the future.



The judge’s admonishment of AI glasses wearers in the courtroom yesterday won’t help the devices’ already strained reputation. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘This, very, serious’:, Judge, threatens, glasses, wearers, with, contempt, during, Mark, Zuckerberg’s, testimony</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Exclusive: Crypto venture firm Dragonfly closes $650 million fourth fund—even as blockchain VCs face ‘mass extinction’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-crypto-venture-firm-dragonfly-closes-650-million-fourth-fundeven-as-blockchain-vcs-face-mass-extinction</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-crypto-venture-firm-dragonfly-closes-650-million-fourth-fundeven-as-blockchain-vcs-face-mass-extinction</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ An inside look at the fast-rising firm, from its early Polymarket bet to its mysterious founding partner. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/dragonfly.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Crypto, venture, firm, Dragonfly, closes, 650, million, fourth, fund—even, blockchain, VCs, face, ‘mass, extinction’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How FedEx CFO John Dietrich plans to save $2 billion by the end of 2027</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-fedex-cfo-john-dietrich-plans-to-save-2-billion-by-the-end-of-2027</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-fedex-cfo-john-dietrich-plans-to-save-2-billion-by-the-end-of-2027</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Dietrich is betting that a unified network, strict capital discipline, tech investments can squeeze more profit—not just growth—in the years ahead. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Dietrich.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, FedEx, CFO, John, Dietrich, plans, save, billion, the, end, 2027</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>AI investments surge in India as tech leaders convene for Delhi summit</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-investments-surge-in-india-as-tech-leaders-convene-for-delhi-summit</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-investments-surge-in-india-as-tech-leaders-convene-for-delhi-summit</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Blackstone, AMD, and Tata Consultancy Services unveil major infrastructure plans as OpenAI and Anthropic focus on India growth. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2261924150-e1771257523950.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>investments, surge, India, tech, leaders, convene, for, Delhi, summit</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>D&#45;Wave CEO shrugs off short attacks with ‘revolutionary’ $550 million quantum computing acquisition</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/d-wave-ceo-shrugs-off-short-attacks-with-revolutionary-550-million-quantum-computing-acquisition</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/d-wave-ceo-shrugs-off-short-attacks-with-revolutionary-550-million-quantum-computing-acquisition</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Less than 10% of D-Wave&#039;s clients are government research contracts, Alan Baratz says, proof it is offering commercially viable services. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/D-Wave-Qubits-2026-Alan-Baratz-Keynote-03700-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>D-Wave, CEO, shrugs, off, short, attacks, with, ‘revolutionary’, 550, million, quantum, computing, acquisition</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>As boomer and Gen X bosses retire, working from home will make a major comeback, new research predicts</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-boomer-and-gen-x-bosses-retire-working-from-home-will-make-a-major-comeback-new-research-predicts</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-boomer-and-gen-x-bosses-retire-working-from-home-will-make-a-major-comeback-new-research-predicts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new study of 8,000 workers confirms that Gen Z CEOs are set to bring back working from home as they take over—turning today’s office mandates into a temporary blip. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1214795117-e1771239911181.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>boomer, and, Gen, bosses, retire, working, from, home, will, make, major, comeback, new, research, predicts</media:keywords>
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<title>With one word, Travis Kelce may have (unintentionally) revealed his retirement plans</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/with-one-word-travis-kelce-may-have-unintentionally-revealed-his-retirement-plans</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/with-one-word-travis-kelce-may-have-unintentionally-revealed-his-retirement-plans</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Will Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce retire after this football season? Kelce has not yet delivered a public answer to this question, and there’s widespread speculation. But his choice of words when speaking about this decision may tell us which way he’s leaning. It’s a lesson for every communicator. Your choice of words carries meaning, whether you realize it or not. Sometimes that word choice can reveal more than you intended.



The Chiefs just finished a dispiriting season, the first in Kelce’s pro career in which the team did not make the playoffs. Kelce’s current contract with the team ends in March. As many have pointed out, he’s a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, having broken so many records it’s hard to count them all. He truly has nothing left to prove.



On top of that, he’s engaged to Taylor Swift, with a rumored wedding date of June 13. His looks, charisma, and his incredibly famous fiancée mean there are many opportunities for him in the world of entertainment and sportscasting, beyond the wildly successful New Heights podcast he cohosts with his older brother, former Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce.



So there are several good reasons for the younger Kelce to retire this year. On the other hand, many people suspected he would retire a year ago, after the Chiefs failed in their quest for three in a row Super Bowl wins in a humiliating loss to the Eagles. Despite those rumors, he returned to play another season.



Kelce will never lose his love of the game



In January, Kelce shared some of his thoughts on retirement during an episode of New Heights. “I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, you know, having the exit meetings and everything, and they know where I stand, at least right now,” he said. “And I think there’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. And, I don’t know, it’s a tough thing to navigate.”



Then he described the conditions under which he’d continue to play. “If I think my body can heal up and rest up, and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18-, 20-, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat.”



Pay close attention to the word he used in that sentence. I would do it in a heartbeat, not I will do it in a heartbeat. The word would in this sentence indicates that at least some of the requirements he described have not been met. It may seem like a subtle distinction, but consider the two sentences, “I will go to the store” and “I would go to the store.” That second statement implies that there is some reason not to go and therefore the speaker will not go shopping.



We all notice word choices



Kelce isn’t a grammar expert. In fact, his entire sentence is ungrammatical. I doubt he’s ever considered will versus would. But whether we think about them consciously or not, native English speakers are aware of distinctions like this one. Because of that, what he said is so revealing. Kelce’s retirement may not be a certainty. He says he hasn’t decided yet, and that may be true. But “I would do it in a heartbeat” suggests that, at least right now, he thinks he’ll go.



Either way, if you’re a speaker, entrepreneur, or business leader, pay close attention to your choice of words whenever you speak on any important topic. Otherwise, you could wind up telling careful listeners more than you intended.







This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. 



Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>With, one, word, Travis, Kelce, may, have, unintentionally, revealed, his, retirement, plans</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How your personality impacts your career success (and what you can do about it)</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-your-personality-impacts-your-career-success-and-what-you-can-do-about-it</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-your-personality-impacts-your-career-success-and-what-you-can-do-about-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Personality is one of the most underrated predictors of career success in the world. Defined by scientists as the range of habits and typical behaviors that make us who we are—and different from others—and with more than a century of robust academic evidence on how it impacts work and other real-life outcomes, here are some fascinating facts to digest:



(1) The simplest and most reliable way to understand someone’s personality is to look at their scores (position) along five universal traits, namely emotional stability (how calm, composed, and non-anxious you are), extraversion (how sociable, assertive, and energetic you are), agreeableness (how kind, polite, and friendly you are), openness to experience (how curious, intellectual, and open-minded you are), and conscientiousness (how driven, organized, and self-controlled you are). In fact, every other character trait you may read about—e.g., EQ, grit, empathy, resilience, authoritarian, and overconfident—is nothing but a combination of those “Big Five” traits, if not merely one of them relabeled (old wine in new bottles).



(2) There are multiple ways to assess these personality traits, ranging from peer-ratings (most people would agree on their views of a specific person, since we all have consistent reputations and others are able to decode them), AI-scraping of digital footprints (what we say and do online, and how we say and do it compared to others), and science-based personality assessment (you can take a free, visual two-minute version here). Although some believe that self-report questionnaires are inadequate to capture someone’s personality—because anyone can lie or distort their answers and manage impressions—well-designed tests translate someone’s preferred self-presentation into a prediction of their future performance, including how they behave in work and career settings.





(3) There are hundreds of independent scientific studies highlighting the consistent predictive power of personality vis-à-vis all types of job performance and career success outcomes. Most notably, the “Big Five” have been found to predict job satisfaction (higher in emotionally stable, agreeable, and conscientious people), leadership potential (higher in extraverted, emotionally stable, open-to-experience, and conscientious people), sales performance (higher in extraverts), general career progression (higher in conscientious and extraverted people, though the latter depends on culture), and resilience (higher in emotionally stable and conscientious people). Even negative or undesirable outcomes, such as absenteeism, work conflict, and career instability (all more likely when you have lower emotional stability, conscientiousness, and agreeableness). In short, who you are determines how you work and how you relate to work, including your boss, colleagues, and clients.



And yet, the predictive power of personality is not destiny. Acknowledging that personality shapes career outcomes does not mean we are prisoners of our dispositions. It does mean, however, that control comes in specific and sometimes counterintuitive forms.



Behavioral changes



First, while it is hard to change your personality, it is entirely possible to change your behavior: Personality describes tendencies, not fixed scripts. It reflects what comes naturally, not what is possible. A useful way to think about personality is as a set of default settings rather than an immutable operating system. You may be naturally introverted, emotionally reactive, or low in conscientiousness, but that does not prevent you from acting differently when the situation requires it. It does mean that doing so will take more effort and intention than it would for someone whose personality aligns more closely with the role.



This is where self-awareness becomes essential. Without it, people mistake their habits for necessities and their preferences for constraints. With it, they can anticipate when their instincts will help and when they will mislead them. Self-awareness is not achieved through introspection alone. It comes from structured feedback, personality assessment, coaching, and noticing patterns over time. If you receive the same feedback across roles, bosses, or teams, that is not coincidence. It is personality expressing itself.



A useful analogy is handedness. Being left-handed does not prevent you from using your right hand, but it does mean that writing with it will feel awkward and effortful at first. Over time, however, people adapt, compensate, and sometimes become functionally ambidextrous. Personality works in much the same way.



Good and bad matches



Second, there is no such thing as a universally good or bad personality. There are only good or bad matches. Traits become assets or liabilities depending on context. High extraversion is advantageous in leadership and sales, but less so in roles requiring sustained focus. High agreeableness supports collaboration, but can undermine negotiation and tough decision-making. High openness fuels learning and innovation, but may complicate execution if not balanced with discipline.



This is why talent is often best understood as personality in the right place. Careers accelerate when environments reward who you already are rather than punish it. Much of what organizations label as “underperformance” is simply misfit. The same individual can look average in one role and exceptional in another, without changing much at all.



This also explains why changing environments is often more effective than trying to change oneself. If development proves hard or slow, adjusting role design, team composition, or organizational culture can quickly turn a personality liability into a strength. This is not avoidance. It is strategic self-management.



Change happens



Third, people can and do change, including in durable ways: Personality is relatively stable, but it is not fixed. Longitudinal research shows that people change across adulthood, often becoming more emotionally stable, agreeable, and conscientious over time. More targeted change can occur through sustained role demands, life events, and deliberate interventions such as coaching.



Crucially, coaching almost always works by helping people go against their nature. Leaders are rarely coached to do more of what comes naturally. They are coached to slow down when they rush, listen when they dominate, tolerate uncertainty when they avoid it, or impose structure when they prefer improvisation. In that sense, development is inherently anti-authentic. Growth usually requires behaving less like your default self, not more.



This is also why development feels effortful. Personality change does not happen through insight alone, but through repeated behavioral experiments that gradually recalibrate habits. Over time, what once felt unnatural can become routine, expanding a person’s behavioral range.



A perfect fit isn’t required



Fourth, and critically, it is perfectly possible to succeed in roles that are not tailor-made for your personality: Personality explains a meaningful but limited portion of career success. Even under the most generous estimates, it accounts for perhaps 40% to 50% of the variance in outcomes, often less. The rest is explained by skills, learning, motivation, context, opportunity, and persistence. In practice, this means that people routinely succeed in roles that do not fit them naturally.



Introverts can be excellent salespeople. They may not draw energy from constant interaction, but they often compensate through preparation, deep listening, and follow-up. Highly agreeable individuals can become effective negotiators by learning when to create constructive conflict. Risk-averse people can lead innovation by relying on disciplined experimentation rather than bold improvisation. Less conscientious individuals can thrive in structured roles by building external systems that compensate for their preferences.



In many of these cases, success depends on emotional labor: the ability to display enthusiasm, confidence, or composure that may not reflect one’s internal state but is appropriate for the role. Emotional labor is often dismissed as inauthentic, yet it is one of the most underrated career skills. Many high performers succeed not because their jobs perfectly match who they are, but because they have learned to perform the role effectively.



A useful analogy is acting. Good actors are not limited to playing versions of themselves. They succeed by understanding the demands of the role and adapting accordingly. Careers work much the same way. People often grow into roles that initially felt uncomfortable, not because their personality changed overnight, but because their capacity to adapt expanded.The danger is not stretching beyond your personality, but doing so indefinitely without recovery, awareness, or choice.



In short, personality shapes how we work, how others experience us, and how our careers unfold over time. It is one of the most powerful forces in career development precisely because it operates quietly and consistently. But influence is not destiny. With self-awareness, strategic choices, and deliberate development, people can work with their personality rather than be constrained by it.



The real risk is not having a particular personality. It is failing to understand the one you have, and mistaking “being yourself” for the same thing as being effective.




 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-91488864-how-your-personality-affects-your-career.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, your, personality, impacts, your, career, success, and, what, you, can, about, it</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why U.S. healthcare is still the most expensive in the world</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-us-healthcare-is-still-the-most-expensive-in-the-world</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-us-healthcare-is-still-the-most-expensive-in-the-world</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In announcing its “Great Healthcare Plan” in January 2026, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of healthcare.



As a physician and professor studying the intersection of business and health, I know that the challenges in reforming the sprawling U.S. healthcare system are immense. That’s partly for political and even philosophical reasons.



But it also reflects a complex system fraught with competing interests—and the fact that patients, hospitals, health insurance companies, and drug manufacturers change their behaviors in conflicting ways when faced with new rules.



Soaring costs



U.S. healthcare is the most expensive in the world, and according to a poll published in late January 2026, two-thirds of Americans are very worried about their ability to pay for it—whether it’s their medications, a doctor’s visit, health insurance or an unpredictably costly medical emergency.



Disputes over health policy even played a central role in the federal government shutdown in fall 2025.



Trump’s healthcare framework outlines no specific policy actions, but it does establish priorities to address a number of longtime concerns, including prescription drug costs, price transparency, lowering insurance premiums, and making health insurance companies generally more accountable.



Why have these challenges been so difficult to address?



Drug price sticker shock



Prescription drug costs in the U.S. began rising sharply in the 1980s, when drugmakers increased the development of innovative new treatments for common diseases. But efforts to combat this trend have resembled a game of whack-a-mole because the factors driving it are so intertwined.



One issue is the unique set of challenges that define drug development. As with any consumer good, manufacturers price prescription drugs to cover costs and earn profits. Drug manufacturing, however, involves an expensive and time-consuming development process with a high risk of failure.



Patent protection is another issue. Drug patents last 20 years, but completing costly trials necessary for regulatory approval takes up much of that period, reducing the time when manufacturers have exclusive rights to sell the drug. After a patent expires, generic versions can be made and sold for significantly less, lowering the profits for the original manufacturer. Though some data challenges this claim, the pharmaceutical industry contends that high prices while drugs are under patent help companies recover their investment, which then funds the discovery of new drugs. And they often find ways to extend their patents, which keeps prices elevated for longer.



Then there are the intermediaries. Once a drug is on the market, prices are typically set through negotiations with administrators called pharmacy benefit managers, who negotiate discounts and rebates on prescription drugs for health insurers and employers offering benefits to their workers. Pharmacy benefit managers are paid based on those discounts, so they do not have an incentive to lower total drug prices, though new transparency rules enacted February 3 aim to change payment practices. Drugmakers often raise the list price of drugs to make up for the markdowns that pharmacy benefit managers negotiate—and possibly even more than that.



In many countries, centralized government negotiators set the price for prescription drugs, resulting in lower drug prices. This has prompted American officials to consider using those prices as a reference for setting drug prices here. In its blueprint, the Trump administration has called for a “most-favored nation” drug pricing policy, under which some U.S. drug prices would match the lowest prices paid in other countries.



This may work in the short term, but manufacturers say it could also curtail investment in innovative new drugs. And some industry experts worry that it may push manufacturers to raise international prices. 









Policy experts have questioned whether TrumpRx will bring down drug prices.



In late 2025, 16 pharmaceutical companies agreed to most-favored nation pricing for some drugs. Consumers can now buy them directly from manufacturers through TrumpRx, a portal that points consumers to drug manufacturers and provides coupons for purchasing more than 40 widely used brand-name drugs at a discount, which launched February 5. However, many drugs available through the platform can be purchased at lower prices as generics



Increasing price transparency



Fewer than 1 in 20 Americans know how much healthcare services will cost before they receive them. One fix for this seems obvious: Make providers list their prices up front. That way, consumers could compare prices and choose the most cost-effective options for their care.



Spurred by bipartisan support in Congress, the government has embraced price transparency for healthcare services over the past decade. In February 2025, the Trump administration announced stricter enforcement for hospitals, which must now post actual prices, rather than estimates, for common medical procedures. Data is mixed on whether the approach is working as planned, however. Hospitals have reduced prices for people paying out of pocket, but not for those paying with insurance, according to a 2025 study.



For one thing, when regulations change, companies make strategic decisions to achieve their financial goals and meet the new rules—sometimes yielding unintended consequences. One study found, for example, that price transparency regulations in a series of clinics led to an increase in physician charges to insurance companies because some providers who had been charging less raised their prices to match more expensive competitors.



Additionally, a 2024 federal government study found that 46% of hospitals were not compliant. The American Hospital Association, a trade group, suggested price transparency imposes a high administrative burden on hospitals while providing confusing information to patients, whose costs may vary depending on unique aspects of their conditions. And the fine for noncompliance, $300 per day, may be insufficient to offset the cost of disclosing this information, according to some health policy experts.



Beyond high costs, patients also worry that insurers won’t actually cover the care they receive. Cigna is currently fighting a lawsuit accusing its doctors of denying claims almost instantly—within an average of 1.2 seconds—but concerns about claims denial are rampant across the industry. Companies’ use of artificial intelligence to deny claims is compounding the problem.



Fewer than 1 in 20 Americans know how much healthcare services will cost before they get them. [Images: Adobe Stock]



Curbing the rise in health insurance premiums



Many Americans struggle to afford monthly insurance premiums. But curbing that increase significantly may be impossible without reining in overall healthcare costs and, paradoxically, keeping more people insured.



Insurance works by pooling money paid by members of an insurance plan. That money covers all members’ healthcare costs, with some using more than they contribute and others less. Premium prices therefore depend on how many people are in the plan, as well as the services insurance will cover and the services people actually use. Because healthcare costs are rising overall, commercial insurance companies may not be able to significantly lower premiums without reducing their ability to cover costs and absorb risk.



Nearly two-thirds of Americans under age 65 receive health insurance through employers. Another 6.9% of them get it through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, where enrollment numbers are extremely sensitive to premium costs.



Enrollment in ACA plans nearly doubled in 2021, from about 12 million to more than 24 million, when the government introduced subsidies to reduce premiums during the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the subsidies expired on January 1, 2026, about 1.4 million dropped coverage, and for most who didn’t, premiums more than doubled. The Congressional Budget Office projects that another 3.7 million will become uninsured in 2027, reversing some of the huge gains made since the ACA was passed in 2010.



When health insurance costs rise, healthier people may risk going without. Those who remain insured tend to need more health services, requiring those more costly services to be covered by a smaller pool of people and raising premium prices even higher.



The Trump administration has proposed routing the money spent on subsidies directly to eligible Americans to help them purchase health insurance. How much people would receive is unclear, but amounts in previous proposals wouldn’t cover what the subsidies provided.



To sum it up, healthcare is extremely complicated and there are numerous barriers to reforms, as successive U.S. administrations have learned over the years. Whether the Trump administration finds some success will depend on how well the policies are able to surmount these and other obstacles.





Patrick Aguilar is the managing director of health at Washington University in St. Louis.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, U.S., healthcare, still, the, most, expensive, the, world</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>These plain&#45;text websites will simplify your internet experience</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-plain-text-websites-will-simplify-your-internet-experience</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-plain-text-websites-will-simplify-your-internet-experience</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Here’s the sad truth about sports score apps: Most of them aren’t all that interested in actually telling you the score.



After all, where’s the money in providing straightforward information like that? The modern sports score app has to do more. It must bombard you with banner ads and betting odds, implore you to create an account and opt into notifications, sell you some tickets, and show some videos to keep engagement up. The scores themselves are an afterthought.



Fortunately, there’s an alternative that tells you the outcomes of every major sporting event without distractions.



And the same sort of resources are available to bring minimalist magic to your news, weather, and even navigation, too—if you know where to look.



This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures!



Useful info, without the filler



First things first: For a simpler way to look up sports scores, just head to PlainTextSports.com​ in any web browser.



➜ Plain Text Sports is a website that lists out sports scores using only letters, numbers, and characters.



⌚ The site loads pretty much instantly, and scanning the scores takes a few fast seconds.



It’s free, too—with no ads, logins, or subscriptions.



The Plain Text Sports interface really is as plain as can be.



After using an app like ESPN or TheScore, Plain Text Sports’ bare-bones appearance can take some getting used to—but you’ll quickly realize how much information is packed onto the homepage. For each league, you can click through to the schedule, standings, and team pages. Clicking on a game brings up detailed statistics and play-by-play details.



Because this is a website, each league, team, and standings page also has its own URL. That means you can easily bookmark the ones you care about and skip the default home screen.



There’s also a handy dark mode toggle at the top of the page.



You’ll see all the pertinent info without any of the usual distractions.



While Plain Text Sports does not have a dedicated mobile app, you can always add the site as a home screen icon. The site even provides a page with instructions for iOS and Android​.



The only notable downside with Plain Text Sports is its lack of highlight videos. Those would obviously be against the site’s ethos, but if it could find a way to link to the latest clips from a site like ESPN or YouTube, it’d be pretty much unbeatable.



More plain-text resources



Once you start getting your sports scores this way, you may find yourself hooked on the plain-text lifestyle. Here are some other resources that convey information in a similar way:




​68k.news​: Headlines in plain text.



​text.npr.org​: NPR’s list of headlines, which lead to text-only versions of each article.



​lite.cnn.com​: Similar to the above, but for CNN.



​wttr.in​: Your local weather forecast, rendered in ASCII symbols. (Fine-tune the forecast with these URL modifications​.)



​gdir.telae.net​: Text-based Google Maps directions, the way they used to be.




This, suffice it to say, isn’t your average weather website.



It doesn’t get much simpler than that.




Plain Text Sports​ is a website that works in any browser (as are all the other resources mentioned above).



It’s free to access, with no ads, subscriptions, or usage limits. (The same is mostly true for the other sites, too, though some do have ads.)



The site doesn’t track your individual usage or require any sort of personal data.




Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletter—starting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in truly delightful ways. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91490383-plain-text-websites.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>These, plain-text, websites, will, simplify, your, internet, experience</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Where mortgage rates are headed in 2026, according to 21 experts</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/where-mortgage-rates-are-headed-in-2026-according-to-21-experts</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/where-mortgage-rates-are-headed-in-2026-according-to-21-experts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



Economic forecasting has never been easy, and it becomes even more challenging in the face of unprecedented events like COVID-19 lockdowns and extraordinary levels of fiscal and monetary intervention. This was followed by a rapid cycle of interest rate hikes, adding further complexity. Look no further than the fact that for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024) economic forecasts at large significantly underestimated mortgage rates.



Recently, however, forecasters have fared better. Among the 17 mortgage rate forecasts rounded up by ResiClub heading into 2025, the average prediction was that 30-year fixed mortgage rates would average 6.33% in Q4 2025. At the time we published that roundup, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was sitting at 7.03%. What happened? The 30-year fixed mortgage rate ended up averaging 6.23% in Q4 2025.



For our 2026 mortgage rate roundup, ResiClub collected 21 mortgage rate forecasts. Some were publicly available, though most were gathered through the ResiClub 2026 Housing Economist Survey, which we fielded in December 2025. Rather than asking only about Q4, we asked respondents to provide their forecast for the full 2026 calendar year.



While ResiClub approaches rate forecasts with a healthy dose of skepticism—for example, if the labor market were to unexpectedly weaken, rates could drop more than anticipated—there is still value in understanding where economic models predict mortgage rates will head.



Below are 21 mortgage rate forecasts (sorted from highest to lowest).







Hunter Housing Economics: The research firm predicts that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 6.6% in 2026. Housing economist Brad Hunter told ResiClub: “The impending change in leadership at the Fed could lead to easier monetary policy, which could lead to lower mortgage rates, but this is not clear. The extent of the decline and mortgage rates will depend upon factors like bond market inflation expectations and the budget deficit as well as the rate of GDP growth.”



Capital Economics: Economists at the independent economic research business based in London forecasts that the 30-year fixed U.S. mortgage rate will average 6.5% in Q4 2026.



Mortgage Bankers Association: The latest forecast published by the trade group has the 30-year fixed mortgage averaging 6.4% in 2026.



PNC Bank: Economists at the American bank forecasts that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 6.4% in 2026 and 6.4% in 2027.



Compass: Mike Simonsen, the chief economist of Compass, forecasts an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.30% in 2026.



Realtor.com: Economists at the real estate listing site forecast that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 6.30% in 2026, including 6.3% in Q4, writing: “The mortgage rate lock-in effect—caused by market rates that are well above the rates on existing mortgages—has left many homeowners with a strong reason to stay put. In fact, recent data showed that 4 out of every 5 homeowners with a mortgage has a rate below 6%. The share has waned gradually, a trend that will continue in 2026. As a result, turnover will be limited with moves likely to be spurred by life necessities such as job or family changes.”



Redfin: Economists at the residential real estate brokerage are predicting an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.3% in 2026, writing: “A weaker labor market will lead the Fed to cut interest rates in 2026 and bring monetary policy to a more neutral place, which should keep mortgage rates in the low-6% range. But lingering inflation risk and the likelihood that we’ll avoid a recession will keep the Fed from cutting more than the markets have already priced in. That’s why rates may dip below 6% occasionally, but not for any meaningful period. The Fed will change leadership in 2026, but that is also unlikely to bring significantly lower mortgage rates, as long term rates–like mortgage rates–are set by bond markets.”



Windermere Real Estate: The economics team at Windermere Real Estate forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate will average 6.25% in 2026.



Moody’s: The forecast by Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi has the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaging 6.23% in 2026—and 6.22% in Q4.



Cotality: Economists at the real estate analytics giant are predicting an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.2% in 2026. Selma Hepp, Cotality chief economist, tells ResiClub: “The 2026 outlook points toward a return to more typical market conditions, with mortgage rates expected to settle near 6%, home prices increasing gradually by about 2% to 4%, and improvements in both affordability and availability of homes for sale. Even so, continuing hurdles like higher non-mortgage expenses, including surging insurance costs and rising property tax bills, limited affordability, and uneven regional trends will keep bifurcating the market and impact decisions of both buyers and sellers.”



Yale School of Management: Finance professor Cameron LaPoint forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6.2% in 2026—and 6.05% in Q4.



Wells Fargo: Analysts at the bank forecast 30-year fixed mortgage rate averages of 6.18% in 2026 (and 6.2% in Q4). Looking even further ahead, they’re forecasting a 6.25% average in 2027.



National Association of Home Builders: Robert Dietz, chief economist at NAHB, forecasts an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.17% in 2026.



Bright MLS: Economists at the firm expect the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6.15% in Q4 2026. Bright MLS chief economist Lisa Sturtevant writes: “Lower rates will improve affordability and bring more buyers into the market in 2026. Mortgage rates began falling at the end of the third quarter of 2025. With additional Federal Reserve rate cuts planned for 2026, a response to weakening economic conditions, expect mortgage rates to fall from about 6.25% at the beginning of 2026 to 6.15% by the end of 2026.”



Zonda: Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda, forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6.10% in 2026.



Reventure App: Founder Nick Gerli tells ResiClub he expects the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6.1% in 2026.



National Association of Realtors: The economics team at the trade group forecasts the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6% in 2026. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun writes: “As we go into next year, the mortgage rate will be a little bit better. . . . It’s not going to be a big [mortgage rate] decline, but it will be a modest decline that will improve affordability.”



Miami Realtors: Economists at the group—which represents more than 60,000 real estate professionals and is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S.—forecast the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 6% in 2026, and 6.2% in Q4. Gay Cororaton, chief economist of Miami Realtors, tells ResiClub: “With the Fed carefully balancing to achieve its dual mandate, inflation is likely to adjust downward to 2% slowly while the unemployment rate will edge up lightly or remain stable as the Fed avoids a hard landing. The only way for inflation to adjust quickly is if unemployment rises sharply as well to effect a decline in real wages. Either the Fed [is] still caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, I expect mortgage rates to essentially just move sideways, so sales and prices will also post very modest single-digit increases. Affordability will slightly improve but I don’t see prices falling significantly despite the modest demand because sellers will also pull back to preserve their home equity gains. With home affordability still the biggest challenge for homebuyers, the upper price tier or the market will continue to be the most active segment.”



Fannie Mae: The latest forecast issued by Fannie Mae in December has the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaging 6% in 2026 and 5.9% in 2027.



Morgan Stanley: Strategists at the investment bank forecast the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate will finish 2026 at 5.75%. In a report published on November 19, 2025, Morgan Stanley analysts write: “As we gaze into our proverbial crystal ball for the year ahead, we see affordability improving at the margins as mortgage rates dip below 6%. That should provide a modest boost to both existing and new home sales, though we think there is more upside in 2027 than 2026. . . . The modest rally in the primary rate we expect to 5.75% will likely bring some new borrowers into the money, but the impact would be marginal: Only about 6% of conventional borrowers would benefit from that 50bp decline. Beyond that, the next 100bp drop would only add another 8% of borrowers. Meaningful refinance incentives don’t emerge until rates fall below 4%, leaving the market in what we call a “refi wasteland” for much of 2026—though we’ll note that just because we’re in a refi wasteland doesn’t mean mortgages in-the-money won’t see valuation challenges driven by shorter lags and increasing originator efficiency.”



Erdmann Housing Tracker: Housing analyst Kevin Erdmann tells ResiClub he expects the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 5.75% in 2026—and finish 2026 at 5.22%.







Topline finding?



Among the 21 mortgage rate forecasts tracked by ResiClub, the average prediction is 6.18% for calendar year 2026. That’s on par with the current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate (6.09%).



Among the 21 mortgage rate forecasts for 2026 tracked by ResiClub, the highest is 6.6% (Hunter Housing Economics), while the lowest is 5.75% (Morgan Stanley and Erdmann Housing Tracker).



Over the past three years, turnover in the U.S. existing-home market has been constrained. Some of that reflects “pulled-forward” sales that occurred in 2020, 2021, or early 2022 rather than in 2023, 2024, or 2025.



But much of the slowdown stems from affordability and the lock-in effect created by the rate shock and sharply higher switching costs: Many homeowners who would like to sell and move are either unwilling to take on a much higher monthly payment or unable to qualify for one.



All else being equal, if mortgage rates were to fall more than expected, there would be slightly more turnover and sales in the existing home market.







Let’s say they’re wrong and mortgage rates fall more than expected. What happens?




There’s a potential wildcard—an economic slowdown. If joblessness were to climb faster than anticipated or if the economy were to meaningfully deteriorate, that could put additional downward pressure on both Treasury yields and mortgage rates. In that scenario, mortgage rates could dip more than the baseline forecasts suggest.



The “mortgage spread” represents the difference between the 10-year Treasury yield and the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate. This week, the spread stood at 207 basis points. If the spread—which widened when mortgage rates spiked in 2022—continues to compress/normalize toward its long-term average since 1972 (176 basis points), it could help push mortgage rates lower even if Treasury yields hold steady.




Housing stakeholders should keep in mind that a mortgage rate forecast is not a firm’s projection for the highest—or lowest—rate in the coming year. Rather, it reflects the average rate for the calendar year. And, of course, in any given year the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate can move well above and well below that annual average.



A recent ResiClub analysis of Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage-rate dataset finds that since 1972, the average annual range in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 1.4 percentage points. If you move the goalpost to just this century—since 2001—the average annual range in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 1.08 percentage points. In 2025, the range was 0.87 point.







One last thought: Mortgage rate forecasts should always be taken with a grain of salt—at least to some degree. Predicting long-term yields depends on accurately anticipating inflation, Federal Reserve policy, and the broader trajectory of the U.S. and global economies, all of which are notoriously hard to get right. Over just the past five years, forecasters have been caught off guard by a pandemic, a historic inflation spike, and one of the fastest rate-hiking cycles in modern history.



The lesson? Even the best models can’t account for every shock. Mortgage rate forecasts are useful guideposts—but not guarantees.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Where, mortgage, rates, are, headed, 2026, according, experts</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘This is how you end up the face of a Japanese lubricant company without ever having signed a document’: Nevada sex workers fight for union status</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-how-you-end-up-the-face-of-a-japanese-lubricant-company-without-ever-having-signed-a-document-nevada-sex-workers-fight-for-union-status</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-how-you-end-up-the-face-of-a-japanese-lubricant-company-without-ever-having-signed-a-document-nevada-sex-workers-fight-for-union-status</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;This is how you end up finding yourself on a website offering AI companionship without ever seeing a penny,&quot; Jupiter Jetson said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26043792784422-e1770988371817.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘This, how, you, end, the, face, Japanese, lubricant, company, without, ever, having, signed, document’:, Nevada, sex, workers, fight, for, union, status</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Anthropic’s $380 billion valuation vaults it next to OpenAI, SpaceX among largest IPO candidates</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropics-380-billion-valuation-vaults-it-next-to-openai-spacex-among-largest-ipo-candidates</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropics-380-billion-valuation-vaults-it-next-to-openai-spacex-among-largest-ipo-candidates</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Anthropic, maker of the chatbot Claude, said Thursday its valuation grew after it raised $30 billion in its latest round of funding. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26035615816169-e1770988377760.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Anthropic’s, 380, billion, valuation, vaults, next, OpenAI, SpaceX, among, largest, IPO, candidates</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Trump’s FTC chief says he’s not the ‘speech police,’ but reality has too liberal a bias on Apple News app</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-ftc-chief-says-hes-not-the-speech-police-but-reality-has-too-liberal-a-bias-on-apple-news-app</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-ftc-chief-says-hes-not-the-speech-police-but-reality-has-too-liberal-a-bias-on-apple-news-app</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Andrew Ferguson urged Cook to review what is used on the Apple News feed and take corrective action. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26020615231286-e1770988804300.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump’s, FTC, chief, says, he’s, not, the, ‘speech, police, ’, but, reality, has, too, liberal, bias, Apple, News, app</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Politicians scramble on data centers after putting their voters on the hook for Big Tech’s job&#45;killing AI efforts</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/politicians-scramble-on-data-centers-after-putting-their-voters-on-the-hook-for-big-techs-job-killing-ai-efforts</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/politicians-scramble-on-data-centers-after-putting-their-voters-on-the-hook-for-big-techs-job-killing-ai-efforts</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “What do you do when Big Tech, because of the very profitable nature of these data centers, can simply outbid grandma for power in the short run?” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26043795166336.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Politicians, scramble, data, centers, after, putting, their, voters, the, hook, for, Big, Tech’s, job-killing, efforts</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>You love your dog too much. Blame the broken American Dream and loss of purpose since the pandemic</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/you-love-your-dog-too-much-blame-the-broken-american-dream-and-loss-of-purpose-since-the-pandemic</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/you-love-your-dog-too-much-blame-the-broken-american-dream-and-loss-of-purpose-since-the-pandemic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Dogs aren’t just being used as a substitute for people. I believe Americans are turning to dogs to alleviate the erosion of social life itself. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1955666346-e1770989990915.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>You, love, your, dog, too, much., Blame, the, broken, American, Dream, and, loss, purpose, since, the, pandemic</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>3 ways to build psychological safety now so it’s there when you need it most</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ways-to-build-psychological-safety-now-so-its-there-when-you-need-it-most</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-ways-to-build-psychological-safety-now-so-its-there-when-you-need-it-most</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When COVID-19 hit, our business came to a sudden halt. One moment our calendar was full, the next, meetings and engagements were disappearing. Companies we’d worked with for years shifted their focus overnight, pouring their energy into keeping doors open and team members safe. Like so many others, we found ourselves sidelined—and facing some hard conversations.



While uncertainty hung heavy in the air, our small team was unusually open with each other. We talked candidly about the challenges, the personal toll, and what it might all mean for the business. Without setting out to do so, we had built a foundation of psychological safety—one that made navigating a global crisis far less stressful than it might have been otherwise. We questioned our plans, admitted what we didn’t know, and challenged each other with care. And in doing so, we learned something that’s shaped how I work ever since: Psychological safety isn’t a climate to be fostered when things are easy; it’s an operating condition that must be designed into the team’s DNA for when things get hard. The true test isn’t harmony, it’s conflict. It’s about making it safe enough for people to be uncomfortable—to disagree, to challenge the status quo, and to admit when they’ve failed.



Gartner found that highly psychologically safe teams identify and address critical issues 15% faster. And while many people understand the concept, far fewer know how to make it real when trust declines and tension rises. Too often, it’s treated as a passive state instead of an active practice. The difference between the two is simple: A climate is a vibe, but an operating condition is a blueprint.



So, how do you move from a vague aspiration to a daily practice? It all starts with putting psychological safety first. Whether or not you manage people, each of us influences how safe it feels to speak up. Here are three ways to embed psychological safety into daily work, at any level:



MAKE DISAGREEMENT PART OF NORMAL WORK



Psychological safety has to be embedded into the way work gets done, not just something you hope people embody. That responsibility doesn’t sit solely with managers. Anyone can help shape norms around how ideas are challenged, discussed, and improved.



When I start working with someone new, I hold a candid one-on-one conversation to set mutual expectations. I might say, “My promise to you is transparency and a willingness to provide proactive feedback. You can also expect me to ask for your ideas and input on every major decision.” Then I turn it over to them and ask, “What do you need from me to feel successful and able to do your best work?” This simple act changes the dynamic, communicating that their voice matters from the outset.



Once expectations are clear, safety can be operationalized through everyday rituals. For example, instead of presenting a plan for approval, introduce a new idea by asking people to “poke holes in it.” This isn’t an invitation to complain, but a specific, constructive task. People are naturally good at identifying risks and blind spots, and this reframes that critical eye as a valuable contribution. Even without formal authority, you can model this by asking better questions in meetings, inviting alternative perspectives, or naming risks others may be hesitant to raise.



SHIFT FROM ANSWERING TO FACILITATING



Even with the best intentions, our behaviors can unintentionally undermine psychological safety. One of the most common mistakes is jumping in too quickly to solve a problem. Many of us—especially those seen as experienced or “go-to” people—are conditioned to have the answers. When someone brings a challenge, the impulse is to immediately provide a solution. But doing so can unintentionally signal, “My ideas are more valuable than yours.”



The fix? Instead of being the problem-solver, become the problem-solving facilitator. Your opportunity, regardless of role, is to create space for dialogue rather than rushing to be the smartest voice in the room. When someone raises a concern, try asking a question instead of offering a solution. It signals curiosity, respect, and trust.



Facilitation also means reading the room: paying attention to what’s being said and what isn’t. You might say, “I can sense this decision is making you uncomfortable. Let’s talk about what’s behind that.” Or, “Let’s consider this from all angles. What might be missing?” These moments of curiosity build trust and surface insights that wouldn’t emerge in a more top-down exchange. Over time, this changes the dynamic from quiet compliance to shared ownership.



USE FAILURE TO FUEL LEARNING



One of the fastest ways psychological safety breaks down is when we can’t learn from our mistakes. After any project or experiment—successful or not—I incorporate a simple set of questions into debriefs: “What’s working? What’s not working? What did we learn? What would we do differently next time?” This shifts the focus from blame to learning and makes reflection a core output, not an afterthought.



Even when you’re not running the meeting, you can reinforce this mindset by asking these questions yourself and inviting others into reflection. When failures are treated as data rather than personal shortcomings, people stop hiding missteps and start sharing insights that make everyone better.



When psychological safety becomes a baseline operating condition, new possibilities open up. People take calculated risks because they know their ideas are valued and that missteps won’t be punished, but used for learning. The team moves faster, decisions get stronger, and accountability becomes shared instead of feared.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91478628-3-practical-ways-to-build-psychological-safety-when-work-gets-hard-psychological-safety-workplace.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>ways, build, psychological, safety, now, it’s, there, when, you, need, most</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why (and how) the smartest leaders encourage failure</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-and-how-the-smartest-leaders-encourage-failure</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-and-how-the-smartest-leaders-encourage-failure</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “If the size of your failures isn’t growing you’re not going to be inventing at a size that can actually move the needle.” 



Jeff Bezos’s words—written in a 2019 letter to shareholders—suggest a more clear-eyed view of the innovation process than the paradoxical perspectives of many other senior executives. 



Oh sure, CEOs agree that innovation is important. In fact, 92% say it’s a top priority, according to a recent McKinsey article. But at the same time, more than 90% of CEOs say they do a lousy job at innovation. The reason for this confusing response can be boiled down to one major point, alluded to by Bezos: 



Fear of failure.



Yes, fear of failure—and wariness of the mixed messages they get from management. You can’t expect people to take risks, challenge the status quo, and explore new ways of doing things when you measure them on hitting near-term targets with near-perfect accuracy. Innovation requires curiosity, experimentation, and learning—the trifecta I call, “try, fail, learn.” Inevitably, projects will fail; people will fail, too.  It’s normal, and it’s high time we normalized it in business. 



Below are five ways you can put meaningful metrics in place to incentivize healthy risk-taking and smart failure in your organization. 



1. Start Small: Create Rituals That Normalize Failure



Changing culture starts with small, visible experiments that make failure feel safe, expected, and even energizing. One of the simplest and most effective practices I’ve implemented is what I call “Fail-Free Fridays.”



These are dedicated 60-minute blocks of time where teams meet weekly to talk about what’s not working and share ideas about things they want to try. No PowerPoints. No success criteria. No approvals. The goal isn’t to solve the problems or produce a breakthrough; it’s to openly discuss what’s not going well and experiment with new ideas. Without fear.



How to make it measurable:




Track the number of problems discussed



Track the number of ideas generated



Track self-reported psychological safety (before and after)



Track cross-functional collaborations initiated during these sessions




2. Define What a ‘Good Failure’ Looks Like



Not all failure is equal: Experimental failure is necessary for learning and invention, whereas operational failure is due to poor execution, lack of discipline, or not following processes and procedures. Help your team by painting a picture of what “good” failure looks like. Find a recent example and do a post-mortem analysis by showing how the initiative:




Was aligned with strategic priorities



Was based on a clear hypothesis



Was a controlled experiment with defined parameters



Produced a documented learning



Informed future decisions




The next step is to measure the proportion of failures that meet these criteria.



Sample metrics might include:




% of failed projects with clear hypotheses



% of failed projects that produced specific, documented learnings



Estimated resource savings from ideas invalidated early



Time saved by early “no-go” decisions compared to traditional project lifecycles




3. Reward Learning Behaviors, Not Just Outcomes



Traditional performance reviews reward outcomes: sales targets met, product launches delivered, efficiency increased. These metrics reinforce predictability—which is essential for operations but corrosive to innovation.



To incentivize smart failure, organizations must introduce behavior-based performance metrics tied to learning and experimentation.



Examples include:




Number of experiments initiated or proposed



Willingness to challenge outdated assumptions or raise contrarian ideas



Speed of testing a new idea—how quickly a team can test, learn, and adapt



Cross-functional collaboration and knowledge-sharing




One technique I’ve used is integrating a “Learning Objectives” section into performance goals. Employees must identify one or two areas where they will experiment, explore, or test new approaches—and leaders evaluate how intentionally and transparently they learn from the results.



Behavior-based metrics shift attention from “Did you succeed?” to “How did you learn, and what value did that learning create?”



4. Build Transparency Into the System: Share Failures Publicly with Leaders as Role Models



For failure to be normalized, it must be visible and leaders must be role models showing how it leads to learning and growth.



Examples of transparency-building mechanisms:




Town Hall or All Hands Meetings where the leader dedicates 15 minutes of the agenda to allow an employee to share a story of failure and learning (leaders can share their stories, too)



Monthly “Lessons Learned Roundtables” where teams briefly share one failed experiment and one insight



A digital “Failure Dashboard” highlighting experiments run, hypotheses tested, learnings extracted, and next steps



Internal newsletters profiling teams who tried something bold, failed smart, and moved the organization forward




Metrics here can include:




Number of learnings shared across business units



Participation rates in roundtables or learning forums



Cross-team adoption of insights



Repeat failure rate (a powerful metric—if it decreases, organizational learning is improving)




5. Make Failure Economically Visible: Track the ROI of Learning



We talk a lot about Return on Investment (ROI) of new projects. Similarly, the most important, and most neglected step is quantifying the Return on Failure (ROF).



Leaders know that invalidating a bad idea quickly is just as valuable as scaling a good idea. In many cases, it’s more valuable. Early failure prevents wasted resources, prevents misaligned investments, and accelerates strategic focus.



Organizations can track:




Cost savings from early project termination



Time-to-decision (how fast the organization can rule in or rule out an idea)



Increase in pipeline throughput (better quality ideas lead to more opportunities making it to market)



Portfolio health metrics (percentage of projects in exploratory vs. execution mode)




The Cultural Shift: From Fear to Learning and Growth



The goal is not to create a workplace where failure is unbounded or unexamined. The goal is to create a workplace where learning is measured, rewarded, and operationalized.



When failure is treated as data—not deficiency—organizations accelerate innovation, attract bolder thinkers, and build resilience into their strategy. They become more adaptive, more opportunistic, and more capable of navigating uncertainty.



Leaders who want sustained growth don’t ask, “How do we avoid failure?” They ask, “How do we create more opportunities to learn—and how do we measure the value of that learning?”



The takeaways? Start small. Measure early. Reward curiosity. Make learning visible. Treat disciplined failure as a strategic asset.



Organizations that do this consistently don’t just innovate—they grow, consistently and over time. That’s what successful failure can do for your business.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-91471298-how-leaders-encourage-failure.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, and, how, the, smartest, leaders, encourage, failure</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘New collar’ work is rising: These high&#45;paying jobs don’t need a college degree. Here are 10 of them</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/new-collar-work-is-rising-these-high-paying-jobs-dont-need-a-college-degree-here-are-10-of-them</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/new-collar-work-is-rising-these-high-paying-jobs-dont-need-a-college-degree-here-are-10-of-them</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Job insecurity is real: More than half of American workers (54%) say insecurity about their job is causing significant stress at work, while more than a third (39%) say they worry they about losing their job due to changes in government policies, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey. Layoffs are reportedly at an all-time high since 2009, along with the lowest hiring on record in the U.S. since that time. And many of those layoffs have been in white collar professions—like technology, government, journalism, and high education.



All of this could pave the way for the rise of a new kind of role: the “new-collar” job. Here’s what to know about the category that’s not quite white collar, or blue collar.



What are ‘new-collar’ jobs? 



Falling somewhere between white and blue collar, “new-collar” jobs require more technical or specialized skills, but not a college degree. They can be learned on the job; at community college, vocational schools, or cybersecurity boot camps; and through a professional certification program, for roles in engineering, tech, or even healthcare.



The term was coined by former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty in 2016 (offering yet another example of how 2026 is the new 2016).



10 high-income ‘new-collar’ jobs



A new report from Resume Genius, a platform for job seekers, lists 10 roles that often don’t require a four-year diploma, but still offer high pay and flexible work options.



They are:




Marketing manager ($159,660 median annual salary)



Human resource manager ($140,000 median annual salary)



Sales manager ($138,060 median annual salary)



Computer network architect ($130,390 median annual salary)



General and operations manager ($129,330 median annual salary)



Information security analyst ($124,910 median annual salary)



Sales engineer ($121,520 median annual salary)



Health services manager ($117,960 median annual salary)



Art director ($111,040 median annual salary)



Construction manager ($106,980 median annual salary)
 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91490285-new-collar-job.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘New, collar’, work, rising:, These, high-paying, jobs, don’t, need, college, degree., Here, are, them</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Social media lawsuits are putting Section 230 to the test</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/social-media-lawsuits-are-putting-section-230-to-the-test</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/social-media-lawsuits-are-putting-section-230-to-the-test</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Lawyers for social media companies will be working overtime in the coming weeks as several major trials get underway addressing the potential harms to children caused by popular sites and apps.



At the same time, efforts to deflect at least one major future case have fallen short, increasing pressure on tech giants to agree to an independent assessment of how they protect teen users. The convergence of these developments creates a potential perfect storm for the industry, one that could result in both financial damages and changes to the algorithms that encourage users to keep scrolling for longer and longer periods of time.



Much of the focus is on a bellwether trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Meta and Google responsible for harms suffered by children who use their products. Plaintiffs allege that services like Instagram and YouTube are designed to keep users, especially kids, engaged. Opening statements were held Monday, with the plaintiffs’ lawyer arguing that Meta and Google have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.” The case is widely seen as a test for future lawsuits with similar claims, of which there are approximately 1,500.



Meta and Google deny the charges. TikTok and Snap were also named as defendants but settled before the case went to trial.



As that suit began in Los Angeles, opening arguments were also heard in Santa Fe in a case brought against Meta by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez in December 2023. The lawsuit accuses the company’s platforms of being a breeding ground for sexual predators, a claim Meta denies.



That trial, expected to last seven weeks, will determine whether Meta violated the state’s consumer protection laws. “If we can win in this action and force them to make their product safer in this state, it changes the narrative completely about what they say is possible for everyone else,” Torrez said.



Meanwhile, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected a request by Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok for summary judgment in a case brought by Kentucky’s Breathitt County School District. That case is part of a consolidated multidistrict litigation that seeks to hold social media companies accountable for engineering addictive features that negatively affect student mental health.



Section 230



At the heart of all these cases is how far courts are willing to extend the protections granted by Section 230, the federal law that shields social media companies from liability over content posted by users. The Los Angeles trial, along with the upcoming case in Northern California, argues that jurors should be able to consider whether the algorithms used by these companies are responsible for mental health harms, rather than focusing solely on the content shown on users’ screens.



Perhaps as a preemptive measure, TikTok, Snap, and Meta have agreed to undergo a series of tests overseen by the National Council for Suicide Prevention to evaluate how effectively they protect the mental health of teen users.



Among the issues that will be examined are whether the platforms force users to take a break and if they offer a way to turn off endless scrolling. Companies that perform well will receive a badge signaling that they offer a pathway to mental health support.



Potential ramifications



This is hardly the first time that social media companies have been taken to court over mental health claims. To date, none of those cases has resulted in any sort of major overhauls, however. At the same time, efforts in Washington and by state governments to regulate the industry have fallen short. Further complicating matters is a lack of consensus in the scientific community on whether social media is harmful for teens and kids on the whole.



Still, successful outcomes in these cases could force companies to change how people interact with their platforms, potentially reshaping the social media landscape. Victories for plaintiffs could also expose companies to significant liability payouts for harms linked to their services. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91490455-social-media-lawsuits-are-putting-section-230-to-the-test.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Social, media, lawsuits, are, putting, Section, 230, the, test</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Saks closing stores: Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus locations are shuttering in 9 states. See the full list</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saks-closing-stores-saks-fifth-avenue-and-neiman-marcus-locations-are-shuttering-in-9-states-see-the-full-list</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saks-closing-stores-saks-fifth-avenue-and-neiman-marcus-locations-are-shuttering-in-9-states-see-the-full-list</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In the wake of a January Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing from Saks Global, owner of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, the luxury retailer has begun to close a number of stores across its portfolio of brands. Last month, for instance, the company announced the shuttering of many of its outlet stores.



But now, the Saks Global has announced the closure of some of its high-end department stores, for which the company is famous. Here’s what you need to know.



What’s happened?



According to a court document filed this week with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Saks Global has decided to close nine of its luxury department stores. 



These announced closures come just weeks after the company announced it was shuttering many of its outlet stores, including many Last Call and Saks Off 5th locations.



The reason Saks Global has given for the shuttering of some of its flagship department stores is that the store closures will allow the company’s global debtors “to better serve their luxury customers, strengthen brand partner relationships and drive full-price selling to enable sustainable, profitable growth.”



When are the department stores closing?



According to court documents, the department stores marked for closure will close their doors for good on approximately April 30, 2026, less than three months from now.



The company expects the store closing sales at the affected locations to begin around February 20.



The store closures are subject to approval from the judge presiding over the bankruptcy case. A ruling is expected to be made on Friday.



After the closure of these locations, Saks Global will have 35 Neiman Marcus stores and 25 Saks Fifth Avenue stores in operation.



Which Neiman Marcus stores are closing?



According to the court documents, only one Neiman Marcus store is closing:




Massachusetts: 5 Copley Place, Boston, MA




Which Saks Fifth Avenue stores are closing?



Unfortunately, Saks Global has decided to close significantly more Saks Fifth Avenue stores. The list includes eight locations in eight different states:




Alabama: 129 Summit Blvd, Birmingham, AL



Arizona: 2446 East Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ



Louisiana: 301 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA



New Jersey: Meadowlands Sports Complex, East Rutherford, NJ



Oklahoma: 1780 Utica Square, Tulsa, OK



Ohio: 1350 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH



Pennsylvania: 2 Bala Plaza Bala, Cynwyd, PA



Virginia: 9214 Stony Point Parkway, Richmond, VA




Why is Saks Global filing for bankruptcy?



As Fast Company previously reported, the luxury department store owner has faced extreme financial difficulty in recent years. Like many brick-and-mortar retailers, the company’s stores have seen declining foot traffic, especially after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Additionally, inflationary costs, tariffs, and increased online competition have all cut into the company’s bottom line. 



However, the major financial blow to Saks Global came when Hudson’s Bay, Saks’s previous parent company, acquired competitor Neiman Marcus in 2024 for around $2.7 billion. That move left the new company, Saks Global, saddled with debt.



Announcing last month that its bankruptcy process was underway, Saks Global CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the move “presents a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the foundation of our business and position it for the future.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/02/p-1-91490863-saks-neiman-marcus-closing-stores-list.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Saks, closing, stores:, Saks, Fifth, Avenue, and, Neiman, Marcus, locations, are, shuttering, states., See, the, full, list</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervy about over&#45;exposure to American assets</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/china-might-be-beginning-to-back-away-from-us-debt-as-investors-get-nervy-about-over-exposure-to-american-assets</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/china-might-be-beginning-to-back-away-from-us-debt-as-investors-get-nervy-about-over-exposure-to-american-assets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ BRIC nations have been &quot;quietly leaving the Treasury market,&quot; ING observed in December. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2259673282-e1770636126703.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>China, might, beginning, back, away, from, U.S., debt, investors, get, nervy, about, over-exposure, American, assets</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>OpenAI vs. Anthropic Super Bowl ad clash signals we’ve entered AI’s trash talk era—and the race to own AI agents is only getting hotter</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-vs-anthropic-super-bowl-ad-clash-signals-weve-entered-ais-trash-talk-eraand-the-race-to-own-ai-agents-is-only-getting-hotter</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-vs-anthropic-super-bowl-ad-clash-signals-weve-entered-ais-trash-talk-eraand-the-race-to-own-ai-agents-is-only-getting-hotter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ From Super Bowl ads to social media sniping, the rivalry has spilled beyond benchmarks into a fight over brand, trust, and who AI agent marketshare ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1503297391.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>OpenAI, vs., Anthropic, Super, Bowl, clash, signals, we’ve, entered, AI’s, trash, talk, era—and, the, race, own, agents, only, getting, hotter</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The next 18 months of the agentic era will feel like a slow&#45;motion stress test for CEOs. Most will make the same critical mistake</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-18-months-of-the-agentic-era-will-feel-like-a-slow-motion-stress-test-for-ceos-most-will-make-the-same-critical-mistake</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-18-months-of-the-agentic-era-will-feel-like-a-slow-motion-stress-test-for-ceos-most-will-make-the-same-critical-mistake</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It feels like leadership. It looks like responsibility. But it’s precisely the move that makes adaptation slower and harder. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-1542412743-e1770486213881.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, next, months, the, agentic, era, will, feel, like, slow-motion, stress, test, for, CEOs., Most, will, make, the, same, critical, mistake</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Knot has a new CFO who is doubling down on AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-knot-has-a-new-cfo-who-is-doubling-down-on-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-knot-has-a-new-cfo-who-is-doubling-down-on-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After a career spanning BET, startups and Ryan Reynolds’s ad firm, Michael Pickrum is bringing his experience to The Knot. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Knot-Worldwide-CFO-Michael-Pickrum.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Knot, has, new, CFO, who, doubling, down</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Crypto is facing an identity crisis—but it’s hardly the first time</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crypto-is-facing-an-identity-crisisbut-its-hardly-the-first-time</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crypto-is-facing-an-identity-crisisbut-its-hardly-the-first-time</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ High-profile figures are expressing frustration with the state of the industry. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2246748690-e1770639433454.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Crypto, facing, identity, crisis—but, it’s, hardly, the, first, time</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How the Olympic cauldron became its own spectacle</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-olympic-cauldron-became-its-own-spectacle</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-olympic-cauldron-became-its-own-spectacle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the iconic cauldron of the Games is putting on a daily show just like its athletes. 



This year, for the first time ever, there are two cauldrons lit simultaneously at different locations. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s geometric drawings, both cauldrons expand and contract, respond to music, and emit their own light—and one will put on hourly performances for viewers throughout the Games. 



The tradition of the Olympic flame and cauldron dates back 100 years or more. Historically, the Games are opened with a relay ceremony wherein torch bearers bring the flame to the cauldron, which remains lit until the closing ceremony. And while the cauldron’s design remained relatively consistent for the first decades of the Olympics, in recent years it has become a major design moment. This year’s approach is an encapsulation of the cauldron’s transition from a static object to a show in itself.



Spectators gather at Milan’s Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) to catch a sneak peek of one of the 2026 Olympic cauldrons on January 30. [Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images]



“In the last editions of the games, more and more of the main focus has been on who is going to light the cauldron, its design, and what it means,” says Marco Balich, the creative lead for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony who designed this year’s cauldrons. “To make a long story short, I think over the years you see the history of the cauldron goes from very simple ones to [beautiful statements].”



A brief history of Olympic cauldron design



While symbolic fire at the Olympics traces back to at least 1928, the first Olympic torch relay took place in Berlin in 1936. The cauldron that year was a small, bowl-like vessel standing on three legs on a podium. In subsequent Games, like 1948 London, 1952 Helsinki, and 1960 Rome, the cauldron format remained largely the same.



The Olympic Cauldron of the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin survived World War II undamaged; photographed at Berlin Olympic Stadium in 2005. [Photo: Nick Potts/PA/Getty Images]



Starting around 1968, designers began to take a bit more creative liberty with the cauldron. That year’s Mexico City Games featured a cauldron made by a woman—a first—shaped like a giant circular chalice. Since then, the cauldron has continuously evolved in shape and scope, from a 6.4-meter-high scroll-shaped one for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to a multi-shard monument for the 2010 Vancouver Games and a petal-inspired chorus of flames for the London Games in 2012. 



The Olympic flame burns above Mexico City’s University Olympic Stadium on opening day of track and field competition at the 1968 Summer Games. [Photo: UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images]



According to Balich, who holds a record 16 event credits for Olympic ceremonies, recent years have seen the cauldron transform from a stationary symbol into a kind of high-stakes performance art. Balich coordinated the opening ceremony for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games that featured a kinetic “sun” sculpture by artist Anthony Howe; powered by the wind, its tentacles fluttered and reflected the light of the cauldron’s flame to spectacular effect.



Mariene de Castro performs in front of the Olympic cauldron during the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics at Maracaña Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. [Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]



And in Paris 2024, designer Mathieu Lehanneur abandoned almost all of the cauldron’s recognizable design tradition in favor of a literal hot-air balloon, which took flight daily during the Games for a ticketed audience and remained in Paris’s Tuileries Garden for nightly performances after the Olympics concluded.



Balich says that expansion of the cauldron’s role during the Games and beyond inspired this year’s design. “I was very inspired because it confirmed to me that the experience of this object is so relevant, that it was worth it to add this dynamic session that would enlarge the experience and be even more emotionally touching, especially for the younger generation,” he says.



[Rendering: ©Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026]



A new cauldron experience



This year, Balich iterated on the idea of the cauldron as an experience by turning it into an hourly show complete with lights, music, and movement. 



His concept started with two cauldrons—one in Milan and one in Cortina—to represent harmony between man and nature. The designs are inspired by a series of geometrical drawings by Da Vinci (who lived in Milan for several years), which used mathematics to imagine various intricate three-dimensional shapes. Balich says he did a quick drawing of his original concept, then called on creative director Lida Castelli and set designer Paolo Fantin to develop the final products.



[Rendering: ©Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026]



The cauldrons themselves are constructed out of aeronautical aluminum, with a whopping 1,440 components making up their intricate structure. A total of 244 pivot points allows them to smoothly expand and contract from a minimum diameter of 3.1 meters to a maximum of 4.5 meters. LED lights along the surface of these components give the cauldrons an otherworldly glow, while the actual Olympic flame is enclosed inside a glass-and-metal container at their centers. The final product looks like something you might expect to see descending from the heavens—or a much less foreboding Eye of Sauron.



[Photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images]



One cauldron is suspended in Milan’s Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace), where it will put on a three-to-five-minute show every hour during the Games from 5 to 11 p.m., accompanied by music from Italian composer Roberto Cacciapaglia. The second sits on a podium in Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Piazza Angelo Dibona. And, just as they were lit simultaneously, they’ll be extinguished simultaneously when the Games close.



“I hope that everybody will gather—families, friends, curious design lovers, design critics—to go there and be immersed in this music and this beautiful show around the arch,” Balich says. “My goal for that is to add an experience to watching the sacred fire from Olympia, which in a way is one of the most powerful symbols around the world of peace, fraternity, sports, and the values that the Games represent.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, Olympic, cauldron, became, its, own, spectacle</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Kagi’s new app is like Google Translate—plus privacy</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/kagis-new-app-is-like-google-translateplus-privacy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/kagis-new-app-is-like-google-translateplus-privacy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The notion of instant on-the-go translation is nothing new for most of us, thanks to the now-ubiquitous Google Translate service.



But a scrappy Google competitor thinks it can do better.



➜ This month, a company called Kagi​ is officially launching its ​Kagi Translate app for both Android​ and iOS.



? The app mirrors most of the same features Google Translate offers, with a few interesting new touches and one key point of distinction: It is all about protecting your privacy—with no ads, no trackers, and no data being monetized or repurposed in any way.



Oh—and it’s free, too.



⌚ You’ll need all of two minutes to take it out for a test-drive.



Psst: If you love these types of tools as much as I do, check out my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. You’ll be the first to find all sorts of simple tech treasures!



Instant translations—plus privacy



Once you’ve got the Kagi Translate app on your device, it’s really quite intuitive to use. At its core:




You can type or paste any text into its main translation box to have the text translated from and to any language you like.



You can tap the camera icon in that same box to take a photo of text in the real world—on a document, a menu, a whiteboard, you name it—and then have the language auto-detected and translated into your native tongue from there.



A document icon in that same area lets you upload a file from your phone (or any connected cloud storage) for speedy on-the-fly translation.



And a microphone icon lets you speak aloud—or have someone else speak aloud—for real-time translations of the words as they’re uttered.




Kagi Translate’s main screen is one simple prompt—with plenty of power around it.



Beyond that, Kagi Translate offers some interesting extras—for instance:




If you tap the three-line settings icon within the main translation box, you can change between a “natural” and “literal” translation style, a formal or informal voice (for languages where that’s relevant), and also any available gender preference (again, where relevant for a dialect).



In that same area, you can also add your own custom context to help guide the translation—telling the app, in your own words, what type of conversation you’re having, and with whom, so it can adjust its approach accordingly.




Poke around, and you’ll find all sorts of ways to customize and control your translation output.




In the app’s bottom-of-screen Dictionary tab, you can simply get an on-demand, instantly translated definition of a word or phrase in another language.



The app’s Proofread tab will review any text you type or paste into it and offer suggestions to make it work better in your chosen language.



And with any translation the app provides you, you have the ability to play the text out loud or copy it onto your system clipboard—as well as request alternate translations for different ways to say the same basic thing.




Kagi Translate can give you different ways to say the same thing, if you aren’t entirely thrilled with its initial translation.



?️ Again, though: It’s Kagi’s commitment to privacy that really sets this app apart. You don’t have to sign in or create an account to use it, and nothing you do or say within the app is ever shared or used for any type of ad targeting.



If that sounds familiar, it should: I’ve written about Kagi and its similarly privacy-centric approach to regular ol’ search before, and that same mindset applies to pretty much everything else the company has offered—including, too, the excellent Android summarizing app I mentioned in these same quarters a few months ago. Kagi makes its money entirely from user subscriptions, which are required for its core search service but not for the assorted stand-alone apps like Translate and Summarize.



Whether you’re using Kagi for any other purposes or not, though, this new tool is an interesting option to keep around and a welcome alternative to Google’s de facto default—and maybe, just maybe, it’s exactly the je ne sais quoi you’ve been waiting for.




Kagi Translate is available for both Android and iOS. There’s also a web version for desktop computer access.



The app is completely free to use, though a paid Kagi membership will allow you to access some additional options.



The app doesn’t have any ads or trackers and doesn’t require any sort of sign-in—and even if you do opt to create an account, Kagi’s core promise is that it never shares any of your data with anyone, in any way, or uses it for any profitable purposes.




Treat yourself to all sorts of experience-enhancing treasures like this with my free Cool Tools newsletter—starting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app that’ll tune up your days in delightful ways. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Kagi’s, new, app, like, Google, Translate—plus, privacy</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The new cola wars are upon us—but this time it’s the battle of AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-cola-wars-are-upon-usbut-this-time-its-the-battle-of-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-cola-wars-are-upon-usbut-this-time-its-the-battle-of-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Days before the Super Bowl, Anthropic dropped a handful of Super Bowl ads taking aim at OpenAI’s impending advertising model for ChatGPT. The ads anthropomorphize OpenAI’s platform, imagining how the chatbot might answer everyday questions like “What do you think of my business idea?” and “Can I get a six-pack quickly?” The answers, delivered by actors in cheerfully sycophantic robot speak, start out sounding like stilted but helpful advice, before veering into promotional marketing speak for a hypothetical advertiser on ChatGPT.









Immediately, the ads sparked a firestorm online. Some called them brilliant. Others called them mean-spirited. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman felt so strongly, he crafted an earnest post on X about why Anthropic’s ads were so misleading.



But wrong move, bro. Anthropic, one of your AI rivals, just handed OpenAI—and the entire AI industry—a huge gift. Not to mention the ad business.







An ad battle for the AI age



Not since the days of Coke and Pepsi have we seen this kind of ire slung at a category competitor. And I just have to say: I’m here for it.



We are at a pivotal time for AI development and adoption across business and culture, with issues ranging from mass layoffs to people using LLMs for dating advice. But AI is also in its brand infancy, with some platforms building massive name recognition but very little brand image.



There is no better category than AI to start a full-on advertising battle in 2026, and there are no two better companies to wage it than Anthropic and OpenAI. Anthropic has long framed its Claude platform as a more refined LLM than its OpenAI counterpart. And its Super Bowl ads are delivering an implicit message about the competition: You can’t trust them.



Created by award-winning ad agency Mother, the new Anthropic campaign, “A Time and a Place,” has four spots in total (two are big-game bound). “People want an AI they can trust—one that’s focused solely on working for them. We want Claude to be that choice,” Andrew Stirk, Anthropic’s head of marketing, said in a statement.













When OpenAI’s Altman opined on X that it’s “on brand for Anthropic doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads that aren’t real,” perhaps he should turn that into a brief for his growing all-star internal marketing team (imagine a 1984-style ad for 2026). I mean, he even has Brandon McGraw, former head of consumer marketing at Anthropic, on the roster.



Same story with his second attempt at a clapback: “More Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the U.S., so we have a differently-shaped problem than they do.” What about an AI Challenge ad set in El Paso or Brownsville where they go full “Get a Mac” and paint Claude as the snooty also-ran to ChatGPT’s bot of the people?



This consumer-facing dichotomy is the perfect setup for an advertising battle. You’ve got two brands offering ostensibly the same thing (at least to the average person), just with different positioning. But—as Coke and Pepsi demonstrated—even though brands involved in street fights like this do get a few ego bruises, historically the creative arms race helps both emerge in a stronger position with their audiences.




First, the good part of the Anthropic ads: they are funny, and I laughed.But I wonder why Anthropic would go for something so clearly dishonest. Our most important principle for ads says that we won’t do exactly this; we would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic…— Sam Altman (@sama) February 4, 2026




Challenger game



The decades-long scrap between Coca-Cola and Pepsi is well-documented, but its dynamics have been replicated in various ways over the years in other product categories like tech, fast food, and telecom. 



There’s a typical anatomy to ad wars that cuts across industries. At their most basic, these campaigns always begin with a challenger brand calling out a much bigger rival by name. For Pepsi, which began the cola wars with less than 20% market share, that meant the Pepsi Challenge—showing real people choosing Pepsi over Coke in blind taste tests. This year, it meant hijacking Coke’s familiar polar bear for the Super Bowl.



Apple’s “Get a Mac” is widely considered one of the best long-running advertising campaigns of all time. Apple was the challenger (if you can believe that) depicting the dominant PC brands (Microsoft Windows) as dull, cumbersome, and just plain uncool.









Of course, the challenger brand is in the eye of the beholder, and in 2011 it was Samsung mocking iPhone fanboys for lining up to get what it deemed an inferior product. 









Over in fast food, Burger King had an award-winning run of work in the late 2010s under then-CMO Fernando Machado, much of which directly involved McDonald’s. To promote the nonprofit Peace One Day, Burger King took out ads and built an entire website proposing to McDonald’s that the rivals make peace to create the ultimate burger—the McWhopper. The ad had $220 million in earned media value, and 8.9 billion impressions. In 2018, Burger King created print ads with photos of barbecue grills at former homes of ex-McDonald’s executives to highlight the flame-grilled taste of Whoppers.



That same year, it launched “Whopper Detour,” a promo campaign that used geofencing to offer a 1-cent Whopper to users who ordered through the Burger King app while within 600 feet of a McDonald’s. It got 1.5 million Burger King app downloads in nine days.









Even Taco Bell took a swing at the golden arches when it launched a breakfast menu in 2014. For its largest marketing campaign ever up to that point, Taco Bell recruited real guys named Ronald McDonald to testify to the tastiness of its Breakfast Crunchwrap. 



Whether people were emotionally invested because they loved one of these brands over the other, or they were just there for the LOLs, each of these sparked two things brands crave absolutely—attention and excitement. 



Strategic response



A 2025 INSEAD study called “The Power of Strategic Rivalry” found that a well-managed rivalry can extend the story between competitors, keeping consumers tuned in longer and—importantly—benefiting both sides with ongoing engagement and relevance. People love a good brand fight. 



Coca-Cola maintained its lead throughout the cola wars, but Pepsi’s market share shot up from 20% to a peak of 30%-plus in the 1990s. And their ad war not only helped increase overall soda consumption from 12.4% of American beverage consumption in 1970 to 22.4% in 1985, but each brand more than doubled revenues over the 1980s. And thanks to the sheer intensity and ad frequency during the most heated years of their ad battle, the brands elbowed their way to the center of pop culture. Between 1975 and 1995, Coke’s annual ad spending went from about $25 million to $112 million, while Pepsi’s grew from $18 million to $82 million. 



The haymakers from challenger brands are to be expected. But rarely, if ever, do the bigger brands respond with the same level of bite. In fact, the most successful responses have been investing in better creative brand work done more often. 



McDonald’s didn’t use its global domination to swipe down at Burger King. Instead it invested in and celebrated its existing fans in fun and unique ways. Specifically, with the Famous Orders work that began with Travis Scott in 2020 and expanded to collaborators as varied as Mariah Carey, BTS, and Cactus Plant Flea Market, driving record app usage, hundreds of millions in sales, and making new fans of younger customers. 



OpenAI appears to be taking a similar tack in its advertising, at least so far. The brand is focusing on how its tools can inspire and enable people to build new things. Its three regional Super Bowl spots are about how three different American small businesses—a seed farm, a metal salvage yard, and a family-run tamale shop—are utilizing ChatGPT to grow and thrive. 



OpenAI CMO Kate Rouch admits the Anthropic spots are funny, but since ads haven’t landed in ChatGPT yet, it’s a complete fabrication of what that experience will be like. When I spoke to her this week, she took issue with the spots calling OpenAI’s use of advertising to support free access to the tools as a “violation,” and reiterated Altman’s point that ChatGPT has more free monthly users in Texas than Anthropic has globally.



“And our perspective is that open, free access to this technology will enable individual people to build things that will benefit them and us all,” Rouch told me. “It really all comes down to self-empowerment and being able to do things that you either didn’t believe you could do before or you actually couldn’t do before. And that’s the whole game.”



This is a more sound strategy, both overall and in light of Anthropic’s trolling, than last year’s animated Super Bowl ad that had many people guessing just what the hell it was trying to say. 









If this is the dawn of AI’s version of the cola wars—and I hope it is—it’s an impressive start for both brands. 



Anthropic’s challenger strategy here hits, not just for the cojones to step up to the Super Bowl against a much bigger rival. The key to any challenger swipe that actually works hinges on its creative execution, and these spots steer clear of the slop to serve up a bona fide chef’s kiss. 



For OpenAI, creatively telling real stories about real people using its tools to solve real problems and build real things looks less like an advertising street fight and more like a turn for the high road toward the brand image promised land. 


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, new, cola, wars, are, upon, us—but, this, time, it’s, the, battle</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Housing market inventory power: Where states stand heading into spring</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/housing-market-inventory-power-where-states-stand-heading-into-spring</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/housing-market-inventory-power-where-states-stand-heading-into-spring</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



When assessing home price momentum, ResiClub believes it’s important to monitor active listings and months of supply. If active listings start to rapidly increase as homes remain on the market for longer periods, it may indicate pricing softness or weakness. Conversely, a rapid decline in active listings beyond seasonality could suggest a market that is heating up.



Since the national pandemic housing boom fizzled out in 2022, the national power dynamic has slowly been shifting directionally from sellers to buyers. Of course, across the country, that shift has varied.



Generally speaking, local housing markets where active inventory has jumped above pre-pandemic 2019 levels have experienced softer home price growth (or outright price declines) over the past 36 months.



Conversely, local housing markets where active inventory remains far below pre-pandemic 2019 levels have, generally speaking, experienced, relatively speaking, more resilient home price growth over the past 42 months.



Where is national active inventory headed?



National active listings are on the rise on a year-over-year basis (+10% between January 31, 2025, and January 31, 2026). This indicates that homebuyers have gained some leverage in many parts of the country over the past year. Some seller’s markets have turned into balanced markets, and more balanced markets have turned into buyer’s markets.



Nationally, we’re still below pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels (-17.8% below January 2019), and some resale markets (in particular, chunks of the Midwest and Northeast) still remain, relatively speaking, tight-ish.







While national active inventory is still up year over year, the pace of growth has slowed in recent months as softening has slowed.



Here are the January inventory/active listings totals, according to Realtor.com:




January 2017 -&gt; 1,154,120 ?



January 2018 -&gt; 1,043,951 ?



January 2019 -&gt; 1,110,636 ? 



January 2020 -&gt; 951,675 ?



January 2021 -&gt; 531,775 ? (Pandemic housing boom overheating)



January 2022 -&gt; 376,970 ? (Pandemic housing boom overheating)



January 2023 -&gt; 616,865 ? 



January 2024 -&gt; 665,569 ? 



January 2025 -&gt; 829,376 ?



January 2026 -&gt; 912,696 ?




If we maintain the current year-over-year pace of inventory growth (+83,320 homes for sale), we’d have 996,016 active inventory come January 2027. (Note: That’s not a prediction—I’m just showing what the math looks like if that pace continued.)



Below is the year-over-year active inventory percentage change by state.







While active housing inventory is rising in most markets on a year-over-year basis, the pace of growth continues to decelerate across much of the country.



LEFT: Year-over-year active inventory shift between January 2024 and January 2025



RIGHT: Year-over-year active inventory shift between January 2025 and January 2026







And while active housing inventory is rising in most markets on a year-over-year basis, some markets still remain tight-ish (although it’s loosening in those places, too).



As ResiClub has been documenting, both active resale and new homes for sale remain the most limited across huge swaths of the Midwest and Northeast. That’s where home sellers in the spring are likely, relatively speaking, to have more power than their peers in many Southern markets.



In contrast, active housing inventory for sale has neared or surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels in many parts of the Sun Belt and Mountain West, including metro-area housing markets such as Austin and Punta Gorda, Florida.



Many of these areas saw major price surges during the pandemic housing boom, with home prices getting stretched when compared with local incomes. As pandemic-driven domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Punta Gorda and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices.



This softening trend was accelerated further by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives (if they have the margins to do so) to maintain sales in a shifted market, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market: Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals—which then puts some additional upward pressure on resale inventory.







At the end of January 2026, nine states were above pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. (The District of Columbia—which we left out of this table below—is also back above pre-pandemic 2019 active inventory levels. Softness in D.C. proper predates the current admin’s job cuts.)







Big picture: Over the past few years, we’ve observed a softening across many housing markets as strained affordability tempers the fervor of a market that was unsustainably hot during the pandemic housing boom. While home prices are falling some in pockets of the Sun Belt, a big chunk of Northeast and Midwest markets still eked out a little price appreciation in 2025. Year over year, nationally aggregated home prices were pretty close to flat.







Below is another version of the table above—but this one includes every month since January 2017.







If you’d like to further examine the monthly state inventory figures, use the interactive below.



Over the coming months, let’s keep an eye on Florida, which has now entered its seasonal window when its active inventory typically begins to rise again. (To better understand softness and weakness across Florida over the past couple years, read this ResiClub PRO report.)







 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Housing, market, inventory, power:, Where, states, stand, heading, into, spring</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>3 bad financial habits solopreneurs can’t afford</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-bad-financial-habits-solopreneurs-cant-afford</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/3-bad-financial-habits-solopreneurs-cant-afford</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Taking the leap from traditional employee to solopreneur involves a number of decisions and considerations that may come as a surprise if you’ve always been on someone else’s payroll. Being numero uno for every part of your solo enterprise can illuminate just how complicated it can be to keep any kind of business running.



Unfortunately, becoming a solopreneur can complicate your personal financial choices as well. That’s because money habits that felt innocuous while you were on a biweekly pay schedule can create financial mayhem on an irregular income.



Whether you’re considering becoming a solopreneur or have been rocking the solo business world for a while, make sure you don’t carry these common paycheck habits with you into your entrepreneurial venture.



Ignoring your bank balance



Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked a series of low-paying jobs, including several stints where I stitched together multiple part-time positions. During that period of what we might generously describe as my “early career,” it was my habit to check my bank balance daily.



This was in the early 2000s, when the internet still required a kerosene-powered modem to access Google, so it took some effort on my part to indulge in this habit. But since I was making so little money, I needed to know on an almost daily basis what was happening in my account to make sure I hadn’t overlooked anything.



When I started teaching and bringing in the medium bucks, it was a relief to only check my bank balance when I paid my bills rather than every single day.



As a public school teacher, I knew exactly how much money I received in each paycheck, I knew exactly when it would clear my account, and I knew that if my mental accounting was off by a little bit, I didn’t have to wait long for the next paycheck. (Ironically, the only time I’ve ever overdrawn my account was during the regular-paycheck years of my life.)



Befriend your banking tools



Becoming a solopreneur is a little like going back to your early twentysomething career, at least financially. Keeping a weather eye on your finances is the only way to stay ahead of problems before they blow up. There’s no steady paycheck to smooth over any issues.



The good news is that banking technology has come a long way since I had to keep my modem’s kerosene tank full just to log onto the internet. These days, virtually every bank and credit union under the sun has an app that will allow you to set up personalized alerts and text notifications, among other tools.



This makes it very easy to set up regular bank balance check-ins, whether you create an alert to notify you when your balance dips below a certain dollar amount, or you have your bank text you the current balance every day at the same time.



Waiting for tax season



Paying taxes is no one’s idea of a good time—but at least when you’re working for a paycheck, the taxman knocks but once a year.



Whether you use a CPA or do them yourself, taxes are fairly straightforward for those who are traditionally employed. Once you have your W-2 in your hot little hand, you can typically get started sometime in early spring, then patiently wait for your tax refund to arrive . . . and you’re done until next year.



But solopreneurs don’t get the luxury of treating taxes like a sucky annual holiday. Because small-business owners don’t have taxes withheld from their income, they have to pay quarterly estimated taxes, filing each payment with Form 1040-ES. The approximate due dates for each payment are as follows, but they may be pushed back if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday.




First quarter (January 1-March 31) Due April 15



Second quarter (April 1-May 31) Due June 15 (June 16 in 2026)



Third quarter (June 1-August 31) Due September 15



Fourth quarter (September 1-December 31) Due January 15




Solo business owners also typically have to deal with much more complicated tax reporting if they have multiple clients. That means they are fielding more tax forms—such as 1099-NEC and 1099-K forms—than traditional employees.



Build tax infrastructure into your business



Paying and organizing solo business taxes are overwhelming if you only think about them when there’s a due date. But they can be an easy part of your daily routine if you build tax infrastructure into your business plan.



For quarterly estimated taxes, it starts with planning ahead for paying Uncle Sam. You can do that by creating a savings account where you transfer about 20% of each payment you receive. This will ensure that you always have the money you need to pay your estimated taxes each quarter, so you’re not scrambling to find the cash every three months. Over time, you can adjust how much you set aside for taxes as needed.



As for organizing your taxes, this can also be a relatively simple and ongoing part of how you conduct your business.



It’s important for solopreneurs to have an accurate account of their income, since it’s always possible a client will make a mistake on the 1099 they issue. An invoicing structure where you record income from specific clients at the same time you mark their invoices as paid can be a small tweak that will make tax organization much easier. This could be as simple as a Google sheet that you keep updated, as long as you are consistent.



Taking no vacation days



When you work a traditional job, it can be easy to forget to take time off. Whether you get a set number of vacation days per year, or your workplace offers unlimited PTO (which really means you get the hairy eyeball if you try to schedule any), it’s easy to reach the end of December before you’ve realized you never took a vacation.



This is obviously a serious problem within the American workforce, which is suffering from burnout, lack of work boundaries, and a bad case of the Mondays.



While none of that is good, many workplaces do at least offer regular time off in the form of weekends and federal holidays. Workers who habitually leave their vacation days unused can still count on several long weekends and other breaks throughout the year to give them a needed opportunity to rest.



Block off time for rest



Working for yourself means you don’t have to stick to a 9-to-5 schedule, but it also means you might be working at midnight, on weekends, and through Thanksgiving dinner. The habit of working without a vacation can be especially tempting when your success or failure depends on your hustle.



But you’re solely responsible for your business now, which includes the well-being of your only employee. You can’t rely on the holiday calendar to provide you with time away from your work like you did as a paycheck employee. You have to set the boundaries—or deal with the consequences of burnout. Which could mean not being able to work at all.



This is why you need to set the boundaries your previous schedule gave you automatically. You can do this by blocking off time weekly, monthly, and annually for rest. If you need to, imagine that your rest times are legally mandated so that you’re not tempted to work through your vacation time anyway.



Building better habits



Working for yourself, by yourself, doesn’t just require a change in how you structure your work day—you may also have to revamp your personal financial habits.



Without the safety net of a steady paycheck, solopreneurs can’t afford to ignore their bank balances like they did as an employee. Your bank’s mobile app and online tools can help you keep track of your finances with automated alerts and notifications.



While paycheck employees get to think of taxes as a single season of the year, solopreneurs have to deal with tax chores year-round. That includes paying quarterly taxes and keeping records organized. Setting aside around 20% of each payment can help solo entrepreneurs have the money they need to pay their estimated taxes every quarter, while recording their income as the invoices are paid can help make tax reporting easier come April.



And though all Americans need to take more time off, those working traditional jobs can often count on weekends and federal holidays, even if they forget to use their PTO. Solopreneurs can get stuck in an endless working cycle unless they specifically block off regular time for rest—and guard it fiercely. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>bad, financial, habits, solopreneurs, can’t, afford</media:keywords>
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<title>Epstein’s fondness for elite lawyer ends in downfall</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/epsteins-fondness-for-elite-lawyer-ends-in-downfall</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/epsteins-fondness-for-elite-lawyer-ends-in-downfall</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Epstein files now show how the pedophile and the powerhouse attorney worked as allies while reshaping the management of Leon Black’s wealth. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2206882647-e1770296473366.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Epstein’s, fondness, for, elite, lawyer, ends, downfall</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Uber has appointed a new CFO—its third in three years</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/uber-has-appointed-a-new-cfoits-third-in-three-years</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/uber-has-appointed-a-new-cfoits-third-in-three-years</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The company&#039;s latest finance shake-up comes as it doubles down on robotaxis and faces fresh questions about its long-term AV strategy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2156607992.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Uber, has, appointed, new, CFO—its, third, three, years</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Activist investors are more dangerous to CEOs than ever. Here are 3 ways to safeguard your leadership</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/activist-investors-are-more-dangerous-to-ceos-than-ever-here-are-3-ways-to-safeguard-your-leadership</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/activist-investors-are-more-dangerous-to-ceos-than-ever-here-are-3-ways-to-safeguard-your-leadership</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Activism thrives on corporate uncertainty and increasingly leverages a fast-changing media environment to exert pressure. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/sam-wolf.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Activist, investors, are, more, dangerous, CEOs, than, ever., Here, are, ways, safeguard, your, leadership</media:keywords>
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<title>Scott Bessent trolls Democrats during testimony, implying their questions are unserious and stupid</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/scott-bessent-trolls-democrats-during-testimony-implying-their-questions-are-unserious-and-stupid</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/scott-bessent-trolls-democrats-during-testimony-implying-their-questions-are-unserious-and-stupid</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In response to complaints that Bessent&#039;s conduct wasn&#039;t resulting in a &quot;serious&quot; hearing, he said, “Well, the questions have to be serious.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26035630125425-e1770296786409.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Scott, Bessent, trolls, Democrats, during, testimony, implying, their, questions, are, unserious, and, stupid</media:keywords>
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<title>Texas A&amp;amp;M professor who was fired for teaching gender studies sues on freedom of speech grounds</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/texas-am-professor-who-was-fired-for-teaching-gender-studies-sues-on-freedom-of-speech-grounds</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/texas-am-professor-who-was-fired-for-teaching-gender-studies-sues-on-freedom-of-speech-grounds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;There’s no satisfaction in doing this, only sadness,” Melissa McCoul said in a statement. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AP26030739612126-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Texas, A&amp;M, professor, who, was, fired, for, teaching, gender, studies, sues, freedom, speech, grounds</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The row house is back to solve the housing crisis</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-row-house-is-back-to-solve-the-housing-crisis</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-row-house-is-back-to-solve-the-housing-crisis</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ At a factory in Austin, a startup recently finished its first prototype: a row house it plans to replicate in cities nationwide to help with the housing shortage.



Row houses—narrow, multistory homes that share walls with neighbors on each side—are ubiquitous in older neighborhoods from Brooklyn to San Francisco, but aren’t commonly built now. The American Housing Corp., wants to bring them back.



“Row homes are an underbuilt category in the United States,” says Riley Meik, cofounder and CEO of the American Housing Corp. The company has developed a kit of parts that can be quickly manufactured, shipped to building sites in dense urban neighborhoods, and assembled, helping shrink construction costs. While the price of an American Housing Corp. row house will vary, some of the first row houses in Austin will sell for around $750,000.



From left: American Housing Corp. founders Riley Meik, Bobby Fijan, Harris Rothaermel, and William Davis [Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



“The U.S. is actually good at building single family homes on the outskirts of town—you look at the numbers that Lennar or D.R. Horton does, they are building over 150,000 homes a year,” Meik says. “But they are never going to build in the cities where people already live and want to live.”



The challenge of the missing middle



Meik, an engineer who previously cofounded a rocket company, started thinking about housing during a stint at SpaceX’s former headquarters near Los Angeles. On his way to work, passing through single-family neighborhoods, he looked at the houses and wondered why more of them weren’t starting to be replaced with duplexes or fourplexes. Like many cities, large swaths of the greater Los Angeles area had zoning laws for years that restricted construction to single-family homes. Then a 2021 state law that changed that, allowing lots to be split for duplexes. Still, few developers were building the projects.



[Image: The American Housing Corp.]



Meik knew that building more “missing middle” housing—buildings like row houses that are bigger than apartments but smaller than single-family houses—could help begin to fill the enormous housing shortage in cities like L.A. “I started tweeting about it, and saying, ‘It’s legal. Why aren’t we doing it?’” he says.



He connected with his eventual cofounders online. “We met just kind of screaming into the void—this is a problem that needs to get solved in this country, and we want to work on it,” he says. “That brought us all together. It’s something we’ve all been obsessed with for a very long time. So it wasn’t hard to convince each other that we should jump off into the deep end together and build this thing.”



They saw that a challenge for missing middle housing was the cost of construction. “There were probably hundreds of projects that I was seeing where someone had the approvals in hand, they were fully cleared, but the construction costs were too high and they couldn’t start the project,” Meik says.



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



Shrinking construction costs



To help reduce costs, the startup turned to prefab construction. The concept isn’t new—builders have been making housing parts in factories since Sears houses were shipped on trains in the early 20th century. Basic manufactured homes, formerly known as mobile homes, now often look more like conventional houses but cost significantly less. Other startups have tried to scale up prefab construction for apartment buildings, backyard guest houses, or higher-end homes. Some have failed spectacularly, like Katerra, which raised more than $2 billion before going out of business.



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



To avoid one of the pitfalls that some other builders have faced, the American Housing Corp. designed all of its components to fit inside standard shipping containers so that they can be moved cost-effectively. The shipping containers can travel affordably by rail, rather than on a truck, from the factory to a city. “I think one of the things that has held back prefab to date, specifically volumetric modular, is it is incredibly expensive to ship those modules,” Meik says. “They’re oversized loads, and you get into the tens of thousands of dollars per module to ship them. We can be at less than $5,000, all-in, to ship a unit from Texas to California.”



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



Factories can be expensive—Katerra spent $150 million on one before it closed—and if they need to be built near each market, it makes the product uneconomical. (Cosmic, another startup that has been rebuilding homes in the L.A. area after the 2025 wildfires, takes a different approach to this problem, building low-cost microfactories at each site.)



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



The American Housing Corp. designed a new kit of parts—from floor and wall panels to fully assembled kitchens and bathrooms—that can be built in an automated factory and then shipped to a site for quick assembly. The core materials, like steel and fiberglass reinforced cement panels, “are more common in automotive or aerospace than housing,” he says.



Designing a system for multistory homes was a challenge. “I think most people thought we were crazy for choosing to build a three-story home as our first,” says Meik. “The structural engineering, assembly process, and equipment required are completely different than building something as simple as a backyard home. But we believe that the only way to solve the housing crisis is by building missing-middle housing at scale. And we felt that row homes were the obvious choice.”



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



A new manufacturing model



The company started building a “minimum viable” factory last summer to begin testing its manufacturing process, and then started building a prototype house. They deliberately took it slowly—designing and building one floor, learning from it before building the second floor, and then refining the process again before building the third floor. 



As the team experimented with the first house, the total manufacturing time took weeks, but as it begins operations, it will move much more quickly. The company is now planning a new factory that aims to build one home per day. Right now, the early factory is churning out building parts that are being sent to Intertek, a certification company, for testing. After certification, the company plans to begin building homes in its first factory this year, while the new, larger factory is under construction.



[Photo: The American Housing Corp.]



When the parts are delivered to a building site, they’re designed to be assembled with a crane in days. All of this shrinks costs enough that projects can pencil out, Meik says.



The company also plans to act as a developer, working with partners to buy land on empty lots in dense neighborhoods, so that it can handle the entire process. “Our biggest learning from other [prefab] companies is that in order to have full control of what you build and how you build it (and truly be able to innovate in the way homes are built), you need to be both the prefab company and the real estate development firm,” Meik says. “Vertical integration has given us the freedom on the engineering side to redesign the home from the ground up in order to make it mass-producible in a factory setting. We don’t use two-by-fours, drywall, or hammers and nails. Our homes are designed to be built with machines.”



Using density to lower housing costs



For consumers, the biggest reason that the homes can be more affordable is density. “Land is the most expensive thing in the areas that we want to build in,” Meik says. “So the only way that we can really decrease cost for the end customer is by fitting as many homes on a certain piece of land as we can.”



[Image: The American Housing Corp.]



In Austin, one of the cities where they’re building first, they plan to sell row houses for less than $750,000 in neighborhoods where single-family homes sell for $1 million to $2 million, offering an option for buyers who otherwise might not be able to stay in a compact, walkable neighborhood. The first house is three stories tall, with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The company will sell houses directly to consumers; later, it may also rent them out in some cases.



It plans to work nationally. While the floor plans and interior finishes will be similar from city to city, the homes are designed to use different facades that are designed to fit the local context. Historically, row houses have come in many forms: In a city like Philadelphia or New York, they range from simple working-class homes to taller, more ornate buildings for wealthy families.



[Image: The American Housing Corp.]



The design is meant to fit into existing urban neighborhoods. “We wanted to find a way to build something that would fit in between two New York City brownstones,” Meik says “We want to build in Brooklyn Heights and someone to walk by and say, ‘That’s nice.’ I think prefab historically has either leaned very ugly or hyper-modern, and unfortunately, neither of those really fit in in the neighborhoods that we want to build in.”



As they scale up, they want to recruit more engineers to work on the housing crisis. “Housing has often been thought of not as an engineering discipline, but something that’s left to the trades,” he says. “I think that’s completely wrong. One of our primary goals at the American Housing Corporation is to show great engineers that hey, you can bring those phenomenal skills that you developed building cars or rockets or iPhones and apply those skills to solving the most important problem of our generation—figuring out how to build more homes in this country.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, row, house, back, solve, the, housing, crisis</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Will Trump gut the Kennedy Center? What to know about his construction plans for the D.C. institution</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/will-trump-gut-the-kennedy-center-what-to-know-about-his-construction-plans-for-the-dc-institution</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/will-trump-gut-the-kennedy-center-what-to-know-about-his-construction-plans-for-the-dc-institution</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump said Monday that he’s “not ripping down” the Kennedy Center but insisted the performing arts venue needs to shut down for about two years for construction and other work without patrons coming and going and getting in the way.The comments strongly suggested that he intends to gut the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the process.“I’m not ripping it down,” the Republican president told reporters in the Oval Office. “I’ll be using the steel. So we’re using the structure.”Such a project would mark the Republican president’s latest effort to put his stamp on a cultural institution that Congress designated as a living memorial to President Kennedy, a Democrat. It also would be in addition to attempts to leave a permanent mark on Washington through other projects, the most prominent of which is adding a ballroom to the White House.Shortly after taking office last year, Trump dismissed Kennedy Center board members who had been appointed by Democratic presidents and replaced them with loyalists, who voted to make him chairman. He helped choose the recipients of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, a program he avoided during his first term. He later hosted the event, and the board voted late last year to rebrand the Kennedy Center by adding his name to the building and website.Trump announced Sunday on social media that he intends to temporarily close the performing arts venue on July 4 for about two years “for construction, revitalization, and complete rebuilding,” subject to board approval.The announcement followed a wave of cancellations by leading performers, musicians, and groups since the president took over leadership of the arts institution. Trump did not mention the cancellations in his announcements, or during his comments Monday.Kennedy Center Arts Workers United, which includes several unions representing the institution’s arts workers, said in a statement that it was aware of Trump’s announcement but had received no formal notice or briefing about his plans. The group pledged to enforce its members’ contractual rights.“Should we receive formal notice of a temporary suspension of Kennedy Center operations that displaces our members, we will enforce our contracts and exercise all our rights under the law,” the statement said. “We expect continued fair pay, enforceable worker protections, and accountability for our members in the event they cannot work due to an operational pause.”



Promising ‘the highest-grade everything’



Recalling his past career in construction and real estate, Trump said, “you want to sit with something for a little while before you decide on what you want to do.” Speaking of the Kennedy Center, he said: “We sat with it. We ran it. It’s in very bad shape,” asserting that the building is “run down,” “dilapidated” and “sort of dangerous.”Roma Daravi, a Kennedy Center spokesperson, said in a social media post that “decades of gross negligence” has led to $250 million of deferred maintenance needs and that temporarily closing the institution “is the most logical choice to allow for comprehensive renovations, efficient project completion, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars.”Deborah Rutter, the Kennedy Center president who was ousted by Trump, declined comment Monday. In the past, she has said allegations from Trump and others about the center’s management were false.A representative for David Rubenstein, the board chairman who was also pushed out by Trump, said Rubenstein was not available Monday to comment.Trump, citing the complaints of a workman he said has been laying marble at the Kennedy Center, said the closure is needed because “you can’t do any work because people are coming in and out.”He pegged the cost at about $200 million, including the use of “the highest-grade marbles, the highest-grade everything.”“We’re fully financed and so we’re going to close it and we’re going to make it unbelievable, far better than it ever was, and we’ll be able to do it properly,” Trump said.Congress earmarked $257 million for the Kennedy Center in a tax cut and spending bill that Trump signed into law last summer.



What kind of work is involved



The White House said after the president spoke that some of the maintenance includes work on the building’s structural, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, fire protection and technical stage systems. Work on the building’s exterior, security standards and parking are also included.Daravi, the Kennedy Center spokesperson, declined comment when asked how the closure would affect the annual Mark Twain Award and Kennedy Center Honors events this year.Trump said last October, also on social media, that the venue would stay open during construction. But on Monday he said that plan was no longer feasible.“I was thinking maybe there’s a way of doing it simultaneously but there really isn’t, and we’re going to have something that when it opens it’s going to be brand new, beautiful,” Trump said.“The steel will all be checked out because it’ll be fully exposed,” he said. “It’s been up for a long time, but as anybody knows it was in very bad shape. Wasn’t kept well, before I got there,” he said. “So we’re going to make it, I think there won’t be anything like it in the country.”The Kennedy Center opened in 1971.Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, who in November opened an investigation into the Kennedy Center’s financial management, said the planned closure is part of Trump’s “demolition tour of Washington.” Whitehouse is the senior Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees public buildings, and is an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board.Since Trump returned to the presidency, the Kennedy Center is one of many Washington landmarks that he has sought to overhaul in his second term.He demolished the White House East Wing and launched a massive $400 million ballroom project, is actively pursuing building a triumphal arch on the other side the Arlington Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial, and has plans for Washington Dulles International Airport.—-Associated Press writers Hillel Italie in New York and Steven Sloan in Washington contributed to this report.



—Darlene Superville, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Will, Trump, gut, the, Kennedy, Center, What, know, about, his, construction, plans, for, the, D.C., institution</media:keywords>
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<title>Palantir’s stock price is back on the rise. This 1 factor may determine if shares keep going up</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/palantirs-stock-price-is-back-on-the-rise-this-1-factor-may-determine-if-shares-keep-going-up</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/palantirs-stock-price-is-back-on-the-rise-this-1-factor-may-determine-if-shares-keep-going-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares in Palantir Technologies (Nasdaq: PLTR) are rising this morning, one day after the AI data analysis software company with significant U.S. government contracts reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings. Here’s what you need to know about Palantir’s latest results and its rising stock price.



Palantir’s Q4 2025 beat Wall Street expectations



Yesterday, Palantir announced its Q4 2025 earnings, and investors breathed a sigh of relief. For Palantir’s Q4, which ended on December 31, the company brought in $1.41 billion in revenue, signaling 70% year-over-year growth. 



The majority of that revenue comes from Palantir’s U.S. customers, which is split roughly evenly between the U.S. government and commercial U.S. businesses.



Palantir said U.S. government revenue totaled $570 million for the quarter, representing 66% year-over-year growth in that vertical. U.S. commercial revenue totaled $507 million—137% year over year growth.



But more important than those actuals was what Wall Street had been expecting. And Palantir easily surpassed those expectations, leading to the rapid rise in its stock price today. 



As cited by CNBC, LSEG estimates expected Palantir to bring in $1.33 billion for the quarter. The company ended up surpassing that estimate by around $80 million.



Analysts were also expecting an earnings per share (EPS) of 23 cents. Palantir’s actual EPS for the quarter was 25 cents.



PLTR shares are still down from their all-time highs



Palantir released its earnings results after the closing bell yesterday, and today its stock price is reaping the rewards of those results, enjoying double-digit growth in premarket trading.



As of this writing, PLTR shares are up 11.35% to $164.55. The company’s share had closed at $147.76 yesterday.



That share price pop will be music to the ears of Palantir investors. Before this morning’s premarket trading bump, PLTR shares were down nearly 17% year-to-date.



Its current premarket price rise doesn’t quite put PLTR shares back in the black for the year, but it’s definitely a move in the right direction.



Palantir shares had hit an all-time high of above $207 in November, after seeing a phenomenal year of growth.



The previous November, in 2024, started with shares sitting in the low-40’s range. But increasing government contracts and AI optimism throughout the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 sent PLTR shares surging.



Then came December 2025, and PLTR shares got pummeled. Between December 24 and 31, the company’s stock price fell from the $194 range to around $177. That fall reflected both rising concerns about Palantir’s lofty valuation and broader worries about a potential AI bubble.



Where does PLTR go from here?



Despite Palantir beating expectations for Q4, the future of its stock price likely hinges on its ability—or not—to continue delivering results that justify its valuation. 



As of yesterday’s close, Palantir was valued at around $352 billion and traded at a price-to-earnings ratio of more than 230, which is incredibly high for even a tech company.



The company’s stock price could also be significantly impacted if upcoming Big Tech earnings do not meet expectations and thus reignite fears of an AI bubble. If investors turn sour on AI stocks, Palantir shares could once again be hit hard.



For instance, Google parent Alphabet—the best performing of the so-called Magnificent 7 tech stocks—will report earnings on Wednesday. Fellow tech giant Amazon will report the following day. Later this month, meanwhile, AI chip giant Nvidia Corporation will report its results. 



Investor sentiment around AI could be deeply impacted by the results of any one of those companies.



As for Palantir itself, the firm issued guidance yesterday for both its current Q1 2026 and its full-year 2026.



For its Q1, Palantir said it expects revenue of between $1.53 – $1.54 billion. That’s more than the $1.32 billion that many analysts were expecting. For its full-year 2026, Palantir expects revenue of $7.18 – $7.2 billion. That is nearly $1 billion more than many analysts were expecting.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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</item>

<item>
<title>As AI fragments, enterprise control is the next battleground</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-ai-fragments-enterprise-control-is-the-next-battleground</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-ai-fragments-enterprise-control-is-the-next-battleground</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 



You wouldn’t pay a surgeon to file your tax return, and you wouldn’t ask your accountant to perform your appendectomy. The same is true for AI: Organizations should start realizing that different AI providers excel at different needs, from coding to specialized research or creative design.



Over the coming year, enterprises will absorb a variety of these AI providers’ technologies in earnest and at scale—department by department, role by role. Legal teams will standardize on tools like Harvey. Customer service teams will rely on Glean or purpose-built agents. Development teams may choose resources from Anthropic. Marketing, engineering, finance, and HR will similarly gravitate toward AI resources from Microsoft, xAI, or OpenAI, optimized for their specific needs.



In other words, enterprises will evolve from the idea that single-provider AI resources will solve their needs to an era of targeted, role-based, or need-based AI.



Making matters even more complicated, many AI providers are now beginning to roll out their own browsers.



Enterprise leaders thus face a new challenge: how to manage the onslaught of AI needs that are now arriving.



HISTORY IS REPEATING ITSELF



Enterprises have been here before.



When cloud computing emerged, many dipped their toes in the water by standardizing on a single provider. The logic was simple: fewer vendors, lower cost, less risk. But as cloud usage expanded, different workloads demanded different strengths, and organizations diversified their cloud infrastructure.



The same dynamic emerged with data platforms. Early efforts focused on centralized applications like data lakes, but as use cases multiplied, organizations often found that no single system served every real-world use case equally well. Most enterprises responded by adopting multiple tools around a shared data foundation.



In both cases, organizations that had prepared themselves for flexibility were better positioned.



AI is following this same trajectory, only faster. And unlike cloud or data infrastructure, AI adoption isn’t happening quietly behind the scenes. It’s happening in daily workflows across departments, often without central coordination.



Leaders can therefore best help their organizations succeed by embracing many tools, each chosen for what it does best, while managing them through shared controls.



THE RISK OF AI TOOL SPRAWL



As AI systems and use cases proliferate, failing to prepare poses real risks to the enterprise.



This proliferation extends beyond standalone AI tools. Increasingly, SaaS applications from CRM systems and productivity suites to finance and HR platforms embed their own AI. In many cases, AI adoption will happen by default, not by deliberate choice.



With these tools, teams will also inherit fragmented security policies, inconsistent controls, and limited visibility. Tools that seem harmless in isolation can create meaningful risk in aggregate.



This is the rise of shadow AI: systems introduced to solve real problems, but without the oversight to manage them responsibly. With agentic AI, where systems act on users’ behalf, those risks compound: permissions expand and accountability becomes harder to trace.



If these tools are left unchecked, leaders will lose sight of where AI is used, what data it touches, and which systems act autonomously on the organization’s behalf. Experimentation and innovation should not be allowed to scale faster than oversight.



GOVERNANCE IS THE MISSING LAYER



Multimodal flexibility does not have to come at the expense of visibility and security. Again, we have been here before. With SaaS, enterprises don’t manage a wide variety of capabilities by forcing everyone onto one system. They manage it by establishing shared controls across many tools.



Enterprises need a governance layer that sits above all AI vendors. That layer should provide:




Visibility across AI usage



Policy enforcement independent of model provider



Guardrails for data access



Safe experimentation



Support for bringing your own device, contractors, and distributed teams




Governance doesn’t restrict freedom. It enables it by allowing organizations to choose every model they want and assign them across their teams without introducing new risk.



And true governance can’t rely on technology alone. Leaders must cultivate a culture of AI literacy, where every employee can confidently evaluate, validate, combine, and challenge AI systems. Then organizations can embrace a multitude of AI tools, safely, and effectively.



PREPARE FOR MULTI-MODEL SUCCESS



Much like SaaS, the cloud, and data platforms before it, AI will soon spread across roles, workflows, and applications. Leaders that build in the capacity to manage all these models—through visibility, governance, and an AI-fluent workforce—will be best positioned to capture all of AI’s advantages without compromising safety, trust, or control.



Steve Tchejeyan is president of Island. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>fragments, enterprise, control, the, next, battleground</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How discounting hurts long&#45;term loyalty and profits</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-discounting-hurts-long-term-loyalty-and-profits</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-discounting-hurts-long-term-loyalty-and-profits</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Discounting has been part of retail’s toolkit for decades, and it can be effective, especially during high-stakes shopping seasons. But as promotions become more frequent across the industry, companies are taking a closer look at the downside: Short-term sales gains don’t always come with long-term loyalty or durable margins, and customers remember how a brand made them feel far more than what they saved at checkout.



What’s often missing from the conversation is the role of experience-led value. Loyalty isn’t built through price alone—it’s built through moments that make a customer feel recognized, appreciated, and confident they made the right choice. When brands compete only on discounts, they sacrifice those moments in favor of short-term volume.



This coming year, retailers may feel the urge to pull the markdown lever more than ever.



While the National Retail Federation pegged retail sales during the recent holiday shopping season to exceed $1 trillion, retailers saw fewer unit sales as shoppers dealt with tariff-driven sticker shock. As a result, 2025 marked a significant change in consumer behavior as shoppers across the board sought value and deals. That shift is likely to persist through 2026, increasing pressure on retailers to use markdowns to move inventory.



The risk isn’t that retailers will discount, it’s that discounting becomes the strategy rather than the symptom.



WHEN DISCOUNTS COST MORE THAN THEY DELIVER



Kohl’s offers a useful illustration of this tension. In the third quarter of 2025, the retailer reported a modest year-over-year increase in gross margin, while operating income declined amid softer sales. The results underscore how difficult it can be to translate promotional activity and operational improvements into sustained profitability when demand remains under pressure.



This dynamic isn’t unique to Kohl’s. Shifting consumer preferences, lingering supply-chain complexity, and intensified competition have forced many retail leaders to make difficult decisions about pricing and inventory.



Target faced a similar challenge in 2022, when excess inventory—particularly in home and apparel—prompted the company to take decisive markdown and inventory-reduction actions. While those moves helped rebalance inventory levels, they also weighed on near-term profitability.



More recently, Lululemon has contended with elevated promotional activity amid signs of slowing demand in the U.S. and increased competition in the athleisure category from brands like Vuori and Athleta. Analysts have pointed to higher markdown levels as retailers across the space work to maintain traffic and manage inventory in a more competitive environment.



Taken together, these examples reflect a broader pattern in retail: promotions can help stabilize revenue in the short term, but they don’t always improve operating leverage or long-term customer value. Discounts move inventory—but they rarely move customer lifetime value in the same direction.



WHY DISCOUNTING FEELS INEVITABLE BUT ISN’T SUSTAINABLE



Discounting has intuitive appeal. In a crowded market with shrinking discretionary budgets, deals cut through the noise. Spending trends underscore just how price-sensitive shoppers have become, with a growing percentage planning holiday-season purchases early and hunting for discounts across channels.



Yet this rush to save can produce a dangerous feedback loop:



1. Shoppers learn to wait for deals.



2. Brands feel pressured to offer deeper discounts.



3. Margins shrink, forcing even steeper promotions next cycle.



Over time, this turns what should be a preference decision into a pricing decision, and pricing decisions rarely build durable brands.



LOYALTY IS BUILT BEYOND THE TRANSACTION



If discounting tells a shopper, “Buy now because it’s cheap,” then true loyalty says, “Buy again because it matters.” The difference is subtle, but profound.



Loyalty isn’t a transaction with a strike price; it’s a series of experiences that make a customer feel recognized, appreciated, and connected. It doesn’t live at checkout. It’s built in the moments of fulfillment, engagement, and emotional connection that follow.



Yet many retail strategies still prioritize pre-purchase price incentives over post-purchase relationship building. That’s why promotions dominate inboxes, but customer lifetime value stagnates.



A BETTER PATH FORWARD



Some brands are finding a way out of this loop by shifting emphasis away from discounts and toward experience-led value. This includes deploying value-oriented pricing structures that don’t train customers to wait for sales. Retailers can also offer post-purchase experiences that reinforce brand affinity without discount hooks. They can also provide more personalized engagement that acknowledges the shopper as an individual rather than a deal seeker.



Retailers who embrace these strategies in 2026 signal something important: you matter to us, not just your wallet. And that distinction, over time, fuels repeat business in a way discounts never can.



Discounts will always have a place—especially during peak shopping seasons when consumer attention is fragmented and competitive pressure is intense. But when discounting becomes the foundation of a pricing strategy rather than a tactical lever, it eats into profits and inwardly rewires customer expectations.



The retailers that will win in 2026 and beyond won’t be the ones offering the biggest discounts. They’ll be the ones who understand how customers remember brands, through moments of appreciation, relevance, and experience that extend beyond the transaction.



As the past holiday season showed, even the most sophisticated retailers can fall into the trap of equating promotional volume with lasting value. The brands that win in the long run will resist that reflex—and instead focus on creating moments that customers remember, not just prices they respond to.



Elery Pfeffer is the CEO at Nift. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, discounting, hurts, long-term, loyalty, and, profits</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative cut 70 jobs as the Meta CEO’s philanthropy goes all in on mission to ‘cure or prevent all disease’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-chan-zuckerberg-initiative-cut-70-jobs-as-the-meta-ceos-philanthropy-goes-all-in-on-mission-to-cure-or-prevent-all-disease</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-chan-zuckerberg-initiative-cut-70-jobs-as-the-meta-ceos-philanthropy-goes-all-in-on-mission-to-cure-or-prevent-all-disease</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “We want to really double down” on AI-powered biomedical research, Mark Zuckerberg said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2244247673.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Chan, Zuckerberg, Initiative, cut, jobs, the, Meta, CEO’s, philanthropy, goes, all, mission, ‘cure, prevent, all, disease’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Despite Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Steve Jobs praising micromanagers, a new survey ranks them among the most annoying coworkers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/despite-airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-and-steve-jobs-praising-micromanagers-a-new-survey-ranks-them-among-the-most-annoying-coworkers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/despite-airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-and-steve-jobs-praising-micromanagers-a-new-survey-ranks-them-among-the-most-annoying-coworkers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ While Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky argued that Steve Jobs proved being “in the details” can be a gift to top talent, employees say micromanagers are wrecking morale and killing productivity. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-642091692-e1769776940845.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Despite, Airbnb, CEO, Brian, Chesky, and, Steve, Jobs, praising, micromanagers, new, survey, ranks, them, among, the, most, annoying, coworkers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>In the age of AI, better meetings might be your company’s secret weapon</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-the-age-of-ai-better-meetings-might-be-your-companys-secret-weapon</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-the-age-of-ai-better-meetings-might-be-your-companys-secret-weapon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Fortune 500 CEOs are cracking down on unproductive meetings. A Stanford PhD who&#039;s studied meetings for 15 years says they&#039;re not going far enough. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1190952170-e1769811996162.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>the, age, AI, better, meetings, might, your, company’s, secret, weapon</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The ‘smart money’ isn’t acting like we’re in a bubble, top economist says. The AI ballgame is in its ‘early innings’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-smart-money-isnt-acting-like-were-in-a-bubble-top-economist-says-the-ai-ballgame-is-in-its-early-innings</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-smart-money-isnt-acting-like-were-in-a-bubble-top-economist-says-the-ai-ballgame-is-in-its-early-innings</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Owen Lamont told Fortune about his &quot;Four Horsemen&quot; of the bubble apocalypse, and one hasn&#039;t left the stable yet. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2258150530-e1769735118630.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, ‘smart, money’, isn’t, acting, like, we’re, bubble, top, economist, says., The, ballgame, its, ‘early, innings’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The AI adoption story is haunted by fear as today’s efficiency programs look like tomorrow’s job cuts. Leaders need to win workers’ trust</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ai-adoption-story-is-haunted-by-fear-as-todays-efficiency-programslook-like-tomorrows-job-cuts-leaders-need-to-win-workers-trust</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-ai-adoption-story-is-haunted-by-fear-as-todays-efficiency-programslook-like-tomorrows-job-cuts-leaders-need-to-win-workers-trust</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When people feel exposed, they play small. Breakthrough ideas give way to micro use cases and firms refine today’s’ model instead of creating tomorrow’s. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Carolyn-Dewar_hi-res-e1769449278688.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, adoption, story, haunted, fear, today’s, efficiency, programs look, like, tomorrow’s, job, cuts., Leaders, need, win, workers’, trust</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Baby Boomers are retiring early. Gen Z wants to quit. Here are the real reasons why</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/baby-boomers-are-retiring-early-gen-z-wants-to-quit-here-are-the-real-reasons-why</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/baby-boomers-are-retiring-early-gen-z-wants-to-quit-here-are-the-real-reasons-why</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ From the outside, it looks like a generational standoff.



Baby boomers are retiring earlier than expected, frustrated by workplace change, technology shifts, and growing tension with younger colleagues. At the same time, Gen Z talks openly about quitting jobs that feel misaligned or draining. Many leaders interpret this as a clash of values. Older workers cannot adapt. Younger workers lack commitment. The data tells a more complicated story.



New research from Clari and Salesloft, conducted in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, surveyed 2,000 U.S. sellers and sales leaders across industries. The study found that 19% of baby boomers are planning to retire early because they are tired of dealing with Gen Z at work. At the same time, 28% of Gen Z respondents said they are actively searching for a role where they will not have to interact with baby boomers as much.



The cost of that friction is not abstract. The research estimates that generational conflict is costing organizations roughly $56 billion each year in lost productivity, driven by miscommunication, burnout, and uneven adoption of new technologies like AI.



On its own, that data suggests a workplace pulling itself apart.



But another study complicates the narrative. Research from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, based on a survey of 1,000 employees, found that 71% of Gen Z workers are staying in a job or career longer than they want simply because they do not know how to leave. Nearly half say they are actively transitioning toward something new, while 68% report that their employer has no idea they are planning a change.



Taken together, these findings reveal something leaders often miss.



Baby boomers are leaving because they can. Gen Z is staying because they do not know how not to.



This is not a motivation problem. It is a clarity problem.



A shifting environment



For many boomers, the workplace they are navigating today barely resembles the one they mastered. AI tools, shifting communication norms, and changing definitions of productivity have disrupted identities built on decades of experience and institutional knowledge. When those changes arrive without context or support, frustration grows. Early retirement becomes less about age and more about opting out of an environment that no longer feels coherent.



Gen Z is facing the opposite challenge. They entered a workforce defined by constant change, but very little guidance. Career paths are opaque. Loyalty feels risky. Advice is often abstract. While they are often labeled as eager to quit, the reality is that many are stuck in roles they have already outgrown, unsure how to move on without harming their future.



AI has intensified this divide rather than resolving it. For example, the same Clari and Salesloft research found that 39% of Gen Z would rather be managed by AI than by a baby boomer, while 25% of boomers say they would prefer working with AI over a Gen Z colleague. This preference is less about technology being superior and more about predictability. In environments where expectations feel unclear or inconsistent, AI can appear easier to work with than people.



The leadership factor



That is where leadership enters the equation.



Engaged empathy is not about lowering standards or avoiding difficult conversations. It is about understanding how different generations experience the same systems and responding with clear, actionable communication. Without that effort, organizations allow frustration to turn into disengagement.



For Gen Z, engaged empathy shows up as explicit career navigation. Not platitudes about growth, but concrete conversations about skills, timelines, and options. Many young employees are not afraid of hard work. They are afraid of making irreversible mistakes in a system that rarely explains the rules.



For baby boomers, engaged empathy means recognizing that resistance to new tools is often rooted in identity, not stubbornness. When experience feels discounted rather than translated, trust erodes. Leaders who intentionally connect new technologies to existing strengths reduce defensiveness and preserve institutional wisdom. However, none of this works without clarity.



High-performing organizations do not assume alignment across generations. They create it. They explain what success looks like now, how it is measured, and how employees at different stages can contribute and grow. They introduce AI as a shared resource rather than a silent evaluator.



Boomers retiring early and Gen Z wanting to quit are not signs that work is fundamentally broken. They are signals that employees are responding rationally to unclear systems and inconsistent leadership.



The solution is not fewer generations in the workplace. It is leaders willing to practice engaged empathy and communicate clearly enough that fewer people feel the need to escape in the first place. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Baby, Boomers, are, retiring, early., Gen, wants, quit., Here, are, the, real, reasons, why</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Amazon Go is dead. Was grab&#45;and&#45;go retail a fantasy?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amazon-go-is-dead-was-grab-and-go-retail-a-fantasy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/amazon-go-is-dead-was-grab-and-go-retail-a-fantasy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello, and welcome back to Fast Company’s Plugged In.



When Amazon announced this week that it’s shutting down Amazon Go, its 8-year-old chain of cashierless convenience stores, the news did not come as a shocker. Almost two years ago, the company shuttered all its Go stores in San Francisco, along with some locations in New York and Seattle. Another round of closures came in 2024. Now it’s going from a few stores to no stores, a footnote given that the same day brought the news that Amazon is laying off 16,000 people across the company.



Having shopped at the Amazon Go near my San Francisco office almost 200 times, I counted myself as a fan. Even back then, though, it felt like the company either didn’t understand what it had created or had already lost interest. The piece I wrote when the San Francisco stores closed felt like an obituary, even though other locations remained in business. 



I said at the time that regardless of what happened to Amazon Go, I hoped startups would pursue the goal of freeing us from the drudgery of waiting in line to pay for stuff. One I mentioned in that piece, Grabango, folded the following year. Reportedly, the expense and complexity of equipping stores with its technology—which, like Go, involved a bevy of cameras using AI to keep track of shoppers and the products they’d plucked from shelves—played a part in its demise.



I should note that cashierless retail is not entirely dead. Amazon is still working on the “Just Walk Out” technology that powered the Go stores, which it makes available to other retailers. Some of its Whole Food Market stores continue to offer a variant of the tech in the form of smart shopping carts called Dash Carts, which it recently upgraded. Startups that remain in the game include Zippin, whose Go-like technology is widely used at sporting and concert venues, and Mashgin, which eliminates the need to configure an entire store with cameras by having shoppers place items on a tray for AI-assisted checkout.



The one place I’ve encountered checkout-free shopping lately is at airports, where I’ve bought items using both Amazon’s and Mashgin’s platforms. My experiences were positive. Let’s be honest, though: It isn’t tough to improve on airport retail in its traditional form.



Cashierless checkout surviving for niche applications would be a dramatic reversal from the days when the first Amazon Go stores opened and I wondered whether human-dependent checkout was on its way to becoming as quaint as sales transactions involving someone eyeballing price tags on items and laboriously punching keys on a cash register. Maybe it will someday. But surely not in this decade, and I wouldn’t bet on the one after that.



Why is that? Along with the cost of the tech, there’s the question of how well it works at all. In 2023, The Information’s Theo Wayt reported that Amazon had 1,000 people in India reviewing transactions from its stores, and that 70% of sales required a human in the loop. That made it sound like the main thing the company had achieved was to remote-control the checkout process rather than eliminate it. It was also a reminder that shopping in Amazon Go stores involved being monitored by cameras, giving the whole process a Big Brother vibe.



Amazon disputed details of Wayt’s report. And the fact that considerable human labor was required to train the Just Walk Out AI doesn’t mean it would be so forever. Still, the more you know about how technology of this sort works, the more daunting it sounds—especially in the context of retail, a business that has traditionally been resistant to experimentation and long-term thinking.



Back when I was popping into my neighborhood Amazon Go several times a week, I thought of what it was doing as being centered on making my life slightly better. Ultimately, though, retail technology is not about direct customer satisfaction. It’s about increasing sales. Making shoppers happier is only one way to accomplish that, and probably not the easiest one.



In 2018, my colleague Sean Captain wrote about Standard Cognition, which had opened a 1,900-foot demo cashierless shop in San Francisco and had plans to help retailers take thousands of stores cashierless in just a couple of years. That didn’t happen. Now known as Standard AI, the company has pivoted away from grab-and-go toward using cameras to “understand what shoppers actually see and respond to,” its website says. “Our proprietary models continuously track awareness, engagement, and conversion to prove media impact, refine promotions, and optimize performance across every in-store placement.“



Standard AI is not performing facial recognition or otherwise associating this data with specific identifiable individuals. But even in anonymized form, the idea of being monitored as I shop for the purpose of maximizing sales makes me wince. The company’s site—with close-up imagery of shoppers contemplating products, overlaid with stats Standard has collected about them—doesn’t help. (Yes, I am aware that club cards have long tied shoppers to purchases, and that online shopping has always been a minefield when it comes to merchants spying on customers.)



Much has changed since Amazon Go was a novelty. AI is now everywhere in our lives, and the list of areas where its impact is potentially transformative is almost literally endless. I still like the concept of grab-and-go shopping. For now, however, it seems most useful as a case study in why technology that works—kinda, in certain circumstances—can fall so short of working as a real-world business.



You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on fastcompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you can follow Plugged In on Flipboard.



More top tech stories from Fast Company


Yahoo claps back on AI search engines with Yahoo ScoutThe legacy web company still commands staggering internet mindshare as it pivots into the AI age with an AI search engine of its own. Read More →
In Rochester, pay phones are working again—and they’re freeThe GoodPhone Project upcycles old pay phones, converts them to VoIP, and places them in neighborhoods where some residents still don’t own mobile phones. Read More →
Where is Donald Trump’s strategic Bitcoin reserve?The government seems to be amassing more Bitcoin. But little work seems to be happening to enact the terms of the executive order Trump signed to start the ‘strategic reserve.’ Read More →
TikTok is tracking you now. Here’s how to protect yourselfTikTok, under new ownership, is monitoring your physical location, internet activity, and anything you upload into its AI. It’s time to put some shields up. Read More →
The founders of Uber and Habitas want to disrupt your apartmentAs more young, wealthy people choose to rent, Sekra aims to give them what they want: luxury living, game nights, and blackout shades. Read More →
AI face swapping video could be a bonanza for scammersA new class of video generation tools could fool phishing victims, especially the elderly, into divulging information or sending money.  Read More → ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Amazon, dead., Was, grab-and-go, retail, fantasy</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Trump is set to announce a ‘very respected’ nominee to lead the Federal Reserve</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-is-set-to-announce-a-very-respected-nominee-to-lead-the-federal-reserve</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-is-set-to-announce-a-very-respected-nominee-to-lead-the-federal-reserve</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics.For the past year, the president has aggressively attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term as the head of the U.S. central bank ends in May. Trump maintains that Powell should cut the Fed’s benchmark interest rates more drastically to fuel faster economic growth, while the Fed chair has taken a far more judicious approach in the wake of Trump’s tariffs because inflation is already elevated.“I’ll be announcing the Fed chair tomorrow morning,” Trump told reporters Thursday night as he went into a screening of the documentary “Melania” about his wife. “It’s going to be, somebody that is very respected, somebody that’s known to everybody in the financial world. And I think it’s going to be a very good choice. I hope so.”Trump stayed relatively cryptic about his pick. His search was led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with four known finalists: Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor; Christopher Waller, a current Fed governor; Rick Rieder, an executive with the financial firm BlackRock; and Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council. Trump previously suggested Hassett was the frontrunner, only to recently say that he wanted him to remain in his current post.Trump did say on Thursday night that “a lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago,” fueling speculation that he had chosen Warsh, who was a finalist in the 2017 search for Fed chair that led to Powell’s selection.Tensions between Trump and the central bank had been steadily mounting as the president used the renovation costs of the Fed’s headquarters to further lambaste Powell, a campaign that resulted in the Fed getting subpoenas from the Justice Department earlier this month. The Fed chair took the rare step of issuing a video statement in which he said, “The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president.”Trump has long teased his Fed choice while saying his nominee would slash interest rates that influence the supply of money in the U.S. economy, the rate of inflation and the stability of the job market.On the cusp of Trump’s announcement, Powell might have the ability to block him in an effort to ensure the Fed preserves its credibility by staying away from political considerations.While his term as chair ends in roughly three months, Powell’s term on the Fed’s board of governors runs through 2028 and he could choose to remain in that post, likely blocking Trump’s ability to have his nominees control the majority of the seats on the board. Of the seven Fed governors, former President Joe Biden picked three of them in addition to renominating Powell to a second term as chair.If Powell stays on the board, he could also create a small procedural hurdle for Trump’s ability to nominate someone new to the board. This would mean Trump would either have to choose an existing board member as chair or replace Stephen Miran, who is on leave from his job as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers to fill a term as governor that technically ends on Saturday. If Trump chooses to replace Miran, he could name someone new to the board.At a Wednesday news conference, Powell declined to say whether he would leave the board. But he did offer some advice to any successor about balancing the need for independent judgment with public accountability.“Don’t get pulled into elected politics — don’t do it,” Powell said. “Another is, that our window into democratic accountability is Congress. And it’s not a passive burden for us to go to Congress and talk to people. It’s an affirmative regular obligation.”



—Josh Boak and Darlene Superville, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, set, announce, ‘very, respected’, nominee, lead, the, Federal, Reserve</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Saks Off 5th and Last Call stores are closing soon: See the full list of doomed locations across 18 states</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saks-off-5th-and-last-call-stores-are-closing-soon-see-the-full-list-of-doomed-locations-across-18-states</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/saks-off-5th-and-last-call-stores-are-closing-soon-see-the-full-list-of-doomed-locations-across-18-states</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Saks Global, owner of luxury retail chains Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus, has announced the closure of most of its discount outlet stores, Saks Off 5th and Last Call. 



The store closures come weeks after Saks Global announced that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Here’s what you need to know about the store closures, including a full list of the locations being shuttered.



What’s happened?



Yesterday, Saks Global said it would close a majority of its discount outlet stores. While Sak Global is best known for its high-end luxury department store chains, Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus, the company owns several other retailers, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Off 5th, Last Call, and Horchow.



The company has now announced that two of these retailers will be hit by store closings. 



The first is Saks Off 5th, the company’s outlet store chain, which sells discounted apparel and accessories for shoppers on a budget.



The company also announced that it will close all its Last Call stores. Last Call is the discount outlet chain originally owned by Neiman Marcus, which Saks Global acquired for around $2.7 billion in 2024.



Why are Saks Off 5th and Last Call stores closing?



Saks Global is closing these locations as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, which the company filed for earlier this month. 



The goal of the bankruptcy is “to strengthen the foundation of our business and position it for the future,” Saks Global CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck stated earlier this month.



Over the past several years, the company now known as Saks Global has become saddled with debt, driven by factors affecting many retailers, including reduced sales, declining foot traffic, increased online competition, and inflationary pressures. 



But the company’s debt problems also increased significantly after it acquired competitor Neiman Marcus in 2024.



This week’s announcement of store closures doesn’t come out of the blue. Earlier this month, when Saks Global announced it was filing for bankruptcy, the company said it was “evaluating its operational footprint to invest resources where it has the greatest long-term potential.”



That evaluation has now led to the closure of a majority of its Saks Off 5th and all of its Last Call stores.



Saks Global now says the store closures are the result of “a thorough review of its off-price business.”



Which Last Call stores are closing?



Saks Global has confirmed that all of its remaining Last Call stores will close. This encompasses five locations in three states. Those locations are:



California




Desert Hills Premium Outlets (Cabazon, CA)



The Outlets at Orange (Orange, CA)




Florida




Sawgrass Mills (Sunrise, FL)




Texas




Grapevine Mills (Grapevine, TX)



San Marcos Premium Outlets (San Marcos, TX)




Which Saks Off 5th stores are closing?



Unlike its Last Call stores, Saks Global will not shutter all of its Saks Off 5th stores. However, the majority of the stores will be closing.



The company says that 12 Saks Off 5th locations will remain open, while the other 57 locations will close. Those 57 locations are spread across 18 states. Here is the full list of Saks Off 5th stores that are closing:



Arizona 




Glendale, AZ



Phoenix, AZ



Scottsdale, AZ



Tucson, AZ




California




Cabazon, CA



Camarillo, CA



Costa Mesa, CA



Livermore, CA



Beverly Connect, Los Angeles (West), CA



Milpitas, CA



Palm Desert, CA



Petaluma, CA



Ontario, CA



San Diego, CA



Woodland Hills, CA




Conneticuit




Clinton, CT



Stamford High Ridge (Stamford), CT




Florida




Destin, FL



Ellenton (Tampa), FL



Tampa (Lutz), FL



Naples Park Shore (Naples), FL



Orlando, FL



Orlando (Vineland), FL




Georgia




Atlanta (Woodstock), GA



North Atlanta (Woodstock), GA




Hawaii




Ala Moana (Honolulu, HI)



Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)




Illinois




Aurora Chicago (Aurora), IL



State Street (Chicago), IL



Northbrook, IL



Rosemont, IL




Massachutses




Boston (Somerville), MA



Wrentham, MA




Maryland




Clarksburg, MD



Arundel (Hanover), MD




Minnisota




Eagan, MN




Navada




Las Vegas N (Las Vegas), NV



Las Vegas S (Las Vegas), NV




New Hampshire




Merrimack, NH




New Jersey




Bridgewater, NJ



Elizabeth, NJ



Shrewsbury, NJ




New York




Deer Park, NY



Eastchester, NY



Greenburgh, NY



Riverhead, NY




North Carolina




Charlotte, NC



Mebane, NC




Ohio




Columbus, OH




South Carolina




Hilton Head (Bluffton), SC



Charleston, SC




Texas




Cypress, TX



Dallas Park (Dallas), TX



Grand Prairie, TX



Katy, TX



San Antonio, TX



Sugarland, TX




In addition to the above Saks Off 5th closing locations, Saks Global also announced that the retailer’s website, Saksoff5th.com, “is winding down operations.”



When do closing sales begin?



Saks Global says Saksoff5th.com online closing sales will begin today, Friday, January 30.



Physical store closing sales will begin on Saturday, January 31.



The company says that gift cards to these physical retail stores will continue to be accepted, but only until Saturday, February 14th.



Gift cards for saksoff5th.com will only be accepted until Friday, February 13th. 



All merchandise purchased during the closing sales is non-returnable or exchangeable. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Saks, Off, 5th, and, Last, Call, stores, are, closing, soon:, See, the, full, list, doomed, locations, across, states</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>A coworking space for the 1% of workers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-coworking-space-for-the-1-of-workers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-coworking-space-for-the-1-of-workers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Imagine that you pull up to a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. You step out of the car and walk into the lobby, where the staff greets you by name and ushers you to an elevator. Upstairs, another staff member brings you coffee just the way you like it, minutes after you arrive. A barber is on hand to give you a fresh shave before an important Zoom call, and afterwards, you drop by a caviar tasting that’s happening in the shared lounge.



Amid an interior of travertine, green marble, and glass, a dedicated hospitality team and concierge service wants to make sure clients don’t waste time with the “little frictions” of everyday life. This “sanctuary” might sound like one of Manhattan’s luxury members-only clubs, but in fact, it’s a new kind of coworking space that caters to the 1% of workers. 



Industrious Reserve is a high-end coworking space meant for CEOs and business leaders. It’s supposed to give “the prestige of Park Avenue and the quiet luxury of a private club,” according to marketing materials. It’s designed for leaders with all-remote teams, or with home offices in other cities, who will now have a place to hold court.







“What we observe in our business is that people want a private club experience, but they also want their own office,” says Industrious President Anna Squires Levine, whose firm was recently bought by real estate services giant CBRE. “Just this morning, I had a private equity executive tell me ‘this is the product I’ve been waiting for. I do not want to sign my own 10-year lease. Why would I do that? Then I have to build it and manage it and figure out the Wi-Fi for 10 years. I want somewhere I can show up and feel like a boss.’”



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



The first location of Industrious Reserve, a high-end coworking space meant for CEOs and business leaders, will open soon inside the fifth and sixth floors of Manhattan’s Lever House, a famous modernist skyscraper. Reserve access starts at $7,000 a month per person, $9,500 if it includes one of the 44 private office suites (monthly membership costs for other Industrious locations in New York City vary between $399 and $1,700.)



The new ‘corner office’



The Reserve offering represents a significant departure from the classic corner office layout for corporate leadership, a design for status and hierarchy that reached its apex shortly after the International-Style Lever House opened in 1952. As much as it’s a story of service firms finding new ways to cater to increasingly wealthy clientele—after all, there’s no shortage of private club space or budget for high-end office amenities—it also speaks to the changing role of a modern CEO and their workspace.



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



Corporate leadership needs to showcase accessibility, transparency and cultural presence, says Todd Heiser, principal and co-managing director of Gensler’s Chicago office. But that doesn’t mean having the face of the company operate out of the lunchroom, or like many famous tech leaders, flipping open a laptop and sitting with the rank-and-file.



What Heiser says leaders desire now—and Reserve seeks to provide—is a place to work in close collaboration with the trusted team that makes a modern business function, almost like a capitalist situation room. 



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



In a world that requires lightning-fast decision-making, CEOs want proximity; they want to be able to assemble the executive team in minutes and work in a space that fosters faster alignment. Heiser pointed to Logan Roy’s office on Succession or Rebecca’s office on Ted Lasso as examples of leadership spaces that were both characters in their own right and typically open for rapid-fire meetings with advisors. One real-world example, the new HQ for Hyatt, includes space for leadership to quickly huddle, assemble and lead team meetings outside of a stiff boardroom. 



The Capitalist Situation Room 



In the 1950s, office designers, influenced by notions of hierarchy and congruence theory, laid out workspaces to cleanly delineate hierarchy. Meanwhile, with today’s more open plan and collaborative design, the workplace power dynamic is dramatically demonstrated by access, says Heiser. It helps that shrinking office footprints also means axing luxurious private offices. Gensler found one in five workers today doesn’t have assigned seating, though execs do tend to have a reserved spot in most offices.



As opposed to the classic corner office—long a symbol of hierarchy and corporate power—this new functional layout that’s emerging more post-pandemic displays the leadership style of today’s LinkedIn CEO. “Employees read leadership spaces like cultural text,” says Heiser. “The layout, the openness, the adjacency all tell people what the organization values. It actually comes clearly from the top.”



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



Reserve, in both its name and lofty privacy, communicates exclusivity—it’s a considerable expense to join—but it also gets described as the type of space where a leader can collaborate with a team. Levine spoke about the design, by the in-house team at Industrious, as a fusion of physical, technological and experiential, trying to create a turnkey experience for execs while also creating a sort of townhouse on Park Avenue vibe. The feeling of intimacy should be akin to a “secret, top-floor, light-filled brownstone in the middle of New York,” says Levine.



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



What sets Reserve apart, argues Levine, is the dichotomy; leaders can enjoy an intimate private office to meet with advisors, offering that connection to their top staff, as well as a semi-public space–members and guests only in the club–for socializing for larger gatherings. It’s a space for using time impactfully, being in the bunker with trusted advisors, and being the best version of yourself. 



Compared to the gigantic floorplates of modern high-rises, the Lever House is slim and elegant; in the afternoon, the sunlight from the window hits the middle of the floor. 



[Photo: Industrious Reserve]



So far, membership interest has come from private equity firms, venture firms, hedge funds, and high-end retail and fashion shops. Levine says it’s either firms with big headquarters elsewhere who want a Manhattan outpost, or smaller, super distributed teams seeking a central meeting place. 



Levine expects the small handful of drop-in memberships and private offices to be snapped up well before the space opens in the spring, and Industrious plans further expansions of the concept in “pinnacle cities” such as Singapore, Tokyo and Berlin.



“It takes a very special building and a very special landlord partner to make it happen,” says Levine. “We like to be thoughtful and methodical about the way that we expand so we know we can do it with a high degree of execution. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>coworking, space, for, the, workers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gold is going up because Trump is talking down the dollar, feeding ‘the narrative of relative U.S. decline,’ UBS fears</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gold-is-going-up-because-trump-is-talking-down-the-dollar-feeding-the-narrative-of-relative-us-decline-ubs-fears</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gold-is-going-up-because-trump-is-talking-down-the-dollar-feeding-the-narrative-of-relative-us-decline-ubs-fears</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The dollar hasn’t been this weak for years. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2257982920.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gold, going, because, Trump, talking, down, the, dollar, feeding, ‘the, narrative, relative, U.S., decline, ’, UBS, fears</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Waabi raises up to $1 billion and partners with Uber to deploy 25,000 robotaxis as the race to dominate self&#45;driving heats up</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/waabi-raises-up-to-1-billion-and-partners-with-uber-to-deploy-25000-robotaxis-as-the-race-to-dominate-self-driving-heats-up</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/waabi-raises-up-to-1-billion-and-partners-with-uber-to-deploy-25000-robotaxis-as-the-race-to-dominate-self-driving-heats-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The AI company, which had been focused on software to enable autonomous trucking, has now expanded into robotaxis ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2216967121-e1769597424242.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Waabi, raises, billion, and, partners, with, Uber, deploy, 25, 000, robotaxis, the, race, dominate, self-driving, heats</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Snout, pet wellness plan startup, raises $110 million in debt and equity</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-snout-pet-wellness-plan-startup-raises-110-million-in-debt-and-equity</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-snout-pet-wellness-plan-startup-raises-110-million-in-debt-and-equity</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Snout has raised $10 million in Series A funding, led by Footwork, and $100 million in debt financing from Clear Haven Capital Management, the company has exclusively confirmed to Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Unknown.jpeg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Snout, pet, wellness, plan, startup, raises, 110, million, debt, and, equity</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why Ashley St Clair, MAGA influencer and Elon Musk’s ex, is taking on his AI empire</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-ashley-st-clair-maga-influencer-and-elon-musks-ex-is-taking-on-his-ai-empire</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-ashley-st-clair-maga-influencer-and-elon-musks-ex-is-taking-on-his-ai-empire</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Conservative influencer Ashley St Clair says Grok generated explicit deepfakes of her—including images from when she was 14. Now she&#039;s fighting xAI and Elon Musk. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1818577428-e1767724712791.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Ashley, Clair, MAGA, influencer, and, Elon, Musk’s, ex, taking, his, empire</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>OpenAI digs in on a fundamental disconnect in new research: AI is ready for primetime, many businesses aren’t</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-digs-in-on-a-fundamental-disconnect-in-new-research-ai-is-ready-for-primetime-many-businesses-arent</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/openai-digs-in-on-a-fundamental-disconnect-in-new-research-ai-is-ready-for-primetime-many-businesses-arent</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The real challenge isn&#039;t building better AI—it&#039;s actually using it. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1494163023-6.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>OpenAI, digs, fundamental, disconnect, new, research:, ready, for, primetime, many, businesses, aren’t</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Make stealing time a crime: How to protect your most valuable resource</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/make-stealing-time-a-crime-how-to-protect-your-most-valuable-resource</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/make-stealing-time-a-crime-how-to-protect-your-most-valuable-resource</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I’m always amazed at how easily we give our time to others without thinking, and then are mad later when it was wasted. What exactly did we think was going to happen? That everyone was going to be prepared, productive, and appreciative? 



Time has become the ultimate luxury—we never have enough of it, and are jealous of those that have it. For too many of us, endless meetings, back-to-back emails, and constant interruptions leave little room for focused, meaningful work. Additionally, in our effort to be nice or generous, we offer our time even when we’re running on empty.



But what if I told you that much of this time theft could be prevented with a little more mindfulness, intent, and discipline? Warren Buffett is a great example: He once shared his calendar with Bill Gates, and it was practically empty, which Gates found shocking. But Buffett was making a point—that one of the key reasons for his success is that he fiercely guards his time, knowing that “people will take your time if you let them.”



Time is a nonrenewable resource, and we should be stingier with it. You can lose money and get it back, but you can never get it back lost time. Yet every day, unnecessary meetings and unproductive engagements hijack our calendars, diminishing both our productivity and morale. So why do we let it happen? It’s time to rethink how we treat time: not just our own, but the time of our teams and colleagues.



Time as a Strategic Resource



Let me introduce you to the concept of “time crime” that is emerging in workplaces today. Time is now considered an asset, and too many people are wasting it. It’s misused through poorly planned meetings, rambling conversations, and vague scheduling. This has an impact not just on productivity but missed opportunity, and as a result orgs have made bold moves to create strict policies on things like meetings. They’ve made it part of their culture change to treat time with respect, with scheduling a meeting becoming a last resort.



The idea is about mutually respecting time—yours, and others. In 2023, Shopify ruthlessly cut all recurring meetings with more than two people, resulting in 322,000 fewer hours spent in meetings in one year. Can you imagine that impact? What would you do with all that found time? For Shopify, it meant more focus and more time for deep work.



Alan Rankin, chief procurement officer at Moderna, shared an aha moment he had around time management, and it changed how he operates: “I was invited to a monthly operations meeting where many senior leaders in the company attended. I was really struggling to make a meaningful contribution to the meeting. I started to put myself under pressure to contribute more and say intelligent things. Then I had the lightbulb moment: Is this what is best for the company or is this all about me? I decided to stop attending and see if anything in my universe changed. And guess what? Nothing did. And now I have more time.”



Revelations like this are impactful—and essential. While there are many ways time gets stolen, meetings are usually the biggest culprit. NBCUniversal, for example, has learned that fewer participants in meetings often lead to more productive discussions. For many business units, meetings include only the minimum number of people necessary to achieve the objectives, resulting in faster decisions and more meaningful input from all attendees.



The Power of Less: Fewer People = More Productivity



The power of “less” applies to emails, reports, committees, and most certainly, to meetings. I’ve never heard an organization tell me they wished their teams had more of any of these. Have you? Less equals focus, especially during meetings. When too many people are involved, important voices get drowned out. By keeping meetings lean and mean, you create an environment where only people that can contribute meaningfully attend, resulting in less distractions and more deep work.



Atlassian lets employees question the necessity of every meeting. To decrease meetings, they use tools like Slack to handle simple status updates, letting teams focus more on high-value work. The message is to use your time with intention, and to only hold meetings when absolutely necessary. Stealing time is unacceptable. When meetings are held less often, they become a valuable commodity, where teams become more focused and disciplined with people’s time.



Even Google has developed guidelines to make meetings productive and purposeful. Because innovation depends on it. Their meetings are short, focused, and to-the-point, with strict rules about minimizing unnecessary participants. The goal is to protect employees’ time by stopping lengthy, irrelevant discussions that take away from deep work. These guidelines help teams be mindful of how they spend their time, as well as how they use the time of others. 



Respecting Time Equals Respecting People



Employees who feel their time is valued are more likely to be committed to their work. Time is, after all, one of the most tangible forms of respect you can show someone. At my own company, FutureThink, we regularly “uninvite” people to meetings, emphasizing that they don’t need to attend the meeting and can use their time for more urgent work. People love being uninvited because it feels like a gift—and our culture emphasizes that you need to use your time wisely; if you waste it on the unnecessary—that’s on you. The goal is for people to understand that time is something worth protecting. 



Guard Time Like It’s Your Most Valuable Asset



Stop letting your calendar be overrun with things you do need to really do, and start using your time with intent. The next time someone asks for your time, ask yourself: Is this meeting truly necessary? Is this the best use of my time, and their time? Doing this will not only protect your own productivity but also foster a culture where everyone’s time is treated as the invaluable resource it truly is. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-1-91465220-make-stealing-time-a-crime-how-to-protect-your-most-valuable.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Make, stealing, time, crime:, How, protect, your, most, valuable, resource</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What is ‘situational retirement’—and should you give it a try?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-is-situational-retirementand-should-you-give-it-a-try</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-is-situational-retirementand-should-you-give-it-a-try</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As an operative researcher for luxury retail companies, I spent my career grabbing onto one corporate contract after the next, like a tree-swinging retainer monkey. But in a tariff-distressed industry, those contract “branches” grew further and further apart until I was left hanging. Then a colleague experiencing a similar work gap said, “Well, I guess we’re retired.”



I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but nothing prepared me for the word “retired.” I’m a freelancer, so no one is coming to my house with a gold watch as a reward for loyal service; I have no desire to move south; and I don’t play golf. My equally self-employed friend Roland had a suggestion: Why not consider myself “situationally” retired—that is, retired until the phone rings.



It’s funny how one word can make or break your spirit. I was crushed by “retired” because the concept is foreign and frightening. But adding “situational” made it comfortingly familiar. After all, for us freelancers every corporate contract is situational; you might even say that situational is my superpower.



A friend who’s spent decades in a grueling C-suite position still can’t bring himself to retire, despite vested stock and a strong financial footing. Happy or not, he remains in the grip of his job, unable to let go of a role he believes defines (and so ultimately confines) him.



I’ve been an outside observer of corporate America long enough to understand his struggle, although it is not my own.



Redirecting your energy



As an independent contractor working for different companies, each with its own ecosystem, I constantly adapted my work persona to fit each unique corporate culture. Fluidity is what stabilized my career and so the loss of a fixed identity was not my retirement problem. My issue was displaced energy.



Whether writing a history of plaid for a fashion CEO or helping the VP of design at a boutique hotel chain find just the right urban neighborhoods for expansion, every project required a tremendous amount of advance work.



From sleuthing out relevant reference resources to searching for subject-specific experts, my research work was as fascinating as it was fun. I rarely left my desk yet built a national network of specialists and accumulated wide-ranging knowledge that often dovetailed, making every project a little easier. When the work slowed—and then stopped—my detective skills had nowhere to go.



I can’t remember how long I was in that uncomfortable standstill until Roland’s use of the word “situational” got me moving. To kick off “Project Retirement,” I went on my usual research prowl.



Every day, about 11,400 Americans turn 65—the traditional retirement milestone—fueling a busy and lucrative media market spanning content, publishing, and podcasts. But the most valuable operative research is not about finding the most information. It requires you to find the right information—information that is directional, that you can build upon, that can help steer your project to a successful conclusion.



Redefining retirement



For me, the initial guiding principles came from the YouTube channel Small Retired Life and Raina Vitanov’s practical yet inspirational attitude. Her conversation about being rebellious enough to redefine and rebrand retirement broadened my understanding and freed me to choose my own norms and values. But the most significant contribution was her observation that in retirement, “Productivity is not the conversation.” Using the Roland method, I added a word and had a revelation: Transactional productivity is no longer my conversation.



The time between contracts used to feel borrowed; now I own it. And all that research joie de vivre that I enjoyed over my corporate years is mine to use as I like. Sit next to me if you want to talk about the architecture of Shaker communities, art in ’80s New York, or the difference between Ivy style and preppy fashion.



I also started a side gig in a small boutique where I once shopped whenever I needed to outfit myself for a rare visit into corporate America. Because I’ve never had a structured straight job, I find the work to be fresh and interesting. It’s also rewarding because I get to use decades of style research on real live women, many playing out their own life-shifting issues through the lens of their wardrobes.



Although I’m not sure I can pull off being an introvert cosplaying as an extrovert for more than my customary two workdays a week, I might give it a shot. Because now that I’ve got the hang of it, situational retirement can be whatever I want it to be. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-91477180-situational-retirement.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What, ‘situational, retirement’—and, should, you, give, try</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Davos reveals mixed messages on CEO confidence—and new narratives on AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/davos-reveals-mixed-messages-on-ceo-confidenceand-new-narratives-on-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/davos-reveals-mixed-messages-on-ceo-confidenceand-new-narratives-on-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.



The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos brings together an incongruous mix of celebrities (this year included Matt Damon, David Beckham, and Katy Perry, who was accompanying ex-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), world leaders (President Donald Trump), and nonprofit leaders. The event also reliably assembles an unrivaled group of global CEOs who offer a window into where business is heading.



Some CEOs see sunny skies ahead



This year, though, I found the window very foggy—and I wasn’t alone. According to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey, released at the start of the meeting, only about a third of CEOs (30%) say they are confident about revenue growth in the next 12 months, down from 38% in 2025 and 56% in 2022. Yet Paul Griggs, CEO of PwC U.S., says the American CEOs he spoke with in Davos are feeling much more optimistic than the survey would suggest. While they acknowledge that they’re dealing with high levels of uncertainty, they’re also more prepared to deal with complexity through new workflows and processes to keep them agile. “I met with 10 CEOs today, and it was a day of optimism,” Griggs says.



Sharon Marcil, who leads Boston Consulting Group in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is also seeing bright spots. A new report, BCG AI Radar 2026, finds that four out of five CEOs say they are more optimistic about the returns on their AI investments than they were a year ago. “I do think 2026 is going to be a growth year,” she says.



Who’s feeling blue? Most consultants I spoke with say European and U.K. CEOs are less confident than their U.S.- and Asia-based counterparts.



AI’s impact beyond the hype



The impact of AI on jobs was also hotly debated at Davos. While most CEOs and executives continue to insist that AI will make work better by reducing mundane tasks, a few CEOs have started to talk—publicly and privately—about the roles AI will eliminate and the need to prepare workers for changes.



“We’re focused on being completely honest with our workforce,” says Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen Technologies, a digital network services provider. Johnson says the company is committed to training employees for new roles in the organization but adds, “We have to reimagine what the world will look like in the future, and [employees] need to imagine a world where their current job may not exist.”



Conversations about AI have also shifted away from applications (think OpenAI’s ChatGPT) and agents (software that can make decisions and complete tasks) to infrastructure. Throughout the week, executives shared insights on the energy and networking capacity needed as data centers built specifically to support AI crop up.



“The big question now has gone from the potential to operational reality,” says Aamir Paul, president of North America Operations at energy technology company Schneider Electric. (Fast Company partnered with Schneider Electric on a series of videos in Davos.) “How do we make it happen . . . getting data centers built, getting energy access, getting it in a way that it doesn’t affect retail costs and consumers don’t have to take the burden, and doing it in a way where we’re still meeting our sustainability goals?”



These are daunting challenges that will require investment and inventiveness to solve. Luckily, one of BCG’s recent business surveys saw a 14% uptick in mentions of innovation versus a year ago. Perhaps that’s another reason for optimism in 2026.



Your views on 2026



How are you feeling about the year ahead? Do you agree with the prevailing sentiment at Davos, or are you less optimistic about what’s coming? I’d like to hear your thoughts and why you feel that way. Please send them to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I may use your comments in a future newsletter.



Read and watch more:




Fast Company’s Brendan Vaughan offers his take on Davos



CEO insularity threatens dialogue goal at Davos



CEOs at Davos are buying the agentic AI hype​




 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Davos, reveals, mixed, messages, CEO, confidence—and, new, narratives</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Good leaders don’t shut down when employees push back—they do this instead</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/good-leaders-dont-shut-down-when-employees-push-backthey-do-this-instead</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/good-leaders-dont-shut-down-when-employees-push-backthey-do-this-instead</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Twenty years ago, as the top digital and innovation executive for Citi’s credit card business, I led the team that spent months building what looked like a brilliant partnership. We’d found a startup with a disruptive payments platform—one that became the forerunner of what has become a new payment type used by millions of consumers today. The deal: strategic investment in exchange for access to the startup’s codebase as a sandbox for innovation pilots. No more waiting in the legacy systems queue. Just rapid prototyping with leading-edge developers.



We built the entire partnership in a silo of supporters, treating resistance as something to avoid until absolutely necessary. Then came final deal approval day. The senior executives heading risk management, compliance, legal, finance, regulatory affairs, and profit and loss (P&amp;L) weighed in: “The regulators won’t like this.” “Have we gotten corporate approvals?” “What’s the ROI?” “We’ve never done this kind of deal.”



Deal torpedoed. Within a few years, that startup was acquired for close to $1 billion.



The loss wasn’t just financial. It was a failure to recognize that resistance contains intelligence about reality that plans built-in echo chambers inevitably miss. Colleagues felt blindsided—asked to bless a final deal rather than shape an evolving strategy. The resistance wasn’t about the idea. It was about being excluded from the journey.



I’ve spent the two decades since distinguishing the signal from the noise—and teaching leaders how to avoid the expensive mistakes we made.



Why We Keep Making the Same Mistake



Leaders faced with pushback default to a familiar playbook: build innovation in a protected silo, surround yourself with enthusiasts, keep resistors at arm’s length. The logic seems sound—protect the new thing from the “antibodies” of legacy thinking.



But here’s what we discovered the hard way: unfamiliarity, fear of the unknown, turf protection—these weren’t just emotional reactions. They were signals. Risk and compliance leaders felt threatened because no one had involved them early enough to anticipate possible regulatory concerns. P&amp;L managers pushed back because the project diverted resources from their quarterly targets. The resistance contained intelligence about implementation realities that an enthusiast-only team couldn’t see.



When 70% of change initiatives fail despite massive investment, the problem isn’t that people don’t understand the plan. It’s that the plan doesn’t account for what people understand about reality.



Learning to Translate Resistance Into Intelligence



The shift starts with listening differently. When someone says, “We tried this before and it didn’t work,” leaders typically hear obstruction and respond: “This time is different—we have better technology.”



But what if you asked instead: “What specifically failed last time, and how does this approach account for those lessons?” Suddenly you’re mining history for intelligence about why elegant pilots don’t scale.



When a stakeholder says, “Our customers won’t understand this,” the dismissive response is “Of course they will—we have market research showing they favor this concept.” The intelligence-gathering response: “That’s an important observation. Where do you see the greatest failure points that we should account for?”



Or consider: “This conflicts with our other priorities.” Many leaders hear bureaucratic gatekeeping and respond by promising to “make the case” at prioritization meetings. But that’s still trying to convince. The intelligence approach: “We have a full load of urgent priorities, you’re right. Where do you see the biggest stress points this project might create?”



These aren’t just nicer ways of saying the same thing. They’re diagnostic questions that surface constraints the plan hasn’t addressed. When you ask, “Where do you see the biggest stress points?” instead of selling your solution, something shifts. You’re signaling genuine understanding, not persuasion. That act of listening—what former hostage negotiator Chris Voss calls “tactical empathy”—builds the trust that determines whether your initiative scales or stalls.



Why This Matters More Now



AI experimentation is amplifying every dysfunction in how organizations handle resistance. Consider a common pattern: A team builds an AI assistant for customer service reps. The tech enthusiasts love it at pilot stage—impressive accuracy, clean demo, excited exec sponsors.



But they never involved actual service reps. So, they didn’t discover until scale that the assistant couldn’t handle the 20% of calls requiring human judgment, created more work documenting exceptions than it saved, and made reps feel surveilled rather than supported. Adoption stalled. The pilot became another “AI experiment that didn’t work.”



The same dynamic plays out with creative teams resisting generative AI. The pattern sounds familiar: Our brand spends millions to sound like itself. The moment we start prompting a model trained on every competitor’s campaign, we’re paying to erase what makes us different.



Beneath the pushback is stewardship of hard-won brand equity, not necessarily technophobia. The intelligence-gathering response: “What if we approach AI as rough-draft only? How might we develop explicit guardrails for tone and references to preserve what makes us distinctive?”



From Stakeholder Management to Coalition Building



Traditional stakeholder management maps who supports and who resists, then tries to convert resistors through better communication. Coalition building does something different: it engages across the spectrum from the start to build trust—the foundation that determines whether change scales.



I’ve seen this work. When innovation leaders don’t own a P&amp;L, they face scrutiny from business unit managers who question whether “the innovation people” truly care about quarterly targets. One way through: explicitly align early experiments to P&amp;L managers’ top priorities—not to convince them your idea is right, but to demonstrate you’re invested in making them successful. Shared values become the bridge when you disagree on tactics.



The Questions That Change the Conversation



In my workshops with senior leaders across financial services and other sectors, I consistently hear the same story. As one CTO told me: “We built our gen AI strategy with only the innovation team. Now we’re stuck because compliance wasn’t engaged early.”



Here’s where to start:



“What do you see that we might be missing?” Assumes intelligence in the perspective, not obstruction.



“What would need to be true for this to work in your world?” Surfaces constraints before they become deal-killers.



“What shared outcomes matter most to both of us?” Finds the values bridge when tactics diverge.



The fundamental shift: from “How do I overcome resistance?” to “What intelligence am I missing if I don’t engage this perspective early?”



Twenty years later, companies are still building partnerships, AI pilots, and transformation initiatives in silos of supporters—the same mistake my Citi team made. Still treating resistance as friction to manage rather than intelligence to integrate: The billion-dollar missed opportunities keep piling up.



What changes when you treat resistance as the intelligence it actually contains? You build coalitions instead of echo chambers. You gain insights that improve your plan and trust that enables scale. And you stop repeating the expensive mistakes we learned from the hard way. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Good, leaders, don’t, shut, down, when, employees, push, back—they, this, instead</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Stop chasing “green” jet fuel</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stop-chasing-green-jet-fuel</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stop-chasing-green-jet-fuel</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 



A new year often starts with a simple question: How can we do better? For businesses, it’s a question that applies to almost everything, from product innovation to climate impact—an area of increasing urgency for many.



The goal of achieving net-zero is now a staple of most businesses’ annual plans, however the journey there is often challenging. It can be fraught with hidden trade-offs, making it difficult for ESG leaders to know whether they are truly backing the right solutions in pursuit of their climate goals.



Take aviation, for example. As one of the world’s most difficult sectors to decarbonize, its 2.5% share of global CO2 emissions represents a major challenge for nearly every corporate climate plan. To solve this, the industry developed a solution called Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Unlike traditional jet fuel made from crude oil, SAF is produced from renewable sources like used cooking oil, agricultural waste, and other plant-based materials. Crucially, it’s designed to work with existing aircraft engines, allowing airlines to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint without having to build new planes.



While promising a dramatic reduction in air travel’s carbon footprint, the well-intentioned race to scale this “green” fuel has created a dangerous paradox, leading companies down a path that risks undermining the goals they are trying to achieve.



THE HIDDEN FLAW IN GREEN JET FUEL



SAF has quickly become the poster child for sustainable flight, as it cuts an aircraft’s lifecycle emissions by up to 80%. However, the way we scale SAF matters just as much as the volumes we achieve. Many of today’s biofuels rely on crops grown on arable land, creating direct competition with food production and increasing the risk of deforestation and biodiversity loss.  



This is the hidden flaw in the first wave of green jet fuel. When the same land that could grow food or support forests is converted for use in jet fuel, claims of sustainability become less convincing. This approach risks incentivizing solutions that reduce carbon emissions on spreadsheets while increasing the social and environmental risks in reality.



At the same time, no one should underestimate the scale of aviation’s challenge. Industry roadmaps state that to align with net-zero targets by 2050, the sector will need hundreds of millions of tons of SAF per year, compared to only a few million tons produced per year today. We must choose the right path to close that gap over the next quarter-century. 



The world generates an enormous amount of waste every year, from used cooking oil and animal fats to agricultural residues such as corn cobs, straw, and empty fruit bunches. Much of this material is mismanaged, leading to open burning, water contamination, and methane emissions as organic waste decomposes. Turning this waste into fuel tackles two problems at once: it avoids methane and pollution from unmanaged waste, and it displaces fossil fuels in sectors like aviation.



FROM PILOT TO SCALE: PROOF IN THE REAL WORLD



The key question for any sustainability solution is simple: Can it scale?



For waste-based SAF, the answer is increasingly yes. At EcoCeres, our first large-scale renewable fuels plant in Jiangsu, China—which launched in 2021—demonstrated that industrial-scale production of SAF from 100% waste oils is commercially viable, with a capacity of around 350,000 tons per year.



Now, that model is scaling. In January 2026, we officially opened our new production facility in Johor, Malaysia. With 420,000 tons of annual renewable fuel capacity, it’s one of the country’s first dedicated SAF facilities and it effectively doubles EcoCeres’ SAF production capability. The plant utilizes 100% waste-based feedstocks, supported by a strategy that secures used cooking oil and other residues across Asia. Its circular model is demonstrated by facilities certified under leading industry bodies like ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) and CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation). It has moved beyond pilots and is now delivering at industrial scale, proving the viability of truly circular SAF.



SAF AS A GATEWAY TO CREDIBLE NET-ZERO FOR BUSINESS



For many global companies, business travel and air freight form a substantial share of their carbon emissions. Without a scalable, credible source of SAF, corporate net-zero pledges risk becoming aspirational rather than actionable. 



It’s clear that a more sophisticated standard for green fuel is needed. Three simple criteria can guide better decisions:




Feedstock integrity: Does the fuel rely on 100% waste and residue-based feedstocks that do not compete with food or high-value ecosystems?



Verified lifecycle impact: Does it achieve high lifecycle emissions reductions validated by robust, third-party certification schemes aligned with global standards?



Circular and local co-benefits: Does the solution tangibly reduce local pollution and create sustainable economic opportunities in the regions where waste is collected?  




Applying these tests can differentiate between models that simply shift problems elsewhere and circular solutions that create compounded benefits.



CLOSE THE LOOP ON GLOBAL MOBILITY



The concept of a circular economy has successfully reshaped countless industries. For years, however, global aviation has remained a critical open loop. A truly circular, waste-based SAF model can help us finally close the loop on global mobility.



This is not a distant dream. As we’ve demonstrated, the technology is already proven and operating at scale. Global studies confirm that underutilized waste streams can support the production of hundreds of millions of tons of sustainable fuel, more than enough to bridge the current supply gap. As more of the world’s waste is brought into productive use, the idea of flying on circular fuel moves from promising pilot to practical reality.



For the business leaders and ESG teams asking, “How can we do better?” this presents a clear and actionable path. By championing a higher standard for the fuels they endorse, they can help transform one of the world’s most difficult climate challenges into a story of innovation and opportunity. If we can turn the world’s waste into the world’s jet fuel, then every business trip, shipment, and journey can be part of the solution, not the problem.



Matti Lievonen is CEO of EcoCeres. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Stop, chasing, “green”, jet, fuel</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>AI productivity gains are making the rich richer, and they’ll wipe out jobs—but the IMF chief sees a silver lining for low&#45;wage workers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-productivity-gains-are-making-the-rich-richer-and-theyll-wipe-out-jobsbut-the-imf-chief-sees-a-silver-lining-for-low-wage-workers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-productivity-gains-are-making-the-rich-richer-and-theyll-wipe-out-jobsbut-the-imf-chief-sees-a-silver-lining-for-low-wage-workers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Kristalina Georgieva sees an economic spillover effect brewing. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2256524952-e1769196077584.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>productivity, gains, are, making, the, rich, richer, and, they’ll, wipe, out, jobs—but, the, IMF, chief, sees, silver, lining, for, low-wage, workers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why Meta is positioning itself as an AI infrastructure giant—and doubling down on a costly new path</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-meta-is-positioning-itself-as-an-ai-infrastructure-giantand-doubling-down-on-a-costly-new-path</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-meta-is-positioning-itself-as-an-ai-infrastructure-giantand-doubling-down-on-a-costly-new-path</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ With Meta Compute, Mark Zuckerberg is turning data centers, chips, and power into what may be the company’s next great strategic weapon. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2235448143.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Meta, positioning, itself, infrastructure, giant—and, doubling, down, costly, new, path</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Meet Bad Bunny, Super Bowl headliner: Son of a truck driver and English teacher used to work at a grocery store before becoming a SoundCloud superstar</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-bad-bunny-super-bowl-headliner-son-of-a-truck-driver-and-english-teacher-used-to-work-at-a-grocery-store-before-becoming-a-soundcloud-superstar</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-bad-bunny-super-bowl-headliner-son-of-a-truck-driver-and-english-teacher-used-to-work-at-a-grocery-store-before-becoming-a-soundcloud-superstar</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Best known for his 2018 hit “I Like It” with Cardi B and J Balvin, Bad Bunny first rose to fame with “Diles,” which has grown to over 1 billion streams. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2232285464-e1759158259117.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meet, Bad, Bunny, Super, Bowl, headliner:, Son, truck, driver, and, English, teacher, used, work, grocery, store, before, becoming, SoundCloud, superstar</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When companies take off like a rocket, how can founders steer the ship?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-companies-take-off-like-a-rocket-how-can-founders-steer-the-ship</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-companies-take-off-like-a-rocket-how-can-founders-steer-the-ship</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Leadership must evolve as fast as the organization does. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/carolyn-dewar_1743_fc-mask_1536x1152.webp" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>When, companies, take, off, like, rocket, how, can, founders, steer, the, ship</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This whole city block got an indigenous redesign</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-whole-city-block-got-an-indigenous-redesign</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-whole-city-block-got-an-indigenous-redesign</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The metallic fringe hanging down from the edge of Anishnawbe Health Toronto’s community health center near downtown Toronto is the biggest indication that something different is happening here.



Created to provide centralized health care and traditional healing to the 90,000-strong Indigenous population of Toronto, the clinic is the centerpiece of a unique city block of development that was intentionally led by the Indigenous community and designed to reflect its culture. 



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



The wraparound fringe of more than 12,000 strands of stainless steel chain—the kind of aesthetic flourish easily targeted for elimination by the value engineers of a typical development—is just one of many elements of the project that put its Indigenous roots on full display on this block.



From its services and its building forms to the orientation of its landscaping, the development embodies Indigenous traditions, practices, and principles in a way that’s wholly uncommon in most urban environments.



[Photo: Riley Snelling/courtesy KGA]



Named the Indigenous Hub, this city block of development includes the aforementioned health center, along with an Indigenous job training center, two mid-rise residential towers, and public and private plazas. Indigenous iconography and material references can be seen across the site, from building facades that reference sacred blanket designs and healing rituals to wall treatments that evoke the bark of trees that once stood as forests on this site. 



It’s a project that goes to unusual lengths to put these elements on display. And it also required everyone involved in the project, from the developer to the architects and the landscape designers, to rethink their approach to urban development.



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



‘A place of indigeneity’



Located in a part of the city that was once the floodplain of the Don River, and before that the ancestral lands and hunting grounds for Indigenous people for thousands of years, the site holds deep resonance for the community. The designers of the project, including an Indigenous architecture firm headquartered in a nearby First Nation, put great effort into drawing those connections in the look and feel of the project.



“The intent was all about how do we ensure that when people are in this block, they understand that it is a place of indigeneity, and also understand where they are within the city,” says Matthew Hickey, a partner at Two Row Architect, an Indigenous architecture firm that advised on the design of every part of the project.



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



Working closely with Stantec Architecture, Two Row helped create the plan for the block, and then worked alongside Stantec and the architecture firm BDP Quadrangle to guide the design of the buildings and outdoor spaces within the block, including building facades inspired by traditional dress, traditional healing spaces that connect directly to the earth, and a central Indigenous Peoples Garden plaza where medicinal plants are grown.



This ambitious, Indigenous-led development has been decades in the making. The charity health care organization Anishnawbe Health Toronto (AHT) had been searching for a place to consolidate and improve services it had been providing to Toronto’s Indigenous population since the 1980s. Then in the late 2000s, when officials in Toronto put in a bid to host the 2015 Pan Am Games, this former floodplain was targeted as a potential site for redevelopment. As part of the plan, and in line with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, a two-and-a-half acre section of the redevelopment area was set aside for Indigenous uses.



[Photo: Riley Snelling/courtesy KGA]



AHT was chosen to use this land as a centralized location for its services, with funding from the Ministry of Health. After some complex negotiations at the provincial level, the project was expanded to build an entire city block of development.



The project soon took on the name Indigenous Hub. Joe Hester, the longtime executive director at AHT who died in early 2025, stressed to the design teams that the land wasn’t being granted to the Indigenous community but returned to them. Rather than designing a development that would simply blend into the urban surroundings, the project represented an opportunity to make a mark.



“It’s the first time a health center has been built across Canada specifically to house and to care for Indigenous people, which is shocking on one hand, but also amazing on the other,” says Hickey.



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



At the prodding of Hester and AHT, the project’s designers were called on to design a piece of the city that called attention to its Indigenous character, and prodded people to think about Indigenous people and practices. “We were all very conscious that we were working in a different place with different terms of reference and we needed to be sensitive to those things at all times,” says Les Klein, BDP Quadrangle cofounder.



The designers considered the project as a landscape first, the oriented the buildings around what became the Indigenous Peoples Garden. “It forms a central amenity and organizing element for the whole block,” says Michael Moxam, project design principal and design culture practice leader for Stantec.



The buildings make visual connections to this central space from the street and from within the health center. “In our work in healthcare, we’re always so focused on the health impact of a connection to landscape and the health impact of a connection to natural light and views. That gets right back to the idea of thinking about the whole block as a landscape first,” says Moxam. “There’s indigenous cultural value to that, but there’s also just a health and wellness value to that.”



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



People over parking



Some compromises had to be made. The placement of the health center within the block meant that its entrance was in an undesirable location, according to Indigenous principles. “The building entry is on the west side, which we never enter buildings on. It’s the side of death, basically, with the east side being the side of birth,” Hickey says. As a workaround the design team added a three-story atrium to the east side of the health center, facing the central garden. “Orienting the atrium to the rising sun was one of the teachings that’s embedded in there,” Hickey says.



The designers even tweaked the building facades surrounding the central garden to reflect more light into that east-facing atrium. “We would not have done that if we hadn’t been talking about it and understanding how important those elements are,” Klein says.



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



This level of intention helped make the health center building so striking. In addition to its metal fringe, the facade is clad in perforated aluminum that’s patterned after a star blanket, which symbolizes connections with ancestors and the cosmos. Inside, conventional clinical spaces are situated alongside traditional healing spaces on each of the clinic’s four floors, with curving rusted steel appearing at the street level to indicate where these spaces are located.



In line with an Indigenous principle that healing spaces be in direct contact with the earth, the block’s plan was altered to move all underground parking and basement space outside the footprint of the health center to sit beneath the two housing towers on the block’s edge. “We went to [Hester] and said, you know, it’s going to lose a few parking spaces. And he said, ‘this is what we’re going to do,&#039;” Klein says. “Things that I would normally at least be nervous about going to a developer to talk about just became part of the natural conversation.”



[Photo: James Brittain/courtesy KGA]



Building materials make other references across the development, including multi-colored bricks that mimic the form of a woven basket, and precast concrete panels patterned after the bark of native birch trees.



The fringe around the health center is perhaps the most meaningful design choice, and most representative of what makes this development so unique. It’s inspired by the shawls used by fancy dancers at Indigenous powwows, and also by the sound made by the jingle dresses traditionally used during healing rituals. 



“For a jingle dress dancer, it’s about healing. They dance for people to heal, and that sound is a part of it,” says Hickey. “For us, dancing is not just for dancing or showing off. Like architecture is not about showing off. It’s about what it’s doing.”



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, whole, city, block, got, indigenous, redesign</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Fix your sales pitch in under 90 seconds</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fix-your-sales-pitch-in-under-90-seconds</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fix-your-sales-pitch-in-under-90-seconds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Most sales pitches fail for one simple reason: they try to say too much. It’s natural to be passionate about your product or service. Of course you want to showcase the features and benefits. But if you want your audience leaning in and listening, less is always more. 



We live in what I call an AHA world. AI-focused, hyper-connected, and always-on. Distractions abound. If you can’t capture your prospect and customers’ imagination immediately, you’ll lose them to their emails, Slack messages, and TikTok feeds. 



The good news is there’s a 90-second fix that will help you craft a pitch or presentation that keeps your audience on the edge of their seats. The structure is so simple, it’s almost too good to be true. It’s the same framework the world’s best journalists use to keep their readers coming back for more and the same approach I teach leaders, sales teams, and founders who want their message to cut through.



Let’s dive in. 



Find Your Headline 



Most people start creating a pitch or presentation by opening a slide deck and dumping content into it. Or worse, opening an existing slide deck and trying to rearrange it. Don’t. Before you write a single word or think about your visuals, you need to strip your pitch down to a single sentence. 



Imagine it appearing on the front of a newspaper or at the top of a social feed. What words would you choose? Keep them short, punchy, and memorable. Ten words or fewer is a good rule of thumb.



This single line of text becomes the anchor for your entire pitch. It forces you to stay disciplined. If something doesn’t support your headline it doesn’t make the cut. 



When you look at the newspaper industry, the best headlines have an emotional element too. They don’t just present information, they engage the target audience. A weak pitch headline is forgettable: “SaaS Product Seed Round” is accurate but bland. “$10 million Opportunity To Revolutionize Fintech” is much more compelling. 



A strong headline creates energy. It signals to your audience why they should care. But its most important function is as a yardstick for your content. Test every slide, story, and statistic against it. If it’s aligned with the headline, it stays. If it doesn’t, it goes. 



Distill It Into Three Key Messages



When you look at the text of a newspaper article on the page, you’ll see the headline and a number of subheadings. If all you do is skim those, you’ll have the gist of what is being said. You don’t need to read the whole thing. That structure is a great shorthand for pitches and presentations. 



Your audience can’t absorb unlimited information. Most people walk into meetings already holding a handful of important thoughts in their heads: deadlines, dinner plans, unfinished tasks. If you give people 17 reasons why your product or service is a good fit, there’s no hope they’ll remember all of them. 



I’d like to suggest that three is the magic number. Not seven. Not five. Three.



Three ideas feel complete and satisfying. Three creates a sense of structure. Three gives your audience a map they can follow without working too hard. 



When Steve Jobs launched the iPhone back in 2007 his headline was “Apple reinvents the phone.” His three key messages were as follows: “An iPod. A phone. An internet communicator.” Eight words, three ideas, total clarity. His whole presentation was built around those unifying messages. He covered a lot of ground in his 1 hour, 42 minute presentation but those were the things he kept coming back to. 



Your three key messages are the organizing ideas that sit beneath your headline. They are what your audience will remember long after the details fade. Ask yourself: If they only kept three things from this pitch, what must they be?



This is where you need to be ruthless. Speakers often flood their audience with data points, product features, or historical context. But doing so only creates overwhelm. It is not your audience’s job to decide what matters. It’s yours.



Decide How You Want Them To Feel



With a headline and three key messages, you now have a pitch structure that is simple, repeatable, and memorable. The final step is to think about how you want people to feel. 



This is the part most people skip entirely. But it’s the one that separates forgettable communicators from compelling ones. Decisions are rarely made on logic alone. Even the most analytical audiences are influenced by the emotional resonance of the message.



Before I became a communication coach, I trained and worked as a professional actor. One of the first things actors learn is the power of emotional intention. Before stepping on stage, or in front of the camera, you decide the feeling you’re trying to generate in the audience or the other character. That choice influences your breath, your voice, your posture, and your energy. It changes how your words land.



The same principle applies in a sales conversation. Ask yourself: What emotion do I want to leave them feeling? Should they feel excited? Reassured? Educated?



There are thousands of options. Choose one. That emotion becomes the current that runs through your delivery. A pitch with emotional intention not only sounds and feels different but is far more memorable too.



Here’s the whole technique condensed:



• 20 seconds – write your headline• 60 seconds – choose your three key messages• 10 seconds – set your emotional intention



That’s it. In 90 seconds, you’ve clarified your message, sharpened your structure, and supercharged your delivery. It’s focused, clear, and engaging. 



And if you’d like to see this technique in action, just look at the structure of this article. It’s built exactly the way I encourage people to build their pitches: one headline, three key messages and a single emotional intention guiding the tone.



In an AHA world, simplicity isn’t a compromise. It’s a superpower. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Fix, your, sales, pitch, under, seconds</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>In California, developers are building the country’s first wildfire resilient neighborhoods</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-california-developers-are-building-the-countrys-first-wildfire-resilient-neighborhoods</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-california-developers-are-building-the-countrys-first-wildfire-resilient-neighborhoods</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new neighborhood under construction near Sacramento, California, in the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, looks like a typical subdivision. But it’s one of the first developments designed at a neighborhood scale to withstand wildfires.



Each house goes farther than California’s latest building requirements for high-fire-risk zones, from enclosed, ember-resistant eaves to dual-paned, tempered glass windows that can better withstand extreme heat in a fire. The design considers not just each house, but how homes interact, spacing buildings at least 10 feet apart and removing combustible features to prevent fire from spreading between them.



Called Stone Canyon, it’s one of the state’s first “Wildfire Prepared Neighborhoods,” a standard developed by the Insurance Institute for Business &amp; Home Safety (IBHS), a research nonprofit funded by the insurance industry.



[Photo: KB Home]



Designing homes that withstand wildfires



At a unique facility in North Carolina, the nonprofit recreates wildfires—from embers to wind speed—and then uses controlled tests to see how houses perform.



We build full-size structures and we can control the wind speed and direction,” says Roy Wright, president and CEO at IBHS. “We can control the ember flow and the cast that is coming in that direction. We put out and publish really interesting, wonky things about wildfire. But [with the new standards] we said, let’s just take the most important pieces of the science and make them really plain and usable for developers and homeowners.”



[Video: KB Home]



KB Home, the national developer behind the project, decided to tackle a new level of fire safety after learning about IBHS’s research. At a building conference in 2024, the team watched one of the nonprofit’s demonstrations, which featured a house built to the standard building code next to one built to IBHS’s standards.



“They simulated a wildfire event where embers were blowing against the two structures,” says Steve Ruffner, president and regional general manager for KB Homes in Southern California. “The home that was built to the old standards burned fairly quickly, within about half an hour. And the other home didn’t burn at all.”



At the time, KB Home had another development underway in a fire risk zone in Escondido, near San Diego. “On the fly, we changed the design guidelines of our homes to accommodate the IBHS standards,” says Ruffner. (The homes, which start at around $1,000,000 and around 2,000 square feet, are aimed at “step-up” buyers looking for an upgrade; in the development near Sacramento, they start in the high $700,000s.)



[Photo: KB Homes]



IBHS had already put out a new building standard for “wildfire prepared” homes in 2022. In 2024, after meeting with KB Homes, it sped up the development of a related standard at the scale of a neighborhood.



To get the designation, homes need to include features like noncombustible gutters, a Class A fire-rated concrete tile roof, ember-resistant vents, six inches of vertical clearance at the base of exterior walls, noncombustible fence and gate materials, and a five to 30-foot “defensible zone” around the home where any vegetation is carefully spaced to avoid the spread of fire. Plants have to be drought-resistant California natives.



The standard overlaps with California’s newest building code, but requires better, more resilient building materials for certain components. California’s code also doesn’t require at least 10 feet of space between buildings or the elimination of “connective fuel pathways” between buildings.



[Photo: KB Homes]



“Structure separation is the biggest indicator of wildfire progress that will take place—that density,” says Wright. “That’s why when you’re building new developments, you can incorporate this in. Because you want to make sure that within the adjacent home, if it is fully engulfed, that you’re giving the next structure a chance to survive.”



Fires often spread through embers that can be blown long distances on windy days. In both the development near Sacramento and the one in Escondido, the homes are near open wild land that could easily burn; embers wouldn’t have to travel far. 



“We want to make sure that those homes can withstand those embers showers,” Wright says. “If embers are going to land on the property, it may ignite some bush or something that is away from the home on the parcel. But what’s closest to the structure is going to be able to withstand those embers showers. And if one of the structures has a really bad day and ignites, we slow the spread so that we’re not going to lose the whole neighborhood. We’re going to actually give the firefighters a chance to get in there and actually beat it down.”



It also protects older homes nearby. “There are adjacent subdivisions or neighborhoods that were built 40 years ago,” he says. “And the kind of actions that these neighborhoods have put in place are actually going to have a protective effect for their neighbors, because when they can withstand the impact of wildfire, that means the fire doesn’t spread.”



[Photo: KB Homes]



From lab tests to proof of concept



In the first project in Escondido, KB Home worked with the city to change some design guidelines (instead of Craftsman-style homes made from wood, they pivoted to ranch homes with cement-based siding or stucco). The city also required timber fencing that was treated for fire, but when IBHS explained that the coating quickly wears off in the sun—making this type of fence flammable—they were able to switch to a metal fence that looks like wood. The switch actually helped save costs, Ruffner says.



In total, all of the changes didn’t add significantly change the development’s bottom line, and there were some unexpected benefits. “We found out that tempered windows are much tougher, so we didn’t break as many windows during [construction], and we ended up saving a lot of money that way,” says Ruffner.



[Photo: KB Homes]



The first neighborhood in Escondido includes 64 homes, and an HOA agreement that requires homeowners to maintain gardens over time so fire can’t spread between plants or trees. The first homeowners have been carefully adhering to the plan. “They want to make sure they don’t break the rules because honestly, insurability in California is a big, big deal,” says Ruffner. “If you’re not insurable, you have to go into the public programs that are very, very expensive. And so at least they have a good chance here to negotiate with insurance companies.”



The newest neighborhood near Sacramento will follow the same path. So far, only model homes are in place; KB Home builds each house to order as each home is sold. Each house will be evaluated by IBHS before the neighborhood gets the “Wildfire Prepared” designation, though it’s getting a provisional designation now.



[Photo: KB Homes]



Now that KB Home has shown that meeting the standard is financially viable, other developers also have projects underway. Around a dozen other projects are being designed to the standard now, Wright says, some with several hundred homes in a single development. 



Of course, the work can’t completely eliminate risk. It’s not possible to make a house completely fireproof, Wright says. But in a worst-case scenario, even if 20% of losses in a neighborhood could be avoided in a fire, that’s “absolutely phenomenal,” he says. 



“Every time one more structure doesn’t burn, that means that structure is not sending off its flame. It’s not sending off its embers,” he adds. “Every time we save a structure and it survives, we really narrow the path of how that fire will propagate into a neighborhood.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>California, developers, are, building, the, country’s, first, wildfire, resilient, neighborhoods</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>U.S. states declare emergencies as supplies run out ahead of forecasted winter storm</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-states-declare-emergencies-as-supplies-run-out-ahead-of-forecasted-winter-storm</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/us-states-declare-emergencies-as-supplies-run-out-ahead-of-forecasted-winter-storm</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Bags of ice-thwarting salt aren’t usually a hot item at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta, but store manager Lewis Pane sold all 275 he had in stock in one morning as residents braced for a major storm to deliver heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain on a broad section of the U.S. in coming days.Payne said he had 30 online orders for “ice melt” before 8 a.m. People sprinkle the salts on the ground before a storm to disrupt the formation of ice.“It’s impossible to get right now,” Payne said. “We have had to make special trips to our warehouse to pick up extra items because people need them.”The storm was expected to hit starting Friday, stretching from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South. The damage could rival that of a major hurricane.Meteorologists say ice may linger on roads and sidewalks because temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas. Ice could also weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.The city of Carmel, Indiana, canceled its Winter Games out of fear residents could get frostbite and hypothermia competing in ice trike relay and “human curling” in which people slide down a skating rink on inner tubes.College sports teams moved up or postponed games, and the Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event.The coldest windchills may fall below -50 F (-46 C) across the Northern Plains with subzero wind chills reaching as far southeast as the Mid-Atlantic states and Southern Plains, the National Weather Service said.At the Atlanta hardware store, Wendy Chambers stopped by to pick up batteries and flashlights in case there is a power outage.“We’re gonna be prepared, aren’t we? We’re going to be able to read, do things, play games,” she said before heading to church choir with her granddaughter.Oklahoma truck driver Charles Daniel planned to load up as much freight as possible before the storm arrives in his area on Friday.“You’ve got to be very weather aware, and real smart about what you’re doing,” said Daniel, who delivers goods across western Oklahoma in an 18-wheel tractor-trailer.“You can’t back down into decline docks, you can’t go into neighborhoods or parking lots,” Daniel said. “I’m 40,000 pounds unloaded. One mistake can literally kill somebody, so you have to use your head.”He said truck drivers need to have a change of clothes, plenty of water and a couple of jackets on hand in case they get stuck because it would be a while before a tow truck could help them.In Arkansas, the Department of Transportation started treating some roads with brine on Tuesday. The salt helps prevent ice from forming. Over 10 inches of snow were expected in parts of the state.Rain was complicating efforts to pretreat roads with salt in Alabama on Wednesday because precipitation washes away the brine. The Alabama Department of Transportation encouraged people to stay off the roads if ice forms.“Any amount of ice is pretty dangerous, and certainly a quarter-inch could be very hazardous,” said Seth Burkett, a department spokesperson.Snow and icy conditions were forecast for Maryland beginning Saturday afternoon or evening, with peak effects Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The governor declared a state of preparedness to help authorities respond quickly.Governors in North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency, making it easier for state and local agencies to coordinate and get help from groups like the National Guard.







Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.



—Emilie Megnien and Sean Murphy, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>U.S., states, declare, emergencies, supplies, run, out, ahead, forecasted, winter, storm</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>GameStop store closures 2026: See the full list of over 470 doomed locations across 43 states</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gamestop-store-closures-2026-see-the-full-list-of-over-470-doomed-locations-across-43-states</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gamestop-store-closures-2026-see-the-full-list-of-over-470-doomed-locations-across-43-states</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 2026 is already shaping up to be a brutal year for GameStop (NYSE: GME) stores. This month, nearly 500 locations have been marked for closure. The shutterings come as GameStop’s CEO Ryan Cohen doubled down on the company and bought another half a million shares in GME stock. Here’s what you need to know.



GameStop is closing hundreds more stores



Over the past year, it seems that GameStop has had one primary focus: reducing costs by shuttering stores. At the beginning of 2025, the video game chain had around 2,325 locations in the United States. But by December, it had shuttered 590 of them.



The same month, the company announced plans to close a “significant number of additional stores” during its 2025 fiscal year. GameStop’s financial 2025 ends on January 31. 



As Fast Company previously reported, at the beginning of this month, customers and social media users reported that their local GameStop stores were showing signs of imminent closure, but at the time, it was not known how many locations were shutting down.



Now, Ohio’s WKYC Studios has assembled a list of the stores it says are closing. That list, which you can see below, is based on GameStop’s store location tool, which marks hundreds of locations as closed. The list includes more than 470 locations across 43 states.



Fast Company has reached out to GameStop to confirm the closures.



Why is GameStop closing stores?



GameStop isn’t unique in its decision to close stores. Over the past several years, brick-and-mortar retailers of all stripes have shuttered locations. Many of these chains are dealing with the same problems that have led to GameStop’s store closures.



Those problems include declining store foot traffic as customers shift their buying habits online, rising operating costs for physical stores, and weakening consumer spending.



But as a video game-focused retailer, GameStop faces a unique challenge, too. Over the past decade, video games have gone from physical items you need to buy on disk to being distributed digitally for download or streaming over the internet. 



This shift to digital delivery of video games has cut out the video game retailer as a middleman. With customers now able to buy video games directly on their consoles and have them downloaded in minutes, there is no longer a need to trek to a video game store to buy a physical copy.



How is GameStop stock performing?



It’s impossible to talk about GameStop without talking about its stock (NYSE: GME). That’s because GME was one of the original meme-stock poster boys. Back in 2021, during the height of the meme stock craze, retail investors poured their money into GME, sending the stock soaring.



At one point, GME was trading over $120 per share. But in the years since, the stock has declined as meme stock frenzy subsided. Over the past twelve months, the stock has fallen by around 21%. GME stock closed at $21.69 per share on Wednesday.



However, this week the stock received a bit of a boost. As Investing.com reported, GME stock rose by about 4% after market close on Tuesday after it was revealed that GameStop’s CEO Ryan Cohen bought an additional 500,000 shares in the company. 



This share purchase increases Cohen’s ownership of the company’s outstanding stock to about 9.2% and suggests that GameStop’s CEO is optimistic about the share price’s future potential.



List of GameStop stores closing



According to WKYC Studios, the following GameStop locations are closing:



Alabama




Birmingham – River Ridge, 4507 Riverview Pkwy.



Hartselle – Hartselle Plaza, 1199 Highway 31 NW



Mobile – Airport Boulevard Center, 3691 Airport Blvd.



Opelika – Gateway Commons, 3000 Pepperell Pkwy.



Troy – Troy Plaza, 1410 Highway 231 S.




Arkansas




Batesville – Eagle Mountain Center, 17 Eagle Mountain Blvd.



Little Rock – Mabelvale Plaza, 10215 Mabelvale Plaza Drive



West Memphis – Service Road West Memphis, 65 S. Service Road




Arizona




Bullhead City – Bullhead City Shopping Center, 2840 Highway 95



Flagstaff – Woodlands Village, 2700 S. Woodlands Village



Lake Havasu – Shops at Lake Havasu, 5601 Highway 95 N



Mesa – Superstition Springs Mall, 6555 E. Southern Ave.



Phoenix – Desert Sky Esplanade, 7515 W. Encanto Blvd.



Phoenix – Happy Valley Towne Center, 2501 W. Happy Valley Road



Phoenix – Maryvale Plaza, 5215 W. Indian School Road



Phoenix – Village Plaza, 12611 N. Tatum Blvd.



Tucson – Campbell Plaza, 2910 N. Campbell Ave.



Tucson – Eastpointe Marketplace, 6970 E. 22nd St.




California




Auburn – Willow Creek S/C, 2799 Grass Valley Highway



Bakersfield – Panama Ln Bakersfield, 2200 Panama Lane



Bell – Bell Gardens Marketplace, 6939 Eastern Ave.



Canoga Park – Topanga Plaza Mall, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd.



Capitola – Brown Ranch Market, 2555 Clares St.



Coachella – Coachella Gateway, 49255 Grapefruit Blvd.



Compton – Gateway Towne Center, 200 Towne Center Drive



Corona – Corona Crossing, 2620 Tuscany St.



Culver City – Venice and Overland, 3855 Overland Ave.



Davis – 4625 2nd St.



Emeryville – BridgeCourt Emeryville, 3980 Hollis St.



Escondido – Escondido Promenade, 1250 Auto Park Way



Fresno – First and Shields, 3235 N. 1st St.



Gardena – Manhattan and Crenshaw, 15900 Crenshaw Blvd.



Gilroy – Pacheco Pass, 890 Renz Lane



Hayward – Skywest Commons, 1159 W. A St.



Inglewood – 3550 W. Century Blvd.



Inglewood – Marketplace at Hollywood Park, 3351 W. Century Blvd.



Lancaster – Eastside Town Center, 44421 20th St E.



Lemon Grove – Lemon Grove Shopping Center, 7048 Broadway



Livermore – Vintner Square, 1418 First St.



Madera – Madera Commons, 2180 W. Cleveland Ave.



Mission Viejo – Mission Viejo Mall, 236 The Shops At Mission Viejo



Oroville – Las Plumas Plaza, 1124 Oro Dam Blvd.



Palm Springs  – South Sunrise Way, 425 S. Sunrise Way



Palmdale – The Marketplace Palmdale, 39450 10th St. W



Petaluma – Washington Square, 365 S. McDowell Blvd.



Pleasant Hill – Pleasant Hill Shopping Center, 2360 Monument Blvd.



Pleasanton – Stoneridge Mall, 1384 Stoneridge Mall Road



Porterville – Porterville Marketplace, 1276 W. Henderson Ave.



Redwood City – Woodside Central, 2527 El Camino Real



Rohnert Park – Rohnert Plaza, 4645 Redwood Drive



Sacramento – Folsom Boulevard, 1420 65th St.



Sacramento – Meadowview and Freeport, 1441 Meadowview Road



San Bruno – Tanforan, 1150 El Camino Real



San Diego – Loma Square, 3357 Rosecrans St.



San Fernando – Workman Street, 801 S. Workman St.



San Jose – Westgate Mall, 1546 Saratoga Ave.



San Leandro – Fashion Faire Place, 15100 Hesperian Blvd.



San Pedro – Park Plaza, 980 N. Western Ave.



Santa Fe Springs – Gateway Plaza, 10635 Carmenita Road



Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa Plaza Mall, 1029 Santa Rosa Plaza



Selma – Garden Vineyard, 3352 Floral Ave.



Spring Valley – Spring Valley Shopping Center, 8626 Jamacha Blvd.



Stockton – Lower Sacramento Center, 7910 Lower Sacramento Road



Van Nuys – Patomac Plaza, 6800 Balboa Blvd.



Ventura – Pacific View Ventura Mall, 3301 E. Main St.



Watsonville – Main St. Watsonville, 1441 Main St.



Woodland – Yolo Polo Plaza, 1780 E. Main St.



Yuba City – Yuba City Marketplace, 1070 Harter Pkwy.




Colorado




Aurora – Hoffman Heights, 757 Peoria St.



Aurora – Quincy Place Shops, 16891 E. Quincy Ave.



Broomfield – Flatiron Crossing Mall, 1 W. Flatiron Crossing Drive



Colorado Springs – The Citadel Mall, 750 Citadel Drive



Fort Collins – Front Range Village, 2842 Council Tree Ave.



Fort Collins – Magnolia St Fort Collins, 1275 E. Magnolia St.



Loveland – Denver Ave Loveland, 1389 Denver Ave., Loveland




Connecticut




Enfield – Enfield Square Mall, 90 Elm St.



Lisbon – Crossroads at Lisbon, 193 River Road



Newington – Newington Shopping Center, 2997 Berlin Turnpike



Stratford – Stratford Square, 411 Barnum Ave.



Waterbury – Brass Mills Mall, 495 Union St.




Delaware




Bear – Governors Square, 1015 Governors Place



Dover – Dover Mall Food Court, 3084 Dover Mall



Wilmington – Kirkwood Plaza, 4345 Kirkwood Highway




Florida




Clearwater – Clearwater Mall, 2723 Gulf to Bay Blvd.



Coral Springs – Maplewood Plaza, 1158 N. University Drive



Deland – Gibbs Plaza, 1697 N. Woodland Blvd.



Deltona – Shoppes of East Deltona, 121 Howland Blvd.



Destin – Island Palm Shoppes, 16055 Emerald Coast Pkwy.



Fort Myers – Cypress Woods, 9390 6 Mile Cypress Pkwy.



Fort Myers – Gulf Coast Town Center, 10021 Gulf Center Drive



Jacksonville – Lem Turner Road Jacksonville, 12001 Lem Turner Road



Lake Worth – Lantana Plaza, 5780 S. Jog Road



Leesburg – US Highway 441 Leesburg, 10300 US Highway 441



Margate – Lakewood Shopping Center, 5499 W. Atlantic Blvd.



Miami – Aventura Mall EB Games, 19575 Biscayne Blvd.



Middleburg – Plantation Crossing, 1545 Branan Field Road



Mulberry – Church Ave Mulberry, 6751 N. Church Ave.



Naples – Market Center, 9960 Business Circle



Ocoee – Ocoee Commons, 10576 W. Colonial Drive



Orlando – Lake Fredrica Shopping Center, 3916 S. Semoran Blvd.



Palatka – Palatka Center, 850 S. Moody Road



Pensacola – Creighton Commons, 2620 Creighton Road



Port Richey – US Highway 19 N Port Richey, 8605 US Highway 19 N.



Sanford – Seminole Center, 3715 S. Orlando Drive



Sebring – Lakeshore Mall, 901 US 27 North



Summerfield – 178th Place Summerfield, 11275 SE 178th Place



Sunrise – Sawgrass Mills Mall, 12801 W. Sunrise Blvd.



Tampa – Citrus Park Shopping Center, 8502 Citrus Park Drive




Georgia




Alpharetta – North Point Mall, 1198 North Point Circle



Atlanta – Chamblee Village, 1841 Chamblee Tucker Road



Atlanta – Howell Mill, 1801 Howell Mill Road NW



Atlanta – Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Road NE



Augusta – Southpointe Plaza, 3209 Deans Bridge Road



Cartersville – Shops at Main Street, 455 Cherokee Place



Columbus – Peachtree Mall, 3131 Manchester Expressway



Cumming – Cumming Marketplace, 1060 Market Place Blvd.



Dublin – Dublin Commons, 2421 Highway 80 West



Hartwell – Hartwell Station, 115 Walmart Drive



Locust Grove – Bill Gardner Pkwy Locust Grove, 4959 Bill Gardner Way



McDonough – McDonough Square, 1144 Highway 20 W.



Snellville – Pharrs Village, 1830 Scenic Highway N



Stone Mountain – Stone Mountain Festival, 1925 Rockbridge Road



Tucker – Cofer Crossing, 4363 Lawrenceville Highway




Idaho




Nampa – East Franklin Road Nampa, 5681 E. Franklin Road



Post Falls – Plaza at Post Falls, 710 N. Cecil Road




Illinois




Addison – Rohlwing Road Addison, 1074 N. Rohlwing Road



Alton – Alton Corners, 317 Homer Adams Pkwy.



Chicago – Cermak and Western, 2336 W. Cermak Road



Chicago – Gateway Center, 1751 W. Howard St.



Cicero – Cicero Marketplace, 3017 S. Cicero Ave.



Decatur – Decatur Marketplace, 4641 E. Maryland St.



Dekalb – Northland Plaza, 2564 Sycamore Road



Geneva – Randall Square, 1492 S. Randall Road



Hodgkins – Quarry Outlot, 9404 Joliet Road



Homewood – Park Palace Plaza, 17925 Halsted St.



Joliet – Jefferson St. Joliet, 2410 W. Jefferson St.



McHenry – McHenry Town Center West, N. 2445 Richmond Road



New Lenox – New Lenox Retail Center, 2344 E. Lincoln Highway



Orland Park – Lakeview Plaza, 15864 S. LaGrange Road



Round Lake Beach – Mallard Creek Shopping Center, 716 E. Rollins Road



Shorewood – Joliet Commons, 1530 IL Route 59



South Elgin – South Elgin Commons, 478 Randall Road



Tinley Park – Tinley Park Plaza, 16205 Harlem Ave.




Indiana




Carmel – Clay Terrace, 14405 Clay Terrace Blvd.



Evansville – Evansville Pavilion, 6401 E. Lloyd Expressway



Greenfield – Greenfield Crossing, 1905 Melody Lane



Indianapolis – College Park, 3269 W. 86th St.



Kendallville – North Street Kendallville, 2517 E. North St.



Merrillville – 80th Ave Merrillville, 2623 E. 80th Ave.



Munster – Calumet Center, 7971 Calumet Ave.



New Castle – South State Road 3 New Castle, 3187 S. State Road 3



Newburgh – High Pointe Drive Newburgh, 8680 High Pointe Drive



Noblesville – Town and Country, 16763 Clover Road



Saint John – St. Johns Square, 9939 Wicker Ave.



South Bend – Erskine Village, 1290 E. Ireland Road



Terre Haute – Honey Creek Mall, 3401 S. U.S. Highway 41




Iowa




Des Moines – Southdale Des Moines, 5126 SE 14th St.



Iowa City – Highway 1W Iowa City, 1011 Highway 1W



Waterloo – Crossroads Mini, 1515 Flammang Drive




Kansas




Shawnee Mission – Shawnee Station, 16310 W. 65th St.



Topeka – Wanamaker Shopping Center, 1725 SW Wanamaker Road



Wichita – 29th and Rock, 3000 N. Rock Road




Kentucky




Alexandria – Village Green Center, 6807 Alexandria Pike



Berea – Shops at Berea, 222 Brenwood St.



Campbellsville – Campbellsville Bypass, 726 Campbellsville Bypass



Danville – Danville Manor, 1560 Hustonville Road



Florence – Florence Mall, 2028 Florence Mall



Harlan – Woodland Plaza, 2370 S. U.S. Highway 421



Hazard – Daniel Boone Plaza, 82 Daniel Boone Plaza



Hopkinsville – Fort Campbell Boulevarde, 4156 Fort Campbell Blvd.



Lawrenceburg – 1004 Bypass N. Lawrenceburg, 1004 Bypass N.



Louisville – Southland Terrace, 3925 7th Street Road



Morehead – Kroger Center Morehead, 252 Kroger Circle



Nicholasville – Main Street Nicholasville, 1020 N. Main St.



Paducah – Kentucky Oaks Mall, 5101 Hinkleville Road



Paintsville – Mayo Plaza, 431 N. Mayo Trail




Louisiana




Baton Rouge – O’Neal Lane Shopping Center, 2060 O’Neal Lane



Broussard – Sugarcrest Center, 219 Saint Nazaire Road



Covington – River Chase, 69240 Highway 21



Crowley – Odd Fellow Road Crowley, 725 Odd Fellows Road



Houma – Southland Mall Houma, 5953 W. Park Ave.



La Place – Belle Terre Plaza, 150 Belle Terre Blvd.



Leesville – Leesville Plaza, 2414 S. 5th St.



Monroe – Pecanland Mall, 4700 Milhaven Road



Morgan City – Bayou Vista Plaza, 1079 Highway 90 E



New Iberia – New Iberia Shopping Center, 1002 Jefferson Terrace Blvd.



New Orleans – St. Andrew St. New Orleans, 520 Saint Andrew St.



Ruston – Eagle Plaza, 1407 Eagle Drive



Sulphur – Sulphur Plaza, 541 N. Cities Service Highway




Maine




Topsham – Topsham Crossing, 127 Topsham Fair Mall Road




Maryland




Baltimore – Parkside Shopping Center, 5114 Sinclair Lane



Baltimore – Perring Plaza, 1991 E. Joppa Road



Ellicott City – St. Johns Plaza, 9159 Baltimore National Pike



Essex – Middlesex Center, 1228 Eastern Blvd.



Gambrills – Village at Waugh Chapel, 2626 Chapel Lake Drive



Salisbury – The Commons, 2717 N. Salisbury Blvd.



Severna Park – Severna Park Marketplace, 543 Ritchie Highway



Westminster – Town Mall, 400 N. Center St.




Massachusetts




Brookline – Coolidge Corners, 271 Harvard St.



Chestnut Hill – Shops at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston St.



East Longmeadow – Heritage Park Plaza, 428 N. Main St.



Hadley – Mountain Farms, 325 Russell St.



Holyoke – Holyoke At Ingleside, 50 Holyoke St.



Lunenburg – Lunenburg Crossing, 317 Massachusetts Ave.



Malden – Broadway Plaza, 44 Broadway



Methuen – Merrimac Plaza, 184 Haverhill St.



North Dartmouth – Dartmouth Town Center, 400 State Road



Raynham – Shaws Plaza, 300 New State Highway



Stoughton – R.K. Plaza, 1334 Park St.



Waltham – Waltham Gateway, 1019 Trapelo Road



Westfield – Westfield Shops, 431 E. Main St.




Michigan




Ann Arbor – Cranbrook Village, 878 W. Eisenhower Pkwy.



Caledonia – Gaines Marketplace, 1825 Marketplace Drive SE



Canton – Crossroads Village, 47160 Michigan Ave.



Chesterfield – Chesterfield Commons, 34830 23 Mile Road



Clinton Township – Clinton Pointe, 33822 S. Gratiot Ave.



Commerce Township – Commerce Marketplace, 1721 Haggerty Highway



Grand Blanc – Grand Blanc Town Center, 6309 Dort Highway



Kentwood – Woodland Mall, 3169 28th St. SE, Kentwood



Lansing – Delta Plaza, 5451 W. Saginaw Highway



Lansing – Eastwood Town Center, 2908 Town Center Blvd.



Lansing – Marketplace at Delta, 619 N. Marketplace Blvd.



Northville – Northville Village Center, 17945 Haggerty Road



Owosso – Riverwood Crossing, 1565 E. Main St.



Rochester Hills – Hampton Village Center, 2781 S. Rochester Road



Shelby Township – Shelby Creek, 12185 23 Mile Road, Shelby Township



Sturgis – Centerville Road Sturgis, 69823 S. Centerville Road



Troy – Midtown Square, 1333 Coolidge Highway




Minnesota




Brooklyn Park – Jolly Lane Shopping Center, 7655 Jolly Lane



Owatonna – Owatonna Commons, 1100 W. Frontage Road



Rochester – Rochester Crossing, 3780 Marketplace Drive NW




Mississippi




Biloxi – Shoppes at Poppes Ferry, 2404 Pass Road



Clinton – Hammett Crossing, 1011 Hampstead Blvd.



Corinth – Corinth Commons, 2201 Virginia Lane



Greenville – South Rivers Market, 1831 Highway 1 S.



Grenada – Grenada Plaza, 1550 Jameson Drive



Picayune – Pearl River Plaza, 230 Frontage Road



Vicksburg – Vicksburg Plaza, 2301 Iowa Ave.




Missouri




Creve Coeur – Heritage Place, 12589 Olive Blvd.



Independence – Independence Commons, 19130 E. 39th St. S.



Independence – Market Place Shopping Center, 4201 S. Noland Road



Jennings – Plaza on the Boulevard, 8025 W. Florissant Ave.



Kansas City – West Port Landing, 906 Westport Road



Lebanon – Lebanon Marketplace, 1810 S. Jefferson Ave.



Maplewood – Maplewood Commons, 1821 Maplewood Commons Drive



Raytown – Raytown Gregory Square, 9203 E. State Route 350



St. Joseph – St. Joseph Plaza, 3302 S. Belt Highway



St. Joseph – Shoppes at North Plaza, 5301 N. Belt Highway



St. Louis – South County Center, 134 S. County Center Way



Sikeston – South Pointe Center, 1213 S. Main St.




Nebraska




Papillion – Market Pointe Shopping Center, 8540 S. 71st Plaza




Nevada




Fallon – Fallon Plaza, 2163 W. Williams Ave.



Las Vegas – Rainbow Plaza, 947 S. Rainbow Road



Las Vegas – Tropicana and I-25, 5130 S. Fort Apache Road




New Hampshire




Claremont – Claremont Market, 367 Washington St.



Concord – Fort Eddy Plaza, 44 Fort Eddy Road



Epping – Epping Crossing, 25 Fresh River Road



Gilford – Lake Shore Road Gilford, 1458 Lake Shore Road



Plaistow – Stateline Plaza, 4 Plaistow Road



Salem – Rockingham Mall, 92 Cluff Crossing Road



Somersworth – Tri City Plaza, 176 Tri City Plaza



West Lebanon – Upper Valley Shopping Center, 250 Plainfield Road




New Jersey




Bayonne – South Cove commons, 205 Lefante Way



Deptford – Deptford Landing, 2000 Clements Bridge Road



Newark – Newark Shopping Center, 786 Broad St.



North Bergen – Tonelle Avenue, 2100 88th St.



Rockaway – Rockaway TownSquare, 301 Mount Hope Ave.



Somerdale – Evesham Ave Somerdale, 711 Evesham Ave.



Somers Point – Ocean Heights, 15 Bethel Road



South Plainfield – Hadley Shopping Center, 4959 Stelton Road



Succasunna – Roxbury Mall, 275 State Route 101 E




New York




Amsterdam – Amsterdam Commons, 4930 State Highway 30



Bronx – Westchester Shopping Center, 1030 Westchester Ave.



Brooklyn – Bensonhurst Shopping Center, 6713 18th Ave.



Brooklyn – Bensonhurst, 2141 86th St.



Brooklyn – Fulton Street and Flatbush, 465 Fulton St.



Brooklyn – Gateway Center Brooklyn, 470 Gateway Drive



Brooklyn – Pitkin Avenue, 1622 Pitkin Ave.



Buffalo – University Plaza, 3500 Main St.



Depew – Transit Losson Wegmans Center, 4960 Transit Road



Evan Mills – Johnson Road Evans Mills, 26445 Johnson Road



Herkimer – EFK Plaza, 320 E. State St.



Hudson –  424 Fairview Ave.



Ithaca – Meadows Square, 324 Elmira Road



Jamaica – Jamaica Avenue, 163-08 Jamaica Ave.



Johnstown – Johnstown Mall, 222 N. Camrie Ave.



Lockport – Transit Road Lockport, 5716 S. Transit Road



Middletown – Galleria At Crystal Run, 1 N. Galleria Drive



Monticello – Monticello Mall, 36 Thompson Square Mall



Plattsburgh – Champlain Centre Mall, 60 Smithfield Blvd.



Poughkeepsie – 44 Plaza Shopping Center, 47 Burnett Blvd.



Poughkeepsie – Poughkeepsie, 2001 South Road.



Ridgewood – Myrtle Avenue, 5720 Myrtle Ave.



Rochester – Eastridge Plaza, 705 E. Ridge Road



Rosedale – Five Towns Shopping Center, 25301 Rockaway Blvd.



Valley Stream – Green Acres Mall, 1120 Green Acres Mall



Victor – Victor Crossing, 400 Commerce Drive



Webster – Webster Square, 950 Ridge Road



West Nyack – Palisades Center Mall, 4322 Palisades Center Drive



White Plains – The Westchester, 125 Westchester Ave.



Yonkers – Cross County Center, 3 Xavier Drive




North Carolina




Albermarle – Albermarle Shopping Center, 723 Leonard Ave.



Burlington – Holly Hills Mall, 309 Huffman Mill Road



Charlotte – The Galleria, 1824 Galleria Blvd.



Charlotte – Village at Whitehall, 8951 S. Tryon St.



Charlotte – Wilkinson Crossing, 3220 Wilkinson Blvd.



Durham – New Hope Commons, 5408 New Hope Commons Drive



Durham – South Square, 3415 Westgate Drive



Gastonia – Samarth Plaza, 117 N. Myrtle School Road



Greensboro – Four Seasons Town Center, 311 Four Seasons Town Center



Greensboro – Shoppes at Wendover Village, 4203 W. Wendover Ave.



Mocksville – Cooper Creek Drive Mocksville, 191 Cooper Creek Drive



Monroe – Monroe Mall, 2115 W. Roosevelt Blvd.



Murphy – US 19 Murphy, 2320 US 19



Raleigh – New Burns Commons, 4531 New Bern Ave.



Raleigh – Triangle Town Center Mall, 5959 Triangle Town Blvd.



Wilmington – Mayfaire Town Center, 6858 Main St.



Wilmington – Pamlico Plaza, 560 Pamlico Plaza




North Dakota




Fargo – Central Marketplace, 1801 45th St. S




Ohio




Bellefontaine – Bellefontaine Square, 2228 S. Main St.



Bryan – Main Street Bryan, 1243 S. Main St.



Cambridge – Cambridge Shopping Center, 61267 Southgate Road



Canton – Canton Centre Mall, 4328 Tuscarawas St. W



Canton – Carousel Plaza, 3016 Atlantic Blvd. NE



Chardon – Meadowlands Town Center, 255 Meadowlands Drive



Chillicothe – North Bridge Street, 950 N. Bridge St.



Cleveland Heights – Severence Town Center, 3582 Mayfield Road



Columbus – Graceland Shopping Center, 5057 N. High St.



Dublin – Sawmill Square, 7646 Sawmill Road



Fairfield Township – Bridgewater Falls, 3417 Princeton Road



Fairview Park – Westgate Shopping Center, 3101 Westgate



Huber Heights – Sulphur Grove, 7746 Brandt Pike



Lakewood – Lakewood Marketplace, 14869 Detroit Ave.



Marietta – Rivers Edge Marietta, 227 Captain D. Seeley Mia Drive



Marysville – Colemans Crossing, 653 Colemans Crossing



Sidney – Michigan Street Sidney, 2260 Michigan St.



Toledo – Monroe Street Market, 5333 Monroe St.



Troy – Troy Towne Center, 1847 W. Main St.



Wauseon – Airport Highway Wauseon, 482 Airport Highway




Oklahoma




Glenpool – Waco Ave Sapulpa, 12154 S. Waco Ave.



Oklahoma City – Belle Isle Station, 1841 Belle Isle Blvd.



Oklahoma City – Silver Springs Point, 7640 NW Expressway



Sand Springs – Cimmeron Plaza, 430 W. Wekiwa Road




Oregon




Corvallis – Corvallis Market Center, 1580 NW 9th St.



Hermiston – Hermiston Plaza, 892 S. Highway 395




Pennsylvania




Beaver Falls – Chippewa Town Center, 200 Chippewa Town Center



Collingdale – Creekside Plaza, 1207 MacDade Blvd.



Easton – William Penn Plaza, 3087 William Penn Highway



Gilbertsville – Douglass Town Center, 173 Holly Road



Harrisburg – Paxton Town Center, 5125 Jonestown Road



Harrisburg – Union Square, 3875 Union Deposit Road



Hazle Township – Hazel Marketplace, 741 Airport Road



Indiana – Southtowne Plaza, 3100 Oakland Ave.



Lehighton – Carbon Plaza, 1241 Blakeslee Blvd. Drive E



Mechanicsburg – Silver Springs Commons, 6520 Carlisle Pike



Monaca – Brodhead Road Monaca, 3942 Brodhead Road



New Castle – Union Square, 2519 W. State St.



Philadelphia – Mayfair Shopping Center, 6420 Frankford Ave.



Pittsburgh – Montour Church Plaza, 312 McHolme Drive



Quakertown – Trainers Corner, 210 N. West End Blvd.



Reading – Exeter Commons, 4611 Perkiomen Ave.



Richboro – Crossroads Plaza, 800 Bustleton Pike



Selinsgrove – Susquehanna Valley, 1 Susquehanna Valley Mall Drive



Shippenburg – Shippen Towne Center, 210 S. Conestoga Drive



Springfield – Marple Cross Roads, 400 S. State Road



Warminster – Center Point Place, 892 W. Street Road



West Chester – West Goshen Town Center, 1115 W. Chester Pike



Willow Grove – Willow Grove Park Mall, 2500 W. Moreland Road



Wyomissing – Berkshire Mall, 1665 State Hill Road




South Carolina




Columbia – Killian Road Supercenter, 327 Killian Road



Columbia – Shoppes at Woodhill, 6080 Garners Ferry Road



Greenville – White Horse Commons, 6134 White Horse Road



Hartsville – Retail Row Hartsville, 1211 Retail Row



Lancaster – University Shops, 933 Lancaster Bypass W



Moncks Corner – Moncks Corner, 505 Highway 52



North Augusta – Knox Avenue North Augusta, 1229 Knox Ave.



North Charleston – North Rivers Town Center, 7250 Rivers Ave.



North Charleston – Shoppes at Centre Pointe, 4950 Centre Pointe Drive



Orangeburg – North Road Plaza, 2843 North Road



Rock Hill – Rock Hill Galleria, 2391 Dave Lyle Blvd.



Seneca – Applewood Shopping Center, 290 Applewood Center Place



Spartanburg – Spartanburg Corners, 200 Dawn Redwood Drive




Tennessee




Clarksville – Riverpoint Shopping Center, 2351 Madison St.



Cordova – Germantown Parkway Cordova, 465 N. Germantown Pkwy.



Franklin – Cool Springs Mall, 1800 Galleria Blvd.



Greeneville – Shops in Greeneville, 3793 E. Andrew Johnson Highway



Hermitage – H.G. Hill Center, 4469 Lebanon Pike



Jackson – South Highland Avenue Jackson, 2103 S. Highland Ave.



Johnson City – Shoppes on West Mark, 3101 W. Market St.



Lawrenceburg – Lawrenceburg Shopping Center, 2136 N. Locust Ave.



Lenoir City – Franklin Center, 875 Highway 321 N.



Memphis – Park Cosmorama, 5043 Park Ave.



Murfreesboro – College Central, 2866 S. Rutherford Road



Nashville – Jackson Downs Shopping Center, 3133 Lebanon Pike



Savannah – Riverboat Plaza, 1800 Wayne Road



Shelbyville – Main St. Shelbyville, 1854 N. Main St.



West Memphis – Service Road West Memphis, 650 S. Service Road




Texas




Allen – The Village at Allen, 170 E. Stacy Road



Arlington – Little School Road Shops, 1245 N. Little School Road



Austin – Ben White Payload Center, 500 E. Ben White Blvd.



Balch Springs – Lake June Plaza, 12209 Lake June Road



Boerne – Menger Crossing, 1375 S. Main St.



Cedar Park – Lakeline Plaza, 11066 Pecan Park Blvd.



Conroe – Conroe Center, 1231 N. Loop 336 W



Corpus Christi – Padre Island Drive, 1805 S. Padre Island Drive



Corsicana – Corsicana Marketplace, 3811 W. Highway 31



Dallas – Glen Oaks Crossing, 4787 Vista Wood Blvd.



El Paso – Alameda Town Center, 9411 Alameda Ave.



El Paso – Fountains at Farah, 8889 Gateway West Blvd.



Fort Worth – Clifford Retail, 301 Clifford Center Drive



Garland – Ridgewood Village, 2930 S. 1st St.



Houston – Beechnut Street Houston, 10100 Beechnut St.



Houston – Bellaire Gessner Center, 8880 Bellaire Blvd.



Houston – Market at Uvalde, 13706 East Freeway



Houston – Market Square, 13341 Westheimer Road



Houston – Oxford Plaza, 10407 North Freeway



Houston – Royal Oaks, 11807 Westheimer Road



Houston – Wayside Shopping Center, 900 S. Wayside Drive



Huntsville – Ravenwood Village, 245 Interstate 45 N



Irving – MacArthur Park, 7601 N. MacArthur Blvd.



Lake Jackson – Lake Jackson Shopping Center, 121 Highway 332 W



La Marque – LaMarque Crossing, 6408 Interstate 45



Laredo – Laredo Crossing Shopping Center, 4415 S. Zapata Highway



Leon Valley – 5601 Bandera Road



Lubbock – 7th St Lubbock, 1803 7th St.



Magnolia – Westwood Village, 33020 FM 2978 Road



Mansfield – Mansfield Crossing, 1301 E. Debbie Lane



Marble Falls – Highland Lakes, 2400 US Highway 281



McKinney – Lake Forest Crossing, 4100 S. Lake Forest Drive



Mesquite – Town East Mall, 2050 Town East Mall



Mission – Shary Plaza, 808 S. Shary Road



Palmhurst – Palmhurst Shopping Center, 4416 N. Conway Ave.



Paris – Paris Corners, 3842 Lamar Ave.



Saginaw – Cross Pointe Shopping Center, 1453 N. Saginaw Blvd.



San Antonio – Alamo Quarry Market, E. 255 Basse Road



San Antonio – Blanco Road, 7117 Blanco Road



San Antonio – Huebner Oaks Center, 11745 W. Interstate 10



San Antonio – Northwoods Phase III, 1742 N. Loop 1604 E



San Antonio – Walzem Plaza, 5366 Walzem Road



Sephenville – Stephenville Shopping Center, 2811 W. Washington St.



Sulphur Springs – Sulphur Springs Corners, 1707 S. Broadway St.



Terrell – Terrell Corner, 1888 W. Moore Ave.



Tyler – State Highway 64 Tyler, 3842 State Highway 64 W



Watauga – Watauga Town Crossing, 8004 Denton Highway




Utah




Centerville – Centerville Marketplace, 621 W. Marketplace Drive




Vermont




Rutland – Rutland Plaza, 144 Shopping Plaza RoadWilliston – Maple Tree Place, 31 Hawthorne St.




Virginia




Alexandria – Kingstowne Towne Center, 5965 Kingstowne Towne Center



Chantilly – South Riding Market Square, 25050 Riding Plaza,



Dulles – Dulles Town Center, 21100 Dulles Town Circle



Henrico – Staple Mill Road Henrico, 9085 Staple Mill Road



King George – Consumer Row King George, 16418 Consumer Row



Richmond – Broad and Bowe Center, 1500 W. Broad St.



Richmond – Northpark Shopping Center, 8131 Brook Road



Richmond – Shops at Stratford Hill, 7017 Forest Hill Ave.



South Boston – Shops at Tri Rivers, 3459 Old Halifax Road



Sterling – Dulles 28 Centre, 22000 Dulles Retail Plaza,



Virginia Beach – Parkway Plaza, 869 Lynnhaven Pkwy.



Williamsburg – Cedar Valley Shopping Center, 810 E. Rochambeau Drive



Woodbridge – Smoketown Station, 13277 Worth Ave.




Washington




Bothell – Downtown Bothell, 18827 Bothell Way NE



College Place – Meadowbrook Plaza, 1605 SE Meadowbrook Blvd.



Federal Way – Federal Way Marketplace, 34512 16th Ave. S



Kennewick – Canyon Lakes Center, 4008 W. 27th Ave.



Kirkland – Totem Lake, 12525 Totem Lake Blvd. NE



Lakewood – Lakewood Town Center, 5605 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. SW



Lynnwood – 165th Street Crossing, 1402 164th St. SW



Redmond – Bear Creek Village, 17128 Redmond Way



Tacoma – Westgate South, 2315 N. Pearl St.




West Virginia




Bridgeport – Meadowbrook, 2399 Meadowbrook Mall



Hurricane – Hurricane Marketplace, 270 Progress Way



Logan – Fountain Place, 131 Prosperity Lane



Morgantown – Shoppers World, 250 Retail Circle




Wisconsin




Beloit – Milwaukee Road Shopping Center, 2787 Milwaukee Road



La Crosse – Valley View Mall, 3800 State Road 16



Milwaukee – Midtown Center, 4131 N. 56th St.
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<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>GameStop, store, closures, 2026:, See, the, full, list, over, 470, doomed, locations, across, states</media:keywords>
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<title>NATO vs. ‘TACO’ trade: Dow futures tumble 400 points on Trump’s latest tariffs while Wall Street hopes for de&#45;escalation at Davos</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/nato-vs-taco-trade-dow-futures-tumble-400-points-on-trumps-latest-tariffs-while-wall-street-hopes-for-de-escalation-at-davos</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/nato-vs-taco-trade-dow-futures-tumble-400-points-on-trumps-latest-tariffs-while-wall-street-hopes-for-de-escalation-at-davos</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;As such, the more likely outcome, in our view, is that both sides recognize that a major escalation would be a lose-lose proposition, and that compromise eventually prevails.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2254201530-e1768860548567.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>NATO, vs., ‘TACO’, trade:, Dow, futures, tumble, 400, points, Trump’s, latest, tariffs, while, Wall, Street, hopes, for, de-escalation, Davos</media:keywords>
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<title>Last year, AI hype wowed Davos. This year, leaders are obsessing over how to use the technology at scale</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/last-year-ai-hype-wowed-davos-this-year-leaders-are-obsessing-over-how-to-use-the-technology-at-scale</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/last-year-ai-hype-wowed-davos-this-year-leaders-are-obsessing-over-how-to-use-the-technology-at-scale</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2256501578-e1768902026443.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Last, year, hype, wowed, Davos., This, year, leaders, are, obsessing, over, how, use, the, technology, scale</media:keywords>
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<title>Khosla&#45;backed Formulary raises oversubscribed $4.6 million seed round for its AI&#45;powered private fund manager software</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/khosla-backed-formulary-raises-oversubscribed-46-million-seed-round-for-its-ai-powered-private-fund-manager-software</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/khosla-backed-formulary-raises-oversubscribed-46-million-seed-round-for-its-ai-powered-private-fund-manager-software</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As private markets explode, founder Alfia Ilicheva wants to automate the tedium of tracking data. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Formulary-Financial_Leadership-Team-Photo-e1768877244270.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Khosla-backed, Formulary, raises, oversubscribed, 4.6, million, seed, round, for, its, AI-powered, private, fund, manager, software</media:keywords>
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<title>Wall Street is once again banking on the TACO trade because they’ve been ‘burned’ by believing Trump before</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/wall-street-is-once-again-banking-on-the-taco-trade-because-theyve-been-burned-by-believing-trump-before</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/wall-street-is-once-again-banking-on-the-taco-trade-because-theyve-been-burned-by-believing-trump-before</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ At the time of writing, only 17% of Polymarket betters believe all the tariffs Trump has threatened against Europe will go into effect on February 1. A further minority of 40% believe any tariffs will go into effect in a fortnight&#039;s time. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255536153.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Wall, Street, once, again, banking, the, TACO, trade, because, they’ve, been, ‘burned’, believing, Trump, before</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why Jollibee is turning to a U.S. IPO to fuel global growth</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-jollibee-is-turning-to-a-us-ipo-to-fuel-global-growth</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-jollibee-is-turning-to-a-us-ipo-to-fuel-global-growth</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Global CFO Richard Shin discusses separating Jollibee Foods Corporation&#039;s international unit and listing it in the U.S. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255057597.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Jollibee, turning, U.S., IPO, fuel, global, growth</media:keywords>
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<title>Worried about retirement? Consider a die with zero plan</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/worried-about-retirement-consider-a-die-with-zero-plan</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/worried-about-retirement-consider-a-die-with-zero-plan</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ My grandmother never realized she was practicing a die with zero philosophy.  She liked to give generous presents to her children and grandchildren on birthdays, gift-giving occasions—and whenever the mood struck her. I once asked her why she kept her loved ones so well-supplied in gifts, and she remarked, “Why should you be glad I’m dead?”



In other words, she didn’t see the point in holding onto the money that would come to her family anyway when she died. By spending her money on us while she was still alive, she enjoyed our delight in her generosity. She saw that as a better use of her money than letting it grow until it became our emotionally uncomfortable inheritance.



In many ways, Grandma embodied the die with zero financial planning philosophy popularized by Bill Perkins. This philosophy encourages people to enjoy their money while they live—ideally spending their final dollar just before kicking the bucket—because there’s no point in being the wealthiest person in the cemetery.



Considering the complexities of traditional financial planning—not to mention your understandable worries about running out of money in retirement—the die with zero philosophy may sound like a great way to live with low-grade anxiety during your golden years. But there’s a way to balance your impulse to save for the future with the joy of enjoying your money right now.



The problem with traditional planning



Every day without fail, you’ll find a brand new think piece about how painfully underfunded the average American retirement account is. That’s why financial media’s prevailing message about retirement planning is only slightly less hyperbolic than, “For the love of all that is holy, put some money in a 401(k) NOW before it’s too late!!!”



Unfortunately, this hyperfocus on building wealth makes it seem like even the largest of nest eggs is one unwary purchase away from leaving you destitute. The majority of retirees have built the life they want, but almost half are afraid to spend their money so they can live that life.



While this is not a problem that every retiree will face (see the depressing statistics about the size of the average American retirement account), it’s still a common issue for anyone who has internalized the “accumulate!” retirement planning message for decades.



Enter the die with zero financial philosophy.



What is Die with Zero?



Although hedge fund manager Bill Perkins coined the term (and wrote the eponymous book Die With Zero), the concept is hardly a new one. With the possible exception of some pharaohs and oligarchs, we all know we can’t take it with us when we go.



Instead, Perkins suggests that our highest goal should be to maximize positive life experiences using the three limited resources we are all afforded: health, time, and money.



Of course, our levels of health, time, and money are not in perfect balance throughout our lives, which is why Perkins recommends using each of these resources when we have them.



When you’re young, healthy, and have plenty of time, you can spend it enjoying low-cost but high-effort experiences, like backpacking through Europe. Once you’re older, time-crunched, and wealthier—but still enjoying good health—you can spend money to enjoy luxurious experiences that are lower-effort, like taking a cruise through the Greek Isles. And anytime your health is declining, you can spend time and money to help improve your health.



Die with zero financial planning



Die with zero is an appealing philosophy in part because it’s not just about money, retirement, or financial planning. It’s a framework for optimizing your life. Much of the die with zero model is about changing your view of money, health, and time throughout your life.



However, the die with zero philosophy includes a blueprint for financial planning. Specifically, Perkins recommends the following rules for handling your finances so that you can “die with zero”:




Plan for different seasons of your life: Described by Perkins as “time-bucketing,” this strategy separates your life into 5- to 10-year chunks. For each time-bucket, you set experience goals you want to meet that will change as your time, health, and wealth change.



Spend with intention: Rather than accumulate wealth that you’re afraid to spend, joyfully spend your money on memorable experiences that will make your life more meaningful.



Give money away to children and charities when it’s the most impactful: This is an echo of my grandmother’s attitude. Rather than leaving a financial legacy to beloved family or charities when you die—when they may no longer need the money—give it away when the money can do the most good and while you’re alive to see the benefit.



Recognize when you’ve hit your wealth peak: So much of retirement planning is about accumulation, which means it can be tough to know when you’ve reached “enough.” And then it can be even harder to feel comfortable spending down your nest egg. This philosophy suggests that you figure out when you’re done growing your wealth so you can let go of the drive to keep growing.




Balancing prudence with pleasure



“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” may be an excellent motto for soldiers heading off to war, but it’s a little harder to justify as a responsible life maxim when you’re impulsively charging once-in-a-lifetime trips to Bali on your high-interest credit card.



Which is why it’s a good idea to fold the philosophy of the die with zero movement into traditional financial planning.



Focus on growing your nest egg, especially when you have the benefit of compound interest over time. But make sure you also invest some of your resources—time, health, and money—into making memories.



Plan ahead for potential health problems in old age, which may mean earmarking money for future medical expenses. But also let yourself be generous with money to your loved ones when they need it.



Continue to make smart and frugal financial decisions in retirement. But keep meeting the experience goals you set for yourself, too, so that you continue to have new adventures to look forward to.



Treating your finances with intentionality is the best way to enjoy yourself and your money—now and in retirement.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Worried, about, retirement, Consider, die, with, zero, plan</media:keywords>
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<title>You’re banned from blocking Trump’s face on your national park pass—but there’s a work&#45;around</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/youre-banned-from-blocking-trumps-face-on-your-national-park-passbut-theres-a-work-around</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/youre-banned-from-blocking-trumps-face-on-your-national-park-passbut-theres-a-work-around</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The 2026 national park pass features a portrait of Donald Trump’s face, and the Department of the Interior (DOI) has threatened to penalize anyone who tries to cover it up. Now, park lovers are inventing their own clever work-arounds to remove the president’s visage from their passes.



For over two decades, the annual America the Beautiful park pass design has featured photography of nature, animals, and scenery across the United States. But when the DOI revealed the 2026 pass in November, something was glaringly different. Rather than a cascading waterfall or towering redwoods, the pass included a portrait of George Washington, framed side by side with Trump’s mug-shot-inspired headshot.



The response to the pass design was swift. Many cardholders took to the internet to show themselves covering Trump’s face with stickers as a form of protest. But mere weeks later, per an internal email obtained by SFGate, the DOI updated its “Void if Altered” policy in a transparent effort to discourage pass holders from covering Trump’s face.



Whereas the policy previously stated that passes could be voided only if the signature section of the card was altered, it now overtly flags stickers and other coverings as alterations that could invalidate the pass. According to a policy document shared with The Washington Post, staff who come across altered passes are instructed to ask that stickers or coverings be removed. If that’s not possible, they’re permitted to either charge the guest with the regular entrance fee or give them the option to buy a brand-new pass.



While the Trump administration is acting quickly to redesign the National Park Service in Trump’s literal image, national parkgoers are quicker. In the days since the pass policy was altered in early January, multiple designers have stepped up with clever work-arounds that conceal the president’s glowering face without running afoul of the restrictions. The simplest solution is a card sleeve that covers Trump’s face most of the time, but can be easily removed when the card is shown at park entrances.



[Photo: Dirt Roads Project]



How small designers are fighting back against the DOI



Katie Weber and her husband, Chris, started their Michigan-based apparel brand Dirt Roads Project in March 2025. The company, Weber says, was her way to make a difference after feeling “overwhelmed by everything happening in our country.” So part of each purchase gives back to the preservation of parks and nature, including through collaborations with nonprofits like the Michigan Animal Rescue League, Alliance for the Great Lakes, and Reef Relief. 



When Weber saw the park pass design for 2026, she immediately decided to create something that would cover Trump’s face. 



“I was incredibly frustrated and wanted to be able to bring the parks front and center instead of showing someone who is honestly trying to dismantle our parks,” Weber says. “That night, I started going through all of our photography from past hiking trips, chose a handful that I loved, and created the design.” 



Her final selections, which run for just $6 each, feature photos taken at eight prominent national parks, including Zion in Utah, Haleakalā in Maui, and Yosemite in California. After they launched for preorder around Thanksgiving, Weber says, interest in the stickers has been “growing rapidly.”



Weber specifically engineered the stickers to avoid covering any pertinent information on the cards, including the signature section, holographic strip, and barcode. But in the wake of the DOI’s new sticker ban, she adapted the design to guarantee that users won’t be penalized. Instead of adding the sticker directly to their passes, customers can now purchase a $2 plastic card sleeve from Dirt Roads Project to keep their cards completely unaltered while still obscuring the president’s face.



After the DOI’s new regulations emerged, Weber says Dirt Roads Project has seen “skyrocketing” demand, bringing in over $6,000 from the stickers alone in the first weeks of January. “To me, that shows that this small form of protest is being seen, and that people’s frustration is being heard,” she says. 



Other small businesses are similarly using their art to fight back. Mitchell Bowen is a graphic designer who runs a poster company called Recollection Project, pulling inspiration from 1930s illustrations to create posters of national parks and other travel destinations. He designed a $12 card sleeve with one of his illustrations for Grand Teton National Park, featuring two American bison in front of a mountain vista. Interest has been so high, Bowen says, that he’s had to pause new orders to focus on fulfilling his backlog.



[Photo: Recollection Project]



“Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet”



Both Weber’s and Bowen’s nature-centric designs call back to the history of the national park pass’s design, which has, by federal law, featured the winning photo of the National Park Foundation’s annual public lands photo contest since 2004. In fact, the DOI and the National Park Service are currently facing a lawsuit from the conservation group Center for Biological Diversity for failing to follow that federal design stipulation on the 2026 card. 



In a statement on the lawsuit released on December 10, Kierán Suckling, the center’s executive director, wrote that the new pass design was “Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet.”



“It’s disgusting of Trump to politicize America’s most sacred refuge by pasting his face over the national parks in the same way he slaps his corporate name on buildings, restaurants, and golf courses,” he continued. “The national parks are not a personal branding opportunity. They’re the pride and joy of the American people.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/g-91476313-2026-national-park-pass-alterations.gif" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>You’re, banned, from, blocking, Trump’s, face, your, national, park, pass—but, there’s, work-around</media:keywords>
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<title>This common security measure is draining your workforce</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-common-security-measure-is-draining-your-workforce</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-common-security-measure-is-draining-your-workforce</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ You sit down at your desk, ready to start the day. Before you can even open your first email, you’ve already typed in three different passwords—each more complex than the last. By lunchtime, you’ve repeated the ritual half a dozen times. It’s frustrating, it’s slow, and it’s happening to millions of employees every single day.



This is password fatigue—the silent productivity killer and hidden security risk plaguing modern enterprises. It’s more than an annoyance; it’s a costly vulnerability. Our global survey found that most users still rely on passwords as their primary authentication method. This should concern most organizations, because in an era defined by work-from-everywhere policies, apps, and mobile devices, businesses are still relying on a defense that hasn’t meaningfully evolved since the 1960s.



Complexity Without Security



When it comes to password complexity, organizations are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. They either abandon complexity altogether—look at the Louvre, which used “Louvre” as the password to secure its surveillance system—or require increasingly complex strings of mixed cases, numbers, symbols, frequent changes, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).



While intended to strengthen security, complex password requirements can just as easily have the opposite effect. How many times has someone been locked out of their system for days because they forgot their recovery answer, or lost the phone that sends the authentication link needed to grant access? And in how many instances has that person decided to forsake those approved tools and upload sensitive data into a personal Google Drive—easier for them and their colleagues to access, but also easier for cybercriminals to exploit?



The tragedy is that added complexity doesn’t guarantee safety. Cybercriminals have long since adapted to password advances with credential stuffing and brute-force attacks. But the most effective technique they’re using targets the weakest link in the password chain; not the password itself but the person who created it.



Why spend hours trying to pick a lock when the owner will unknowingly hand you the combination? There have been instances of cybercriminals creating look-alike login pages to collect passwords. The massive data breaches that hit MGM Resorts and Clorox were the result of cybercriminals masquerading as legitimate users, asking the IT help desk to reset their password and MFA. These threat actors didn’t break in—they logged in.



The rise of AI has made the password problem even more urgent. Cybercriminals now use AI to guess passwords, craft flawless phishing emails, and even generate deepfake voices to trick help desk staff. Traditional passwords simply can’t withstand this new generation of attacks.



According to the 2026 RSA ID IQ Report, 69% of organizations reported an identity-related breach in the last three years, a 27-percentage-point increase from last year’s survey. These aren’t abstract statistics—they represent real financial losses, operational disruption, and reputational harm. And in many cases, they could have been prevented.



But how? Employees are burdened with increasingly unmanageable login rituals, yet organizations remain exposed to the very breaches these measures were meant to prevent. So, what’s the answer?



The Passwordless Solution



The most viable way out of this cycle is passwordless authentication. When there’s no password to steal, organizations significantly reduce their risks and streamline the login process by eliminating the need to remember, update, or constantly reenter a password string.



Passwords typically rely on “something you know” for users to gain access. Passwordless authentication replaces typing in a password with two or more other factors, including “something you have” like a mobile phone or hardware token, or “something you are,” like a face or fingerprint scan.



Typically, using those factors manifests in one of three ways, each with its own trade-offs:



Authenticator Apps &amp; Push Notifications:




 What it is: Instead of typing a password, the user enters their username and receives a secure notification on a trusted mobile app asking them to verify the login, often by matching a number.



Pros: Highly popular in business environments; relies on the smartphone the user already carries.



 Cons: Requires the user to have a smartphone with data access; slightly slower than direct biometrics; susceptible to phishing and other attacks.




 Magic Links:




What it is: Similar to the “forgot password” link Instagram or Slack might send you, the system emails a unique link or texts a code to log you in.



Pros: No hardware or setup is required; it works on any device with access to email.



Cons: While “password-free,” this is not truly “passwordless” in the security sense. It relies on the security of the email inbox (which is often protected only by a weak password) and is still susceptible to phishing and interception.




Platform Biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello):




What it is: The user verifies their identity using a fingerprint scan or facial recognition built directly into their laptop or smartphone.



Pros: This offers the highest convenience and speed; users are already trained to unlock their phones this way.




Cons: It ties the credential to a specific device. If that device is lost or broken, account recovery mechanisms must be robust.



What to Look for in an Enterprise-Grade Passwordless Solution



If you’re evaluating passwordless options for your company, ask yourself these two questions:



1. Is it comprehensive? If your solution only works for one environment or user group, then you’ll need to bolt on additional solutions to cover everyone and everything. For example, a solution might offer seamless biometric login for modern cloud apps like Office 365, but fail completely with legacy on-premises mainframes or VPNs, forcing users to fall back to passwords for critical internal systems.  Your solution must work across every platform, deployment model, and environment—cloud, on-premises, edge, legacy, Microsoft, and macOS.



2. Is it truly secure?  Phishing-resistance is a key trend in passwordless solutions, and it’s a critical feature for  eliminating one of the most frequent and highest-impact attack vectors. But phishing-resistance isn’t enough—organizations also need to be bypass resistant, malware resistant, fraud resistant, and outage resistant. If a cybercriminal can evade passwordless MFA by convincing your IT Help Desk to let them in, then the passwordless method itself isn’t worth all that much.



Making the Transition



Shifting to a different paradigm doesn’t happen overnight, but the payoff is immediate. Start with your most critical applications or highest-risk users and choose device-bound passkeys over synced alternatives that allow keys to roam between devices for stronger security. 



Build rigorous enrollment processes with identity verification and liveness detection, which validates that the biometric source is a live person. In addition, protect your help desk with bilateral verification: this process confirms the caller’s identity via a device prompt and proves the agent’s legitimacy by displaying their verified status on the caller’s screen.



Plan for secure recovery when devices are lost by establishing high-assurance fallbacks, like pre-registered backup keys or biometric re-verification, instead of passwords. Look for solutions that automatically provide device-bound passkeys when users register the app. Lastly, measure the percentage of passwordless authentications over time against any suspected account compromises to ensure your actions are having a positive impact.



By eliminating the daily drain of password fatigue while closing one of the biggest doors to cybercriminals, enterprises can finally reclaim both productivity and peace of mind. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-1-91473333-password-fatigue.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, common, security, measure, draining, your, workforce</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The world’s most iconic pen is now a giant lamp</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-worlds-most-iconic-pen-is-now-a-giant-lamp</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-worlds-most-iconic-pen-is-now-a-giant-lamp</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Almost everywhere you go, from the doctor’s office to the library to the car dealership, there’s one ubiquitous design gem hidden in plain sight: the Bic Cristal. 



This unsung hero of the writing desk has produced uncountable signatures and annotations—but now it’s getting its moment in the spotlight through a collaboration with the Italian home goods brand Seletti.



The Bic Cristal is the world’s best-selling pen, boasting more than 120 billion sales since its release in 1950. For the tail end of the pen’s 75th anniversary, Bic teamed up with Seletti to produce a work of art inspired by the pen: a giant, 12:1 scale lamp. 



The product’s massive scale translates particularly well for a lamp, with a clear case revealing a glowing, neon-like LED light inside. It can be positioned vertically or horizontally, and used as a floor lamp, pendant, or wall sconce. The lamp will be available in the pen’s classic blue, red, and black colorways when it debuts in the U.S. later this year for around $350. 



[Photo: Bic]



Why the Bic Cristal makes a perfect lamp



The Bic Cristal is an adaptation of the first-ever ballpoint pen, invented in 1938 by a Hungarian journalist named László Biró (hence the pen’s common nickname, the Bic Biro). According to a breakdown written for the MoMA exhibition Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, which featured the Bic Crystal, Biró’s original pen was designed to allow ink to flow more consistently than older fountain pens, but it still had some issues with clogging and leaking.



After acquiring Biró’s patent, Bic founder Marcel Bich adjusted the design to include a smaller, 1-millimeter-wide ballpoint tip with a simple quirk: an air hole, which prevented a vacuum from forming inside the pen. This tiny tweak allows the pen’s ink to flow freely to the nub, and is what makes it such a reliable choice to this day.



Aesthetically, Bich’s choice of a clear plastic for the pen’s body reveals how it works and renders it instantly recognizable. Paola Antonelli, MoMA’s senior curator of architecture and design, said in the museum’s breakdown, “It almost looks like it is within a crystal tube. It was such a beautiful use of plastic that almost made us think plastic could be precious.”



[Photo: Bic]



Art director Stefano Seletti was similarly drawn to the Bic Cristal’s sleek, crystalline aesthetic as a potential lighting object for Seletti. Since the brand began dabbling in lighting several years ago, it’s embraced an out-of-the-box approach to its catalog, playing with everything from animal figures holding light bulbs to an anatomically correct rendition of a human heart. 



“The structure of the pen was absolutely perfect for this project: The transparent tubular body allows light to pass through, the ink cartridge could easily be transformed into the LED that provides the light, and the electrical components could be easily hidden by the colored plastic parts,” Seletti says. His team partnered with Italian designer Mario Paroli, as well as with Bic, to bring the Bic Lamp to life. They used Bic’s archives and technical drawings to faithfully reproduce the pen at a 12-to-1 scale. 



The final product is an ode to Bic’s simple-yet-functional design ethos—and it’s the perfect kitsch addition to any space where writing gets done.


 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-91476349-bic-pen-light.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, world’s, most, iconic, pen, now, giant, lamp</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The answer to AI in music isn’t suppression. It’s data</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-answer-to-ai-in-music-isnt-suppression-its-data</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-answer-to-ai-in-music-isnt-suppression-its-data</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When the NFL and Apple Music announced Bad Bunny as the 2026 Super Bowl half-time show headliner, the choice surprised some. But to anyone tracking the data over the past few years, it was inevitable. In 2022, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti redefined the market, driving Latin music’s streaming growth to new heights. It later became the first Spanish-language album nominated for Grammy Album of the Year. The takeaway is simple: When you have accurate, real-time data, you don’t guess where culture is going, you know. That kind of foresight is exactly what industries need now, especially as AI accelerates change at a pace that demands evidence, not instinct.



In real time, we’re watching AI fundamentally reshape the economics of music, and much of the industry is still arguing that maybe it shouldn’t exist at all. The discourse surrounding AI and music is filled with necessary debates, from copyright infringement and artist compensation to vocal cloning and authenticity. These concerns are valid and must be addressed. But while the industry argues about whether AI should change music, our data shows it already is. Some of the resulting evolution has relevant precedent for reference. Some of it requires urgent action. Reliable information, detection, and measurement is required to make sense of it all.



Here to stay 



Whether we like it or not, AI music is here to stay, and rather than fighting it, we should understand its benefits as a tool for artists—either to amplify existing production processes or to introduce new ways of designing music. Recent data from Luminate’s consumer research shows that 44% of U.S. music listeners say they’re uncomfortable with AI-created songs. But discomfort doesn’t predict behavior. The AI artist Xania Monet (created by Music Designer Telisha Jones) averaged 8 million weekly global on-demand audio streams in October, following her debut on multiple Billboard charts, including Hot Gospel Songs with “Let Go, Let Go” and Hot R&amp;B Songs with “How Was I Supposed to Know?” Monet’s songs touch on emotional healing, life lessons, and heartbreak, pointing to the argument that music at its essence is how it makes you feel and not how it’s made. This conflicting tension between initial consumer attitudes and actual listening habits is not new.



Consider what happened with auto-tune. In 2009, Jay-Z released “D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune),” declaring war on the technology. That same year, The Black Eyed Peas released “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” both anchored by auto-tune production. Today, each of those Black Eyed Peas songs has hundreds of millions of streams in the U.S. Jay-Z’s protest anthem? Less than 40 million. The market spoke. Technological evolution won.



Infrastructure evolves



If AI continues to earn its place in music production—and all signs point to that inevitable reality—it doesn’t mean that artists or rights holders have to lose. This is where foresight becomes essential. The sampler wars of the late 1980s offer an instructive parallel. When Biz Markie was sued in 1991 for sampling Gilbert O’Sullivan, the industry faced an existential crisis. The outcome wasn’t suppression of the technology, it was the creation of an entire licensing and clearance infrastructure. Detection and attribution became the foundation of a functioning market.



That infrastructure has continued to evolve in the era of streaming and transmedia discovery. Millions are being spent on legacy music catalogs, and those high valuations are proving to be valid. At the midpoint of this year, Becoming Led Zeppelin was the most-viewed new music documentary in the U.S., and its high viewership drove a sustained 23% increase in streams for the band’s catalog. Notably, the documentary’s release drove Led Zeppelin to its highest-ever weekly total for global on-demand audio streams: 40.4 million in late February. But what happens if AI-generated music infringes on Led Zeppelin’s copyright during the creation process? I think we can all agree that no one should get away with stealing others’ creative IP for financial gain. The industry needs to move fast and policy needs to be implemented so that artists and rights holders continue to be paid fairly and rightfully as AI’s presence in music expands. 



At Luminate, our mission is to provide the entertainment industry with essential, objective, and trustworthy data. When it comes to AI, that mission has only become more critical. Our data shows not just what happened, but what’s happening now, and increasingly, what’s about to happen. That visibility is what enables stakeholders across the industry, everyone from labels and publishers to platforms and policymakers, to make informed decisions rather than reactive ones. AI-generated artists designed for scale and low-cost delivery will proliferate. Online and live performance environments will be filled with algorithmically-optimized content. The technology will become more sophisticated, more accessible, and harder to detect without proper infrastructure.



We all need to work with the same objective information to navigate these advancements. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, answer, music, isn’t, suppression., It’s, data</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘De&#45;dollarization’ is dead: Investors discount Trump’s dramas as they pile into U.S. assets</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/de-dollarization-is-dead-investors-discount-trumps-dramas-as-they-pile-into-us-assets</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/de-dollarization-is-dead-investors-discount-trumps-dramas-as-they-pile-into-us-assets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Yesterday we got some data showing that the tide may be turning against the “sell America” folks. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255820567.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘De-dollarization’, dead:, Investors, discount, Trump’s, dramas, they, pile, into, U.S., assets</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Jamie Dimon says his success is down to ‘details, no bullsh**ting, or meetings after meetings’ because complacency is what kills companies</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jamie-dimon-says-his-success-is-down-to-details-no-bullshting-or-meetings-after-meetings-because-complacency-is-what-kills-companies</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jamie-dimon-says-his-success-is-down-to-details-no-bullshting-or-meetings-after-meetings-because-complacency-is-what-kills-companies</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Big companies slow down, they become complacent, they become bureaucratic ... arrogant,&quot; Dimon said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2255820492-e1768563943745.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jamie, Dimon, says, his, success, down, ‘details, bullshting, meetings, after, meetings’, because, complacency, what, kills, companies</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>In the AI economy, the ‘weirdness premium’ will set you apart. Lean into it, says expert on tech change economics</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-the-ai-economy-the-weirdness-premium-will-set-you-apart-lean-into-it-says-expert-on-tech-change-economics</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-the-ai-economy-the-weirdness-premium-will-set-you-apart-lean-into-it-says-expert-on-tech-change-economics</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Brandeis economics professor Benjamin Shiller says the stranger you are, the more employable you’ll be. Just look at self-driving cars and kangaroos.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1179973736-e1768524252402.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>the, economy, the, ‘weirdness, premium’, will, set, you, apart., Lean, into, it, says, expert, tech, change, economics</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gen Z’s pursuit of the #RichTok lifestyle sends them to social media for investing advice</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-zs-pursuit-of-the-richtok-lifestyle-sends-them-to-social-media-for-investing-advice</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-zs-pursuit-of-the-richtok-lifestyle-sends-them-to-social-media-for-investing-advice</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ More than half of Gen Zers say social media convinced them to enter the stock market, according to a survey of 300,000 people, carried out over five years. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1830925133-e1768523777563.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gen, Z’s, pursuit, the, RichTok, lifestyle, sends, them, social, media, for, investing, advice</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest is rattling big banks</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-a-proposed-10-cap-on-credit-card-interest-is-rattling-big-banks</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-a-proposed-10-cap-on-credit-card-interest-is-rattling-big-banks</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The proposal was a major topic this week during earnings calls. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1563348919-e1768568062975.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, proposed, 10, cap, credit, card, interest, rattling, big, banks</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The five résumé trends you need to know about for 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-five-resume-trends-you-need-to-know-about-for-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-five-resume-trends-you-need-to-know-about-for-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hiring in 2026 won’t look much like hiring even two years ago. If you don’t pay attention, you will get left behind. I was a retained search consultant for 25-plus years. I’ve written executive and board résumés for the last 10 years. I’ve never seen so much change in candidate sourcing happen so quickly.



CEO priorities and expectations have shifted. AI is reshaping how candidates get surfaced. Résumé sameness has skyrocketed. Candidate shortlist cycles have accelerated.



For you to be visible, your résumé has to do more than describe your work. It has to hit leaders’ priorities, satisfy automated systems’ tests, and make sense. The following five trends show you what that means and how to stay ahead of it:



Trend 1: Résumé Content Must Address CEO Priorities



Late-2025 surveys found four top-of-mind priorities for CEOs as we head into 2026. Those topics map to compelling information for your résumé’s experience section. I list them below. Then, I frame the question that decision-makers want your résumé to answer. Finally, to inspire you, I share examples of subjects you might use in impact bullets.



CEO Priority: AI Adoption &amp; TransformationThe question: Can this person operationalize AI and meet ROI hurdles?Impact Examples:




Introduced AI-assisted steps into a workflow.



Led a cross-functional effort to apply AI to a core business process.



Built an AI governance framework.




CEO Priority: Geopolitical &amp; Economic UncertaintyThe question: Can this person make decisions that protect shareholder value during volatility?Impact Examples:




Used business intelligence tools to identify and report risks.



Redesigned a process to protect profit margins.



Repositioned the organization in response to geopolitical, regulatory, or economic shifts.




CEO Priority: Talent ManagementThe question: Can this person shape and prepare our teams for an AI future?Impact Examples:




Implemented AI-driven talent sourcing methods.



Adopted the 4B workforce model (buy, build, borrow, bot) to design a future-ready team.



Owned the talent workstream for enterprise AI adoption.




CEO Priority: Business Model ReinventionThe question: Can this person drive adaptation and growth to keep us competitive?Impact Examples:




Contributed insights that improved a product, service, or customer experience.



Developed or scaled a new offering.



Determined where the organization should invest, expand, or exit to maintain long-term viability.




Trend 2: The Rise of the Reader Trio (ATS, AI, Human)



For years, you’ve written for applicant tracking systems, recruiters, and hiring managers. And you still will. But in 2026, more organizations will use AI to source candidates and expand talent pools. While an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) looks for keywords, AI looks for patterns.To benefit from AI’s ability to expand talent pools, you’ll need to learn those patterns and embed them in your résumé. Examples include: showing you’re ready for promotion to the next level; writing about repeated records of success; and describing challenges you’ve handled that also exist in other industries.



Trend 3: Work Context Becomes Critical



Beyond CEO concerns, your trio of readers wants to know where you’ve operated. If you haven’t already, now is the time to add company descriptions to your résumé. Basics include size, ownership, industry, footprint, and systemic challenges. Readers need to see adjacencies to their worlds to predict your effectiveness. 



Trend 4: Generic, AI-Written Résumés



Next, I talked with many recruiters over a few days at the Unleash World HR conference in Paris in October. I wanted to learn how they use AI to find people. They wanted to talk about the crushing tsunami of generic résumés they receive.



While AI might up-level a bad résumé to average, always keep a human in the loop to stand out. Make it yours. Otherwise, your readers’ eyes will glaze over from the sameness. Plus, AI continues to generate word salad and logical inconsistencies. The narrative sounds good on the surface, but it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Recruiters catch those faux pas, so don’t make them.



Trend 5: Candidate Shortlist Velocity and Résumé Readiness



Finally, a Siemens recruiter claims that LinkedIn’s AI cut his time-to-shortlist by at least 20 times. That means an accelerated recruiting cycle, with prepared candidates getting first looks. If you need time to update your résumé, you might get left behind.



Career visibility in 2026 won’t happen by accident. It will be because you built a résumé that meets the moment: substantive, AI-savvy, and ready before anyone asks for it.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-91459608-resume-CV-trends-for-2026.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, five, résumé, trends, you, need, know, about, for, 2026</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Roxberry is a ‘better&#45;for&#45;you’ soda, but its branding is an absolute sugar rush</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/roxberry-is-a-better-for-you-soda-but-its-branding-is-an-absolute-sugar-rush</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/roxberry-is-a-better-for-you-soda-but-its-branding-is-an-absolute-sugar-rush</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Andy Sauer is no stranger to making waves in the beverage business. As the CEO of Garage Beer, he defied the odds by turning a small craft brewery into a national name, despite competing in an industry dominated by legacy players. Now he’s looking to shake things up in another popular beverage category: the soda aisle.



Sauer’s latest venture is a product called Roxberry, which he’s dubbing the “first modern kids’ soda.” The brand launched earlier this month at more than 2,200 Walmart stores, 450 Krogers, Meijer and Harris Teeter locations nationwide, and a handful of independent grocers. This “soda” is unlike the sugary drinks most consumers remember from childhood: It’s made primarily of carbonated water and fruit and veggie juice, contains just 5 grams of sugar from natural sweeteners, and has no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. A four-pack costs $5.99.



In an era when a new category of better-for-you (BFY) soda brands for adults, like Poppi and Olipop, has exploded in popularity, Sauer says the options for kids have largely remained siloed in two main categories: Either they can drink “the same brands we grew up with,” like Capri Sun or Kool-Aid, which are packed with ingredients many parents would rather skip; or they’re stuck with healthier, less visually exciting options, like seltzer water. Roxberry aims to be a third option that’s a win-win for kids and parents. 



Two-hit wonder



Sauer has experience turning a nascent RTD brand into a household name. Garage Beer, which he acquired in 2021 and relaunched in 2023, has shown triple-digit year-over-year growth, with sales increasing more than 500% in the 12 months ended in early April 2025, he says. It’s now valued at around $200 million and is continuing to grow, despite an overall slump in the beer industry, according to a September report from The Wall Street Journal.



In large part, Garage owes its success to a savvy marketing strategy: Its sleek branding, consistent dialogue with its target audience, and catchy slogan (“beer-flavored beer”) make it feel like an approachable craft beer for the everyman. Sauer is taking those lessons to Roxberry, which is prioritizing an in-depth brand story and centering everything on the phrase “Fizz for kids.”



“That old phrase, ‘Marketing is saying one thing a hundred times rather than a hundred things one time’ is very true for this brand as well,” Sauer says.



The idea for Roxberry struck back in 2022. With four kids of his own at home, Sauer noticed that his family frequently butted heads in the beverage aisle. His kids were interested in classic sweetened fruit drink brands like Kool-Aid, but he was hesitant to buy them due to their high quantities of sugar.



And so Roxberry came to life—first as a powdered mix-in before pivoting to a canned ready-to-drink format that mimics the soda brands kids already covet the most. The soda’s initial launch comes in the three most popular flavors in kids’ beverages overall: strawberry lemonade, citrus, and fruit punch.



“We did a lot of work to find out which fruits and veggies come naturally with a better mouthfeel, better sweetness,” Sauer says. “Working with raw strawberries, raw lemon, raw carrot—those things are going to give you more of a sweet flavor naturally so that you don’t have to add a lot to it.” 



“Kool-Aid Man energy”



The first thing parents might notice when they see Roxberry on store shelves is that it looks nothing like the modern BFY brands they’re used to. According to Emily Heyward, chief brand officer at the agency Red Antler that led Roxberry’s design, that’s the point.



“When we built the brand for Roxberry, it was before the explosion of the Poppis and the Olipops, but I think they’ve tapped on something similar, which is that a lot of better-for-you brands—especially in the kids’ space—signal that they’re healthier just by being more boring,” Heyward says. “They strip out color, they’re matte instead of glossy, they’re very plain, to show that they’re different from the old-school brands that we grew up with.”



The result, Heyward says, is that most of the “healthy” options for kids on grocery store shelves just don’t look very exciting. To combat this trend, Sauer’s brief was to “bring back that Kool-Aid Man energy to the space.” Red Antler’s answer to that prompt is a brand that looks like it came straight from a sci-fi kids’ cartoon. 



From the quirky flavor names Ocean Potion, Pink Lava, and Galaxy Gulp to the anthropomorphic characters and alien landscapes on the packaging, everything about Roxberry’s look suggests that it’s not just a beverage, but also its own universe.



“All of those characters that you see—and you just see them in little spots on the can—they have backstories, they have personalities. We went so deep, not because we’re planning to launch a TV show tomorrow, but because we wanted to ensure that we really had that richness,” Heyward says.



For example, Heyward adds, one character named Chomp Chomp is described as “loud, erratic, and entrepreneurial; an instigator who lives in the skies, makes deliveries, and creates crop circles.” Even if this character is never officially named, she believes the lore gives the brand depth.



While the majority of the Roxberry package is designed to entice shoppers with its bright, character-based imagery, smaller cues, like the phrases “No fake stuff” and “5g sugar” signal to parents that the beverage is not a typical soda. In essence, both Heyward and Sauer agree: Roxberry is designed with kids in mind first and parents second.



“We were looking at the love we all had for these character-driven brands growing up, and how they felt like part of our pop culture universe,” Heyward says. “Well, why has that gone away? There are brands for adults that have tapped into that nostalgia a little bit, but I think that the kids’ brands have really played it safe.” Roxberry’s high-octane look gives the healthier-for-you kids beverage category a much-needed branding sugar rush.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Roxberry, ‘better-for-you’, soda, but, its, branding, absolute, sugar, rush</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>ICE vs ice videos from Minnesota put the agency’s weaknesses on display</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ice-vs-ice-videos-from-minnesota-put-the-agencys-weaknesses-on-display</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ice-vs-ice-videos-from-minnesota-put-the-agencys-weaknesses-on-display</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Minneapolis is currently inundated with two kinds of ice—both of which make it hard for residents to move about the city. 



The bone-chilling winter cold has left icy deposits on streets and sidewalks, while the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has run roughshod over them in what the Department of Homeland Security calls “the largest DHS operation ever.”



As anyone who’s ever set booted foot in Minnesota in winter can attest, gravity and overconfidence are no match for one of the world’s most slippery surfaces. Given the abundance of cameras that tend to follow ICE agents, it was perhaps inevitable that there would be multiple viral videos of agents absolutely biffing it on literal ice throughout the Twin Cities. The surging popularity of these videos, though, suggests ICE’s critics are getting a lot more out of them than cold comfort.



Midwestern progressives may have cheered such content no matter the context, but given recent events, the videos have taken on deeper resonance. Minneapolis has been at the center of a political firestorm since December, when President Trump seized on reports of social services fraud in the city, perpetrated in part by Somali Americans, to denigrate the area’s entire deeply rooted Somali community. 



On January 6, DHS announced it was deploying as many as 2,000 agents into the city to crack down on fraud and, of course, undocumented immigrants. By the following afternoon, an agent had shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in broad daylight.



In the days since Good’s killing, tensions have erupted in Minneapolis and rippled across the country. Massive protests have sprung up throughout the Twin Cities, as well as from New York City to Portland, Oregon. Local politicians and national figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have called out Trump for lying about what happened to Good, while Minnesota and Illinois have sued his administration to block the surge of federal agents.



For now, though, the DHS incursion into Minnesota continues, disrupting the normal flow of day-to-day life in the Twin Cities. ICE is reportedly conducting door-to-door raids in some areas, and in one highly publicized incident, agents violently detained two U.S. citizens, one of whom is 17 years old, while they were working a shift at Target. (Both were later released, reportedly with injuries.) 



After agents started showing up at local schools, several districts have switched to remote learning. Some restaurants have closed their doors indefinitely, while touring acts have postponed shows in the city, citing the welfare of attendees. In fact, the only people who seem to want to visit Minneapolis at the moment are MAGA influencers hoping to squeeze some content out of the carnage.



Given the dark, authoritarian overtones of DHS’s citywide siege, it’s no wonder viewers are rejoicing in videos of ICE agents busting ass.




  @typicalelliott ThislllllIce attacks Ice making ice fall. Ice proceeds to shoot ice #ice  ♬ Richard Strauss-Valzer from Der Rosenkavalier – 中国爱乐乐团   




First, came the clip in which a pair of agents ate it on an icy sidewalk together, causing one of their rifles to discharge—thankfully hurting no bystanders. Then there was the video of an agent running down the street at full speed before hitting a slick thicket of ice, as captured from multiple angles. And let’s not forget the agents who apparently could not get any locals to help them unstick their car from a snowy curb and wobbled around doing so themselves. It’s all classic slapstick, practically begging for the Benny Hill theme song to be dubbed over it.



As these clips proliferate online, another genre of viral video has emerged out of Minneapolis in tandem—one that helps explain just what else the ice-fail videos are accomplishing. These videos could be called a learning series, since they depict agents approaching protesters and asking if they haven’t learned anything yet from recent events. (“Learned what?” a protester responds in one of the videos, before an agent smacks the phone out of her hand.)



These videos appear to illustrate ICE agents’ expectations: that anyone disapproving of them should be cowed into respect and obedience. If protesters remain unfazed instead and continue mouthing off, the agents seem to suggest, well, who knows what could end up happening? Perhaps the same fate that met Good when she proved insufficiently respectful and obedient. The president suggested as much in comments he made aboard Air Force One on Monday—evidence that the blasé attitude ICE agents have toward use of force comes right from the top. 



Beyond doling out barely veiled threats, the agents in these videos also toe the party line that ICE is made up of hypercompetent heroes unfairly victimized by violent rioters. All they want is to surgically expunge criminal scum from the city, which they would accomplish easily, if only a well-coordinated domestic terrorist network would stop weaponizing vehicles at them.



This is where the falling-down videos, and attendant memes, come in handy. These videos decidedly do not make ICE look like hypercompetent heroes. They make them look like the buffoons they are.  



They undercut the agents’ warrior self-mythology, reducing them to doofuses who don’t realize winter ice might mean an attack of the killer sidewalks. The gleeful spread of these embarrassing clips sends the same message as the D.C. sandwich-thrower last summer and the wave of inflatable animals at the “No Kings” protests last fall. They help defang the vast threat represented by masked agents of state, rendering them eminently fallible. And the popularity of the videos also contradicts the preposterous notion that, as Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said on Fox News this week, “90% of the public are happy to see us.”



Sure, it’s a small victory, but one that offers a strong reminder to the public to believe their eyes, not the spin from the administration.



It might also help ensure that—whether from Minnesota’s natural elements or its fired-up citizenry—ICE agents will continue getting a chilly reception as long as they remain in the state. 



Have they not learned this lesson yet? ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>ICE, ice, videos, from, Minnesota, put, the, agency’s, weaknesses, display</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Daniel Ek believes prevention is the key to a long life. He’s bringing a ‘new healthcare experience’ to NYC for the first time</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/daniel-ek-believes-prevention-is-the-key-to-a-long-life-hes-bringing-a-new-healthcare-experience-to-nyc-for-the-first-time</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/daniel-ek-believes-prevention-is-the-key-to-a-long-life-hes-bringing-a-new-healthcare-experience-to-nyc-for-the-first-time</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Neko Health is taking its body-scanning technology to America.



The Swedish diagnostic health clinic, cofounded by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek (also the cofounder and CEO of Spotify), said on Wednesday that it will launch a location in New York City, its first in the United States, in the spring of this year.



The 3-year-old startup, which offers comprehensive body scans to monitor risk factors for a range of health conditions from prediabetes to cancer, already has a presence in London; Manchester, U.K.; and Stockholm.



“For the first time, technology is enabling a fundamentally new healthcare experience centered on prevention,” Nilsonne, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring our unique model of care to the world’s biggest healthcare market with the opening of our first U.S. location in spring this year.” 



The exact site of the planned New York City location has not been revealed. 



The announcement comes as Neko Health has seen surging demand for its “Body Scan” service, which the company describes as “a preventative health check for your future self.” 



Scans check for skin irregularities, gauge the health of your cardiovascular system, assess blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and more as a part of a 60-minute assessment.



Neko Health says its scans use “proprietary sensors, 3D imaging, and blood analysis,” and “results are delivered on-site within minutes, followed by a consultation with a medical professional to discuss personalized health findings.”



[Photo: Neko Health]



Poised for growth



The idea has caught on, according to Neko Health, which says it delivered “six times more scans in 2025 than in 2024, with global signups now exceeding 300,000 people.” 



The firm’s data also shows that of the thousands of scans it completed in Stockholm during 2024, 1.2% revealed life-threatening conditions, and 6.4% found “medically significant findings requiring clinical attention.”



Neko Health’s services have caught the attention of the media, and have been reviewed by writers and reporters for publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and GQ, among others, with generally positive takeaways.



It’s also caught the attention of investors. A year ago, the company announced that it had raised $260 million as part of a Series B funding round. That put the company’s valuation at $1.8 billion.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Daniel, believes, prevention, the, key, long, life., He’s, bringing, ‘new, healthcare, experience’, NYC, for, the, first, time</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Lenovo wants to make the 2026 World Cup the ‘most AI&#45;driven event’ in sports history</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/lenovo-wants-to-make-the-2026-world-cup-the-most-ai-driven-event-in-sports-history</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/lenovo-wants-to-make-the-2026-world-cup-the-most-ai-driven-event-in-sports-history</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When the FIFA World Cup 2026 arrives in the United States this June, it will signal more than soccer’s return to its fastest-growing commercial market. The tournament will span three countries—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—for the first time, becoming the largest World Cup ever staged. The scale, however, is also forcing a technological reset.



As modern global sporting events grow in scale, expectations have evolved alongside them. Audiences now look for more immersive broadcasts and real-time data, broadcasters face rising reliability demands, and governing bodies continue to push for greater transparency and precision. Together, these pressures are starting to expose the limits of traditional IT systems in elite sports such as soccer, particularly around latency, and paving the way for AI-driven, real-time intelligence embedded directly into competition, operations, and fan engagement.



As the official technology partner of the World Cup 2026, Lenovo is treating the tournament as a systems-level deployment, placing AI at the operational core of the world’s largest sporting event. The company is treating the event not as a showcase, but as a real-world test of AI beyond cloud-first architectures, where failure carries immediate consequences. Rather, it’s betting that global scale, matched with deep local execution, delivers an advantage in such a complex environment.



Lenovo chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang says the World Cup exemplifies how AI can operate in complex, large-scale environments. “These are live events with real pressure and real audiences,” he says. “The value of such partnerships goes beyond short-term visibility. They help us understand how AI performs under demanding conditions, and that insight feeds directly into how we design and improve our technology.”



Yang also notes that, while Lenovo uses global sports partnerships to highlight its broader AI strategy, its technology is playing a major role in improving the sport itself. “This year, you will see referees using AI support, players benefiting from AI insights, and organizers using AI to improve operations,” he says. The company asserts that this year’s World Cup will be the “most AI-driven global sporting event” in history.



An AI-Driven Sporting Event



At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas last week, Lenovo detailed how it will supply the digital backbone of the World Cup 2026—from core infrastructure to advanced AI systems that will shape all 104 matches.



Alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the company unveiled a broad suite of AI-driven technologies for the tournament, including Football AI Pro; AI-enabled 3D player avatars integrated into semi-automated offside technology; an Intelligent Command Center using real-time AI summaries to manage tournament operations across three countries; AI-stabilized Referee View body-camera footage for broadcasts; smart wayfinding and venue digital twins; and resilient infrastructure supporting video review of refereeing decisions and broadcast systems.



Lenovo CTO Tolga Kurtoglu said that Lenovo had already deployed early versions of several upcoming technologies at the FIFA Club World Cup, using the tournament as a proving ground ahead of the much larger event this summer. “That allowed us to learn, iterate, and improve before deploying at World Cup scale,” he says.



Football AI Pro, codeveloped with FIFA, is an enterprise-grade AI knowledge system built with Lenovo’s AI Factory. The platform orchestrates multiple AI agents to analyze millions of data points and more than 2,000 football-specific metrics in real time, turning raw match data into actionable intelligence when decisions matter most. Analysts can spot patterns instantly through synchronized video, data overlays, and 3D visualizations. Coaches can simulate tactical changes in real time against specific opponents, and players will receive personalized match analysis.



“The idea is to deliver value across the entire football ecosystem, not just one group,” Kurtoglu explained. “If you look at other industries, like aircraft engines, analytics completely changed the business model—from selling engines to selling engine hours. The same principle applies here. With enough data and processing, you can help fundamentally change how decisions are made on the pitch.”



Elevating Human Judgment 



One of the most visible changes fans will notice in this year’s World Cup is AI-enabled digital player avatars in broadcasts and officiating tools. Using computer vision and generative AI, Lenovo and FIFA are producing precise 3D representations of players, modeled on their actual physical dimensions. These avatars will appear in semi-automated offside replays, offering clearer, more contextual visuals for fans in stadiums and at home.



According to Johannes Holzmüller, director of innovation at FIFA, the goal of the partnership is not to automate decision-making but to elevate it. AI, he said, must support human judgment while making its reasoning visible and accountable—especially in a sport where trust is everything.



“At the Club World Cup last year in the U.S., we tested a system we call advanced semi-automated offside. The key idea is that the moment the system has a high confidence that all the data is correct, that information is immediately sent to the assistant referee,” he says. “With this advanced semi-automated offside system, we are setting a new benchmark. [It] will shape expectations for accuracy and fairness in tournaments to come.”



Referee View is also returning—this time enhanced. Body-worn referee cameras, stabilized using AI, will provide broadcast-ready footage from the official’s point of view. FIFA expects the feature to give billions of fans unprecedented perspectives on the game’s most critical moments.



Holzmüller explained that creating precise player avatars before the start of the tournament gives the system additional context, allowing it to determine offside situations with much higher confidence. When the system reaches that level of certainty, it can send direct guidance to assistant referees, reducing the need to delay decisions. Under current rules, delayed flags often mean play continues longer than necessary, increasing the risk of collisions and injuries before the ball goes out of play. By improving both confidence and speed, the technology helps avoid those situations and reduces unnecessary risk on the pitch.



AI Could Reshape Sport Strategies



“Lenovo helped us create an end-to-end process, starting from scanning the players—which takes only one second—through to having a digital asset platform where this information can be used across different use cases,” says Holzmüller. “Our thought behind integrating new technologies is to make the game fairer, clearer, and safer for everyone involved.”



Kurtoglu believes that deeper integration of AI and data could reshape how teams approach tactics, decision-making, and tournament planning ahead of the World Cup. “Strategies could change. It comes down to how you translate data into insights. The more data you have, the more analytics and AI you can apply, and eventually that will change tactics, analysis and even commentary,” he says. “That is why this is such an exciting moment for sports and technology.”



If Lenovo’s bet holds, the world’s biggest sporting events will raise the bar for how AI and analytics operate far beyond the stadium. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Lenovo, wants, make, the, 2026, World, Cup, the, ‘most, AI-driven, event’, sports, history</media:keywords>
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<title>Employees are using ‘2025 tools inside 2015 job structures,’ a new Workday study says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/employees-are-using-2025-tools-inside-2015-job-structures-a-new-workday-study-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/employees-are-using-2025-tools-inside-2015-job-structures-a-new-workday-study-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Employees are using 2025 tools while stuck in 2015 job structures, as less than half of job roles have been updated to reflect AI capabilities ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1387090643-e1767980536763.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Employees, are, using, ‘2025, tools, inside, 2015, job, structures, ’, new, Workday, study, says</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How a Harvard grad helped make Hyperliquid the biggest new player in crypto—with just 11 people and no venture funding</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-a-harvard-grad-helped-make-hyperliquid-the-biggest-new-player-in-cryptowith-just-11-people-and-no-venture-funding</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-a-harvard-grad-helped-make-hyperliquid-the-biggest-new-player-in-cryptowith-just-11-people-and-no-venture-funding</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Following the collapse of FTX, Hyperliquid founder Jeff Yan has cut a figure as the anti-SBF. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Fortune-Yan-Hyperliquid.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, Harvard, grad, helped, make, Hyperliquid, the, biggest, new, player, crypto—with, just, people, and, venture, funding</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>DeFi has earned a seat at the grown&#45;ups table—now comes the hard part</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/defi-has-earned-a-seat-at-the-grown-ups-tablenow-comes-the-hard-part</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/defi-has-earned-a-seat-at-the-grown-ups-tablenow-comes-the-hard-part</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hyperliquid’s rapid rise poses a test for decentralization. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2237640344-e1768219770781.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>DeFi, has, earned, seat, the, grown-ups, table—now, comes, the, hard, part</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Molson Coors CEO: We’re doing our part to solve society’s ‘occasion problem’ – and we’re getting some unexpected help</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/molson-coors-ceo-were-doing-our-part-to-solve-societys-occasion-problem-and-were-getting-some-unexpected-help</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/molson-coors-ceo-were-doing-our-part-to-solve-societys-occasion-problem-and-were-getting-some-unexpected-help</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Actor Christopher Walken is on board for our new Miller Lite campaign because these days, we could all use more “Legendary Moments.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/walken.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Molson, Coors, CEO:, We’re, doing, our, part, solve, society’s, ‘occasion, problem’, –, and, we’re, getting, some, unexpected, help</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Productivity gains fuel U.S. growth while hiring slows</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/productivity-gains-fuel-us-growth-while-hiring-slows</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/productivity-gains-fuel-us-growth-while-hiring-slows</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ EY Chief Economist Gregory Daco says businesses are generating growth with fewer workers and rising efficiency. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1285575560-1-e1768222684592.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Productivity, gains, fuel, U.S., growth, while, hiring, slows</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>7 ways to learn faster and improve your memory, backed by neuroscience</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/7-ways-to-learn-faster-and-improve-your-memory-backed-by-neuroscience</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/7-ways-to-learn-faster-and-improve-your-memory-backed-by-neuroscience</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ What you do? It starts with what you know.



Here are seven ways to learn faster and retain more.



1. Test yourself.



A classic study published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest shows self-testing is an extremely effective way to speed up the learning process.



Partly that’s because of the additional context you create. Test yourself and answer incorrectly, and not only are you more likely to remember the right answer after you look it up, but you’ll also remember the fact you didn’t remember. (Especially if you tend to be hard on yourself.)



So, don’t just rehearse your sales pitch. Test yourself on what comes after your intro. Test yourself by listing the four main points you want to make. Test your ability to remember cost savings figures, or price schedules, or how you will respond to the most common questions or types of customer resistance.



Not only will you gain confidence in how much you do know, but you’ll also more quickly learn the things you don’t know—at least not yet. 



2. Learn two or three things at (nearly) the same time.



The process is called interleaving: studying related concepts or skills in parallel. Instead of focusing on one subject, one task, or one skill during a learning session, purposely learn or practice several subjects or skills in succession. 



It turns out interleaving is a much more effective way to train your brain and train your motor skills. Why? 



One theory proposed in a study published in Educational Psychology Review is that interleaving improves your brain’s ability to differentiate between concepts or skills. When you block practice one skill, you can drill down until muscle memory takes over and the skill becomes more or less automatic. When you interleave several skills, any one skill can’t become mindless.



And that’s a good thing, because you’re instead constantly forced to adapt and adjust. You’re constantly forced to see, feel, and discriminate between different movements or different concepts. 



And that helps you really learn what you’re trying to learn, because it helps you gain understanding at a deeper level.



Speaking of adapting . . .



3. Change the way you study or practice.



Repeating anything over and over again in the hopes you will master that task will not only keep you from improving as quickly as you could; in some cases, it may actually decrease your skill as well. 



According to research published by Johns Hopkins Medicine, practicing a slightly modified version of a task you want to master helps you “actually learn more and faster than if you just keep practicing the exact same thing multiple times in a row.” The most likely cause is reconsolidation, a process where existing memories are recalled and modified with new knowledge.



Say you want to master an investor pitch. Do this:



1. Rehearse the basic skill. Run through your pitch a couple of times under the same conditions you’ll eventually face when you do it live. Naturally, the second time through will be better than the first; that’s how practice works. But then, instead of going through it a third time . . .



2. Wait. Give yourself at least six hours so your memory can consolidate. (Meaning that you may need to wait until tomorrow before you practice again, which, as you’ll see in a moment, is a great approach.)



3. Practice again, but this time:




Go a little faster. Speak a little—just a little—faster than you normally do. Run through your slides slightly faster. Increasing your speed means you’ll make more mistakes, but that’s okay—in the process, you’ll modify old knowledge with new knowledge, and lay the groundwork for improvement. Or . . .



Go a little slower. The same thing will happen. (Plus, you can experiment with new techniques—including the use of silence for effect—that aren’t apparent when you present at your normal speed.) Or . . .



Break your presentation into smaller chunks. Almost every task includes a series of discrete steps. That’s definitely true for presentations. Pick one section of your pitch. Deconstruct it. Master it. Then put the whole presentation back together. Or . . .



Change the conditions. Use a different projector. Or a different remote. Or a lavaliere instead of a headset mic. Switch up the conditions slightly; not only will that help you modify an existing memory, but it will also make you better prepared for the unexpected.




4. And keep modifying the conditions. You can extend the process to almost anything. While it’s clearly effective for learning motor skills, the process can also be applied to learning almost anything. 



4. Say it out loud.



Mentally rehearsing is good. Rehearsing out loud is better. 



Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition found that compared with reading or thinking silently (as if there’s another way to think), the act of speech is a “quite powerful mechanism for improving memory for selected information.”



According to the researchers, “Learning and memory benefit from active involvement. When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable.”



So don’t just practice that investor pitch in your head. Rehearse out loud. That way you’ll remember what you thought, and also what you heard yourself say.



5. Learn in bursts.



Once you’ve drafted that pitch, run through it once. Then take a few minutes to make corrections and revisions.



Then step away for a few hours, or even for a day, before you repeat the process, because a study published in Psychological Science shows “distributed practice” is a much more effective way to learn. Why? 



The study-phase retrieval theory says each time you attempt to retrieve something from memory and the retrieval is more successful, that memory becomes harder to forget. If you go over your pitch back-to-back-to-back, much of your presentation is still top of mind—which means you don’t have to retrieve it from memory.



Another theory regards contextual variability. When information gets encoded into memory, some of the context is also encoded. That’s why listening to an old song can cause you to remember where you were, what you were feeling, etc., when you first heard that song. The additional context creates useful cues for retrieving information.



Either way, distributed practice definitely works. So give yourself enough time to space out your learning sessions. You’ll learn more efficiently and more effectively.



Especially if you . . .



6. Sleep on it.



According to a 2016 study published in Psychological Science, people who studied before bed, then slept, and then did a quick review the next morning not only spent less time studying, but they also increased their long-term retention by 50%.



Why? One factor is what psychologists call sleep-dependent memory consolidation. As the researchers write:




Converging evidence, from the molecular to the phenomenological, leaves little doubt that offline memory reprocessing during sleep is an important component of how our memories are formed and ultimately shaped.




Sleeping after learning is definitely a good strategy, but sleeping between two learning sessions is a better strategy.



Or in non-researcher-speak, sleeping on it not only helps your brain file away what you’ve learned, but it also makes that information easier to access—especially if you chunk your learning sessions by studying a little the next morning.



7. Exercise.



Want to learn information faster? A study published in Scientific Reports found that moderate-intensity workouts—keeping your heart rate between 50% and 80% of max—dramatically improve recall and associative learning and increase your brain’s ability to absorb and retain information.



Want to learn or improve a task where motor skills are involved? According to a different study published in Scientific Reports, 15 minutes of cycling at 80% of max heart rate (“intense” exercise) resulted in better memory performance than 30 minutes of moderate exercise, which was better than no exercise at all.



In other words, exercising hard for 15 minutes “fired up” participants’ brains and allowed them to learn motor skills better and faster. To a lesser degree, so did 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.



And then there’s this. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows exercise can increase the size of your hippocampus, even if you’re in your 60s or 70s, helping to mitigate the impact of age-related memory loss.



Yep: Exercise helps make your brain healthier, too—which helps you be smarter and stay smarter.



—Jeff Haden



This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc.



Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>ways, learn, faster, and, improve, your, memory, backed, neuroscience</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Apple’s big 2026 plans</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/apples-big-2026-plans</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/apples-big-2026-plans</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 2025 was a fairly humdrum year for Apple from a hardware perspective. While the company’s software—including the “26” versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS—got a major visual overhaul, Apple’s hardware lineup included just one brand new product: the iPhone Air.



But that is set to change in 2026. This year, Apple is expected to release a number of brand-new hardware products, along with some updates to existing ones. And yes, AI will be a focus, too. Here’s what—and when—to expect from Apple in 2026.



iPhone Fold



The most anticipated device Apple is expected to release this year is a foldable iPhone. Colloquially known as the “iPhone Fold,” this device will be the first-ever dual-screen iPhone and will take the form of a book rather than a clamshell device.



Rumors are running wild about the device’s reported specs, but it is highly likely to feature an industry-first “crease-free” display, which measures around 7.5 inches when unfolded. Its front-facing folded display is expected to come in at around 5.5 inches.



A foldable phone will be an entirely new product category for Apple, and the iPhone maker’s entry into this market is expected to help foldables go mainstream. Expect the iPhone Fold to debut in the fall.



An affordable MacBook



MacBooks are amazing laptops—but they’re pricey. The least expensive MacBook that Apple currently sells is the $999 MacBook Air. But this year, that will change.



Multiple reports suggest that Apple will release a low-cost, entry-level MacBook with a display size of around 13.6 inches. What’s unique about this MacBook is that it will reportedly be the first to be powered by an A-series chip. The A series is the chipset found in the company’s iPhones. Current MacBooks are powered by the more advanced M-series chips.



But the star feature of the new MacBook will be its price. Apple is reportedly aiming to position it to compete with low-cost laptops like Google Chromebooks. There’s no word yet on what that “low cost” price may be, but it will likely fall somewhere around the $700 range.



An LLM Siri



New hardware isn’t the only thing Apple is expected to introduce this year. The company will also launch a new version of its much-maligned digital assistant, Siri. This new Siri will be powered by a large language model (LLM), similar to those that power OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.



The new LLM Siri is expected to be released with iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26.4 in the spring. It’s also a feature that will reportedly power Apple’s other new 2026 hardware product …



The HomePad



No, this isn’t a new HomePod smart speaker. The so-called “HomePad” is rumored to combine a smart speaker with a touch display (think: HomePod + iPad) and is designed to be a control center for the home. 



The tabletop device will reportedly let you make FaceTime video calls and control all the smart devices in your home. It is also rumored to be powered by that new LLM Siri that’s mentioned above, which means it will likely be Apple’s first hardware device that is designed to function as a household AI assistant.



As for when you can expect the HomePad, a late spring launch is a good guess, since iOS 26.4 is expected to ship then.



A new Apple TV 4K



Speaking of the home, Apple is expected to introduce another home-based product this year: an upgraded Apple TV 4K. Apple has not updated the digital media player since 2022, and its current specs, including its A15 Bionic chip, are showing their age.



The new Apple TV 4K is expected to include a powerful A18 (or later) chipset that just may be capable of running console-quality games. But more importantly, that chip may also support the new LLM Siri, bringing an AI chatbot and Apple Intelligence to the Apple TV for the first time.



The new Apple TV 4K will likely show up sometime this spring.



The usual suspects



Apple is also expected to upgrade several existing products in 2026.



One is the “low cost” iPhone 17e—the successor to last year’s iPhone 16e, which is likely to debut in the spring. In the fall, Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro series (alongside the new iPhone Fold). Those waiting for the entry-level iPhone 18, however, will need to wait until spring 2027, as Apple is rumored to be moving to a new Pro/entry-level staggered release starting this year.



On the iPad front, Apple is likely to upgrade the iPad Air to the M5 chipset, while also releasing an upgraded version of the entry-level iPad and iPad Mini. Multiple Macs are also expected to get the M5 treatment, including the MacBook Air, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and possibly the Mac Mini and iMac.



Finally, Apple will probably release its second-generation of AirTag item trackers, which will feature increased range and precision. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Apple’s, big, 2026, plans</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Digital ticketing was supposed to stop fraud, but ticket scams have gotten worse—just ask Taylor Swift </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/digital-ticketing-was-supposed-to-stop-fraud-but-ticket-scams-have-gotten-worsejust-ask-taylor-swift</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/digital-ticketing-was-supposed-to-stop-fraud-but-ticket-scams-have-gotten-worsejust-ask-taylor-swift</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Detective Mike McCaffrey laughs when I ask if they busted the door down. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies. Normally, he says, they would. But in this instance, it’s not the ticket scam perpetrator’s residence. It’s his mother’s. So, in this high-rise apartment building on 96th Street in Manhattan, he simply knocks. The mother answers, kindly, oblivious to why the NYPD is at her door on this Tuesday morning.



Inside, tucked in a small living room nook, is the man they’ve come for—the son, 28-year-old Nikhil Mahtani—surrounded by cellphones and laptops, tangled in charging cables.



Months earlier, the NFL had tipped off law enforcement about Craigslist ads selling tickets that buyers never received. McCaffrey, who works with the NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force, traced the ads back to Mahtani through IP addresses, phone numbers, email accounts—a digital trail leading straight to his mother’s apartment.



From January 2019 to December 2022, Mahtani had run more than 1,000 ads selling nonexistent tickets to NFL games, NBA championships, and concerts, defrauding more than 100 buyers across the United States.



McCaffrey didn’t arrest Mahtani that day. But he seized his devices. Inside, he found enough to build an airtight case: screenshots of the ads Mahtani had posted over the years, bank records showing $120,000 of ticket-buyer money flowing through Venmo and Zelle, and even direct messages with victims. In one text exchange, a concerned buyer wrote: “I’m worried about being duped. Can you give me assurance that you’re a real person?”



Mahtani sent back proof in the form of a selfie and a photo of his driver’s license.



“In the investigative world,” McCaffrey says, “we call that a clue.”



Billions and billions lost to fraud



The sports ticketing industry is worth $65.5 billion globally. Meanwhile, Americans lost more than $12.5 billion to fraud of all types in 2024—a 25% increase from the previous year, according to the Federal Trade Commission—with ticket scams representing a growing slice of that total.



Ticket fraud isn’t limited to sports—it’s also hitting concerts and other live events, with social media platforms serving as the primary hunting ground. According to Better Business Bureau data, fraudulent websites represent the largest share at 38% of reported concert ticket scams, followed by Facebook (28%), Craigslist (9%), and Instagram (8%).



Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a national consumer advocacy organization, hints that the problem isn’t going away, saying, “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”



The last great American counterfeiter



Before Mahtani—before the social media scammers and the Craigslist con artists—there was Eugene Smith.



Smith ran what federal prosecutors describe as a multistate counterfeiting operation, a sophisticated printing and distribution network spanning multiple cities, targeting the biggest events for the biggest payoffs. From 2016 to 2018, his network produced fake tickets to Super Bowl LI in Houston, Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, NBA All-Star games, and NCAA championships.



Smith’s operation was simple: He purchased real tickets to major events, sent them to accomplices who replicated them using sophisticated printing equipment, then distributed the counterfeits through a network of sellers—some working street corners outside stadiums and in parking lots, others advertising online.



These weren’t crude photocopies. Smith’s counterfeits featured holograms, along with hidden images visible only under ultraviolet light, and thermochromic ink that disappeared with heat and returned when cooled—a common security feature that allows gate staff to quickly verify authenticity.



“We had all of these covert and overt security features embedded into those tickets,” Michael Buchwald, vice president and legal counsel at the NFL, recalls. “To somebody with a trained eye, you could spot the difference. But to unsuspecting fans—people who are really eager to get into an event and are not being careful—they would fall prey.”



A 51-month federal sentence



According to prosecutors, Smith’s operation had printed scam tickets totaling at least $170,000 in face value, though the actual resale value—particularly for Super Bowl tickets—far exceeded the original prices. The FBI investigation that led to Smith remains partly sealed, but court records show the breakthrough came when one of Smith’s key accomplices, Eric Ferguson, was arrested and cooperated with investigators. Ferguson testified that Smith had recruited him to replicate tickets and provided the originals.



In May 2019, Smith was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.



Smith’s conviction marked the end of an era. By 2020, the NFL had completed its transition to fully digital ticketing. No more hard stock. No more physical tickets with holograms and thermochromic ink. Everything moved to mobile-based systems with encrypted barcodes that refresh continuously—technology specifically designed to prevent copying and theft.



The impact was immediate. Physical counterfeiting at NFL games dropped dramatically, from large-scale operations producing hundreds of fakes per event to what Buchwald now describes as only “dozens” of scattered ticket-scam incidents.



“We’ve seen a very substantial reduction in instances of ticket counterfeiting,” Buchwald says. “I think that’s a big success in terms of digital ticketing.”



But digital tickets didn’t eliminate fraud. They just changed the face of it—and in the process, blew the doors open for a new generation of scammers.



The evolving faces of fraud



Around the same time McCaffrey worked the Mahtani investigation, he assisted the FBI on another case involving international suspects using stolen credit card numbers to purchase legitimate tickets from venues, then reselling them through online portals at discounted rates. The tickets worked—they were legitimate. The real victims were the credit card holders who wouldn’t discover that their cards had been used until they checked their statements.



As tickets moved further toward digitization, other schemes began to emerge, each exploiting different digital vulnerabilities. Fake websites mirroring Ticketmaster or StubHub, designed to rank high in Google search results when legitimate sites sold out and desperate fans searched for last-minute options. Hacked Facebook accounts where scammers posed as the account owner and sold nonexistent tickets to the victim’s friends—people who trusted the source because they believed they were buying from someone they knew.



There has also been a rise in two-factor authentication scams, in which a criminal poses as a ticket seller and claims to need verification of the buyer’s identity for security. The scammer asks the buyer to message back a verification code being texted to their phone—but the criminal has secretly triggered a password reset on the buyer’s bank account or email, then uses the code to change the password and gain access.



These schemes have become so prevalent that the Better Business Bureau received more than 20,000 complaints about ticket purchases from January 2022 to early 2023.



Targeting Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour



Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was especially brutal, according to Teresa Murray. In one case, she recalls, a mother and daughter planned an entire trip around seeing the show—booking flights from Oklahoma to Atlanta, reserving a hotel room, buying matching outfits—only to arrive at the arena to find out their tickets didn’t actually exist. They stood alone outside the arena while the concert played inside, having spent thousands of dollars on a trip for an event they’d never see.



For Murray, that’s what made the Eras Tour ticket scams particularly devastating—not the financial loss, but the fact that scammers were stealing once-in-a-lifetime experiences from families who had planned for months. “A mom just wants her teenage daughter to have this very special experience, and it’s taken away from them,” she says. “You had all these crying young women. . . . It was just next-level awful.”



The biggest challenge for law enforcement is scope. Smith’s operation was contained: one printing press, one distribution network, specific cities. But digital fraud is borderless and doesn’t specialize in specific events. It’s nearly universal. A scammer in Manhattan targets fans in Milwaukee. International rings use stolen credit cards in one country to buy tickets in another. And with peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle and Venmo, once victims send money—especially through friends and family transfers—recovery is nearly impossible.



“Scammers are not exposing themselves to surveillance video footage or eyewitnesses,” McCaffrey says. “They’re able to steal a significant amount of money from behind their desk, from behind their keyboard.”



Even the platforms designed to protect buyers aren’t immune. While consumers are wary of ticket scams on Craigslist or fake websites, they can also fall victim to fraud through the official, verified platforms they’re supposed to trust most.



A $635,000 inside job



From June 2022 to July 2023, two employees at Sutherland Global Services—a third-party contractor in Kingston, Jamaica, handling customer service for StubHub—discovered and exploited a vulnerability in the platform’s system.



StubHub is one of the largest ticket resale marketplaces in the world. It operates as a secondary market where people sell tickets originally purchased from primary sellers like Ticketmaster. At the time, when someone bought a ticket on StubHub, the platform generated a unique URL and queued it to be emailed to the buyer.



Tyrone Rose, 20, and an accomplice discovered they could access the secure area of StubHub’s network where those unique URLs were created—a backdoor into part of the system they weren’t authorized to use. They found a way to redirect the emails, sending ticket URLs not to the people who had just paid for them, but to accomplices in Queens, New York.



Shamara Simmons, 31, was one of those alleged Queens accomplices. According to prosecutors, she and her cohort would download the tickets from the hijacked URLs (the original buyers never received their tickets) and relist them on StubHub as new inventory at inflated prices. Because the tickets were intercepted during delivery and after the sale was complete, then relisted under different seller accounts, the system saw them as separate transactions, not duplicate sales.



[Source photos: Adobe Stock]



Pure profit



The scheme was pure profit—tickets stolen for free, then resold for hundreds or thousands of dollars each.



Rose and Simmons intercepted roughly 350 StubHub orders—993 stolen tickets in all. Most were for Swift’s Eras Tour, though the operation also targeted tickets to Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games, and the US Open Tennis Championships. Over the course of one year, they collected more than $635,000.



It’s unclear how StubHub became aware of the ticket scam. But once it did, its internal security team acted swiftly, reporting it to Sutherland Global Services, the Queens district attorney’s office, and Jamaican law enforcement. Rose and his accomplice were immediately terminated, and StubHub ended its contract with Sutherland entirely. StubHub then identified which tickets had been stolen and resold, then reached out to every buyer who’d been defrauded to notify them before their events.



Rose and Simmons were arrested in February 2025. Rose pleaded guilty in October and awaits sentencing. Simmons has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, each faces 3 to 15 years in prison.



How the industry is fighting back



Under StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee, the company replaced or fully refunded the ticket price for every customer affected by the Rose-Simmons scam and in some cases provided additional compensation. But even with those refunds, many victims still shouldered the costs of flights, hotels, time off work—expenses that often exceeded the ticket price itself. 



And no refund policy can restore what Murray says is the true cost: the experience they missed out on. Fans had traveled across the country. They’d saved for months. They stood outside venues while concerts played inside—victims not of poor judgment or carelessness, but of a system they’d been told to trust.



Rob Tomlinson, StubHub’s head of trust and safety, says the company has vastly strengthened its internal security in the wake of Rose-Simmons, restricting access to ticket data to “an extremely small, very tightly controlled group of people” with full monitoring of who accesses what and when.



The company has also overhauled its ticket delivery system. The platform now primarily uses mobile transfers directly through original ticket providers like Ticketmaster and AXS, rather than generating its own URLs. Additionally, every ticket is now screened through proprietary in-house technology. 



“We have a machine learning model and we have a bunch of rules-based systems as well,” Tomlinson says. “We’re taking in over 270 signals about the seller, about the ticket, the time to event, the event itself—all of these different signals to really try and build up a profile of what is going on with each ticket.”



An alarming compound annual growth rate



The global ticket fraud detection market, valued at $1.87 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $5.47 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 16.2% as companies invest heavily in prevention technologies. But like the ticket sellers themselves, the NFL and other sports leagues are also playing defense on multiple fronts.



Buchwald describes partnerships with Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, ticket resolution desks at entry gates to troubleshoot issues in real time, and media campaigns around major events warning fans about fraud. For nearly a decade now, the league has maintained the NFL Ticket Network—a system comprised of multiple ticket resale platforms, including SeatGeek and Sports Illustrated Tickets, that have an integration with Ticketmaster.



“All the tickets that are rendered through those systems result in fully verified barcodes,” Buchwald says. “It enables fans who purchase or sell tickets on any of those platforms to be sure they have a reliable, convenient, and safe way to get fully verified tickets.”



Ticket technology is also evolving. SafeTix, Ticketmaster’s encrypted barcode system, refreshes continuously to prevent screenshots and copying. Dynamic QR codes change every few seconds. These systems are effective, but they’re not a catchall. While major venues and leagues can afford these new technologies, smaller venues cannot. And as long as PDF tickets exist anywhere—as they still do at many small venues—vulnerabilities remain.



“I think we’re still a fairly long way away in terms of the least-sophisticated venues getting on board with this,” Buchwald says. “It’s going to take a fair amount of time to fully adopt.”



How you can avoid being scammed



Beyond sophisticated technology, the industry is confronting a more basic problem: consumer behavior. After a 2024 Ticketmaster data breach reportedly exposed up to 560 million customer records—one of the largest data breaches in ticketing industry history—platforms intensified efforts to promote password hygiene and multifactor authentication. Still, according to Murray, many consumers ignore these safeguards and fail to adhere to even the most basic steps to protect themselves in a world where ticket scams are growing increasingly creative and deceptive.



“Desperate people sometimes make bad decisions,” Murray says. “They suspend their good judgment just long enough to become a victim of fraud.”



Murray’s advice mirrors that of McCaffrey and other experts.




Never buy from individuals you don’t personally know (even then, do so with caution).



Never use peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle or Venmo—they offer no fraud protection.



Always use credit cards, which provide protection under the Fair Credit Billing Act.



Buy only from authorized resellers verified by organizations like the National Association of Ticket Brokers.



Never share verification codes with anyone—even someone claiming to verify your identity.



Most important: Be willing to not go.




“If all else fails, and you think you’re taking a chance by buying tickets that you’re not sure are legit, just don’t buy them,” Murray writes in her guide for consumers. “If you decide to take a chance, you may spend far more time sorting out the fraud and trying to get your hundreds or thousands of dollars back than you would have spent at the [event].”



Today’s protection against tomorrow’s threats



Detective McCaffrey stands in a luxury suite at Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers hosted a playoff game the night before. He’s been given a tour as part of his Mahtani investigation. He looks out upon the ice, the Zamboni circling below. For a New York sports diehard, these are dream seats—the kind that either wealthy fans or those splurging for a once-in-a-lifetime experience shell out thousands of dollars for.



Tickets that Mahtani sold more than 50 times, and never delivered.



McCaffrey buys Mets tickets on SeatGeek a couple of times a year. He knows the risks better than almost anyone and says he’s willing to bite the bullet in the name of security.



“I have no issue watching a baseball game from the middle to upper deck that saves me a couple bucks,” he says. “But I’ll make sure that I get [my ticket] from a reputable site. I’ll pay $6 in fees, but I walk off the 7 train knowing I’m gonna get into that game. Buying tickets from a third party, you don’t have that assurance.”



Systematic victimization



Mahtani was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $88,000 in restitution. At sentencing, the judge rejected Mahtani’s request for probation, calling it not a “crime of impulse” but “systematic victimization” of sports fans. Mahtani was released from federal custody in May 2025, having served the majority of his 15-month sentence with credit for time served and good behavior.



Eugene Smith was released in August 2022 after serving most of his 51-month sentence. Rose still awaits sentencing, facing up to 15 years in prison, while Simmons has pleaded not guilty. Her case remains pending.



But thousands of other fraudsters like them are still hard at work. Over the past five years, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has reported  cumulative fraud losses exceeding $50.5 billion, with ticket fraud representing one of the fastest-growing categories. In a $65.5 billion global ticketing industry, the criminals are evolving faster than the defenses.



“The thing that keeps you up at night,” Tomlinson says, “is that you’re not sure what’s coming next.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Digital, ticketing, was, supposed, stop, fraud, but, ticket, scams, have, gotten, worse—just, ask, Taylor, Swift </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why Elon Musk is laughing off Grok’s flood of deepfake AI porn</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-elon-musk-is-laughing-off-groks-flood-of-deepfake-ai-porn</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-elon-musk-is-laughing-off-groks-flood-of-deepfake-ai-porn</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ From the moment Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, began rolling out its Grok chatbot to paid X subscribers in 2023, it pitched the tool as the bad boy of large language models. Grok would supposedly be authorized to say and do things that its politically correct competitors—primarily ChatGPT, produced by Musk’s old nemeses at OpenAI—would not. 



In an announcement on X, the company touted Grok’s “rebellious streak” and teased its willingness to answer “spicy” questions with “a bit of wit.” Although xAI warned that Grok was “a very early beta product,” it assured users that with their help, Grok would “improve rapidly with each passing week.”



At the time, xAI did not advertise that Grok would one day deliver nonconsensual pornography on an on-demand basis. But over the past few weeks, that is exactly what has happened, as X subscribers inundated the platform with requests to modify real images of women by removing their clothing, altering their bodies, spreading their legs, and so on. X users do not need to be premium subscribers to avail themselves of these services, which are accessible both on X and on Grok’s stand-alone app.



Some images generated with Grok’s assistance depict topless or otherwise suggestive images of girls between ages 11 and 13, according to a U.K.-based child safety watchdog. One analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between December 25 and January 1 found that the chatbot had complied with user requests to depict children with sexual fluids on their bodies. On New Year’s Eve, an AI firm that offers image alteration detection services estimated that Grok was churning out sexualized images at a rate of about one per minute.



“I’ve been sexually assaulted in the past, and it almost felt like a digital version of that,” one woman told The Cut after Grok users transformed a picture of her posing next to a Christmas tree while wearing workout gear into a picture of her wearing a thong bikini. “It is unfathomable to me that people are allowed to do this to women.” 



On Thursday, journalist and Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins reported seeing Grok-generated images of Renee Nicole Good, the unarmed 37-year-old woman shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, altered to depict her dead body in a bikini. As Higgins put it: “Digital corpse desecration now available to the public.”



For all the potential use cases of AI chatbots that AI companies have touted in recent years, bespoke pornography was always the howlingly obvious one. (You don’t need to be a behavioral scientist to understand what certain demographics immediately think to do when presented with a tool advertised as capable of magically producing photorealistic images of anything one’s mind can dream up.) With varying degrees of success, platforms like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have at least tried to get ahead of this eventuality, building “guardrails” that try to limit users’ ability to customize NSFW images to suit their tastes.



A major difference between these companies and xAI, of course, is that xAI is helmed by Musk, whose ideological commitment to eradicating wokeness and censorship extends to offering amused, winking defenses of nonconsensual adult content published by his company’s flagship product.



On his X account, Musk has been firing off prompts treating what would be an existential crisis for any other company as a fun and funny meme. The fact that one of the victims was Ashley St. Clair, the mother of Musk’s 1-year-old son, did not dissuade Musk from declaring himself unable to stop laughing at an AI image of a bikini-clad toaster.



Both X and Musk have since issued statements reminding users that the X terms of service bar the creation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and pornography. X has also said that it removes CSAM and other illegal content, and permanently suspends accounts that create it. At the same time, it is sort of challenging for the company to position itself as taking a problem seriously when its owner, who is also the most-followed person on the platform, was logging on and treating the entire thing as one big joke.



Normally, the existence of an online tool capable of generating one-click CSAM would prompt widespread outrage and rapid responses from law enforcement. Regulators in countries in Europe, Asia, and South America have promised to investigate, and this week the European Commission extended an order that requires X to retain all Grok-related documents and data while officials take a closer look.



There are existing legal mechanisms in the U.S. for addressing the vile things Grok is doing, too. Less than a year ago, for example, Trump signed into law the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bipartisan bill that requires websites to remove “nonconsensual intimate imagery” within 48 hours upon the victim’s request. And although a provision of federal law known as Section 230 generally protects websites and social media platforms from liability for content published by their users, here, Grok itself is doing the “publishing” by generating the images. 



Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who helped write Section 230 three decades ago, weighed in on Bluesky, arguing that “AI chatbot outputs are not protected” under Section 230, and that “it is not a close call.” Along with two other Democratic senators, Wyden has also asked Apple and Google to remove Grox and X from their app stores for violations of the companies’ terms of service. This would be a significant step beyond what appears to be the only action taken by Apple thus far: raising its age rating of the Grok app from 12+ to 13+.



All that said, Musk, who spent four whirlwind months hacking away at the administrative state as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has plenty of practical reasons not to be worried. Thanks to the political and financial support that Musk and his Silicon Valley peers provide to the Republican Party, the second Trump administration has been enthusiastic about integrating AI products—both from xAI and from other companies—into the workings of the federal government. 



The fact that Trump immediately designated David Sacks, a tech investor with significant AI and crypto interests (as well as close personal and professional ties to Musk), as his AI and crypto czar is a pretty good indication that meaningful regulation is not coming anytime soon.



Since 2019, states with both Democratic- and Republican-controlled legislatures have responded to the absence of federal action by passing more than 140 state laws regulating AI, according to a Brennan Center analysis. But in December 2025, the White House made what is perhaps its most promising gesture yet to the AI industry: an executive order reiterating Trump’s commitment to a building “minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI” that will “sustain and enhance the United States’ global AI dominance.” 



Among other things, the order directs executive agencies to identify state AI regulations that the administration deems inconsistent with its agenda, and encourages Attorney General Pam Bondi to form an “AI Litigation Task Force” to challenge the offending laws in court.



Like most Trump executive orders, this one will not have the immediate impact that some breathless headlines suggest; as the order itself acknowledges, Congress would need to act in order for the substantive provisions to take effect. But for Musk, the message the White House is sending about its priorities is what really matters: Right now, the Trump administration is too preoccupied with starting illegal wars and executing unarmed protesters in the streets to worry about a few risqué images appearing on its social media platform of choice. 



When Musk left Washington last year, he did not do so quietly, lashing out at Trump for being insufficiently deferential to his preferences and insufficiently grateful for his support. But eight months later, the fact that the official response to Grok’s pornography and CSAM features is effectively a disinterested shrug demonstrates that the quarter-million dollars Musk donated to Trump and other Republicans in 2024 was a sound investment in his company’s future. 



By January 3, while Grok was still spitting out these images upon request, Musk and Trump had reconciled enough to have dinner together at Mar-a-Lago. Afterward, Trump called Musk “great” and “a good guy,” and Musk predicted that 2026 would be “amazing.”



Laws are only as strong as the willingness of the powers that be to enforce them. When you own the people who regulate you, there is no scandal too disgusting for you to laugh off. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Elon, Musk, laughing, off, Grok’s, flood, deepfake, porn</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Branded entertainment will just be entertainment in 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/branded-entertainment-will-just-be-entertainment-in-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/branded-entertainment-will-just-be-entertainment-in-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We’ve had branded entertainment since Procter &amp; Gamble invented soap operas back in the 1930s. But today, brands are forced to diversify the ways in which they gain and hold our attention. It’s no longer as viable or effective to depend on traditional paid media tools. 



Innovative marketers are increasingly investing in content and experiences that attract and engage audiences rather than interrupt and annoy them. And the shift is driving results. Brands of all stripes talk about “brand entertainment,” but it’s the exceptions that truly create actual entertainment. 



I’ve spent a lot of time this past year writing and talking on the Brand New World podcast about the variety of ways different brands are doing this right. From WhatsApp working with Modern Arts on a Netflix doc about the Mercedes F1 team, to Dick’s Sporting Goods formally establishing an internal entertainment studio that has already won Sports Emmys for We Could Be King in 2015 and The Turnaround in 2024, to the unprecedented deal struck between AB InBev and Netflix. The latter, signed in November, puts the global brewer’s major beer brands front and center in Netflix’s push into live sports, as well as giving it early access to placement and integration in Netflix shows and movies.



Obviously brands want the shine of legitimate Hollywood entertainment. But production costs and other financial pressures have made working with brands a much more attractive prospect for Hollywood too. So I wanted to check back in with the executives behind some of these projects to find out what they anticipate the biggest developments will be in 2026.



The most significant drivers of these developments stem from the evolving platforms, fueled by audience preferences and behavior, as well as the economic realities driving brands and Hollywood into each other’s arms more often and in more varied ways. 



Marketers—and audiences, for that matter—are going to see some big changes coming to screens, both big and small. Read on for what to expect.







Shifting platforms



Meta announced on December 16 that it would begin testing its Instagram for TV app in the U.S. on Amazon Fire TV streaming devices. Zac Ryder, cofounder and co-chief creative officer of Modern Arts, says this feature is going to be a game-changer for brand entertainment. Brands as varied as UPS, Bud Light, and Sephora have been building audiences on Instagram Reels and Stories, while other brands are jumping into the micro-drama trend of serialized, bite-size soap operas in vertical video.



Ryder says this shift means brand content on the platform will continue to look even more like entertainment, getting longer and more ambitious to better align with TV viewing behavior. Ultimately, this will further blur the lines between entertainment and social. 



Ryder says that as a result we’ll start to see more big swings featuring A-list storytellers and talent this year. “This will be especially true for brands who are already very invested in IG and have spent years building their followers. And of course, if brands are going to start dropping more ambitious work on IG, they’ll drop it on YouTube as well,” he says. “In order to compete for brand dollars, streamers will need to become even better partners to brands, all of which will create even more energy in this space and raise the bar even higher.”



A growing number of people are watching YouTube (and soon, Instagram Reels) on their TVs. Meanwhile, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ are increasingly utilizing brand partnerships to keep subscriber prices competitive. Many of my sources believe these changing dynamics of how we watch and engage with entertainment will drive where brands can find the best opportunities.



“I suspect we’ll see more next-generation partnerships like those we’ve been involved with this past year, especially as the Warner Bros. thing sorts itself out,” says Jae Goodman, cofounder and CEO of Superconnector Studios. “I bet Skydance/Paramount, Disney, Amazon, Comcast/NBCU will all come to market with brands as true partners in surprising, innovative, mutually beneficial, and I bet very effective ways.”



A new strategy



Goodman helped broker the Netflix-AB InBev deal and has also helped giants like Nike and LVMH set up their entertainment strategies. He says the long-standing trajectory of how brands and Hollywood do business has fundamentally changed.



Typically, it’s TV networks and streamers selling ad space to media agencies, then creative agencies filling the order. Film studios and distributors sell partnerships to brands, then licensing and promotional agencies get creative with the intellectual property.



“Brands are now entering the market with real entertainment strategies,” Goodman says. “And brands are leading the conversation with entertainment entities by asking, ‘What if we wanted to achieve XYZ and then figure out the structure and cost?’ We refer to it as idea flow before deal flow.”



This past year, the Martin Agency worked with Subway Takes creator Kareem Rahma on “UPS Business Trips.” Martin’s chief brand officer, Elizabeth Paul, believes branded entertainment is growing up and moving from bloated bandwagons with hundreds of brand sponsors (see: Wicked) to fewer projects with a more focused audience.



UPS is a major brand that could easily jump on the blockbuster movie bandwagon or make a Super Bowl ad. Instead, “UPS Business Trips” was a relatively small, Subway Takes-inspired series in which Rahma and UPS drivers visit small-business customers. According to the agency, it had more than 100 million views across platforms, and generated 1,000% return on ad spend.









“For those who truly believe in the space, brand entertainment will stop being treated as a campaign format and start being managed as a portfolio,” says Paul, who suggests that the best brands will start thinking like studios, not marketing departments. 



We’ve seen this most recently with Dick’s Sporting Goods’s new in-house studio division, Cookie Jar &amp; a Dream Studios. Dick’s CMO Emily Silver told me back in September that this move will see the brand be more aggressive in the number of films and pieces of content it releases, as well as help the brand build more of a name for itself in the entertainment industry to attract different writers and projects.



“It gives us the opportunity to put a little more structure and framework around what content we want to produce and where we want to lean in to help build for the long term,” she said at the time.



New economics



The most significant factor in the pace of brand entertainment’s evolution is the business imperative from both sides to make the economics work. North American box office revenue for 2025 was more than 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels. And in the first half of 2025, major streamers ordered 24% fewer first-run and renewed scripted titles than the same period in 2024.



As production costs have skyrocketed, and the ability to get entertainment projects off the ground more difficult, Hollywood’s typically cool condescension toward marketers has thawed to the point of giddy embrace. Cynically, even if Hollywood sees brands as logo-plastered ATMs, brands see an opportunity to exploit this need for cash to do cool things that are actual entertainment.



“Last year, economic pressure forced marketers to be really choiceful with their media plans, which forced intentionality,” says Paul. “As brands got more selective, the most successful collaborations meant fewer swings with clearer creative intent. The result wasn’t louder brand entertainment, but more considered work—projects that respected fandom, embraced specificity, and trusted audiences to meet brands halfway.”



Paul cites the Martin Agency’s work on Bud Light’s Armchair Quarterback last year, a Netflix partnership starring Peyton Manning that parodies the second season of the streamer’s show Quarterback. Armchair Quarterback attracted more than 100 million social impressions, thanks in no small part to tapping into the fandom of Quarterback by working with the show, its producers—Manning’s Omaha Productions—and Netflix.



However, she reiterates that this can’t be a simple “exchange of relevance for cash. This is about forging true strategic partnerships that delight fans and move markets.”



Talent magnet



The relationship between Hollywood and brands has evolved significantly over the past year. Brand partnerships and content are not embarrassing for studios or streamers anymore, in part because of the aforementioned economics, but also because the quality is higher and the value is clear.



WhatsApp’s film The Seat, for example, cost about as much as it would to make and buy ad time for a 60-second commercial. But it also was high enough quality to stand on its own on Netflix. This is a virtuous cycle: The better the quality, the higher caliber of talent is attracted to subsequent projects, which in turn should continue to boost the caliber of these projects.



Ryder says a growing number of A-list showrunners, writers, directors, and creators have been reaching out to learn more about the brand world in hopes of finding a project to work on together.



LVMH’s entertainment division, 22 Montaigne, for example, is developing projects with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, as well as Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.



“When we started making these kinds of brand projects 10 years ago, everyone on the talent side was so suspicious,” Ryder says. Many believed brand entertainment was just a glorified long commercial. That has changed as more high-quality films have dropped. “It’s a bit like a Michelin chef trying a killer food truck and realizing that could be a new outlet for their cooking,” he says. “There are just a lot more delicious food trucks out there now.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Branded, entertainment, will, just, entertainment, 2026</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Crystal Ball: What 2026 holds for cybersecurity, healthcare, robotics, and more</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crystal-ball-what-2026-holds-for-cybersecurity-healthcare-robotics-and-more</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crystal-ball-what-2026-holds-for-cybersecurity-healthcare-robotics-and-more</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Term Sheet readers predict healthcare is due for a shakeup, cybersecurity breaches are imminent, and robotics is promising as ever. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1616669298-e1767555627831.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Crystal, Ball:, What, 2026, holds, for, cybersecurity, healthcare, robotics, and, more</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>From factory floors to offices: Physical AI is ‘going to be massive’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-factory-floors-to-offices-physical-ai-is-going-to-be-massive</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-factory-floors-to-offices-physical-ai-is-going-to-be-massive</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon discussed the future of physical AI at a Fortune Brainstorm Tech dinner. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2225257904.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>From, factory, floors, offices:, Physical, ‘going, massive’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Russia and Iran are increasingly turning to crypto—especially stablecoins—to avoid sanctions, report finds</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/russia-and-iran-are-increasingly-turning-to-cryptoespecially-stablecoinsto-avoid-sanctions-report-finds</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/russia-and-iran-are-increasingly-turning-to-cryptoespecially-stablecoinsto-avoid-sanctions-report-finds</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Geopolitics is moving to the blockchain at an unprecedented rate. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2253168763-e1767844326488.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Russia, and, Iran, are, increasingly, turning, crypto—especially, stablecoins—to, avoid, sanctions, report, finds</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Invictus&#45;backed cybersecurity company ThreatModeler acquires competitor IriusRisk for over $100 million</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-invictus-backed-cybersecurity-company-threatmodeler-acquires-competitor-iriusrisk-for-over-100-million</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-invictus-backed-cybersecurity-company-threatmodeler-acquires-competitor-iriusrisk-for-over-100-million</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As AI coding increases, so does the need for robust cybersecurity practices, CEO Matt Jones told Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2233776792-e1767819735748.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Invictus-backed, cybersecurity, company, ThreatModeler, acquires, competitor, IriusRisk, for, over, 100, million</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Google takes first steps toward an AI product that can actually tackle your email inbox</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/google-takes-first-steps-toward-an-ai-product-that-can-actually-tackle-your-email-inbox</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/google-takes-first-steps-toward-an-ai-product-that-can-actually-tackle-your-email-inbox</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Gemini 3 is coming to Gmail, with product head Blake Barnes saying that they&#039;ve found users “don’t want a generic assistant.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/gmail-ai-inbox.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Google, takes, first, steps, toward, product, that, can, actually, tackle, your, email, inbox</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Harder than Harvard: How to get a job at the most in&#45;demand tech companies</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/harder-than-harvard-how-to-get-a-job-at-the-most-in-demand-tech-companies</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/harder-than-harvard-how-to-get-a-job-at-the-most-in-demand-tech-companies</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ On December 1, podcaster and venture capitalist Harry Stebbings posted on LinkedIn that candidates were 200 times more likely to get into Harvard University than they were to get a job at the $6.6 billion valuation AI startup ElevenLabs. According to his statistic, out of 180,000 applicants in the first half of the year, only 0.018% were hired by the AI voice agent platform.



That figure—extrapolated from a July spike in applications—may have been hyperbole. But it still went viral. And out of tens of thousands of applications, just 132 candidates eventually got the job at ElevenLabs—indeed, much lower than Harvard’s 3% to 4% admission rates. 



“On average, we’re seeing more people apply every quarter,” says Victoria Weller, VP of operations at ElevenLabs. “I hope that the high number of applicants motivates people—it’s inspiring to work somewhere that’s hard to get in. It’s like Harvard: once you’re in, you know you’re surrounded by the best people in an inspiring environment.”







In-demand companies are reinforcing their recruitment to cope with a volume of applications that often runs into the six figures. For example, ElevenLabs has tripled its recruitment team this year. Coinbase, which has a 0.1% hiring rate according to the company, has added AI tools to reach more candidates, surface stronger ones earlier, and support decision making.



The crypto exchange, which has a market cap of approximately $70 billion and is in the process of expanding into a financial superapp, has been long renowned for its stringent hiring process: candidates can expect six stages over 60 days—if they make it that far. And that was before a 2025 surge and a 45% year-over-year rise in applications, totaling in the hundreds of thousands. 



“The size of the applicant pool doesn’t determine the quality of your hires—the rigor of your system does,” says Greg Garrison, VP, talent at Coinbase. “Our core process is largely the same, but the system has simply become more efficient and calibrated.”



Amid greater competition for fewer roles, and applications made easier than ever thanks to LinkedIn and generative AI, vacancies can receive hundreds—even thousands—of résumés within hours of going live. While this makes recruiters’ jobs harder, it also works in companies’ favor: high demand and low hiring signals prestige to the labor market; only the top 0.1% make the cut. 



Beating the bots



Nicholas Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford University, believes companies’ eye-popping application numbers are largely bot-driven. “I know a Stanford undergrad that wrote code to apply to every job advert on a job board, and told me his friends use it too,” he says. “The big issue is this actually crowds out serious applicants. If you actually are in the 1% that applies by hand you have little chance of making it through.”



As a result of such intense demand, candidates can expect greater scrutiny—particularly at the earlier hiring stages. 



In many cases, candidates will have to impress AI first. With a deluge of résumés in the inbox, ElevenLabs uses data-driven applicant tracking software Ashby to help sift the best candidates. “We have website fields asking applicants why they want to work with us and how our mission excites them,” says Weller. “That means you can identify who’s autofilled their details, and clicked ‘submit’ versus those that took the time to answer thoughtfully.” 



It means quick-fire applications are unlikely to make it through to the next round: the screening call; the first round where candidates meet someone in the hiring position. So even when the acceptance rates are so tiny, ensuring to do the basics, like thoroughly answering questions—without the help of ChatGPT—could make a difference.



Beyond assessing candidates’ experience, the onus is on testing cultural fit. “There are certain types of questions that map to our values,” says Weller. “For example, we look for candidates with low egos, so we ask for feedback they’ve recently received—their answer can indicate their personality.” It means that the bragging LinkedIn posts aren’t perhaps a fair reflection of what hiring managers actually want from applicants. 



While ElevenLabs has up to five assessment rounds in total, Coinbase candidates face the prospect of four interviews in a single stage—bookended by assessments and work trials before a potential offer is made. Experience—and persistence—separate the top 0.1% from the top 1%. “The best candidates tend to stand out,” says Garrison. “What separates them isn’t polish—it’s evidence. Their track record speaks louder than their résumé.”



But given the glut of applications, some of the best may slip through. Others might not even be seen at all.



Publicly posting near-zero acceptance rates is a marketing tactic, says Bloom. “Some companies love to flex on how hard it is to get a job with them. It’s a big show-off, just as colleges love tons of applications to flex on how low their yield rate is, so do some companies.”



Standing out from the crowd 



Bots or not, with so many applications for the most coveted roles, it’s harder to get your résumé read by the right person.



That’s why networking becomes essential, says Mathew Schulz, founder of procurement newsletter Pennywurth. His own LinkedIn post comparing hiring rates at Ramp, the fintech that hit a $32 billion valuation last November, with Harvard admission rates—with just 0.23% of engineers hired—also went viral this year.



“It’s becoming even more difficult to submit your résumé and move along the process—a vacancy has hundreds of applicants within 24 hours of going live,” says Schulz. “So having a mutual connection, reaching out to contacts, and actively following up on LinkedIn becomes more important.”



With more top talent to choose from, companies can often afford to be pickier. Hiring managers are increasingly looking for candidates who are comfortable beyond their niche. 



“More companies are looking for ‘builders’ and ‘creators’ who can do new things, are entrepreneurial-minded, and are highly skilled,” says Schulz. “There’s a lean towards being a generalist now versus a hyper-specialist.” 



In practice, that can mean increasing a skillset, taking courses, and becoming adept at new tools that vacancies demand. “It’s like what they say: looking for a job becomes a full-time job,” says Schulz.



Getting through the door might be a bigger challenge than before. But once candidates are finally opposite a hiring manager, the fundamentals remain the same—no matter how low the acceptance rates. 



“Good recruitment is still finding out, ‘What drives this person? What are they good at? Are they a good fit for the company?’” says Weller.



“That will always stay the same, regardless of what the process looks like.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Harder, than, Harvard:, How, get, job, the, most, in-demand, tech, companies</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>It turns out that Kia’s new logo wasn’t brand suicide after all</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/it-turns-out-that-kias-new-logo-wasnt-brand-suicide-after-all</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/it-turns-out-that-kias-new-logo-wasnt-brand-suicide-after-all</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Five years ago this month, Kia took what seemed at the time to be a sledgehammer to its brand in the form of an inscrutable new logo. Today, its U.S. sales have never been higher.



Kia America announced a 7% sales increase in 2025 after selling a record 852,155 units in the U.S. last year. It’s the third consecutive annual sales record for the South Korean automaker’s U.S. division, and the feat was driven by strong sales growth for vehicles like its K4 sedan and its Sportage and Telluride SUVs.



Kia’s U.S. market share has never been greater. North America CEO Sean Yoon said in a news release that the numbers indicate “the strength of the Kia brand and the competitiveness of our models.”



[Photo: Kia]



It also goes to show that the knee-jerk reaction to a rebrand is no indicator of future success.



In January 2021, Kia dropped its old logo, which spelled out its name clearly in all capital letters inside an oval badge, and replaced it with its current mark, which writes out Kia in sharply angled letters.



At first, consumers found the new logo confusing. As vehicles with the new badge began hitting the roads that year, online searches for “KN car” spiked. Some motorists seemed to mistake the futuristic-looking cross-bar-free A in the new mark as part of as a backwards N, or they assumed it was a new brand.



Even if people didn’t initially get it, Kia’s new logo at least succeeded at looking future-forward. And indeed, it was meant to represent change and innovation, the company said at the time. Kia’s rebrand came amid wider rebrand efforts across the auto industry during the late 2010s and early 2020s.



[Photo: Kia]



With the rise of electric vehicles and competitors like Tesla and Rivian increasingly crowding the market, car companies over the past several years have rebranded with flat logos suitable for digital screens or have used fonts designed to look futuristic.



“The automotive industry is experiencing a period of rapid transformation, and Kia is proactively shaping and adapting to these changes,” Kia CEO Ho Sung Song said in 2021 about the company’s rebrand.



Among the auto rebrands of the early 2020s, the backlash to Jaguar’s dramatic logo rebrand in 2024 seemed like the canary in the coal mine after the luxury British automaker introduced a sans serif wordmark. Kia’s success, however, should be a lesson.



Kia’s rebrand was dramatic, too, but its growing sales show the company has delivered for its customers. The brand ranks above average on the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. vehicle dependability study, and the company offers models for less than $25,000 at a time when that’s now the price floor for new cars. In a time of rising car costs, it’s a recipe for success. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>turns, out, that, Kia’s, new, logo, wasn’t, brand, suicide, after, all</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why more companies are hiring ‘Culture Coaches’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-more-companies-are-hiring-culture-coaches</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-more-companies-are-hiring-culture-coaches</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Organizations are increasingly turning to “Culture Coaches” to address workplace challenges that traditional management approaches can’t solve. These specialized professionals bring outside perspective and emotional intelligence strategies to help teams build stronger communication patterns, employee engagement, and alignment. In this article, experts share insights on how culture coaching is reshaping the way companies approach employee growth, leadership development, and organizational success.



Leaders Shape the Operating System of Business



Companies are hiring Culture Coaches because many leaders are finally recognizing that culture is not a perk and not a mood. It is the operating system of the business. Most cultural breakdowns start in leadership behaviors: how decisions are made, how conflict is handled, how communication lands, and how trust is built or eroded in daily interactions. A Culture Coach gives leaders the mirror, structure, and practice to strengthen those patterns so teams can collaborate with clarity instead of confusion. When leaders shift their habits, the culture follows.



The impact is tangible. Engagement rises when employees feel seen, heard, and supported. Alignment improves because leaders stop sending mixed signals. Collaboration improves because teams feel safer challenging ideas and offering better ones. And performance improves because clarity reduces rework and friction across the system. Companies with coaching-supported cultures consistently see stronger engagement, stronger retention, and better performance outcomes.



A concrete example from my own experience: At a high-growth company I worked with, the leadership team was deeply capable but stretched thin. Decisions were made reactively, communication was inconsistent, and the team began losing trust in one another. A Culture Coach helped the executives slow their reaction cycle, name the patterns, rebuild communication agreements, and establish clear decision ownership. Within months, the shift was visible. Meetings became more honest, tension eased, and teams had clearer direction. Leaders modeled steadiness instead of urgency, and that stability cascaded into the organization. Culture did not shift because of a program. It shifted because the leaders did.



Culture Coaches do not fix culture. They strengthen the leaders who shape it every day. And when leaders have more awareness, more clarity, and more skill, the culture becomes a competitive advantage instead of a liability.



Lena McDearmid, Founder, Wryver



Culture Lives in Daily Feelings at Work



I am seeing more companies look for Culture Coaches because they are finally admitting something important. Culture does not live in a policy manual. It lives in how people feel day to day at work.



I often step into an informal Culture Coach role for my clients. I sit with senior leaders and ask very direct questions. How does it really feel to work here? Who is thriving and who is quietly checking out? Where are your values visible, and where are they only marketing language? Those conversations are where the real culture work begins.



A Culture Coach makes it safer to name what is not working. My role is to translate what I hear from employees into language leaders can act on. Sometimes that means rethinking how feedback is given. Sometimes it means changing who is in the room when decisions are made. Often it is about slowing down long enough to listen before launching the next big initiative.



Inside my company, my team holds me accountable in the same way. We are a lean, mostly remote group, so I invite honest feedback on how our workload, communication style, and tools actually feel in practice. If something feels heavy, confusing, or unfair, I want to know. That input shapes how we set expectations, run meetings, and protect rest.



The impact of a Culture Coach is not just a nicer atmosphere. It is clearer decisions, fewer unspoken tensions, and a workplace where people feel safe enough to tell the truth. When that happens, engagement and performance follow, but they grow from a real foundation, not from a slogan.



Alysha M. Campbell, Founder and CEO, CultureShift HR



Emotional Intelligence Builds Thriving Workplace Cultures



Right now, company culture is one of the most critical prerequisites for multiple younger generations. They are no longer willing to work in a hostile environment controlled by micromanagers. Companies are losing their top talent due to leaders with low emotional intelligence.



My work has involved working with companies for over two decades, teaching emotional intelligence and building thriving cultures. In the last year alone, there has been a sharp increase in the desire and need for outside expert support.



Creating a thriving culture is not a quick fix; it requires courageous and dedicated leaders willing to address their own shortcomings.



In one such company that hired me, turnover was constant! They were losing enormous resources with this one challenge alone; yet, the backbiting and lack of safety made it miserable even for employees who stayed. Now, employees love coming to work and remain loyal, even during tough economic times.



During the process, leaders were incredulous at first, until results began to show. Workplace gossip plummeted; employees worked through their own conflicts; leaders’ transparency increased; employee drama decreased; and a foundation of trust and open communication rose dramatically. Leaders went from disbelief to “hmmm” to “wow,” then relaxed into “ahhh.”



Nothing beats a workplace where people love coming to work!



Jennifer Williams, Executive Coach &amp; EQ Leadership Trainer, Heartmanity



Adaptive Leadership Shifts Patterns Through Behavioral Experiments



Companies are turning to Culture Coaches because they’re finally recognizing what many of us in adaptive leadership have known for years: you can’t delegate your way out of a culture problem. Culture is the lived patterns of behavior a system rewards, tolerates, or ignores. And those patterns don’t shift because a CEO announces a new initiative; they shift because someone is helping people see their system clearly, experiment with new behaviors, and stay in the discomfort long enough for real change to take root.



A clear example stands out for me. An international institution brought us in to conduct listening sessions and map a plan to reengage critical staff and signal a more collaborative and accountable culture following a change in leadership and direction. Traditional consulting had handed them a tidy road map, which did not adequately incorporate staff input, nor did it account for the loss and frustration they had experienced. With groups of key staff, we facilitated a gap analysis of where the organization was and where they wanted to be. Small groups, each working on one theme, then identified behaviors to bridge that gap and plotted the impact of each idea as a function of their difficulty to implement. Six months later, staff reported feeling heard, retention stabilized, and the system could better focus on their core mission.



That’s the tangible impact: a culture where people are not managed into compliance, but coached into capability.



Kirsti Samuels, Founder, Women Igniting Leadership Lab



Coaches Provide Safe Space for Employee Growth



Companies that hire Culture Coaches are finding that their employees are increasingly happier, less overwhelmed, have tools to navigate growth and performance better, and create strategies to be more visible and relevant. This equates to better retention, work, and outcomes for overall company goals.



Seldom in our adult lives do we have a space to talk openly about our fears, imposter syndrome, and what’s holding us back, and doing it with key relationships in the office can be terrifying because of optics and the stakes feel too high.



Employees who have this type of coaching opportunity are supported in positive regard, free of bias, find strategies to overcome these fears, and champion more productive conversations with leadership or their direct reports while quietly and powerfully making a positive shift in culture through each and every conversation.



If every employee is on autopilot on a never-ending hamster wheel working, there is no pause for reflection, to find ways to navigate friction, or the pieces of the work experience that don’t feel right. Being able to work with a coach can help address these in the most positive ways and keep an employee from being disconnected, resentful, or lost. It also might keep them from leaving and help them be more productive!



As a coach that works for a Fortune 100 tech company, I’ve supported my clients in finding strategies to:



Onboard more successfully by working on tools for mastering their line of business and building key relationships, so they more quickly become comfortable in their role as well as valued team players.



Have conversations with leadership that are more productive and drive visibility and relevance for the employee.



Ask for what they want. Everyone in the workplace is human, never mind leaders, and finding the language and the ask that feels best has elicited the best outcomes. One of my clients finally asked for a promotion, and his manager’s response was, “I had no idea you wanted more.” They are now working on what’s next collaboratively.



Be more authentic with their team and leaders, leading to less overwhelm even though the amount of work didn’t change.



There are dozens more examples, but all these moments have made my clients more hopeful, confident, and excited about their roles. Many have gone from, “I want to leave this place,” to, “I found tools to address my needs and I like it here; I want to stay.”



The benefits are endless, and an amazing tool for organizations to harness.



Shannon Bloom, Leadership &amp; Transformation Career Coach &amp; Founder, PCC, Radiant Firefly



Outside Perspective Reveals Gaps Leaders Miss Daily



Companies are turning to Culture Coaches because they’re finally realizing that culture isn’t a poster on the wall or a gorgeous website—it’s the day-to-day habits, decisions, and communication patterns that shape how people feel at work. Most leaders weren’t trained to spot culture issues early or to talk about them honestly, or they are so busy with the day-to-day that they are unable to diagnose culture cracks. Having someone who can name the gaps, coach leaders through them, and build simple systems for consistency makes a noticeable difference. A Culture Coach brings outside perspective without the baggage of internal politics, which helps teams move faster and with more clarity. This is especially true when an organization scales and the informal ways of working that once “just worked” start to break down.



In my own work as a fractional people leader, I’ve stepped into this role many times. In one organization I supported, the team had expanded but the culture hadn’t kept pace (though in fairness, there hadn’t been intentional thought here). Staff and mid-level leaders (especially those who had recently joined) were reporting low levels of inclusion, while senior leadership—who were the same founders who built the organization—were both surprised and confused. What we uncovered was that the values were still deeply held by senior leaders, but they hadn’t been translated into clear, consistent practices consistently communicated as the organization grew. Without that structure, opportunities for growth started to feel subjective and political. Together, we mapped out key priorities and a road map to define organizational competencies and pathways for growth. We also communicated this to the organization as a whole so that everyone had visibility into the findings and the new direction.



Lisa Friscia, President and Founder, Franca Consulting



Intentional Culture Supports Ambitious Startup Goals



Companies are increasingly hiring Culture Coaches for a few different reasons.



1. They have the resources and foresight to plan ahead, likely startups with funding trying to become a venture-scale business that recognize the importance of developing an intentional culture to achieve challenging goals.



I have hired Culture Coaches for this purpose at past startups I have worked at, including Patreon and Clara. At both of these companies, the founders understood the importance of an intentional and aligned company culture from the beginning. They were aiming to grow rapidly and disrupt a traditional market. To do this, you need more than a basic business model; you need a team intrinsically motivated behind your mission and work. You need the company culture (i.e., actions and behaviors or DNA) to align with your ambitious goals. A Culture Coach in this setting comes in to help you refine vision, mission, and values and integrate those things into daily systems and practices.



2. The company has received feedback via engagement scores, performance reviews, or retention data and exit interviews that the culture is causing a problem, a “toxic” culture. This may be on a specific team or within the org as a whole. For this example, I have joined as the external “culture” coach. Here, you take a similar path, learning about the company’s goals and vision, and from there, develop the behaviors needed to be successful, and then, using listening tours and 360s, observe the culture and behaviors that exist today. You prioritize adjustments based on impact and begin intentional changes with feedback loops in a design thinking model to slowly adjust the culture over time.



3. The company may be preparing for rapid growth or another big change. In this example, the company may be aware, advised, or dealing with some early indicators of trouble with the culture. Regardless of the impetus, the company will pursue a “culture” coach, also a role I have taken, to support identifying the culture that exists today and the culture that will be needed throughout and after the change. This can be very helpful in undergoing a merger, international expansion, or dramatic shift in product/service offering and market.



Chelsea Seid, CEO &amp; Founder, Talent Praxis



Regulate Nervous Systems to Transform Workplace Behavior



Companies are bringing in Culture Coaches because they’re realizing something fundamental: you can’t create a healthier workplace by only teaching leadership skills. You have to teach leaders and teams how to be regulated humans first.



A large portion of what’s labeled as “performance issues” is actually nervous system dysregulation showing up as reactivity, tension, poor communication, and burnout. A Culture Coach helps shift the internal state that drives external behavior, and that’s where culture genuinely starts to change.



One of the clearest examples of this comes from my work with a construction company whose owner, Jac Ryan, later wrote about their experience. She shared that what immediately stood out was that my approach wasn’t the traditional top-down leadership training they were used to. Instead of piling on more skills or telling people how they should behave, we focused on helping their trainers and field teams understand their own nervous systems, how their state, presence, and energy were shaping every conversation on the job site.



As Jac put it, the work was “refreshing, insightful, and deeply human.” Once their trainers understood how to center themselves, everything shifted:



They communicated more constructively instead of reactively.



They reframed tough conversations instead of escalating them.



Their attitude set a steadier tone for the whole team.



The entire field environment became more collaborative and less chaotic.



What impressed leadership most was watching their team open up, make honest shifts, and actually want to show up differently—not because they were told to, but because they finally understood themselves.



Jac described the shift as “noticeable and inspiring,” calling it a true top-down change that energized their entire company.



That’s ultimately why Culture Coaches are becoming essential.



They don’t just improve performance—they transform the internal capacity of a workforce. And when people feel regulated, safe, and centered, culture improves organically. Companies feel that immediately in engagement, communication, retention, and the overall human experience of work.



Karen Canham, Entrepreneur/Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Karen Ann Wellness



Clear Communication Norms Eliminate Expensive Business Obstacles



A Culture Coach is someone who comes in and translates the values, practices, and desires of a business into what happens on a day-to-day basis, then moves pieces into alignment with that vision. When we think of culture in a global sense, we think about the physical spaces, language, customs, laws, foods, slang; we think of the lifestyle. A company has a culture as well. It can go badly when the culture is not tended or respected, it has evolved but not well, or it was not established clearly at the start. When I was a classroom teacher, my first few years were rough: I did not know how to create a classroom culture so everyone felt they belonged and knew what to expect. Once I got this down to a science, students excelled, even ones who struggled in other places.



When you are part of a strong culture, it signals to your human brain that you belong there, you are part of something, and you are safe. From there, from that psychologically safe place, you are more likely to take risks, which leads to vulnerability, connection, innovation . . . these are things that eliminate expensive business obstacles, like disengagement and talent loss.



I have a client that recently scaled from a four-person team to a 10-person team. They are in the business of social support, so everyone has a big heart, but you have, for example, legacy members who hate tech, newbies without experience, misunderstood neurodivergent staff, seasoned but overwhelmed leaders . . . and no one has established lanes of function, communication norms, or respectful discourse. No one has talked about why huddles and retrospectives matter.



We started simply: list everything the company does and where everyone fits. Then we explored why overwhelm was predictable and how it shows up for different people. From there, we defined what requires permission, how communication should happen, and how to escalate something. They chose their norms and scheduled trainings on the tools (Slack, email, request forms, etc.). Everyone left with a communication chart and escalation map.



In one month, the CEO’s time opened up dramatically. He could actually lead instead of putting out fires. Duplicate efforts disappeared. People understood each other better. Communication became clearer. They estimate a 600% ROI based on time gained, fewer bottlenecks, and the overall improvement in how it feels to come to work.



That’s exactly why Culture Coaches are on the rise: when you fix the culture, everything else starts working again.



Sandra Bean, Founder + Strategist, Global Girl Boss



Mirrors Normalize Healthy Behaviors and Team Alignment



Culture Coaches exist to ensure that the workplace is a good place to be, because if it isn’t, great employees quickly exit, and for those who do stay, their engagement and performance will decline. What does a good place to work look like? It looks like a space where healthy working relationships are expected, where work-life balance is the rule, not the exception, and where individuals treat each other with kindness, whether they are in the room or not.



When I serve in the role of culture coach, I exist as the mirror. I model what it looks like to be a team player, a listener, an advocate, and a clear communicator. My role includes validating the great work that many staff are doing, and simultaneously motivating those who are not in alignment with our company culture to explore opportunities that are more aligned with their own core values.



Sometimes, employees are asked to schedule a meeting with me. In this meeting, I get to wear my coach hat, which rotates between life coaching, career coaching, and leadership coaching. Some staff are elated to have an hour dedicated to their professional success. But not everyone welcomes having the support of a coach. Some staff have the complete opposite reaction and do everything in their power to avoid spending one-on-one time with a coach. This galvanizes an organization. Staff with a growth mindset get supported and increase their performance, and those with a fixed mindset realize somewhere else would be a better fit for them.



Having the right culture coach in your organization is a huge win for your staff. They get supported, healthy behaviors get acknowledged, and a trusting, effective team gets built that can crush business goals together and celebrate each other’s wins in the process.



Kate Vawter, Founder and CEO, Ascent Solutions



Gen Z Demands Purpose Beyond Competitive Salaries



It’s because leaders have finally figured out that employees need more than free coffee and monthly lunches to fix team culture. Especially with Gen Z entering the workforce, and how much they care about having a sense of purpose more than a competitive salary, you definitely need a professional who’s solely dedicated to making teams open up and work together honestly. That’s how you build trust between employees and give them a sense of belonging.



Unlike HR, Culture Coaches are a lot more hands-on, and they work with everyone, both the employees and the managers. That’s the crucial part because if your employees are making an effort but your managers are still aloof or don’t know how to tackle things like burnout, then the whole exercise is redundant.



I think they’re incredibly valuable, but even more so in tech startups, and I’ve seen how these coaches remove all sorts of blockages that get in the way of innovation. They’re really great at helping founders spot which old-school habits are killing creativity.



Mario Hupfeld, CTO and Cofounder, NEMIS Technologies ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, more, companies, are, hiring, ‘Culture, Coaches’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Quantum computing momentum grows: D&#45;Wave announces first major breakthrough of 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/quantum-computing-momentum-grows-d-wave-announces-first-major-breakthrough-of-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/quantum-computing-momentum-grows-d-wave-announces-first-major-breakthrough-of-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A new year, a new quantum computing breakthrough: D-Wave, one of the quantum industry’s rising stars, announced “an industry-first breakthrough” on Tuesday as it works to make quantum computing commercially viable.



The company says it has demonstrated “scalable, on-chip cryogenic control for gate-model qubits,” claiming it is the first in the industry to do so, and that the breakthrough helps overcome “a long-standing obstacle to building commercially viable and scalable gate-model quantum computers.”



The issue, as Trevor Lanting, D-Wave’s chief development officer, tells Fast Company, is that adding qubits to a quantum system requires additional resources, such as control lines. That involves more space, material, and an overall increase in complexity for the entire system. But D-Wave has found a way to reduce that complexity, opening the door for scalability.



“You can think of it as a chip in your phone or laptop,” Lanting says. “The CPU has transistors in it, and there are billions in a modern CPU or logic chip, but only a small number of connections that go from the motherboard and get the information on and off the chip. You don’t have individual wires going to each transistor; you need to multiplex that control.” 



That, in a corollary to classical computing, is what D-Wave is claiming to have demonstrated. Again, this means that additional quantum computing power can be controlled with fewer resources, or “scalable control,” as Lanting puts it.



For D-Wave, it’s the latest major announcement among several over the past year, as the company continues to push the envelope in the burgeoning quantum computing field. Last March, the company claimed to have achieved “quantum supremacy” after it was able to “successfully simulate the properties of magnetic materials” using its Advantage2 annealing quantum computer. In October, it struck a $12 million deal to bring its computers to Europe.



All of that has sent D-Wave’s stock to the moon. Over the past year, shares have increased by more than 200%. Two years ago, shares were trading for less than $1; as of January 5, they were trading at nearly $31.



Lanting, who has been with the company for nearly two decades, says it’s been a long time coming. “We’ve been intensively investing in this technology for a decade, and now we’ve been able to harness it for a gate-model program. This was the step we needed to get the control technology working,” he says, adding, “We’re very excited. This really is a differentiating technology for D-Wave. [And] our customers are excited because they get to work on cutting-edge hardware.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-91469364-d-wave-scalable-quantum-tech.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Quantum, computing, momentum, grows:, D-Wave, announces, first, major, breakthrough, 2026</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>XRP price is on the rise today as crypto markets show early signs of a rebound: Here are 2 reasons why</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/xrp-price-is-on-the-rise-today-as-crypto-markets-show-early-signs-of-a-rebound-here-are-2-reasons-why</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/xrp-price-is-on-the-rise-today-as-crypto-markets-show-early-signs-of-a-rebound-here-are-2-reasons-why</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Popular cryptocurrency XRP had a lackluster 2025, starting the year at around $2.32 per token while finishing at around the $1.84 mark. 



But in the past 24 hours, the price of XRP has jumped more than 11% to $2.37 per coin—a price not seen since the early part of November.



So what’s driving the rise? Here are the two strongest factors.



Spot ETF inflows are rising



XRP is the native token of the XRP Ledger from Ripple Labs. 



Like some other well-known cryptocurrencies, XRP tokens are available to purchase directly or through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Traditional retail investors tend to prefer to invest in the token through ETFs for convenience and tax advantages. 



And recently, the money being put into spot XRP ETFs is rising. (“Spot” means that the ETF holds the asset directly.)



As noted by CoinDesk, spot XRP ETF inflows reached $48 million on Monday alone. An inflow refers to additional money being put into an ETF. This money comes from investors, and the ETF fund managers then use it to buy more of the asset.



Increasing spot ETF inflows suggest that investors have a growing appetite for the asset—in this case, XRP. 



Monday’s inflow volume, combined with the inflows of spot XRP ETFs over the past two months, means total inflows have now exceeded $1 billion during that timeframe, indicating that investors are bullish on the crypto.



Exchange availability is dropping



At the same time that spot XRP inflows are rising, the availability of XRP on traditional cryptocurrency exchanges, where crypto investors can buy and sell the coin directly, is falling. 



CoinDesk says XRP availability on crypto exchanges “has dropped to multi-year lows.” What this means is fewer crypto investors are moving their money to exchanges, where a coin must be if it is to be sold, and instead keeping XRP in their personal wallets. 



Investors typically hold an asset when they believe its value will increase, or there will be more demand for the asset in the future. 



And by keeping XRP in their wallets and off exchanges, there are fewer tokens available to buy, which increases demand. When demand increases, prices of an asset tend to rise.



Cryptocurrencies are seeing a broader rebound this week



XRP’s spot ETF inflow growth and reduced exchange availability likely aren’t the only two factors behind the token’s 11% surge these past 24 hours. 



The first week of 2026 has seen a crypto rally of sorts since the year began, with many major tokens, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, up over the past five days.



During that time, Bitcoin has risen nearly 6%, and Ethereum is up nearly 8%. XRP is up nearly 26% during the same timeframe, its growth likely helped by broader crypto market optimism.



This comes after many tokens struggled to gain ground in December. 



Yet despite XRP’s recent growth, the coin is still down about 2% over the past 12 months. It is also down significantly from its all-time high of over $3.65 last July.



With 2026 just beginning, it remains to be seen whether the new year will bring a repeat of 2025’s calendar-year lackluster performance or if XRP will continue moving toward its previous all-time highs. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2026/01/p-2-91469658-xrp-price-reasons-token-is-rising.jpg.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>XRP, price, the, rise, today, crypto, markets, show, early, signs, rebound:, Here, are, reasons, why</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Countries must move beyond seeing AI as a race, where one side must beat the other</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/countries-must-move-beyond-seeing-ai-as-a-race-where-one-side-must-beat-the-other</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/countries-must-move-beyond-seeing-ai-as-a-race-where-one-side-must-beat-the-other</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When it comes to AI, cooperation between countries can yield greater benefits than working alone. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2193072747-e1767343710570.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Countries, must, move, beyond, seeing, race, where, one, side, must, beat, the, other</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Deploying U.S. troops in Venezuela could become a ‘force protection nightmare’ amid potential insurgency threat, retired colonel warns</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/deploying-us-troops-in-venezuela-could-become-a-force-protection-nightmare-amid-potential-insurgency-threat-retired-colonel-warns</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/deploying-us-troops-in-venezuela-could-become-a-force-protection-nightmare-amid-potential-insurgency-threat-retired-colonel-warns</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;The risk with Venezuela is that it could be a hostile environment as well, and that could put U.S. forces in great danger.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2253935529-e1767482006828.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Deploying, U.S., troops, Venezuela, could, become, ‘force, protection, nightmare’, amid, potential, insurgency, threat, retired, colonel, warns</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Before Maduro arrest, Nobel Prize winner said Venezuela has a $1.7 trillion opportunity to privatize over 500 companies and undo socialist ‘disaster’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/before-maduro-arrest-nobel-prize-winner-said-venezuela-has-a-17-trillion-opportunity-to-privatize-over-500-companies-and-undo-socialist-disaster</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/before-maduro-arrest-nobel-prize-winner-said-venezuela-has-a-17-trillion-opportunity-to-privatize-over-500-companies-and-undo-socialist-disaster</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, but “our people don’t even have gas even to cook. That’s a disaster,” María Corina Machado told Fortune last year. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/54883397420_ba48736dbc_6k-e1761569575104.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Before, Maduro, arrest, Nobel, Prize, winner, said, Venezuela, has, 1.7, trillion, opportunity, privatize, over, 500, companies, and, undo, socialist, ‘disaster’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump snatches Maduro but leaves his regime in charge for now</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-snatches-maduro-but-leaves-his-regime-in-charge-for-now</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-snatches-maduro-but-leaves-his-regime-in-charge-for-now</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ For now, there’s no plan spelled out to have American troops or administrators in Venezuela. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2253941307-e1767491931476.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, snatches, Maduro, but, leaves, his, regime, charge, for, now</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Bosses are fighting a new battle in the RTO wars: It’s not about where you work, but when you work</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bosses-are-fighting-a-new-battle-in-the-rto-wars-its-not-about-where-you-work-but-when-you-work</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bosses-are-fighting-a-new-battle-in-the-rto-wars-its-not-about-where-you-work-but-when-you-work</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Burnout has moved from a state of place to a state of mind. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1450997559-e1767200824937.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Bosses, are, fighting, new, battle, the, RTO, wars:, It’s, not, about, where, you, work, but, when, you, work</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>In 2026, corporate purpose will come to a fork in the road</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-2026-corporate-purpose-will-come-to-a-fork-in-the-road</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/in-2026-corporate-purpose-will-come-to-a-fork-in-the-road</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If 2025 was the year purpose went quiet, 2026 is when the fork in the road will become impossible to ignore. Insights from the Purpose Collaborative, a 40-member network of impact-driven companies, predict what the year ahead will mean for responsible businesses.



On one path, companies move purpose from statements and discrete programs into the structure of the business: strategy, governance, KPIs, products, data, and even AI. On the other path, purpose gets quietly defunded, depoliticized, or pushed so far into the background that only a handful of insiders can see it. Both routes have real implications for long-term business success.



“For companies that can integrate and connect purpose to actual business value, it will be a source of competitive advantage, helping them stand out from the AI ‘workslop,’” says Caleb Gardner, managing partner of 18 Coffees. “For others, it will fade into the background as they fight for survival.”



Many of the experts we spoke with identified this bifurcation. Some organizations will double down on purpose as a discipline and driver of resilience. Others will keep doing the work with as little visibility as possible, hoping to avoid backlash in a polarized Trump era. The stakes are no longer about having a nice-to-have “purpose platform” but about whether purpose becomes the backbone of the business or disappears completely.



Against that backdrop, we asked members what they see as the biggest trends, the hardest barriers, and the boldest steps leaders should take. Their answers point to a year defined by proof, participation, courage, and resilience.



A fork in the road: Structural purpose vs. quiet retreat



Members see a widening gap across sectors and regions. On one side are the companies treating purpose as a long-term operating system: one that’s deeply integrated into strategy, measurement, and governance.



“The dominant purpose-related trend will be the shift from ‘Purpose as Story’ to ‘Purpose as Proof,’” says Fabio Milnitzky, CEO of iN. “Companies will move away from treating purpose as a slogan and toward treating it as a disciplined, measurable system that must demonstrate impact on people, planet, and profit.”



Purpose will only be credible when it can withstand scrutiny from investors, regulators, employees, and communities—and when it shapes what a company does and doesn’t do.



“Purpose will stop being a department and start being a discipline,” says Joe Waters, founder of Selfish Giving. When companies embrace purpose in this way, every partnership, product, and story flows from a coherent set of values. Purpose will show up in hiring, investment decisions, access to capital, reputation, and resilience if (or when) a crisis hits.



“There will be a bifurcation of companies that quietly remain focused on purpose and embed it deeper into the enterprise, and those who retrench in favor of prioritizing to focus on short-term business pressures,” says Karimah Huddah, founder of illumine.earth.



On the other side are organizations scaling back external purpose work in response to political pressure, ESG and DEI backlash, and economic uncertainty. “Purpose will move from public declarations to quiet, behind-the-scenes stewardship,” says Jessica Marati Radparvar, sustainability communications strategies and founder of Reconsidered. ”With political, cultural, and regulatory uncertainty rising, companies will shift their energy inward.”



For these companies, the work may continue, but it will be far from the spotlight. That may protect them from some political blowback, but it also risks eroding trust if employees and communities can’t clearly understand what the organization stands for. “Corporations may decide that they can cancel or reduce their purpose-based work based on the current political climate,” says Marcus Peterzell, CEO of Passion Point Collective. In this environment, whether purpose is structural or superficial will matter more than ever.



From story to proof: Purpose balances performance and risk



If there’s one global through line for the year ahead, it’s that purpose must prove itself.



“Over the last decade, most large companies have adopted purpose statements, but relatively few have embedded them deeply into strategy, culture and governance,” says Milnitzky. “Pressure from investors, regulators, employees, and society will increasingly be: Show the proof. This means linking purpose to hard indicators such as retention, safety, inclusion, decarbonization, product portfolio, reputation, and total shareholder return.”



Purpose has moved out of the brand book and into the boardroom. The organizations that lead will treat it as a performance system with clear inputs, outputs, and accountability, not as a set of inspirational words on a wall. That proof is not just about upside: Members see purpose moving squarely into the language of risk and resilience.



“We’ll spend less time touting the business case for sustainability and move more proactively toward a steely, laser-focus emphasizing the financial and reputation risks inherent in ESG-related decision-making or inaction,” says Sarah Riley, sustainable brand advisor at R&amp;G.



As Riley notes, the challenge isn’t convincing stakeholders that ESG issues exist—it’s cutting through fatigue, denial, and politicized narratives with honest assessments of what’s at stake.



“Resilience will be a dominant theme,” says Neill Duffy, chief executive and Founder of 17 Sport. “Around the world, people are living through instability that feels both relentless and unpredictable. Climate volatility, political polarization, economic pressure, and the erosion of institutional trust are no longer background noise, they’ve become part of daily life.”



Purpose, Duffy says, becomes a stabilizing force—something that keeps organizations principled when incentives reward caution and short-termism. It can also “support communities not by shielding them from disruption but by helping them navigate with greater clarity and confidence.”



The metric that matters most may not be return on investment, but something more human: “Return on involvement. Brands that help people act on their values—not just advertise them—will win the decade,” Waters says. Taken together, these perspectives suggest a new equation: purpose equals proof, resilience, and participation.



Beyond campaigns: Participation, community governance, and creator ecosystems



What does purpose-led participation mean in the year ahead?



“We’re entering a ‘Participation Era,’ where purpose is defined by what brands help people do rather than what they say,” said Fred Haberman, CEO of Haberman. “With loneliness at an all-time high and trust in brand messaging at an all-time low, people are seeking real connection and meaningful experiences. The organizations that lead will use technology with intention to create more space for humanity: building micro-communities, inspiring acts of service, and helping people come together around shared impact.”



Here, purpose is measured less by impressions and more by involvement: who shows up, what they do together, and how those experiences change behavior and community outcomes.



Participation is also about power. Instead of treating communities as audiences to consult, leading brands will share in governance, says Melissa Orozco, CEO and chief impact officer of Yulu Impact Communications. “Indigenous-led councils, youth panels, and lived-experience advisers will shape how purpose programs are designed and evaluated, marking the end of performative engagement and the rise of shared power.”



That shift from feedback to co-ownership raises the bar on authenticity. It asks brands not just to listen, but to structurally redistribute influence over how purpose programs are conceived, funded, and evaluated.



Members also point to creators and influencers as catalysts in this ecosystem. “Purpose will become far more collaborative—and more creative, too,” says Carrie Fox, founder and CEO of Mission Partners. “As nonprofits continue to face headwinds from shrinking government and corporate funding, we can expect to see a surge in cross-sector innovation, including deeper corporate-nonprofit partnerships, the formation of creative coalitions, and the development of new revenue-generating models designed to sustain mission-critical work.”



“Brands will move beyond hiring influencers to building purpose-centered ecosystems alongside them: codesigning programs, educational content, resources, and community-driven activations, and ideally doing this all with creators with specific lived experiences and a clear alignment to the brand’s products and purpose,” says Stephanie Belsky, cofounder and CEO of Love of Good, Inc.



But this dynamic of influencers as collaborators only works if companies are as clear and committed as the creators they partner with. “Influencers are increasingly choosing partnerships based on shared values, not just rates,” Belsky says. “Many brands still lack the internal clarity to meet that standard. This can erode trust. Audiences can instantly detect when a creator is asked to carry a message a brand hasn’t embodied internally. Purpose work thrives when brand story, operational behavior, and creator messaging are aligned.”



The message is clear: in the Participation Era, you can’t outsource purpose to your partners. They will simply reveal whether it’s real or not.



Purpose under pressure: Polarization, caution and the courage gap



The political context for 2026 is impossible to ignore. Purpose Collaborative members point to Trump-era politics, ESG suppression, and culture wars as defining pressures. “We’re entering a new era thanks to the rise of Trump-style politics and it’s one that seems outwardly to be stymieing sustainability efforts through green-hushing and straight-up ESG suppression,” Riley says.



“Political volatility, economic pressure, ESG and DEI pushback, and climate anxiety are creating an environment where many organizations instinctively pull back, speaking less, committing less, and protecting themselves from scrutiny rather than advancing their principles,” Duffy says.



“The continued polarization of social issues will remain one of the most significant barriers,” Fox says. “As issues become increasingly politicized during a midterm election year in the U.S., corporate leaders, celebrities, and public figures may hesitate to take clear stands, instead opting for softer, middle-of-the-road positions.”



Taken together, these perspectives describe a “caution culture” in which organizations say less, do less, and hope to ride out the storm. But as several members warn, that instinct can undermine purpose at its core. “The biggest challenge is courage,” says Bianca Bello, strategy director at HelpGood. “With Trump in office, the priorities of this country have shifted dramatically away from marginalized communities. Committing to purpose in 2026 will feel increasingly risky, and businesses are risk-averse.”



Some argue that the riskiest move is trying to appease everyone. “When we talk about bold steps leaders must take to protect purpose in polarized environments, the first thing I say is this: neutrality is no longer a strategy—it is a form of erosion,” Milnitzky says. “In politically and culturally divided climates, purpose becomes fragile when leaders attempt to appease everyone.”



Others frame it as a test of long-term consistency and a willingness to speak when others are staying silent. “Think long-term about your purpose and be boldly consistent, and you’ll be rewarded for it no matter the political climate,” Gardner says.



And in some cases, silence “will no longer be neutral; it will be a risk,” Orozco says. “The brands that choose courage, and back it with transparency, consistency, and community investment, will win long-term trust and loyalty.”



“In a moment when the cultural and political ground feels increasingly unstable, the boldest leadership move is also the simplest: stay rooted in your purpose,” Fox says. “Set a clear strategy aligned with your values, and don’t back away from it when the climate gets tough.”



Filling the gap: When business becomes the backstop



Members anticipate that shrinking public funding and evolving regulation will widen gaps in the social safety net.



“I hope that the biggest trend will be an aggressive search for ways to fill the services and funding gap of the federal dollars that have been taken away from public assistance programs,” Bello says. “Companies that value purpose should fund and lift up nonprofits and grassroots organizations working in local communities to fill this gap.”



Here, purpose becomes less about “nice to have” programs and more about filling structural holes in healthcare, housing, education, climate adaptation, and community resilience. Corporate resources, relationships, and platforms can help sustain work that would otherwise fall through the cracks.



Against this backdrop, members expect more experimentation: new revenue models, cross-sector coalitions, and influencers mobilizing audiences at scale. “We can expect to see a surge in cross-sector innovation, including deeper corporate-nonprofit partnerships, the formation of creative coalitions, and the development of new revenue-generating models designed to sustain mission-critical work,” Fox says.



“National politics doesn’t play out the same way at the local level,” says Laura Ferry, president of Good Company. “Invest in regional partnerships, local suppliers, community health, and small business ecosystems to make purpose tangible. Local impact builds broad, cross-partisan support.”



In an era of national polarization, the local dimension of purpose may be where the broadest and most durable coalitions form.



Inside-out: Employees as the engine of purpose



When purpose is stress-tested, employees feel it first. Many members highlight internal culture, communication, and middle management as make-or-break factors.



“We’ll see a renewed focus on internal communications—not just to defend new initiatives with solid business cases, but to reassure employees that the company hasn’t abandoned its values,” Radparvar says. “Leaders will need to protect morale and culture at a time when being too loud puts a target on your back, but being too quiet risks letting purpose wither from within.”



“With the policy landscape shifting, companies are rediscovering that their most powerful driver is their own people,” Ferry says. “Expect a stronger push toward purpose-driven partnerships that energize employees, strengthen culture, and demonstrate values in action.”



Middle managers are key to this effort, yet they are not always empowered to be champions of purpose. That middle-management bottleneck is where many purpose strategies stall. Without the tools, time, and incentives to act on purpose, even the strongest commitments can remain theoretical. And directives must come from the top. “You must have leadership buy-in,” says Phillip Haid, founder and CEO of Public Inc. “If the CEO is not bought in, don’t bother as it won’t gain traction. Tangibly map out how the company’s purpose drives internal and external business results as it’s the only way to ensure the purpose is truly lived and sustained.”



“Purpose is real only when it is lived inside the organization well before what’s declared outside of it,” says Nicole Rennie, CEO and executive producer of FORWARD storystudio. “Make space for employees to share their stories, their why, and the impact they feel they’re having. Invite them into the purpose dialogue early and often.”



Purpose, AI, and the future of human work



AI runs through many of our members’ predictions as a force reshaping the logic and value of work.



“The shift won’t just be about more AI or smarter tools,” says Sophia Story, chief revenue officer of 3 Sided Cube. “It will be about how responsibly we use them. Ethical, transparent, measurable AI will become the new baseline, with teams doubling down on clear policies, real guardrails, and continuous improvement to make sure their tech is doing good, not just sounding good.”



“Over the last year, AI-enabled ‘jobless growth’ forced companies to answer an existential question: What are humans actually for?” Gardner says. “Companies have justified centering purpose at least partly because they needed humans (who deeply care about their impact on the world) to be productive. If the narrative becomes about how AI can do the work better, purpose advocates may lose their most powerful business case.”



Story points to data, regulation, and skills as three pressure points: “Purpose-led data models only work when there’s real clarity around governance, stewardship, rights, and what happens when things go wrong. Right now, that’s still pretty messy. Regulation is another pressure point. New rules are landing fast. If organizations don’t design in data ethics and responsible AI from day one, they’ll end up scrambling to retrofit compliance later.”



For some, purpose may become the lens through which AI is deployed. “With purpose and AI working together, companies can accelerate advances that strengthen communities, address major social challenges, and expand human potential at a pace not seen since the rise of the modern web,” says Kristian Merenda, partner at Carol Cone ON PURPOSE. But that will only happen if organizations slow down long enough to redesign systems, workflows, and habits. “The biggest challenges will center on building responsible AI use policies, realigning systems, and redesigning workflows so organizations can use AI effectively and ethically to create both business and social good,” Merenda says.



Importantly, “make sure work isn’t muddled by the mire of AI-gloss,” says Elliot Kotek, founder and CEO of The Nation of Artists. “Ensure that real people and real stories feel represented and honored at the ‘deep-gut, big feels’ level. There’s a strength that comes from those stories that realistically represent their communities that can’t be manufactured en masse, and audiences respond to that sincerity—it’s that old adage that you always remember how someone, or something, made you feel.”



AI will either hollow out the human business case for purpose—or, if guided well, become one of the most powerful tools for scaling it.



Leading organizations will navigate barriers and emerge stronger



Across all these predictions runs a common idea: pressure is not just a threat to purpose but a test of whether it’s real. “Let pressure clarify your purpose, not cloud it,” Fox says. “Leaders often describe this moment as heavy, dizzying, and uncertain. And it is. But as one nonprofit leader reminded me recently: diamonds are formed under pressure. The same is true for purpose. Under intense conditions, your purpose can either crack or sharpen.”



In 2026, the purpose that survives will be the kind that is disciplined, measurable, participatory and brave. It will be embedded into structures and systems, not just stories. And it will be carried not only by enterprises, but by employees, communities, and creators who see themselves as part of something bigger—and are willing to take on the mantle of participation. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>2026, corporate, purpose, will, come, fork, the, road</media:keywords>
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<title>24 million fewer vehicles: One year of congestion pricing in New York City</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/24-million-fewer-vehicles-one-year-of-congestion-pricing-in-new-york-city</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/24-million-fewer-vehicles-one-year-of-congestion-pricing-in-new-york-city</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s been one full year of congestion pricing in New York City, and downtown Manhattan looks markedly different: 23.7 million fewer vehicles, traffic delays down 25%, and a 22% drop in air pollution, to start.



And that’s just within the “congestion relief zone.” The program, which implements tolls on drivers who enter certain, once often-gridlocked areas of Manhattan, is even having positive effects outside of the streets that are subject to the toll.



Congestion pricing had a rocky start in New York City, and it continues to face lawsuits. But courts have consistently ruled in its favor. 



One year in, it’s clear the program is “overwhelmingly successful,” says Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the Regional Planning Association, a nonprofit that pushed for congestion pricing. Here’s a look at how congestion pricing has changed New York.



First, what is congestion pricing?



Congestion pricing is a way to mitigate traffic, and when it was implemented in New York City on January 5, 2025, it was the country’s first such program. Congestion pricing plans have been rolled out in cities around the world, though, including London, Stockholm, and Singapore. 



The program covers a “congestion relief zone” that spans almost all of Manhattan below 60th Street and includes major routes like the Lincoln, Holland, and Hugh L. Carey tunnels and bridges that go into both Brooklyn and Queens. 



Passenger cars with an E-ZPass that travel through that zone face a $9 toll during peak hours—which are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends—and a $2.25 toll overnight. 



Tolls are more expensive for commercial traffic, and vehicles without E-ZPass are charged a 50% premium.



Those tolls are meant to both reduce traffic congestion in the city and raise funds for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the city’s public transit system. 



Environmentalists also backed the plan for its ability to reduce pollution by cutting traffic and ushering in more commuters.



How congestion pricing has impacted commuters



Since January 5, 2025, 23.7 million fewer vehicles have entered the city’s congestion pricing zone, compared to 2024. The number of drivers entering the zone is down 12%, meaning about 71,000 fewer vehicles every day.



Those numbers came in in December, and so they may be even higher now. (At the program’s one-month mark, it already meant one million fewer vehicles on those streets.)



Between January and April, traffic delays inside the congestion relief zone dropped 25%—and region-wide, including parts of New Jersey, declined 9%—compared to the same period the year prior.



This has translated to quicker commutes. Morning commutes are: 




36% faster through the Holland Tunnel



10% faster through the Lincoln Tunnel



21% faster across the Queensboro Bridge



23% faster across the Williamsburg Bridge




Commuters are saving as much as 21 minutes on a one-way trip. Some bus routes in the congestion relief zone have gotten as much as 25% faster, and school buses are facing fewer delays: They’re on time 72% of the time, up from 58%.



Some residents had concerns that congestion pricing could push traffic from lower Manhattan into other areas like the South Bronx, and parts of New Jersey and Staten Island, making congestion (and air pollution) worse for those residents. 



But “none of those traffic impacts [came into] to effect,” Slevin says. “Traffic is actually lower regionally, even beyond the congestion relief zone . . . that means this is a policy that’s not only good for the five boroughs of New York. It’s also a regional policy.”



Slevin does warn that in other congestion pricing cases, the traffic reduction benefits don’t necessarily last. In London, after an initial dip, traffic crept back up, mostly from ride-hailing drivers and delivery trucks. 



If traffic bounces back, the program will still raise money for public transit. New York City does have a plan to escalate the tolls as well, raising them from $9 to $12 in 2028 and then to $15 in 2031.



How congestion pricing is benefiting public transit



Along with easing New York’s infamous gridlock, a goal of congestion pricing was to raise $15 billion for the MTA, which would go to new subway cars, buses, station accessibility, and so on. 



Already, the state has allocated $1.75 billion of congestion pricing revenue to transit projects, including modernizing subway signals. Outdated signals are a major cause of subway delays. 



The MTA is also already working on getting more than 400 new subway cars and 300 commuter rail cars, among other projects.



Public transit throughout the region is already dealing with more commuters: Subway ridership is up 9% year-over-year, and bus ridership up 13%. Regional rail has benefited, too, with the Long Island Rail Road seeing a 10% increase in riders, and the Metro-North up 7%. 



It was pretty obvious that congestion pricing would reduce traffic and raise money for transit. But it’s been a bit surprising, Slevin says, “how close it has come to the projections that were laid out over the years of planning, in the environmental documents and in the MTA studies. It’s validating.” 



Less traffic means safer streets, cleaner air 



New Yorkers are even breathing easier thanks to congestion pricing. A Cornell University study released in December found that air pollution dropped 22% in the congestion relief zone. 



That’s specifically concerning PM2.5, meaning particles that measure 2.5 micrometers or less. These tiny particles can enter our lungs and lead to an array of health issues, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological impacts.



A 22% drop means PM2.5 concentrations declined by 3.05 micrograms per cubic meter. If congestion pricing had not been implemented, researchers projected those lower Manhattan streets would see an average of 13.8 micrograms per cubic meter. (The Environmental Protection Agency recommends an annual exposure limit of 9 micrograms per cubic meter.)



Air quality improved outside of that zone, too, with average declines of 1.07 micrograms per cubic meter across the city’s five boroughs and 0.70 micrograms per cubic meter in the broader region. 



“This tells us that congestion pricing didn’t simply relocate air pollution to the suburbs by rerouting traffic,” Timothy Fraser, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement. “Instead, folks are likely choosing cleaner transportation options altogether, like riding public transportation or scheduling deliveries at night.”



Less traffic has also meant safer streets when it comes to injuries and fatalities. Within the congestion relief zone, traffic injuries are down 15%, and pedestrian fatalities have dropped at least 15%. That’s on par with levels last seen in 2018.



New York City’s streets are even a bit quieter: Honking and vehicle noise complaints to the city are down 45%.



What’s next for NYC congestion pricing?



Congestion pricing faced an array of hurdles to get to this point. 



Small business owners rallied against it, at least eight lawsuits from plaintiffs including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the Trucking Association of New York contested it, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul even delayed its start.



Things were still challenging once the tolls began; after Donald Trump took office for his second term as president, he rescinded its federal approval, and ordered the city to halt the program. 



The city fought back, winning court orders to soldier on. 



The legal battles aren’t completely over. Some cases against congestion pricing are still pending, and in November, Trump said he’d once again ask Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to consider killing the program.



Slevin remains positive, though. 



For one, public approval is up. A March Siena College poll found that 42% of New York City residents want congestion pricing to stay, while 35% supported Trump’s efforts to end it. 



Compare that to December 2023, before the program started: Siena College had found then that just 32% New Yorkers supported the toll, and a whopping 52% were against it. 



This is a pattern for congestion pricing programs around the world. People often resist them at the start, but once they see the benefits first hand, support grows. 



Slevin even says anecdotally, she knows a few people who used to be against it in New York City, but are now congestion pricing fans. 



Another reason to be optimistic is the fact that so far, all the courts have ruled in favor of congestion pricing.



“I think at this point it will be hard to remove it, because it is delivering benefits for people. The money is going back into the public transit network. And our region absolutely needs the transit network to work for our economy to thrive,” Slevin says. “I don’t think eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars for public transit spending is going to be very popular.” 



New York City’s streets could even see more improvements. With less traffic thanks to congestion pricing, that gives the city space to create more public plazas or improve bus service. 



The city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, already made fast, free buses and safer streets a key part of his platform, and so he may build on congestion pricing’s success. 



The entire country has watched New York City implement congestion pricing and fend off Trump’s attacks against it. Now, they’re seeing its success, and that could spur other cities to take similar action.



The Regional Planning Association has already fielded calls and interests from other cities, both in the U.S. and internationally.



“It shows that cities can do big things to deal with their problems,” Slevin says. “And it gives inspiration to other cities across the country.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>million, fewer, vehicles:, One, year, congestion, pricing, New, York, City</media:keywords>
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<title>Tesla stock price is on the rise today despite gloomy expectations for vehicle deliveries: This could be why</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tesla-stock-price-is-on-the-rise-today-despite-gloomy-expectations-for-vehicle-deliveries-this-could-be-why</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tesla-stock-price-is-on-the-rise-today-despite-gloomy-expectations-for-vehicle-deliveries-this-could-be-why</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares of Tesla Inc. are enjoying a premarket upswing on Friday as they head into their first trading day of 2026.



The rising stock price (Nasdaq: TSLA) comes despite low expectations for the EV maker’s fourth-quarter 2025 deliveries, which are expected to show a significant decline when compared to the previous quarter.



Here’s what you need to know:



Tesla stock is starting 2026 on a high note



In premarket trading on Friday, shares of Tesla were up around 2% as of this writing. The stock has been on an upswing for the last several months since CEO Elon Musk stepped back from his controversial job-slashing activities at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier in 2025.



Those activities were widely seen to have done damage to the Tesla brand, especially among progressive-minded customers.



But Tesla stock has risen more than 46% since last summer, a sign that investors are once again excited about the company’s push into AI and automation. 



Q4 vehicle deliveries are expected to dip



Tesla is expected to soon share its most recent figures for vehicle deliveries, and they’re not likely to be pretty. The company’s recently updated consensus data shows 422,850 total vehicles, down roughly 15% compared to the previous quarter.



That’s even lower than a FactSet consensus of around 440,000 vehicles cited by Barron’s. 



If the deliveries data is so bad, why is Tesla stock still rising? 



There could be a few reasons for that. For one thing, the deliveries were already expected to decline from the previous quarter, when consumers rushed to buy electric vehicles before the expiration of tax credits in September. 



So while Tesla’s consensus estimate is even lower than some had predicted, the dip in deliveries was not a surprise. At the same time, some investors seem to be more interested in looking forward than backward. 



Excitement around robotaxis may trump traditional fundamentals 



Tesla’s share price moves have always reflected a mix of traditional metrics like sales and revenue trends along with a belief in the company’s forward-looking ambitions. Today’s share price increase could indicate that investors are more excited about what the company has in store for 2026 in terms of AI, automation, and robotaxis.



As reported by Yahoo Finance, analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities recently named Tesla as one of the top AI stocks for 2026. So while there is plenty of skepticism around whether Musk will ever deliver on his promises for self-driving vehicles, he and Tesla still have their share of believers.



Tech and AI stocks are generally up on Friday



Tesla’s premarket stock price rise on Friday may also simply be a reflection of broader investor optimism as we head into the first trading day of 2026. 



A number of Big Tech and AI-adjacent stocks are enjoying a mild bump on Friday morning, including Nvidia Corp, Meta Platforms, Apple and others.



Whether or not it will last is anyone’s guess. But let’s not forget we still have 365 days to go. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Tesla, stock, price, the, rise, today, despite, gloomy, expectations, for, vehicle, deliveries:, This, could, why</media:keywords>
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<title>Single people are more apt to work on Sundays</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/single-people-are-more-apt-to-work-on-sundays</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/single-people-are-more-apt-to-work-on-sundays</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Singles are drowning their Sunday blues with work, which experts warn isn’t necessarily the healthiest coping strategy.



In a recent survey of 1,000 singles by Dating.com, 52% of those without a romantic partner said they spend most Sundays alone and 65% say it’s the loneliest day of their week. To cope, 74% say they’ve turned to work to keep themselves busy, and 40% say they do so often.



“Sunday is usually the quietest day of the week, and when you don’t have a family or anyone that you’re dating to spend time with, it’s a time that could feel very sad,” explains licensed clinical social worker and resident therapist for Dating.com, Jaime Bronstein. “A lot of people work to avoid being in their feelings, which is not necessarily recommended because it’s important to feel your feelings.”



Bronstein adds that some employers may even put higher expectations on their single staff knowing they have fewer personal responsibilities occupying their time.



“Sometimes people that are single feel like they don’t have a purpose,” she adds. “By working extra, they can feel like that’s their purpose.”



Loneliness is on the rise, and bleeding into the workplace



Though dating in any generation has its challenges, Bronstein suggests it’s become more isolating in the digital age.



“It’s the rise of social media comparisons, seeing all the happy-looking couples, and then it’s all the dating apps,” she says. “There’s so much ghosting, people aren’t giving people enough of a chance because of the disposability factor and the ability to just find someone else, so there’s a lot more rejection.”



In 2023 loneliness and isolation was labeled a “global health concern” by the World Health Organization and an “epidemic” by the U.S. Surgeon General, but the challenge seems to have only gotten worse since. And it’s extended further, into individuals’ professional lives.



In a survey conducted in September by KPMG, 45% of respondents reported feelings of loneliness in the workplace, up from 25% just 10 months earlier. “The data tells us there’s been an increase in loneliness in the last year,” says KPMG’s vice chair of Talent &amp; Culture Sandy Torchia.



Though it’s hard to pinpoint a precise cause, the research suggests that financial constraints have played a role, with 75% of respondents saying it’s becoming harder to afford social activities with colleagues outside of the workplace. Remote work may also be playing a role, as 67% of those who work entirely from home report feeling isolated at work, compared to 45% among all workers. Furthermore, while 84% of respondents said having close professional friends was “very important” for their mental health, that number rises to 93% among remote workers.



Lonely workers aren’t productive workers



It may be tempting to consider the loneliness-driven extra work hours on weekends a win for employers, but Torchia cautions that encouraging overwork isn’t in anyone’s best interest in the long run.



“That’s not an equation for success, because we want our employees to thrive. And for you to be able to thrive professionally, you need to be able to thrive personally,” she says. 



Even if they’re putting in more hours, those who use work as a crutch for managing loneliness are more susceptible to exhaustion, depression, and burnout—potentially creating new challenges in their professional lives. That’s potentially exacerbated for singles, who already may be more prone to burnout due to money concerns: they’re often in a higher tax bracket, or spend more on housing or cost-of-living expenses when there’s no one to split the bill with.



“A happy, fulfilled, less stressed, less overwhelmed employee is going to be more productive and bring more value to your company,” adds Bronstein.



Being lonely at work can make us more lonely at home



Whether in the digital or physical world, the workplace is where most people spend the largest share of their time, giving employers a unique opportunity to address isolation and loneliness among staff. That’s true for anyone, but potentially singles who may be loneliner in particular.



In the KPMG survey, for example, 29% of respondents said they were more productive when they had close friends at work. Torchia says organizations can promote workplace friendships by creating more opportunities for colleagues to connect over nonwork activities. 



“In the survey, 89% of respondents said company-facilitated interactions were very important, so there is an expectation for companies to play a role,” she says. “And then 91% said that their manager or another senior leader encouraged them to foster friendships.” 



The KPMG data is consistent with research from Gallup, which found loneliness affected 20% of Americans in mid-2024, up from 17% at the start of that year.



Younger people were also more likely to report feeling lonely, including 21% of millennials and 29% of Gen Z employees.



“Employees have, progressively over the last several years, felt more detached from their organization, and it doesn’t have to be that way,” says Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and wellbeing Dr. Jim Harter. 



“The emotion of loneliness isn’t just about having friends at work; it’s about having an opportunity to do your best, feeling like you’re making a contribution, having clear goals.”



A weekly check-in with a manager is key to combatting employee loneliness 



Employers likely won’t step in to help staff with their dating lives, but Harter says managers can play an outsized role in helping them combat feelings of isolation.



“Conversations with a manager and employee—even just once a week and lasting for 30 minutes—can establish the relationship between the individual and the organization and the contribution they’re making,” he says. “People feel a lot lonelier if they don’t feel like their work is making a contribution.” 



According to Gallup’s research, employees are less likely to feel isolated if they have clarity of expectations, feel recognized for their contributions, feel like someone cares about their development, feel connected to the organization’s mission, and if they get the chance to do something they’re good at every day. 



“All of those things are really central to whether working people feel lonely or not,” Harter says. “When managers have a weekly meaningful conversation with employees, it solves for a lot of it.”



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Single, people, are, more, apt, work, Sundays</media:keywords>
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<title>Health subsidies officially expired on Jan.1. Millions  will see insurance costs skyrocket in 2026</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/health-subsidies-officially-expired-on-jan1-millions-will-see-insurance-costs-skyrocket-in-2026</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/health-subsidies-officially-expired-on-jan1-millions-will-see-insurance-costs-skyrocket-in-2026</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year.Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue. Moderate Republicans called for a solution to save their 2026 political aspirations. President Donald Trump floated a way out, only to back off after conservative backlash.In the end, no one’s efforts were enough to save the subsidies before their expiration date. A House vote expected in January could offer another chance, but success is far from guaranteed.The change affects a diverse cross-section of Americans who don’t get their health insurance from an employer and don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare — a group that includes many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers.It comes at the start of a high-stakes midterm election year, with affordability — including the cost of health care — topping the list of voters’ concerns.“It really bothers me that the middle class has moved from a squeeze to a full suffocation, and they continue to just pile on and leave it up to us,” said 37-year-old single mom Katelin Provost, whose health care costs are set to jump. “I’m incredibly disappointed that there hasn’t been more action.”



Some families grapple with insurance costs that are doubling, tripling or more



The expired subsidies were first given to Affordable Care Act enrollees in 2021 as a temporary measure to help Americans get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats in power at the time extended them, moving the expiration date to the start of 2026.With the expanded subsidies, some lower-income enrollees received health care with no premiums, and high earners paid no more than 8.5% of their income. Eligibility for middle-class earners was also expanded.On average, the more than 20 million subsidized enrollees in the Affordable Care Act program are seeing their premium costs rise by 114% in 2026, according to an analysis by the health care research nonprofit KFF.Those surging prices come alongside an overall increase in health costs in the U.S., which are further driving up out-of-pocket costs in many plans.Some enrollees, like Salt Lake City freelance filmmaker and adjunct professor Stan Clawson, have absorbed the extra expense. Clawson said he was paying just under $350 a month for his premiums last year, a number that will jump to nearly $500 a month this year. It’s a strain for the 49-year-old but one he’s willing to take on because he needs health insurance as someone who lives with paralysis from a spinal cord injury.Others, like Provost, are dealing with steeper hikes. The social worker’s monthly premium payment is increasing from $85 a month to nearly $750.



Effects on enrollment remain to be seen



Health analysts have predicted the expiration of the subsidies will drive many of the 24 million total Affordable Care Act enrollees — especially younger and healthier Americans — to forgo health insurance coverage altogether.Over time, that could make the program more expensive for the older, sicker population that remains.An analysis conducted last September by the Urban Institute and Commonwealth Fund projected the higher premiums from expiring subsidies would prompt some 4.8 million Americans to drop coverage in 2026.But with the window to select and change plans still ongoing until Jan. 15 in most states, the final effect on enrollment is yet to be determined.Provost, the single mother, said she is holding out hope that Congress finds a way to revive the subsidies early in the year — but if not, she’ll drop herself off the insurance and keep it only for her four-year-old daughter. She can’t afford to pay for both of their coverage at the current price.



Months of discussion, but no relief yet



Last year, after Republicans cut more than $1 trillion in federal health care and food assistance with Trump’s big tax and spending cuts bill, Democrats repeatedly called for the subsidies to be extended. But while some Republicans in power acknowledged the issue needed to be addressed, they refused to put it to a vote until late in the year.In December, the Senate rejected two partisan health care bills — a Democratic pitch to extend the subsidies for three more years and a Republican alternative that would instead provide Americans with health savings accounts.In the House, four centrist Republicans broke with GOP leadership and joined forces with Democrats to force a vote that could come as soon as January on a three-year extension of the tax credits. But with the Senate already having rejected such a plan, it’s unclear whether it could get enough momentum to pass.Meanwhile, Americans whose premiums are skyrocketing say lawmakers don’t understand what it’s really like to struggle to get by as health costs ratchet up with no relief.Many say they want the subsidies restored alongside broader reforms to make health care more affordable for all Americans.“Both Republicans and Democrats have been saying for years, oh, we need to fix it. Then do it,” said Chad Bruns, a 58-year-old Affordable Care Act enrollee in Wisconsin. “They need to get to the root cause, and no political party ever does that.”



—Ali Swenson, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Health, subsidies, officially, expired, Jan.1., Millions, will, see, insurance, costs, skyrocket, 2026</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Buddhist monks peace&#45;walking from Texas to DC persist even after being run over on highway outside Houston</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/buddhist-monks-peace-walking-from-texas-to-dc-persist-even-after-being-run-over-on-highway-outside-houston</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/buddhist-monks-peace-walking-from-texas-to-dc-persist-even-after-being-run-over-on-highway-outside-houston</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ One of the monks had “substantial leg injuries” and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Houston, Dayton Interim Police Chief Shane Burleigh said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25364637465650.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Buddhist, monks, peace-walking, from, Texas, persist, even, after, being, run, over, highway, outside, Houston</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK and cousin of Health Secretary RFK Jr., dies of cancer at 35</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tatiana-schlossberg-granddaughter-of-jfk-and-cousin-of-health-secretary-rfk-jr-dies-of-cancer-at-35</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tatiana-schlossberg-granddaughter-of-jfk-and-cousin-of-health-secretary-rfk-jr-dies-of-cancer-at-35</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Her death comes just weeks after she publicly revealed in The New Yorker that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1188110131-e1767125849685.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Tatiana, Schlossberg, granddaughter, JFK, and, cousin, Health, Secretary, RFK, Jr., dies, cancer</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts’: Kennedy family mourns yet another tragic death</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/our-beautiful-tatiana-passed-away-this-morning-she-will-always-be-in-our-hearts-kennedy-family-mourns-yet-another-tragic-death</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/our-beautiful-tatiana-passed-away-this-morning-she-will-always-be-in-our-hearts-kennedy-family-mourns-yet-another-tragic-death</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Schlossberg had worked as a reporter covering climate change and the environment for The New York Times’ Science section. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25364695915457-e1767132089935.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Our, beautiful, Tatiana, passed, away, this, morning., She, will, always, our, hearts’:, Kennedy, family, mourns, yet, another, tragic, death</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Meta claims ‘no continuing Chinese ownership interests in Manus AI’ after reported $2 billion deal to shore up in AI agent race</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meta-claims-no-continuing-chinese-ownership-interests-in-manus-ai-after-reported-2-billion-deal-to-shore-up-in-ai-agent-race</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meta-claims-no-continuing-chinese-ownership-interests-in-manus-ai-after-reported-2-billion-deal-to-shore-up-in-ai-agent-race</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Manus, a Singapore-based platform with some Chinese roots, launched its first “general-purpose” AI agent earlier this year. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25364581373166-e1767132286642.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meta, claims, ‘no, continuing, Chinese, ownership, interests, Manus, AI’, after, reported, billion, deal, shore, agent, race</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘I opened her door and the wind caught me, and I went flying’: The U.S. Arctic air surge is sweeping northerners off their feet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-opened-her-door-and-the-wind-caught-me-and-i-went-flying-the-us-arctic-air-surge-is-sweeping-northerners-off-their-feet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-opened-her-door-and-the-wind-caught-me-and-i-went-flying-the-us-arctic-air-surge-is-sweeping-northerners-off-their-feet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Nationwide, more than 115,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning, around a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25363820758754.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘I, opened, her, door, and, the, wind, caught, me, and, went, flying’:, The, U.S., Arctic, air, surge, sweeping, northerners, off, their, feet</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This is what to do if you experience professional ghosting</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-what-to-do-if-you-experience-professional-ghosting</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-is-what-to-do-if-you-experience-professional-ghosting</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A little while ago, I’d submitted my article to a well-respected publication that I’d done a lot of research for. I was beyond excited and delighted when, following an encouraging meeting with a senior editor, I’d heard that they accepted it for publication. It had taken months to get the article to this point, many previous failed submission attempts, and over a decade of expertise and experience—but I’d finally done it! And it was going to be career-changing. Unfortunately, what happened next was anything but.



After an initial follow-up email from the editor, I was informed that the article was under revision and would be sent for review shortly. Weeks went by, and I politely followed up and heard nothing back. A month passed, and another polite follow-up resulted in silence. Another month passed, and then another. Over a period of six months, my follow-ups resulted in total silence. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d been professionally ghosted.



I’d expect this from a Tinder date, but not from an editor of a prestigious journal. I felt shocked, confused, and disappointed. When I confided in a close colleague, they shared a recent experience of being ghosted for a promotion. A senior manager had made that promise but never spoke about it again. That made me wonder: Is professional ghosting becoming the norm rather than the exception?



The definition of ghosting



“Ghosting” is a term that originally stemmed from internet culture, and people use it to describe when one party abruptly ceases communication without explanation. People often talk about it in the context of online dating, but it has made its way to the professional context. Now, it’s a description for a job interview you never hear back from, clients pulling contracts abruptly and ceasing all contact, or a colleague simply ignoring email after email. 



Being ghosted is confusing at best, and at worst, it can completely kill your confidence. That’s because ghosting creates what psychologists call an “ambiguous rejection”—a rejection that lacks clarity and closure. An ambiguous rejection is distressing because our brain has no resolution, so it stays stuck in a loop of hope and disappointment, and is unable to complete the “ending process.”  



Professional ghosting is exactly that: an end of a relationship without an actual end. And the uncertainty this creates is malignant. Neuroscience shows that it triggers our threat response, which activates our nervous system and spreads anxiety and stress in the body.



And if it’s happening within a company, research shows that it can kill employee trust quicker than you can say “boo.” It’s no wonder that being ghosted can feel utterly destabilizing. 



Is professional ghosting on the rise?



Research suggests that ghosting has become more commonplace since the pandemic. In Meghan Walsh’s recent article for the global consulting firm Korn Ferry, she cites data showing that three-quarters of employers were ghosted by a new hire in the past year, with an even higher percentage of job seekers saying they’d been ghosted during the interview process. So what’s causing this?



There are a multitude of reasons why ghosting might be on the rise. It might be due to an increasingly competitive job market, shifting digital communication norms, and the seemingly ever-increasing time constraints of modern life. But in any case, in the age of artificial intelligence and automation—where you can literally have a bot write an email for you in less than three seconds—I’m calling BS on these excuses. I think it’s time we found our courage and relearned what quality communication looks like.



The politeness paradox—why silence feels safer (even when it’s much worse)



The psychological phenomenon called the politeness paradox explains why you might think it’s okay to ghost someone. The politeness paradox is when you avoid giving someone bad news out of fear that it will be more hurtful than silence. However, in actuality, people overwhelmingly prefer clarity over nothing at all. It feels worse to be dealing with the ambiguity of being ghosted rather than being told a simple “no.”



Let this be a call to action: Have the courage and the respect to communicate thoughtfully and transparently—and close the loop so people can move on. Your moment of discomfort delivering “bad news” saves someone else from agonizing over a lack of closure. As someone who’s been on the receiving end of ghosting, I assure you that the kindest thing to do is to put someone out of their misery—rather than leaving them in the brutal “what if’ limbo.



Here are five steps to help you move forward from professional ghosting.



1. Acknowledge the disappointment 



Ghosting is an emotional roller coaster. You’ll experience a wave of different feelings as you try to make sense of it: hurt, disappointment, and rejection. Don’t gaslight yourself by minimizing your experience. Being ghosted absolutely sucks. Acknowledge your emotions and confide in a trusted friend—this helps process the experience and regulate your nervous system. 



2. Don’t take it personally



Ghosting says more about someone else’s avoidance patterns, and nothing about your worth. Your mind will create stories about your inadequacies or capabilities—none of these are rooted in the truth of the situation.



3. Meet yourself with self-compassion



Be the friend you need right now rather than your own worst enemy. The experience of being ghosted can quickly descend into negative self-talk, overanalyzing what we might have done wrong, or berating ourselves. In Buddhist teaching, we call this the second arrow. By judging yourself harshly, you amplify your suffering. Instead, offer yourself comfort, words of kindness, and gentle encouragement, as you would a friend.



4. Let go of finding closure



The reality is that you might never get an explanation. That is outside of your control. Closure becomes something you need to offer yourself, not something you wait for others to give you. This takes you from feeling powerless to reclaiming your agency.



5. Move forward with intention



Being ghosted was a moment of clarity for me. I refuse to replicate this behavior to others. Instead of letting my anger drive my future behavior toward others, I’m allowing it to transform my perspective so I can do better by others. I’d rather have an uncomfortable conversation than leave someone else in the distress of ambiguous loss. Silence is easy, but kindness takes courage.



Ghosting may be becoming more common, but that doesn’t mean we should normalize or accept it. To create workplaces that are more human, we need to invite humanity back into how we communicate. That means replying (even if briefly), closing loops, delivering an honest message with kindness, and recognizing that our own discomfort is not an excuse for disrespect. 



Professional ghosting can leave a real scar. But it was also a moment of clarity for me—a choice to lead from a place of clarity, courage, and empathy. And if you’ve been ghosted, let it sting, but don’t let it shrink you. Take the lesson, and let it remind you of the kind of person you want to be. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, what, you, experience, professional, ghosting</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The economy of self—the value of viewing yourself as a personal economic ecosystem</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-economy-of-selfthe-value-of-viewing-yourself-as-a-personal-economic-ecosystem</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-economy-of-selfthe-value-of-viewing-yourself-as-a-personal-economic-ecosystem</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Every December, millions of people pause to take stock of their lives before the new year. Some gather for vision-board parties, others sketch out New Year’s resolutions, and many quietly vow to “finally get organized” before the clock hits midnight. But this year feels different.



We’re closing out 2025 in an economic climate defined by weekly corporate layoffs, social media posts from people with excel trackers archiving hundreds of job applications, and sidelined workers hopelessly looking for jobs for over a year. Families are being pushed to the brink by rising prices, and a generational affordability crisis—fueled by a shortage of three to four million homes nationwide, according to analysts by conservative estimates—has made it harder than ever to build stability.



Across platforms, people describe the ground shaking beneath them: seasoned professionals struggling to get callbacks, families displaced by rent increases, and workers in every sector worried that technology is reshaping roles faster than organizations can adapt. Americans are questioning not just their career trajectory, but their worth and stability in an economy where the rules keep shifting.



Yet history shows—from the Industrial-boosted Gilded Age to the social media–driven reality-show era—that moments when disruption and innovation collide also create unexpected openings. These periods force society, and individuals, to reconsider not just what they want from the world but what tools they already possess, or can rapidly develop, to navigate it with greater agency. That’s where a concept I call the Economy of Self becomes essential—and freeing.



The Economy of Self isn’t manifestation or hustle culture. It’s the intentional practice of viewing yourself as an entity with specific value and designing a personal economic ecosystem that enables you to gain ground at best, or protect the ground beneath you at worst. It’s the acknowledgment that while no one can control the macroeconomy, we can engineer our microeconomy in ways that produce clarity, resilience, and optionality.



First, establish clarity



The foundation of the Economy of Self is clarity. In an unpredictable job market, individuals need an honest inventory of what they know, what they can do, and what they can deliver in an instant, transactional mass environment. Too many people underestimate their expertise because their worth has long been defined by job titles and affiliation instead of outcomes. Thinking like an entity allows you to see your value from an outside perspective and helps you highlight what you individually have to leverage. Clarity is the first act of economic power—because you cannot price, position, or promote what you cannot articulate.



Clarity creates the conditions for structure. Once you understand your value, you can package it. For some, that means turning expertise into discrete service offerings—products instead of retainers—that solve specific pain points for clients or employers. In a landscape where many workers are bridging employment gaps or supplementing income through project work, productization of personal expertise becomes a viable stabilizing tool. When you articulate your work as something a customer can buy, not just something an employer can assign, you reclaim the power to shape your own market.



Next, supply chain development



Finally, the Economy of Self requires supply-chain development—intentionally strengthening the channels that connect your skills to real-world opportunities. That means engaging consistently rather than virally: showing up in your professional networks, posting subject matter ideas regularly, participating in events and conferences, and cultivating relationships that keep your name active in the rooms you want to be in. Supply chains aren’t built on sudden bursts of visibility; they are built through repetition, reliability, and presence.



If this sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. We are living through an economic and technological convergence that rewards intentional self-design more than ever. But the Economy of Self isn’t about perfection or reinvention. It’s about adapting strategically when the external environment becomes unpredictable. It’s about reclaiming agency when traditional structures feel increasingly fragile.



As we enter 2026—with all its uncertainty and possibility—many people won’t have the luxury of waiting for stability to return. The future belongs to those willing to treat themselves not just as workers or job candidates, but as dynamic economic actors with assets, supply chains, and value propositions of their own.



In a world where the ground keeps shifting, the most powerful thing you can build is an economy that starts with you. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, economy, self—the, value, viewing, yourself, personal, economic, ecosystem</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why Revathi Advaithi of Flex is Modern CEO of the Year</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-revathi-advaithi-of-flex-is-modern-ceo-of-the-year</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-revathi-advaithi-of-flex-is-modern-ceo-of-the-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.



Last December, Modern CEO named the inaugural Modern CEO of the Year. The goal was to recognize a business leader who embodied the traits frequently covered in this newsletter: inclusion, accessibility, humility, and innovation amid unprecedented uncertainty. We looked for a person with vision and grit, someone who is growing a company sustainably. The methodology isn’t scientific, but this year, one name stood out: Flex’s Revathi Advaithi.



Meet the Modern CEO of the Year



Advaithi didn’t set out to ride the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. After becoming CEO of Flex (formerly known as Flextronics) in 2019, she zeroed in on the contract manufacturing company’s power-focused business, which makes components that manage, regulate, and distribute power for advanced semiconductors and systems. Advaithi understood that business segment well from her years working at Eaton, the power management company. She bet that technology companies would continue to need more power and compute—the processing power and other resources needed to run applications—plus systems to cool equipment to keep it from overheating.



She quietly began to build a portfolio of products and services to design, manage, and deploy power, compute, and cooling infrastructure. Today, that business is growing 35% year-over-year, and Advaithi expects it to generate about $6.5 billion of Flex’s fiscal 2026 annual revenue, projected to reach $26.7 billion to $27.3 billion. As Modern CEO went to press, Flex stock was up 65%, outperforming the broader market and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index.



“Either we were very smart, or we got lucky,” Advaithi says. “But when [generative] AI emerges and people start talking about power-hungry compute, the strategy we put together looks like it’s a winning strategy.”



Strategic leadership, personal adversity



Advaithi is quick to point out that her remaking of the power portfolio was part of a strategic approach she applied to all parts of Flex’s business, which includes supply-chain management and manufacturing of components for electronics and automobile makers and the healthcare industry.



Indeed, Flex did more than simply capitalize on AI in 2025. This year, the company also helped its clients figure out strategies for dealing with new tariffs. And Advaithi led the company while undergoing treatment for breast cancer for part of the year. She’s currently in remission.



Advaithi says her board of directors supported her decision to keep working after she was diagnosed with cancer in August 2024 even though intense chemotherapy would mean missing travel and interactions with employees and customers. But Advaithi says she’s never been a “24/7” CEO and has always made time for family, friends, and activities, so she felt confident that the company could thrive without her being constantly on call.



For Advaithi, the decision was affirming. “Having that purpose, keeping myself grounded, having something to push myself out of bed, kept me going in a pretty significant way,” she says. She also says she wanted to show the business world and other patients that those undergoing treatment, especially women, were capable of reliance and strength. “I felt like I had a duty and obligation to show that it could be done,” she says, acknowledging the support of her family and the ability to access high-quality care.



A guide for uncertain times



With manufacturing facilities in 30 countries, Flex this year found itself consulting with clients on how best to navigate the new tariffs announced by the Trump administration at the start of the year. Using sophisticated software that analyzed everything from labor costs to rare-earth mining risks, Flex offered customers different options to make and deliver goods as well as develop longer-term manufacturing and supply chain strategies.



That dispassionate, disciplined approach is not unlike the way Advaithi is thinking about the AI growth opportunity, which many now feel is approaching bubble territory. Rather than building her business around speculation about investment needed to support AI hyper-scalers, Advaithi says she’s focused on the power needs of data centers that have already been announced for 2026.



“The constant decision that CEOs have to make today is looking at growth, risk-taking, and discipline,” she says. “I’ve only worked with industrial companies, so I feel like you have to [ask]: Where are you five years from now? Where are you 10 years from now? And have you built a business that’s viable and sustainable?”



More Modern CEOs



Who would have been your pick for Modern CEO of the Year, and why? Send your submissions to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com, and we’ll highlight readers’ choices in an upcoming newsletter.



Read more: top CEOs 




YouTube’s Neal Mohan is Time’s CEO of the Year



Barron’s 2025 Top CEOs



Inc.’s 2025 Business Leaders of the Year




 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Revathi, Advaithi, Flex, Modern, CEO, the, Year</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why 2026 will be the year companies finally start to take worker well&#45;being seriously</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-2026-will-be-the-year-companies-finally-start-to-take-worker-well-being-seriously</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-2026-will-be-the-year-companies-finally-start-to-take-worker-well-being-seriously</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Throughout 2025, we’ve watched companies treat employees with a stunning disregard: rolling layoffs (with thousands let go at a time), unchecked workloads, turning a blind eye to burnout—with 76% of U.S. workers reporting at least one health condition today—and a near-gleeful rush to replace people with AI.



Over 200,000 American women quit their jobs this year, many citing inflexible policies and lack of support for balancing work and life. Relentless rounds of cuts have destabilized employee trust and left employees uncertain and questioning leadership at every level. Across industries, leaders have routinely prioritized short-term efficiency over human impacts, sending a clear signal that employee well-being is treated as irrelevant to how most CEOs define organizational success.



Despite a year in which many companies acted as if they were actively anti employee well-being, there’s clear evidence that 2026 will be the year everything changes. This isn’t wishful thinking or naivete. It’s grounded in hard business realities that CEOs can no longer afford to ignore.



First, investors—the same ones who have historically applauded employee layoffs—are beginning to reward companies that prioritize employee flourishing because multiple years of research show that firms with high well-being scores consistently outperform peers in stock performance, profitability, and innovation. Second, the talent market is unforgiving—top performers now demand workplaces that offer trust, growth, and the conditions to thrive; ignoring this risks losing the very people who drive competitive advantage. Additionally, we’ve reached a point of destabilization—a crisis—where people are hitting a “no more” moment and simply won’t continue in the old way any longer. This will be a major catalyst for change. Third, the AI-driven transformation of work depends on human adaptability; organizations that fail to foster well-being, learning, and resilience will sabotage their own investments in technology. Finally, the reputational and financial costs of ignoring well-being are increasingly visible, from mass departures of key employees to heightened public scrutiny. Taken together, these forces create a perfect storm: 2026 is the year CEOs will have both the incentive and the imperative to finally make employee well-being a central strategic priority.



The Reckoning Arrives



If 2025 will be remembered for the callousness and disregard organizations showed their people, 2026 will be remembered as the year CEOs felt the consequences of those decisions and were forced to pivot. And this shift won’t happen because leaders suddenly became more empathetic. It will happen because the data is now unequivocal: employee well-being isn’t a “soft” idea—it’s a hard, proven driver of performance, retention, customer experience, innovation, and long-term value creation. When people feel genuinely valued, respected, supported, treated humanely, and that they truly belong, they don’t just perform more optimally—they think more clearly, solve problems more creatively, and bring far greater energy and commitment to their work. Research from leading business schools and global workplace studies demonstrates this; 2026 is simply the year the evidence becomes impossible for CEOs to dismiss.



The Well-Being–Performance Link Is No Longer Debatable



For years, employee well-being was treated as a feel-good afterthought—something leaders knew mattered but never put on the same level as profits and shareholder returns. That era is over. Rigorous, multiyear research from investment firm Irrational Capital—analyzing thousands of public companies, including the entire S&amp;P 500 and Russell 1000—shows that organizations in the top 20% for employee well-being have outperformed the market by hundreds of basis points. Oxford research finds that a single-point increase in employee happiness correlates with billions in additional annual profit for large enterprises. McKinsey on burnout, Deloitte on retention, Gallup’s global workplace data—all of it points to the same conclusion: when people feel genuinely supported, productivity, profitability, innovation, and customer loyalty surge. Harvard leadership professor Arthur C. Brooks puts it bluntly: “Happier employees are more profitable, more productive employees. That’s just the way it is.” Investors are now baking these realities into their models. The gap between human flourishing and financial flourishing isn’t philosophical anymore—it’s mathematical.



Where Companies Have Gone Wrong



Most organizations spent the past decade conflating well-being with wellness programs. They handed out meditation apps, gym stipends, and yoga classes while ignoring the root causes of poor well-being: uncaring and untrustworthy managers, a lack of connection and belonging, expectations of always being on—and feeling unappreciated for one’s hard work. The result was predictable—burnout soared, engagement flat-lined, and the best people walked away. The damage is undeniable in 2025’s data. Trust in senior leadership has fallen to its lowest point in years. Employees are using words like “disconnect,” “misalignment,” “distrust,” and “hypocrisy” in record numbers. The power shift back to employers has been used to push return-to-office mandates, endless restructurings, and the “forever layoff”—small, rolling terminations that keep everyone fearing they’ll be next, exhausted, and diminished in what they can contribute.



Why 2026 Changes Everything



2025 exposed the cost of treating people as expendable. 2026 will reveal the cost of continuing to do so. The forces now converging leave CEOs no room to hide:




Investors have begun rewarding cultures of genuine care. The same financial logic that once justified layoffs now proves that sustained well-being creates superior performance. Boards are asking hard questions about turnover, culture risk, and the long-term sustainability of workforce models built on burnout.



The cost of neglect is now impossible to hide. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that workplaces are a major driver of the nation’s mental health crisis. The result is spiking turnover, steep drops in productivity, skyrocketing medical claims, and a workforce whose resilience has been systematically eroded—losses that dwarf the cost of actually supporting people.



Young talent is reshaping the expectations of work. Gen Z and millennials, who will soon be the majority of the workforce, refuse to accept fear, overwork, or indifference as normal. They demand growth, stability, and humane leadership—and they walk quickly when they don’t get it. The mistake leaders continue to make is by framing this attitude as entitlement. It’s not. It’s clarity. Younger generations simply refuse to tolerate what older generations accepted as normal. The battle for talent has become a battle for well-being.



AI is accelerating—not reducing—the need for well-being. The belief that technology could replace people and eliminate the need for authentically supportive leadership has been proven wrong. AI demands adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence, and resilience—capacities that collapse under chronic stress. Organizations that want their people to master the tools of the future must first keep them energized and trusted today.



A new leadership mandate is forming. This is the shift Deloitte calls “human sustainability:” the deliberate choice to build organizations where people can thrive for the long haul, not just survive to the next quarter. It means embedding respect, growth, and genuine care into every system—hiring, development, compensation, communication, and even the way difficult decisions are handled. Most importantly, well-being must become a leadership competency. Leaders must learn the importance of trust, how team cohesion gets built, how psychological safety is created, how meaningful work is designed, and how human energy is sustained. Leaders must embrace new practices known to support human thriving.



The companies that make this pivot in 2026 won’t just repair the damage of 2025. They’ll dominate the decade. They’ll keep their best people and attract everyone else’s. They’ll turn AI from a source of fear into the greatest amplifier of human potential we’ve ever seen. They’ll build resilience that no disruption can break.




In my new book, The Power of Employee Well-Being, I lay out exactly how this transformation happens and why it’s the single greatest untapped performance lever left in most organizations. The evidence is settled. The investors are watching. The talent is voting with their feet. And 2026 is the year the old excuses finally die. Leaders who still treat people as costs to be managed will be left behind. The rest of us will be building the future—and it’s one where people are flourishing, trusted, and bringing everything they have to work every single day.



Happy New Year!



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>These five ingenious materials from 2025 could make buildings greener</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-five-ingenious-materials-from-2025-could-make-buildings-greener</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/these-five-ingenious-materials-from-2025-could-make-buildings-greener</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Construction materials are responsible for nearly one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions. And as global demand for construction continues to rise (it has already tripled over the past 25 years), its emissions are bound to climb even higher.eIn fact, some, like environmental engineer and University of Virginia professor Andres Clarens, see materials’ potential negative impact as so existential that he calls them the “last major frontier” in the fight against climate change. If that’s the case, we need to reduce the emissions associated with commonly used building materials like cement and steel—and we need to develop alternative materials that emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions by default. And we need to do it fast.This year, material designers delivered. Some of these new materials are still in the testing phase, others are already on the market. All five have tremendous potential to make our buildings more sustainable.[Photo: RMIT University]1. A superstrong material inspired by the deep-sea spongeEarlier this year, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology invented a bio-inspired building material that is both lightweight and resilient under pressure, which could help reduce the use of steel and concrete. The key to their innovation? A little creature that lives thousands of meters deep in the ocean.The deep-sea sponge’s lattice-like skeleton, which has been optimized over millions of years, can absorb force while maintaining its strength. According to the researchers, a similarly designed material could enable “thinner load-bearing walls and slimmer columns,” which in turn, would reduce the amount of steel and concrete required to achieve structural integrity.The material is still in the testing phase.[Photos: InventWood]2. A ‘Superwood’ that is stronger than steelSeven years ago, scientists at the University of Maryland said they discovered a way to make wood so strong that it could compete with steel. This year, their research culminated in the launch of Superwood, a material that has 50% greater tensile strength than steel and a strength-to-weight ratio that’s 10 times better.Superwood was developed by a spin-off startup called InventWood, which began mass-producing the material this summer. The company’s first facility in Frederick, Maryland, can produce one million square feet of Superwood per year, with applications varying from interior finishes to exterior-grade panels for siding and roofing.The plan, according to InventWood cofounder Alex Lau, is to build “a larger facility that will scale to over 30 million square feet, enabling use in infrastructure and large developments.”[Image: Carbon Smart Wood]3. A cross-laminated timber made of fallen treesBy some estimates, cities lose a staggering 36 million trees a year to storms, insects, and disease. Over the past six years, the Washington, D.C.-based startup Carbon Cambium has salvaged six million board feet of wood from these fallen trees, diverting it from the landfill, and turning it into usable timber for furniture with companies like Room &amp; Board and Sabai.This year, the startup developed its first product for the construction industry. Carbon Smart Wood is the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) made from salvaged trees, which promises to make mass timber construction even more sustainable.The company offers millwork like decking and flooring, and full CLT structural panels for buildings. Forty thousand linear feet of the material will appear on the facade of the new JFK Airport expansion in 2026.Horizon House [Photo: Casey Dunn/courtesy Lake Flato]4. A new take on rammed earthRammed earth, a building technique where damp soil is compacted in layers within temporary forms, has propped up buildings for millennia. This year, the humble material got an upgrade when researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology encased it in a cardboard tube.The resulting material, dubbed cardboard-confined rammed earth (CCRE), consists of rammed earth that’s been compacted inside cylindrical tubes. Typically, rammed earth walls also include a dose of cement to improve strength and durability, but the cardboard formwork in CCRE acts as a shell, negating the need for cement. The researchers say the cardboard helps protect the rammed earth from surrounding environments, while additional treatment on the cardboard can extend its life as well. They have also developed a similar version using carbon-fiber tubes.To date, the team has built a small-scale prototype, but if scaled, the material could be used to build low-rise and modular buildings with no cement.[Image: courtesy Joe Doucet and Partners]5. A paint that changes colors with the seasonsWe’ve known for a while now that painting surfaces like streets and roofs in white can make them cooler because white reflects heat—and painting them black can make them warmer because black absorbs heat.This year, industrial designer Joe Doucet took this time-tested innovation to a new level by developing a “climate-adaptive” paint that can change colors based on the outside temperature. The paint, which can be mixed with other tints (so you can still have your yellow house) could save an estimated 20–30% in energy costs every year. Doucet’s team is currently testing the final formula, with the goal of licensing it to paint manufacturers when ready. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>2026 will be the year you get fooled by a deepfake, researcher says. Voice cloning has crossed the ‘indistinguishable threshold’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/2026-will-be-the-year-you-get-fooled-by-a-deepfake-researcher-says-voice-cloning-has-crossed-the-indistinguishable-threshold</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/2026-will-be-the-year-you-get-fooled-by-a-deepfake-researcher-says-voice-cloning-has-crossed-the-indistinguishable-threshold</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Cyber firm DeepStrike estimates an increase from roughly 500,000 online deepfakes in 2023 to about 8 million in 2025, with annual growth nearing 900%. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-109732770.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>2026, will, the, year, you, get, fooled, deepfake, researcher, says., Voice, cloning, has, crossed, the, ‘indistinguishable, threshold’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>At the edges of the AI data center boom, rural America is up against Silicon Valley billions</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/at-the-edges-of-the-ai-data-center-boom-rural-america-is-up-against-silicon-valley-billions</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/at-the-edges-of-the-ai-data-center-boom-rural-america-is-up-against-silicon-valley-billions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When a multibillion-dollar AI data center proposal pitted developers against a handful of rural Arizona residents, the locals were outgunned and outvoted. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Anitap-VermaLallian_AZ_4522-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>the, edges, the, data, center, boom, rural, America, against, Silicon, Valley, billions</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Management professors who studied the dreaded work offsite say think twice about skipping it this year</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/management-professors-who-studied-the-dreaded-work-offsite-say-think-twice-about-skipping-it-this-year</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/management-professors-who-studied-the-dreaded-work-offsite-say-think-twice-about-skipping-it-this-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Offsites tend to bring people together who rarely interact through work – particularly at large employers with offices spread far and wide. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2217611504-e1766827716638.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Management, professors, who, studied, the, dreaded, work, offsite, say, think, twice, about, skipping, this, year</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Three in four Americans say groceries are so expensive they’ve been forced to cut down on other spending</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/three-in-four-americans-say-groceries-are-so-expensive-theyve-been-forced-to-cut-down-on-other-spending</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/three-in-four-americans-say-groceries-are-so-expensive-theyve-been-forced-to-cut-down-on-other-spending</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Many shoppers still fretted about how to pay for their groceries. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2237345664-e1766605522653.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Three, four, Americans, say, groceries, are, expensive, they’ve, been, forced, cut, down, other, spending</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, ‘don’t go to Harvard.’ You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/malcolm-gladwell-tells-young-people-if-they-want-a-stem-degree-dont-go-to-harvard-you-may-end-up-at-the-bottom-of-your-class-and-drop-out</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/malcolm-gladwell-tells-young-people-if-they-want-a-stem-degree-dont-go-to-harvard-you-may-end-up-at-the-bottom-of-your-class-and-drop-out</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s better to be a big fish in a little pond, Gladwell argues in his book David and Goliath. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2204196226-e1766609604805.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Malcolm, Gladwell, tells, young, people, they, want, STEM, degree, ‘don’t, Harvard.’, You, may, end, the, bottom, your, class, and, drop, out</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Top 12 productivity books of 2025 to change your relationship with work and time</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-12-productivity-books-of-2025-to-change-your-relationship-with-work-and-time</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-12-productivity-books-of-2025-to-change-your-relationship-with-work-and-time</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Somewhere between endless meetings and half-finished projects, we all went looking for better ways to get things done this year. These are the 2025 titles that helped people stay organized, focused, and finally finish what they started.



Learn something new every day with “Book Bites,” 15-minute audio summaries of the latest and greatest nonfiction. Get started by downloading the Next Big Idea app today!







Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity &amp; Our Relationship With Time



By Natalie Nixon



A creativity whisperer to the C-Suite keynote speaker teaches how to harness the power of everyday activities to stress less and be more productive. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Natalie Nixon, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Mastery: Why Deeper Learning Is Essential in an Age of Distraction



By Tony Wagner and Ulrik Juul Christensen



In a world where AI can deliver information faster and more accurately than any human, what matters most are the uniquely human skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and character. This is why we need to replace our outdated, time-based education model with a mastery-based approach. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by coauthors Tony Wagner and Ulrik Juul Christensen, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents



By Betsy Wills and Alex Ellison



Traditional career advice places too much emphasis on skills and interests—two things that change over time. Aptitudes are the permanent, reliable guide to how every person can uniquely flourish, thrive, and achieve their potential. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by coauthor Alex Ellison, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Dear Writer: Pep Talks &amp; Practical Advice for the Creative Life



By Maggie Smith



We are all creative beings because making your life is the ultimate creative act. For those who choose to tune their senses as artists, there are ten key principles to improving your craft. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Maggie Smith, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career



By Lorraine K. Lee



You can be an incredibly hard worker who delivers quality results time and again, but still get overlooked for that big promotion. The true accelerator of ambitious goals is an unforgettable presence. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Lorraine K. Lee, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Who Better Than You?: The Art of Healthy Arrogance &amp; Dreaming Big



By Will Packer



Trailblazing filmmaker and powerhouse CEO Will Packer presents powerful and illuminating stories from the front lines of Hollywood to offer a clear vision on how to manifest your own success—by believing there is no one more deserving of it than you. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Will Packer, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







How to Break Up With Your Phone



By Catherine Price



Smartphones have stolen an alarming amount of our attention—and therefore our lives. To nurture habits that fill our precious time with fun, excitement, and connection, start by breaking up with your phone. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Catherine Price, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter



By Juliet Schor



Research increasingly shows that switching from five to four is a win for employees and their entire company. The benefits are so impressive that governments are getting involved in legislating fewer working hours. Times are changing, and modern life and modern business are better off on a four-day work schedule. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Juliet Schor, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







There’s Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work



By Nelson Repenning and Donald Kieffer



A lot of companies struggle with workflow design challenges that stand in the way of getting real work done. Fortunately, for these similar obstacles there exist solutions that apply across industries. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Nelson Repenning and Donald Kieffer, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life



By Joseph Jebelli



Your brain’s default network is the most important part of your brain that you have probably never heard about. It is critical for maintaining intelligence, creativity, memory, and so much more. The key to a healthy default network? Rest. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Joseph Jebelli, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction



By Zelana Montminy



We live in a world that is quietly, relentlessly unraveling our attention and, with it, our capacity to think clearly, feel deeply, and live purposefully. Finding Focus is about how to come home to yourself and what matters most. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Zelana Montminy, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.







Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life



By Paul Leonardi



A revelatory examination of why you’re feeling so worn out—and practical daily strategies to change your relationship with your devices. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Paul Leonardi, in the Next Big Idea app or view on Amazon.



The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes



“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.



But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the five key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?



With the Next Big Idea app, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.







“I love this app! The Book Bites are brilliant, perfect to have in airports, waiting rooms, anywhere I need to not doomscroll… You guys are the best!” —Missy G.



Go Deeper With a Next Big Idea Club Membership



The Next Big Idea app is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&amp;A sessions with featured authors.







For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea app.







“My biggest Thank You is for the quality of book selections so far. I look on my shelf and see these great titles, and I find myself taking down one or two each month to reread an underlined passage. Full marks to all involved!” —Tim K.



Learn Faster, From the World’s Leading Thinkers



Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&amp;A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.



If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!



Enjoy our full library of Book Bites—read by the authors!—in the Next Big Idea app.



This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Top, productivity, books, 2025, change, your, relationship, with, work, and, time</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why Apple and Google want your ID</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-apple-and-google-want-your-id</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-apple-and-google-want-your-id</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Apple and Google would like to see your identification, please.



With the former’s “Digital ID” launch last week, both companies now let you scan a digital version of your passport at more than 250 Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, using an iPhone or Android phone. A growing number of U.S. states already support digital driver’s licenses for the same purpose.



But the push for these digital IDs isn’t merely about airport security (which still requires you to carry a physical license or passport anyway). It’s really part of a broader effort to verify who you are online, one that can finally start in earnest with passport-based digital IDs that are available nationwide.



This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get more insights every Tuesday.



How it works



From left: Digital IDs in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet



Apple and Google have similar processes for digitizing a license or passport:




Open the Apple Wallet (iPhone) or Google Wallet (Android) app.



Hit the + button and select the “ID” option.



Scan your ID’s main page with your phone’s camera.



Scan the back of your license, or place your phone on top of your passport’s barcode page to scan the embedded RFID chip.



Submit a photo of your face.



Capture one or more short videos of your face performing some kind of movement. (This is presumably to prevent someone from digitizing your ID without permission.)




After a brief verification period, you’ll be able to access your ID through your phone’s digital wallet screen, the same place you’d use Apple Pay or Google Pay.



While digital passports are available nationwide, support for digital driver’s licenses or state IDs varies. Apple and Google currently let you digitize a license from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico. Apple’s system also works in Hawaii and Ohio. A smaller number of states maintain their own digital ID apps, either in addition to or instead of Apple’s and Google’s versions, as listed on the TSA website.



Scanning a license or passport doesn’t mean you can leave the print version at home. The TSA may still want to see the real thing, and passport control agencies won’t accept the digital version when you cross the border.



Moreover, digital ID support will be spotty outside of airports. While some states have been encouraging bars, restaurants, and other businesses to accept digital IDs, the merchant needs a phone or other identity-reader hardware for that. Much like in the early days of Apple Pay and Google Pay, trying to use your digital ID probably won’t be worth the potential weird looks and awkwardness.



So what’s the point?







Apple and Google both have bigger plans for digital IDs beyond just a slightly more seamless TSA process.



Apple’s Digital ID setup page, for instance, says it’ll eventually work while booking flights or hotels and opening new online accounts. Google is more specific, saying its digital ID will let you recover an Amazon account if you’re locked out, log into health portals such as CVS Health and Epic’s MyChart, and verify your profile with companies like Uber. Some states that have enacted age verification laws for porn sites have started accepting digital IDs as well.



Therein lies the true endgame with these digital IDs: The point isn’t really to replace physical IDs in the real world, but to verify your identity in the digital one. You can easily imagine a future in which a digital passport lives alongside or even replaces traditional passwords as a way to prove who you are online, with a verification process that feels a lot like checking out with Apple Pay.



This obviously introduces some new concerns. The convenience of digital IDs could also become an excuse to gate off large swaths of the internet, so you might need ID to visit a local brewery’s website, rent an R-rated digital movie, or access sites with social features of any kind.



And while Apple and Google tout the ability to keep your personal details private—for instance, by sharing just your age with a website without revealing your name or address—that assumes the companies asking for your ID won’t request or store more details than they need. Combined with broader use of digital IDs, this could make it a lot harder to browse the internet anonymously.



A lot of this is still theoretical, but it seems to be the future we’re headed toward. So be aware of what Apple and Google are really asking for when they encourage you to create a digital ID. In the long run it’s about a lot more than getting through the airport.



This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get more insights every Tuesday. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Apple, and, Google, want, your</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Giant homebuilder KB Home shifts strategy amid a housing market where it lacks pricing power</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/giant-homebuilder-kb-home-shifts-strategy-amid-a-housing-market-where-it-lacks-pricing-power</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/giant-homebuilder-kb-home-shifts-strategy-amid-a-housing-market-where-it-lacks-pricing-power</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



There’s no doubt about it: Housing market softening across the Sunbelt—the epicenter of U.S. homebuilding—has caused homebuilders to lose pricing power over the past year.



Amid the additional margin compression, some giant homebuilders are adjusting their strategies. Lennar is finally easing up a little on its market share, taking volume-over-margin strategy, while KB Home—a homebuilder ranked No. 526 on the Fortune 1000—said on December 18 that it plans to lean even harder into built-to-order (more on that below).



At the end of last week, KB Home posted its Q4 2025 earnings—the three months ending November 30. During its earnings call, it underscored just how tricky the current housing market remains, even for builders that have avoided the most aggressive incentive wars and speculative inventory strategies.



In today’s article, ResiClub highlights seven key takeaways from KB Home’s latest earnings.



1. KB Home’s margins compress to the lowest Q4 level since 2016







During the Pandemic Housing Boom, many publicly traded homebuilders achieved record profit margins as home prices soared and buyer demand ran red-hot. Ever since the national housing demand boom fizzled out in the summer of 2022, many large homebuilders have reduced margin and made affordability/pricing adjustments where and when needed to maintain their sales pace or prevent a bigger sales pullback.



That includes KB Home, which reported a housing gross profit margin of 17% in Q4 2025—down from a Q4 cycle peak of 24.1% in Q4 2021. Its margin has now compressed to its lowest Q4 level since Q4 2016.



As KB Home CFO Robert Dillard said on the company’s December 18, 2025 earnings call:




“Housing gross profit margin was 17%, and adjusted housing gross profit margin, which excluded $13.7 million of inventory-related charges, was 17.8%. Adjusted housing gross profit margin was 310 basis points lower due to pricing pressure, negative operating leverage, higher relative land costs, regional mix, and product mix, which was pronounced due to the age and price of incremental volume versus guidance.”




2. KB Home’s average selling price is down 8.8% from its 2022 peak







Unlike many giant homebuilders such as Lennar—which has preferred to pull the mortgage rate buydown lever when making affordability adjustments this cycle—KB Home has chosen to rely more on outright price cuts. [Back in summer 2023, KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger told me that these price cuts would be their strategy if any of their regional housing markets weakened further.]



In Q4 2025, KB Home’s average selling price ($465,600) was 7.1% below Q4 2024 ($501,000) and 8.8% below its cycle peak in Q4 2022 ($510,400). While part of this decline is due to mix shift, KB Home has previously acknowledged cutting home prices over the past 18 months in markets such as Austin and San Antonio, as well as in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida.



“Average selling price declined 7% to $466,000 due to regional and product mix and general market conditions,” Dillard said on the earnings call.



3. KB Home’s margin defense plan: leaning harder into Built-to-Order



KB Home is making no secret of its goal: Increase built-to-order deliveries as a share of business to 70% or more of total volume, up from 57% in Q4 2025.



The reason is simple—built-to-order margins are materially higher for KB Home. Built-to-order homes tend to generate higher margins because they’re sold before construction begins, reducing inventory carrying costs. Buyers also tend to select higher-margin upgrades and options, which lifts gross profit per home.



KB Home COO Robert McGibney said on the company’s December 18 earnings call:




“While we always have some inventory homes available for those buyers that need a quicker move-in date, the superior margins we generate on built-to-order homes will allow us to realize greater value from our communities. Our gross margins on built-to-order homes are trending 3 percentage points to 5 percentage points higher than on inventory sales, and we began to see a shift toward more built-to-order sales during November, an encouraging trend that has continued into December. As we remain focused on selling our built-to-order homes and these sales become deliveries over the course of fiscal 2026, we expect to achieve a favorable trajectory in our gross margins.



“We’re very focused on getting back to at least a 70/30 [built-to-order] ratio, and we see a great opportunity to drive that change with the new communities coming in the spring.”




KB Home executives believe that by leaning more into built-to-order, it’ll help see their margins bottom in Q1 2026.



KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger said on the earnings call:




“We’ve already shared that the first quarter margins are the low-water mark, and we expect improvement quarter-over-quarter as the year progresses from there. And it’s a combination of better leverage as we grow revenue back and better margins as our community mix rotates around.”




4. KB Home’s home sales are down 10% year over year







KB Home’s net new orders by Q4 ?




Q4 2018 —&gt; 2,013



Q4 2019 —&gt; 2,777



Q4 2020 —&gt; 3,937



Q4 2021 —&gt; 3,529



Q4 2022 —&gt; 692 (mortgage rate shock—pause before pricing recalibration/easing backlog)



Q4 2023 —&gt; 1,909



Q4 2024 —&gt; 2,688



Q4 2025 —&gt; 2,414




“We were disciplined in not taking overly aggressive steps to capture sales during the seasonally slower fourth quarter,” Mezger said on the earnings call. “By doing so, we believe we are positioned to achieve better margins on these sales in our 2026 first quarter than we would otherwise have produced.”



5. KB Home’s margin compression would be greater right now if not for modest declines in construction and material costs this year



“This margin pressure was again partially offset by lower direct construction costs per unit,” Dillard said on the earnings call. “It’s notable that average costs per unit declined in the quarter as direct construction costs and material costs declined more than lot costs increased.”



6. KB Home’s cancellation rate remains stable







7. Faster build times



KB Home has reduced build times by roughly 20% year over year, hitting its company-wide target of 120 days or better for built-to-order homes. Some divisions are now averaging under 100 days.



Where does KB Home actually build?



Pulling data from the ResiClub Terminal—where we keep footprint data for America’s 21 largest homebuilders—we made the map below.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Giant, homebuilder, Home, shifts, strategy, amid, housing, market, where, lacks, pricing, power</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What’s open on Christmas Day: Holiday hours for fast&#45;food chains, grocery stores, CVS, and more</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/whats-open-on-christmas-day-holiday-hours-for-fast-food-chains-grocery-stores-cvs-and-more</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/whats-open-on-christmas-day-holiday-hours-for-fast-food-chains-grocery-stores-cvs-and-more</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s normal—perhaps even biological—to slow down at the end of the year. Winter weather brings less sunlight, causing our bodies to produce more melatonin and less Vitamin D. 



Humans have to fight the urge to hibernate like bears because of the exhausting holiday season. If you find yourself behind and needing to cross off some last-minute items on your to-do list, here’s a handy guide to your options on Christmas Day 2025.



Are banks open on Christmas?



No. Christmas is a federal holiday, so brick-and-mortar locations are closed. Online banking and outdoor ATMs are available.



Is mail delivered on Christmas?



The United States Postal Service will not deliver mail on Christmas, and post offices are closed. The only exception: Priority Mail Express is delivered on the holiday.



Is the stock market open?



No. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq exchange are closed for the holiday.



What grocery and convenience stores are open? 



Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Aldi are closed. That’s bad news for shoppers but good news for their employees. 



The following stores are open:




Acme Market: Some East Coast locations are open.



Albertsons: Some stores are open; hours vary by location.



Casey’s General Store: Opens at 10 a.m.



Circle K: Most locations are open 24 hours, even on Christmas, but check your local store to be sure.



Cumberland Farms: Hours vary by location.



Safeway: Some locations are open; hours vary by location.



Wawa: Most are open 24 hours.



7-Eleven: Most are open 24 hours.




Are big-box retailers open?



Most major retail chains, including Walmart and Target, are closed on Christmas.



What about major pharmacy chains?




CVS: Most locations are open with reduced hours; check your local store.



Walgreens: Some locations are open 24/7, though most are operating with reduced hours; check your local pharmacy. 




Are fast-food restaurants open on Christmas Day?



It’s hard to pinpoint which fast-food restaurants are open because many are franchised, so it’s up to the individual owners’ discretion whether or not to remain open. Here are some that should be available.




McDonald’s: Most locations are open, but check your local restaurant for hours.



Burger King: Most are open with reduced hours; schedules vary by location.



Starbucks: Many locations are open, but check your favorite spot ahead of time for hours. 




What about other restaurants?



If you pull a Scott Calvin from The Santa Clause and burn the turkey, never fear: Many restaurants are open on Christmas Day.



It’s important to note, however, that these establishments will most likely have reduced hours and potentially limited menus. The following restaurants will be open with hours that vary by location unless otherwise specified; check the individual location finders for local hours.




Applebee’s



Buffalo Wild Wings



Denny’s (This is Scott Calvin’s restaurant of choice.)



Huddle House: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.



IHOP



Papa John’s



Perkins: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.



Red Lobster



Waffle House




Many Chinese restaurants are also open on Christmas Day. 



Are movie theaters open?



Buttery popcorn and good flicks? Yes! Most movie theaters are open for business on Christmas Day.



Families and those young at heart can check out Zootopia 2 from Disney or The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.



If you’re in the mood for a sexy, suspenseful drama, consider The Housemaid starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. Sci-fi fans can catch James Cameron’s latest epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash.



Artsy types will enjoy Marty Supreme from A24. Star Timothée Chalamet is already getting early Oscar buzz for his performance. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-91465955-what-is-open-and-closed-christmas-xmas-2025.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What’s, open, Christmas, Day:, Holiday, hours, for, fast-food, chains, grocery, stores, CVS, and, more</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How classy Jell&#45;O shots became the boozy treat of the season</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-classy-jell-o-shots-became-the-boozy-treat-of-the-season</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-classy-jell-o-shots-became-the-boozy-treat-of-the-season</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This holiday season, an unexpected treat has stepped into the limelight and onto the buffet table at many a festive gathering: the Jell-O shot. But the shot in question, which is currently going viral on TikTok and popping up on high-end menus across New York City, is nothing like the ones you probably remember from the sticky basement of a college frat party. Instead, these treats are sleek, refined, classy, and coveted—in short, the opposite of electric green slime in a plastic cup. 



        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by s o l i d  w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles)




Brooklyn-based Solid Wiggles, cofounded by pastry chef Jena Derman and mixologist Jack Schramm, is among the pioneers of this Jell-O shot revival. Founded in 2020, the company describes its mission as “reimagining the nostalgic Jell-O shot” with its “cocktail jellies” that double as edible art. Flavors include margarita, espresso martini, and mezcal negroni, all presented in eye-catching cubes with expertly layered colors, flavors, and designs. A 40-piece, full-menu sampler costs $115.



After just five years in business, Solid Wiggles are on the menu at 20 bars and restaurants in the U.S., including NYC’s ultrapopular restaurant Tatiana, helmed by James Beard award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi. According to Derman, the brand’s sales have roughly doubled every year for the past three years, and it’s gearing up to release its own cookbook with Penguin Random House in 2026.



A clear trend is emerging: the Jell-O shot is getting a rebrand as a classy treat for a more mature drinker (foodie?) In a growing number of circles, it’s no longer a kitschy throwback, but instead a fashionable food statement.



        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Victoria Granof (@victoriagranof)




The Jell-O shot’s tasteful rebrand



To get a taste of the Jell-O shot’s newfound popularity, one need only search the term on TikTok and browse through some of the most popular videos. 



“Maturing is realizing your friends will take jello shots if you call them ‘edible cocktails,’” reads the caption of one recent TikTok with 13,000 likes, starring Jell-O shots with encased maraschino cherries cut into cubes. 



Another TikTok of “lychee martini jello-shots with cherries,” once again artfully cubed (and this time dusted in powdered sugar), amassed nearly 140,000 likes in just two days. And a third YouTube Short, also sharing a lychee martini shot recipe, recently surpassed half a million views.









“I’m 27, and a real shot sends chills through my literal spine these days,” creator @babytamazz explains in the clip. “I’m still gonna take them, but a Jell-O shot is just preferred at this time. Plus, they’re so fun and bitchy and an awesome party pull.”



Perhaps the most popular video, though, was created by the publication Punch and features Solid Wiggles’ unique take on the Jell-O shot. Derman says it’s now been viewed more than eight million times across social media, leading to what she described as a “colossal” spike in sales just before the holidays. 



Solid Wiggles has spent five years trying to convince consumers that the Jell-O shot can be cool—and, clearly, it’s paying off. 



        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by s o l i d  w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles)




Recipe for success



Derman and Schramm met back in 2014, when they both worked at the popular dessert spot Milk Bar. They parted ways when Derman pursued commercial bakery consulting and Schramm went on to work in upscale cocktail bars. After reconnecting during the pandemic, they founded Solid Wiggles.



“In 2020, all the bars that I was working at were closed,” Schramm says. “Jena, ever entrepreneurial, was working on this jelly project where she was using coconut water as a clear base to make these big, elaborate, beautiful jelly centerpieces, but wanted to branch out into some new flavors. She reached out to me because I had centrifuge expertise to make juices clear, and we met at her apartment and made some really tasty jellies.”



        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by s o l i d  w i g g l e s (@solidwiggles)




That first day, Schramm recalls, he said, “Let’s put some booze in these”—and the pair haven’t looked back since. 



Not your mother’s Jell-O shot



Jelly desserts have existed for centuries, from France in the Middle Ages to Mexico City in the ‘40s, but Solid Wiggles is perhaps the first business to pioneer the edible Jell-O shot art category.



Though creative uses of gelatin often evoke an ill-advised recipe from the 1950s (savory Jell-O salad, anyone?), Derman says Solid Wiggles customers are a “grown and sexy” crowd. These are folks who are sick of just bringing a bottle of wine to a dinner and want to wow their hosts with something new.



“We spend all this time making it so that when it finally hits your mouth, you can’t distinguish any of the textures—it all should read as one,” she says. “It should come across as being really simple, even though it’s not so simple.”



Schramm believes one of the main factors driving enduring interest in the dessert is that it’s broadly nostalgic. 



“I think the nice thing about Jell-O in general is it’s not limited in terms of demographics that enjoy it,” Schramm says. “It’s sort of universally enjoyed by all ages, all demographics—even frat bros grow up at some point and want something delicious that’s also a little bit more beautiful.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91465920-classy-jello-shots.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, classy, Jell-O, shots, became, the, boozy, treat, the, season</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>AI is reshaping banking—but not causing a jobs wipeout</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-is-reshaping-bankingbut-not-causing-a-jobs-wipeout</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-is-reshaping-bankingbut-not-causing-a-jobs-wipeout</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Banking and finance headcounts remain largely stable, according to a Fortune report. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2171537262-e1766461283568.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>reshaping, banking—but, not, causing, jobs, wipeout</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Supporting moderation: beer’s structural advantage in the no&#45;alcohol space</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/supporting-moderation-beers-structural-advantage-in-the-no-alcohol-space</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/supporting-moderation-beers-structural-advantage-in-the-no-alcohol-space</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In 2024, no-alcohol beer accounted for 95% of all no-alcohol adult beverages globally, and volumes are projected to reach 10 billion liters by 2030. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1152377098-e1766158292431.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Supporting, moderation:, beer’s, structural, advantage, the, no-alcohol, space</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Christmas season brings $1.7 billion Powerball for a lucky winner. It hasn’t hit yet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/christmas-season-brings-17-billion-powerball-for-a-lucky-winner-it-hasnt-hit-yet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/christmas-season-brings-17-billion-powerball-for-a-lucky-winner-it-hasnt-hit-yet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Since Sept. 6, there have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25356778881727-e1766495251753.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Christmas, season, brings, 1.7, billion, Powerball, for, lucky, winner., hasn’t, hit, yet</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘When we got out of college, we had a job waiting for us’: 80&#45;year&#45;old boomer says her generation left behind a different economy for her grandkids</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-we-got-out-of-college-we-had-a-job-waiting-for-us-80-year-old-boomer-says-her-generation-left-behind-a-different-economy-for-her-grandkids</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-we-got-out-of-college-we-had-a-job-waiting-for-us-80-year-old-boomer-says-her-generation-left-behind-a-different-economy-for-her-grandkids</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Now, people who have master&#039;s degrees are going to work fast food while they look for a real job,&quot; said Diane West, among the oldest in her generation. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25336745557851-e1766495694263.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘When, got, out, college, had, job, waiting, for, us’:, 80-year-old, boomer, says, her, generation, left, behind, different, economy, for, her, grandkids</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The secrets of what Arnault knows: How Bernard Arnault built the impossible, and his timeless, transferable lessons of leadership </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-secrets-of-what-arnault-knows-how-bernard-arnault-built-the-impossible-and-his-timeless-transferable-lessons-of-leadership</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-secrets-of-what-arnault-knows-how-bernard-arnault-built-the-impossible-and-his-timeless-transferable-lessons-of-leadership</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Arnault didn&#039;t merely preserve a single great house after a founder’s passing. He&#039;s assembled, disciplined, and sustained an entire federation of maisons. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20251217_yale_320-e1766438987264.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, secrets, what, Arnault, knows:, How, Bernard, Arnault, built, the, impossible, and, his, timeless, transferable, lessons, leadership </media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The most important year&#45;end metrics aren’t on your balance sheet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-most-important-year-end-metrics-arent-on-your-balance-sheet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-most-important-year-end-metrics-arent-on-your-balance-sheet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the year winds down, many leaders find themselves in a familiar ritual: closing the books, reviewing revenue targets, and drafting ambitious financial goals for the year ahead. These practices are important. But after years of designing teams and advising organizations at different stages of growth, I’ve come to believe that the most valuable year-end ritual has little to do with money alone.



Instead, it’s about setting nonfinancial metrics alongside your financial ones.



Revenue tells you where your business landed. Nonfinancial metrics tell you why and whether the success you’re chasing is sustainable. They reveal the health of your organization from the inside out, often long before that health shows up on a balance sheet.



The quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is an ideal time to step back and ask a different set of questions. Not just Did we hit our numbers? but What did it cost us to get there? And What kind of organization are we becoming in the process?



Why Financial Metrics Alone Aren’t Enough



Financial metrics are essential, but they are lagging indicators. By the time revenue dips or margins tighten, the underlying issues such as burnout, disengagement, inefficient processes, or stalled innovation have often been present for months or even years. 



Nonfinancial metrics, on the other hand, act as early signals. They help leaders understand whether the systems, culture, and behaviors inside the organization are aligned with long-term success.



Consider employee engagement. Teams that feel trusted, challenged, and supported tend to deliver better work, collaborate more effectively, and stay longer. Gallup research shows that highly engaged teams deliver significantly better business outcomes—including up to 23% higher profitability and 41% lower absenteeism—indicating that engagement metrics act as early predictors of future performance rather than just retrospective measures.



Or look at client satisfaction. Loyal clients don’t just renew contracts; they deepen their engagement and/or refer others and become partners in growth. Operational efficiency, learning velocity, and innovation milestones similarly tell a story about whether an organization is built to adapt.



When these indicators are strong, financial results often follow. When they’re ignored, revenue gains can be fragile or short-lived.



Making the Intangible Measurable



One reason leaders shy away from nonfinancial metrics is the belief that they’re too “soft” to track. But meaningful doesn’t have to mean vague.



The key is choosing a small number of metrics that reflect what actually matters in your context. A startup might track time to decision or experiment-to-launch cycles. A growing team might focus on employee engagement scores, internal mobility, or manager effectiveness. A client-facing organization might prioritize retention, net promoter score, or qualitative feedback trends.



These metrics don’t need to be perfect or overly complex. What matters is consistency and intent. Even a quarterly pulse survey or a structured retrospective can surface patterns that financial numbers alone won’t reveal.



For individuals, the same principle applies. Instead of setting only income or productivity goals, you might track energy levels, learning hours, or the quality of your working relationships. These nonfinancial indicators often predict performance more accurately than output alone.



Turning Reflection Into Ritual



The end of the year offers a rare pause: a liminal space where urgency softens and perspective sharpens. Rather than rushing straight into next year’s goals, consider making reflection a deliberate leadership ritual.



Start by reviewing the nonfinancial signals from the past year. Where did momentum build naturally? Where did friction show up repeatedly? Which systems supported your work, and which quietly drained it?



Then, as you look ahead, set intentional nonfinancial metrics alongside your revenue targets. Ask yourself: If we succeed financially next year, what must also be true about our people, processes, and culture?



Write those answers down. Revisit them quarterly. Talk about them as openly as you discuss financial performance.



A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolution



New Year’s resolutions often fail because they focus on outcomes without addressing the conditions required to sustain them. Nonfinancial metrics flip that script, shifting attention from sheer output to the inputs that make great work possible.



In doing so, they offer a more humane, and ultimately more effective, approach to leadership and work. They remind us that organizations aren’t machines that run on numbers alone. They’re living systems shaped by trust, clarity, learning, and adjustment.



As the year draws to a close, you can still set ambitious financial goals. Just don’t stop there. Pair them with measures that reflect the kind of organization—and leader—you want to be.



Because when you measure what truly matters, the numbers tend to take care of themselves. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, most, important, year-end, metrics, aren’t, your, balance, sheet</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Costco’s newest membership perk isn’t impressing its customers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/costcos-newest-membership-perk-isnt-impressing-its-customers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/costcos-newest-membership-perk-isnt-impressing-its-customers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Costco’s latest promotional offering just dropped, but members aren’t rushing to claim it. At select warehouse club locations, members can now take home complimentary 3-pound bags of Gala apples. 



The shopping warehouse’s unique business model, wherein membership fees contribute largely to its revenue, means that it focuses on plugging its membership more than advertising specific products. Costco puts significant effort into encouraging people to join, or upgrade and renew, existing memberships. 



In the past, Costco has offered enticing items like tote bags to coax customers into automatic membership renewals, but the promotional bag of apples is not as appealing, according to one Costco member. 



“Giving away apples is like giving away white bread,” they told TheStreet. “It’s fine, I guess, but not very interesting. It’s certainly not going to get me to do anything different.” 



Costco has previously been successful in pushing customers to upgrade to the Executive tier, which is $130 annually, with customers earning 2% cash back on most purchases, compared with $65 for the basic level. In June, for example, Costco started unveiling a new membership feature that allowed Executive members to shop one hour earlier than regular members during weekdays and Sundays, and half an hour earlier on Saturdays. 



The perk was generally well received. The company reported a 1% boost in sales at the end of September, and Executive memberships increased by 9%, according to CFO Gary Millerchip.



Which might explain why the apples that followed seemed to fall a bit flat. 



What’s more, Costco shoppers have complained about employees tirelessly approaching them about memberships. Another customer told TheStreet that his membership makes sense for the amount that he shops, but he continues to face pressure.  



“The last few times I’ve gone to check out, I’ve gotten the third degree about my membership,” he says. “It’s getting really old.” 



For years, Costco’s membership system has served the brand well. But it’s apparent that taking a few steps in the wrong direction could turn people away. 



—Ava Levinson



This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc.



Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Costco’s, newest, membership, perk, isn’t, impressing, its, customers</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How Santa (and you) can find the right North Pole, even as it keeps moving</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-santa-and-you-can-find-the-right-north-pole-even-as-it-keeps-moving</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-santa-and-you-can-find-the-right-north-pole-even-as-it-keeps-moving</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When Santa Claus is done delivering presents on Christmas Eve, he must get back home to the North Pole, even if it’s snowing so hard that the reindeer can’t see the way.



He could use a compass, but then he has a challenge: He has to be able to find the right North Pole.



There are actually two North Poles—the geographic North Pole you see on maps and the magnetic North Pole that the compass relies on. They aren’t the same.



The two North Poles



The geographic North Pole, also called true north, is the point at one end of the Earth’s axis of rotation.



Try taking a tennis ball in your right hand, putting your thumb on the bottom and your middle finger on the top, and rotating the ball with the fingers of your left hand. The place where the thumb and middle finger of your right hand contact the tennis ball as it spins define the axis of rotation. The axis extends from the south pole to the north pole as it passes through the center of the ball.



Earth’s magnetic North Pole is different.



More than a thousand years ago, explorers began using compasses, typically made with a floating cork or piece of wood with a magnetized needle in it, to find their way. The Earth has a magnetic field that acts like a giant magnet, and the compass needle aligns with it.



The magnetic North Pole is used by devices such as smartphones for navigation—and that pole moves around over time.



Why the magnetic north pole moves around



The movement of the magnetic North Pole is the result of the Earth having an active core. The inner core, starting about 3,200 miles below your feet, is solid and under such immense pressure that it cannot melt. But the outer core is molten, consisting of melted iron and nickel.



Heat from the inner core makes the molten iron and nickel in the outer core move around, much like soup in a pot on a hot stove. The movement of the iron-rich liquid induces a magnetic field that covers the entire Earth.



As the molten iron in the outer core moves around, the magnetic North Pole wanders.



For most of the past 600 years, the pole has been wandering around over northern Canada. It was moving relatively slowly, around 6 to 9 miles per year, until around 1990, when its speed increased dramatically, up to 34 miles per year.



It started moving in the general direction of the geographic North Pole about a century ago. Earth scientists cannot say exactly why other than that it reflects a change in flow within the outer core.



Getting Santa home



So, if Santa’s home is the geographic North Pole (which, incidentally, is in the ice-covered middle of the Arctic Ocean) how does he correct his compass bearing if the two North Poles are in different locations?



No matter what device he might be using—compass or smartphone—both rely on magnetic north as a reference to determine the direction he needs to move.



While modern GPS systems can tell you precisely where you are as you make your way to grandma’s house, they cannot accurately tell which direction to go without your device knowing the direction of magnetic north.



If Santa is using an old-fashioned compass, he’ll need to adjust it for the difference between true north and magnetic north. To do that, he needs to know the declination at his location (the angle between true north and magnetic north) and make the correction to his compass. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an online calculator that can help.



If you are using a smartphone, your phone has a built-in magnetometer that does the work for you. It measures the Earth’s magnetic field at your location and then uses the World Magnetic Model to correct for precise navigation.



Whatever method Santa uses, he may be relying on magnetic north to find his way to your house and back home again. Or maybe the reindeer just know the way.





Scott Brame is a research assistant professor of earth science at Clemson University.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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</item>

<item>
<title>Our built environment is exacerbating the loneliness crisis</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/our-built-environment-is-exacerbating-the-loneliness-crisis</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/our-built-environment-is-exacerbating-the-loneliness-crisis</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: Our built environment contributes to a mental health crisis. 



The built environment as we know it—buildings and the spaces between—does direct damage to our minds. Communities developed slowly for thousands of years, but in 20th century America, the end of World War II introduced a massive population and construction boom.



Land use planning has had devastating impacts on Americans—economically, socially, and culturally. But I’m not a doomer and I know these things are fixable. Not overnight reversible, but certainly fixable.



Spreading us out



Typical land use rules are written, updated, and enforced at the local government level. Agencies copied each other over the years—because why wouldn’t they? Much of what I’ve learned as an adult (podcasting, publishing, propaganda making, etc.) has been taught by generous people who themselves had learned tips and tricks. So, of course, public agencies copied each other. “Hey, that worked for a similar river city. Let’s try it here.”





Planning departments at city and county levels weren’t setting out to guide development in a way that would purposefully harm us. Quite the opposite. If a new Sears distribution center was coming to town, they’d want to map out a plan to accommodate all the new employees and subsequent traffic. In the middle of the 20th century, planners were still very much concerned about separating dirty and/or dangerous land uses from residential areas. 



The result was that all across the country, local development rules required or incentivized development patterns that spread everyone and everything across the landscape: work zone, school zone, shopping zone, entertainment zone, and sleep zone. And then each major category started getting more prescriptive subcategories. “Residential” morphed into single-family, multifamily (apartments), and condos. But wait, there’s more! 



Residential land uses started to be regulated by local governments according to lot size: garden apartments, planned unit developments, and subdivisions were each given rules. Residential use was also regulated by the type of people living in a place: public housing, group dwellings, age-restricted dwellings, renters, and owners.



Promoting sprawl



Local regulations created (and continue to create) sprawl in cities and the suburbs. Land use planning requires traffic engineering analysis, a process prioritizing car movement above all else. Wider roads and intersections are not just suggested but required, with the express goal to move car traffic from zone to zone as quickly as possible. When in doubt, they add more car lanes. This has been going on for nearly 100 years—without taking a foot off the brake.



Cars and loneliness



The obvious outcome of modern land use planning is that Americans drive everywhere all the time. Not just work commutes, but all the errands before, during, and after work. Half of our car trips are less than a few miles long. A quarter are less than a mile. Less than a mile in a car by ourselves. 



Driving is forced on Americans as the only reasonable way to get around. For most, it’s terrifying or deadly to walk or ride a bicycle, even for those errands that are less than a mile away. We’re in a car-first environment because of the organized zones developed by planners and approved by local leaders. Life in a single-occupant vehicle has its perks, like singing along to music or listening to podcasts uninterrupted. It also has its pains, like separation from other humans and mental deterioration.



Loneliness is a significant variable affecting depression. It’s a predisposing factor. Cigna conducted a study of 20,000 Americans and reported a jaw-dropping finding: Nearly half of adults sometimes or always feel alone. More than 40% said their relationships aren’t meaningful and they feel isolated. Actual and perceived social isolation are associated with early death. Your mind tells your body that it’s just not worth living.



Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University. She says the health risks of missing out on social connection are like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Worse yet, there’s a causal relationship between social isolation and suicide. Conversely, having a crew (“social support” in doctor jargon) has a protective effect against suicide. For every suicidal death, another 20 people attempted suicide.



What to do



So what do you do with all this heavy information?



First, remember that the built environment is deliberately planned for us to drive in cars from zone to zone. Planners aren’t trying to destroy our minds, but the built environment increases anxiety, depression, isolation, loneliness, and suicide. Humans are not meant to be alone all the time. Even when you’re hauling kids from school to soccer to the tutor to dinner to whatever else, you’re isolated from social interactions. The kids are watching videos or scrolling through their phones. 



Second, understand the land use catastrophes are reversible. Compact development won’t be legalized overnight, but reform can come as quickly as local leaders are willing. There’s no need to wait on a national referendum or the president representing your favorite team. Walk-friendly, bike-friendly, and transit-friendly places are good medicine, and they’re made possible at the local level. 



Third, share your car-life stories with me. I’m producing a documentary about unhealthy infrastructure. Specifically, I’m focused on ways our minds and bodies are crumbling because of how places and spaces are planned and built. If you’re interested in sharing what it’s like to be dependent on a car, or what it’s like having to wait 45 minutes for a bus, I’m all ears. 



Finally, know that things get better in the end. The mental health crisis is tragic, but we can turn this around with something as boring as reforming land use planning.





 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Our, built, environment, exacerbating, the, loneliness, crisis</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>My Private, Free AI Setup</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/my-private-free-ai-setup</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/my-private-free-ai-setup</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.



Short on time? Read this 30-second summary of today’s post. ?



Download a free, private AI program to run on your computer. Use it offline without any subscription cost and avoid the risk of having sensitive info ingested into a large language model like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. The newest versions of private AI tools like Jan run easily on my 2021 Mac laptop, cost nothing, and are easy to use. They’re a good alternative to costlier AI platforms.



? Quick start guide




Download and install Jan for free. Other good free alternatives to consider include Msty, AnythingLLM, or LM Studio.



Open Jan and pick an open-source large language model. The model you use impacts the AI’s response style. You can switch anytime. I use the v1 model.



Try your first query. Here are a few quick mini prompts to start with:“Summarize the pros and cons of using AI for [specific task].”“Turn my rough notes below into a short summary and bullet points.”“Turn this angry email draft to my service provider into a constructive message more likely to generate a helpful response.”



Adjust the app’s appearance settings, including font size and shortcuts.



Close other processor-intensive apps on your computer, like video editing tools, to reduce the likelihood of your computer slowing down.




?? 5 reasons to use private AI




Save money: Avoid subscription fees by running AI models on your own computer. Generate unlimited responses without monthly charges.



Keep your data private: Using private AI on your computer ensures no data is sent to or stored on big tech firms’ servers. No conversations leave your device. You can even run these tools offline.

For sensitive legal, medical, financial or personal issues, ask questions without worrying about your data ending up in a large language model’s training data.





Work offline: Having full offline access is handy whether you’re traveling without Wi-Fi, working in a remote area, or hesitant to trust a random public network.



Experiment with hundreds of open-source models: Choose an open-source large language model that suits you. Each is trained differently. Some are stronger at certain languages, others specialize in coding. New ones emerge regularly. Switch as often as you’d like. By contrast, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini limit you to the platform’s own models.

Tip: Use LM Arena to compare two models’ responses side by side.





Reduce your environmental impact: If you run hundreds of daily prompts, a local AI app may mean less use of internet infrastructure and remote data servers.




Private AI tools allow you to keep your data on your laptop, though they may not be as powerful as top AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. [Image: generated with ChatGPT]



? Jan is an excellent, free, private AI tool




Platforms: Mac, PC, Linux




What I like about it




Fast and easy to set up and use: Jan takes a minute to download and install. Using Jan is as easy as using ChatGPT, Claude, or any other chatbot, though you do have to make an initial decision about which model to use.



Assistants: Create customized AI helpers for various purposes. One for translating Chinese, another for coding. Task it to “Act as a software engineering mentor focused on Python and JavaScript. Provide detailed explanations with code examples. Use markdown formatting for code blocks.”



Projects: Organize queries into distinct folders for easy access to subjects of interest without searching through hundreds of threads.



Integrations: Link Jan to Canva, Todoist, Linear, or other tools using MCP (model context protocol) connections.



Documentation and resources: Lots of useful documentation, including a handbook and blog.




What’s Next: Jan AI is developing mobile versions for iOS and Android and adding integrations to link Jan to other services.



? A Jan case study



Becki Lee, a senior technical writer, uses Jan to explore health questions she wants to keep private.



“I have a chronic illness I’m struggling to get diagnosed,” she emailed me. “So I created an assistant to help interpret test results and brainstorm possible explanations for my symptoms. Obviously, it’s super important to take this with a grain of salt (a chatbot is absolutely no substitute for a doctor). However, this helps bubble up conditions I can research further on my own, and it also generates questions I can ask my actual doctor.”



✨ More free AI options for Mac, PC, or Linux



Msty



The free version of this well-designed app has multiple unique features. Unlike Jan, which is completely free, Msty also has paid advanced features.



Its best free features include:




A built-in prompt library with hundreds of options.



Special focus and zen modes that strip away side menus.



Create multiple personas, which are assistants with distinct personalities. Each can adopt a different style or approach in answering your queries.



Knowledge Stacks let you import document collections for analysis. These can include PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoints, spreadsheets, lists of YouTube links, or even an Obsidian vault.



Advanced features, like multistep automations, require a paid subscription. I’ve only used the free version. It’s easy to use, powerful, and well designed. I chose the Gemma 3.




AnythingLLM



Like Jan, this is a straightforward open-source AI app that’s a good option for novice AI users.



How it’s different from Jan




You can upload files for AnythingLLM to summarize.



Enable it to make simple charts.



Turn on Web search, which requires a free API key from Google or Serpa.



There’s also a new beta Android version.




Caveat: It’s not quite as nicely designed as Jan, and isn’t updated as often.



LM Studio



This more developer-friendly option is less simple for beginners.



What’s notable: Florent Daudens, an AI expert and educator who used to oversee daily editorial coverage at CBC/Radio-Canada, relies on LM Studio for private AI use.



I asked him why and he said, “It’s practical, with a user/developer-friendly interface, quick updates when new models drop, a server option, and helpful model compatibility info.”



In a LinkedIn post, Florent shared an example of using LM Studio on his laptop. He used Google’s Gemma 3 model to analyze plane photos for extracting registration numbers as an investigative journalist might, without sending data to external servers.



Limitations of private AI tools




Feature limits: Many special features on other AI platforms won’t work on these private AI platforms. ChatGPT’s new plug-ins for Canva or Figma, for instance, won’t work with private AI. You may not be able to export results directly to Google Sheets or Slack, as you can with other AI tools.



No interactives or advanced visuals: You can’t create infographics and visual illustrations like ChatGPT’s. No coding and hosting interactive applications, as you can with Claude or Gemini. No advanced searches with detailed citations like those from Perplexity.



Quality variation: Some open-source models have limited or older training data, so results for certain queries may be worse. For ordinary queries and text summarization, this quality difference may not be noticeable.



Slower speed: Depending on your query, you might wait longer with some open-source models than with ChatGPT, Copilot, or other private AI platforms. Speed hasn’t been a big concern for me so far.



Can’t handle as much text at once: A smaller “context window” means that private AI tools may not be able to analyze text blocks as large as those ChatGPT or Claude can handle. Some small language models may resort to skimming longer text. They may also be more likely to hallucinate details if asked for summaries of long, complex documents.




?‍? Additional resources




Free, open-source AI tools for journalists curated on Hugging Face by Florent Daudens. Read more about why I like Hugging Face as an open-source AI hub.



Local LLM Group on Reddit, with 546,000 members. Keep up on notable research on AI and private AI tool development.



Helpful write-up about local large language models by Stephen Turner.



LinkedIn Learning Course on private large language models and Jan AI.




This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>BP’s C&#45;suite milestone: Women in both the CEO and CFO seats</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bps-c-suite-milestone-women-in-both-the-ceo-and-cfo-seats</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bps-c-suite-milestone-women-in-both-the-ceo-and-cfo-seats</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Woodside Energy leader Meg O’Neill will join BP as CEO, alongside finance chief Kate Thomson. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>BP’s, C-suite, milestone:, Women, both, the, CEO, and, CFO, seats</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Top advisor to Zohran Mamdani resigns over antisemitic old tweets despite now being married to a Jewish man and having Jewish children</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-advisor-to-zohran-mamdani-resigns-over-antisemitic-old-tweets-despite-now-being-married-to-a-jewish-man-and-having-jewish-children</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-advisor-to-zohran-mamdani-resigns-over-antisemitic-old-tweets-despite-now-being-married-to-a-jewish-man-and-having-jewish-children</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused,” Catherine Almonte Da Costa said. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Top, advisor, Zohran, Mamdani, resigns, over, antisemitic, old, tweets, despite, now, being, married, Jewish, man, and, having, Jewish, children</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The bulls are too bullish: Bank of America warns 200&#45;plus fund managers just triggered a contrarian ‘sell’ signal</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-bulls-are-too-bullish-bank-of-america-warns-200-plus-fund-managers-just-triggered-a-contrarian-sell-signal</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-bulls-are-too-bullish-bank-of-america-warns-200-plus-fund-managers-just-triggered-a-contrarian-sell-signal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The logic of the Bull &amp; Bear Indicator is that when everyone in the market is bullish, it&#039;s time to leave. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1469520721.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, bulls, are, too, bullish:, Bank, America, warns, 200-plus, fund, managers, just, triggered, contrarian, ‘sell’, signal</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>TikTok agrees U.S. joint venture deal with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tiktok-agrees-us-joint-venture-deal-with-oracle-silver-lake-and-mgx</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tiktok-agrees-us-joint-venture-deal-with-oracle-silver-lake-and-mgx</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle, whose shares jumped 5% on the announcement. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25345533394293-e1766151474234.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>TikTok, agrees, U.S., joint, venture, deal, with, Oracle, Silver, Lake, and, MGX</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Jim Hunt, the ‘education governor’ who served 4 terms in North Carolina as a Democrat, dies at 88</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jim-hunt-the-education-governor-who-served-4-terms-in-north-carolina-as-a-democrat-dies-at-88</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jim-hunt-the-education-governor-who-served-4-terms-in-north-carolina-as-a-democrat-dies-at-88</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Four-term North Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt, a towering figure in North Carolina politics in the late 20th century who helped leaders from both major parties strive for public education reform, died Thursday at the age of 88, his daughter Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced. Hunt, whose career provided a prototype for the modern “education governor,” served an unprecedented […] ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25352812422144.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jim, Hunt, the, ‘education, governor’, who, served, terms, North, Carolina, Democrat, dies</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Every AI founder thinks they want a mega investing round. Trust me, you don’t</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/every-ai-founder-thinks-they-want-a-mega-investing-round-trust-me-you-dont</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/every-ai-founder-thinks-they-want-a-mega-investing-round-trust-me-you-dont</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There is a strange gravitational pull in the AI ecosystem right now. Every founder wants to raise a monster round. A $50 million seed. A $200 million Series A. The kind of fundraise that makes headlines, melts your inbox, and gets your parents to finally understand you have a real job.



I’ve raised both kinds of rounds. A $12 million one that looked incredible in TechCrunch. And recently, an intentionally small but oversubscribed pre-seed for my new company, Empromptu.ai, where investors fought for allocation like we were handing out Taylor Swift tickets. Having lived on both sides, here is the truth no one in AI land wants to say out loud: A mega round might be the fastest way to screw up your company.



The perfection problem



When I raised $12 million at my last startup, CodeSee.io, I thought I was winning. Fewer than 30 Black women have ever raised that much venture capital. I thought big money meant big validation. And yes, years later, it was validating. CodeSee.io was Cursor before Cursor was cool. But what people forget is that everything had to be perfect. Perfect product, perfect engineering, perfect marketing, perfect sales, perfect timing. You are signing up for perfection with capital that large. And the second you fall short, the clock starts ticking on the next round, your runway, and your team’s morale.



Here is what no one tells you until you are already living inside the pressure cooker.



A mega round is a contract with the future, not a celebration of the present. You are promising you will grow like a weed even while the world is chaos. In AI especially, half the market is noise and the other half is vaporware. You are still finding product-market-something, but your fundraising number tells the world you are already at product-market-fit. Now your job is not to build truth. It is to build momentum.



Markets change, timing changes, and your optimism doesn’t pay your investors back. Big rounds push you toward optics instead of output. You start building for the board instead of the customer. The louder the round, the more deafening the expectations that follow. Before chasing a headline-sized round, you need to ask yourself hard questions:




Based on your actual GTM engine—not the one you hope to have—how much return can you realistically deliver?



Do you have the sales pipeline, category dynamics, and team structure to grow 10 times or even 20 times the capital you want to raise?



If an external shock hits—an economic downturn, an AI bubble burst, or a sudden shift in whatever latest metrics investors care about—does your business have the frameworks and adaptability to survive it and still justify your valuation?




Raising the stakes



Most founders don’t run these numbers honestly. We romanticize optimism. But fundraising is not about what you believe your company could be worth—it’s about whether you have the machinery to make that valuation real in the harshest version of the future. A mega round multiplies every assumption you make. Every risk. Every blind spot.



And ego makes it even harder. Getting told your company is worth $50 million at the idea stage is intoxicating. It’s human nature to want to believe the flattering version of your story. But the best founders know how to put their ego on the shelf long enough to look at their business objectively. Investors don’t care how good the number feels; they care whether you can return their fund.



Most importantly: AI is changing too fast for giant commitments. Today’s hype cycle is tomorrow’s graveyard. You do not want to be the founder forced to keep shipping an outdated strategy because that is what you raised money for. Momentum is a blessing only if you are pointed in the right direction. If you are not, it becomes an anchor.



With Empromptu, we kept the round intentionally small and tight, at least for now. We chose discipline over dopamine. And here is the secret: Small money gives you big freedom. You can pivot. Experiment. Say no. Build weird things. Build the right things. Build your company instead of your investor’s portfolio theory.



Raising less does not mean thinking smaller. It means thinking smarter. You do not need a mega round. You need real progress, real customers, and real clarity.



And if you still want the $100 million round, at least go in with your eyes open. Sometimes the most powerful thing a founder can do is grow at the speed of understanding instead of the speed of capital. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91453693-every-ai-founder-thinks-they-want-a-mega-investing-round-trust-me-you-dont-ai-founders-funding.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Every, founder, thinks, they, want, mega, investing, round., Trust, me, you, don’t</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>AI is starting to shop for you. Here’s how Visa is making sure it doesn’t scam you</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-is-starting-to-shop-for-you-heres-how-visa-is-making-sure-it-doesnt-scam-you</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-is-starting-to-shop-for-you-heres-how-visa-is-making-sure-it-doesnt-scam-you</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As autonomous AI agents increasingly browse, compare prices, and complete purchases on behalf of consumers, one challenge is becoming unavoidable for merchants: trust.



On Wednesday, Akamai Technologies announced a strategic collaboration with Visa aimed at addressing that problem. The partnership integrates Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s behavioral intelligence, allowing merchants to authenticate AI agents, link them to real consumers, and block malicious bot traffic before it ever reaches sensitive systems.



The move comes as agent-driven traffic floods the internet. According to Akamai’s 2025 Digital Fraud and Abuse Report, AI-powered bot traffic surged more than 300% over the past year, with the commerce industry alone seeing more than 25 billion AI bot requests in a two-month period.



“We all continue to be excited about the proliferation of agentic AI use cases,” said Patrick Sullivan, CTO of security strategy at Akamai. “We’re seeing billions upon billions of requests coming from agentic AI use cases.”



When AI becomes the intermediary



For decades, digital commerce has been built around a simple assumption: A human is on the other end of the transaction. Agentic commerce breaks that model.



Instead of navigating a merchant’s site directly, consumers increasingly rely on software to search, compare, and sometimes buy on their behalf. For instance, whereas previously buying a new suitcase might involve exploring a dozen retailer’s sites, soon you might have AI do the legwork for you. That shift introduces a new intermediary—one that can be helpful, harmful, or fraudulent.



“There’s a new entity that’s now sitting in between the merchant and the consumer,” said Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s global head of growth. “Things could go wrong.”



From a consumer standpoint, that raises questions about refunds, disputes, and chargebacks. Whose fault is it if you asked for a black bag and received a dark blue one by mistake? From a merchant perspective, it creates uncertainty around intent, legitimacy, and risk.



“If you’re a merchant, and you’re thinking about your website, there are a lot of changes coming your way,” Sullivan said. “You built your website originally in the era where there was going to be a human on the other end.”



Now, discovery may happen through an AI-powered chat interface. Browsing may be conducted by an autonomous agent. Even the browser itself may be software acting on behalf of a user.



“We need to make sure that it’s still on behalf of the right human and it’s not a fraudster taking advantage of some new evolution in technology,” Sullivan said.



Proving both the agent and the human



At the center of the Visa–Akamai partnership is a dual-identity problem: verifying not just who the human is, but who the agent acting for them is.



“It’s important for us to always know who the human is,” Sullivan said. “But then, as we see these agentic use cases emerge, it’s important for us to get signal from Visa of who that agent is in that interaction.”



Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol provides authentication signals indicating whether an agent is authorized and whether it intends to browse or pay. Akamai reads and reinforces those signals using behavioral intelligence, often before traffic reaches a merchant’s core systems.



“You’re going to see traffic before it ever reaches a merchant system,” Sullivan said. “That allows us to build a trusted user profile so we can understand that Jim is actually Jim.”



Because Akamai sees end users repeatedly across the internet—shopping, banking, reading news—it can establish consistency and spot anomalies early in the transaction flow.



“That allows us to very, very early in the transaction reduce attempts at fraud and impersonation,” Sullivan said.



Scale changes the threat model



The surge in AI-driven traffic has raised concerns about whether volume itself becomes a security risk. Sullivan argues scale cuts both ways.



“We’ve seen AI bot traffic surge 300 plus percent this year,” he said. “But while the numbers are in the billions, that’s still sort of a rounding error for the overall traffic that we see.”



Still, Sullivan expects automation to accelerate abuse over time.



“Anything that can be automated, it’s just so much more profitable for attackers,” he said. “If you can automate your attack, you can pull off more attacks.”



That’s why both companies emphasize operating at global scale. Visa processes transactions across nearly 200 markets, while Akamai manages traffic and bots at internet-wide levels.



“These are two companies that operate at massive scale,” Sullivan said. “It’s companies like ours that we think will stand up to the pace of these automated processes.”



Why merchants matter most



While consumers may benefit immediately from smoother discovery and purchasing, Birwadker said the heaviest lift lies with merchants adapting their infrastructure.



“A large amount of change really lies on the acceptance side, on the merchant side,” Birwadker said. “Their infrastructure needs to keep up with all the changes that are happening.”



Merchants will need to decide what information agents can access, how pricing and inventory are exposed, and how loyalty and personalization work when an AI, not a browser, is driving the interaction.



“This is just keeping up with changes to consumer behavior,” Sullivan said. “They’re having an AI agent do something on their behalf.”



A compatibility play for the future



Neither Visa nor Akamai claims to know exactly what agentic commerce will look like three years from now. But both frame Trusted Agent Protocol as a compatibility layer—one that allows commerce infrastructure to evolve without losing control.



“Our goal is just to make sure that our ecosystem remains compatible with the agentic world,” Birwadker said. “It’s more about compatibility than about almost anything else.”



As AI agents move from novelty to necessity, that trust layer may determine whether merchants embrace agentic commerce—or shut it out altogether. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>starting, shop, for, you., Here’s, how, Visa, making, sure, doesn’t, scam, you</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The year of the tactical vest</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-year-of-the-tactical-vest</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-year-of-the-tactical-vest</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In late October, dozens of federal law enforcement officers flooded Canal street, a busy thoroughfare in Manhattan, arresting street vendors. Some officers donned full military uniforms; some wore plain clothes, baseball caps, and neck gaiters pulled over their faces. All were equipped with tactical vests of various styles and with a medley of identifying patches—“HSI,” “Customs and Border Patrol,” “Federal Agent,” or, simply, “Police.” 



They wore markers of power and authority, but with little consistency across them. As news of the raid unfolded, the NYPD released a statement on X saying it had no involvement with the operation. So who, exactly, were all the people with “Police” emblazoned on their chests? 









Every decade has its era-defining garments. Think spaghetti strap dresses in the 1990s, low-rise jeans in the 2000s, and athleisure in the 2010s. This year, one garment felt suddenly ubiquitous: the tactical vest. And it’s not just law enforcement wearing this gear; there’s a growing consumer market for body armor and garments that resemble them. They’ve gone from technical gear designed for professionals to normalized accessories. Moreover, these objects have seeped into fitness in the form of weighted vests that are made by the same companies who produce tactical gear. Their form factor has become a chilling symbol of a political climate defined by fear.



How the plate carrier mainstreamed



These vests, also known as plate carriers, are military equipment designed to protect the people who wear them from bullets and other ballistics. They’re garments with removable ceramic, steel, and composite plates, and are outfitted with nylon loops and Velcro that enable wearers to attach gear and accessories, a system known as MOLLE, an acronym for “modular lightweight load-carrying equipment. 



Counter protesters at the June 2025 No King demonstration in Houston June 14, 2025 [Photo: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images]



What began as specialized garments created for active combat has been steadily infiltrating our cities for decades. The vests became more prevalent after the expansion of the 1033 program, which authorized the free transfer of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement for the War on Drugs in the 1980s and 1990s and counterterrorism post-9/11. 



One interesting part of the business of these garments is that until the War on Terror, tactical clothing wasn’t something military actively stocked in the same way as guns and ammunition, explains Charles W. McFarlane, a military fashion historian and author of the Substack Combat Threads. 



A law enforcement agent’s vest in Chicago October 4, 2025. [Photo: Octavio Jones/AFP/Getty Images]



While body armor had been used since WWII, it took decades to create something that was protective but didn’t interfere with movement. Patrol troops in Vietnam, for example, didn’t regularly wear it because it was heavy, cumbersome, and trapped heat; however, troops in defense positions and on unarmored convoys did. 



After Kevlar was invented in 1965, protective vests became lighter and easier to wear as designers integrated the material into gear. In the 1980s, the U.S. army began issuing Kevlar vests to some troops in the Middle East, Panama, and Grenada. Then in the 1990s, Army Rangers in Somalia wore vests with a combination of Kevlar and a hard plate.



In 1999, the military began issuing what most closely resembles the tactical vests of today, with removable plate inserts and the MOLLE system on the outside. But it wasn’t until 2003 that all soldiers received “one suit of body armor” as a matter of policy. McFarlane notes that the CIA paramilitary officers who led Operation Jawbreaker, the agency’s highly secretive first mission to Afghanistan in 2001, bought their gear at REI. “They look like they’re dads on a fishing trip,” McFarlane says.



As a new market for this gear opened, private companies began to develop specialty products that they sold to the military and the public, too. Brands like Crye Precision, 5.11 Tactical, and Safariland provide gear to the government and consumers. According to Research and Markets, the military Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) market—a category that includes body armor, tactical vests, and combat helmets among other products—is expected to see an annual growth rate of 8.2%, rising from $19.4 billion in 2024 to $29 billion in 2029. 



[Screenshots: FC]



“This stuff has just become so much more available, and if you wanted to buy a plate carrier that is standard issue for the military or one that is used by Special Forces, you can go to the same companies and buy it, with some exceptions,” McFarlane says. 



There are few sales restrictions on tactical gear. At the federal level, it’s illegal for people with felony convictions to buy plate carriers or body armor, but sellers say enforcement is lax. Some states have stricter rules, like New York, which passed a law in 2022 barring sales to anyone who isn’t in law enforcement or the military.



A protestor in Portland, Oregon. October 4, 2025. [Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]



McFarlane links the growing consumer market for this gear to gun culture. “Men who are in their thirties, who grew up watching the global war and terror on TV and also probably played a lot of video games like Battlefield or Call of Duty, and it’s like, ‘Oh, I can own a version of that gun in real life.’ I got the gun. I kind of want the gear now too, and I think it builds out from there. It’s like collecting action figures.” 



A man works out in a plate carrier. [Photo: serejkakovalev/Adobe Stock]



Incidentally, 5.11 Tactical, which makes plate carriers and weighted fitness vests, partnered with EA Games on Battlefield 6 to design more realistic combat uniforms and “bring an unparalleled level of authenticity to players,” said Kyle Peterson, senior director of brand for Battlefield in a news release; co-branded merchandise is also part of the deal.



An ununiform uniform



Tactical vests are evasive objects. Because immigration enforcement agents often wear civilian clothing, the tactical vest becomes a stand-in for a governmental authority. Remove the vest and you’ve got a pretty ordinary looking guy, which presents a problem since militias and vigilante groups have adopted the same attire. There’s not much visual difference between a January 6th rioter, far right protesters, ICE agents, or a Call of Duty fanatic. Sometimes, the visual uncertainty has had dangerous consequences. The FBI recently issued a warning about people impersonating ICE in order to commit violent crimes.



Federal agents and law enforcement stand outside of 26 Federal Plaza, New York City. October 21, 2025. [Photo: Adam Gray/Getty Images]



Naureen Shah, the director of government affairs, equality division at the American Civil Liberties Union, says that the menacing attire that makes it difficult to identify agents erodes public trust and opens the door to civil rights abuses. “The Trump Administration wants us not to know who [the agent] is because it wants to intimidate the public,” Shah says. “We don’t know if it’s ICE or the FBI or the ATF or the DEA or the National Guard. You really don’t know who’s behind that vest. I think that’s calculated chaos designed to instill fear, not just in immigrant communities, but in all of us.”



ICE has a long history of impersonating local police officers, a practice known as “ruses,” in order to gain access to spaces and information without furnishing a warrant. This includes wearing tactical gear that says “Police” and covering up badges that say ICE. 



New York City, June, 2025. [Photo: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images]



Meanwhile, attorneys general in New York and Minnesota recently wrote a letter to congress urging them to pass a law that requires ICE agents to wear agency-identifying insignia and prohibits identity-concealing masks. In 2020, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in Southern California to stop this deceptive practice; in August a settlement was reached that requires ICE field officers in Los Angeles to have visible ICE identifiers whenever they use the phrase “Police” on their uniforms.



“If you’re going to be policing the public, then you wear a uniform for that sense of accountability to the public,” Shah says. 



Federal Agents in Broadview, Illinois. September, 2025. [Photo: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu/Getty Images]



The morale of the story



The use of military gear, like the tactical vest, in law enforcement represents its own type of psychology—one that projects power instead of the safety and competence that a police officer’s uniform was designed to do. This distinction is apparent in the ways ICE agents decorate their vests. 



The same Velcro that brings functionality tactical vests also makes it easier to add flair, or what would be considered a “morale patch.” As McFarlane explains, the military has been using morale patches since WWI, but they had to be stitched on before the velcro, courtesy of the MOLLE system on tactical vests, became common. 



Patches with a Superman logo, the Punisher, and a slogan from Deadpool have been spotted on tactical vests. The Punisher logo, in particular, has become a co-opted symbol by far right groups. The superhero theme is telling. “The way it’s presented in these stories is that they operate outside of the law, but to a higher purpose,” McFarlane says.



The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been tracking the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) use of hate symbols, which has included white nationalist and anti-immigrant imagery and language within recruitment ads. ICE is currently on a hiring spree—it plans to hire 10,000 agents by 2026—and it makes sense that the cohort who responded to those messages would wear those symbols as literal badges of honor. 



“Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, several top DHS leaders and immigration advisers were drawn directly from hate groups making up the organized anti-immigrant movement. Agents sporting patches with hard-right emblems follow this disturbing trend,” says Travis McAdam, the manager of research and analysis in the Intelligence Project at SPLC.



McAdam notes that the organization has seen an increase in ICE and other federal agents attaching patches to their tactical gear with iconography favored by hard-right movements.



“One example is the Punisher symbol that’s long been a favorite of Three Percent militias, which feature it widely in their logos and merchandise,” he says. “While it’s used outside this antigovernment context, agents adopting it is consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s use of hard-right imagery and language to both recruit employees and celebrate the arrest of Black and Brown people.” (Incidentally, DHS made Dean Cain, an actor who played Superman an honorary ICE officer this year.)



McFarlane is not impressed with the comic book nods. “I think it shows a lack of discipline,” he says. “That’s the kind of stuff that doesn’t really fly in the U.S. military. You’re not going to see someone with a Superman patch—or at least they’re going to have the sense to take it off when there’s a camera or superior around.”



These tactical vests, as well as the words, phrases, and iconography that appear on them, reveal a shocking dissonance between the people wearing them and the situations they are in: sledgehammering through the car windowing of an asylum seeker, arresting a pregnant citizen, and slamming a senior to the ground. Who really needs protection in these situations? 



One Columbia psychologist has developed a theory called “enclothed cognition,” which argues that what we wear affects the way we think and behave. Military-coded garments evoke a combat-ready sensibility and the fact that menacing vests are ubiquitous is frightening.  



“We’re not supposed to have federal officials who are designed to terrify people,” Shah says. “That’s not supposed to happen in a functioning democracy.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, year, the, tactical, vest</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Medline IPO: Stock price will be closely watched today as medical products company has biggest offering of 2025</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/medline-ipo-stock-price-will-be-closely-watched-today-as-medical-products-company-has-biggest-offering-of-2025</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/medline-ipo-stock-price-will-be-closely-watched-today-as-medical-products-company-has-biggest-offering-of-2025</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s been a tumultuous year for U.S. stock markets. Investors have had their nerves rattled twice this year by government-related events—President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs in the spring, followed by the longest U.S. government shutdown in history this fall. 



That’s on top of an economy already hit hard by inflation and declining consumer confidence.



Yet despite this, there have still been several high-profile and successful initial public offerings throughout the year—especially in the AI and fintech spaces. 



And now, an IPO this week is set to dwarf all others that have come before it this year. Here’s what you need to know about Medline’s initial public offering.



What is Medline?



Medline is a maker of medical supplies. The company is based in Northfield, Illinois, and was originally founded in 1966 by brothers Jim and John Mills.



According to the company’s S-1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Medline makes approximately 335,000 different medical and surgical products—everything from wheelchairs to masks and scalpels.



It manufactures this extraordinary portfolio of products at 33 global facilities and has customers in more than 100 countries. As of the end of 2024, Medline employed more than 43,000 workers worldwide.



For the nine months that ended on September 27, Medline reported $20.6 billion in net sales so far this year. Its net income for the nine-month period was $977 million. For the same period a year earlier, Medline reported $18.7 billion in net sales and net income of $911 million.



Medline has a history of public offerings and private equity



Despite its IPO this week, this isn’t the first time Medline has publicly listed its stock. As Reuters reported, Medline originally went public in 1972. But just five years later, in 1977, the Mills brothers took the company private again.



The company grew massively over the next several decades, ultimately attracting the attention of private equity. 



As noted by the Financial Times, a group of private equity investors, including Blackstone, Carlyle, and Hellman &amp; Friedman’s, acquired a majority stake in the medical supply maker in 2021 for a staggering $34 billion. 



At the time, it was the largest leveraged buyout since the 2008 financial crisis.



And despite Medline’s IPO this week, this isn’t the first time in 2025 that Medline was expected to go public. The company had been considering an IPO earlier in 2025, but then Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs hit. 



Medline was one of the companies that stood to be hit hardest by tariffs, as the majority of its products are made in Asian nations that faced some of the steepest tariffs.



Despite this earlier delay, Medline will once again become a publicly traded company after 48 years.



When is Medline’s IPO?



Medline priced its shares on Tuesday. It expects to list its shares today: Wednesday, December 17, 2025.



What is Medline’s stock ticker?



Medline’s shares will trade under the stock ticker “MDLN.”



What exchange will Medline’s shares trade on?



Medline shares will trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.



What is the IPO share price of MDLN?



The initial public offering price for MDLN stock is $29 per share. That’s at the higher end of the IPO share price range of $26 to $30 per share that was expected.



How many MDLN shares are available in its IPO?



Medline’s press release states that 216,034,482 shares of its Class A common stock were available in its IPO. 



How much will Medline raise in its IPO?



Medline raised $6.26 billion in its IPO. According to Reuters, this makes Mediline’s IPO 2025’s biggest first-time share sale globally. 



How much is Medline worth?



At its $29 IPO price, Medline is now valued at around $39 billion.



Medline surpasses other IPO giants this year



Medline’s $6.26 billion IPO haul makes it the biggest IPO of 2025. As noted by the Financial Times, the offering comes in above the $5.3 billion that Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology raised in May. 



Medline’s $6.26 billion debut also dwarfs the largest U.S. IPO of the year, which was liquefied natural gas producer Venture Global (NYSE: VG). Venture Global raised $1.75 billion in that offering. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Medline, IPO:, Stock, price, will, closely, watched, today, medical, products, company, has, biggest, offering, 2025</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Brendan Carr, FCC chief, is headed to the Senate for questioning over the Jimmy Kimmel controversy</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/brendan-carr-fcc-chief-is-headed-to-the-senate-for-questioning-over-the-jimmy-kimmel-controversy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/brendan-carr-fcc-chief-is-headed-to-the-senate-for-questioning-over-the-jimmy-kimmel-controversy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr will face Senate questioning Wednesday for the first time since he pressured broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air, a stance that drew bipartisan criticism and raised concerns about government interference in the media.Carr will appear before the Senate Commerce committee for an oversight hearing that will also include the FCC’s two other commissioners, Olivia Trusty and Anna M. Gomez. It will be the first Senate Commerce oversight hearing with all FCC commissioners since 2020, though there are two vacancies on the five-member panel.Since being tapped by President Donald Trump last November to lead the nation’s top broadcast regulator, Carr has closely aligned with the administration’s aggressive posture toward media outlets it views as hostile. He has launched FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News, in addition to some local stations.Trump in his second term has sued The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and, most recently, the BBC. And at Trump’s urging, Congress this summer approved eliminating $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting.Earlier this year, Carr came under fire from lawmakers in both parties after he denounced Kimmel’s comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He called Kimmel’s remarks “truly sick” and warned broadcasters, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Hours later, ABC announced Kimmel had been suspended indefinitely.Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, who scheduled the hearing last month, was among the Republicans who criticized Carr’s remarks at the time.“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said on his podcast, calling Carr’s comments “dangerous as hell.”The hearing comes as Carr faces additional scrutiny from Democrats over media consolidation. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, a member of the committee, joined other Democrats this week in urging Carr to closely examine Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of rival broadcaster Tegna.In a letter sent Tuesday, the lawmakers warned the deal would further concentrate media power in the U.S. local television market.“Regulatory approval of the conglomerate would likely raise prices for consumers, accelerate job losses, and weaken the independence and news coverage of local TV stations,” they wrote.The transaction would require the FCC to loosen rules limiting how many stations a single company may own. Carr has said he is open to changing those ownership limits. Nexstar was one of two ABC affiliate owners that said they would preempt Kimmel’s show with local programming following his comments about Kirk.Kimmel’s suspension came after his monologue included a reference to Kirk’s shooting and compared Trump’s grief to “how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.” The show returned to air less than a week after the indefinite suspension was announced.



—Joey Cappelletti and Matt Sedensky, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Brendan, Carr, FCC, chief, headed, the, Senate, for, questioning, over, the, Jimmy, Kimmel, controversy</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This Thrive&#45;backed startup says it aspires to be the “Amazon of homes”</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-thrive-backed-startup-says-it-aspires-to-be-the-amazon-of-homes</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-thrive-backed-startup-says-it-aspires-to-be-the-amazon-of-homes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Since 2022, Homebound has raised a combined $400 million in equity and real estate capital, the company told Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Unknown-2.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, Thrive-backed, startup, says, aspires, the, “Amazon, homes”</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Magnificent 7 isn’t that magnificent: 5 of the stocks have underperformed the market this year</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-magnificent-7-isnt-that-magnificent-5-of-the-stocks-have-underperformed-the-market-this-year</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-magnificent-7-isnt-that-magnificent-5-of-the-stocks-have-underperformed-the-market-this-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Investors are picking between winners and losers in tech, as opposed to just herding into the index or tech stocks as a whole. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2240725846.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Magnificent, isn’t, that, magnificent:, the, stocks, have, underperformed, the, market, this, year</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Earnings calls citing ‘AI’ surge in 2025 as ‘uncertainty’ mentions fade</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/earnings-calls-citing-ai-surge-in-2025-as-uncertainty-mentions-fade</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/earnings-calls-citing-ai-surge-in-2025-as-uncertainty-mentions-fade</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AI talk hits a record high. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2241286143-e1765800559281.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Earnings, calls, citing, ‘AI’, surge, 2025, ‘uncertainty’, mentions, fade</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Crypto wallets, long a painful experience, now feel a lot more like Venmo</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crypto-wallets-long-a-painful-experience-now-feel-a-lot-more-like-venmo</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/crypto-wallets-long-a-painful-experience-now-feel-a-lot-more-like-venmo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Wallet makers hope they can achieve ‘super app’ status—but that may be a long way off. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-881042144-e1765792744394.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Crypto, wallets, long, painful, experience, now, feel, lot, more, like, Venmo</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Unlimited vacation policies can work—it just depends on where employees are based</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/unlimited-vacation-policies-can-workit-just-depends-on-where-employees-are-based</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/unlimited-vacation-policies-can-workit-just-depends-on-where-employees-are-based</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Unlimited vacation polices work for European employees, who took more days off than their counterparts with fixed time off this year. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1395425616-e1765550832517.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Unlimited, vacation, policies, can, work—it, just, depends, where, employees, are, based</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>CNBC replaces its peacock with . . . a triangle</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cnbc-replaces-its-peacock-with-a-triangle</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cnbc-replaces-its-peacock-with-a-triangle</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ CNBC and its sister networks, including USA, Golf Channel, and E!, are spinning off from their former parent company Comcast NBCUniversal to form a new publicly traded company called Versant. As part of the new company, some of the brands in the portfolio have to rebrand to get rid of NBC’s iconic Peacock mark, CNBC included. 



CNBC’s new logo, which goes live December 13, might take viewers some time to get used to.



CNBC’s logo evolution, 1989–present. [Images: CNBC]



The financial news network’s new logo was designed in house to easily match the preexisting visual assets it uses on air. The typography of the mark based is on the network’s font, Gotham, and it shows a triangle cutting into the letter N and floating just above the wordmark. That triangle, which the network calls an arrow, matches its on-air graphics package.



The triangle shape has been used by CNBC since 2023. It’s shown next to stocks to indicate which companies are up in green and which are down in red, and it appears as an icon displayed next to on-air chyrons like “Earnings Report.” The colors used in the new logo match the the dark “Broadcast Blue” and light “Neon Blue” already used in the network’s primary color palette.



The new logo is meant to reflect a modern, streamlined identity, CNBC says, but the initial reaction online to the new logo hasn’t exactly been positive. In one Reddit thread, complaints ranged from “generic” and “corporate-looking” to being bothered by the triangular notch at the bottom of the N and B. “The triangle represents a guillotine blade, killing the brand,” one wrote. On X, a commenter asked if it was a joke. 



Though the peacock is gone, CNBC is betting that by sticking to its arrow and wordmark it will be able to maintain the strength and recognition of its name brand with its audience even with a new look.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91456384-cnbc-rebrand.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>CNBC, replaces, its, peacock, with, triangle</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The 3 key financial lessons of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-3-key-financial-lessons-of-its-a-wonderful-life</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-3-key-financial-lessons-of-its-a-wonderful-life</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Like many of you, I grew up watching It’s a Wonderful Life on television every holiday season. Frank Capra’s beloved film was a comforting part of our holiday tradition, often playing in the background while my family wrapped presents, cooked, or otherwise made merry.



Although the film was made in 1946, its lessons about money, power, and community seem remarkably relevant (and more poignant than ever) in 2025. Despite the passage of nearly 80 years, Americans are still facing many of the same issues that the citizens of Bedford Falls dealt with.



Rewatching George Bailey regain his hope can offer us a modern blueprint for handling these timeless economic woes. 



Invest in each other



As a small child, I was fascinated by the bank run scene that occurs just as George (Jimmy Stewart) and his wife Mary (Donna Reed) are leaving town for their honeymoon. The citizens of Bedford Falls get spooked that George’s Building &amp; Loan may fail, and so they show up to withdraw their money.



This scene was how I learned what a bank run is—and also how banks handle our money. Because George offers a masterclass description of how his business works. He tells the frightened customers the following:



You’re thinking of this place all wrong, as if I had the money back in a safe. The money’s not here. Well, your money’s in Joe’s house—that’s right next to yours—and in the Kennedy house and Mrs. Maitland’s house and 100 others. You’re lending them the money to build, and then they’re going to pay it back to you as best they can. Now, what are you going to do, foreclose on them?



This scene helped me understand that money deposited in a bank doesn’t (all) stay there. The bank lends it out so the money can grow.



But there’s more to this scene than just how banking works. Because George Bailey doesn’t run a bank—he runs a Building &amp; Loan. Building &amp; loan associations were cooperative mutual aid organizations that gave members borrowing privileges and dividend rights. These associations made home ownership accessible when mortgages were more difficult to get. Because building &amp; loan associations were cooperative, they had to rely on their members’ trust and investment in each other to stay afloat.



That’s why George ends this scene with this plea to his customers: Now, we can get through this thing all right. We’ve got to stick together, though. We’ve got to have faith in each other.



How to apply this lesson in 2025



Building &amp; loan associations largely went defunct not long after It’s a Wonderful Life came out, while savings &amp; loan organizations, which work in a similar way, have been thin on the ground since the S&amp;L crisis of the 1980s. This makes it a little more difficult to offer economic solidarity to our friends and neighbors the way the people of Bedford Falls can do through Bailey Brothers’ Building &amp; Loan.



But there are many other ways to invest in each other and in our communities, George Bailey-style. Consider the following:




Shop locally



Consider opening an account with a local bank or credit union



Attend concerts, fairs, games, etc.



Sponsor local youth sports teams



Volunteer



Visit your library (maybe you’ll see alternate-universe Mary!)



Offer to help your neighbors



Set up a little free library in your yard



Join your neighborhood Buy Nothing group




Know your worth



At George’s lowest point, his Uncle Billy has misplaced the Building &amp; Loan’s $8,000 cash bank deposit (approximately $133,000 in 2025 dollars). The loss of this money will destroy the business and could lead to George’s arrest.



In desperation, George appeals to the film’s villain, Henry Potter, for a loan, using his life insurance for collateral. Mr. Potter scoffs at George’s request and tells him this:



Look at you. A miserable little clerk crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help. No securities, no stocks, no bonds, nothin’ but a miserable little $500 equity in a life insurance policy. You’re worth more dead than alive!



This cruel comment prompts George to consider suicide. He stands on a bridge, thinking that his family would be better off if he jumped, because at least he would be worth more money.



It takes the intervention of Angel, Second Class, Clarence Odbody to convince George that there is far more to his life than money. While It’s a Wonderful Life makes it clear that George does know his worth is greater than money under normal circumstances, he can’t quite recall that when he is so stressed, overwhelmed, and unhappy after his desperate interview with Mr. Potter.



How to apply this lesson in 2025



Considering the number of changes to benefits such as SNAP, Social Security disability insurance, and federal student loans, many modern viewers can probably relate to George’s feelings in Mr. Potter’s office. We, too, may feel as though we need to show that we are worthy by providing a balance sheet of all our securities, stocks, and bonds. Otherwise, we are being told we’re not worth feeding, supporting, or educating.



Unfortunately, the collective action necessary to ensure these benefits remain accessible is slow work. But knowing that you are worthwhile can be much faster. You don’t have to wait around for your personal Clarence to tell you so.



Remember that the money that Mr. Potter and his ilk place so much emphasis on doesn’t really exist. But your worth does. And just like George makes an enormous difference in his world, you make an enormous difference in yours. Whereas money is just an idea we all share.



Have patience



Although it’s a beautifully written, perfectly cast film, It’s a Wonderful Life flopped at the box office in 1946, before slipping into obscurity. Then, in a clerical error worthy of Uncle Billy, someone neglected to renew its copyright protection in 1974, which meant the film lapsed into public domain.



No one expected what happened next.



Television stations began showing Capra’s film during the Christmas season throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was a free programming option when TV stations couldn’t afford to put on expensive holiday shows. And the once-obscure story of one banker’s life in a small town became the most beloved yuletide movie tradition of all time.



How to apply this lesson in 2025



I’m a sucker for art that takes a long time to find its audience. Because sometimes works of genius simply aren’t appreciated until long after they’re released. Frank Capra created a masterpiece, even though it wasn’t immediately recognized as such. He did everything in his power to create a fantastic movie—and what happened next was out of his hands.



This is something I personally need to remind myself of. The work I do today may not bear fruit tomorrow or next week or 10 years from now. But that doesn’t make my actions meaningless nor does it mean my work will never result in positive change. It just means I don’t know what will happen, I should exercise some patience, and I should have faith in the process.



Do your best work today, whatever that work may be, and have the patience to accept that it will make its mark when the time is right. It’s what George would do.



Helping angels get their wings



If you’re a sobbing mess by the time George finds Zuzu’s petals in his pocket, you’re not alone. And that’s the entire point. It’s a Wonderful Life reminds us that we are not alone.



We are stronger together, but we must invest in each other to ensure that we keep that power. We are all worthy, but have to reject any thinking that reduces our worth to our bank balance (or any other number). And what we do makes a difference, but we have to have patience that the change will come, but not necessarily when or how we expect. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, key, financial, lessons, ‘It’s, Wonderful, Life’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>90 housing markets cross critical inventory threshold—tilting power toward buyers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/90-housing-markets-cross-critical-inventory-thresholdtilting-power-toward-buyers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/90-housing-markets-cross-critical-inventory-thresholdtilting-power-toward-buyers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



During the Pandemic Housing Boom, from summer 2020 to spring 2022, the number of active homes for sale in most housing markets plummeted as homebuyer demand quickly absorbed almost everything that came up for sale and sellers had ultimate power.



Fast-forward to the current housing market, and the places where active inventory has rebounded to 2019 levels (due to strained affordability suppressing buyer demand) are now the very places where homebuyers have gained the most power.



At the end of November 2025, national active housing inventory for sale was still -6% below November 2019 levels. However, more and more regional markets are surpassing that threshold.



This list is growing:



January 2025: 41 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



February 2025: 44 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



March 2025: 58 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



April 2025: 69 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



May 2025: 75 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



June 2025: 78 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



July 2025: 80 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



August 2025: 80 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



September 2025: 81 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



October 2025: 84 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.



Now, at the latest reading for the end of November 2025, 90 of the 200 markets are above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels.







While this list of housing markets back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels was growing through much of the year, it has stalled a little recently. The reason? Inventory growth has slowed in recent months—more than typical seasonality would suggest—as some home sellers in soft and weak markets in the Sun Belt have thrown in the towel and delisted (more on that in another piece).



This next table helps you see what the inventory picture in these same 90 markets looks like now and what it looked like last year.







Among these 90 markets, you’ll find lots in Sun Belt markets like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado.



Many of the softest housing markets, where homebuyers have gained leverage, are located in Gulf Coast and Mountain West regions. Some of these areas were among the nation’s top pandemic boomtowns, having experienced significant home price growth during the pandemic housing boom, which stretched housing fundamentals far beyond local income levels.



When pandemic-fueled domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates spiked, markets like Cape Coral, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas, faced challenges as they had to rely on local incomes to sustain frothy home prices. The housing market softening in these areas was further accelerated by the abundance of new home supply in the pipeline across the Sun Belt.



Builders in these regions are often willing to reduce net effective prices or make other affordability adjustments to maintain sales. These adjustments in the new construction market also create a cooling effect on the resale market, as some buyers who might have opted for an existing home shift their focus to new homes where deals are still available.



In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest markets were less reliant on pandemic migration and have less new home construction in progress. With lower exposure to that demand shock, active inventory in these Midwest and Northeast regions has remained relatively tight, keeping the advantage in the hands of home sellers.







Generally speaking, housing markets where inventory (i.e., active listings) has returned to pre-pandemic levels have experienced softer/weaker home price growth (or outright declines) over the past 36 months. Conversely, housing markets where inventory remains far below pre-pandemic levels have, generally speaking, experienced more resilient home price growth over the past 36 months.



ResiClub PRO members can find our latest inventory analysis for +800 metros and +3,000 counties here, and our latest analysis showing why the 2019 inventory comparison remains insightful here.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>housing, markets, cross, critical, inventory, threshold—tilting, power, toward, buyers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>AI advertising slop is on the rise. The cure? The STFU brand strategy</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-advertising-slop-is-on-the-rise-the-cure-the-stfu-brand-strategy</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-advertising-slop-is-on-the-rise-the-cure-the-stfu-brand-strategy</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There’s a statistic that’s been making the rounds for the better part of a decade that says the average person is exposed to about 10,000 ads every day. This has always sounded a tad suspect, as it amounts to an ad every six seconds of our waking day (it has since been debunked).



But maybe the reason it’s persisted this long is because it really feels true. 



Our feeds are saturated with ads. The airwaves, TV broadcasts, sports sidelines, team jerseys, and our streamers are full of them. Now artificial intelligence is threatening to make that 10,000 ads a day statistic a reality. 



Agency Genre.ai has made AI-generated ads for IM8, Popeye’s, and Qatar Airlines, as well as the viral Kalshi spot that aired during the NBA Finals. When Sora’s latest version dropped back in October, agency founder PJ Ace posted on X, “Brands will need to make an ad every other day to stay relevant.”



Kill me.



Meanwhile, earlier this month, Philip Ho, the founder of the appropriately named AI video production company Absurd, told the TBPN podcast that his company is getting asked for as many as 1,500 videos a month from single clients.



Just set me on fire. 



All due respect to Ace and Ho, but the version of commercial culture they’re selling sounds like an AI-generated fever dream in which we’re all forced to remove our own eyeballs with rusty shrimp forks. Even legislation is starting to agree.



Drowning culture in a sea of sameness isn’t good for our eyeballs, nor is it a good investment for brands. If you watch the ads Ace’s company has produced, and compare them to McDonald’s’ recent AI ad (which just got pulled off the air in Europe), or even Coke’s AI holiday ads, they all have that same . . . vibe. The people and scenes all appear to be using the same filter. It feels oddly homogenous. Now take that and increase the number of ads by tenfold. Pure unfiltered nightmare fuel.



If every brand is pumping out a new AI-generated ad every single day, let’s consider what actual differentiation looks like. In 2026, brands should be finding new ways to utilize scarcity, anticipation, and fandom communities to that end. You could call it the less is more approach, but I prefer the STFU Brand Strategy. 



The STFU Brand Strategy isn’t about being quiet, it’s about being more strategic in both how and when you talk to your audience. It is the pursuit of work or experiences that are enthusiastically passed around, as opposed to having AI slop fire-hosed down people’s throats every waking moment. 



Award-winning ad agency Johannes Leonardo was one of the best practitioners of the STFU brand strategy this past year through its work for brands like Adidas and Oscar Mayer. Cofounder and creative chairman Leo Premutico is a firm believer in the idea that differentiation will come in the form of interesting ideas that real people share with other real people.



“There’s no way that volume is the answer,” says Premutico. “This whole idea that the more AI is generating crap that it is then itself learning from, is just going to snowball to the point where, what are we even looking at? The last thing we need is more quantity. It needs to be something else.”







The types of ads and content initially being produced en masse by AI are the social media video equivalent of banner ads. Performance marketing churn baiting us to click to find out more or shop now. Reports for years have pegged banner ad click-through rates at less than 1%.



Now, AI-generated ads are reportedly performing much better than banner ads ever did. But this is not how brands are built. Or rather, it’s not how long-lasting brands are built. Brands with a very healthy upper funnel utilize these tools to keep the lower funnel wheels turning, but it is (or should be) purely supplemental or supportive of the primary brand work. 



At the very moment we’re seeing industry capitulation to AI as a sacrifice to the gods of efficiency (read: cost savings as AI replace humans) we’re seeing this steady drumbeat of audience backlash to AI advertising. Think about that: The very thing people routinely say they hate (ads!) is something they don’t want despoiled. The brands and agencies that creatively heed that call will be the ones to forge the most meaningful connections with consumers.



Pump down the volume



First of all, this is not a revolutionary or particularly unique viewpoint. Let’s take one modern example. The entire streetwear and sneaker economy is built upon scarcity. Limited editions and surprise drops, combined with a very specific point of view, elite communication, and taste have built rabid fanbases. Brands like Supreme, Palace, and Corteiz are not churning out AI slop. 




        View this post on Instagram            




London-based Corteiz is arguably the hottest streetwear brand on the planet. Its founder communicates directly with its audience on social, and its Instagram page was initially private. Its pop-ups are often one-day-only, with the location announced just hours before the event. Its ethos is reportedly “real life only.” Last year in New York, the brand invited fans to exchange other brands of denim for a pair of Corteiz, limited to just 250 pairs. The result of this restraint? Rabid fandom.



The focus on specific moments, and using them as a flywheel of ad material—capitalizing on user-generated content around that moment, producing additional content from it—works to reinforce a brand’s cultural relevance. Take, for example, racing giant hot dog cars in front of 100,000 people.









Earlier this year, Premutico’s agency created the Wienie500 for Oscar Mayer, in which they raced five of the brand’s famed Wienermobiles against each other at the Daytona 500. It streamed live on the Fox Sports app, getting 150 million total views; media coverage and social media attracted nearly seven billion earned impressions. Oscar Mayer saw its biggest Memorial Day sales lift in years.



“I think the opportunity and the way to build a brand today is figuring out how each time you do something that captures people’s imagination, attention, and participation that it’s feeding into something bigger,” says Premutico. “It’s feeding into that brand equity so that it’s not a one-off online thing and then disappears.”



Anti-slop algorithm



Asking brands to STFU isn’t some Luddite plea. That ship has sailed. The good ship Sloppipop is here, and it’s never going away—just like all the programmatic ads that follow you around trying to sell you the shoes you already bought a goddamn week ago. Despite how much we hate those ads, the programmatic ad tech firms are still rolling in billions. 



Rich doesn’t mean good. But it could mean better. Instead of using this technology to flood our feeds, brands should be using it to refine them.



Brand strategist and consultant James Kirkham wrote in his newsletter back in October about cracks in our obedience to the algorithm, that a second age of algorithmic culture may be upon us, defined “not by blind submission, but by conscious negotiation.” We’ll still use the machines, but we’ll start interrogating their taste a bit more because we want to know who’s feeding the feed. He said taste is becoming the new trust.



“If the first age of algorithms was about eery prediction, the next will surely be about permission,” writes Kirkham. “Those who build tools that help us understand rather than merely consume, and who restore agency, authorship, and flavor to our choices will own the decade ahead.”



This is consistent with what multiple studies and trends have been telling us: As AI threatens to turn up the volume on the number of ads we see online, more people are seeking ways to avoid the algorithm and have more unique experiences. Studies show that 81% of Gen Z wish it was easier to disconnect from devices, and 54% prefer no AI involvement in creative work. Meanwhile, 84% of ads reportedly go unnoticed or simply aren’t remembered. They are effectively invisible. And now TikTok is giving users some control over how much AI they see in their feeds.



I’ve talked to Yeti CEO Matt Reintjes about the dangers of overexposure, and how his brand’s growth strategy, while ambitious, has always favored depth over breadth. Obviously the outdoors gear brand advertises extensively, but its brand-building work—the stuff that gets people excited, like its films and involvement in sports—is very carefully and strategically built over time.



Back in 2023, he distilled it down to this: “Brands face multiple points in their journey where they can be deep and relevant, but at the expense of growth and expansion, or they can chase growth and they forget about the depth of connections that they had already built,” said Reintjes. “Over time, you erode brand value, you erode uniqueness, you erode support and passion for who you are. And so we’ve been really thoughtful about how we drive breadth, adding on more communities, bringing in more consumers domestically, growing the brand internationally, all while also keeping those deep and connected roots all the way back to our earliest communities.”



Participation value



When any brand can fake content, testimonials, or “viral” moments at an infinite scale, the only real measure of true value may become actual human participation. 




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Nike is doing it with its soccer work lately. Witness its Manor Palace community space collab with Palace in London, or the latest stop of its Toma El Juego street soccer tournament event series at Art Basel in Miami last week.



But real human participation can also extend to content. Just look at State Farm’s Gamerhood series. Part game show, part reality show, featuring gaming creators like Kai Cenat, and its latest season has more than 27 million views.









One of the best examples of this past year was how Adidas effectively became the sixth member of Oasis for the band’s massive reunion tour last summer. The omnipresent merch, retail events, and even an ad—created by Johannes Leonardo—that ran at the start of every show. 



Premutico says that creative marketers can no longer be asking themselves, “What content do I make?” but “What community do I build?” with the challenge of creating ideas worthy of consumer participation. 



“We need to create an outcome for a brand that is bigger and better than the outcome that’s going to be guaranteed by the algorithm,” says Premutico. “That’s our central challenge as a creative industry.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>advertising, slop, the, rise., The, cure, The, STFU, brand, strategy</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How Taylor Swift is turning the NFL’s mass&#45;media machine into a a pipeline for new male fans</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-taylor-swift-is-turning-the-nfls-mass-media-machine-into-a-a-pipeline-for-new-male-fans</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-taylor-swift-is-turning-the-nfls-mass-media-machine-into-a-a-pipeline-for-new-male-fans</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In the tournament of pop culture—an arena increasingly obsessed with charts, data, and stat lines—Taylor Swift has, by most measures, already emerged the victor. 



In her nearly two decades in the public eye, she has become a billionaire by engineering one of the most dependable fan bases on the planet: a legion willing to buy every vinyl variant for her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, and generate such collective frenzy at her 149-date Eras Tour that it registered as seismic activity. 



Swift has become something like an institution, around whom various rituals and practices have formed, whether the exchanging of friendship bracelets or sharing easter eggs with fellow Swifties. In an age of fragmentation, Swift remains one of the last reliable captains of the monoculture within popular music.



Her latest album rollout for The Life of a Showgirl makes clear how deliberately she continues to extend her reach, as she now angles toward new terrain and one of the largest mass audiences on the planet: football fans. As with the rest of her album rollouts, the effort for her 12th album has been planned meticulously. So it was not for nothing that she announced the record in August on New Heights, the podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. 









Her appearance became the podcast’s most viewed and listened-to episode by an order of magnitude, peaking at 1.3 million concurrent livestream viewers, compared with the podcast’s previous record of 141,821. The crossover continued in her music video for her standout single “The Fate of Ophelia,” which included a series of sports-related gestures that would register only to her ever-attentive fans. She catches a football; she mimics Kelce’s touchdown celebration; and the numbers 13 (for her December 13 birthday) and 87 (his jersey number) glide into frame. Together they total 100: a tidy metaphor for the merging of sports and pop culture.



Swift is now taking keen advantage of this convergence, plugging her own romance-led narrative into an arguably more durable mass spectacle: NFL football. Kelce’s domain remains one of the last functioning monocultures in America—besides Swift—that’s capable of reaching tens of millions of homes at once. It’s an opportunity Swift has no interest in wasting.



The pop star attended her first Chiefs game on September 24, 2023, right around the time her relationship with Kelce became public knowledge. Immediately after, she received attention from corners of sports media that had scarcely covered her before. The NFL itself was wise to take full advantage of the moment, briefly updating its Instagram bio to read: “Taylor was here.” The alliance helped score a 20% surge in sponsorships, as well as more than a 50% increase in 12- to 17-year-old girls tuning in to games.



Much has been made of these gains for the NFL, but curiously, little attention has been paid to what the league has done for Swift. Entering this sphere has given her access to a new (previously Swift-averse) vertical: male, suburban, middle-American, multigenerational households that tend to organize their week around Sunday broadcasts.



Her regular high-profile appearances at Chiefs games have boosted her own social media followers and Spotify music streams. Immediately after her first game appearance, Swift’s Spotify monthly listeners increased by 2.25%, and she gained a 1.12% follower increase on Instagram—and most significantly, a  5.37% jump on TikTok. Streaming analytics database Streams Charts tracked a 3,000% spike in Swift listenership after her New Heights appearance, with a large influx of first-time male listeners. 



“If I’m Taylor Swift, and I want to take over the world, then how better for me to break into the 49% of the population than through sport, which is traditionally a masculine bastion,” says David Rowe, professor emeritus at Western Sydney University in Australia and author of Sport, Culture, and the Media: The Unruly Trinity.  



As this happens, it highlights the growing overlap between sports and music, fueled by the same data-driven logic that now governs modern fandom. With music listeners adopting the analytics-driven habits of sports fans, and NFL teams embracing social-media storytelling to court younger audiences, both worlds are collapsing into a single superfandom-driven entertainment economy. That shift has primed sports fans to receive Swift differently, and her visible integration into this masculine stronghold has turned her relationship with Kelce into an opportunity to capture an audience that once dismissed her.



Music borrows the sports playbook



Sports and music have a large range of formal similarities that have long gone underappreciated. Each are shapers of identity, with their range of rituals; sets of language, chants, and symbols; and paraphernalia and merchandise—all of which enhance a sense of community and belonging.  



“Something that I think the music industry has tried to adopt over time from the sports industry is the ability to rally people around fandom, because of a deep connection to it, and it being part of who they are,” says Tatiana Cirisano, VP of music strategy at entertainment analysis firm MIDiA Research. “In a lot of ways, I think sports has done a better job of taking advantage of fandom than music has.”



Both sports and Swift, in particular, inspire a highly emotional investment that can easily be monetized. “You can connect them in strategic and organized ways, as part of a total entertainment package. And by having this convergence, you help connect across the gender divide,” Rowe says. Swift and Kelce’s relationship, he adds, “is a sublime marriage in more ways than one.”



Swift is hardly the only pop star moving strategically into the sports arena. For years, artists have performed during the Super Bowl halftime show for free because the exposure is worth more than the check. And in 2025, Beyoncé has become a familiar presence at Formula One races, her fandom for the Grand Prix becoming all the more visible; Tems joined San Diego FC as a club partner through her company, The Leading Vibe; and high-profile musicians including Ed Sheeran, ASAP Rocky, Jay-Z, and Drake, have all taken stakes in professional teams to solidify their alliance with the sports world. 



For these artists, sports offers a constant visibility that the music industry rarely facilitates. Seasons are long; games recur weekly; and broadcasts, stadium screens, and league-affiliated podcasts create more touchpoints than a standard album cycle. Sports organizations also sit on vast amounts of audience data and are largely considered brand-safe, giving entertainers a controlled environment in which to expand their reach.



Data makes music into sports



The similarities between sports and music are only continuing to blur in the age of algorithms and datafication.



While analytics were once top-down, now they’ve become accessible to everyone—which is why they’ve become so central in music fandoms today. “Now, thanks to real-time streaming dashboards, chart-tracking accounts, and analytics sites that update hourly, everyday listeners can see these numbers in a way that was unimaginable a decade ago.” says Nicole Santero, a fan culture researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.



Sports betting, Cirisano says, has infiltrated pop culture, too. “Now fans are betting on who they think will win the Grammys,” she says. (Due to the August 30 cutoff date, Swift’s latest album, released in October, is ineligible for the upcoming Grammys. At press time, Kalshi betters were 40% behind Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos to win album of the year.)



This fairly recent fan focus on data and analytics was pioneered in the early 2010s by K-pop artists and fandom, who have increasingly inspired Western pop acts, Swift included. “K-pop showed that being a fan can feel a lot like being part of a team,” UNLV’s Santero says. “Instead of just listening to music, fans get pulled into a whole system where their actions matter. When a group has a new album or song, it isn’t just a release; it’s almost like game day. Fans make streaming schedules, coordinate worldwide voting pushes, and keep track of charts the way sports fans keep track of stats.”



Unlike sports, music once had no victor. Now, with a keener focus on metrics and statistics, a quantifiable winner emerges. Swift continually smashes records, consistently beating out her rivals. “Fandom in sport and in music has always been defined by what you don’t like as well,” says Rowe of Western Sydney University. “It’s structured into sport. You have the enemy, the other teams.” And there has always existed a similar dynamic in popular music: Beatles versus the Rolling Stones, Blur versus Oasis, East Coast versus West Coast rap, among many others. Tribalism and anti-fandom has only increased in this age. It’s a rivalry Swift has always made a fine point of in her music, whether her references to Katy Perry in 2014’s “Bad Blood” or Charli XCX in Life of a Showgirl’s “Actually Romantic.”



What’s new about this moment, and which has heightened the convergence between sports and music, is a necessary cross-pollination across forms. “We’re at this point where the competition for attention has reached an all-time high. And if you’re an artist, you’re no longer just competing with other artists; you’re competing with the latest show on Netflix or a sports broadcast,” says Cirisano of MIDiA Research.



Football fans open their minds



Swift’s efforts to grow her audience through her visibility within sports are coinciding with sports leagues embracing the methods by which the rest of culture is building its audience—shareable content. 



[The NFL] was once defined by traditional broadcasts and highlight reels, but it’s now transformed into a full-fledged digital entertainment machine,” Santero says. “Teams now treat social media platforms like their own storytelling studios. They share a ton of mic’d-up moments, behind-the-scenes footage, and even meme-able posts that feel designed for TikTok and Instagram.”



This crossover has opened the door for sports fans to meet Swift halfway, priming them to receive her differently as she moves into their territory. Alex Folck, a die-hard Denver Broncos fan and former Swift hater, admits he’s changed his tune since Swift’s game and New Heights appearances. 



“I learned how weird she is, and it made me like her a lot. Her authenticity doesn’t feel forced,” Folck says. Swift has charmed many previously Swift-skeptical men with her bashful, self-deprecating, and—what they interpret as—authentically unguarded demeanor during her sports-related appearances. 



On camera, she seems relaxed and unrehearsed. “If there’s one thing male sports fans want to see in their spaces, it’s more of me,” she joked on New Heights. That attitude has persuaded several male fans to reconsider her. 



Writer Kasey Symons, a lecturer of communication at Deakin University in Australia, believes it’s a little more calculated: “Swift is incredibly smart regarding her positioning and understanding her place in culture as a woman, no matter if that is pop music or sport,” she says. “And she is incredibly aware of her impact in sport, and will be strategic about how she uses it.” 



That strategy is resonating with fans like Folck. “I definitely had a negative opinion of her beforehand, so I think seeing her in an NFL context had a positive effect,” he says. Part of his change in attitude stems from the sense that “she looks like she’s genuinely really into it” when she attends games. His preferences are emblematic of a familiar American male demographic: indifferent to pop music and deeply invested in sports. “I follow games like the news,” he says. Last year, he and his friends even threw a Swift-themed Super Bowl party.



Sports and music fans are now beginning to converge around Swift in ways that upend familiar gendered assumptions about each fandom. Women are joining fantasy football leagues at much higher rates, often choosing Swift-referential team names. Men, meanwhile, are placing Swift-themed bets: If the Chiefs win, rival fans must write elaborate essays about Swift and her music. Folck himself was subjected to this ritual after the Chiefs beat his team for the 16th consecutive time; he has since produced 200 pages on Swift this way. 



With men finally on board—begrudgingly or not—Swift is inching closer to total media ubiquity, and football fans are inching toward masculinity (Taylor’s version). “Guys still rolling their eyes at Taylor Swift are the same dudes who can’t enjoy an appletini or an ice cream cone,” Folck says. “Once the performative barriers come down, there’s plenty to enjoy that used to feel off-limits.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91459703-taylor-swift-football-conversions.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, Taylor, Swift, turning, the, NFL’s, mass-media, machine, into, pipeline, for, new, male, fans</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘This year, I really see education and climate’: Patterns in billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s massive giving emerge with time</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-year-i-really-see-education-and-climate-patterns-in-billionaire-mackenzie-scotts-massive-giving-emerge-with-time</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-year-i-really-see-education-and-climate-patterns-in-billionaire-mackenzie-scotts-massive-giving-emerge-with-time</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The amount of her annual giving has fluctuated, ranging from a reported $2.1 billion in 2023 to $7.1 billion in 2025. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25343704731416.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘This, year, really, see, education, and, climate’:, Patterns, billionaire, MacKenzie, Scott’s, massive, giving, emerge, with, time</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Coca&#45;Cola names 30&#45;year veteran Henrique Braun as new CEO</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/coca-cola-names-30-year-veteran-henrique-braun-as-new-ceo</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/coca-cola-names-30-year-veteran-henrique-braun-as-new-ceo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ James Quincey, Coke&#039;s current chairman and CEO, will transition to executive chairman of the company, effective March 31. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25345077918159.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Coca-Cola, names, 30-year, veteran, Henrique, Braun, new, CEO</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>When AI takes the tasks, managers take the relationships</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-ai-takes-the-tasks-managers-take-the-relationships</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-ai-takes-the-tasks-managers-take-the-relationships</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Leaders say agents should handle the busywork so human managers can be more connected to their teams. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/54974174223_1f91a177fa_6k-e1765458447816.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>When, takes, the, tasks, managers, take, the, relationships</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Rural America is deeply misunderstood: We aren’t depopulating and we’re not the reason 2024 swung to Trump</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/rural-america-is-deeply-misunderstood-we-arent-depopulating-and-were-not-the-reason-2024-swung-to-trump</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/rural-america-is-deeply-misunderstood-we-arent-depopulating-and-were-not-the-reason-2024-swung-to-trump</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Both candidates got fewer urban votes than in 2020, with Kamala Harris capturing over 10 million fewer votes in major and medium-sized cities. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/some-rural-counties-have-lost-population-others-have-grown.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Rural, America, deeply, misunderstood:, aren’t, depopulating, and, we’re, not, the, reason, 2024, swung, Trump</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump slams Fed’s third&#45;straight rate cut as ‘too small,’ saying he wishes it was twice as large</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-slams-feds-third-straight-rate-cut-as-too-small-saying-he-wishes-it-was-twice-as-large</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-slams-feds-third-straight-rate-cut-as-too-small-saying-he-wishes-it-was-twice-as-large</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Three Fed officials dissented from the move, the most dissents in six years and a sign of deep divisions on the committee. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP25344725530348-e1765459589606.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, slams, Fed’s, third-straight, rate, cut, ‘too, small, ’, saying, wishes, was, twice, large</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This busy NYC neighborhood just got way more walkable</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-busy-nyc-neighborhood-just-got-way-more-walkable</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-busy-nyc-neighborhood-just-got-way-more-walkable</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Like many American cities, the streetscape in downtown Brooklyn was for a long time very heavy on the street: a great place to park a car or drive through. But over the past 20 years, the area itself has gone from being a 9-to-5 shopping and business district to one where a growing number of people live 24-7. Since 2004, more than 22,000 housing units have been added to the neighborhood, changing its character so much that its old streetscape just wasn’t cutting it.   



“There was a real evolution of the neighborhood,” says Regina Myer, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP), a business improvement district representing the area’s business owners, shopkeepers, and, increasingly, residential developers. “Frankly, the construction fences were down, and it was really time to look at the public realm afresh.”



So in late 2018, DBP hired the urban design and architecture firms WXY and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to come up with some new ideas for Downtown Brooklyn’s streetscape. Myer says her organization wanted “infrastructure that really focused in on the pedestrian and mobility, shared streets, increased biodiversity, and also really making sure this was a bold plan for Brooklyn, that it didn’t look like something generic.”



[Photos: courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership]



Now, after seven years of planning and prototypes, the designs have been fully installed. As these before-and-after images show, the transformation has been dramatic.



The formerly congested streets of downtown Brooklyn have been augmented with planters, bollards, street bistro seating, and other traffic calming measures, as well as increased greenery and public open space. Redesigned tree pits add a larger and more refined space for street trees to grow, and curving benches follow cobblestone paving that hugs the edge of the sidewalk. Compare to the preexisting street furniture, which Myer calls “mean,” the new spaces invite pedestrians to sit and experience the city around them.



[Photo: Hai Zhang/Downtown Brooklyn Partnership]



Prototyping public space



This work came about incrementally at first. WXY and BIG’s design guidance was first tested on the streetscape outside a Studio Gang-designed residential tower that was completed in 2021. Working with the city’s Department of Transportation during the project’s mid-pandemic construction, DBP convinced the city to allow sidewalks on two sides of the building to be widened to make space for these new streetscape amenities as an experimental pilot project. The resulting streetscape sparked a desire for other, more officially sanctioned improvements. 



A second pilot project was then built outside the city’s first all-electric skyscraper, and officials were fully on board. “They liked it so much that they actually asked us to go through the [Public Design Commission] process for a plan for the entire neighborhood,” Myer says, referring to the path for making improvements to public and civic spaces in the city.



[Photos: courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership]



This work led to the 2021 release of a Public Realm Action Plan covering more than 40 blocks in the area. In 2023, the mayor’s office dedicated $40 million in funding to put the plan into action. “The prototyping process really worked for us,” Myer says.



And in the four years since the plan was released—relative light speed in the realm of public space projects—it has materialized on sidewalks and shared streets across downtown Brooklyn. Bright yellow planters now sit in the spaces where cars once parked, carving out niches for outdoor seating and dining. Teardrop-shaped tree planters add flourish to the edges of sidewalks where trash once gathered. Swooping benches teem with life along streets packed with an increasing mix of uses.



[Photos: courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership]



This could be just the start of a broader transformation in the area. WXY and BIG’s design has now become a system that developers can use to improve the streetscape of future projects. Myer says the plan was strategically minimal in its proposed interventions. The redesign requires little large-scale construction, utilizing existing street poles, for example, and making the most of the existing width of the sidewalk. Aside from the two pilot projects, no other sidewalks were extended, “because you know how gnarly that can get,” Myer says.



The plan has sailed through approvals and construction, and downtown Brooklyn’s streetscapes are almost unrecognizable from what they looked like just a few years ago. Myer calls it an effort that appeals across the spectrum, from business owners to building tenants to the growing residential population to visitors and tourists. “What we really were seeking here was to use our existing space better for people,” she says.



[Photos: courtesy Downtown Brooklyn Partnership] ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91454369-brooklyn-streetscape-redesign.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, busy, NYC, neighborhood, just, got, way, more, walkable</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>For budding influencers, class is now in session </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/for-budding-influencers-class-is-now-in-session</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/for-budding-influencers-class-is-now-in-session</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ For budding influencers, class is now in session. 



Jessica Henig, founder of Unlocked Branding, is rolling out Social Media University, a new platform launching today that promises to decode the influencer industry for the next wave of creators and industry professionals.



The platform is free to join. “We wanted it to be accessible for anyone who is interested in building a career in media and their network,” Henig tells Fast Company. “This community was built on after years of successfully building talent into top tier brands themselves, and we’ve seen such high demand from others who want to know where to start.” 



Henig knows the formula, after helping shape some of the internet’s It-talent, including Alicia Breuer, Millie Leer, Pia Mia, and Montana Brown among them.



Those who sign up can expect a mix of online and in-person interactive masterclasses with leading industry voices, seminars, trips, and community events, as well as mentorship and behind-the-scenes access to Unlocked Branding’s global network of creators and partners. 



“The missing link from young people, over the past few years especially, has been that they are missing in person community,” says Henig. “Working for yourself can be isolating sometimes and we want to get everyone in the same room to foster connections and creativity.”



With rising unemployment and a college degree no longer guaranteeing a career path, the creator economy has become a bright spot for young people navigating a bleak job market. The number of creators globally is expected to grow at a compound annual rate between 10 and 20% and the total addressable market is expected to increase to a projected $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs.  



Gen Z and Gen Alpha are fully bought in. Over half of Gen Z wants to become influencers, according to a Morning Consult survey. A 2024 Whop survey found that the top two career aspirations among Gen Alpha are YouTuber and TikTok creator. 



“With the influencer industry being so new in comparison to more ‘traditional’ career and education paths, there’s a huge education context gap when it comes to breaking into the industry,” says Henig. 



“I’ve built talent up from the start of their careers, many of which started as early as 16 years old, and found that the intense experiential nature of the social media industry set them up for incredible success and long term career paths in the real world—without having to go to a traditional university route.”



For those after a traditional education experience, Syracuse University recently announced its new “Center for the Creator Economy,” looking to train the new class of influencers, streamers, podcasters, and YouTubers. Still, one of the biggest selling points of a career in content creation is precisely the fact it doesn’t require a degree or hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt that come with one. Starting out as a content creator has never been easier, you mostly need a phone and a dream. Yet, because of the low barrier to entry, the industry is saturated and some expert guidance could be that all-important leg up. 



“People should sign up if they want valuable insight, to understand the economics of the industry and how it affects strategy and work,” says Henig. “And a community of people that share similar values to want to stay at the forefront of what is moving the needle.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-91456086-social-media-university.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>For, budding, influencers, class, now, session </media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Federal Housing Administration ban shifts non&#45;permanent resident mortgage locks from boom to bust</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/federal-housing-administration-ban-shifts-non-permanent-resident-mortgage-locks-from-boom-to-bust</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/federal-housing-administration-ban-shifts-non-permanent-resident-mortgage-locks-from-boom-to-bust</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



Earlier in the spring, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced that, starting in late May 2025, H-1B visa holders and other non-permanent residents would be banned from taking out new FHA mortgages.



The result?



Non-permanent residents—including H-1B visa holders—saw their share of FHA mortgage locks crater from 3.8% in September 2024 to 0.2% in September 2025, according to Optimal Blue. This sharp pullback comes after their share of FHA mortgage locks had spiked between 2020 and 2024.



Keep in mind that FHA mortgages make up a much smaller share of overall borrowers than, say, GSE conventional borrowers. Indeed, Optimal Blue data reviewed by ResiClub shows that FHA mortgages accounted for 22.0% of total U.S. mortgage-purchase locks in September 2025. Meanwhile, according to the New York Fed, as of June 2025, FHA mortgages represent just 12% of the nation’s $12.94 trillion in mortgage debt.



While FHA has pulled back on lending to H-1B visa holders, as far as ResiClub can tell there hasn’t been a similar change—at least not yet—in the conventional mortgage space (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac).







“This squeezes entry-level homebuying in some key housing markets already dealing with weak sales and too much supply,” writes Eric Finnigan, president of Demographics Research at John Burns Research and Consulting. (JBREC published a report in October on the topic for its clients.)



As an example of a potentially affected housing market, Finnigan points to Fayetteville, AR—which is where Walmart is headquartered. Walmart HQ has reportedly paused new H-1B hiring in late 2025 after the Trump administration announced it’d impose a $100,000 fee for certain new H-1B applications.



“Walmart HQ stops new H-1B hiring due to $100K fee. Lines up with research we sent to clients last week calling out Walmart HQ’s metro [Fayetteville] as 1 of ~15 local housing markets most exposed to H-1B changes, based on analysis of loan-level data by citizenship status,” wrote Finnigan in October.







While growth markets in the South—particularly those with the higher levels of homebuilding, such as Dallas, TX; Fayetteville, AR; and Durham, NC—might feel a sharper housing-demand contraction from this specific FHA policy change, they aren’t necessarily the markets that would see the greatest softening if there were a broader pullback in H-1B activity.



To run an apples-to-apples comparison that accounts for market size, ResiClub calculated H-1B visa petitions per 1,000 residents.



The states with the highest exposure to high-salary H-1B workers—and the housing and rental demand they generate—include Washington, California, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and the District of Columbia.



Click here for an interactive of the chart below







Zooming out to the big picture, we are in something of an international migration bust following a boom in 2021-2024.



Between summer 2021 and summer 2024, the U.S. saw a substantial upswing in net international migration—much of it coming through the Southern Border. As of July 2024, the U.S. population stood at 340.1 million, up 3.3 million from 336.8 million in July 2023. Of that population increase, 2.8 million (or 85%) came from net international migration.



That international migration burst, of course, is behind us now. Recently, border crossings have plummeted. A July forecast by researchers at AEI expects that net international migration in 2025 will be somewhere between +115,000 and -525,000.







What does this international migration slump mean for the U.S. housing market?



All else being equal, an immediate and direct housing impact of fewer immigrants coming through the Southern Border, in my view, is lower aggregate rental demand—specifically at the lower end of the market—than if that burst had continued. Rental markets likely to see the biggest impact are in metro areas that have experienced the most international immigration in recent years. In particular, major markets such as New York City, Miami, Dallas, and Houston could feel the greatest effects. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91456771-fha-ban-non-permanent-resident-mortgage-locks-boom-bust.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Federal, Housing, Administration, ban, shifts, non-permanent, resident, mortgage, locks, from, boom, bust</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Turning the tide on China’s dominance of the rare earth market is possible. Here’s what it would take</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/turning-the-tide-on-chinas-dominance-of-the-rare-earth-market-is-possible-heres-what-it-would-take</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/turning-the-tide-on-chinas-dominance-of-the-rare-earth-market-is-possible-heres-what-it-would-take</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Rare earth minerals are so ubiquitous and critical to much of today’s technology, that tonight’s dinner might not have made it to the table without them. And according to USA Rare Earth CEO Barbara Humpton, for decades, the world has sat back and let China become the sole supplier of these minerals, even as the country has used its dominance in this market as a geopolitical game piece.



“We believe it’s time to take the game piece off the board,” Humpton said at last month’s World Changing Ideas Summit, cohosted by Fast Company and Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.



USA Rare Earth is wholly dedicated to bringing rare earth metals mining to the U.S., and changing this dynamic is “humanly possible,” says Humpton—though it will require the support of governments, academia, and private industry.



“We’re gonna have to use some real strategy to actually turn the tide,” she says.



It may be difficult, but there are already some early signs of progress, as governments that include the U.S., Japan, and the European Union have collaborated to agree on supporting a rare earth supply chain beyond China.



Getting academia involved to educate students in magnet-making and rare earth processing is also a priority, Humpton says, along with securing the support of major industries that rely on these minerals, like the automotive sector.



A good chance to turn this around



According to Humpton, many countries—the U.S. included—were “perfectly happy” to let China dominate this market, because it was cheaper and less messy for them. But China’s behavior in recent years has led to this moment, she says, adding that there are many benefits to bringing this type of mining to the U.S., including the potential for economic development, and addressing some environmental concerns to mitigate consequences and utilize cleaner extraction techniques.



“Because we are in an area where it’s a relatively small market, a relatively small number of companies, we have a good chance to turn this around,” she says. “If we don’t get started, we’ll never get done.”



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91448149-rare-earth-market.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Turning, the, tide, China’s, dominance, the, rare, earth, market, possible., Here’s, what, would, take</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Walmart stock is making a historic change today. Here’s why WMT is moving from the NYSE to the Nasdaq</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/walmart-stock-is-making-a-historic-change-today-heres-why-wmt-is-moving-from-the-nyse-to-the-nasdaq</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/walmart-stock-is-making-a-historic-change-today-heres-why-wmt-is-moving-from-the-nyse-to-the-nasdaq</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s a historic day for both Walmart and the Nasdaq. Today, America’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer begins trading on the Nasdaq after its shares spent over half a century on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Here’s what you need to know about Walmart’s move to the Nasdaq.



What’s happened?



A week before Thanksgiving, Walmart announced that it would transfer its common stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to the Nasdaq Global Select Market. 



The move is historic for a few reasons. 



The first is that Walmart (Nasdaq: WMT) shares have traded on the NYSE since 1972—the last 53 years. Walmart went public in 1970, but traded on over-the-counter markets for the first two years before joining the NYSE. That ends today.



And Walmart’s time on the NYSE was a good one. Over the last 53 years, Walmart’s stock on the NYSE has grown more than 536,000% as of yesterday’s market close. By moving to the Nasdaq, Walmart is beginning a new chapter of its financial life.



But the second reason Walmart’s move to the Nasdaq is historic is because of Walmart’s current valuation. 



As of its last trading day on the NYSE yesterday, Walmart had a market cap of more than $905 billion. Its transfer from the NYSE to the Nasdaq represents the largest stock exchange transfer in history. 



Other companies have moved stock exchanges in the past, but the total value of their shares was nowhere near Walmart’s.



Why is Walmart moving to the Nasdaq?



Walmart cited several reasons for its decision to move from the NYSE to the Nasdaq. But a lot of it has to do with image.



Over the past few decades, the Nasdaq has become home for the most technologically progressive, forward-thinking companies on the planet.



The Nasdaq is where all of the so-called Magnificent 7 tech companies are traded: 




Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)



Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN)



Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA)



Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)



Meta (Nasdaq: META)



Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG)



Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA)




All those companies have experienced tremendous growth on the Nasdaq, and they are seen as engines of America’s economic innovation.



On the other hand, the New York Stock Exchange, while a respected institution and storied marketplace, is sometimes seen as the exchange for legacy companies, such as big banks in the financial sector and other industrial stocks like automakers and agricultural companies, not to mention brick-and-mortar retailers like Target (NYSE: TGT) and Gap (NYSE: GAP).



It seems that Walmart no longer wants to be grouped with those legacy companies (and, in some cases, competitors) and instead wants to be seen as being in the same league with the country’s innovative tech giants. 



(To be sure, NYSE still gets its share of high-profile tech listings, including companies like Figma and Circle Internet Group, which went public just this year.)



“Moving to Nasdaq aligns with the people-led, tech-powered approach to our long-term strategy,” Walmart’s chief financial officer, John David Rainey, said when announcing the move last month. “Walmart is setting a new standard for omnichannel retail by integrating automation and AI to build smarter, faster, and more connected experiences for customers, while enabling our associates to deliver even greater value at scale.”



In other words, the move underscores Walmart’s desire to be seen more as a tech-focused, AI-first company rather than the world’s largest legacy retailer.



As the company said in its announcement: “The move to Nasdaq underscores the strong alignment between Walmart and Nasdaq’s shared values: a technology-forward approach, delivering exceptional client value, and redefining their respective industries through innovation.”



When is Walmart moving to the Nasdaq?



Walmart moves to the Nasdaq today, Tuesday, December 9.



Walmart’s last trading day on the New York Stock Exchange was yesterday. As of the time of this writing, its shares are already trading in premarket trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market



Is Walmart getting a new ticker symbol?



No. Walmart will continue to retain its historic ticker symbol of WMT.



Are stock exchange transfers common?



They aren’t frequent events, but they aren’t uncommon. As Reuters notes, earlier this year, Shopify (Nasdaq: SHOP) and Kimberly-Clark (Nasdaq: KMB) transferred to the Nasdaq. Other companies, including CSW Industrials (NYSE: CSW) and Virtu Financial (NYSE: VIRT) transferred to the NYSE.



But what is uncommon about Walmart’s move to the Nasdaq is the sheer size of the company doing so. As The Motley Fool points out, Walmart’s current market cap makes it the largest company to ever transfer stock exchanges. 



Walmart is currently worth around $905 billion. That value dwarfs the value of the next-largest company ever to switch exchanges: chemicals and gas giant Linde (Nasdaq: LIN), which moved to the Nasdaq in 2023 with a then-market value of $180 billion. 



Before Linde’s move, soda maker PepsiCo (Nasdaq: PEP) was the previous largest company to switch exchanges, moving to the Nasdaq in 2017 when it had a market value of around $166 billion.



So while stock exchange transfers aren’t rare, Walmart’s stock exchange transfer is notable given the size of the company.



Could this boost Walmart’s stock price?



That’s hard to say. The most significant factor in Walmart’s future share performance will continue to be the company’s fundamentals. If Walmart continues to perform well, its stock is likely to keep rising. If it starts performing badly, the stock is likely to fall.



However, Walmart’s move to the Nasdaq could have a psychological effect on some investors, who may see the company now more as a tech-focused growth stock than a legacy retailer. That type of psychological impact could lead to greater interest in the stock, which could push up its share price.



Walmart shares could also get a boost if they are included in index funds that are compiled with stocks that mimic the makeup of the largest companies on the Nasdaq. As of today, Walmart is the ninth largest company by market cap on the Nasdaq.



How have WMT shares performed in 2025?



Walmart shares have performed well so far this year. As of yesterday’s close, WMT shares were up more than 25% for the year. At around $113.50 per share, they are near an all-time high.



And another potential milestone is also within reach. As of yesterday’s close, Walmart’s market cap was just over $905 billion. That means the company is only about $95 billion away from becoming a trillion-dollar giant.



The company’s stock price now needs to rise only about 10.5% more to cross that milestone. Walmart is clearly hoping it can do that on the Nasdaq. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91457103-walmart-stock-change-wmt-nyse-nasdaq.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Walmart, stock, making, historic, change, today., Here’s, why, WMT, moving, from, the, NYSE, the, Nasdaq</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Kimberly&#45;Clark exec is one of 76 women in the Fortune 500 with her title—she says bosses used to compare her to their daughters when she got promoted</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/kimberly-clark-exec-is-one-of-76-women-in-the-fortune-500-with-her-titleshe-says-bosses-used-to-compare-her-to-their-daughters-when-she-got-promoted</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/kimberly-clark-exec-is-one-of-76-women-in-the-fortune-500-with-her-titleshe-says-bosses-used-to-compare-her-to-their-daughters-when-she-got-promoted</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Only 18% of chief supply chain officers in the F500 are women, including Kimberly-Clark’s Tamera Fenske. But she doesn’t just pay it forward to women in her footsteps, because men are ‘one of the strongest advocates.’ ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tamera-1-25-0840-e1764689932734.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Kimberly-Clark, exec, one, women, the, Fortune, 500, with, her, title—she, says, bosses, used, compare, her, their, daughters, when, she, got, promoted</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Warren Buffett: Business titan and cover star</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/warren-buffett-business-titan-and-cover-star</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/warren-buffett-business-titan-and-cover-star</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the legendary investor prepares to step down, we looked back at his many appearances on Fortune’s cover. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Warren-Buffett-covers-Archive-2008-hero-social.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Warren, Buffett:, Business, titan, and, cover, star</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Millionaire YouTuber Hank Green tells Gen Z to rethink their Tesla bets—and shares the portfolio changes he’s making to avoid AI&#45;bubble fallout</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/millionaire-youtuber-hank-green-tells-gen-z-to-rethink-their-tesla-betsand-shares-the-portfolio-changes-hes-making-to-avoid-ai-bubble-fallout</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/millionaire-youtuber-hank-green-tells-gen-z-to-rethink-their-tesla-betsand-shares-the-portfolio-changes-hes-making-to-avoid-ai-bubble-fallout</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The S&amp;P 500’s record concentration in AI-focused companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google could bear bad news in the event of a bubble pop, says YouTuber Hank Green. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/HankGreenTea.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Millionaire, YouTuber, Hank, Green, tells, Gen, rethink, their, Tesla, bets—and, shares, the, portfolio, changes, he’s, making, avoid, AI-bubble, fallout</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>So much of crypto is not even real—but that’s starting to change</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/so-much-of-crypto-is-not-even-realbut-thats-starting-to-change</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/so-much-of-crypto-is-not-even-realbut-thats-starting-to-change</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Crypto has long felt like a giant casino with imaginary chips, but big recent breakthroughs mean it&#039;s fast becoming part of the real economy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-1246498449.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>much, crypto, not, even, real—but, that’s, starting, change</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Following in Paul Newman and Yvon Chouinard’s footsteps: There are more ways for leaders to give it away in ‘the Great Boomer Fire Sale’ than ever</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/following-in-paul-newman-and-yvon-chouinards-footsteps-there-are-more-ways-for-leaders-to-give-it-away-in-the-great-boomer-fire-sale-than-ever</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/following-in-paul-newman-and-yvon-chouinards-footsteps-there-are-more-ways-for-leaders-to-give-it-away-in-the-great-boomer-fire-sale-than-ever</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the president and CEO of Newman&#039;s Own, which gives away 100% of its profits, I am hearing from more and more business owners who want to try. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/alex-amouyel-2.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Following, Paul, Newman, and, Yvon, Chouinard’s, footsteps:, There, are, more, ways, for, leaders, give, away, ‘the, Great, Boomer, Fire, Sale’, than, ever</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>ChatGPT’s AI lead may be more fragile than we thought</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chatgpts-ai-lead-may-be-more-fragile-than-we-thought</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chatgpts-ai-lead-may-be-more-fragile-than-we-thought</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Greetings, and welcome back to Fast Company’s Plugged In.



Even by tech-industry standards, the air of serene confidence OpenAI CEO Sam Altman projects in public appearances is overwhelming. Still, that doesn’t mean he never sweats behind the scenes. Indeed, we learned this week that Altman is downright concerned about the future of his company’s flagship product, ChatGPT.



On December 1, The Information’s Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo reported that Altman had initiated a “code red” effort within OpenAI to make its chatbot more personalized and customizable. The move involves diverting resources from other efforts, such as developing AI agents and monetizing the company’s platform through advertising.



Drawing on an Altman memo distributed to OpenAI staffers, Palazzolo and Woo’s story says he called now “a critical time for ChatGPT.” Their piece doesn’t spell out the reasons for his alarm in much detail. But it ties his redeployment of resources to Google’s recent surge as a provider of AI platforms and products, which Altman called out as at least a short-term issue for OpenAI in an earlier memo.



Since he wrote that one, Google released Gemini 3 Pro. The new version of its LLM has achieved breakthrough high scores in multiple AI benchmarks, along with excellent reviews. No wonder Altman is feeling pressured.



ChatGPT’s historic success leaves OpenAI with more to lose than any other AI chatbot company. In October, Altman said it had reached 800 million active weekly users, a figure few tech products have ever reached. I don’t know of any truly reliable comparative stats on usage of the major AI chatbots. But every chart I’ve seen tells a similar story, with ChatGPT sailing along by itself in the stratosphere and everyone else huddled in its shadow.



Why is that? Well, with ChatGPT OpenAI created the modern AI chatbot category, giving itself a head start that still matters three years later. People who use these products have different tastes and priorities, but ChatGPT has evolved rapidly. It remains one of the strongest options, even though GPT-5 turned out to be ludicrously overhyped. Despite furious competition from startups and tech giants alike—including worthy contenders such as Anthropic’s Claude—nobody has come up with anything manifestly superior enough to knock it off its pedestal.



But it might be a mistake to assume that ChatGPT has an everlasting lock on its market, akin to the one Google secured in conventional search engines early in this century. Altman clearly doesn’t think so. And over the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to think the market might be more fluid than I realized.



That’s because I’ve found myself spending far less time with ChatGPT (as well as Claude, my other chatbot of habit). Instead, I’ve taken almost all of my AI needs to Google’s new version of Gemini.



Now, when I wrote about Gemini 3 Pro for Plugged In shortly after its release, I did tend to accentuate the negative. That was based on experiencing some pretty severe hallucinations on its part, some of which it oddly tried to blame on others.



Having used the new Gemini a lot more since then, I’ve given it more opportunities to impress me—and it has. I’ve used it for everything from discovering lesser-known bossa nova music to vibe coding to figuring out how to manually install apps on my network server. In those instances when I tried the same task with ChatGPT, I’ve consistently liked Gemini’s responses better.



But the lesson I’ve drawn isn’t just that Google’s AI has improved by several orders of magnitude since the days when Bard, its proto-Gemini, was a slightly embarrassing also-ran. It’s also dawned on me that absolutely nothing is keeping me from leaving ChatGPT for Gemini. It’s been one of the most frictionless transitions between platforms I’ve ever experienced. 



For instance, no learning curve was involved: The two chatbots have damn near the same user interface. Nor did I have anything stored in ChatGPT that provided a powerful incentive to stay there, the way my Gmail archive (and rules I’ve set up to organize my inbox) induces me to keep using Gmail.



Even ChatGPT’s memory feature—which tries to mine your chat history to improve its responses—hasn’t figured out enough about me to make the app stickier. It still feels more like an eager-to-please stranger than an old friend. As does Gemini and every other AI bot.



As a person who uses AI, the realization that I’m not boxed into ChatGPT has been . . . kind of thrilling, actually. For OpenAI, however, it’s a problem. I currently pay OpenAI $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus and Google $26 a month for a Workspace Business Plus account. But along with enterprise-grade Gemini, Google’s $26-per-month plan gets me a full complement of productivity tools, 5TB of cloud storage, and more. At some point, ChatGPT Plus might look expendable—especially if I continue to prefer Gemini.



Now multiply my decision process by the 220 million paying users OpenAI has said it expects to have by 2030. Without them, the business model behind its mind-bendingly expensive plan to build out its data center capacity would crumble. If users of ChatGPT’s free plan defect to Gemini in significant numbers, it would also complicate the company’s intention of becoming an ad platform.



Altman understands all this. That’s why he set off the code-red alarm to quickly bolster ChatGPT’s user experience. It explains why he’s particularly focused on personalization and customization, two features that would help the chatbot feel less like an easily replaceable commodity. According to The Information’s report, Altman’s memo also said that OpenAI is about to release a new reasoning model that beats Gemini 3 in its internal tests.



Personally, I hope that the company’s gambit to quickly make ChatGPT much better pays off. If it does, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and other AI purveyors will feel even more heat to make similar great leaps forward. May the best chatbot win. And even if they start to feel like they truly understand our needs and desires, may it remain as simple to flit between them as it is now.



You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on fastcompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you can follow Plugged Inon Flipboard.



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Trump’s anti-EV rules aren’t stopping California’s electric truck boom—yetMore than 15% of medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold in California in 2023 were zero-emission. Can that trend continue despite the uncertainty the Trump administration brings? Read More → 
The Fast Company AI 20 for 2025These 20 technologists, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and creative thinkers are pushing artificial intelligence in unexpected directions.  → ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>ChatGPT’s, lead, may, more, fragile, than, thought</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The evolving future of office conversions</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-evolving-future-of-office-conversions</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-evolving-future-of-office-conversions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virgina (DMV) region is emerging as a national test case for the future of office space.



As cities across the country grapple with persistent office vacancies, D.C. is taking a bold approach: Instead of focusing solely on residential conversions, it is pioneering a broader strategy to convert offices to…anything.



While the concept of office conversions isn’t new, most efforts have been centered on residential use. D.C.’s strategy breaks that mold.



In January 2025, the city launched the Central Washington Activation Projects Temporary Tax Abatement, better known as the Office to Anything program. This policy targets buildings that aren’t suitable for housing conversion and opens the door to a wider range of uses.



With this program, D.C. is positioning itself as a laboratory for alternative office conversions, from data centers to hospitality and mixed-use spaces. As federal workforce reductions continue and General Service Administration (GSA) leases expire, the DMV faces mounting vacancies. This presents a rare opportunity for other cities to watch D.C.’s approach in action and consider how similar policies could reshape their own urban cores.



WHY D.C.’S OFFICE MARKET SIGNALS A NATIONAL SHIFT



The DMV is ground zero for federal downsizing, with one-fifth of all federal workers, according to Brookings, and 46 million square feet of office space leased by the government. With our Federal Property Pulse (FPP) tool, we are tracking these GSA leases and cancellations across the U.S. Since January 2025, 24 leases in the region have been canceled, contributing to 1.9 million square feet of vacant office space. This is over 4% of the total space leased by the GSA. The FPP shows that another 9.98 million square feet of space could enter the already struggling DMV office market in the next year.



This is a critical moment for the region. As the structure of the federal government continues to evolve, so must the economic core.



Brookings’ DMV Monitor reported a mismatch in displaced federal government workers and available private sector positions. While there are new jobs entering the market, many of these are unsuited to the 17,000 displaced federal government workers, as the new roles are concentrated in construction, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.



As GSA lease expiries and cancellations increase and federal workforce reduction continues, D.C. could become a case study for the role of office conversions in supporting a shifting economic core.



FEDERAL LEASE EXPIRIES: A TICKING CLOCK FOR OFFICES



A wave of expiring federal leases is approaching. As part of the effort to cut government spending, the GSA will reduce its leased footprint by allowing expiring leases to lapse without renewal. With the GSA leasing 145 million square feet of office space across the U.S., the DMV will not be the only region affected. Of that space, 51.4 million square feet are already in holdover, soft-term, or nearing soft-term.



While we can predict an influx of former GSA-leased properties will enter the market, lease terms make it difficult to know exact timing. GSA leases typically include a noncancellable “hard-term” followed by a “soft-term,” where leases can be terminated with 120–180 days’ notice. This creates uncertainty around when properties will re-enter the market.



UNLOCK NEW USES FOR OFFICE SPACE



The initial hype around office-to-residential conversions was driven by a rise in vacant office properties in favorable downtown neighborhoods. These properties helped address housing shortages, but many of the most viable buildings have already been repurposed.



With residential conversion options narrowing, cities must assess market demand and local economic drivers to identify alternative uses. The D.C. Office to Anything policy seeks to reposition underutilized office assets into higher-performing uses based on zoning, market demand, and building characteristics. Key alternative uses include small-scale industrial, data centers, hospitality, and mixed-use spaces.



Looking beyond the office-to-residential model could offer cheaper conversions and shorter timelines. Small scale industrial and logistics conversions come in around $100-$150 per square foot with timelines of 6 to 12 months, while residential conversions cost $250-$400 per square foot with 24-to-36-month timelines. Not only do industrial uses offer lower conversion costs, but shorter timelines could also result in quick returns on investment.



It isn’t only a matter of cost and timelines; alternative office conversions are better suited to meet the needs of an individual market. For some cities, data centers are emerging as an opportunity for conversion. With a projected shortfall of over 15 gigawatts of processing power by 2030, vacant office properties located near economic and urban centers could help to curb demand. In particular, offices can be converted to edge computing facilities that distribute processing and data storage, keeping these capabilities closer to data sources.



WHAT MAKES CONVERSIONS WORK?



Successful conversions depend on two things: physical feasibility and financial viability. Local government support is key to improving the viability of conversions through streamlined approval processes, zoning flexibility, and financial support.



Zoning is one of the first, and more formidable hurdles that office conversions face. If a commercial property cannot be rezoned, the entire viability of the project falls apart. Downtowns with zoning flexibility will see the most success in the long run. In Texas, statewide zoning flexibility is enabling office conversions in cities like Dallas.



Local government can also play a major role in determining the financial viability of a conversion project. Without tax incentives or subsidies, the cost of conversions could be prohibitive. This is part of what makes D.C.’s Office to Anything conversions so appealing. Providing a 15-year temporary property tax freeze, the policy improves viability. Combined with the potential for lower conversion costs for nonresidential uses, these projects could become more appealing for developers.



SCALE THE STRATEGY



The DMV isn’t alone in facing office vacancy challenges. Across the U.S., millions of square feet in GSA properties stand to enter the market. D.C. can show us what to do with that vacant space. Office conversions don’t have to mean housing, they can mean anything. As cities continue to rethink their economic cores, the success of D.C.’s Office to Anything strategy could redefine how we use space.



Mark Rose is chair and CEO of Avison Young. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, evolving, future, office, conversions</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Candle Day 2025: Dates, prices, and what to know about the giant sales event from Bath &amp;amp; Body Works</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/candle-day-2025-dates-prices-and-what-to-know-about-the-giant-sales-event-from-bath-body-works</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/candle-day-2025-dates-prices-and-what-to-know-about-the-giant-sales-event-from-bath-body-works</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Scented candle lovers, the day you have waited for all year is finally here.



Today marks the kick-off of the annual Candle Day sales event from Bath &amp; Body Works, during which the retailer’s pricey scented wax pillars will go for just a third of their regular cost. 



Here’s what you need to know about Candle Day 2025.



What is Candle Day 2025?



Candle Day is Bath &amp; Body Works’ annual candle sale bonanza. Throughout the year, many of the company’s three-wick candles go for $29.95 each, but during Candle Day, many of those candles can be had for prices as low as $9.95. 



Due to the massive savings, Candle Day is a sales event that candle lovers across America look forward to each year. 



However, don’t let the “Candle Day” name fool you. 



Much like Amazon Prime Day, the title of the event is a bit misleading. As with Prime “Day,” Candle “Day” is not actually only a 24-hour event and instead runs across multiple days.



During the event, Bath &amp; Body Works says, over 180 varieties of candles will be on sale.



When is Candle Day 2025?



There are two different elements to Bath &amp; Body Works’ Candle Day 2025: the online element and the in-store element.



Candle Day’s deals are available both in-store and online, but the online portion of the sale actually kicks off earlier. For Candle Day 2025, the online (and mobile app) deals began at 10 p.m. last night, December 4.



The in-store Candle Day event officially kicks off this morning at 6 a.m. Candle Day 2025 then runs both online and in-store from Friday, December 5, through Sunday, December 7.  



How much are Candle Day prices?



Most three-wick candles at Bath &amp; Body Works cost around $29.95 throughout the year. But during the Candle Day sales event, many of those same candles can be purchased for just $9.95. 



Customers will get the same sale price no matter if they shop online, in the mobile app, or in-store.



Are there any new or limited-edition candles for Candle Day 2025?



Yes. This year, Bath &amp; Body Works is unveiling new, limited-time, and limited-edition candles for Candle Day 2025. 



The 2025 limited-edition candle is called Holiday Dill-ight, which the company describes as “Inspired by the quirky holiday tradition.”



The company is also unveiling several new candle collections. 




The “Sunday Funday” collection includes Neapolitan Ice Cream, Gummy Candies, Glazed Cherries, Butterscotch Swirl, Sugared Waffle Cone, and Hot Fudge Drizzle.



The “Perfect Pairings” collection includes Coffee &amp; Donuts, Chips &amp; Salsa, Pizza &amp; Ranch, and Popcorn &amp; Slushie.



And the “Holiday Bucket List” collection includes new candles like Rum Rum Reindeer and Christmas Road Trip, along with returning holiday favorites Sweater Weather, Merry Mimosa, and Vanilla Balsam.




Candle Day 2025 marks the retailer’s 14th Candle Day event. It comes just days after Newell Brands, parent company of Yankee Candle, announced it would be closing 20 Yankee Candle stores this year.



Bath &amp; Body Works has also struggled this year, reporting a 1% decrease in net sales for its third quarter. It expects sales will decline in the “low single digits” for the full year. 



Shares in Bath &amp; Body Works (NYSE: BBWI) are down almost 50% in 2025. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Candle, Day, 2025:, Dates, prices, and, what, know, about, the, giant, sales, event, from, Bath, Body, Works</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>FDA warns faulty glucose monitors are linked to multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fda-warns-faulty-glucose-monitors-are-linked-to-multiple-deaths-and-hundreds-of-injuries</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fda-warns-faulty-glucose-monitors-are-linked-to-multiple-deaths-and-hundreds-of-injuries</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people to stop using certain types of glucose monitor sensors after the company that makes them, Abbott Diabetes Care, said the devices were linked to seven deaths and more than 700 injuries.Certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors may provide incorrect low glucose readings, FDA officials said this week. Such readings over an extended period may lead people with diabetes to make bad treatment decisions, such as consuming too many carbohydrates or skipping or delaying doses of insulin.“These decisions may pose serious health risks, including potential injury or death,” the FDA said in the alert.The sensors are devices that measure glucose levels in fluid just beneath the skin to provide real-time measurements of sugar in the blood. Information from the sensor is sent wirelessly to a device or phone.The warning affects about three million sensors in the U.S. from a single production line, Abbott officials said in a statement. About half those devices have expired or been used, the company added. As of Nov. 14, the company reported seven deaths worldwide and 736 serious adverse events. No deaths occurred in the U.S., where 57 injuries were reported.Abbott has notified all customers of the problem. The company said it has identified and resolved the issue in the affected production lot.The FDA said people should stop using affected sensors and discard them.The problem involved FreeStyle Libre 3 sensors with model numbers 72080-01 with unique device identifiers 00357599818005 and 00357599819002. It also involved FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors with model numbers 78768-01 and 78769-01 and unique device identifiers 00357599844011 and 00357599843014.People can visit www.FreeStyleCheck.com to check if their sensors are potentially affected and request a replacement, the company said. No other FreeStyle Libre products are affected.——The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.



—Jonel Aleccia, AP Health Writer ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>FDA, warns, faulty, glucose, monitors, are, linked, multiple, deaths, and, hundreds, injuries</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Netflix stock sinks as the streaming giant reveals plans to buy Warner Bros. and HBO in $83 billion mega&#45;deal</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/netflix-stock-sinks-as-the-streaming-giant-reveals-plans-to-buy-warner-bros-and-hbo-in-83-billion-mega-deal</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/netflix-stock-sinks-as-the-streaming-giant-reveals-plans-to-buy-warner-bros-and-hbo-in-83-billion-mega-deal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Netflix has announced that it intends to buy legendary Hollywood studio Warner Bros. in a deal valued at approximately $82.7 billion. 



The deal, which must be approved by regulators, will further consolidate the entertainment industry and give Netflix ownership of some of the most iconic films and television franchises ever, not to mention HBO. 



Here’s what you need to know:



What’s happened?



Today, Netflix and Warner Bros announced a deal in which Netflix will purchase the legendary Hollywood studio, along with its HBO Max and HBO divisions, for a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion (which Netflix says has an equity value of $72.0 billion).



The deal isn’t exactly a surprise, as Warner Bros had previously put itself up for sale publicly and Netflix was expected to be one of the primary bidders for the company’s assets. However, the deal marks a major milestone for the streaming giant, which is not known for large-scale acquisitions.  



The news comes after Warner Bros. Discovery, the company’s owner, announced this summer that it would split the current company into two, with the new ones owning its Streaming &amp; Studios assets and Global Networks divisions, respectively.



With today’s announcement, Netflix is essentially buying the “Streaming &amp; Studios” company that will spin off from Warner Bros. Discovery next year.



When the deal closes, Netflix says each WBD shareholder will receive $23.25 in cash as well as $4.50 in shares of Netflix common stock for every share of WBD common stock they own.



Announcing the deal, Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, said, “With our global reach and proven business model, we can introduce a broader audience to the worlds [Warner Bros. creates]—giving our members more options, attracting more fans to our best-in-class streaming service, strengthening the entire entertainment industry and creating more value for shareholders.”



What IP will Netflix acquire under the deal?



Netflix’s purchase deal for Warner Bros, HBO Max, and HBO will give the streaming giant ownership over one of the most lucrative intellectual property portfolios out there. 



If the deal closes, Netflix will own:




DC Universe



Batman



Superman



Wonder Woman



Friends



Game of Thrones



The Big Bang Theory



The Harry Potter film franchise




Touching on the IP aspect of the deal, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said, “Our mission has always been to entertain the world. By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we’ll be able to do that even better.”



What has Warner Bros said about the deal?



In a statement, David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most.”



When does the Netflix-Warner Bros deal close?



Netflix says that it expects the transaction to close in the next 12-18 months, putting a likely closing date sometime in 2027.



However, Netflix and Warner Bros can likely expect extreme regulatory scrutiny of their deal. While Netflix’s and WBD’s boards of directors unanimously approved the deal, it will not be finalized until regulators give the go-ahead.



How have the companies’ stock prices reacted?



Shares in Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) fell in premarket trading on Friday. As of this writing, Netflix stock is down just over 4%.



Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBD) were essentially flat in premarket trading as of this writing.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Netflix, stock, sinks, the, streaming, giant, reveals, plans, buy, Warner, Bros., and, HBO, 83, billion, mega-deal</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Michael Dell, who’s donating $6.25 billion to ‘Trump Accounts’ for kids, says a childhood savings account changed his life</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/michael-dell-whos-donating-625-billion-to-trump-accounts-for-kids-says-a-childhood-savings-account-changed-his-life</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/michael-dell-whos-donating-625-billion-to-trump-accounts-for-kids-says-a-childhood-savings-account-changed-his-life</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2249041377-e1764758032905.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Michael, Dell, who’s, donating, 6.25, billion, ‘Trump, Accounts’, for, kids, says, childhood, savings, account, changed, his, life</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Angle Health raises $134 million Series B to grow its AI&#45;driven healthcare benefits offerings</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-angle-health-raises-134-million-series-b-to-grow-its-ai-driven-healthcare-benefits-offerings</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-angle-health-raises-134-million-series-b-to-grow-its-ai-driven-healthcare-benefits-offerings</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Angle Health has raised a $134 million Series B, led by Portage, Fortune has exclusively learned. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ANGLE-HEALTH-2-e1764735370484.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Angle, Health, raises, 134, million, Series, grow, its, AI-driven, healthcare, benefits, offerings</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Anthropic considers IPO despite warnings that excess liquidity is blowing a bubble in the markets</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropic-considers-ipo-despite-warnings-that-excess-liquidity-is-blowing-a-bubble-in-the-markets</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropic-considers-ipo-despite-warnings-that-excess-liquidity-is-blowing-a-bubble-in-the-markets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Senior central bank chiefs see excess liquidity in a range of asset markets.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2235057491.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Anthropic, considers, IPO, despite, warnings, that, excess, liquidity, blowing, bubble, the, markets</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Exclusive: Harvard grads raise $20 million for Ostium, a platform focused on a derivative popular with crypto traders</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-harvard-grads-raise-20-million-for-ostium-a-platform-focused-on-a-derivative-popular-with-crypto-traders</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-harvard-grads-raise-20-million-for-ostium-a-platform-focused-on-a-derivative-popular-with-crypto-traders</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The marquee investors General Catalyst and Jump Crypto led the funding round. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ostium-Kaledora-Marco-e1764709626568.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Harvard, grads, raise, 20, million, for, Ostium, platform, focused, derivative, popular, with, crypto, traders</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Boeing’s new CFO sees ‘performance culture’ driving a return to positive cash flow next year</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/boeings-new-cfo-sees-performance-culture-driving-a-return-to-positive-cash-flow-next-year</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/boeings-new-cfo-sees-performance-culture-driving-a-return-to-positive-cash-flow-next-year</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Jay Malave joined the Fortune 500 company in August.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GettyImages-2241309132-e1764768818648.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Boeing’s, new, CFO, sees, ‘performance, culture’, driving, return, positive, cash, flow, next, year</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>I let AI control my entire PC. Here’s what happened.</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-let-ai-control-my-entire-pc-heres-what-happened</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-let-ai-control-my-entire-pc-heres-what-happened</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Now that AI can control your web browser, the next frontier might be to take over your entire computer.



At least that’s what Seattle-based startup Vercept is trying to do with Vy, a currently free Windows and Mac app that can manipulate your mouse and keyboard to automate tedious or repetitive tasks. You just tell it what you’re trying to do, and then it takes control. Vy first launched as a beta for Macs in May, but has now been rebuilt and is available for Windows as well.



My experiments with Vy have yielded mixed results. If you’ve ever yelled at ChatGPT for failing to follow instructions, that frustration becomes magnified when AI is piloting your entire computer—tasks you might want to automate might just be done faster manually. Still, I can see some areas where an AI computer agent could be useful, which is why other companies (including Microsoft) are pursuing the same goal.



I spent a lot of time waiting



Kiana Ehsani, Vercept’s CEO and cofounder, says Vy is more human-like than the agent features in AI web browsers such as Perplexity Comet and ChatGPT Atlas.



While those browsers reportedly work by inspecting the underlying structure of web pages, Vy takes frequent screenshots to analyze what’s happening on your screen. It then executes mouse or keyboard commands to mimic the way you’d control the computer yourself. Ehsani says people are using it to automate Excel work, extract data from the web for sharing into apps like Slack, or figure out how to use new software.



“We want to have a model that understands your screen and takes action very similarly to how you do it,” Ehsani says.



Vercept CEO Kiana Ehsani (center) with cofounders Ross Girshick (left) and Luka Weihs (right) [Photo: Vercept]



This ends up taking a while, though, as each individual action requires Vy to take a screenshot and upload it to its servers for analysis. Everything from opening an app to clicking a menu button requires another screenshot and more time waiting for a response—so a routine that takes 10 seconds for a human might take Vy five minutes.



Vy has a couple ways to mitigate this. One option is to run tasks in “Background” mode, which lets you keep using your computer while Vy does its work in an invisible browser window. Vy’s capabilities are limited in this mode, though, as it can interact with files and web pages but can’t control other apps. (I had some impish fun getting Vy to fulfill various Microsoft Rewards tasks on my behalf—performing daily Bing searches, filling out various quizzes—but felt guilty about how much compute power must’ve been burned along the way.)







The other option is to schedule tasks for when you’re not around. For instance, I set up a daily routine for 7 a.m. that minimizes any open windows on my desktop, opens Obsidian, moves it to the center of the screen, and loads my to-do list. Watching Vy do this in real-time is excruciating, but scheduling it to run before I sit down at my computer—thereby forcing me to confront my to-do list—is pretty helpful.



Ehsani hopes that on-device AI will speed things up in the future. Instead of having to constantly upload screenshots and download instructions, the goal is for Vy to process everything directly on the computer, though it’s unclear when that might happen or how powerful a PC you’d need.



It needs a lot of hand-holding



Getting Vy to perform tasks on your computer can be a bit like bossing a child around, in that it’s liable to ignore or misinterpret your instructions.



A quirk of Obsidian, for instance, is that if you load the app while it’s already running, it will load an entirely new instance of Obsidian with a menu for choosing which notebook vault to open. To keep this from happening in my to-do list scenario, I asked Vy to only click the Obsidian icon on the Windows taskbar, which would load any existing instance of Obsidian instead of launching a new one.



But every time I tested the routine, Vy kept ignoring my instructions and would try to click the Obsidian icon on the desktop, thereby opening a new window. I would interrupt the assistant and tell it to focus on clicking the taskbar icon, but it had trouble finding it and kept trying to open the app in other ways. At one point it even clicked the Windows Start menu to launch Obsidian from there.



Ultimately I had to edit my workflow with clear instructions to never click the desktop icon, never open the Windows Start menu, and avoid using other methods to open Obsidian outside of the taskbar. I also had to lay out explicit guidance to look for a purple crystal icon that appears next to other icons in the taskbar. All told, I spent about 20 minutes troubleshooting this tiny routine that mostly involved minimizing some windows and clicking a button.



Vy does have an alternative “Watch and repeat” tool for creating workflows, in which it records your screen while you perform the desired steps. But this was even less reliable in my experience. When I tried setting up my Obsidian automation this way, Vy didn’t minimize any of my open windows and instead just moved its own app to the middle of the screen.



It raises some privacy and security concerns



Watching Vy take persistent screenshots of my desktop was also a reminder of how much personal info could wind up on Vercept’s servers. Every time Vy takes a screenshot, it captures everything on your screen, even if it’s unrelated to the task.



Until I started asking Vercept about its data retention policies, the company did not publish them on its website. Vercept now says it keeps screenshots for six months unless you delete the underlying chat manually. Either way, it keeps data for up to 30 days for safety purposes.



Ehsani says it doesn’t capture screenshots when Vy isn’t actively working on a task, and doesn’t perform any post-processing on screenshot contents. Still, a few people at Vercept have full access to users’ data, including their screenshots.



“There is a trade-off here,” Ehsani acknowledges.







As with any agentic AI system, Vy risks making users vulnerable to prompt injection attacks, in which an attacker hides malicious instructions in web pages, emails, or calendar invites. Vercept says it has some ways to mitigate this—for instance, by instructing Vy to watch for signs of malicious behavior—but no AI system has a foolproof answer to this problem yet.



It seems inevitable anyway



Despite the potential problems and limitations, AI agents that control your devices are coming. Microsoft already has a mode for its Copilot Windows assistant that can scan what’s on your screen and provide guidance, and it’s testing a Copilot Actions feature that can perform tasks on your behalf.



Other developers are also pursuing this idea. Github is full of experimental AI control projects, and commercial alternatives include NeuralAgent and Screenpipe. Vercept is notable among these efforts for having raised a $16 million seed round in January, with backers including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and DeepMind Chief Scientist Jeff Dean.



Ehsani says the goal is to expand beyond just a single computer. An Android app is also in the works, and she hopes that you’ll eventually be able to give Vy instructions on your phone and have it carry the actions out on your computer, or vice versa. “One of our main visions is getting rid of mouse, keyboard, and touchscreens altogether,” Ehsani says.



For now, at least, the natural speed at which humans can click around a desktop gives them the edge. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/12/p-1-91447623-ai-control-pc-vercept-vy-browser.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>let, control, entire, PC., Here’s, what, happened.</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This ‘made in’ label could give Europe’s brand a boost</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-made-in-label-could-give-europes-brand-a-boost</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-made-in-label-could-give-europes-brand-a-boost</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the U.S. and China battle over technology, tariffs, and global influence, one question still looms for Europeans: what is Europe’s edge?



That was the question recently posed by 21st Century, a Copenhagen-based think tank that collaborates with policymakers and thought leaders to explore the future of Europe. According to Johanna Fabrin, managing director and partner at 21st Century, the answer lies in the EU’s regulatory backbone—think GDPR-level data protection, rigorous environmental standards, and food‑safety rules. “From a consumer perspective, knowing that if something is made in Europe, there will not be arsenic in it, there’s that trust that is important,” she says.



To convey that trust, the team has proposed a “Made in Europe” label that would signal quality, safety, and adherence to European standards. Similar to the CE label, which signifies that a product meets EU health, safety, and environmental protections, companies could display it on products to help consumers make informed decisions. The ultimate goal? To elevate the European brand as one that is trusted. 



[Image: courtesy Dada Projects]



‘Debrandifying’ the label



“Made in Europe” was developed in collaboration with British studio Dada. But it is more than a label—it’s a certification. “A symbol of trust,” says Alice Shaughnessy, head of operations at Dada.



[Image: courtesy Dada Projects]



Shaughnessy’s team worked hard to “debrandify” the design so it reads less like a corporate logo and more like a stamp of approval. They cycled through dozens of proposals—from a wordmark spelling out “EUR” to the words “Made in Europe” set into a circle—before landing on twelve stars arranged in the shape of a lowercase “e”.



[Images: courtesy Dada Projects]



By referencing the quintessential European symbol found on the EU flag, the design creates a clear association with the European institution. It conveys clout while remaining instantly recognizable. “It was important for us to be able to sit within that hall of great European design in some small way,” says Shaughnessy.



Like all initiatives developed by 21st Century, the label is intended as a blueprint that sparks conversation. The team has built a “living ecosystem” of use cases that show how the label could integrate into daily life—from a simple logo on a fruit sticker to an embossed mark on the side of a leather chair.



[Image: courtesy Dada Projects]



The label was designed to pair with Digital Product Passports—a QR code the EU will require by 2027 for categories like batteries, textiles, electronics, and furniture. Eventually, it could subsume existing certifications like CE, acting as an umbrella label that is relatable and easy for consumers to understand. Instead of decoding what B-Corp or CE means, you would see ‘Made in Europe’ and immediately associate it with European values like sustainability, ethical production, and consumer protection.  



[Image: courtesy Dada Projects]



Building on a momentum



This isn’t the first time the idea of a European “made in” label has surfaced. Back in 2014, the European Parliament backed a proposal for source-country labeling, including a voluntary “Made in the EU” tag. But the proposal stalled due to political resistance and fragmented enforcement.



Now, Fabrin and Shaughnessy argue, the conditions are different. For one, Europe’s leverage on the geopolitical stage is rising: Russia’s war on Ukraine has renewed interest from candidate countries like Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine; Brexit has made the EU passport all the more desirable; and growing disillusionment with the American brand has made some companies turn to the EU for answers. Fabrin says she is hearing it firsthand as some IT consultants ask for CRMs based in Europe because of GDPR regulations. “This kind of momentum usually motivates the European Commission to act quite quickly,” she says.



[Image: courtesy Dada Projects]



The biggest hurdle may be adoption: smaller businesses will need incentives to retrofit supply chains for this label. But 21st Europe’s vision is not to wait for law—it’s to catalyze a movement. Countries like Canada and Denmark have already started to take action with their own versions of “made in” labels. If large corporations like, say, Lego, were to adopt the mark voluntarily, it could inspire smaller companies to think about the label as a positioning exercise. “[We’re] thinking about the European brand as a long-term investment,” says Fabrin, “and a ’Made in Europe’ label is one contributor to building that brand.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, ‘made, in’, label, could, give, Europe’s, brand, boost</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Corporations say they prioritize people. So why do so few chief people officers become CEOs?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/corporations-say-they-prioritize-people-so-why-do-so-few-chief-people-officers-become-ceos</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/corporations-say-they-prioritize-people-so-why-do-so-few-chief-people-officers-become-ceos</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.



Leaders juggle a lot of demands and priorities. However, most CEOs tell me they’re highly attentive to company culture, change management, and workforce transformation in the age of AI—all areas that their chief human resources officers (CHROs) or chief people officers (CPOs) are tackling, too, notes Jennifer Wilson, cohead of the global Human Resources Officer practice at leadership advisory firm Heidrick &amp; Struggles.



“The only other seat besides CEO that has a cross-enterprise view is the chief human resources officer,” Wilson says. “The best CHROs these days are weighing in and shaping strategy around big corporate issues.”



Yet CHROs are rarely tapped for the CEO role. Heidrick &amp; Struggles’s data shows that only 16 CEOs at America’s 1,000 largest companies by revenue have previous HR experience.



An overlooked role



Most of those executives worked in HR as part of their climb up the corporate ladder. General Motors CEO Mary Barra, for example, was a vice president of global human resources at GM for two years between roles as a vice president of global manufacturing engineering and a promotion to senior vice president of global product development. Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue Airways, was the CPO of the airline for four years after serving as associate general counsel and before moving to an executive vice president role overseeing customer experience.



More unusual is the case of Leena Nair, who was the CHRO at Unilever when Chanel, the privately held luxury brand, recruited her to be its global CEO.



At a time when chief financial officers, chief technology officers, and even lawyers are moving to the CEO role, Tami Rosen, chief development officer and a board member at Pagaya, an AI-powered fintech, and former CPO at Atlassian, says overlooking HR executives is a miss. “For too long, CHRO and CPO roles have been miscast as operational or administrative when in reality they are the only seats with a true 360-degree view of the company, driving strategy, mission, culture, risk, performance, and people,” she says.



The CEO’s support system



Megan Myungwon Lee was CHRO and vice president of corporate planning and strategic initiatives when she was promoted to chairwoman and CEO of Panasonic North America in 2021. Lee says Osaka, Japan–based Panasonic has a history of viewing HR, finance, and strategy as a three-legged stool supporting the CEO. “In Japan, if you hire a person, it’s a $3 million investment because people usually retire with the company,” she notes. “It’s not a variable cost.”



Lee says her experiences in HR—Panasonic initially hired her as a bilingual secretary—exposed her directly and indirectly to all aspects of the company. It has also shaped her leadership style. “Being a leader is like [being] a parent in that you lead with empathy—guiding, setting boundaries, and making tough decisions—while always asking, ‘How would I want someone to treat my own children in this situation?’”



Boards of directors may disregard CHROs in their CEO succession planning for any number of reasons: Some want their chief executive to have client-facing experience; a tech company may prioritize a leader with an engineering background. But Pagaya’s Rosen says boards ignore HR talent at their peril. “More CHROs and CPOs should be elevated to CEO because theirs is the most well-rounded role in the company, connected to the business, the strategy, the culture, and every team,” she says.



Does your team elevate HR pros to the top?



Does your company have a CPO or CHRO who is a candidate to succeed the CEO? If so, what are the reasons why your company may elevate them? I’d like to hear your stories. Send them in an email to stephaniemehta@mansueto.com.



Read more: human resources




Meet Beth Galetti, the woman behind Amazon’s explosive growth



Why Tesla and FedEx pay this staffing firm millions of dollars



The most innovative HR companies of 2025




 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Corporations, say, they, prioritize, people., why, few, chief, people, officers, become, CEOs</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why is Bitcoin dropping again today? Crypto markets start December with another worrisome selloff</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-is-bitcoin-dropping-again-today-crypto-markets-start-december-with-another-worrisome-selloff</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-is-bitcoin-dropping-again-today-crypto-markets-start-december-with-another-worrisome-selloff</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ December is a month that many look forward to as holiday festivities kick into full gear and extended R&amp;R with our loved ones nears. But for cryptocurrency investors, the month is off to anything but a good start.



As of the time of this writing, cryptocurrency prices are down across the board on the first day of December trading. This encompasses significant price drops of major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana. Here’s what you need to know.



Cryptocurrencies begin December with steep declines



Nearly every major cryptocurrency is seeing significant declines on the first trading day of December. As of the time of this writing, most major coins are down over the past 24 hours, including:




Bitcoin: down 5%



Ethereum: down 5.5%



XRP: down 6.8%



BNB: down 5.9%



Solana: down 6.8%




Additionally, meme coins have also declined, with Dogecoin down 8%.



Unfortunately, these drops aren’t outliers for cryptocurrencies as of late. Over the past month, big-name cryptocurrencies have been hit hard as investors sold off the digital tokens amid declining risk appetites.



Over the last 30 days, Bitcoin has now declined 21%, dropping from around $111,000 per token to today’s current price of just over $86,600. 



During the same period, Ethereum fell by more than 26%, XRP by more than 18%, BNB by more than 24%, and Solana by more than 31%. Dogecoin is down more than 26% over the past month.



Why are Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies dropping today?



There isn’t a single event weighing on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies today, just like there has not been one single event weighing on the digital token markets over the past month. 



Instead, the first trading day of December drops in cryptocurrencies across the board are likely being spurred by multiple factors.



Perhaps the most significant factor behind the December 1 crypto drop is ongoing uncertainty about whether the Federal Reserve will vote to cut interest rates when the central bank meets to vote on the matter on December 9-10.



A drop in interest rates is generally seen as a good thing for cryptocurrencies as rate drops increase liquidity in the markets, which typically spurs investors to take more risk. 



As cryptocurrencies are among the most volatile assets, increased risk-taking can stimulate investment in the coins, sending their prices higher. Yet if the Fed does not reduce rates, that increase in liquidity will not materialize, which could impact risk asset investments.



Barchart reports that the markets are discounting an 83% chance that the Federal Reserve’s monetary policymaking group, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), will cut interest rates by 25 basis points.



However, rate drops aren’t the only reason Bitcoin and other cryptos are starting December on the wrong foot. 



As Fast Company previously reported, in November, investors increasingly turned sour on artificial intelligence stocks, including on AI heavyweights like Nvidia Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) and major OpenAI investor Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT). 



Over the past month, NVDA shares have declined nearly 12% and MSFT shares are down more than 9%.



The share prices of AI and AI-adjacent companies have been highly volatile this year amid growing fears of an AI bubble. Many investors who invest in those companies have high-risk appetites, which is why many AI investors are also cryptocurrency investors. 



And when one high-risk asset declines, investors tend to sell off their other high-risk assets to lock in any gains and prevent further losses. Continuing fears of an AI bubble, then, could be influencing declines in cryptocurrency prices.



Aside from these two ongoing factors that have been weighing on crypto markets for a while now, there are a few more recent events that may be contributing to crypto losses on the first trading day of December. 



According to a report from CNBC, People’s Bank of China issued a warning on Saturday about illegal activities involving digital tokens. That warning sent shares of companies in the digital asset sector lower on the Hong Kong market.



Additionally, CoinDesk reports that early Monday saw notable forced liquidations in crypto markets as traders failed to meet margin requirements for leveraged positions, putting pressure on cryptocurrency prices.



2025 turns negative for crypto



When the year began, many investors and industry watchers expressed optimism that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were in for a tremendous year of growth in 2025, largely thanks to the incoming Trump administration and its crypto-friendly policies. 



But while tokens like Bitcoin did reach an all-time high of more than $126,000 this year, the crypto king has declined well below its 2025 starting price. 



As of this writing, Bitcoin has lost about 7.24% of its 2025 opening value. Ethereum has lost 14.6% of its value, and Solana has lost 32%.



BNB is a rare bright spot for major cryptocurrencies this year. The coin has seen growth of nearly 18% so far this year.



Of course, given the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies, it’s always possible that things could reverse quickly. There is still one month left in the year, and if there is a late bull run on the tokens, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could still come out green for the year.



Whether or not that happens likely depends a lot on the Fed’s rate cut decision next week—and, of course, the greed and fear that investors feel in the run-up to the new year. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Bitcoin, dropping, again, today, Crypto, markets, start, December, with, another, worrisome, selloff</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The classic headphones upgrade you should know about</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-classic-headphones-upgrade-you-should-know-about</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-classic-headphones-upgrade-you-should-know-about</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Koss Porta Pro headphones are one of the most iconic and popular designs in the history of audio equipment. The headphones were first released in 1984 in response to the rise of the Sony Walkman and aimed to translate the company’s audio prowess into a portable, affordable form factor.



The results were unmistakably odd. The collapsible headband, blue driver housings and striking shape meant you could spot them from a mile away. But Koss managed to deliver its trademark warm, bassy sound signature into an accessible product, and its retro-futuristic industrial design has never quite gone out of style.



[Photo: Wikimedia]



Koss, which is still a family-run business headquartered in Milwaukee, sold the Porta Pro virtually unchanged for decades. At under $50, they remained a great option for on-the-go listening. But with the demise of the smartphone headphone jack, eventually a modern wireless update was an obvious move.





Going wireless



Unfortunately, Koss’s first attempt in 2018 was a whiff. Despite coming after Apple’s AirPods made their debut, the wireless Porta Pro relied on a cable that housed an inline remote and a battery that rested on the wearer’s neck. Between the awkward wearability and a persistently flashing blue LED, the feedback was generally scathing.



But recently, I found out that Koss released a radically updated version around a year ago, dubbed the Porta Pro Wireless 2.0. This feels like the sort of thing I should have noticed at the time, but apparently Koss didn’t feel the need to actually tell anyone about the new version. There’s a press release, sure, but for some reason the product got virtually no coverage in the usual channels.



Major sites like The Verge didn’t follow up on withering coverage of the 1.0 model. You won’t find reviews on major audio equipment outlets. Even the thread on legendarily obsessive audiophile forum Head-Fi has just 13 posts. (For comparison, the thread on my own Koss go-tos, the relatively obscure KPH30i, has 392.)



The Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 is, however, freely available to order on Amazon for $99, so obviously I had to check it out.



[Photo: Koss]



Nailed it



I am pleased to report that Koss actually nailed everything with this 2.0 edition. These are, for mostly better and occasionally worse, exactly what you would have expected from a wireless set of Porta Pro headphones in the first place.



Most importantly, the dangly neck wire has been banished. It’s now actually accurate to call these “wireless.” You lose the controls on the inline remote, sure, but I think most people would take that tradeoff. And while the design of the cans themselves remains the same as the original, the lack of wire makes them much more practical to wear.



On the tech side of things, Koss has thankfully upgraded the 2.0 model to USB-C for charging. There is still a pulsating LED that indicates connectivity, but it’s tucked away on the underside of the right earpiece and isn’t bright enough to be an annoyance. And unlike the previous model, these support analog audio through a cable when the battery dies.



Porta Pro headphones were never known for their sturdy build quality—in fact, they’re positively flimsy. But the upside of this is that they’re very comfortable and can be squeezed down easily into a small circular footprint, which Koss takes advantage of with the helpful inclusion of a compact round hard case.



As for the sound, well, they sound like Porta Pro headphones, which is to say they sound awesome for what they are. They’re not exactly reference-level audio hardware, but the thumping bass and smoothed-off treble is a great fit for rock, rap and beyond, while the semi-open-back design allows for sound that feels wider and less claustrophobic than noise-cancelling Bluetooth cans.



[Photo: Koss]



The Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 does still feel pretty retro, for better and worse. There’s the lightweight plastic design, of course, which I imagine Koss correctly deemed to be nonnegotiable. But there’s also the lack of modern features that are standard on headphones these days, like easy pairing. Getting these up and running on your phone is a roughly equivalent experience to using a Bluetooth earpiece in your car 15 years ago.



If you’ve never used Porta Pro headphones before, I should also point out that these are not necessarily the most versatile headphones around. The on-ear, semi-open-back design is what enables the surprisingly wide soundstage, but it also means they offer virtually no sound isolation, and your audio is going to leak out to people around you. In other words, don’t plan to use them on a plane.



Still, overall the Porta Pro Wireless 2.0 does exactly what it ought to—these are Porta Pro headphones, but wireless. Maybe the muted launch was because Koss was stung by the reception to the previous wireless model. If so, I think that was a mistake. That was a bad product, and this is not.



I think the world should know that you can, in fact, now buy a great wireless version of Porta Pro headphones, which remain a genuine design classic to this day. I’m honestly not sure why this was news to me, but if it’s news to you too, my work here is done. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, classic, headphones, upgrade, you, should, know, about</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Despite flak for doom&#45;spending their money, Gen Z may be more prepared for retirement than baby boomers, research reveals</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/despite-flak-for-doom-spending-their-money-gen-z-may-be-more-prepared-for-retirement-than-baby-boomers-research-reveals</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/despite-flak-for-doom-spending-their-money-gen-z-may-be-more-prepared-for-retirement-than-baby-boomers-research-reveals</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Part of the financial preparedness is thanks to features like autoenrollment, and expanded Defined Contribution plans through employers, the study finds. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1738991864-e1764186840535.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Despite, flak, for, doom-spending, their, money, Gen, may, more, prepared, for, retirement, than, baby, boomers, research, reveals</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How Xbox is turning its loudest fans into a roadmap for its biggest transformation yet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-xbox-is-turning-its-loudest-fans-into-a-roadmap-for-its-biggest-transformation-yet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-xbox-is-turning-its-loudest-fans-into-a-roadmap-for-its-biggest-transformation-yet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Xbox is shifting from console-first to a play-anywhere future, and its president, Sarah Bond, is relying on its passionate player base to chart the path forward. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SarahBondJune2025.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, Xbox, turning, its, loudest, fans, into, roadmap, for, its, biggest, transformation, yet</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>AI startup valuations are doubling and tripling within months as back&#45;to&#45;back funding rounds fuel a stunning growth spurt</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-startup-valuations-are-doubling-and-tripling-within-months-as-back-to-back-funding-rounds-fuel-a-stunning-growth-spurt</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-startup-valuations-are-doubling-and-tripling-within-months-as-back-to-back-funding-rounds-fuel-a-stunning-growth-spurt</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ From LLM makers OpenAI and Anthropic to specialized firms like Cursor, Harvey, and Abridge, AI startups are chaining deals together in rapid-fire succession and lifting valuations to stratospheric heights. Is this normal? ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OpenAI-Altman-Funding-Valuations.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>startup, valuations, are, doubling, and, tripling, within, months, back-to-back, funding, rounds, fuel, stunning, growth, spurt</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>I left consulting to begin teaching at Dartmouth right before the release of ChatGPT. Disruption is always messy—and there’s always a twist</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-left-consulting-to-begin-teaching-at-dartmouth-right-before-the-release-of-chatgpt-disruption-is-always-messyand-theres-always-a-twist</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/i-left-consulting-to-begin-teaching-at-dartmouth-right-before-the-release-of-chatgpt-disruption-is-always-messyand-theres-always-a-twist</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Over the last three years, I&#039;ve been experimenting through a course called “AI and Consultative Decision Making.” I alsowrote the book &quot;Epic Disruptions.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/scott-anthony-e1764008161802.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>left, consulting, begin, teaching, Dartmouth, right, before, the, release, ChatGPT., Disruption, always, messy—and, there’s, always, twist</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>20 years across Google, Maersk, and Diageo taught me that the biggest barrier to change isn’t ideas — it’s the gap between inside reality and outside expectations</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/20-years-across-google-maersk-and-diageo-taught-me-that-the-biggest-barrier-to-change-isnt-ideas-its-the-gap-between-inside-reality-and-outside-expectations</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/20-years-across-google-maersk-and-diageo-taught-me-that-the-biggest-barrier-to-change-isnt-ideas-its-the-gap-between-inside-reality-and-outside-expectations</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After two decades on the inside, I crossed the line for the first time. I went from the inside to the outside and it was a huge wake-up call.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/louisa-loran.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>years, across, Google, Maersk, and, Diageo, taught, that, the, biggest, barrier, change, isn’t, ideas, —, it’s, the, gap, between, inside, reality, and, outside, expectations</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How to watch the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live online or on TV, including free options</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-watch-the-2025-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-live-online-or-on-tv-including-free-options</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-watch-the-2025-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-live-online-or-on-tv-including-free-options</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A Thanksgiving tradition since 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has not quite turned 100 years-old yet. How is this possible you might wonder? Because it was skipped for three years—1942, 1943, and 1944—during World War II. 



Nevertheless, its 99th anniversary is shaping up to be spectacular. Here’s everything you need to know about the (mostly) annual event in New York City, including how to tune in.



The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by the numbers



It takes many people to pull off the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Some even do the pulling literally.) There will be more than 5,000 volunteers working hard to make magic happen.



This spectacle includes 34 balloons and 28 floats. There are also four “ballonicles,” which are essentially balloons on wheels. Let’s not forget the 14 specialty units, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands, and the one and only Santa Claus.



The parade route begins on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends on 34th Street in Midtown.



Who’s performing at the 2025 Macy’s parade?



There’s a little something for everyone this year. 



Elphaba Thropp herself, Cynthia Erivo, will kick things off with an opening number performance. 



Much to the delight of hip children everywhere, the singing voices of HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters will also have a golden moment to shine. 



Broadway fans can look forward to numbers from Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time, and Ragtime.



Country fans will look forward to Lainey Wilson’s vocal talents, and the Radio City Rockettes will high kick their hearts out.



That’s just the beginning. 



There are also performances by Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, Christopher Jackson, Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool &amp; the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luísa Sonza, and Teyana Taylor.



It’s a jammed-packed event.



What other celebrities are appearing?



Beyond the performances, the parade will be a star-studded event, filled with athletes such as U.S. Olympian Ilia Malinin and U.S Paralympian Jack Wallace. Actors Kristoffer Polaha and Nikki DeLoach will also dazzle the parade route. Sean Evans will serve as a special correspondent



What new floats will join the parade?



There are six new floats this year making their way down the parade route. 



Science fiction fans look out for Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix. Travel lovers can look forward to The Land of Ice &amp; Wonder by Holland America Line. Parade lovers young and young at heart will be excited for Brick-tastic Winter Mountain by the Lego Group.



Rounding out the new floats are Master Chocolatier Ballroom by Lindt, Friends-giving in Pop City by Pop Mart, and The Counting Sheep’s Dream Generator by Serta.



What new balloons will join the 2025 parade?



There are four new additions full of hot air to dazzle onlookers. 



Buzz Lightyear and Pac-Man will have their time to float, as will Shrek’s Onion Carriage and Mario. 



Additionally, KPop Demon Hunters fans should keep their eyes peeled for Derpy Tiger and Sussie, who will appear in mid‑sized balloon and ballonicle form.



How can I watch or stream the parade live this year?



The parade airs today (Thursday, November 27), which is Thanksgiving. No matter your time zone, the action starts at 8:30 a.m. on NBC. 



NBC’s telecast covers those with traditional cable subscriptions and those with an over-the-air antenna with good reception. If you have the latter, you can watch the parade for free. 



The event will also be available on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming platform.  



If Peacock is not in your streaming arsenal, you can turn to a live-TV streaming platform that includes NBC in its bundle. Those include: 




Hulu + Live TV



YouTube TV



Sling TV




Unfortunately, due to a carriage dispute between NBCUniversal and Fubo, NBC had been removed from that streaming service as of press time. Be sure to check regional differences before you commit to yet another monthly charge.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, watch, the, 2025, Macy’s, Thanksgiving, Day, Parade, live, online, TV, including, free, options</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Less Phone. More Focus</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/less-phone-more-focus</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/less-phone-more-focus</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps.


We sleep with our phones. ? ? We’re tied to these devices for work, at home—even on vacation. ?️?



43% of Americans feel addicted



I was intrigued when writer Daniel Parris offered to share tips and tools he relies on to weaken the distracting pull of his phone.



Daniel is a data scientist and data journalist who writes Stat Significant, a weekly newsletter with more than 23,000 readers. It’s a lively read, with data-centric essays about movies, music, TV, and more.



Between his consulting projects, pop culture data analyses, and weekly writing, Daniel juggles a lot. He relies on a curated toolkit to minimize distraction. In this guest post, he shares his favorite new tools for managing time and sharpening focus.



A return to focus ?



Daniel Explains: A year ago, I read Cal Newport’s Deep Work. It led me to rethink time management and reassess the distractions affecting my focus.



Like most people, my smartphone makes daily life easier—I text, get directions, send memes, and answer emails. In return for that convenience, my device quietly siphons away hours of free time.



Since I first got an iPhone, I’ve found more and more of my time sliding toward social media and other escapist apps. Millions of others face similar challenges.







Inspired by Deep Work, I wanted to see if I could retain the best aspects of modern tech without surrendering more time than necessary.



Through trial and error, I’ve found a set of tools that help curb aimless tech use. I’m far from perfect, but these approaches have given me a foundation to build on.



Blank spaces—simplify your home screen



If you’d like to cut back on aimlessly scrolling through apps in search of a distraction—Blank Spaces is worth a try. The app replaces your home screen with a minimalist launcher that displays essential tools in a simplified layout.







You can still access all your apps through your phone’s search bar, but the interface eliminates habitual app tapping. Choosing five to eight essential apps may sound limiting, but you’ll gradually realize how little you actually need from your phone.



Price: Free for 7 days, then $4/month; $18/year; $24/lifetime



Brick—block distracting apps



Brick is a small near-field communication (NFC) puck that pairs with an app. It’s been the biggest breakthrough in how I use my phone. It lets me retain the fundamental utility of a smartphone (Google Maps, Yelp, Spotify) while blocking the apps that steal my time, including social media.



You select the apps or websites you want to block, then tap your phone against the Brick to enter Brick Mode. It blocks distractions and notifications from your disabled apps, and everything else stays. To re-enable access to your restricted apps, you have to physically tap your Brick again.



Brick may sound like a glorified app blocker. But the added friction makes all the difference. I usually place my Brick somewhere mildly inconvenient, far enough away to remind me I don’t really need to open Instagram right now.



Repeatedly bricking and unbricking my phone usually sparks some healthy introspection. Why am I working this hard just to check my email?



After my first few days, I got used to having my device bricked. That’s since become my phone’s default setting.



Price: $59; students get a 20% discount.







Yondr Box—put phones away



Yondr may be most attractive to families or groups who want to collectively limit phone time. Phone boxes like this one allow you to store devices in a safe-like receptacle for a predetermined period.







The features associated with these contraptions vary. Some prevent your phone from receiving a cell signal. With most of them, you set a timer and can’t access your device until after the time has elapsed. Yondr and other tools like it work well for family game night or movie marathons.



Price: $249 [Cheaper options include the $40 Mindsight Timed Lock Box – JC]



Light Phone—get a simpler device



When I was in middle school, I had a Motorola Razr. It could do very little beyond calls and texts. It broke constantly, but I loved my silly little Razr phone. For a 13 year old in the early 2000s, it was the best phone you could get. Then I got an iPhone. Overnight my Razr seemed like it was made of Play-Doh.



Flash forward two decades, and a small but growing group of consumers is retreating to “dumbphones”—devices with stripped-down functionality. (See a chart illustrating growth in interest)



Some of these devices are extremely “dumb.” They work only for calling and texting. Others embrace a more intentional kind of minimalism.



The Light Phone offers only essential functions: calling, texting, alarms, and directions. This streamlined design reduces screen time and digital distraction.







It intentionally excludes social media, email, and web browsing, encouraging users to disconnect from their smartphones without going off the grid completely.



I’ve long flirted with buying a Light Phone, but have yet to pull the trigger. I have a friend who owns one and swears by it.



In 2025, buying a dumbphone is a radical act. In 2002, you’d have been just like everyone else. It’s amazing how 20 years of technological progress can completely recalibrate how we live.



Price: $699 for version 3 or $299 for version 2.



Time-Block Planner—make time to focus



This physical notebook helps me plan my day in 30-minute increments. Each task gets a defined start and end time. Time blocks are allocated between work, meetings, breaks, and admin tasks—with the aim of minimizing idle time, avoiding the mental drag of context switching, and carving out uninterrupted stretches for deep work.







When I first started time-blocking, it felt borderline draconian—like I was robbing my day of spontaneity. Over time, I’ve found it frees me up to focus on doing higher-quality work, instead of constantly thinking about what I should be thinking about.



The scheduler helps me frontload my planning into one intentional session at the start of the day, instead of reconfiguring priorities every hour.



I get that an analog journal isn’t the sexiest recommendation.



Still, I like being able to plan my day without digital distraction, and I appreciate being able to see my schedule without staring at a screen.



Price: $27.90 at Amazon








Daniel was one of DoorDash’s first 150 employees and data science hires. After working there for nearly six years, Daniel moved into consulting and data writing. Over the past year, he’s taken on some of pop culture’s greatest conundrums:





At What Age Do We Stop Looking for New Music?



Which Movies Popularized (or Tarnished) Baby Names?



Which Shows Got Their Finale Right, and Which Didn’t?




Check out Stat Significant



Check out Stat Significant to read more of Daniel’s work:




Why Did Hollywood Stop Making Comedies?



How Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show?



Is Rotten Tomatoes Still Reliable?




Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or at daniel@statsignificant.com



This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Less, Phone., More, Focus</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Home prices are falling in these 105 major housing markets</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/home-prices-are-falling-in-these-105-major-housing-markets</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/home-prices-are-falling-in-these-105-major-housing-markets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



National home prices rose +0.1% year-over-year between October 2024 and October 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index reading published last week—a decelerated rate from the +2.4% year-over-year rate between October 2023 and October 2024.



In the first half of 2025, the number of major metro area housing markets seeing year-over-year declines climbed. That count has since stopped ticking up.



—&gt; 31 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 10% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the January 2024 to January 2025 window.



—&gt; 42 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 14% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the February 2024 to February 2025 window.



—&gt; 60 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 20% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the March 2024 to March 2025 window.



—&gt; 80 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 27% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the April 2024 to April 2025 window.



—&gt; 96 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 32% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the May 2024 to May 2025 window.



—&gt; 110 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 36% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the June 2024 to June 2025 window.



—&gt; 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 36% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the July 2024 to July 2025 window.



—&gt; 109 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the August 2024 to August 2025 window.



—&gt; 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the September 2024 to September 2025 window.



—&gt; 105 of the nation’s 300 largest housing markets (i.e., 35% of markets) had a falling year-over-year reading in the October 2024 to October 2025 window.



Earlier this year, an increasing number of housing markets slipped into year-over-year price declines as the supply-demand balance gradually tilted more toward buyers. But in recent months, the list of declining markets has begun to stabilize as inventory growth has stalled.



Home prices are still climbing in many regions where active inventory remains well below pre-pandemic 2019 levels, such as pockets of the Northeast and Midwest. In contrast, some pockets in states like Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Colorado—where active inventory exceeds pre-pandemic 2019 levels—are seeing modest home price pullbacks.







Many of the housing markets seeing the most softness, where homebuyers have gained the most leverage, are primarily located in Sun Belt regions, particularly the Gulf Coast and Mountain West.



Many of these areas saw major price surges during the Pandemic Housing Boom, with home price growth outpacing local income levels. As pandemic-driven domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices.



This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable homebuilder deals.







Of course, while 105 of the nation’s 300 largest metro area housing markets are seeing year-over-year home price declines, another 195 are still seeing year-over-year home price increases.



Where are home prices still up on a year-over-year basis? See the map below.







 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Home, prices, are, falling, these, 105, major, housing, markets</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>What stores are open on Thanksgiving Day 2025? Holiday hours for Walmart, Whole Foods, Costco, and more</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-stores-are-open-on-thanksgiving-day-2025-holiday-hours-for-walmart-whole-foods-costco-and-more</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-stores-are-open-on-thanksgiving-day-2025-holiday-hours-for-walmart-whole-foods-costco-and-more</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Thanksgiving is a beautiful day filled with family, loved ones, and good food. All that merriment takes copious amounts of labor and planning ahead. 



It is almost inevitable that something will fall between the cracks and a last-minute store run will be necessary. But is that even possible?



Here’s a quick breakdown of what is open and closed on Thanksgiving 2025 to help you out in a pinch should you have a missing cranberry sauce crisis. 



But first let’s take a look at everyday services: 



Is Thanksgiving a federal holiday?



Yes, Thanksgiving is a federal holiday celebrated annually in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. This makes November 27 the big day in 2025. Federal workers get a day off to observe the holiday.



Will mail be delivered on Thanksgiving?



No, there will be no letter or bills delivered on Thanksgiving. The only exception is Priority Mail Express. The United States Postal Service (USPS) will keep post offices closed, but some self-service kiosks will still be open.



UPS will also be closed and not delivering on turkey day. The only exception is UPS Express Critical service.



Similarly, FedEx locations will be closed. The only deliveries being made on Thanksgiving day are FedEx Custom Critical.



Are banks open on Thanksgiving?



No, banks are not open on Thanksgiving day. If you need some cash, though, ATMs outside of locations are generally open. Online banking is also an option.



Is the stock market trading on Thanksgiving?



No. Both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq exchange will be closed for business. No opening bells will ring out.



What stores are open on Thanksgiving?



It’s time to get into the cranberry sauce of it all. The following stores are open.



Grocery stores




Whole Foods: Open with limited hours. Hours vary by location



Sprouts: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.



H Mart: Hours vary by location.



Kroger: Some stores open with limited hours and a 5 p.m. closing time. Some pharmacies will be closed.



Meijer: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.



Save A Lot: Hours vary by location




Retailers




Starbucks: Hours vary by location



Dollar General: Hours vary by location



Family Dollar: Hours vary by location



Bass Pro Shops: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 



Big Lots: Most open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. but hours vary by location. 



Cabela’s: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.




What stores are closed on Thanksgiving?



Do not try your luck at the following stores, as they will all be closed:




Trader Joe’s



Publix



Costco



Walmart




My kid is sick. Are any 24-hour pharmacies open?



Many regular Walgreens stores will be closed on Thanksgiving, but it’s another story for their 24-pharmacy locations. Most of these will be open for business and emergency medicine runs.



CVS, meanwhile, is open but with limited holiday hours.



If you need medication, be sure to check your local store hours before making a trip. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What, stores, are, open, Thanksgiving, Day, 2025, Holiday, hours, for, Walmart, Whole, Foods, Costco, and, more</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Goldfish joins Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the tiniest float ever</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/goldfish-joins-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-with-the-tiniest-float-ever</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/goldfish-joins-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-with-the-tiniest-float-ever</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ For the past 99 years at Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, spectators have craned their necks to watch giant balloons and larger-than-life floats pass through the streets of New York City. But a word to the wise this year: Don’t forget to look down. You might just catch a glimpse of the tiniest float in the parade’s history. 



The float—which is 49 times smaller than the average display—comes courtesy of Goldfish, which is returning to the parade for the first time in more than a decade. The float’s design features a wintery snowscape covered with frolicking Goldfish crackers towed by an equally tiny Ram truck. According to Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production at Macy’s Studios, the float measures less than 8 inches tall and 14 inches long. Throughout the parade, it will be circling Herald Square, just outside Macy’s department store.



[Photo: Goldfish]



Kennedy, who stepped into his role at the helm of the parade in April 2024, says he’s been spending quite a bit of time digging through the event’s history for its upcoming centennial anniversary. In all that research, he’s never come across another float quite like this one.



“I don’t think this has ever come close to happening,” Kennedy says.



[Photo: Goldfish]



Inside Goldfish’s return to the parade



Every year, Kennedy says the team at Macy’s is working around 18 months ahead of time to prepare for the next Thanksgiving parade: ensuring the event will have enough street space, selecting brand partners, and ironing out the production schedule. The floats themselves take anywhere from three to six months to fully plan and design. When Goldfish reached out to Macy’s with the idea to build what the company is calling “the Littlest Float” in early September, Kennedy says the team was “already in the home stretch” of building this year’s six new floats.



Despite the quick turnaround, he knew they had to make it happen. “I got a call from our partnership team, and they said ‘Goldfish has this idea, what do you think?’” Kennedy says. “I was like, ‘Absolutely. I’m in.’” 



Designing a new float always starts with nailing down a solid story, Kennedy says. In this case, the Goldfish and Macy’s teams pulled inspiration from “Snow Day,” a Goldfish ad originally released in 2015 that shows a crew of three hat-wearing Goldfish crackers sledding, playing hockey, building snowmen, and warming up by the fire. The float’s mock-up included a team of Goldfish enjoying wintery activities in a snowy landscape, topped off by a Goldfish-shaped mound of snow. 



The last time Goldfish was in the parade was back in 2012, when the brand debuted a somewhat meta float of Goldfish crackers putting on their own parade. “After more than a decade, returning with the Littlest Float allowed us to show up in a way that feels both true to the brand and meaningful to fans,” says Mike Fanelli, the brand’s senior director of marketing.



[Photo: Goldfish]



Bringing the tiniest Thanksgiving float ever to life



Bringing the design to life was an entirely new challenge for the Macy’s team. Typically, Kennedy explains, they’re contending with the massive scale of the floats, which need to be simultaneously spectacular but also street-safe and foldable in order to pack up for transport. Designing a tiny float invited its own host of unique considerations: namely, how to make the wintery scene durable at such a small size. 



Kennedy’s team addressed that concern by building a custom base, which is hidden by a lining of orange fringe around the float. It’s an aluminum structure, made in the shape of a Goldfish cracker, that was hand-cut in-house. Kennedy describes it as “essentially a thick skateboard.” Most important for the float’s longevity, its wheels are omnidirectional, meaning it won’t easily be tripped up on uneven surfaces.



“[The wheels] kind of look like a Ping-Pong ball inside of a metal scoop,” Kennedy says. “They’re used in robotics a lot of the time. We found that these worked best because of their omnidirectional ability. A traditional float bed just has to roll straight and then turn, and it’s just these big old tires. But for this, it could basically go in any direction at any point.”



[Photo: Goldfish]



On top of the aluminum base, the part of the Littlest Float that’s actually visible is a 3D-printed landscape that’s been sanded down and hand-painted to achieve a detailed look up close. As a finishing touch, the whole contraption is pulled by a tiny Ram truck with workable blinkers and side mirrors, manufactured by a company called Primal RC that makes an officially licensed miniature of the vehicle. Kennedy says this element was important for continuity, since Ram is a sponsor of the parade, and its trucks will be pulling all the standard-size floats. 



To get the right shot of the diminutive float, the Macy’s team worked with NBC, the parade’s broadcast partner, to set up a dedicated steady rig camera that sits just 6 inches off the ground. On the day of the event, a team of actors—purposefully selected to be above-average height in order to play up the conceit—will follow the Littlest Float around the square and keep an eye on it.



“I think it’s really fun and silly, and it’s such a good way of showing how the Macy’s Studios team can come together and reinvent what it means to parade,” Kennedy says. “It’s clowns, and performances, and magic—to make everybody look up, see some balloons, forget about their day or week or year, and just have some fun. We really just like coming up with new ways to do that for all the folks on the street and at home.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Goldfish, joins, Macy’s, Thanksgiving, Day, Parade, with, the, tiniest, float, ever</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Bitcoin plunges while gold rises, destroying the crypto ‘safe haven’ narrative</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bitcoin-plunges-while-gold-rises-destroying-the-crypto-safe-haven-narrative</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bitcoin-plunges-while-gold-rises-destroying-the-crypto-safe-haven-narrative</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The lower Bitcoin tumbles, the less it looks like &quot;digital gold.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1324553383.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Bitcoin, plunges, while, gold, rises, destroying, the, crypto, ‘safe, haven’, narrative</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Citi CFO Mark Mason has the CEO qualities for his next chapter, says former American Express chief</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/citi-cfo-mark-mason-has-the-ceo-qualities-for-his-next-chapter-says-former-american-express-chief</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/citi-cfo-mark-mason-has-the-ceo-qualities-for-his-next-chapter-says-former-american-express-chief</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Mason plans to leave Citigroup by the end of 2026 after a 25-year journey at the company. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2196275055-e1764074039899.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Citi, CFO, Mark, Mason, has, the, CEO, qualities, for, his, next, chapter, says, former, American, Express, chief</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The next competitive edge in business? A new skill partnership between humans, agents, and robots</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-competitive-edge-in-business-a-new-skill-partnership-between-humans-agents-and-robots</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-next-competitive-edge-in-business-a-new-skill-partnership-between-humans-agents-and-robots</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Our research suggests something more nuanced—and hopeful—than a future of AI job losses. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2245854729.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, next, competitive, edge, business, new, skill, partnership, between, humans, agents, and, robots</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Deadhead who became a $38 billion CEO: What HubSpot founder Brian Halligan learned from Jerry Garcia and passed on to his MIT students</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-deadhead-who-became-a-38-billion-ceo-what-hubspot-founder-brian-halligan-learned-from-jerry-garcia-and-passed-on-to-his-mit-students</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-deadhead-who-became-a-38-billion-ceo-what-hubspot-founder-brian-halligan-learned-from-jerry-garcia-and-passed-on-to-his-mit-students</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Dead’s business model offers a better guide for founders than half the frameworks taught in business school, according to the venture capitalist. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1197807648-e1764028462307.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Deadhead, who, became, 38, billion, CEO:, What, HubSpot, founder, Brian, Halligan, learned, from, Jerry, Garcia, and, passed, his, MIT, students</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Stablecoin issuer Paxos to acquire wallet startup Fordefi for more than $100 million</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stablecoin-issuer-paxos-to-acquire-wallet-startup-fordefi-for-more-than-100-million</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stablecoin-issuer-paxos-to-acquire-wallet-startup-fordefi-for-more-than-100-million</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Paxos provides crypto infrastructure for major institutions like PayPal and Mastercard. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2238031370-e1764031621988.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Stablecoin, issuer, Paxos, acquire, wallet, startup, Fordefi, for, more, than, 100, million</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Pop&#45;Tarts mascots are about to die again—from trying too hard</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-pop-tarts-mascots-are-about-to-die-againfrom-trying-too-hard</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-pop-tarts-mascots-are-about-to-die-againfrom-trying-too-hard</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In 2023, Pop-Tarts changed the world of brand mascots forever when it sacrificed the life of a Strawberry Pop-Tart and fed its remains to the Kansas State football team as a reward for winning the Pop-Tarts Bowl game. The weirdly macabre stunt got 4 billion media impressions, and in the eight weeks following the game, parent company Kellanova sold 21 million more Pop-Tarts than in the eight weeks before the game. 



Riding on that success, the brand upped its ambitions and brought three flavors to the Pop-Tarts Bowl last year, letting the winning team’s MVP choose which one was toasted and eaten (Iowa State’s quarterback, Rocco Becht, picked Frosted Cinnamon Roll). Now Pop-Tarts has announced that it’s dramatically expanding its “edible mascot” lineup for the next big game, scheduled to be played in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on December 27th.



Six edible Pop-Tarts mascots—three on Team Sprinkles and three on Team Swirls—will be up for mass consumption, with fans voting ahead of time on which team should be sacrificed.









For Pop-Tarts, it’s a significant jump in both sacrificial anthropomorphic breakfast pastry and the stakes for its brand stunt strategy. Many viewers will undoubtedly be giddy at the prospect of doubling the number of mascots involved, but there’s a cost to escalating the premise so much in such a short period of time: Pop-Tarts is now entering into an unnecessary arms race with itself.



When I posed this theory to the brand’s VP of marketing, Leslie Serro, she didn’t agree. “Expanding from three to six edible mascots this year isn’t about an arms race; it’s about evolution,” she says. Serro tells me that they concluded after last year’s success that fans have an “insatiable appetite for the playful and unexpected nature of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.” Thus, the doubling down from three to six mascots and “raising the stakes.”



To be fair, will I be looking for social clips from the game on the 27th, in that dead zone between Christmas and New Year’s? Sure. Serro’s got me there. But will I feel as sick as if I ate six Pop-Tarts rather than just one (or even three)? Yes. 



Let me explain why Pop-Tarts, which so brilliantly spoke to the culture two years ago, risks toasting all that goodwill. 







Mascot Power



It’s easy to see why Pop-Tarts would want to crank up the mascot machine and get even more brand characters into the game (albeit to kill and eat them). A 2021 whitepaper by the Moving Picture Council found that long-term campaigns featuring a character increased market share 39.2%, compared with 29.7% for campaigns without a character; it also boosted profit gain 34.2% (versus 29.7%).



A report by System1 found that 2025 Super Bowl ads with brand characters performed better than those featuring celebrities. For example, an M&amp;M’s 2023 Super Bowl spot starring Maya Rudolph underperformed because people didn’t make the connection between Rudolph and the brand. As a celebrity, she could’ve been selling anything. Scores then soared once the M&amp;M’s characters returned in a second spot. Mascots aren’t just cute and fun. They create a faster route to being memorable, and being memorable tends to directly influence what we buy.



Two key factors in any successful mascot are longevity and consistency. Just think about the lifespan of some of the most iconic mascots: The Michelin Man was created in 1898! Tony the Tiger was born in 1952. Mr. Clean’s mascot came around in 1957. Chester Cheetah of Cheetos fame first dropped in 1986. And the Energizer Bunny started banging that drum in 1989. Both the Aflac Duck and Geico’s Gecko have been flogging insurance since 1999. Even Duolingo’s Duo, often considered a new-wave TikTok darling brand mascot, has been around since 2011. These are brand assets built for the long game.



Pop-Tarts is attempting to do something similar. Six months before the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl, the brand unveiled its new cast of characters, the “Agents of Crazy Good,” as an update to characters from its “Crazy Good” ads of the early ’00s. The Agents were described as “representations of the beloved toaster pastries brought to life, including Frosted Strawberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Hot Fudge Sundae, and a squad of Bites. The ingenious crew come fully frosted and ready to challenge expectations for where the brand can show up next.” 



Funnily enough, in tying the Agents back to the “Crazy Good” doodle characters from 20 years ago, Pop-Tarts is at least trying to conjure a new history of consistency. (Side note: Bring these ads back!)









Beyond Breakfast



The original goal of introducing Pop-Tarts as edible mascots, and even sponsoring the college bowl game in the first place, was to expand our purchase intention beyond breakfast and into the rest of the day. To go from breakfast to snack. The brand saw college football as the perfect vehicle to take that message. 



The edible mascot came about as the brand knew it had to contend with a laundry list of branded College Bowl games, each with their own brand mascot gimmick (Duke’s Mayo dumping mayonnaise on the winning coach, or Kellanova sibling Cheez-It’s mascot Ched-Z officiating a wedding during a game time-out). 




100% real love at first bite!Congrats to our newlyweds for tying the knot! #CitrusBowl pic.twitter.com/jhHq1H3nd7— Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (@CitrusBowl) December 31, 2024




According to Serro, last year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl drove nine times more share of voice than 20 other non-Kellanova Bowl games combined, a 275% increase in social engagements versus 2023, and the highest brand search in more than 15 years on game day. The brand also sold millions more Pop-Tarts in the month following the game than the month before it.



The brand could have stuck with the single edible mascot for a few years, then slowly, methodically, year after year, started adding more characters and concepts. In my opinion, this would build more familiarity, anticipation, and, by extension, enthusiasm. 









But where do we go from here? If it’s 6 edible mascots this year, do we jump to 10 or 12 in 2026? When will the numbers game cease? Maybe it goes full Bud Bowl, and we have two full football squads of Pop-Tarts on the field playing for the right to be enthusiastically toasted and devoured. Glorious. 



To be clear, I love this idea, and it’s a prime example of a marketer cleverly finding “white space” in a saturated marketing landscape and eventizing something, seemingly out of nothing. In that way, it’s kindred to FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny” work in the last three Super Bowls. It also turned things up a notch, going from Rob Gronkowski as a single kicker during a live commercial break to Peyton and Eli Manning facing off in a special pregame show. Both 2024 and 2025 attracted about 2 million participants on FanDuel, so the evolution appears to have worked.



With Pop-Tarts, the edible mascot barely became a tradition before it was hurriedly super-sized and multiplied. As a result, Pop-Tarts may have just bitten years off the gimmick’s lifespan by so quickly feeding into our culture’s insatiable appetite for newer, bigger, now now now. It’s a reflection of a broader issue in brand culture, where marketers are churning through ideas so quickly that nothing is given the time to become truly iconic.



It’s also possible the brand needs to cash in its Bowl hype on a short timeline, given it signed a one-year title sponsorship deal for 2023, then exercised its two-year extension option last year. Serro wouldn’t provide details on whether the brand will extend its Bowl investment beyond this year. “While we can’t share much just yet, let’s just say we love football and the way it brings fans together,” she says. 



But based on its popularity so far, and if they play their breakfast pastry cards right, the horizon for edible mascots could be incredibly long. They could star in ads, and then dip into real life as pop-culture nomads, showing up at any given extravaganza—state fairs, movie premieres, music festivals, the Super Bowl—until the end of time. Let’s face it, with a yearslong legacy like that, the people would . . . ahem . . . eat it up, and we’d have the Energizer Bunny of deliciously suicidal brand mascots.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Pop-Tarts, mascots, are, about, die, again—from, trying, too, hard</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>When AIs become consumers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-ais-become-consumers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/when-ais-become-consumers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As best I can tell, the über-wealthy believe the world as we know it is ending, that there won’t be enough to go around, and that this means they need to accumulate as much money and land as possible in order to position themselves for the end of days. 



The way they do that is with an induced form of “disaster capitalism,” where they intentionally crash the economy in order to have some control over what remains. So the function of tariffs, for example, is to bankrupt businesses or even public services in order to privatize and then control them. Stall imports, put the ports out of business, and then let a sovereign wealth fund purchase the ports. Or as is happening right now: Use tariffs to bankrupt soybean farmers, who have to foreclose on their farms so that a private equity firm can purchase the farmland as a distressed asset, then hire the farmers who used to own and work that land as sharecroppers. 



The über-wealthy, in collaboration with the current White House administration, are engaged in a controlled demolition of this civilization because they realize the pyramid is collapsing and they don’t have faith that there will be enough left to feed and house everyone. The best they can do is earn a ton of money, buy a lot of land, control an army, and get people accustomed to seeing that army deployed. That’s what we’re watching on TV and on our city streets.





It’s no coincidence that AI is emerging at this same moment in our civilization’s history. As Lewis Mumford observed, new technologies are often less the cause of societal changes than they are the result. Culture is like a standing wave, creating a vacuum or readiness for a new medium or technology. If we really are at the end of capitalism—the end of this 800- or 900-year process of abstraction, exploitation, and colonialism—then we would also, necessarily, be at the end of the era of employment. I will get to why I think that may ultimately be a good thing, but let’s go through the scenario that’s running through everyone’s heads right now, and then find our way through to what I think are better days. 



The spreadsheet people



Yes, AI is coming for our jobs. Not the super-creative ones, or the high-touch human ones, but the ones that maintain administrative control over everything. The majority of your jobs, dear Fast Company readers. All the people in the mortgage departments, the insurance companies . . . the spreadsheet people, the PowerPoint people. Doomers say it’s 90% of jobs, but let’s say it’s just half of office jobs taken by AIs and, of course, blue-collar jobs taken by robots. 



The problem with that, from a business perspective, is if you have no employees earning money out there in the world, then who will be your consumers? Even Henry Ford, despite his enthusiasm for fascism, understood that workers commoditized by his own assembly lines still needed to earn enough money to buy a Ford car. But how are AI billionaires going to continue to make money if there are no gainfully employed people capable of buying AI services from them—or at least buying products from the companies that do purchase AI services?



And this is the weird part; in their vision, it won’t be by selling products to people, but selling stuff to the AIs themselves. It’s a tricky idea, but once you wrap your head around it, it all makes perverse sense. In today’s economy, a small number of wealthy people and corporations employ us and sell to us. They don’t really need to care what species we are, or whether we are human or android, as long as we are producing value for their companies and then purchasing products from them. 



We already see how AIs can replace us as workers. But how could AIs also become the new population of consumers? They don’t have time off to spend money. What do AIs need? To do their jobs better. 



The humans don’t matter



Instead of retailers selling food and clothes and entertainment to human consumers, tech companies will be selling energy, memory, network access, and processing power to the AIs so that they succeed in their jobs working as agent contractors for other corporations. The AIs will earn crypto for completing their agentic tasks, and then spend it with technology companies who provide them the resources they need to function. 



As far as the owners of the companies are concerned, there’s no difference between a population of human employees with whom you have no contact and a population of artificial employees with whom you have no contact. The only game that matters is the competition with the other big companies for the agents’ business. The humans don’t matter.



So, assuming this tech-bro dream comes true, we end up with a small elite of big-business owners living in luxury with a small number of human servants, and a huge population of AIs doing the work and consumption. And, of course, in their vision for how this plays out, the rest of us humans become so disenfranchised—especially the ones who live in cities—that we will need to be kept under control until we presumably die out. We are simply not needed. 



The good news



Sounds like a nightmare for most of us, but it also offers clues to an emancipatory vision for the end of employment. So let’s consider that good option: For close to 1,000 years, growth-based capitalism has depended on real human beings doing work while a small elite extracted value from that work at ever greater degrees of leverage. In order to get that leverage, capitalism abstracted again and again and again. Each level of abstraction further removed from the people and places actually providing or creating the value. There’s a mineral in the ground. There’s a company mining the mineral, and another company selling the mineral. There’s yet another company investing in the company selling the mineral, there’s a stock company leveraging that investment, there’s a derivative on the stock, and a derivative on the derivative, and a platform trading the derivatives, and so on. 



Or, more simply, there’s a person who needs to live in a house, but they just rent from someone who owns the house. That’s called the “rentier.” But the rentier has a mortgage on the house, and pays up to the bank, which pays up to another investor that owns the security, and so on and so on.



That’s the pyramid of capitalism, with each investor or participant trying to move further up and away from the mineral or labor or living person into the abstraction of pure financial instruments. And this pyramid has simply grown too top-heavy to support itself. There’s only so much one can leverage up there before it comes tumbling down. 



Total abstraction



AI, at least theoretically in the minds of crazy tech billionaires who believe AGI is genuinely around the corner, allows them to move on from the employment, exploitation, and colonialism of people, and simply “level up” in what they believe is a simulation anyway. We humans are discarded as capitalism moves up into a layer of total abstraction. It becomes the video game it was destined to become, with the “humans” replaced by non-player characters represented by digital icons or NFTs instead of flesh-and-blood mammals. 



Our real-world economy only had so much stuff anyway. We matter-based entities can’t scale as much as they need, so they leave us behind while they move into a layer of total and absolute abstraction. They live in a realm made entirely of digital representations, themselves manufactured by digital agents in exchange for digital currencies. It works because at least the AI agents value that crypto as much as the billionaires need them too. Instead of just 9 billion human customers, they get trillions of AI customers. We are not required. 



But this is a good thing. It’s akin to an enslaved population being released by the owners who no longer have use for them. We were not born to be their employees. As I’ve explained in some of my books, the whole concept of “employment” was invented as a way of preventing us from getting wealthy. In the late Middle Ages, right before this capitalism was invented, people in Europe were starting to do really well. They learned how to make and trade stuff at local markets. They were doing so well that people were only working two or three days a week, and got taller than at any time until the 1980s. 



That’s when the aristocracy came up with the idea of a chartered monopoly, and made it illegal for people to be in business for themselves. They had to become “employees” of one of the chartered companies, or face a penalty of death. That’s when we started working for companies instead of ourselves, and ended up in an economy built to favor those monopolies over small businesses. 



A moment of transition



So the end of this scheme is not necessarily a bad thing. We simply have to return to the real economy that isn’t worth capitalism’s attention. Human commodities like food and housing are no longer asset classes worthy of their time, so there’s no point in making growth-based markets for them. We can instead look at them as the commons-based resources they are—optimize for distributed flourishing instead of extraction and profit. 



Yes, there will still be competition for energy. The AI economy would probably end up needing a bunch of nuclear power plants and better ways of dealing with all those spent fuel rods (if any of that AI scenario even becomes a reality). The current state of the technology doesn’t fill me with hope for much more than a fierce market correction. 



To me, it’s less important whether it happens than that we take advantage of this moment of transition. The ultra-rich have accepted the end of capitalism—or at least the end of capitalism that depends on human labor and consumption for its survival. So it’s time we accept we are no longer valuable to the capitalist extraction machine and begin to look instead at how we are valuable to one another. 




 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>When, AIs, become, consumers</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Zillow just revised its home price forecast for 400&#45;plus housing markets</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/zillow-just-revised-its-home-price-forecast-for-400-plus-housing-markets</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/zillow-just-revised-its-home-price-forecast-for-400-plus-housing-markets</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



Zillow economists just published their updated 12-month forecast, projecting that U.S. home prices—as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index—will rise 1.5% between October 2025 and October 2026.



Heading into 2025, Zillow’s 12-month forecast for U.S. home prices was +2.6%. However, many housing markets across the country softened faster than expected, prompting Zillow to issue several downward revisions. By April 2025, Zillow had cut its 12-month national home price outlook to -1.7%.



In late spring, Zillow stopped issuing downward revisions. In August, it revised its 12-month outlook to +0.4%. In September, the forecast increased to +1.2%, and in October Zillow upgraded its 12-month national home price forecast to +1.9%.



This month, Zillow revised down its 12-month outlook for U.S. home price growth just a tad to +1.5%.



While Zillow’s national home price forecast is no longer negative—it isn’t exactly bullish either.







Among the 300 largest U.S. metro-area housing markets, Zillow expects the biggest home price increase between October 2025 and October 2026 to occur in these 15 metros:




Atlantic City, New Jersey → +5.3%



Rockford, Illinois →  +4.8%



Concord, New Hampshire →  +4.6%



Knoxville, Tennessee → +4.3%



Saginaw, Michigan →  +4.3%



Jacksonville, North Carolina → +4.2%



Kingston, New York →  +4.2%



Fayetteville, Arkansas →  +4.1%



Green Bay, Wisconsin →  +4.1%



Torrington, Connecticut → +4.1%



New Haven, Connecticut → +4.0%



Hartford, Connecticut → +3.9%



Hilton Head Island, South Carolina +3.9%



Manchester, New Hampshire → +3.8%



Norwich, Connecticut → +3.8%




Among the 300 largest U.S. metro-area housing markets, Zillow expects the biggest home price decline between October 2025 and October 2026 to occur in these 15 metros:




Houma, Louisiana → -7.8%



Lake Charles, Louisiana → -7.3%



New Orleans → -4.7%



Shreveport, Louisiana → -4.3%



Lafayette, Louisiana → -4.2%



Beaumont, Texas → -4.0%



Alexandria, Louisiana → -3.9%



Odessa, Texas → -3.0%



Monroe, Louisiana → -2.7%



Punta Gorda, Florida → -2.7%



Austin → -2.6%



Chico, California → -2.5%



Corpus Christi, Texas → -2.4%



San Francisco → -2.2%



Texarkana, Texas → -2.2%




U.S. home prices, as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index, are currently up 0.01% year over year. If Zillow’s latest 12-month outlook (+1.5%) comes to fruition, it would represent a small acceleration nationally.



Below is what the current year-over-year rate of home price growth looks like for single-family and condo home prices. The Sunbelt, in particular Southwest Florida, is currently the epicenter of housing market weakness.







In a report published in October, Kara Ng, a senior economist at Zillow, wrote, “A year ago, 6 of the nation’s 50 largest metros were buyer’s markets; this September, buyers have the edge in 15 metros. Zillow’s market heat index shows the strongest buyer’s markets are Miami, New Orleans, Austin, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis. That’s due, in large part, to a surge of new construction in many of those areas in recent years. The hottest markets for sellers are in the Northeast and Bay Area: Buffalo, Hartford, San Jose, San Francisco, and New York—places where builders face some of the most stringent land use restrictions.” 


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Zillow, just, revised, its, home, price, forecast, for, 400-plus, housing, markets</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What’s your wabi&#45;sabi?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/whats-your-wabi-sabi</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/whats-your-wabi-sabi</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A snaggle tooth. A gap in someone’s smile. A birthmark or mole. What do each of these facial features have in common? They all have wabi-sabi. 



That’s according to TikTok’s latest trend, which has users highlighting their imperfections and labeling them “wabi-sabi.”



Not to be confused with the sushi accompaniment, wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection and the natural process of aging—something we could all use a little more of in the age of “preventative facelifts.”



The concept celebrates imperfection and the natural wear and tear that occurs with the passage of time, whether that’s a gently worn step, a chipped mug, or smile lines. 



A sound featuring the term has since gone viral on TikTok, introducing many to the idea for the first time. Nearly half a million videos have been posted under the viral audio, originating from the animated sitcom King of the Hill.



In one episode, the character Bobby Hill picks up a rose and says, “I like how mine’s a little off-center. It’s got wabi-sabi.” That clip has since been repurposed by users celebrating everything from crooked teeth to aquiline noses as wabi-sabi.  



As with any concept that takes off on TikTok, some of the subtlety of the original philosophy has been lost as it spreads online. Yet, in an age of unrealistic beauty standards, looksmaxxing, and aesthetic micro trends, one that celebrates individuality and acceptance of perceived flaws is a step in the right direction. 



In 2019, The New Yorker declared it “The Age of Instagram Face.” Six years on, Dazed wrote “We have entered the age of TikTok Face.” Aesthetic inflation or “the normalization of more and more extreme cosmetic interventions over time,” defined by Flesh World writer Jessica Defino, has eaten our collective brain. 



In just the past few weeks, headlines about the “skinny BBL” (that’s Brazilian butt lift, for the unitiated) and facelifts at 28 demonstrate the pervasiveness of the pursuit of aesthetic perfection. It’s a vicious feedback loop that also bleeds into our offline reality, with plenty of research finding a correlation between time spent online and desire for plastic surgery. 



If you’ve noticed the faces you see online slowly morphing into one and the same, you are not losing your mind. These days, we could all stand to embrace more wabi-sabi. 


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What’s, your, wabi-sabi</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>If you’re not helping employees with AI&#45;xiety, you’re not leading</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/if-youre-not-helping-employees-with-ai-xiety-youre-not-leading</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/if-youre-not-helping-employees-with-ai-xiety-youre-not-leading</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ In the modern working world, employees have a lot on their minds. From stressing about high costs of living and pressing political issues, there are no shortage of worries to go around. But worries at work are stacking up, too, with many feeling uncertain about their future employment in the face of AI. 



While workplaces are seeing some benefits to automating tasks with AI, there’s another not-so-secret problem with the technology taking off: employee anxiety. In part, that’s because workers are deeply stressed about being replaced, but there are also learning curves that come with working alongside the technology. 



Also notable, one recent study found that AI is making workers’ jobs harder in another way. It messes with managers’ expectations, meaning they end up giving employees more work that they expect completed in less time. 



Holding space for AI-xiety



In the face of such significant change, some say that leaders have a new job to do: They need to hold space for all the anxiety around AI, or, AI-xiety, if you will. 



Heidi Brooks, a leadership expert and senior lecturer in organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, tells Fast Company that because anxiety is now “a central part of the workplace experience,” leaders need to meet the moment. 



But it’s not necessarily about trying to calm or settle worries, and it’s definitely not about ignoring them altogether. Instead, it’s about being present.



“Presence isn’t just about showing up—it’s about how you show up,” Brooks explains. “It’s the groundedness, the way you stay in touch with people in the midst of ambiguity or distress, without rushing to fix or smooth things over.” 



Brooks adds that while it may feel more comfortable to avoid the worries, “choosing to stay steady in the face of uncertainty is a quiet but powerful form of leadership.”



Communication is key



As concerns around AI are booming, at the same time issues like burnout are skyrocketing. It’s no secret that many employees are feeling unsettled. That means bosses need to do more than just say they’re there for workers. 



As Brooks puts it, “Presence is in the eyes of the beholder.” Therefore, employees have to feel that from you.



“Communication, in this anxious context, becomes more than just information-sharing. It’s a form of containment,” Brooks says. “Silence can promote fear, and in the absence of communication, people can fill the gaps with worst-case scenarios.” Therefore, even if leaders aren’t necessarily sure themselves how to fix the issues employees are worried about, keeping communication open is, in itself, still an effective tool. 



Recent research supports the expert’s insight, too: A recent survey on frontline workers in the AI age found that while only 17% of said their organization is transparent about AI integration, 63% said communication about the technology is essential. 



“If you explain it, we’ll accept it,” one worker said. “If you don’t, we’ll resist.”



Brooks says employers don’t need to have all the answers to be good communicators and to calm fears.



“It’s not about false certainty,” she explains. “It’s about helping people feel less alone in the uncertainty, and perhaps even inviting them to be part of the learning process by inviting their voice.”



Leaders need check-ins, too



Undoubtedly, leaders are in a new era, too. They have big challenges ahead of them as they learn to work with automation. Brooks says leaders are also learning to “hold space for human experience . . . as we find our way forward” in the AI age. 



But not only do leaders have to worry about their teams—they also need to check in with themselves, especially around their own anxieties and struggles when it comes to new technology. 



“It’s a good time not only to be intentional about touching base with people on your teams, but for you to do the same for yourself,” Brooks says. Leaders, then, also need the space to air their own fears—in addition to being a sounding board for others.



Brooks adds, “When we can be real about naming what we are going through, we are often wiser together, because we can discuss what’s happening and learn our way forward.” 


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>you’re, not, helping, employees, with, AI-xiety, you’re, not, leading</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Tidalwave raises $22 million Series A to improve the mortgage process with AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tidalwave-raises-22-million-series-a-to-improve-the-mortgage-process-with-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tidalwave-raises-22-million-series-a-to-improve-the-mortgage-process-with-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Tidalwave, which builds agentic AI for mortgage origination, has now raised its $22 million Series A, Fortune has exclusively learned. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/NEW-BEST-Diane-Yu-headshot-2025.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Tidalwave, raises, 22, million, Series, improve, the, mortgage, process, with</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Global stocks in meltdown as Wall Street bails out of crypto and AI: ‘The bubbly is on ice’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/global-stocks-in-meltdown-as-wall-street-bails-out-of-crypto-and-ai-the-bubbly-is-on-ice</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/global-stocks-in-meltdown-as-wall-street-bails-out-of-crypto-and-ai-the-bubbly-is-on-ice</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Nvidia’s blowout earnings call—which came in way above expectations—simply wasn’t good enough to persuade traders that AI may be overcooked. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2213211113-e1750714764467.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Global, stocks, meltdown, Wall, Street, bails, out, crypto, and, AI:, ‘The, bubbly, ice’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Coinbase to buy Solana trading platform Vector.fun</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-coinbase-to-buy-solana-trading-platform-vectorfun</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-coinbase-to-buy-solana-trading-platform-vectorfun</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The U.S. crypto exchange is on an acquisition spree, recently snapping up the derivatives exchange Deribit and the ICO platform Echo. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2059253653-1-e1763729514425.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Coinbase, buy, Solana, trading, platform, Vector.fun</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Warren Buffett era is ending. Here are five investing lessons from the GOAT</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-warren-buffett-era-is-ending-here-are-five-investing-lessons-from-the-goat</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-warren-buffett-era-is-ending-here-are-five-investing-lessons-from-the-goat</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Buffett&#039;s rules to invest by are pretty simple--which doesn&#039;t mean they&#039;re easy to follow. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Fortune-Investors-Guide-Buffett.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Warren, Buffett, era, ending., Here, are, five, investing, lessons, from, the, GOAT</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Intuit CFO talks $100 million OpenAI deal, innovation, and the road ahead</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/intuit-cfo-talks-100-million-openai-deal-innovation-and-the-road-ahead</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/intuit-cfo-talks-100-million-openai-deal-innovation-and-the-road-ahead</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The company aims to bring personalized financial advice directly into ChatGPT.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1763969208-1-e1763729419675.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Intuit, CFO, talks, 100, million, OpenAI, deal, innovation, and, the, road, ahead</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This fan sneaks scents into your sleep to improve your memory</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-fan-sneaks-scents-into-your-sleep-to-improve-your-memory</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-fan-sneaks-scents-into-your-sleep-to-improve-your-memory</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It looks like nothing more than a bedside fan. To program it, you hit the “on” button once. 



But what happens next could improve your memory by 226%.



This is Memory Air, a new product born from decades of science charting the relationship between our nose and our brain. Each night, Memory Air cycles through 40 different, undisclosed scents, twice. As you sleep—even though you don’t consciously smell these scents—research suggests that it can measurably improve your memory within weeks. 



[Photo: Memory Air]



How is that possible?



As the company’s founder—UC Davis professor emeritus Michael Leon—explains, “We are functionally odor deprived.” Whereas humans evolved in a scent-filled world, where we didn’t even shower, he suggests that whatever room you’re residing in now probably smells like nothing by design.



That’s difficult, as our cognition and ability to smell are closely linked. “All memory loss precedes or is accompanied closely by olfactory loss,” notes Leon, who points out many of us experienced brain fog and loss of scent during COVID-19. “In most neurological diseases it’s the first symptom.”



We don’t need to completely untangle the relationship between smell and memory to understand that they affect one another. Smell is a learnable behavior—and often a re-learnable behavior. And relearning that behavior can actually improve our memory.



[Photo: Memory Air]



Leon believes that smell has such a powerful effect on memory because “the olfactory system has an anatomical advantage.” It is the only sense that has a straight pathway to your hippocampal cluster, which manages memory and emotion. (Meanwhile, all other senses take a detour through your thalamus first.)



By feeding this region of your brain new odors, research has found you can actually increase gray matter and neuroplasticity—generating new connections in your brain. Smells appear to be a way to exercise and strengthen the very area of your brain that handles memory.



In 2023, Leon published a study demonstrating that by routinely exposing people to smells, you could improve some of their mental faculties. A randomly assorted collection of people ages 60 to 85 were exposed to one of seven smells each night for two hours over six months. After that time, his team observed that the smelling group tested with a 226% improvement in memory over a control group—and fMRI scans exhibited positive shifts in brain structures supporting memory.



But Leon is quick to point out that his findings are not special; rather, they are increasingly the norm. “There are now about 20 studies that have used olfactory enrichment to improve memory,” he says, noting that the methodologies vary wildly. “I think the strength of literature as a whole is what we should look at. This is such a strong phenomenon. Who does it, and how they do it, is not as important as getting more odor to the brain.” 



[Photo: Memory Air]



Turning research into product



To develop this science into a functional product, Leon’s team raised an undisclosed sum from a group of wealthy investors. They also tapped Christian Garnett, from Garnett Design Group, to spend three years transforming theory into intervention.



For the final product, Leon wanted to mirror similar research out of South Korea, which subjected participants to a full 40 smells twice a day (and found similar gains around memory, while noting that it reduced depression and increased facilities with attention and language, too). 



But how do you fit 40 smells in a box?



“It was probably the biggest challenge, to figure out how to turn on and off scents at will,” Garnett says. 



Memory Air needed to run through dozens of scents, twice, making each distinctive with no lingering odor that would blend them from one to another. That meant each had four minutes to appear and dissipate. 



“Most of the scent industry is optimized to do the opposite: get the most scent out and have it last as long as possible,” Garnett says with a laugh. 



Garnett’s team tested all sorts of ideas. It tried developing a white odor technology—think white noise but for smells—with so many frequencies that everything cancels out into nothing, blinding your nose. It tested enzymes, as used by Febreze, to break scents down to clear them out of the room.



But ultimately, it landed on an idea that’s part Glade PlugIn, part machine gun.



When setting up the device, you load it with a belt that looks like a bandolier. Instead of bullets, it’s filled with 40 individual essential oils—scents the team refuses to detail but insists are “nothing unusual.” (The order appears irrelevant, but the sheer number helps reduce habituation.) As the bandolier rotates through the night, it uses a bit of heat on the active oil pouch. With a phase-changing material, scent diffuses out when warmed while a large, low-speed fan quietly wafts the scent toward the sleeping person.



“The same moment you feel air from the fan hit you, you get the scent. The moment the fan cuts off, you don’t smell anything,” Garnett says. “This way you get 20 to 30 seconds of scent exposure before the fan tuns off, cools, and clears the room.”



This whole experience is designed to be automatic. Garnett pared back the product, removing lights and test modes to ensure anyone could use it perfectly. When you set up the Memory Air, all you do is slip in the scent belt and hit the “on” button right before bed. From there, it will know when to kick on. And while the scent belt will run out after a month, a subscription ships replacements to customers on a schedule.



[Photo: Memory Air]



A UX you don’t experience



The oddest part of Memory Air is that if it works as advertised, you won’t actually even know it’s working. It runs in your sleep, leaving no olfactory footprint by design. And Leon notes that smells don’t wake people up (smelling salts, incidentally, rouse people through irritation, not scent). In a way, it’s the opposite of sleep tracking. Memory Air isn’t actively measuring anything. Its UX is largely imperceptible. But its value, if it works as research suggests, is that it could vastly impact someone’s mental capacity. 



Leon believes users could discover other effects too: In his 2023 study, he discovered people who’d done the olfactory battery got 22 minutes more sleep per night—but he’s validating the idea before making any bold claims around Memory Air as a sleep aid.



“We think there are a number of other medical conditions that may be treatable with this same approach; we’ve identified 139 different medical conditions, all accompanied by olfactory loss,” he says. 



Benefits of Memory Air could be significant, while the only real cost is the price itself. Memory Air is available now for $799, including the first month’s scent belt. Replacement belts cost $39 with a monthly subscription.
 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, fan, sneaks, scents, into, your, sleep, improve, your, memory</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Misinformation sites have an open&#45;door policy for AI scrapers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/misinformation-sites-have-an-open-door-policy-for-ai-scrapers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/misinformation-sites-have-an-open-door-policy-for-ai-scrapers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AI models have a voracious appetite for data. Keeping up to date with information to present to users is a challenge. And so companies at the vanguard of AI appear to have hit on an answer: crawling the web—constantly. 



But website owners increasingly don’t want to give AI firms free rein. So they’re regaining control by cracking down on crawlers. 



To do this, they’re using robots.txt, a file held on many websites that acts as a guide to how web crawlers are allowed—or not—to scrape their content. Originally designed as a signal to search engines as to whether a website wanted its pages to be indexed or not, it has gained increased importance in the AI era as some companies allegedly flout instructions.In a new study, Nicolas Steinacker-Olsztyn, a researcher at Saarland University and his colleagues analyzed how different websites treated robots.txt—and whether there was a difference between sites measured as reputable versus not reputable, specifically in terms of whether or not they allowed crawling. For many AI companies, “It’s kind of a ‘do now and ask for forgiveness later’ thing,” Steinacker-Olsztyn says.In the study, more than 4,000 sites were checked for their responses to 63 different AI-related user agents, including GPTBot, ClaudeBot, CCBot, and Google-Extended—all of which are used by AI companies in their effort to soak up information.



The websites were then divided between reputable news outlets or misinformation sites, using ratings devised by Media Bias/Fact Check, an organization that categorizes news sources depending on their credibility and the factuality of their reporting.



Across all 4,000 sites assessed, around 60% of those deemed to be reputable news websites blocked at least one AI crawler from accessing their information; among misinformation sites, only 9.1% did so. 



The average reputable site blocks more than 15 different AI agents through its robots.txt file. Misinformation sites, by contrast, tend not to shut out the crawlers at all.



“The biggest takeaway is that the reputable news websites keep well up-to-date with the evolving ecosystem as it pertains to these major AI developers and their practices,” Steinacker-Olsztyn says.



Over time, the gap between those who are willing to let bots crawl their sites and those that aren’t is widening. From September 2023 to May 2025, the proportion of platforms locking out crawlers increased from 23% to 60%, while the share of sites peddling misinformation stayed flat, the study found.



The result, Steinacker-Olsztyn says, is that less reputable content is being hoovered up by and then spat out of AI models used routinely by hundreds of millions of people. “Increasingly these models are also being used simply for information retrieval, replacing traditionally used options such as search engines or Google,” Steinacker-Olsztyn adds. 



The conundrum over legitimate data



For AI models to stay up-to-date on current events, they are trained on reputable sites, which is exactly what these sites don’t want. 



The war over copyright and access to training data between AI companies and news sites is increasingly spilling into courts—The New York Times’s lawsuit against OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, for example, carried on into last week.



Those lawsuits are prompted by allegations that AI companies are illegally scraping data on news websites to act as regularly updated, ground-truth-based training data for the models powering their AI chatbots. In addition to litigating their disputes, reputable news websites are blocking AI crawlers. 



That’s good for their businesses and rights. But Steinacker-Olsztyn is concerned about the broader impact. “If reputable news is increasingly making this information unavailable, then this gives reason to believe this can affect the reliability of these models,” he explains. “Going forward, this is changing the percentage of legitimate data that they have access to.” 



In essence: It doesn’t matter to an AI crawler whether it’s viewing The New York Times or a disinformation website run out of Hoboken. They’re both training data, and if one is easier to access than the other, that’s all that matters.



Not everyone is quite so certain about the negative impact of blocking crawlers. Felix Simon, a research fellow in AI and digital news at the University of Oxford-based Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, says he wasn’t surprised to learn that sites trafficking in misinformation would want to be crawled, “whereas traditional publishers have an incentive at this point to prevent such scraping.” Some of these traditional publishers, he adds, still allow some scraping “for a plethora of reasons.” 



Simon also cautions that just because misinformation sites are more likely to open their doors to AI crawlers, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re polluting the information space as much as we may fear. 



“AI developers filter and weigh data at various points of the system training process and at inference time,” he says. “One would hope that by the same means by which the authors have been able to identify untrustworthy websites, AI developers would be able to filter out such data.”



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Misinformation, sites, have, open-door, policy, for, scrapers</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This startup’s plant&#45;inspired tech keeps hundreds of millions of plastic particles out of the ocean</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-startups-plant-inspired-tech-keeps-hundreds-of-millions-of-plastic-particles-out-of-the-ocean</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-startups-plant-inspired-tech-keeps-hundreds-of-millions-of-plastic-particles-out-of-the-ocean</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Tiny fragments of microplastics—from clothes, car tires, packaging, and other sources—slip through most water filters. But at a water treatment plant on the coast in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where plastic-filled wastewater would normally flow into the ocean, new technology has captured hundreds of millions of microplastic particles over the past year.



The technology, from a startup called PolyGone, can also clean microplastic out of lakes and rivers or treat wastewater at factories.



The startup spun out of research at Princeton, where the founders drew inspiration from aquatic plants that can naturally attract microplastic. The plants have fibrous roots coated in a hydrophobic gel that pulls in pollution. “We managed to imitate the geometry and hydrophobility of the aquatic plant root,” says cofounder Yidian Liu. “It has a lot of unevenness on the surface that creates little cavities for smaller pollutants to be trapped inside.”



[Photo: PolyGone]



Wastewater treatment plants are a pathway for microplastic pollution to enter the ocean, which is now filled with trillions of particles. Most wastewater plants in the U.S. don’t use advanced treatment before releasing water back into nature. Of those that do, most existing filters only catch larger microplastic, between 1 and 5 millimeters. Tinier fragments, invisible to the naked eye, slip through. Another type of fine mesh filter in use in some plants captures more, but then the plastic just ends up in landfills.



In lab tests, PolyGone’s system captures 98% of microplastic. After the filters are full, they can be cleaned and reused. The plastic is concentrated and sent for reuse. In Atlantic City, where the company launched its first wastewater pilot in September 2024, it has already captured more than 520 million particles of microplastic, exceeding performance targets. The plastic goes to other companies: one that turns it into chemicals, another that is beginning to use it to make fuel.



[Photo: PolyGone]



The utility now plans to expand the pilot into a full-scale operational system. PolyGone, which recently raised a $4 million seed round of funding, designed a new filtration unit that automatically lowers itself into water and cleans itself on a schedule. The unit fits inside a standard shipping container, with all of the tech fully assembled inside so it can be deployed in a day at a wastewater plant.



The company also designed another version of the technology that fits into wastewater pipes at factories. The first pilot of that system just launched at an industrial plant in Dubai. “This system is a very simple way for them to plug and play and get rid of microplastic before the water goes into their effluent,” says Liu. Other manufacturers are also beginning to test the technology, including clothing companies working to cut microplastic pollution from synthetic fabric. Cost varies depending on the system, but ranges from roughly $15,000 to $50,000. 



The technology is much less expensive than other advanced filtration, in part because the filter works passively to “dramatically reduce energy consumption compared to traditional advanced filtration systems that rely on high-pressure pumps,” Liu says. The open design avoids clogging, so it needs less maintenance. It also can easily be added to existing infrastructure, she says, rather than requiring expensive retrofits.



[Photo: PolyGone]



The tech can also be used directly in nature, and the company has tested a Roomba-like robot that filters water as it moves across a lake. But funding is harder to secure for this approach. There’s more demand for industrial use, especially from brands that are trying to tackle sustainability goals. And at wastewater treatment plants, some states may soon consider new regulations that would require better pollution filtering.



“California is leading on microplastic regulation,” says Liu. The state already requires microplastic testing in drinking water and is working on a new drinking water standard, though wastewater filtering isn’t mandated yet. “A huge reason is they don’t know what methodologies or systems are available for [wastewater plants] to quickly adopt for microplastic removal,” Liu says. “Our pilot is actually giving them a very good case study to understand okay, it is a problem that can be solved.”



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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</item>

<item>
<title>How to break the solopreneur ‘loneliness loop’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-break-the-solopreneur-loneliness-loop</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-to-break-the-solopreneur-loneliness-loop</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When Gabriela Flax left her corporate position managing 40 people to work on her career coaching businesses solo and moved from London to Sydney, the first thing she noticed was the silence. Without the constant movement, office hum, phones, and elevator dings, she says, she could finally bask in the quiet she’d always craved.



But, she quickly realized, “Oh, wow, there’s no one around me.” 



Flax, a career coach and founder of the newsletter Pivot School, says, “I initially named my Substack No One’s in the Kitchen. I’d get off a work call super excited [because I] signed a new client . . . go to my kitchen to make a coffee, and no one’s there . . . just my dog looking back at me.” 



Running a business alone can feel liberating, but it can also come with a cost: a unique type of loneliness research suggests stems from acute uncertainty, resource constraints, responsibility, and time pressures. Online, subreddits, creator cohorts, and Discord groups brim with solo founders seeking to manage loneliness. 



“Loneliness is a mental health emergency in many cases,” says Dr. Michael A. Freeman, a San Francisco-based psychiatrist who works exclusively with entrepreneurs. 



Ironically perhaps, “entrepreneurs often feel quite alone despite the fact that they have very large networks and communicate with lots of people every week,” he explains, because those are largely “transactional role relationships” and solopreneurs, particularly, “are pursuing a uniquely personal vision.” 



“The loneliness can come from a lack of people, but it can also come from being the only person who holds your ‘why’ so tightly,” says Flax. 



Identifying the ‘loneliness loop’



Particularly in a venture’s early days, solopreneurs “are living and breathing their new business,” explain researchers Ashley Evenson, lecturer of creative enterprise at Goldsmiths, University of London and Beki Gowing, lecturer in fashion enterprise at London College of Fashion, who coauthored a study on entrepreneurial loneliness and burnout.



Loneliness, they say, “[can be] the catalyst for other mental health difficulties, [eroding] decision-making, creativity, and emotional resilience.” Social interactions slip, overwork rises, and a “vicious and toxic cycle” takes hold. 



Diane Sullivan, business professor at the University of Dayton, calls this the regulatory loop of loneliness: Some founders respond by building connections and hobbies, while others withdraw, potentially making isolation worse . 



In Flax’s case, she had to get creative—digital lunch invites via TikTok, long-form writing for other solo-founders—to cultivate relationships in her new role and city. 



In what Flax describes as an “eat what you kill” field, solopreneurs can ill-afford to let loneliness derail their purpose. Here’s how experts recommend fighting it. 



Seek ‘deep social’ experiences



Taking the first step to get out of a loneliness rut can feel awkward, but it’s key to make the effort to engage offline, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.



Juliana Schroeder, associate professor in the Management of Organizations group at Berkeley Haas, says one of the major instigators of loneliness is that people are trading “deep social” experiences for “shallow social” experiences. 



“Shallower social experiences are those that leverage AI connection, online engagement (particularly on social media platforms), and prioritize more superficial types of interactions,” like short text-based conversations, for example, or group conversations over one-on-ones. Other potential connections, like talking with neighbors or disagreeing counterparts (say, talking across the political divide), “are starting to disappear entirely,” she says. 



“I suggest setting up environments that involve regular contact with community members, having recurring ‘deep’ conversations to maintain and grow friendships, and stretching outside of your social comfort zone when any opportunity arises.” 



And it may not be as hard we imagine. “We find that people’s psychological intuitions about some of these interactions are miscalibrated,” she explains, and the awkwardness and depletion we anticipate is often overridden by the pleasantness of the interaction and how good both parties feel afterwards. 



Flax recommends seeking connection outside of work: “If you go to the gym at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, or a coffee shop at 11 a.m. on a Thursday, not everyone in those spaces is going to be self-employed or building their own thing. But . . . chances are they might not have a [traditional] nine-to-five,” she explains. “It’s hard the first five times you [introduce yourself]. By time number six, you’re like, oh, whatever.” 



Quality over quantity



Preempting loneliness, at least initially, may also help proactively manage it, says Freeman, who recommends, “engaging in a rich set of relationships that do not involve being a leader and ultimate decision-maker.” 



“One of the founders I work with belongs to a football team that is part of a regional amateur league. He has many friends on the team, which he doesn’t have to lead, and the camaraderie gives him a lot of social support,” he adds. 



Flax agrees, noting online cohorts, while “full of a unanimous understanding of we’re all in this together,” can lose meaningful connection when they exceed six to seven people. “Don’t just put us all in a room,” she says, adding that breakout rooms on a Zoom call, for instance, help foster one-on-one connection.



Back to basics, away from the drawing board



Tim Michaelis, assistant professor in the department of psychology at North Carolina State University, founded and runs an annual Health in Entrepreneurship Conference. 



Physical activity and sleep, he says, are two big recommendations, citing additional research that “leisure activities can provide a way to detach from entrepreneurial work and improve venture performance.”



“Engaging with a local university or community college can help connect with like-minded people, feel less alone, and improve wellbeing,” he adds. “A small step could be going to watch a pitch competition or email a professor to see if they need help with a guest lecture . . . Sometimes it’s a clear win-win.” 



Ultimately, it’s worth remembering that loneliness does not increase just because you’re a team of one. Claude Fernet, an organizational behavior professor at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, who studies job stressors in small and medium enterprises, raises an important point. Solo founders may actually have a bit of an advantage when it comes to job stressors and loneliness. That’s because “owner-managers” (or entrepreneurs with a small team of employees) feel the additional responsibility for others’ wellbeing and salary, leading to, “the burden of shielding others from stress.” 



Still, he adds, “That said, the psychological toll of isolation remains a significant concern in both cases.”



Flax, meanwhile, recommends thinking of loneliness in stages. 



“Don’t fight [it],” she says, “Because solitude is a part of building something meaningful . . . The day will come where the work you put into it is seen by others and you can create incredible community off the back of it.” 



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, break, the, solopreneur, ‘loneliness, loop’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The classroom lab I still remember</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-classroom-lab-i-still-remember</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-classroom-lab-i-still-remember</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Across nearly four decades as a teacher, principal, superintendent, funder, and now leader of a large education nonprofit organization, the experience that most shaped my view of learning wasn’t a grand reform or a shiny new program. It was a Friday physics lab in Brooklyn. My students predicted a graph that couldn’t exist—a vertical line for velocity and time. What followed was confusion, debate, trial, and error. And then discovery: Velocity requires both displacement and time. That brief struggle taught me, the teacher at the time, more about how learning really happens than any policy memo ever has. 



That moment endures because it represents what school should unlock every day: inquiry, persistence, and the joy of figuring something out yourself. 



Too often, students still move through school executing a “recipe” of steps without understanding ideas. In math, science, history, and English language arts, they follow the recipe and miss the point. That approach may be tidy, but it’s not transformative. It shortchanges imagination, curiosity, and the “a-ha!” moments that make knowledge durable. 



HOW TO EMPOWER STUDENTS 



I believe that learning is only powerful if it combines agency, purpose, curiosity, and connection to empower students for the future. What does that mean? It means that learners should pursue knowledge through action. Through choice. And through voice. They should have opportunities to develop authentic and meaningful contributions. They should explore new ideas and experiences to better understand their world. And they should make connections between ideas, experiences, and people.  



When students are allowed to experiment—to wrestle productively and recover from mistakes—they don’t just master content; they build the habits of mind that matter in life and work. 



TECHNOLOGY’S ROLE 



Emerging technologies hold enormous potential to make these kinds of experiences more common. They help curate simulations, prompt inquiry, and scaffold experimentation. It can create new entry points for students to explore, revise, and connect their ideas. The “little” moments of technology matter, too—like a 90-second BrainPOP animation that unlocks a tough concept. An interactive that prompts a classroom debate. A quick, purposeful game that turns practice into understanding. These are the sparks that turn a lesson into learning. 



Technology is not a recipe to follow; it’s a set of instruments to conduct. If we want learners who can think with and about AI, then classrooms must invite students to do what my Brooklyn High School physics class did: predict, test, argue from evidence, and revise. This last part can demonstrate the evolution in a student’s thinking processes and how they can move through conceptual phases of understanding. This requires commitments like access and teacher expertise, as well as ensuring quality over quantity.  



I’m heartened to see some schools rising to meet this challenge, like the Ypsilanti Community High School in Michigan, with its new AI Lab.  



The first-of-its-kind collaboration between the school district, leading tech companies, and nonprofits equips students with advanced tools for AI-powered learning. This includes processors designed to handle complex AI computations, audio-visual equipment, and 3D modeling software. The lab doesn’t simply build AI literacy; it allows students to explore ideas that matter to them using advanced technology. At once, they gain hands-on experiences in emerging fields while also fostering a sense of creativity and innovation. The lab challenges them to think critically, pushes them to be creative, and strengthens their real-world problem-solving skills. These are the kinds of experiences we need to provide for students to prepare them for an AI-driven world.  



LET STUDENTS LEARN THROUGH DOING 



As we increasingly integrate AI in classrooms, students must be allowed to experiment and explore with it, to argue from evidence, to fail, to productively struggle. When done right, we see the right kind of noise. That means classrooms buzzing with questions. It includes debates. And students make lifelong connections.  



I still remember that Brooklyn lab as if it were yesterday. Not because of the graph, but because of what it revealed: When students are trusted to do the intellectual heavy lifting, they surprise us—and themselves. Our job is to design schools where discovery is not an accident, but the plan. 



Jean-Claude Brizard is president and CEO of Digital Promise. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, classroom, lab, still, remember</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump refuses to condemn Tucker Carlson’s courtship of antisemitism: ‘people have to decide’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-refuses-to-condemn-tucker-carlsons-courtship-of-antisemitism-people-have-to-decide</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-refuses-to-condemn-tucker-carlsons-courtship-of-antisemitism-people-have-to-decide</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ At the heart of the issue is Carlson&#039;s recent interview with Nick Fuentes, the man Kanye West once famously brought to the White House. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25304709308425.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, refuses, condemn, Tucker, Carlson’s, courtship, antisemitism:, ‘people, have, decide’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Normal airline service resumes Monday at 6am ET, FAA says, just in time for Thanksgiving travel</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/normal-airline-service-resumes-monday-at-6am-et-faa-says-just-in-time-for-thanksgiving-travel</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/normal-airline-service-resumes-monday-at-6am-et-faa-says-just-in-time-for-thanksgiving-travel</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Flight cuts started at 4%, grew to 6% and dropped to 3% on light air traffic controller staffing during the record 43-day shutdown that ended on Nov. 12. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25316487431108.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Normal, airline, service, resumes, Monday, 6am, ET, FAA, says, just, time, for, Thanksgiving, travel</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>There is ‘zero likelihood’ self&#45;driving cars will replace human drivers in any reasonable timeframe, Lyft’s CEO says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/there-is-zero-likelihood-self-driving-cars-will-replace-human-drivers-in-any-reasonable-timeframe-lyfts-ceo-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/there-is-zero-likelihood-self-driving-cars-will-replace-human-drivers-in-any-reasonable-timeframe-lyfts-ceo-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “Customers won’t demand it. They&#039;ll just say, I don&#039;t want to get in a self-driving car,” David Risher says. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2246352685-e1763385230480.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>There, ‘zero, likelihood’, self-driving, cars, will, replace, human, drivers, any, reasonable, timeframe, Lyft’s, CEO, says</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>New York Jets player critically injured in early morning midtown Manhattan shooting</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/new-york-jets-player-critically-injured-in-early-morning-midtown-manhattan-shooting</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/new-york-jets-player-critically-injured-in-early-morning-midtown-manhattan-shooting</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The shooting happened just after 2 a.m. outside a business on West 38th Street near 7th Avenue, according to the New York Police Department. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25320730911745-e1763385611331.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>New, York, Jets, player, critically, injured, early, morning, midtown, Manhattan, shooting</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Companies make the mistake of focusing on ‘superstar’ hires. Focus on the ‘glue’ instead, behavioral scientist says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/companies-make-the-mistake-of-focusing-on-superstar-hires-focus-on-the-glue-instead-behavioral-scientist-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/companies-make-the-mistake-of-focusing-on-superstar-hires-focus-on-the-glue-instead-behavioral-scientist-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ What makes a great team fail? The &quot;too much talent&quot; problem, when company leaders pack their teams with superstar hires, says behavioral scientist and author Jon Levy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jon_Levy_Portrait_220-e1763136571238.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Companies, make, the, mistake, focusing, ‘superstar’, hires., Focus, the, ‘glue’, instead, behavioral, scientist, says</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Can AI unlock a new generation of human creativity? </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/can-ai-unlock-a-new-generation-of-human-creativity</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/can-ai-unlock-a-new-generation-of-human-creativity</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When the camera was invented in 1826, many people thought painting would die. But it didn’t. Instead, painters found new ways to express themselves. Painters reinvented expressionism, impressionism, and abstract art. Monet, Munch, and later Picasso, all thrived after the camera arrived. 



When personal computers became common in the 1980s, there was fear that creative thinking would become less valuable. But computers opened the door to digital design, animation, and new forms of storytelling. Studios like Pixar, founded in 1986, showed how technology could help artists create worlds that were impossible before. 



When Photoshop launched in 1988, photographers worried that editing tools would destroy the purity of photography. But Photoshop expanded what photographers and designers could do. It made visual creativity more accessible and helped build the modern creator economy. 



So why does AI, today, make so many creators feel threatened? 



History tells us one clear truth: New technology has never replaced creativity; it has always expanded it. Every time new technology arrives, progress follows. 



The AI Genie Can’t Be Rebottled 



Artificial intelligence is simply the next chapter. It can help creators work faster, explore more ideas, and bring their imagination to life with fewer barriers. 



Human imagination can’t be replicated by a machine. The spark that evokes tears in a story’s readers or a swoon from a melody’s listeners is innately human—that intangible side of creativity: talent, taste, lived experience, a unique point of view, and the urge to express it. But turning those intangibles into something others can see, hear, or feel also requires tangibles: time, tools, access, and resources. 



Too often, that’s where great creators get stuck. Not everyone can dream up and create a world worth caring about. But even those who can often lack the means to bring it to life in a way that others can enjoy as well. That’s where AI can help. It can’t create soul, but it can remove barriers to entry by lowering the cost, time, skills, and resources needed to truly bring creative expression to life. 



In this sense, AI can be a force multiplier for creativity. Just as the smartphone made photography universal, AI can democratize storytelling itself. 



Collaboration, Not Replacement 



In my work building an audio storytelling platform, I’ve seen how AI can help creators, not replace them. Our platform lets anyone write and publish serialized audio stories. To help them, we’ve built AI tools that act like creative partners. They don’t write for the authors—they assist them. They help a writer stay consistent across hundreds of episodes, suggest plotlines when inspiration stalls, and offer real-time feedback on pacing and dialogue. Other tools turn text into natural-sounding audio, add background sound, or generate artwork—capabilities once available only to professional studios. 



These tools don’t take jobs from artists; they open doors for them. Many of our creators couldn’t afford to hire professional narrators, sound designers, or illustrators. Without AI, their stories would never be heard. With it, they reach millions of listeners. 



That’s not replacing creators. It’s expanding who gets to be one. 



Keeping Humans at the Center 



Great art doesn’t come from pattern recognition or probability. It comes from emotion, contradiction, curiosity—the things that make us human. AI can help a writer structure a story, but it can’t feel heartbreak or hope. That’s why we must build creator systems that keep those human creators squarely at the center: ensuring transparency, maintaining creative ownership, and deeply valuing the originators of ideas. 



A New Chapter for Creativity 



We’re at a pivotal moment in a long story. The history of art and technology has always followed the same arc: disruption, fear, adaptation and, ultimately, expansion. 



Steve Jobs once described the home computer (a technology that stirred up a frenzy of fear when it came to market) as a “bicycle for the mind.” He envisioned a tool that didn’t replace our thinking but accelerated it, amplifying human imagination in the same way a bicycle amplifies human movement. This next chapter of creative innovation is ours to write. We can let AI reduce creativity to algorithms, or we can shape it into a bicycle for the creative mind, something that helps human talent travel farther and faster. 



The future of storytelling shouldn’t be about machines replacing humans. It should be about more humans telling more stories, reaching more people, and inspiring more imagination (and tears and swoons) than ever before. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/p-91441395-pocketfm-on-how-AI-complements-creatives.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Can, unlock, new, generation, human, creativity </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Housing market shift: 21 major markets seeing the strongest move toward buyers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/housing-market-shift-21-major-markets-seeing-the-strongest-move-toward-buyers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/housing-market-shift-21-major-markets-seeing-the-strongest-move-toward-buyers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



Generally speaking, housing markets where inventory (i.e., active listings) has returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels have experienced weaker home price growth (or outright declines) over the past 36 months. Conversely, housing markets where inventory remains far below pre-pandemic 2019 levels have, generally speaking, experienced more resilient home price growth over the past 36 months.



Of the 50 largest metro area housing markets, 21 major metros now have more homes for sale than at the same point in 2019. Last year, that count was 13 markets.



These are the 21 major markets where homebuyers have gained the most leverage: Memphis, TN; Austin, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Denver, CO; San Antonio, TX; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Tampa, FL; Oklahoma City, OK; Dallas, TX; Charlotte, NC; Seattle, WA; Houston, TX; Jacksonville, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Raleigh, NC; Birmingham, AL; Miami, FL; San Francisco, CA; and Portland, OR.







Many of the softest housing markets, where homebuyers have gained the most leverage, are located in the Southeast, Southwest, and Mountain West regions. Many of those areas were home to many of the nation’s top pandemic boomtowns, which experienced significant home price growth during the Pandemic Housing Boom, which stretched housing prices beyond local income levels.



“There are some markets within Florida that have struggled with some inventory balance issues,” D.R. Horton COO Michael Murray said on the company’s October 28 earnings call. “Notably, Jacksonville and Southwest Florida have had some excess inventory, and demand has been a while coming to absorb that. So that’s kind of what you’re seeing in the current quarter’s results in the Southeast for us.”







Once pandemic-fueled domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates spiked, markets like Punta Gorda, Florida, and Austin, Texas, faced challenges as they had to rely on local incomes to sustain frothy home prices. The housing market softening in these areas was further accelerated by the abundance of new home supply in the pipeline across the Sun Belt.



When and where needed, builders are often willing to reduce prices or make other affordability adjustments to maintain sales. These adjustments in the new construction market also create a cooling effect on the resale market, as some buyers who might have opted for an existing home shift their focus to new homes where deals are still available.



In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest markets were less reliant on pandemic domestic migration and have less new home construction in progress. With lower exposure to that migration pullback demand shock—and fewer homebuilders doing large incentives—active inventory in these Midwest and Northeast regions has remained relatively tight, keeping the advantage in the hands of home sellers. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Housing, market, shift:, major, markets, seeing, the, strongest, move, toward, buyers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Ethics: My new employee refuses to do some parts of her job. Should I fire her?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ethics-my-new-employee-refuses-to-do-some-parts-of-her-job-should-i-fire-her</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ethics-my-new-employee-refuses-to-do-some-parts-of-her-job-should-i-fire-her</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A reader writes: I have a new employee who is refusing to do some parts of her job. She hasn’t done this with me directly, but when I left for a week’s vacation, I gave very clear guidance on what she should be working on. That included learning to use some of our equipment, practicing her job skills, and reviewing training videos with the team.



Unfortunately, while the other team members were focused on the training videos, she was watching personal videos on her phone. Each team member later told me separately that when they asked her to participate, her response was, “No, I’m not going to do it.”



What should I do now?



Minda Zetlin responds:



Unless your employee is covered by a union contract, or a contract between you and her, you certainly have the legal right to fire her. Ethically, you have that right as well. When you hire someone to do a specific job, you can reasonably expect that they will do that job. The exceptions would be if you asked her to do something dangerous, illegal, or that violated her own ethics. Or, if you had unreasonable expectations for when or how much she would work, as in last week’s Ethics question.



Assuming none of that is the case, you can do whatever you choose. So ask yourself what’s best for you and for your company, and also what’s best for her. The answer will depend on why you hired her in the first place. Does she have skills your company needs? Do you see potential in her? Is she refusing to do these things because she’s inexperienced and perhaps afraid of doing them badly?



Your next step should be to have a one-on-one meeting with her. I’d begin by asking her why she declined to do tasks that clearly are part of her job. I’d also ask about her future career goals both inside and outside your organization. Her answers will help you make an informed decision about what to do next.



Update:



The reader writes that they met with this employee one-on-one. “I asked if she wanted the job, and she said yes,” they write. “I then listed the specific behaviors that needed to change—including refusing to participate and using her phone during work time.” This was done firmly but with kindness, the reader says.



The reader also explained that the goal was to help this employee develop valuable professional skills. “I made sure she understood the opportunity in front of her. The more senior person in her role earns more than $82,000 a year, and I explained that the training she’s receiving could put her on a similar path at this company or anywhere else.” The reader then printed out a list of the expectations this employee was to fulfill, and they each signed it.



The two met again for a follow-up two weeks later. By that time, her performance had improved dramatically. “She’s now on week seven, and time will tell if she continues to grow into the role,” the reader writes. “But the kindly, structured explanation seems to have made a real difference.”



Got an ethical dilemma of your own? Send it to Minda at minda@mindazetlin.com. She may address it in a future column.



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/refuse-to-work-inc-638125112.webp" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ethics:, new, employee, refuses, some, parts, her, job., Should, fire, her</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This week in business: Shutdown chaos, AI jitters, and a penny farewell</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-shutdown-chaos-ai-jitters-and-a-penny-farewell</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-shutdown-chaos-ai-jitters-and-a-penny-farewell</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This week’s biggest business news is perhaps that the U.S. federal government shutdown finally ended; however, that ending didn’t come without more than a few noteworthy concessions. Meanwhile, a beloved coffee chain walked straight into a strike on one of its biggest promo days, and a regional grocer found a way to turn literal loose change into both PR and foot traffic.



In the background, the tech world reminded everyone that hype cycles come with fine print. CoreWeave, one of the hottest names in AI infrastructure, delivered blockbuster revenue but still saw its stock sink on news of a delayed data center. IBM, facing louder rivals in quantum computing, rolled out new chips and a faster manufacturing plan to reassure customers it is still a contender. And amid all of that, Target is telling workers to smile more, and Google is suing over scam texts. Here are the stories that defined the week in business.



Marriott and Sonder’s Split Leaves Guests on the Street



Marriott abruptly terminated its licensing deal with Sonder, and within a day, the short-term rental operator announced plans to liquidate and file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. The collapse has created chaos for roughly 1,400 employees across more than 35 cities, not to mention for guests caught in the middle of stays. Some travelers reported being told to vacate with little warning, and others were denied access to their rooms or forced to navigate partial refunds and small credits after hours while on hold on the phone. Marriott says its priority is minimizing disruption for guests who booked through its channels, but both companies have gone quiet publicly as blame for the failed partnership flies in both directions.



Google Sues Alleged Smishing Kingpins Behind Fake USPS Texts



If you have ever gotten a fake USPS or toll road text, Google says it has found one of the groups responsible. The company filed a lawsuit against 25 unnamed individuals it ties to a global “phishing as a service” operation called “Lighthouse,” which allegedly used hundreds of fake website templates to mimic brands such as Google, USPS, and New York City agencies. Google argues that the nefarious network may have stolen as much as a billion dollars over three years by tricking users into entering logins and payment information. The suit leans on RICO, trademark, and computer fraud laws, and aims to disrupt Lighthouse’s infrastructure, even if the operators themselves are based overseas and beyond easy reach of U.S. law enforcement.



Starbucks Baristas Turn Red Cup Day Into a Red Cup Rebellion



On what is usually one of Starbucks’s biggest promotional days, unionized baristas at more than 65 stores across 42 cities walked off the job. Members of Starbucks Workers United say negotiations over pay, hours, and hundreds of alleged unfair labor practices have stalled, and they accuse the company of refusing to bring serious proposals to the table. Starbucks insists the strike has had minimal impact so far and says it is ready to bargain when the union returns. The union counters that it is prepared to escalate into the largest, longest strike in company history if leadership does not agree to a contract that improves scheduling and take-home pay.



Hemp Becomes Collateral Damage in the Shutdown Deal



To move a bill that would reopen the federal government, senators accepted language that could effectively outlaw many hemp-based products within a year. The provision bans unregulated sales of items containing THC, which even legal hemp can include in trace amounts, and could devastate a $28 billion industry built after the 2018 Farm Bill loosened restrictions. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul tried and failed to strip the hemp language, arguing that it threatened thousands of jobs in his home state and elsewhere.



Shutdown Fix Sets Up a 2026 Sticker Shock for Health Insurance



The same deal that moved the government toward reopening will leave millions of Americans facing higher health insurance premiums in 2026. Senators agreed to fund the government without extending enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that currently keep exchange plans more affordable. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that individuals could pay up to $1,836 more per year, and families of four could pay up to $3,735 more a year, if the credits expire. Democrats secured only a promise of a future vote on an extension and will now have less leverage, while employers are expected to hike premiums on workplace plans as well, continuing a decades-long trend of costs outrunning inflation.



Target Bets on Smiles and Service With New ‘10-4’ Policy



Target is testing a back-to-basics strategy for its in-store experience as it heads into the holiday rush. A new “10-4” policy instructs employees to smile, wave, and acknowledge customers who are within 10 feet and to actively greet shoppers who are closer than 4 feet. The initiative lands just ahead of Black Friday and at the start of weeks of rolling promotions that stretch through late December, a period when two-thirds of Americans say they will already be shopping. Behind the friendlier vibes, Target is coming off better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, but also traffic declines, DEI-related boycotts, and recent layoffs that trimmed about 8% of its corporate staff.



CoreWeave’s Data Center Delay Spooks AI Investors



AI infrastructure firm CoreWeave reported staggering growth, with revenue up 134% year over year and a $55.6 billion backlog of future business, yet its stock slid nearly 10%. The problem is a delay at a third-party data center that forced the company to lower its full-year 2025 revenue forecast by about $200 million. CoreWeave says the affected customer has agreed to keep the contract intact, meaning the revenue should arrive in 2026 instead, and stresses that 41 other data centers remain on track. Even so, the market reaction shows how jumpy investors have become about richly valued AI names, and how quickly sentiment can swing when execution hiccups threaten hyper-growth narratives.



IBM Pushes Back in the Quantum Arms Race



With DARPA publishing a list of top quantum contenders, and with rivals like Quantinuum touting record-setting machines, IBM is working to remind customers that it is still on schedule. The company announced two new processors: Nighthawk for near-term quantum advantage experiments, and Loon for longer-term, fault-tolerant architectures backed by advanced error correction codes. IBM is also moving quantum chip production into a 300-millimeter wafer fabrication plant at the Albany NanoTech Complex, a shift that should double its manufacturing speed and allow for much more complex processors. Executives say the goal is to make sure both hardware and classical software tools are ready so that real-world applications can scale by the latter half of the decade.



Pennies End, but a Grocer Turns Them Into a Marketing Win



With the U.S. Mint pressing its final penny this week after an order from President Trump to stop producing one-cent coins, a regional grocer is trying to capture both coins and customers. Market 32 and Price Chopper stores in six Northeastern states are hosting a “Double Exchange Day” that will swap up to $100 in pennies for gift cards worth twice as much. For shoppers, it is a way to turn jars of change into a sizable grocery credit. For the chain, it is a clever way to stock up on coins ahead of a looming shortage. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, week, business:, Shutdown, chaos, jitters, and, penny, farewell</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Yeti just did the unthinkable: Hire an ad agency</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/yeti-just-did-the-unthinkable-hire-an-ad-agency</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/yeti-just-did-the-unthinkable-hire-an-ad-agency</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Outdoors brand Yeti dropped its new holiday commercial, and it has a lot of what you’d expect from a seasonal spot. “Bad Idea” outlines all the reasons you probably shouldn’t get a Yeti for someone you care about: “Don’t get them a Yeti,” says the voice-over, as a ribboned cooler flies out the back of a pickup truck. “Unless you like dogs that are always wet, eyebrows that are still growing back, and sand in places sand should never be.”



By the end of the commercial, it’s clear that the brand is aiming at people who are obsessed. It could be surfing, fishing, camping, golf, whatever—it’s about those chasing the dream wherever it leads them. 



But for all its charming predictability, this is more than just another ad for Yeti; it’s a major shift in the way the company approaches marketing and advertising. Thanks to a partnership with Wieden+Kennedy, this commercial is the first piece of advertising Yeti has made with an outside agency, and it signals a new era for a brand that has been staunchly self-made.



For the past 19 years, Yeti has largely created all its own marketing and advertising, including ambitious projects like its ongoing series of short documentaries under the “Yeti Presents” banner. That’s why my ears perked up when Yeti CEO Matt Reintjes announced the W+K partnership on his company’s November 7 earnings call. This came amid outlining how revenue was up 2% year over year but profits were down slightly by 2%, which the company credited to higher tariff costs. International revenue was up 14%.



Mixing strong in-house creative cultures with big-name agencies is rare, especially today, as more brands build out robust in-house teams to replace or reinforce their long-standing relationships with agencies. When the two do mix, one typically emerges as the alpha.













When I spoke to Reintjes recently, he told me that teaming up with the same agency as Nike, Ford, DoorDash, and McDonald’s is a reflection of Yeti’s ambition and expansion into mainstream sports, backyards, and yoga studios around the world.



“We’re incredibly proud of the team that we have at Yeti and the way this brand has come to life with their vision and creativity,” he says. “We saw an opportunity to take the power of the in-house creative and content we have at Yeti and pair it with an incredible partner in Wieden+Kennedy and their global scale and global brand storytelling experience capabilities.”



It’s also an opportunity to redefine how a world-class creative marketer can coexist and thrive with a world-class creative shop. 



The Great In-house Debate



Over the past 15 years or so, there has been an omnipresent tension in advertising between the role of in-house creative departments and ad agencies. Many in-house agencies were created to save a brand money by not having to outsource all of its creative work. It was also about control, the theory being that an in-house team would know the brand better, and it would be able to produce work faster to keep up with the pace of culture as social media exploded. 



The reality is that brands were also fed up with unnecessary fees and bloated holding company bureaucracy. So they started to build out their own teams. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) publishes an in-house report every five years. Its 2023 report said that 82% of its members had an in-house agency, up from 78% in 2018. Some estimates now put that figure closer to 90%, though the trade group’s next report won’t be published until 2028. Each brand has its own model.



Almost all brand work from Airbnb, Squarespace, and Liquid Death comes from their in-house teams. Patagonia, another heavyweight in outdoorsy film content, produces all of its marketing in-house, too. In the past three years, Kraft Heinz’s in-house agency, the Kitchen, has expanded its work from 4 of the company’s brands to 19, and grown its team from 35 to more than 135 across two offices. PepsiCo has three different in-house agencies—Sips &amp; Bites for bigger projects, D3 for PepsiCo Foods in the U.S., and Creators League, which is focused on beverages. All told, it’s a major investment for these companies.



Ad agencies began to feel threatened. Every project or creative win by an in-house agency could conceivably have been theirs. Trade group In-House Agency Council reported last year that external agencies did 70% of the workload in 2021, but by 2023 that dropped to just 30%. Some execs estimated that 30% to 40% of revenue had bled from the traditional creative agency model through in-housing. 



Yet Kraft’s most high-profile (and awarded) work still comes primarily from partner agencies like Rethink. When Pepsi’s in-house agency made the infamous Kendall Jenner ad in 2017, many ad agencies not-so-quietly celebrated the blowback.



What makes Yeti and W+K unique is their chance to reset this narrative and show what two incredibly strong creative entities—in-house and external—can achieve together. 



Irrational Commitment



Last year, Yeti released a short film called All That Is Sacred. Directed by Scott Ballew, the 34-minute film is a portrait of Jimmy Buffett and his group of friends in Key West, Florida, back in the late 1960s and ’70s. It shows the balance between the work and leisure life of writers and musicians, including Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison, Guy de la Valdéne, and Richard Brautigan, and their shared obsession with fishing.









No ad agency on earth would’ve made this. Or let me rephrase: No client would likely buy this idea from an agency. Not because ad agencies lack the creative talent. Ad agencies can, and do, make great, unexpected creative work. Even if we just stick to films, look no further than The Seat on Netflix (Modern Arts for WhatsApp), award-winning short doc The Final Copy of Ilon Specht (McCann for L’Oréal Paris), or waaay back to Pereira O’Dell’s role in Werner Herzog’s 2016 feature doc Lo and Behold for Netscout. 



But All That Is Sacred is ambitious even by Yeti standards. Most of Yeti’s best work has a direct tie to the brand, typically telling a personal story or chronicling an adventure of one of its many ambassadors. This is none of that. The tie to the brand is less direct, and more about vibes. That can be tough for an agency to push from the outside. 



To use a Yeti-appropriate metaphor here, as a piece of brand content goes, it’s not just out in the wilderness—it’s fully off-grid, to a point that would make most marketers feel naked and afraid. But it’s beautiful. And it fits. It fits in a way that only a brand so fully confident in itself and its point of view could. 



That point of view has been the backbone of Yeti’s overall brand strength. Pierre Jouffray, Wieden+Kennedy executive creative director, says the agency worked with the internal Yeti team to really crystallize what that point of view is. After talking to all the brand’s ambassadors, one thing stood out. “There’s something that is so true about their product, about the ambassadors, about the people, and about the way we would work together, which is this idea of irrational commitment,” he says. “That’s something that you can really connect with no matter what your pursuit is.”



For Reintjes this isn’t about taking a weird left turn for the brand. “This isn’t about doing something different; it truly is additive,” he says. “It’s almost like a layer cake. We’re just adding another layer on top of the incredible work that our team does from the most grassroots, endemic, connected, authentic audiences across social media and different platforms. We look at this as augmenting and a partnership in and how we scale this brand for a really long time.”



“Bad Idea” is a great start, blending what both companies do incredibly well. It’s even narrated by musician and actor Ryan Bingham (Yellowstone), who hosted a Yeti show called The Midnight Hour in 2020. 



The real test will be to build up the global brand work that truly taps into that idea of irrational commitment while still connecting and creating with the audiences who built this brand in the first place. Just Yeti It.








 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Yeti, just, did, the, unthinkable:, Hire, agency</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>It’s not just affordability, Americans are anxious over jobs too</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/its-not-just-affordability-americans-are-anxious-over-jobs-too</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/its-not-just-affordability-americans-are-anxious-over-jobs-too</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Some 55% of employed Americans say they’re concerned about losing their jobs, according to a recent Harris Poll conducted for Bloomberg News. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2221921530-e1763037491166.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>It’s, not, just, affordability, Americans, are, anxious, over, jobs, too</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Shutdown starvation was so bad that some Native American tribes killed the buffalo herds that they helped restore</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/shutdown-starvation-was-so-bad-that-some-native-american-tribes-killed-the-buffalo-herds-that-they-helped-restore</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/shutdown-starvation-was-so-bad-that-some-native-american-tribes-killed-the-buffalo-herds-that-they-helped-restore</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ About a third of Fort Peck&#039;s tribal members on the reservation depend on monthly benefit checks, tribal chair says, almost triple the rate for the U.S. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25315849515958-e1763037688830.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Shutdown, starvation, was, bad, that, some, Native, American, tribes, killed, the, buffalo, herds, that, they, helped, restore</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>JD Vance on RFK and the MAHA movement: Many times in history, ‘all the experts were wrong’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jd-vance-on-rfk-and-the-maha-movement-many-times-in-history-all-the-experts-were-wrong</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jd-vance-on-rfk-and-the-maha-movement-many-times-in-history-all-the-experts-were-wrong</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ All the experts were wrong some of the time, therefore HHS Secretary Kennedy&#039;s approach is good, the vice president seemed to be saying. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25316670980486-e1763037909125.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Vance, RFK, and, the, MAHA, movement:, Many, times, history, ‘all, the, experts, were, wrong’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Winklevoss twins and Big Tobacco are on the list of donors helping fund Trump’s East Wing teardown. Nvidia isn’t, but Jensen Huang is involved, too</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-winklevoss-twins-and-big-tobacco-are-on-the-list-of-donors-helping-fund-trumps-east-wing-teardown-nvidia-isnt-but-jensen-huang-is-involved-too</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-winklevoss-twins-and-big-tobacco-are-on-the-list-of-donors-helping-fund-trumps-east-wing-teardown-nvidia-isnt-but-jensen-huang-is-involved-too</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ President Donald Trump says his $300 million White House ballroom will be paid for “100% by me and some friends of mine.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AP25316723766052-e1763038186628.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, Winklevoss, twins, and, Big, Tobacco, are, the, list, donors, helping, fund, Trump’s, East, Wing, teardown., Nvidia, isn’t, but, Jensen, Huang, involved, too</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Circle CFO on leading the blockchain ‘megatrend’ transforming finance</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/circle-cfo-on-leading-the-blockchain-megatrend-transforming-finance</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/circle-cfo-on-leading-the-blockchain-megatrend-transforming-finance</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The disruption is comparable to the internet’s evolution in the mid-1990s, says Jeremy Fox-Geen.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2215606050-e1763039724759.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Circle, CFO, leading, the, blockchain, ‘megatrend’, transforming, finance</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This wealthy California town built affordable housing in an unusual location</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-wealthy-california-town-built-affordable-housing-in-an-unusual-location</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-wealthy-california-town-built-affordable-housing-in-an-unusual-location</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Affordable housing has gone in search of collaborations. Across the country, developers and cities have found a solution in pairing housing with unexpected projects to save money and build more vibrant communities. 



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



A wave of libraries, fire stations, and even Costco stores have been built below or adjacent to much-needed, lower-cost apartments. Now a new development in the Southern California city of San Juan Capistrano is sharing a lot with City Hall.



Salida del Sol, a $31 million, 49-unit supportive housing development by Jamboree Housing Corp., opened this past July on a 2.2-acre site downtown. At a time when federal support for homeless services is wavering and cities in California and elsewhere have taken more conservative approaches to unhoused communities, San Juan Capistrano’s decision to place housing next to the seat of city government sends a strong message. 



According to Mayor Troy Bourne, it was a perfect opportunity to marry strategic development and attack a growing problem in the city and region, all while avoiding the typical pushback such developments often provoke. Supportive housing—which combines accessible, affordable homes with a suite of social services to help individuals navigate challenges such as chronic homelessness—tends to attract significant angst from nearby neighbors.



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



“This says to the community, ‘We’ll go first, we trust this to go well,’” Bourne says. “These developments aren’t going to be universally popular in a community. People want this problem figured out far away from their front door. Putting this next to City Hall says not only are we supportive, but we’re putting it on our front porch.”



Jamboree, which manages approximately 11,000 units across Southern California, has never seen a project utilize government land and pair up with such a symbolic civic building, says CEO Laura Archuleta. The city was able to both provide land at a competitive rate and help finance the construction via a municipal fund to support affordable housing. The old City Hall building had been deteriorating for decades and needed a refresh, which coincided with the city’s push to add more supportive housing. 



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



More importantly, Archuleta says, the potential for interaction, observation, and understanding at the new site provides immense social value, giving lawmakers and local residents a more realistic impression of the challenges of rehabilitation, and the difference such housing projects can make. Law enforcement and local officials will get a more accurate sense of the challenges and lives of the unhoused, while those living at Salida del Sol may gain more trust of local police. 



“I see compassion and learning taking place on both sides,” Archuleta says. “That’s an added benefit.”



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



She says there’s already interest from other communities in California, including discussions around another co-development on a city hall campus in East Los Angeles County, and plans to build another building on a senior center campus.



The challenge in building this kind of deeply affordable housing includes combining a variety of funding sources—Salida del Sol utilizes state and local subsidies as well as housing voucher funding from the federal government—and finding a site.



Especially in a wealthier community like San Juan Capistrano, finding land that isn’t prohibitively expensive remains a challenge, as well as persevering through neighborhood pushback. There were some local business owners wary of the residents hanging out near their storefronts, Archuleta says, but Jamboree mitigated that with community outreach and education and didn’t face widespread opposition. 



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



Jamboree and other supportive housing providers passionately believe in the value of a housing-first approach to giving the unhoused a place to recover and access social services; a 2017 study completed with researchers at nearby University of California, Irvine, found it was more cost-effective for cities to provide housing to the homeless, as opposed to the various costs associated with medical and criminal issues that come from not having a permanent home. 



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



Once the city and developers decided on a location for Salida del Sol, the design went through a few iterations. For one version, the housing would have been on the second floor above City Hall. At another point, it became clear the supportive housing wouldn’t fit on the lot with a building that contained a full city council chambers. To make room, local leaders converted a nearby community center so it could double as a chamber room when needed. The final layout placed the resident entrance on the opposite side of the lot from the City Hall entrance.



[Photo: Juan Tallo]



Archuleta says the project includes full wraparound services such as access to social managers and other support for the residents. It’s a big deal to know the city manager works next door and can simply pick up the phone and call her if he sees a resident having a hard time. According to Bourne, placing unhoused people near city services, as well as in the middle of downtown near transit and jobs, offers the connection and assistance they need to get back on their feet.



“You can’t throw money or a building at a problem. At the end of the day you need human capital,” he says. “We’re providing access to jobs, a train station, and support. Presenting someone with that I think is a real solution.”



Bourne adds: “We would do it again in a heartbeat. This has been a huge win.”  


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, wealthy, California, town, built, affordable, housing, unusual, location</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The answer to sneaker recycling? Getting rival brands to collaborate</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-answer-to-sneaker-recycling-getting-rival-brands-to-collaborate</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-answer-to-sneaker-recycling-getting-rival-brands-to-collaborate</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Every year, the $463 billion global footwear industry make 20 billion pairs of shoes for just 8 billion humans. Since virtually none of them are recyclable, they will end up clogging up landfills around the world.



For decades now, the fashion industry has been on a mission to make products recyclable. But shoes have been a much harder puzzle to crack than clothing. While garments are made from just a handful of materials, shoes are far more complex objects. 



A sneaker can be made of 50 different materials from foam insoles to leather exteriors to cotton laces, all glued together with adhesives. A handful of brands have prototyped one-off recyclable shoes, like Adidas’s Futurcraft Loop or Nike’s IPSA Link Axis. But the shoe industry is far from recycling at scale.



But change is on the horizon. A group of sustainability experts wants to make shoe recycling as widespread as recycling paper or aluminum. Their solution: Radical collaboration among the biggest shoe rivals in the world.



Yuly Fuentes-Medel, a fashion sustainability expert who runs MIT’s Climate Project, has just launched The Footwear Collective (TFC), a non-profit devoted to building circular solutions for the footwear industry. She’s convened eight founding shoe companies—including Brooks, On, New Balance, and Steve Madden—and is recruiting more. It has also partnered with Goodwill to collect large quantities of shoes at scale.



The sustainability teams within these organizations meet with each other on a regular basis to tackle a pipeline of 50 different projects with achievable goals, like working with industrial recyclers to develop the technology to recycle shoes and finding secondary markets for the resulting recycled materials.



“The shoe industry is competitive, and these brands are rivals,” says Fuentes-Medel. “But by sharing costs, data, and infrastructure, they can achieve the sustainability goals that have eluded them for years.”



[Photo: Footwear Collective]



Collaboration is Crucial



The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Over the past three decades, fast fashion has driven down the price of both clothing and shoes, allowing consumers to cycle through products quickly. Extracting large quantities of raw materials and shipping them to factories all over the world to turn them into products  results in roughly 8% of global carbon emissions, accelerating climate change. 



For years, the industry has realized that circularity is one solution. Recovering the materials in old shoes and clothes, then transforming them back into materials for the fashion industry would dramatically reduce both waste and carbon emissions. But to achieve this circular system, you need a lot of infrastructure. First, you need to build out large, high-tech factories that can process these materials, and then you need to develop ways of collecting old products from consumers.



In the world of clothing, companies like Circ have only just developed the technology to recycle polyester cotton blends, the most common material in the apparel industry, and is now building out factories around the world. But the shoe industry is much farther away from a similar solution.



Fuentes-Medel observed that the footwear industry was struggling with this challenge. So in 2023, she hosted a footwear circularity summit at MIT, and was surprised by how much interest there was: Sustainability experts from 45 different shoe brands showed up. As they discussed possible solutions, Fuentes-Medel wrote up a “Footwear Manifesto” that laid out the obstacles to circularity and how to overcome them, such as building markets for recycled materials and ways of collecting old shoes. But one thing was clear from this summit: None of this could happen without collaboration.



“This approach makes sense,” says Katherine Petrecca, GM of footwear innovation at New Balance. “We’re working together on pre-competitive spaces. All of us will win if we have the infrastructure to collect and recycle shoes.” 



After the event, brands were clamoring to continue this work. So Fuentes-Medel launched The Footwear Collective, with eight founding brands who pay dues to fund the project. Sustainability teams within these organizations meet every week with one another, as well as with other companies, to work towards solutions across seven pathways, including getting more value from waste, designing for circularity, and influencing consumer behavior. And together, they have come up with projects to work on, including finding a use for a particular recycled material to creating marketing materials that get consumers excited about recycling shoes.



[Photo: Footwear Collective]



The Problem of Scale



Many footwear brands have been on a mission to become more sustainable. But when a brand is going at it alone, there are many hurdles to achieving goals. “Recycling can only work at scale,” says David Kemp, director of corporate responsibility at Brooks. 



For one thing, it will require a lot of work to develop the technology to automate the disassembly of shoes at scale, then recover their component materials. “Shoes companies hire teams of engineers to design and develop their products,” says Fuentes-Medel. “You really can’t think of them in the same category as clothing. They have to live up to much higher technical performance standards.”



Kemp says that the recycling industry is not incentivized to invest in developing this kind of high tech recycling facility because there isn’t a big market for the recycled materials that would come out of this process. For footwear brands, this would mean working with their factories to start using recycled foams, and leather, and hardware. “Recyclers are for-profit businesses,” he says. “Through the Collective, we can finally show recyclers that there’s business volume here worth investing in.”



A Pilot Program



Then, there’s the problem of how you collect large volumes of old shoes to recycle. Some brands, like Brooks, invite customers to bring back their old shoes once they’ve reached the end of their life. But Kemp says that participation in these programs is very low. “Historically, only around 3% of customers bring their shoes back to us,” he says. “This isn’t enough volume to bring to a factory to ask them to develop a recycling program for us.” 



Again, Fuentes-Medel believes that the solution is to collect shoes from across many brands. And there’s already an organization that is doing this: Goodwill. TFW has decided to work with Goodwill’s California division, since the state has strong Extender Producer Responsibility (ERP) laws which mandate that companies fund and manage the collection, recycling, and reuse of their products. As a result, California can fund more sophisticated recycling operations. 



With this new project, consumers are invited to drop off shoes from any brand at participating Goodwill locations in California. Shoes that cannot be resold will be sent to three recyclers, where they will be shredded. The shredded material will be separated by weight and density, so they can be sorted by material. (Rubber, foam, and cotton all have different densities.) Then the recycler can determine what materials can be recycled and sold. “We’re aligning with California, since we can help put their legislative policy into practice,” says Petrecca, of New Balance.



This is just one of many projects that TFC is working on right now. Other groups are working on changing the way brands design shoes to make them easier to disassemble, without losing any of their performance qualities. “We’re running two offenses,” Petrecca says. “We’re designing for what’s next, but we also need to figure out what to do with the billions of shoes that are already out there.” 



For Fuentes-Medel, collecting data is crucial throughout all of these early pilots and tests. From all her years immersed in MIT’s quantitative approach to sustainability, she believes it is important to track exactly what happens so that they can measure impact. “We if don’t base our strategy on data, it’ll be just another greenwashing initiative that gets press but changes nothing,” she says. 



But ultimately, Fuentes-Medel is optimistic that this small but committed collective is building a movement. So as TFW continues to grow and communicate with consumers, it wants to make circularity exciting and tangible, thanks to good storytelling. “Movements are built on joy,” she says. “Collective action depends on everyone feeling motivated to do their little bit, from sending in one pair of shoes to telling one friend.”



























 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, answer, sneaker, recycling, Getting, rival, brands, collaborate</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Exclusive: The most important browser designer of the past 25 years explains how he topped himself again</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-the-most-important-browser-designer-of-the-past-25-years-explains-how-he-topped-himself-again</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-the-most-important-browser-designer-of-the-past-25-years-explains-how-he-topped-himself-again</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Darin Fisher is a little older than the fresh-faced, newly minted PhD types you see roaming the well-appointed floors at OpenAI’s second location in San Francisco’s Mission Bay district. 



Before arriving at the AI super-startup, he spent 25 years working on some of the most important web browsers in the history of the web: He worked on Netscape Navigator, which helped define the early consumer internet. He worked on the popular Firefox browser at Mozilla, then went to Google, where he was a member of the Chrome team. After Google, he wanted to explore alternative browsers; he did so first at Neeva (which offered an ad-free experience), then at the Browser Company, which built the influential Arc browser. “The opportunity to come to OpenAI and infuse the AI model into all of this and to think about how that can really transform the experience was all kinds of super interesting to me,” Fisher says.



In OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Atlas browser, all tasks start with a prompt to the AI models working in the background. As the user accesses the web, the chatbot, which rides along at the right of the screen, can see the content of each webpage, answer questions about it, or take actions on it. An agent mode allows the AI to perform complex, multi-step tasks like filling out forms or shopping on the user’s behalf.



We asked Fisher about the choices, trade-offs, and innovations that went into designing OpenAI’s AI-first browser. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.



What’s the core philosophy behind Atlas?







One of the most important features of Atlas is really that chat is at the heart of it. You should start your journey with ChatGPT. Not because we work at OpenAI, but because I actually realize so many times, I kick myself “why didn’t I just ask the model first?” It would save me time. It should be the thing that’s there on autocomplete in the browser. It should be there so conveniently, effortlessly. This is the feedback we hear from people who’ve gotten to try Atlas. 



How did you approach the design challenge of getting people to adopt new habits?



There’s this dance of the familiar as well as moments when you can optimize some things. I worked on browsers that have tried much more radical takes on browser UI, for good reasons, because there’s frustrations with a traditional browser UI. When you have all these little tabs at the top, at some point that starts to break down and you’re like, “Well, I guess I have to clean up now.” We really tried to get the basics right because people live in this thing. Not only are they used to it, but you’re working. You don’t want to be frustrated by it. 



One of the big challenges of browser design is tab management. Can you explain Atlas’s scrolling tabs feature?



We built a classic tabs mode which works just like Chrome, but we also have a scrolling tabs mode in Atlas. What it does is it makes the tabs stay a fixed width and they start to scroll. But importantly, for this to work, new tabs enter at the left, which can be very disorienting for people. But once you get used to it, it’s kind of neat because what it means is new tabs are always opening on the left, old tabs are going off to the right. Your area of focus and what you’re working on stays on the left and all the tabs are nice and visible. What’s really cool is once you get used to this, you start accumulating a bunch of tabs and you can use the tab search feature Command+Shift+A. It’ll find your tab, and then you can zoom it back to the left. 



How did you approach building on Chromium while maintaining design freedom? [Chromium is a Google-developed open-source browser project that provides the foundation of several major browsers, including Google Chrome itself.]



When people build on top of Chrome, you’re sort of constrained in some ways to the shape that it takes and the structure that it has. Not because you couldn’t change a lot of stuff, but because the more you change, the harder it is to update Chrome. What we really wanted to do was have our cake and eat it too. We came up with this clever way of essentially running Chrome almost unmodified, projecting the contents of the web pages into a Swift app [Swift is an Apple-developed programming language for building apps for Apple devices.] So Atlas could just be a pure Swift app, a relatively small app actually. It means we had this blank canvas on which to make anything look like anything we want. We were very free from a design perspective to rethink how so many things work. The main constraint is what people think a browser is and how they think it should work.



Can you walk me through the side chat feature?



When you click on links inside of ChatGPT inside of Atlas, it does this transition of moving the chat into side chat and opening the web page. This side chat . . . is now connected to the site that you’re on. You can ask questions about the site. [While shopping for couches at a retail site, for example] it could be things like, “What is the price range of your couches?” or “Who else sells something like this?” The model can go and look at the internet and tell you about all that stuff and you can just ask it a very simple question. Sometimes these websites are so cluttered too. A good example is a recipe site. You might say, “Can you just tell me the recipe?” You just ask the model to do that for you. Even on the recipe, you can be like, “I actually want to make this for four people, not six. Adjust the amounts of each portion.”



When you open a new tab, you don’t immediately see the chat sidebar. You see a chat window right in the middle of the page. Why did you do it like that? 



We really went with this idea of one box. You should feel like it’s a simpler, cleaner experience. When we did this, we got a lot of feedback where people were like, “Where’s my URL bar?” We discovered that we could put one there—you just have to hover and then it will be there. Or if you’re a keyboard user and you did Command+L, it would activate. One of the innovations with Chrome was one box where you can enter URLs or searches. But if you go to Chrome and you open a new tab, you’ll actually see there are two boxes—one at the top and one in the middle. We’re like, “Well, can we have one instead of two?” It was remarkable that it didn’t have to actually be in your face for that to be true. Everybody was happy. Everybody has no problem finding it.



Using “agent mode,” you might, for example, ask Atlas to go out and find the best deal on a plane ticket, or even go further toward a purchase. 



You’re definitely asking this thing to go do stuff on your behalf, but you want to feel in control too. There’s a stop button that’s very prominent. There’s a take control button. The model is tuned to understand that it should present you with results at a certain point and now you can take it to the next step, review its work, see what it’s doing. The model can open multiple web pages in the background to do its work. Also prominently, you can choose, “Do I want this to use my authentication, my cookies, or no?” [This might be your username and password at Google, and your preferences stored as cookies.] This is actually huge because maybe you just don’t trust it yet and you want to develop some trust. You want to see what it’s going to do and you want to try it out in a safe way. 



How do you think about ChatGPT search versus traditional search engines?



Google, full stop, is amazing. It’s an amazing tool. But at the same time, it works the way it works. It works a certain way. People are used to it as the tool that it is. This AI stuff is different and it’s a different kind of interaction. What we’ve done to improve ChatGPT search capabilities inside of Atlas was not just because it was important for ChatGPT, but also because it’s kind of essential when you’re approaching it from a browser lens. Sometimes you’re typing in that box because you have high navigational intent. Like, “I want DNS for the web” or “I want to go look at a product on Amazon.” I don’t need anything else other than just get me there. Google’s outstanding at that, but ChatGPT with these capabilities does a great job at that, too.



What did Sam Altman and the leadership team tell you about wanting to build a browser when they brought you in? 



The focus was squarely on bringing ChatGPT to more people more readily and having it be just core to that experience—realizing that in a browser traditionally you’re like Open tab, Go to ChatGPT.com. There’s just an extra clunkiness to that. The time’s right, you want a more streamlined experience, let’s go build it. Sam was super clear about that, which actually I really appreciate. This is a company that is rapidly putting out features. We’re often in the mode of “what can we do this month?” But this is an investment, because it’s not just what we’re going to do in January—it was what are we going to do in January to unlock what we could do in November? We spent all that time building a foundation and now we’re on a weekly cadence of putting out new features and new things and building on this foundation.



How did you approach testing and getting feedback during development?



We are an opinionated bunch, that’s for sure. But you want to validate your ideas. We had the internal population of OpenAI, which is not the most representative sample—these are really heavy tech folks. The kind of features that people are asking for internally would be things that we know from past experience might not be what everybody wants. We also brought in trusted testers. We brought in friends and family. There was this cohort of students and other cohorts—we got feedback from different folks to help inform and understand just how people experience this. We had this guiding principle that people can only learn so many things differently. You’ve got to start out with the familiar.



What’s been the feedback since launch?



I think we’ve gotten an enormous amount of positive feedback. There’s general excitement around these agentic browsers. Maybe some degree of people wanting to just kick the tires and see what it’s all about and maybe some level of skepticism too, but also enthusiasm, generally . . . The feedback really hasn’t been surprising at all. For example, we know that it’s a lot to ask for people’s habits to change on anything. Bringing ChatGPT front and center in the experience is a big change actually. For many people, early tech adopters, this feels very natural and they actually remark at how comfortable it feels that they’re [the browser and the AI] side by side. But I think for most people, they’re still early on that journey to be honest.



What features are you working on for the future?



Every week we put out a new version addressing feedback. We’ve already addressed some of the top feedback that we got. There’s a lot of stuff that was in the hopper that we paired back because we didn’t want to just go out—we wanted to go out with as polished of an experience as we could. Adding a model picker in the side chat was one—they already added that. Vertical tabs is another feature that we’re getting a lot of requests for. 



What was the biggest design challenge in Atlas?



Thematically, probably one of the biggest arguments was just, “Is this in or out? How do you keep it simple?” Pretty soon if you’re not careful, you have the kitchen sink, you have the Swiss Army knife. You’re trying to satisfy everybody, but you satisfy nobody. You don’t want to overwhelm at the start. You want it to be familiar, easy. They [users] can do things that maybe aren’t the most efficient, but that’s okay. Then they can start to learn how to leverage more efficient ways. As a user, it keeps you in control. When I want to use chat, it’s there for me. But if I don’t want to be using chat on a web page, I don’t have to. I think that’s very important. You should feel empowered. 



How do you design a product that has a deep set of features but still looks simple?



There’s this idea of progressive disclosure in design. [We] have a new product that can do all these things and maybe you’re really eager to try to tell everybody about it, but if when they open the product the first time, it’s telling you about all the things you can do, suddenly you’re like, “I don’t know what to even do.” Progressive disclosure can mean that as you use the product it might advertise progressively different features, but I also think of it as there’s a bunch of Easter eggs for you to discover. What do they do? They give you superpowers and help you feel like you can do better, but they aren’t in your face so you still get a product that’s approachable.



Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of Atlas?



This is the beginning of a journey. It’s going to continue evolving. I think it’s also going to continue evolving as ChatGPT itself evolves. All these things are being built in tandem by different teams at OpenAI. A lot of ChatGPT’s best features, including things like deep research and study mode—all of those are in Atlas too. There’s all these modes—model picker, tools that you can invoke. At some level, those are powerful tools—but do you want to try them out? But over time, the model absorbs some of that. There’s a natural tension there. You give people a palette of things, but you also want to keep it simple. Ultimately, it’s just meant to be “ask the model to do stuff for you.”



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, The, most, important, browser, designer, the, past, years, explains, how, topped, himself, again</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>5 questions with Ikea’s new CEO, who explains why he’s happy with revenue being flat</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/5-questions-with-ikeas-new-ceo-who-explains-why-hes-happy-with-revenue-being-flat</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/5-questions-with-ikeas-new-ceo-who-explains-why-hes-happy-with-revenue-being-flat</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Ikea’s new CEO Juvencio Maeztu is calling to tell me about the Ingka Group’s latest earnings (that’s the parent company behind Ikea). As it turns out, there are worse fates than a company making a little less money than it did last year.



In August, Ingka Group announced that its long-time CEO Jesper Brodin would be stepping down, as Maeztu took the role. An economist by training, Maeztu has worked at the company for more than 25 years, and brings a powerful international perspective to the position—having started as a store manager in Madrid, before eventually taking over as CEO of Ikea India. For the past seven years, he’s served as deputy CEO and CFO under Brodin.



We spoke around the release of Ingka’s 2025 financial earnings, which Maeztu characterizes to me as “mostly flat.” Revenue is down 0.9% (to €41.5 billion) as the company fights inflation to keep prices low. Tariffs have yet to fully enter the equation in these figures—but Trump’s 50% tariffs on furniture announced in September were significant enough that Ikea raised prices to help offset them. 



On the brighter side, store traffic was up 1.3%, online sales were up 4.6%, and overall item sales grew 1.6%.



In our conversation—representing some of Maetzu’s first public comments since being appointed to the position—he detailed his biggest priorities for the company, while addressing the challenges of operating a budget-friendly furniture business in a volatile global economy.







Now that you’re officially CEO, what is your immediate focus for Ikea?



The announcement was made mid-August, and the last three months I have been traveling around many countries to learn about the reality from the shop floor, and then talking with consumers and colleagues and coworkers. And that has cemented three things that are quite important to deliver to the care vision (that caring for people and the planet is core to Ikea’s purpose). Because we will not change the care vision. We will not change the business idea. 



I will keep putting a lot of focus on growth; not growth only in mature markets or more European-based growth, but many markets, U.S. included, and India and China. Growth is a way to be more present in homes. So growth is not connected with profit to the shareholder, it’s connected with affordability for the many people. You could say we can never achieve our vision if we don’t grow. So we have to substantially grow. 



The second thing is to double down . . . on the need for cost transformation . . . and the need to keep costs low. Because the best frame of low price is a low cost. You cannot be a low-price company if you are not a low-cost company. And I will double down on the resilience of the company. 



And then the third one is simplicity. So normally, big companies like us start to be bureaucratic, and from the leadership perspective, we have to learn how to lead the company in a more agile way, faster decision making, less layers, and at the same time, more agility in the decision making. 



We have a good brand, we have a good omni channel capabilities today. We have amazing cultural values with high coworker engagement, super high right now. And then at the same time, we have a strong balance sheet. So you could say we have a lot of assets that allow us to really double down in the growth, in the cost transformation, and the simplicity.



Looking over your earnings, where is that revenue dip coming from?



We are selling more quantities at a lower price.



If I take one step back, we measure performance in four dimensions. So one of the four is a financial dimension, and I will comment on that. But the other three are the climate dimension (we call it “better planet” for all), the social dimension (“better life” for people), and the consumer dimension (“better homes” for the customer). 



Today, as we release the financial result. It’s almost flat revenue—0.9% lower, almost flat, which is €41.5 billion (approximately $47.9 billion). However, what’s happening is exactly what we wanted to happen, because our physical visitation is growing, our online visitation is growing, and our [sold] quantities are growing. 



So basically, [revenue is down] because we have kept low prices. But then we are very happy [about] the underlying business.



For us, growth is not a mechanism to pay more dividends to the shareholder. Because we are owned by a foundation. So 85% of the profit remains in the company, and 15% is the dividend to support the charitable activities. . . . We normally say profit gives us resources to keep investing in the future and low price.



How are general inflation and other factors affecting your supply chain? 



The overall supply chain is quite stabilized now. We came from many disruptions in the last year, and that disruption is still happening at the end of this fiscal year, but now it’s quite stable. So we are not increasing prices in general.



We constantly hear that physical retail is challenged, or on the brink of collapse. But I noticed Ingka centers—your malls, basically—had an influx of new foot traffic this year. I’m curious about your take on large-scale retail right now. 



People still have the need to socialize. People still have the need to go out. That’s why it’s important that we call it a meeting place—not necessarily a shopping center—and when you visit our meeting place it’s a way to connect with the communities . . . to create traffic with engagement and food and events. So in a world that is omnichannel and online, people still have the need to socialize. So that’s why we keep seeing more visitors in the shopping center and more visitors in the Ikea physical store. 



Then what is really important is that the visitor still finds a good value for money. That’s why we don’t have too much in discount activity on Black Friday. We are more trying to have everyday low prices. And that’s why we keep investing in that. So somehow customers recognize that, you offer them a fun day out in the meeting place, shopping center, the Ikea store, and then you keep prices low. You know, cost of living is increasing, not only in U.S., but anywhere in the world. 



The cost of housing is increasing all over the world, so [our] care vision—better life at home by providing more affordable home furnishings—it’s not only timeless. It’s even more relevant today than some years ago. 



Now that they’ve stabilized a bit, how do you see the impact of tariffs affecting Ikea?



I think the entry point is not only tariffs. The entry point is that companies who operate globally, like us, are living in a more complex world, in a more volatile world. Sometimes because of tariffs, sometimes because of currencies, sometimes because of the limitation in global trade or geopolitics. But we need to learn as a company, how can we build the resilience to keep navigating the circumstances? 



And that’s why we distinguish what is the short term and the long term. And for us, the long term is to build the resilience in the company, and the low cost in the company, that can keep us in the low price agenda. 



And then, of course, we always try to mitigate the impact—not necessarily when we have to increase prices because of tariffs—normally . . . we try to absorb the impact. But I would say it’s not only tariffs in U.S. There are many reasons why global trade is a bit volatile, but in the long term, we will keep growing. In Europe, in the U.S., in China and India, all over the world.



This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>questions, with, Ikea’s, new, CEO, who, explains, why, he’s, happy, with, revenue, being, flat</media:keywords>
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<title>CoreWeave’s stock price is sinking despite AI mania and soaring revenue. Here is the one reason why</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/coreweaves-stock-price-is-sinking-despite-ai-mania-and-soaring-revenue-here-is-the-one-reason-why</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/coreweaves-stock-price-is-sinking-despite-ai-mania-and-soaring-revenue-here-is-the-one-reason-why</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares in CoreWeave Inc are sinking this morning after the company revealed its third-quarter 2025 results yesterday. 



While the New Jersey-based AI infrastructure firm more than doubled its revenue from the same quarter a year earlier, it also revised down its full fiscal 2025 forecast, sending its stock price tumbling. 



Here’s what you need to know.



What’s happened?



Yesterday, AI infrastructure company CoreWeave announced financial results for its Q3 2025, which ended on September 30. 



There was some good news for the quarter, including revenue of nearly $1.4 billion (up 134% year over year) and a revenue backlog of $55.6 billion (up 271% YoY). Revenue backlog is a metric that includes future revenue that CoreWeave expects from existing client deals.



CoreWeave’s main business is leasing AI hardware—mainly servers powered by Nvidia’s AI GPUs—to AI software companies. Some of CoreWeave’s most prominent customers include OpenAI and Meta. 



However, that means CoreWeave’s future growth depends on two primary factors: growing its client base and building massive data centers to house advanced AI servers to meet client demands. 



It’s that latter factor that has caused CoreWeave’s stock price problems today.



Data center delay necessitates revised 2025 forecast



Unfortunately for investors, when CoreWeave announced its strong Q3 2025 revenue numbers, the company also said that it was revising down its full 2025 fiscal year guidance. 



As noted by FXLeaders, CoreWeave said it now forecasts fiscal 2025 revenue of between $5.05 billion and $5.15 billion. The company had previously forecast fiscal 2025 revenues of up to $5.35 billion.



The reduced revenue forecast is due to a data center delay.



During the company’s earnings call, CEO Mike Intrator revealed that the development of a third-party data center on which CoreWeave was counting is behind schedule.



“There is a problem at one data center that’s impacting us, but there are [41 data centers] in our portfolio,” Intrator said, adding that the “overwhelming majority” of the data center delay should be resolved within the company’s first quarter of fiscal 2026, which correlates to January through March of next year.



That data center delay will impact one of the company’s clients. As reported by CNBC, CoreWeave did not name the client but said the client had agreed to keep the full value of the contract intact, meaning CoreWeave will not lose out on that revenue backlog; it will merely be delayed.



In addition to revising down its full fiscal 2025 revenue forecast, CoreWeave said it expects to end 2025 with adjusted operating income of between $690 million and $720 million and capital expenditures of $12 billion to $14 billion.



CoreWeave stock sinks nearly 10%



Despite CoreWeave’s assertion that the data center issue isn’t a long-term problem, the delay and disappointing guidance are affecting CoreWeave’s stock (Nasdaq: CRWV),which sank in premarket trading on Tuesday.



As of the time of this writing, CRWV shares are currently trading down almost 10% to $95.54 in premarket. That’s a low CRWV has not seen since September.



CoreWeave went public in March of this year. 



Despite lowering its IPO price right before its Nasdaq debut, the company’s stock has skyrocketed in 2025. In its March IPO, CRWV stock began trading at $40 per share. By June, shares had surged to $187. As of yesterday’s market close, CRWV shares had risen more than 170% for the year.



But CoreWeave’s double-digit stock decline this morning highlights the fact that investors are increasingly on edge about the valuations and lofty stock prices of companies operating in the AI space. 



There are growing concerns about an “AI bubble” that could mirror the Dotcom bubble of the early 2000s.



CoreWeave’s data center delay isn’t a sign of any such bubble in itself, but the company’s stock price fall may indicate that investor nerves are high when AI companies don’t meet expectations. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>CoreWeave’s, stock, price, sinking, despite, mania, and, soaring, revenue., Here, the, one, reason, why</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Billionaire Peter Thiel warns if you ‘proletarianize the young people,’ don’t be surprised they end up communist</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/billionaire-peter-thiel-warns-if-you-proletarianize-the-young-people-dont-be-surprised-they-end-up-communist</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/billionaire-peter-thiel-warns-if-you-proletarianize-the-young-people-dont-be-surprised-they-end-up-communist</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Capitalism is not working for a lot of people in New York City. It’s not working for young people.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1183198458-e1762638688914.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Billionaire, Peter, Thiel, warns, you, ‘proletarianize, the, young, people, ’, don’t, surprised, they, end, communist</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>For Gen Z, quiet luxury is dead—they’re packing lunch at home while shelling out on conspicuous consumption</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/for-gen-z-quiet-luxury-is-deadtheyre-packing-lunch-at-home-while-shelling-out-on-conspicuous-consumption</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/for-gen-z-quiet-luxury-is-deadtheyre-packing-lunch-at-home-while-shelling-out-on-conspicuous-consumption</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “The Gen Z consumer is highly fashion-engaged, spending slightly more of their budget on fashion.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2008418405-e1762543478319.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>For, Gen, quiet, luxury, dead—they’re, packing, lunch, home, while, shelling, out, conspicuous, consumption</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Goldman Sachs says we’re not in an AI bubble, and its young multimillionaire clientele are all&#45;in on AI&#45;energy investments and healthcare innovations</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/goldman-sachs-says-were-not-in-an-ai-bubble-and-its-young-multimillionaire-clientele-are-all-in-on-ai-energy-investments-and-healthcare-innovations</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/goldman-sachs-says-were-not-in-an-ai-bubble-and-its-young-multimillionaire-clientele-are-all-in-on-ai-energy-investments-and-healthcare-innovations</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Goldman Sachs brought together 100 ultra-rich clientele at its annual At the Helm summit—but beyond Navy SEAL training and legacy chats with actress Mindy Kaling, AI was the talk of the town. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-1345021634-e1762549498197.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Goldman, Sachs, says, we’re, not, bubble, and, its, young, multimillionaire, clientele, are, all-in, AI-energy, investments, and, healthcare, innovations</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>After selling his business for $532 million, this millennial says a life of leisure was surprisingly ‘boring’, so he’s choosing to  back to work</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/after-selling-his-business-for-532-million-this-millennial-says-a-life-of-leisure-was-surprisingly-boring-so-hes-choosing-to-back-to-work</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/after-selling-his-business-for-532-million-this-millennial-says-a-life-of-leisure-was-surprisingly-boring-so-hes-choosing-to-back-to-work</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ EXCLUSIVE: Wingstop UK’s cofounder went from hauling bricks for $5 an hour to building a $532 million business. It sounds like the rags-to-riches dream. But the reality was surprisingly ‘boring’. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tom_grogan_wingstop_3dcb04.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>After, selling, his, business, for, 532, million, this, millennial, says, life, leisure, was, surprisingly, ‘boring’, he’s, choosing, back, work</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This CEO started his career pumping gas and cleaning windshields. He said it taught him the secret to climbing the ladder without stepping on others</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-ceo-started-his-career-pumping-gas-and-cleaning-windshields-he-said-it-taught-him-the-secret-to-climbing-the-ladder-without-stepping-on-others</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-ceo-started-his-career-pumping-gas-and-cleaning-windshields-he-said-it-taught-him-the-secret-to-climbing-the-ladder-without-stepping-on-others</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Bojangles CEO José Armario went from pumping gas and flipping McDonald’s burgers to running a $1.5 billion chicken empire—he says remaining disciplined and humble will help Gen Z climb the corporate ladder. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Resize-2.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, CEO, started, his, career, pumping, gas, and, cleaning, windshields., said, taught, him, the, secret, climbing, the, ladder, without, stepping, others</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The one job AI won’t replace is the spreadsheet guru</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-one-job-ai-wont-replace-is-the-spreadsheet-guru</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-one-job-ai-wont-replace-is-the-spreadsheet-guru</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ A decade ago, Ben Collins quit his job as a corporate accountant and started teaching other people how to use spreadsheets more effectively.



That move, terrifying as it seemed at the time, paid off brilliantly. Today Collins is the proprietor of an online spreadsheet training academy and the author of a weekly newsletter dedicated entirely to Google Sheets tips. Some 50,000 people subscribe.



And yet once again Collins is finding himself facing a sense of uncertainty over what’s next—as the very nature of what a spreadsheet even is enters a dizzying spiral of transformation.



“We’ve had more innovation in the last two years than in the 20 before that,” Collins says, referencing the explosion of generative AI technology and its effect on the spreadsheet arena.



He isn’t exaggerating. Up until recently, figuring out how to use a spreadsheet to its full potential was akin to learning a foreign language: You had complex formulas, mountains of cryptic functions, and a labyrinth of overwhelming options to decipher. If you were trying to do anything beyond just putting a few pieces of basic data into cells, you practically needed a dedicated spreadsheet expert to figure out how to make it happen.



But generative AI is currently reshaping the humble and stubbornly complex spreadsheet—which, for the most part, seems to be a good thing. After all, no one wants a massive project (or migraine) every time the need for crunching numbers comes up. And while generative AI has plenty of issues both practical and ethical, working within the confines of a single spreadsheet and the black-and-white world of objective data seems to be where those limitations are least troubling, and where AI’s strengths are primed to shine.



Still, there’s no escaping that a whole new era is upon us. The biggest question now is how, exactly, it all plays out from here—and whether the need for a spreadsheet expert, be it an independent consultant like Collins or the go-to problem-solver within any office or organization, is bound to evolve or destined to become a relic from a bygone time.



The spreadsheet in the AI era



When Collins quit his accounting job in 2014 and embarked on a self-made, spreadsheet-centric career path, Anna Monaco was 11 years old.



Today, at the ripe old age of 22, Monaco is the founder and CEO of Paradigm, a next-gen spreadsheet service that makes Excel look like an abacus by comparison.



Anna Monaco [Photo: Paradigm]



The idea behind Paradigm is to take all the complexity and manual effort out of spreadsheets and make managing data simple. Instead of worrying about formulas and functions and formatting, you just upload your data—or even tell the service what sort of data you need and let it source it for you.



Paradigm creates your spreadsheet, makes it look slick and professional, and suggests next-step actions to work with the data and put it to practical use. 



“Manual data entry shouldn’t exist,” Monaco says. “We’re not just a spreadsheet. We’re replacing weeks of labor.”









Paradigm and its AI-centric spreadsheet startup contemporaries—services such as Sourcetable, Grid, and Julius—aren’t only replacing labor. They’re also replacing an entire way of thinking about spreadsheets and their role in our lives.



And while the reigning spreadsheet-service royalty aren’t exactly rushing to rebuild their long-established interfaces, the same basic principle is already appearing in those environments as well, albeit on a much smaller scale and in a more tacked-on sense.



To wit: Microsoft’s AI Copilot is now thoroughly integrated into Excel and can be summoned to help you create formulas and analyze data without needing to do all the traditional heavy lifting. And Google is doing something similar with Gemini in Sheets, now making the chatbot available on demand in any cell with a simple (though extremely familiar-feeling to any longtime spreadsheet user) “=AI” command for summoning its assistance.



“You don’t need to be an AI or spreadsheet expert to do it,” Google wrote in its announcement of the expansion.



Ben Collins [Photo: Ben Collins]



Of course, not everyone is ecstatic about the in-your-face AI in those more traditional spreadsheet setups—especially people who aren’t seeking out such features and find their presence can be annoying or even downright dangerous. AI features often insert themselves into situations regardless of whether they’re actively summoned. And while AI-introduced errors within a spreadsheet generally seem at least a little less egregious than generative AI at its most hallucinogenic, Microsoft is warning that Copilot is best suited for “scenarios where deterministic accuracy is not required” and not for “any task requiring accuracy or reproducibility” (ouch).



So where, then, does all of this leave the spreadsheet experts—folks like Ben Collins who have spent decades building up deep knowledge in the inner workings of the spreadsheet and all the logic around it?



The answer, it turns out (much like the conventional spreadsheet itself) is complicated.



Expertise, reinvented



Collins sees what’s happening with spreadsheets at Google and Microsoft, and at the more ambitious scrappy spreadsheet startups like Paradigm, as an unambiguous net positive.



“All the AI stuff is democratizing spreadsheets in the same way it’s doing for coding,” he says. “It lets more people have access to those insights and that knowledge rather than just the technically savvy crowd.”



And yet—like in so many other industries right now—it’s impossible to avoid questions over the effects this shift could have on the future. We’re all living through a transition where some say AI is taking away countless jobs and others insist it’s creating as many as it’s killing, or at the very least just changing what types of roles matter. As with many careers, the only real certainty surrounding spreadsheet-related professions right now is a complete and utter sense of uncertainty.



Collins, for his part, remains upbeat. He says he’s seen a shift in the sort of information knowledge workers are seeking around spreadsheets but that he continues to see a strong demand for a deeper understanding of the tools themselves and the data philosophies around them.







“There’s still a need to have a foundation of knowledge and an understanding of how these things work,” Collins says, even if only so you can figure out how to ask an AI assistant for what you need and then assess the quality of what you’re given in return.



“It’s less emphasis on pure syntax and the mechanics and more [on] how we can use these tools at a higher level and be more effective,” he adds.



Collins also notes that for all the buzz around newer AI-centric spreadsheet tools, the vast majority of people—and businesses—are so deeply engrained in the Google or Microsoft ecosystems and so familiar with those environments and the security assurances around them that they won’t be making a major night-and-day change anytime soon. Even if AI does slowly seep its way into their work within those domains.



That’s a point Monaco is well aware of. She sees Paradigm as being less of a play at pulling the masses away from Sheets or Excel and more of a forward-looking option for a different generation of businesses.



“There’s a new way that companies are being built, where smaller teams are commanding a lot more resources and doing a lot more powerful things with the resources they have,” she says. “Paradigm is building for that future.”



One thing she and Collins agree on is that the need for expertise isn’t going anywhere. Monaco says she’s already seeing the emergence of what she calls “Paradigm consultants”—people who specialize specifically in supporting the tool she created and helping users figure out how to get the most out of it.



“It’s a different expertise,” Monaco says. “There’s still a huge value in becoming a power user and knowing how to harness these tools. There’s an even bigger value now that these tools are more powerful.”



Collins also envisions his role evolving. And he is 100% up to the challenge of adapting right alongside that.



“The need for training is as strong as ever,” he says.



And that, it seems, is something where a genuine human touch and the type of critical-thinking perspective AI can’t entirely emulate remains—for the current moment, at least—as important as ever.


 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/p-1-91410126-spreadsheets-are-too-damn-hard-but-ai-is-changing-that-fast.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, one, job, won’t, replace, the, spreadsheet, guru</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>To maximize AI ROI, train employees to be AI&#45;native</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/to-maximize-ai-roi-train-employees-to-be-ai-native</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/to-maximize-ai-roi-train-employees-to-be-ai-native</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The debate around AI ROI has gotten loud—and, frankly, a little cyclical. One moment, we’re hearing that AI is the key to exponential growth; the next, that 95% of AI pilots fail.



At Addi, we’ve been able to leverage AI to grow 4x faster while operating at ~2x the profitability of BNPL peers. This year alone, we’ve saved more than $500,000 from our AI initiatives.



But how have we accomplished such strong AI ROI? The difference between performative AI and AI with returns isn’t in which model or tool you’re using; it’s how your team is using them. 



Here’s how we’ve driven genuine AI-native team adoption and built a workflow/data pipeline that actually makes sense. 



1) Hire and grow for fluency



We run nationwide, admissions-style assessments to find talent in unexpected places (from the Amazon to the Ecuador border), then teach AI-native workflows from day one. From our intern program through our senior leadership, we design our interview process for the AI age. We assign a relevant project—something candidates could use AI to help with—but then have a panel interview where they present their project, ensuring that candidates actually know the ins and outs of their work without an AI aid. 



Our interviews additionally probe into potential candidates’ own familiarity with AI tools, while our intern cohorts get hands-on with agents and graduate into teams already expecting that fluency. The pipeline is designed to recruit for an AI era from the get-go, versus being an afterthought once already employed.



2) Codify AI-native rituals into culture



When it comes to cultivating an AI-native work culture, AI-native is a learned behavior. We invested in extensive AI onboarding and habit-building, pairing every knowledge worker with the right agent or copilot, and encouraging AI usage as the company default. 



Today, more than 90% of our engineers are weekly active copilot users and ~80% of AI-generated code is accepted. This translates into efficiency gains of up to 60% without increasing headcount. We’ve kept our core product engineering team flat for three years while shipping more products. The story here isn’t in the savings; it’s in the deep level of AI adoption we’ve witnessed among our employees by securing their buy-in, setting expectations for an AI-friendly environment, and offering targeted training. 



Rollouts fail when AI is treated as a “here only if you need it” tool. They work when companies rewire rituals around it—e.g., code reviews with AI diffs, CX stand-ups that inspect agent transcripts, legal postmortems that include our AI’s outputs—to normalize the behavior. You might even consider baking AI proficiency into employee reviews.



In other words, don’t over-index on tools; over-index on culture. That cultural shift is why AI usage at Addi is voluntary yet ubiquitous.



3) Design AI as a colleague



There’s a reason our in-house agents have regular names like “Addri” and “Aegis.” Every agent at Addi is treated like an employee—one with a clear scope, service-level agreements (SLAs), and metrics. Addri’s job is first-contact resolution with target customer satisfaction (CSAT); the merchant agent owns KYP throughput and reactivation; Aegis owns escalation latency and evidentiary completeness. Human owners review outputs and tune prompts like they would a new hire’s playbook, and we always welcome teamwide feedback on how our fellow “agentic employees” can improve before their next review cycle.



Moreover, our AI “employees” have the same depth of contextual knowledge and understanding that a human employee would, to help them function side-by-side with our team and minimize the frustration that comes with false or limited context. Our agents are tailored to specific roles, not catchalls from an outside vendor that shoehorns a base agent into a wide variety of situations. We ensure they’re trained with high-quality, high-volume, company-owned data. We spent four-plus years building a world-leading data platform, ensuring more than 40 terabytes of data was instantly available as it began building AI agents, giving our “digital teammates” the best possible training.



4) Invest in the right foundations



“AI-first” isn’t what works; “data-first” is. This is how you ensure your “AI colleagues” have that employee-like context. 



More than four years ago (pre-LLMs!) we made the decision to invest in a next-generation data engine that would ensure everything that happened on our platform (from a single text message to a full underwriting analysis) would be stored and could be queried by anyone and anything—traditional AI models, human analysts, and, yes, even LLMs via vectorization. 



With a single monorepo and an event-based system that logs everything, we have nearly perfect context: 50 terabytes of clean, searchable data. If you don’t own your stack (i.e., control your data and event logs) you will rent your advantage to a vendor. Set your AI-native team up for success by logging everything, and reap the benefits of a database that can be read by humans and AI alike.



5) Celebrate adoption



Reward employees’ usage of AI by celebrating adoption rates, cycle-time reduction, and defects avoided. 



This year, our AI initiatives saved upwards of $500,000 in annual operating costs. For lean teams where a startup’s success is their teammates’ success, these metrics (and transparency) matter. That $500K isn’t a bottom-line cut; it’s $500K back into the pockets of our employees in the form of raises, better benefits packages, and profit sharing. Tie budgets to solved tickets, minutes saved, merchants activated—then compound wins into subsequent quarters.



That mindset of “AI gains are your gains” is why AI can comfortably power half of our legal and coding throughput, a big chunk of CX, and critical onboarding flows.



In Summary



Train your people to be AI-native and give them the infrastructure to thrive. The models will change. The muscle you build won’t. This approach is how we’ve been able to launch more products more quickly while maintaining a generally lean team—and it’s why I’m confident the best AI ROI stories are still to come.  


 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/p-91435889-train-employees-to-be-ai-native.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>maximize, ROI, train, employees, AI-native</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>FAA flight reductions start today: Full list and map of affected U.S. airports</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/faa-flight-reductions-start-today-full-list-and-map-of-affected-us-airports</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/faa-flight-reductions-start-today-full-list-and-map-of-affected-us-airports</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that, beginning today, flights across America will be reduced at 40 airports due to the ongoing government shutdown. 



According to the agency, the flight reductions are being implemented due to safety issues stemming from a shortage of air traffic controllers, who are not being paid during the shutdown.



The reductions are expected to lead to a wave of flight cancellations, the number of which is set to increase every day between now and November 14. Here’s what you need to know about the flight reductions, including the full list and a map of the 40 airports affected. 



Why is the FAA mandating flight reductions?



The FAA says it has safety concerns stemming from the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1 and is the longest US government shutdown in history.



Hundreds of thousands of government workers have been furloughed without pay during the shutdown. But some federal employees, including air traffic controllers, are designated as essential workers. Those workers are required to stay on the job during a shutdown, though their pay is paused.



The problem is that those essential workers still have bills to pay, so as the shutdown drags on, necessity dictates that some are resigning to take on other paid roles in the private sector, while others are calling in sick.



Fewer air traffic controllers and other essential airport staff reporting to work means the risk to flier safety increases. To help mitigate that growing risk, the FAA has now decided to restrict a select number of flights at 40 U.S. airports.



What are the specifics of the FAA’s flight reductions?



In a notice posted to the FAA’s website yesterday, the agency said that it would initiate a 10% reduction in flights at 40 U.S. airports starting today, Friday, November 7. 



However, the reductions will be phased in gradually over the next week. The first reduction begins today, with the full 10% taking effect a week later.  Here is how the reduction phases will work:




Friday, November 7: 4% reduction in flight operations



Tuesday, November 11: 6% reduction in flight operations 



Thursday, November 13: 8% reduction in flight operations



Friday, November 14: 10% reduction in flight operations




Announcing the reductions, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said that the agency was “seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely.”



He also warned that the FAA will not hesitate to take further action if needed.



What airports are affected by the FAA reductions?



Most of the major airports in the country are impacted by the reductions, including central hubs like John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.



The full list of airports affected is as follows:




ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport 



ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport



BOS – Boston Logan International Airport 



BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport 



CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport 



CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport 



DAL – Dallas Love Field 



DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport 



DEN – Denver International Airport 



DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport 



DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 



EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport 



FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport 



HNL – Honolulu International Airport 



HOU – William P. Hobby Airport 



IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport 



IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport 



IND – Indianapolis International Airport 



JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport 



LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport 



LAX – Los Angeles International Airport 



LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport 



MCO – Orlando International Airport 



MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport 



MEM – Memphis International Airport 



MIA – Miami International Airport 



MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport 



OAK – Oakland International Airport 



ONT – Ontario International Airport 



ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport 



PDX – Portland International Airport 



PHL – Philadelphia International Airport 



PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 



SAN – San Diego International Airport 



SDF – Louisville International Airport 



SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport 



SFO – San Francisco International Airport 



SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport 



TEB – Teterboro Airport 



TPA – Tampa International Airport 
















What flights will be reduced?



If your flight is among the reductions, it will be canceled.



But it appears that those cancellations will not be decided by the FAA itself. Instead, it will be left up to the airlines to decide which flights they will cut to meet their reduction requirements.



In the memo the FAA posted, the agency states that “The order does not require a reduction in international flights. Carriers may use their own discretion to decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal.”



Can I get a refund if my flight is canceled?



Yesterday, Fast Company reported that many major U.S. airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, confirmed that they would issue full refunds to passengers whose flights are canceled. However, other airlines remained silent on the matter.



But now it appears airlines will not have a choice in the matter. The FAA’s memo states that “Airlines will be required to issue full refunds.”



However, the FAA says airlines will not be responsible for covering secondary costs, such as hotel stays. 



That means if your flight is canceled, you can get a full refund from the airline, but if that cancellation requires you to stay at a local hotel until you can get on another flight, the airline will not be responsible for covering your hotel costs.



Will flight cancellations get worse?



That remains to be seen and is largely dependent on how long the government shutdown drags on. 



What’s certain is that cancellations will increase from today until next Friday, when the full 10% reduction order takes effect. But there is no guarantee that reductions will remain capped at 10%.



The FAA says that “Decisions to increase or decrease these flight reductions will be informed by safety data.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>FAA, flight, reductions, start, today:, Full, list, and, map, affected, U.S., airports</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Häagen&#45;Dazs ice cream recalled nationwide: Be careful if you bought these chocolate mini bars from Kroger</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/haeagen-dazs-ice-cream-recalled-nationwide-be-careful-if-you-bought-these-chocolate-mini-bars-from-kroger</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/haeagen-dazs-ice-cream-recalled-nationwide-be-careful-if-you-bought-these-chocolate-mini-bars-from-kroger</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Ice cream maker Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Company has issued a voluntary recall of select Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate Mini Bars after discovering they might have wheat in them. 



An investigation is underway, but Dreyer’s believes that food with wheat was put in the wrong packaging at the start of a production run, according to its announcement, published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 



There are no related illnesses or injuries as of Dreyer’s announcement on Monday, November 3.



As Dreyer’s states, “Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.” 



According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 0.2% and 1.3% of individuals live with a wheat allergy worldwide.  



Which products are affected?



The recall only affects a specific batch of Dreyer’s Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate Mini Bars. Impacted products are in a six-count package with the following batch code and best by date:




LLA519501: Best by January 31, 2027




This information should be visible on the side of the packaging, but an image of the product is available on the FDA’s website. 



Where and when was the product sold? 



Dreyer’s didn’t provide an exact timeframe for when it shipped the affected ice cream bars. 



However, it did state that the recalled Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate Mini Bars were distributed to two retailers, Kroger and Giant Eagle. Below are the states where shipments were sent.



Kroger:




Alabama 



Alaska



Arizona 



Arkansas



California 



Colorado



Georgia 



Idaho



Illinois 



Indiana 



Kansas 



Kentucky 



Michigan



Mississippi 



Missouri 



Montana 



Nebraska



Nevada 



New Mexico 



Ohio 



Oregon



South Carolina 



Tennessee 



Utah



Virginia 



Washington 



West Virginia



Wisconsin 



Wyoming




Giant Eagle: 




Indiana 



Maryland 



Ohio  



Pennsylvania 



West Virginia




These two grocers are the only ones with recalled ice cream bars, with no other batches or Häagen-Dazs products affected.  



What should I do if I have this product?



If you’re not allergic to wheat, then it’s up to you whether to eat the Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate Mini Bars. 



​According to Dreyer’s, “Consumers with a wheat allergy or sensitivity who have purchased the affected product are urged not to consume the product and instead dispose of it or return it to their place of purchase for a full refund.”



 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/p-1-91437335-haagen-dazs-chocolate-mini-bars-recall-kroger.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Häagen-Dazs, ice, cream, recalled, nationwide:, careful, you, bought, these, chocolate, mini, bars, from, Kroger</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>As the GOP prepares new bills without a health care fix, Democrats consider prolonging the shutdown</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-the-gop-prepares-new-bills-without-a-health-care-fix-democrats-consider-prolonging-the-shutdown</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-the-gop-prepares-new-bills-without-a-health-care-fix-democrats-consider-prolonging-the-shutdown</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Senate Republicans are moving to try to end the government shutdown by preparing a new bipartisan package of spending bills and daring Democrats to vote for it, but it was unclear if their plan would work.Many Democrats said they would continue to hold out for an extension of expiring health care subsidies, which was not expected to be part of the legislation.Senate Democrats, who have now voted 14 times not to reopen the government, left their second caucus meeting of the week Thursday with few answers about whether they eventually could find a compromise with Republicans — or even with each other — on how to end the shutdown.A test vote on the new package, which had not yet been publicly revealed, could come as soon as Friday. Democrats will then have a crucial choice to make: Do they keep fighting for a meaningful deal on extending health care subsidies that expire in January, while extending the pain of the shutdown? Or do they vote to reopen the government and hope for the best as Republicans promise an eventual health care vote, but not a guaranteed outcome?Emboldened by overwhelmingly favorable elections earlier this week, many Democrats say the fight isn’t over until Republicans and President Donald Trump negotiate with them on an extension.“That’s what leaders do,” said Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. “You have the gavel, you have the majority, you have to bring people together.”Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz said Democrats are “obviously not unanimous” but they are unified that “without something on health care, the vote is very unlikely to succeed.”Other Democrats have been working on a deal that would reopen the government with only an agreement for a future vote on the health care subsidies. Lawmakers in both parties were feeling increased urgency to alleviate the growing crisis at airports, pay government workers and restore delayed food aid to millions of people now that the shutdown has become the longest in U.S. history.Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s decision to keep the Senate in session Friday, and perhaps over the weekend, came after Trump urged Senate Republicans at a White House breakfast Wednesday to end the shutdown. Trump said he thought the six-week impasse was a “big factor, negative” for Republicans in Tuesday’s elections.



A new effort to reopen the government



The bipartisan package Thune is proposing would fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things — and extend funding for everything else until December or January.The new package would replace the House-passed bill that the Democrats have repeatedly rejected. That legislation would only extend government funding until Nov. 21, a date that is rapidly approaching after six weeks of inaction.The details were still to be worked out, but the new legislation mirrors a tentative plan that moderate Democrats have been sketching out in hopes of finding agreement. The proposal led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would also take up Republicans on their offer to hold a vote on extending the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies at a later date.It was still unclear what Thune, who has refused to negotiate while the government is closed, would promise on health care and if enough Democrats would agree to move ahead. Republicans have for weeks been five votes short of the 60 they need.



Johnson delivers setback to bipartisan talks



Democrats are facing pressure from unions eager for the shutdown to end and from allied groups that want them to hold firm. Many Democrats have argued that the results for Democrats in Tuesday’s election show voters want them to continue the fight until Republicans yield and agree to extend the health tax credits.A vote on the health care subsidies “has got to mean something,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said this week. “That means a commitment by the speaker of the House, that he will support the legislation, that the president will sign.”But Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made clear Thursday morning he won’t make any commitment to Democrats. “I’m not promising anybody anything,” Johnson said when asked if he could promise a vote on a health care bill.Johnson’s clear refusal was a setback for negotiators. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, one of the moderate Democrats involved in negotiations, said the speaker’s comments were “a significant problem.”“We have to make sure we have a deal that we can get broad support for,” Peters said.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not yet weighed in on the latest push. He has repeatedly called for Trump to sit down with Democrats — a meeting that seems unlikely to happen.“Donald Trump clearly is feeling pressure to bring this shutdown to an end,” Schumer said Thursday.



Closed-door negotiations become public



A group of Democrats and Republicans that has been quietly negotiating for weeks insisted they were making steady progress on a deal.In a new development Thursday, Republicans suggested they might be open to including language in a final agreement that would reverse some mass firings of government workers by the White House, according to two people familiar with the private talks granted anonymity to discuss them. But it was unclear if that proposal would be included in the new package of bills.Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, a moderate Republican who has been talking to Democrats, says she wants furloughed workers to be given back pay and workers who have been fired during the shutdown to be “recalled.”“We’re still negotiating that language,” she said.







Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.



—Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<item>
<title>Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia governor’s race, leading the way to big night for Democrats</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/abigail-spanberger-wins-virginia-governors-race-leading-the-way-to-big-night-for-democrats</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/abigail-spanberger-wins-virginia-governors-race-leading-the-way-to-big-night-for-democrats</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA case officer, won by emphasizing economic issues/ ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Abigail, Spanberger, wins, Virginia, governor’s, race, leading, the, way, big, night, for, Democrats</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Mikie Sherrill elected governor of New Jersey, another victory for Democrats in a night full of them</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mikie-sherrill-elected-governor-of-new-jersey-another-victory-for-democrats-in-a-night-full-of-them</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/mikie-sherrill-elected-governor-of-new-jersey-another-victory-for-democrats-in-a-night-full-of-them</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and four-term member of Congress, defeated Jack Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump. ]]></description>
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<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Mikie, Sherrill, elected, governor, New, Jersey, another, victory, for, Democrats, night, full, them</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘No matter who you are, you can’t just go around throwing stuff at people because you’re mad’: DC riveted by Subway sandwich hurling case</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/no-matter-who-you-are-you-cant-just-go-around-throwing-stuff-at-people-because-youre-mad-dc-riveted-by-subway-sandwich-hurling-case</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/no-matter-who-you-are-you-cant-just-go-around-throwing-stuff-at-people-because-youre-mad-dc-riveted-by-subway-sandwich-hurling-case</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The defendant doesn&#039;t dispute that he threw his submarine-style sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent outside a nightclub on Aug. 10. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘No, matter, who, you, are, you, can’t, just, around, throwing, stuff, people, because, you’re, mad’:, riveted, Subway, sandwich, hurling, case</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Exclusive: Voice AI startup Giga raises $61 million to take on customer service automation</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-voice-ai-startup-giga-raises-61-million-to-take-on-customer-service-automation</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-voice-ai-startup-giga-raises-61-million-to-take-on-customer-service-automation</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Voice AI has the potential to streamline a lot of businesses&#039; customer service tasks, such as answering routine customer questions or scheduling appointments, without a human agent needing to step in. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Voice, startup, Giga, raises, 61, million, take, customer, service, automation</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Private equity CFOs under pressure to stay exit&#45;ready and boost AI in finance</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/private-equity-cfos-under-pressure-to-stay-exit-ready-and-boost-ai-in-finance</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/private-equity-cfos-under-pressure-to-stay-exit-ready-and-boost-ai-in-finance</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ AI is increasingly critical not just for execution, but for buyer perception and valuation.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Private, equity, CFOs, under, pressure, stay, exit-ready, and, boost, finance</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The surprising truth about why some people have better jobs than others</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-surprising-truth-about-why-some-people-have-better-jobs-than-others</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-surprising-truth-about-why-some-people-have-better-jobs-than-others</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Why are some jobs better than others?



Well, it largely depends on people’s preferences. In other words, one person’s dream job may be another person’s nightmare.



And yet, there are also clearly some universal or at least generalizable parameters that make most people accept the idea that some jobs are objectively better than others—or at least seen by most as generally preferable.





Pay and purpose



For example, jobs that pay well, offer stability, and provide opportunities for growth are almost universally considered better. A tenured professorship, a senior engineering role at a reputable company, or a stable medical position all combine financial security with long-term prospects and prestige. In contrast, poorly paid, insecure, or dead-end roles (like gig work with no benefits or exploitative manual labor with long brutal shifts and an alienating experience) are widely viewed as worse, even if a few individuals might value their flexibility or simplicity.



Then there’s autonomy. Jobs that grant people a degree of control over how and when they work (e.g., creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and researchers) tend to score higher on satisfaction than those defined by micromanagement or rigid supervision. Autonomy is a proxy for trust and respect, and it correlates strongly with both engagement and mental health. Few people dream of jobs where every move is monitored, and most aspire to roles where they can think, decide, and act freely.



Unsurprisingly, purpose matters, too. Occupations that contribute to something meaningful (whether saving lives, advancing knowledge, or building something lasting) are viewed as more fulfilling than those that feel transactional or pointless. A teacher inspiring students, a scientist developing a vaccine, or an architect designing a community space are all examples of work that confers a sense of legacy. By contrast, even lucrative jobs can feel hollow when they lack purpose or moral value. This may explain the low correlation between pay and job satisfaction, which highlights the fact that we tend to overestimate the importance of compensation when making career choices. In that sense, the “best” jobs aren’t just about rewards, but about how they make people feel about themselves and their place in the world.



What the science says



A good way to acknowledge these nuances, and yet still predict whether a person is likely to access better jobs, is to examine why some individuals have more choices than others. That is, in any job or labor market, available job or career opportunities may have different degrees of appeal or attractiveness; but from a job seekers perspective, the more employable you are, the more likely to are to find and maintain a desirable job—whether we look at subjective or objective dimensions of desirability. With this in mind, here are some critical learnings about the science of employability that explain why certain people are better able to access in-demand jobs:



(1) Their personalityResearch has consistently shown that employability is largely a function of personality. Traits such as conscientiousness, emotional stability, curiosity, and sociability predict not only who gets hired, but also who thrives once employed. Personality shapes reputation (the way others see us) and reputation determines whether we are trusted, promoted, and retained. For instance, people who are reliable, calm under pressure, and open to learning tend to be more employable than those who are erratic, avoid feedback, or difficult to work with. Moreover, personality also predicts job satisfaction: even in objectively good jobs, neurotic or disagreeable people are less likely to feel content, whereas optimistic and adaptable individuals find meaning in a wider range of roles, and are resilient if not satisfied even with jobs that make most people miserable. In short, who you are determines both the jobs you can get and how you feel about them once you do.



(2) Their social classWhile most advanced economies like to think of themselves as meritocracies, the data on social mobility suggest otherwise. In the United States, only about half of children born to parents in the bottom income quintile will ever move up the ladder, and just 7% will reach the top quintile. In the U.K., the “class pay gap” between working-class and professional backgrounds persists even among graduates. Privilege still buys access to education, networks, internships, and employers willing to take a chance. Sociologists call this social capital; in plain terms, it means your parents’ contacts and credentials still matter more than your own potential. The world may be trending toward meritocracy, but it hasn’t quite arrived there yet.



(3) Where you are bornLocation remains one of the most powerful predictors of career outcomes. The “Where-to-Be-Born Index” ranks countries by the opportunities they afford their citizens, and being born in Switzerland, Denmark, or Singapore gives you exponentially better odds of landing a good job than being born in Haiti, South Sudan, or Bhutan. Access to education, infrastructure, technology, and basic security all shape employability. The same talent, if born in a country with weak institutions or unstable governance, is far less likely to achieve its potential. In that sense, geography is more likely than talent to mean destiny, at least until global mobility or remote work meaningfully narrow the gap.



(4) Their values, interests, and preferencesEven within similar contexts, people differ in what they want from work. Psychologists like Shalom Schwartz and Robert Hogan have shown that our motivational values (e.g., achievement, power, altruism, security, stimulation, and so forth) determine what “fit” looks like for us. Someone who values adventure and creativity will flourish in startups or design roles, while a person who craves structure and predictability may prefer government or finance. Misalignment between values and job environment (say, a highly independent person in a bureaucratic culture) leads to burnout or disengagement. The better your job matches your values, the more likely you are to perceive it as a good one.



Adapt, evolve, and improve



In the end, “better jobs” are not just better paid or better designed; they’re better matched to the people who hold them. Some of this is luck: being born in the right family, in the right country, with the right temperament, will simply afford you a higher range and choice of matches, so you are bound to find more options. But much of it also depends on deliberate self-awareness, namely understanding what kind of environments bring out the best in you, and aligning your career moves accordingly.



From a societal perspective, the goal should be to expand access to good jobs by improving education, reducing inequality, and helping people develop the skills and traits that make them employable. That means focusing less on pedigree and more on potential, less on connections and more on competence.



Ultimately, the world of work will never be perfectly fair, but it can be fairer. And while none of us can control where we start, we can control how we grow. The most employable people are not just those who fit the system, but those who learn to adapt, evolve, and turn whatever job they have into something better. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Booking Holdings’s CEO weathered the dotcom bubble. He says the AI boom is different</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/booking-holdingss-ceo-weathered-the-dotcom-bubble-he-says-the-ai-boom-is-different</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/booking-holdingss-ceo-weathered-the-dotcom-bubble-he-says-the-ai-boom-is-different</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.



Glenn Fogel joined dot-com darling Priceline in early 2000, a year after the “name your price” travel site’s blockbuster initial public offering (IPO). “I joined one week before the Nasdaq peaked,” Fogel recalls. Within a year of his arrival, the stock had cratered to $6 a share. By March 2002, the Nasdaq, a proxy for the burgeoning e-commerce and tech infrastructure companies that went public, plunged 77% from its March 2020 highs. Quips Fogel: “At the time, my mother was wondering whether I still had a job.”



Today, Fogel is CEO and president of Booking Holdings—parent of Priceline, KAYAK, Booking.com, OpenTable, and other brands. His experience navigating the dotcom bubble (more on that in a moment) affords a compelling perch from which to observe the current generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) boom. He sees parallels in the gold-rush mentality of both booms: “There’s lots of investments, lots of new companies,” he says. “Many of them will not make it. Many investors will lose money.” Corporate investment in AI reached $252.3 billion, and private investment in gen AI reached $33.9 billion in 2024, according to data compiled by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered artificial intelligence.



The key difference between the dotcom bubble and now? “I would say in terms of the possibility for human society, I think the possible transformations from gen AI are so much greater than what was possible from the [startups of] the nineties,” he says.



Fogel points to breakthroughs like Google’s AlphaFold model, which decoded protein folding and could accelerate drug discovery. “Every area really of our society can be greatly improved by using gen AI,” he says. “That’s the thing that’s so exciting.”



Happy travelers



In travel, the stakes may not be as high, but the impact on daily life could be profound. “Maybe we’re not going to save a lot of lives the way that the healthcare industry is going to be able to do, but maybe we’ll make the experience much happier,” he says.



Indeed, the company is already deploying AI to reduce customer-service wait times, using gen AI chatbots that can solve problems instantly. When a human agent does handle a call, the bots generate conversation summaries and next steps—work that previously consumed significant amounts of agent time.



Embracing emerging technology has been key to Booking Holdings’s longevity. When predecessor company Priceline Group bought Booking.com in 2005, it acquired Booking’s prowess in leveraging Google’s paid search and platforms that enabled the business to rapidly test messaging to optimize conversion rates. The company subsequently bought travel search engine KAYAK in 2013 and restaurant reservation platform OpenTable in 2014. Priceline Group changed its name to Booking Holdings in 2018.



The long view



Travel itself is currently experiencing a boom. Despite economic uncertainty, U.S. consumers, especially those at the high-end of the market, are prioritizing travel, with airlines and hotels indicating strong demand for premium products. Indeed, at the end of October, Booking Holdings reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and said it continues to see “steady travel demand trends” in the current quarter.



Having led Booking Holdings through the dotcom boom and bust—as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a near complete shutdown of travel—Fogel acknowledges that nothing goes up forever.



“I don’t know when those bad times are going to come, but they’re going to come sometimes,” he says. Still, he takes the long view: “I do know, in the long run, travel is always going to increase. It is human nature . . . people wanting to travel.”



This time it’s different?



Do you agree that the societal benefits of gen AI companies and technologies dwarf the contributions of the dotcoms? If so, what breakthroughs excite you most? Send your examples to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’d love to share your scenarios in a future newsletter.



Read more: bubble theories



Why the AI-fueled stock market isn’t a bubble waiting to pop



There isn’t an AI bubble. There are three



Are we in an AI bubble?



 ]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Elon Musk’s latest venture is less an encyclopedia than an algorithmic mirror of one man’s ideology</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/elon-musks-latest-venture-is-less-an-encyclopedia-than-an-algorithmic-mirror-of-one-mans-ideology</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/elon-musks-latest-venture-is-less-an-encyclopedia-than-an-algorithmic-mirror-of-one-mans-ideology</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When Elon Musk launched Grokipedia, his AI-generated encyclopedia intended to rival Wikipedia, it was not just another experiment in artificial intelligence. It was a case study in everything that can go wrong when technological power, ideological bias, and unaccountable automation converge in the same hands. 



Grokipedia copies vast sections of Wikipedia almost verbatim, while rewriting and “reinterpreting” others to reflect Musk’s personal worldview. It could genuinely be conceived as the antithesis of everything that makes Wikipedia good, useful, and human. Grokipedia’s edits aggressively editorialize topics ranging from climate change, to immigration, to (of course) the billionaire’s own companies and bio. 



The result is less an encyclopedia than an algorithmic mirror of one man’s ideology. A digital monument to self-confidence so unbounded that it might make a Bond villain blush. 






From collaboration to colonization 



Wikipedia remains one of humanity’s most extraordinary collective achievements: a global, volunteer-driven repository of knowledge, constantly refined through debate and consensus. Its imperfections are human, visible, and correctable. You can see who edited what, when, and why. 



Grokipedia is its antithesis. It replaces deliberation with automation, transparency with opacity, and pluralism with personality. Its “editors” are algorithms trained under Musk’s direction, generating rewritten entries that emphasize his favorite narratives and downplay those he disputes. It is a masterclass in how not to make an encyclopedia, a warning against confusing speed with wisdom. 



In Grokipedia, Musk has done what AI enables too easily: colonize collective knowledge. He has taken a shared human effort, open, transparent, and collaborative, and automated it into something centralized, curated, and unaccountable. And he has done so doing the absolute minimum that the Wikipedia copyleft license requires, in extremely small print, in a place where nobody can see it. 



The black box meets the bullhorn 



This is not Musk’s first experiment with truth engineering. His social network, X, routinely modifies visibility and prioritization algorithms to favor narratives that align with his worldview. Now Grokipedia extends that project into the realm of structured knowledge. It uses the language of authority, such as entries, citations, and summaries, to give bias the texture of objectivity. 



This is precisely the danger I warned about in an earlier Fast Company article: the black-box problem. When AI systems are opaque and centralized, we can no longer tell whether an output reflects evidence or intention. With Grokipedia, Musk has fused the two: a black box with a bullhorn. 



It is not that the platform is wrong on every fact. It is that we cannot know which facts have been filtered, reweighted, or rewritten, or according to what criteria. Or worse, we can have the intuition that the whole thing starts with a set of commands that completely editorialize everything. The line between knowledge and narrative dissolves. 



The ideological automation problem 



The Grokipedia project exposes a deeper issue with the current trajectory of AI: the industrialization of ideology. 



Most people worry about AI misinformation as an emergent property: something that happens accidentally when models hallucinate or remix unreliable data. Grokipedia reminds us that misinformation can also be intentional. It can be programmed, curated, and systematized by design.



Grokipedia is positioned as “a factual, bias-free alternative to Wikipedia.” That framing is itself a rhetorical sleight of hand: to present personal bias as neutrality, and neutrality as bias. It is the oldest trick in propaganda, only now automated at planetary scale. 



This is the dark side of generative AI’s efficiency. The same tools that can summarize scientific papers or translate ancient texts can also rewrite history, adjust emphasis, and polish ideology into something that sounds balanced. The danger is not that Grokipedia lies, but that it lies fluently. 



Musk, the Bond villain of knowledge 



There’s a reason Musk’s projects evoke comparisons to fiction: the persona he has cultivated, the disruptor, the visionary, the self-styled truth-teller, has now evolved into something closer to Bond villain megalomania. 



In the films, the villain always seeks to control the world’s energy, communication, or information. Musk now dabbles in all three. He builds rockets, satellites, social networks, and AI models. Each new venture expands his control over a layer of global infrastructure. Grokipedia is just the latest addition: the narrative layer. 



If you control the story, you control how people interpret reality. 



What AI should never be 



Grokipedia is a perfect negative example of what AI should never become: a machine for amplifying one person’s convictions under the pretense of collective truth. 



It is tempting to dismiss the project as eccentric or unserious. But that would be a mistake. Grokipedia crystallizes a pattern already spreading across the AI landscape: many emerging AI systems, whether from OpenAI, Meta, or Anthropic, are proprietary, opaque, and centrally managed. The difference is that Musk has made his biases explicit, while others keep theirs hidden behind corporate PR. 



By appropriating a public commons like Wikipedia, Grokipedia shows what happens when AI governance and ethics are absent: intellectual resources built for everyone can be recolonized by anyone powerful enough to scrape, repackage, and automate them. 



The Wikipedia contrast 



Wikipedia’s success comes from something AI still lacks: accountability through transparency. Anyone can view the edit history of a page, argue about it, and restore balance through consensus. It is messy, but it is democratic. 



AI systems, by contrast, are autocratic. They encode choices made by their creators, yet present their answers as universal truth. Grokipedia takes this opacity to its logical conclusion: a single, unchallengeable version of knowledge generated by an unaccountable machine. 



It’s a sobering reminder that the problem with AI is not that it’s too creative or too powerful, but that it’s too easy to use power without oversight. 



Lessons for the AI era 



Grokipedia should force a reckoning within the AI community and beyond. The lesson is not that AI must be banned from knowledge production, but that it must be governed like knowledge, not like software. 



That means: 




Transparency about data sources and editorial processes. 



Pluralism — allowing multiple voices and perspectives rather than central control. 



Accountability, where outputs can be audited, disputed, and corrected. 



And above all, humility: the recognition that no single person, however brilliant, has the right to define what counts as truth. 




AI has the potential to amplify human understanding. But when it becomes a tool of ideological projection, it erodes the very idea of knowledge. 



The moral of the story



In the end, Grokipedia will not replace Wikipedia: it will stand as a cautionary artifact of the early AI age, the moment when one individual mistook computational capacity for moral authority. 



Elon Musk has built many remarkable things. But with Grokipedia, he has crossed into the realm of dystopian parody: the digital embodiment of the Bond villain who, having conquered space and social media, now seeks to rewrite the encyclopedia itself. 



The true danger of AI is not the black box. It’s the person who owns the box and decides what the rest of us are allowed to read inside it.







 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91433400-Grokipedia-an-algorithmic-mirror-of-elon-musk-ideology.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Elon, Musk’s, latest, venture, less, encyclopedia, than, algorithmic, mirror, one, man’s, ideology</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>The new luxury is reconnecting with nature</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-luxury-is-reconnecting-with-nature</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-luxury-is-reconnecting-with-nature</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Most people don’t realize how overstimulated they are until they finally step away from the noise. As an executive at a hospitality brand that helps guests reconnect with nature, I see it all the time: Guests arrive tense and distracted, constantly checking their phones. But after just a day or two offline in nature, something shifts. You can see it in their posture, their breath, their pace.



They didn’t realize how much they needed to disconnect until they did.



It’s not just about screens, though screen time is a big part of it. It’s the entire rhythm of modern life—always on, always reacting. That’s why more people are rethinking what luxury really means. Luxury used to be defined by what you had: the highest thread count, the most high-end amenities, the most exclusive experience. Today, it’s increasingly becoming defined by what you don’t have: no packed schedules, no overflowing inbox, no constant stream of pings and notifications.



A RETURN TO NATURE



What people are seeking now is balance. Stillness. Simplicity. Families are carving out screen-free time together, in part because they’re worried about what nonstop digital input is doing to their kids. Professionals are looking for ways to reset and get grounded. Even a couple of nights in nature can help regulate your sleep, lower stress, and remind you how good it feels to actually be present.



Spending time outdoors plays a unique role in that reset. It’s not just about quiet—it’s a different kind of sensory input: fewer alerts, more birdsong. Less stimulation, more space to think.



Whether guests are staying steps from a national park or unwinding after a guided hike with a local naturalist, I’ve seen how nature-centered experiences can create the kind of mental clarity that more traditional hotel settings rarely offer. And there’s science to support it: Studies consistently show that exposure to green space reduces stress and anxiety. Surrounded by trees, sleeping under the stars, people’s nervous systems respond in ways that simply can’t be replicated by a hotel gym or meditation app.



THE POWER OF A TECH-FREE WEEKEND



A tech-free weekend in the woods used to be considered a rare indulgence or even an impossibility for professionals who couldn’t imagine fully disconnecting. Now, it’s something more and more people are actively prioritizing. Restoration has shifted from a fringe benefit of leisure time to the primary goal. And that’s reshaping not only how we design experiences, but also what we consider valuable in the first place.



I’ve had conversations with guests who arrive tightly wound from work, skeptical about unplugging—but after even one night under the stars, they describe a kind of clarity they say they haven’t felt in years. They tell me it’s the first time in months they’ve felt rested or truly present.



And this change isn’t just something I’ve noticed anecdotally—it’s backed by data. A recent trend report from Expedia found that travelers are increasingly seeking out destinations that allow them to relax and disconnect.. The Global Wellness Institute projects that wellness tourism will more than double by 2027, becoming a $1.4 trillion industry. Booking.com even named “disconnection travel” one of the defining trends for 2025.



It’s not hard to see why. Americans now spend more than seven hours a day in front of screens, and parents are more concerned than ever about their kids’ tech use. Even short breaks can make a difference: Stanford researchers have found that just 90 minutes in nature can significantly reduce stress-related brain activity.



This isn’t a fringe movement—it’s a fundamental change in how people want to spend their time, their money, and their attention.



Whether it’s a weekend outdoors, a wellness-focused retreat, or just space to be fully present, people are investing in experiences that offer real restoration instead of just another weekend escape. As this continues, it will redefine how businesses think about design, hospitality, and what it really means to serve people well.



FINAL THOUGHTS



For those of us in hospitality, this shift is already showing up in how we design experiences. It’s not about piling on more amenities—it’s about removing friction. People don’t want to spend hours planning or shopping for outdoor gear just to get a moment of peace. They want simplicity, accessibility, and spaces that make it easy to disconnect. That’s why hospitality brands that make nature more accessible are gaining traction.



This shift in mindset is evident in other industries, too. Workplaces are rethinking their environments to give people more mental space. Wellness brands are emphasizing recovery, not hustle. Even tech companies are experimenting with features that encourage people to log off.



The throughline is clear: We’ve reached a collective breaking point with burnout. The hospitality brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that create space—for balance, for clarity, for quiet reflection in nature. In a world that encourages us to be always “on,” choosing to unplug may be the biggest luxury of all.



Bryan Terzi is the chief commercial officer of AutoCamp Hospitality Group. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, new, luxury, reconnecting, with, nature</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Shutdown could be longest ever as Trump says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by democrats</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/shutdown-could-be-longest-ever-as-trump-says-he-wont-be-extorted-by-democrats</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/shutdown-could-be-longest-ever-as-trump-says-he-wont-be-extorted-by-democrats</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The government shutdown is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to end it.President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who are demanding negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year for millions of Americans. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on CBS’ “60 Minutes” he’ll negotiate only when the government is reopened.Trump’s comments signal the shutdown could drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paychecks and there’s uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who receive federal food aid will be able to access the assistance. Senate Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.The president said Democrats “have lost their way” and predicted they’ll capitulate to Republicans.“I think they have to,” Trump said. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”He also reiterated his pleas to Republican leaders to change Senate rules and scrap the filibuster. Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea since Trump’s first term, arguing the rule requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections in the Senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they’re in the minority.“Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump told CBS. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”With the two parties at a standstill, the shutdown, now in its 33rd day and approaching its sixth week, appears likely to become the longest in history. The previous record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.



A potentially decisive week



Trump’s push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republican senators who’ve opted instead to stay the course as the consequences of the shutdown become more acute.Republicans are hoping at least some Democrats will eventually give them the votes they need as moderates have been in weekslong talks with rank-and-file Republicans about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.“We need five with a backbone to say we care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining some political leverage,” Thune said on the Senate floor as the Senate left Washington for the weekend on Thursday.Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday there’s a group of people talking about “a path to fix the health care debacle” and a commitment from Republicans not to fire more federal workers. But it’s unclear if those talks could produce a meaningful compromise.



Far apart on Obamacare subsidies



Trump said in the “60 Minutes” interview the Affordable Care Act — often known as Obamacare because it was signed and championed by then-President Barack Obama — is “terrible” and if the Democrats vote to reopen the government, “we will work on fixing the bad health care that we have right now.”Democrats feel differently, arguing the marketplaces set up by the ACA are working as record numbers of Americans have signed up for the coverage. But they want to extend subsidies first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic so premiums won’t go up for millions of people on Jan. 1.“We want to sit down with Thune, with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson, with Trump, and negotiate a way to address this horrible health care crisis,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week.



No appetite for bipartisanship



As Democrats have pushed Trump and Republicans to negotiate, Trump has showed little interest in doing so. He called for an end to the Senate filibuster after a trip to Asia while the government was shut down.White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News Channel the president has spoken directly to Thune and Johnson about the filibuster. But a spokesman for Thune said Friday that his position hasn’t changed, and Johnson said on Sunday that Republicans traditionally have resisted calling for an end to the filibuster because it protects them from “the worst impulses of the far-left Democrat Party.”Trump said on “60 Minutes” he likes Thune but “I disagree with him on this point.”The president has spent much of the shutdown mocking Democrats, posting videos of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Mexican sombrero. The White House website has a satirical “My Space” page for Democrats, a parody based on the social media site that was popular in the early 2000s. “We just love playing politics with people’s livelihoods,” the page reads.Democrats have repeatedly said that they need Trump to get serious and weigh in. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said that he hopes the shutdown could end “this week” because Trump is back in Washington.Republicans “can’t move on anything without a Trump sign off,” Warner said on “Face the Nation” on CBS.



Record-breaking shutdown



The 35-day shutdown that lasted from December 2018 to January 2019 ended when Trump retreated from his demands over a border wall. That came amid intensifying delays at the nation’s airports and multiple missed paydays for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ABC’s “This Week” that there have already been delays at several airports “and it’s only going to get worse.”Many of the workers are “confronted with a decision,” he said. “Do I put food on my kids’ table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent or do I go to work and not get paid?”As flight delays around the country increased, New York City’s emergency management department posted on Sunday that Newark Airport was under a ground delay because of “staffing shortages in the control tower” and that they were limiting arrivals to the airport.“The average delay is about 2 hours, and some flights are more than 3 hours late,” the account posted. “FAA planning notes show a possibility of a full ground stop later if staffing shortages or demand increases.”



SNAP crisis



Also in the crossfire are the 42 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits. The Department of Agriculture planned to withhold $8 billion needed for payments to the food program starting on Saturday until two federal judges ordered the administration to fund it.House Democratic leader Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Trump and Republicans of attempting to “weaponize hunger.” He said that the administration has managed to find ways for funding other priorities during the shutdown, but is slow-walking pushing out SNAP benefits despite the court orders.“But somehow they can’t find money to make sure that Americans don’t go hungry,” Jeffries said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in his own CNN appearance Sunday, said the administration continues to await direction from the courts.“The best way for SNAP benefits to get paid is for Democrats — for five Democrats to cross the aisle and reopen the government,” Bessent said.







Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.



—Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/AP25307036235738.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Shutdown, could, longest, ever, Trump, says, ‘won’t, extorted’, democrats</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Research monkeys got loose after a truck overturned on a highway. Their owner, destination, and exact purpose remain shrouded in mystery</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/research-monkeys-got-loose-after-a-truck-overturned-on-a-highway-their-owner-destination-and-exact-purpose-remain-shrouded-in-mystery</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/research-monkeys-got-loose-after-a-truck-overturned-on-a-highway-their-owner-destination-and-exact-purpose-remain-shrouded-in-mystery</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Mississippi crash is one of at least three major monkey escapes in the U.S. over the past four years. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP25303646134586.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Research, monkeys, got, loose, after, truck, overturned, highway., Their, owner, destination, and, exact, purpose, remain, shrouded, mystery</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The 30&#45;year&#45;old obsessive networker who is leading a wildly profitable niche on Wall Street known as ‘directs’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-30-year-old-obsessive-networker-who-is-leading-a-wildly-profitable-niche-on-wall-street-known-as-directs</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-30-year-old-obsessive-networker-who-is-leading-a-wildly-profitable-niche-on-wall-street-known-as-directs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Matt Swain has become a pioneer by pairing family offices looking to triple their money with under-the-radar businesses looking to exit. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100521Triago-Swain-Matt.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, 30-year-old, obsessive, networker, who, leading, wildly, profitable, niche, Wall, Street, known, ‘directs’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>CEO Andy Jassy says Amazon’s 14,000 layoffs weren’t about cutting costs or AI taking jobs: ‘It’s culture’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ceo-andy-jassy-says-amazons-14000-layoffs-werent-about-cutting-costs-or-ai-taking-jobs-its-culture</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ceo-andy-jassy-says-amazons-14000-layoffs-werent-about-cutting-costs-or-ai-taking-jobs-its-culture</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Jassy said the cuts weren’t AI-driven, “not right now at least.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2188101075-e1761933556339.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>CEO, Andy, Jassy, says, Amazon’s, 14, 000, layoffs, weren’t, about, cutting, costs, taking, jobs:, ‘It’s, culture’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>More than half of Gen Z says they only use cash as ‘a last resort’ and doing so is ‘cringe,’ survey shows</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/more-than-half-of-gen-z-says-they-only-use-cash-as-a-last-resort-and-doing-so-is-cringe-survey-shows</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/more-than-half-of-gen-z-says-they-only-use-cash-as-a-last-resort-and-doing-so-is-cringe-survey-shows</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Some Gen Zers are so against using cash they’ll forgo shopping from stores that are cash only. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1389103125-e1761927771991.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>More, than, half, Gen, says, they, only, use, cash, ‘a, last, resort’, and, doing, ‘cringe, ’, survey, shows</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>AR glasses blur the lines of when it’s obvious a company is collecting your data, privacy expert says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ar-glasses-blur-the-lines-of-when-its-obvious-a-company-is-collecting-your-data-privacy-expert-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ar-glasses-blur-the-lines-of-when-its-obvious-a-company-is-collecting-your-data-privacy-expert-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Joe Jones, director of research and insights at nonprofit privacy organization IAPP speaks about privacy concerns with AR glasses. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2203602816-e1761937620825.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>glasses, blur, the, lines, when, it’s, obvious, company, collecting, your, data, privacy, expert, says</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Chipotle stock price crashes as Gen Z and millennials burdened by student debt and unemployment stay away</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chipotle-stock-price-crashes-as-gen-z-and-millennials-burdened-by-student-debt-and-unemployment-stay-away</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/chipotle-stock-price-crashes-as-gen-z-and-millennials-burdened-by-student-debt-and-unemployment-stay-away</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is seeing its stock price plummet this morning after reporting third-quarter 2025 earnings and a sales forecast that alarmed investors.



As of the time of this writing, CMG shares are down a staggering 19% to $32.21 in premarket trading. Here’s what you need to know about the company’s stock price crash.



What’s happened?



On Wednesday, Chipotle reported its Q3 2025 earnings after the bell. Some of what the company revealed has alarmed investors.



But first, here are the company’s most critical quarterly metrics:




Total revenue: $3 billion (a 7.5% increase)



Comparable restaurant sales: up 0.3%



Operating margin: 15.9% (down 1% point)



Adjusted diluted earnings per share:  $0.29 (up 7.4%)



Stores opened: 84




As noted by CNBC, Chipotle’s adjusted EPS of 29 cents matched investor expectations, and its $3 billion in revenue came close to the $3.03 billion expected by LSEG analysts. 



However, while Chipotle’s main Q3 metrics largely met expectations, the company’s forecast led investors to dump the stock in the hours after it reported its latest earnings.



Full-year comparable sales expected to decline



Investors generally aren’t happy with only their expectations being met. They want unlimited growth into the future, too. A perceived lack of future growth can send investors fleeing—and that appears to be what is happening to Chipotle’s stock in premarket trading.



After reporting its relatively expected Q3 results, Chipotle issued its full fiscal 2025 forecast, revealing that it was cutting its sales outlook. 



For the full fiscal year (the company is now in its Q4 2025), Chipotle says it expects “full year comparable restaurant sales declines in the low-single digit range.”



This is the third time in a row that the restaurant chain has cut its sales forecasts. Back in February, the company had initially said that it expected full-year sales to increase by low-to-mid single digits.



Why the gloomy outlook?



As for the factors affecting its lowered sales forecast, Chiptole CEO Scott Boatwright cited several reasons on the company’s investor call. 



As consumer sentiment has declined “sharply” throughout the year, Chipotle stores have seen “a broad-based pullback in frequency” of customer visits, Boatwright said.



This is especially true for low- to middle-income customers, which Boatwright says include households earning less than $100,000, representing about 40% of Chiptole’s total customer base. 



Boatwright says this segment of customers “is dining out less often due to concerns about the economy and inflation.”



However, another segment of Chipotle customers is also having a large negative impact on Chipotle’s revenue as they cut back on visits, too. This segment comprises younger people aged 25 to 35. 



Boatwright says this cohort is facing particular economic challenges, leading them to pull back on discretionary spending. Those challenges include “unemployment, increased student loan repayment, and slower real wage growth.”



“We believe that this trend is not unique to Chipotle,” Boatwright noted, “and is occurring across all restaurants as well as many discretionary categories.”



At the same time, Chipotle may rely more heavily on younger diners than other chains. “We tend to skew younger and slightly over-indexed to this group relative to the broader restaurant industry,” Boatwright said.



Forging ahead with new store openings



Despite projecting full-year 2025 sales declines, Chipotle says it will expand its physical store footprint significantly in 2026. 



While the opening of new stores increases operational expenses, it could also help the company boost sales by expanding into new markets where no Chipotle stores exist or where the company is underrepresented.



In 2025, Chitpotle said it will open between 315 and 345 locations by the end of the fiscal year. In 2026, the company said it expects to open even more stores.



“We anticipate opening between 350 and 370 new restaurants,” Boatwright revealed. The CEO noted that these will include 10 to 15 new partner-operated restaurants outside of North America.



Countries where these restaurants are expected to open include South Korea, Singapore, and Mexico, as well as parts of the Middle East. Chiptole also expects to open one or two company-owned stores in Europe.



CMG share price plummets



But investors seem to care little about Chipotle’s continued expansion and are instead focused on the company’s lowered sales forecast.



As of the time of this writing, CMG shares have declined 19% in premarket trading to $32.21 per share. That’s a low that Chipotle’s stock price hasn’t seen since 2023.



As of yesterday’s share price close of $39.76, CMG stock had declined more than 33% since the beginning of the year. 



At just above $32 per share in premarket trading this morning, Chipotle’s share price is now nearly half of what it was on the first trading day of 2025. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91432070-chipotle-stock-crashes.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Chipotle, stock, price, crashes, Gen, and, millennials, burdened, student, debt, and, unemployment, stay, away</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘We expect to invest aggressively’: Meta stock tumbles as tax hit and AI spending spree rattle investors</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/we-expect-to-invest-aggressively-meta-stock-tumbles-as-tax-hit-and-ai-spending-spree-rattle-investors</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/we-expect-to-invest-aggressively-meta-stock-tumbles-as-tax-hit-and-ai-spending-spree-rattle-investors</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares of Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) were down about 9% in premarket trading on Thursday. It follows what can only be described as a mixed bag of a quarter-three earnings report on Wednesday, October 30.



On the one hand, Meta announced $51.2 billion in revenue, a 26% increase year-over-year (YOY) from $40.6 billion and a quarterly record for the company. The boost also beat Wall Street’s estimate of $49.6 billion, according to consensus estimates cited by Bloomberg.



However, Meta also reported a non-cash income tax charge of $15.93 billion. This one-time charge led to a significant decrease—83%—in Meta’s net income YOY. It also meant the company’s earnings per share dropped to $1.05 from 2024’s $6.03. 



While the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads points out that its earnings per share would have been $7.25 without the tax charge, in reality it severely missed Wall Street’s predicted $6.70, according to consensus estimates cited by the Guardian.



“Our compute needs have continued to expand”



Meta also increased its estimated total expenses for 2025, from between $114 billion and $118 billion to $116 billion and $118 billion. Similarly, its estimated capital expenditures for the year rose to $70 billion to $72 billion, up from a range of $66 billion to $72 billion. 



Why the higher numbers? It all comes down to AI. 



In an earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that despite building an “aggressive assumption” worth of AI infrastructure, the demand keeps increasing in a way that “is very likely to be a profitable thing.” 



He claimed that there are more than a billion people actively using Meta AI on a monthly basis. 



“As we have begun to plan for next year, it’s become clear that our compute needs have continued to expand meaningfully, including versus our own expectations last quarter,” Zuckerberg stated. “We are still working through our capacity plans for next year, but we expect to invest aggressively to meet these needs, both by building our own infrastructure and contracting with third-party cloud providers.” 



Zuckerberg does admit that there could be unnecessary overflow, but he claims that it could be converted into “intelligence and better recommendations” for Meta’s family of apps and advertisements. 



He further shared that capital expenditures and total expenses will be “significantly” higher in 2026 than 2025, due to infrastructure and employee compensation costs. 



Notably, Meta laid off 600 people from its AI “superintelligence” research lab just last week. 



“By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,” Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang stated in a memo about the layoffs. 



Zuckerberg only announced the new “superintelligence” lab in June.  ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91432123-meta-stock-tax-hit-ai-spending-spree.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘We, expect, invest, aggressively’:, Meta, stock, tumbles, tax, hit, and, spending, spree, rattle, investors</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How the Fed’s rate cut will impact your finances</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-feds-rate-cut-will-impact-your-finances</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-feds-rate-cut-will-impact-your-finances</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the second time since September. Before that, it had gone nine months without a cut.The federal funds rate is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another. While the rates consumers pay to borrow money aren’t directly linked to this rate, shifts affect what you pay for credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other financial products.“While the full economic impact of such a move will unfold over time, early indicators suggest that even modest rate cuts can have meaningful consequences for consumer behavior and financial health,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research at credit reporting agency TransUnion.The Fed has two goals when it sets the rate: one, to manage prices for goods and services, and two, to encourage full employment. Typically, the Fed might increase the rate to try to bring down inflation and decrease it to encourage faster economic growth and increase hiring. The challenge now is that inflation is higher than the Fed’s 2% target but the job market has been weak. The government shutdown has also prevented the collection and release of data the Fed relies on to monitor the health of the economy.Still, the Fed has projected it will cut rates once more before the end of the year.Here’s what to know:



Interest on savings accounts won’t be as appealing



For savers, falling interest rates will slowly erode attractive yields currently on offer with certificates of deposit (CDs) and high-yield savings accounts.Three of the top five high yield savings accounts had rate cuts after the last Fed rate cut in September, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com, while two of the big five banks (Ally and Discover/Capital One) cut their savings account rates. The top rates for high yield savings account right now remain around 4.46% to 4.6%.Those are still better than the trends of recent years, and a good option for consumers who want to earn a return on money they may want to access in the near-term. A high yield savings account generally has a much higher annual percentage yield than a traditional savings account. The national average for traditional savings accounts is currently 0.63%, according to Bankrate.There may be a few accounts with returns of about 4% through the end of 2025, according to Tumin, but the Fed cuts will filter down to these offerings, lowering the average yields as they do.



A cut will impact mortgages gradually



For prospective homebuyers, the market has already priced in the rate cut.“Mortgage rates, in particular, have responded swiftly,” said Raneri. “Just in the past week, they fell to their lowest level in over a year. While mortgage rates don’t always move in lockstep with the Fed’s target rate — often pricing in anticipated future cuts, the continued easing of monetary policy may well push rates even lower.”Bankrate financial analyst Stephen Kates said a declining interest rate environment will provide some relief for borrowers over time.“Whether it’s a homeowner with a 7% mortgage or a recent graduate hoping to refinance student loans and credit card debt, lower rates can ease the burden on many indebted households by opening opportunities to refinance or consolidate,” he said.



Auto loans are not expected to decline soon



Americans have faced steeper auto loan rates over the last three years after the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate starting in early 2022. Those are not expected to decline anytime soon. While a cut will contribute to eventual relief, it might be slow in arriving, analysts say.“If the auto market starts to freeze up and people aren’t buying cars, then we may see lending margins start to shrink, but auto loan rates don’t move in lockstep with the Fed rate,” Kates said.Prices for new cars remain at historically high levels, not adjusting for inflation.Generally speaking, an auto loan annual percentage rate can run from about 4% to 30%. Bankrate’s most recent weekly survey found that average auto loan interest rates are currently at 7.10% on a 60-month new car loan.



Credit card rate relief could be slow



Interest rates for credit cards are currently at an average of 20.01%, and the Fed’s rate cut may be slow to be felt by anyone carrying a large amount of credit card debt. That said, any reduction is positive news.“While inflation continues to exert pressure on household budgets, rate cuts offer a potential counterbalance by lowering debt servicing costs,” Raneri said.Still, the best thing for anyone carrying a large credit card balance is to prioritize paying down high-interest-rate debt, and to seek to transfer any amounts possible to lower APR cards or negotiate directly with credit card companies for accommodation.







The Associated Press receives support from the Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.



—Cora Lewis, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, Fed’s, rate, cut, will, impact, your, finances</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Figma acquires Weavy, a workflow tool with ‘artistic intelligence’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/figma-acquires-weavy-a-workflow-tool-with-artistic-intelligence</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/figma-acquires-weavy-a-workflow-tool-with-artistic-intelligence</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Recently, Figma CEO Dylan Field assembled employees from throughout the company for a demo of a new-ish tool for generating, refining, and editing synthetic images and videos. Rather than being built around one-off prompts, it allowed users to create visual workflows for comparing and manipulating options created by different AI models. It also facilitated putting imagery through multiple rounds of polishing and remixing, adding a large dose of human taste and quality control to the process.



According to Field, they were “mesmerized” by what they saw. “We had it scheduled for 20 minutes,” he remembers. “And 20 minutes came, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, please keep going. We’ll cancel the next session—this is the most magical thing.’ We went for an hour.”



The tool that wowed the Figmates, as Figma employees call themselves, was the creation of an Israeli startup. Both were known as Weavy—but not for long. Figma had already agreed to acquire the company. Slightly rebranded as Figma Weave, its product will join Figma’s growing portfolio of web-based apps for designing interfaces, whiteboarding ideas, creating presentations, AI-assisted coding, and more.



[Image: Weavy]



Figma isn’t disclosing the terms of the acquisition, its first since its July IPO. It will result in around a dozen Weavy staffers joining the company, including cofounders Lior Albeck, Jonathan Alumot, Jonathan Gur-Zeev, and Itay Schiff. Describing its vision as “artistic intelligence,” the startup was founded in 2024 and announced a $4 million seed funding last June. In its short existence, it had lined up an impressive customer list, including Google, Nvidia, Toyota, Dyson, Panasonic, and HP.



Its product’s interface provides a canvas for connecting building blocks called nodes to create a flowchart-like system of inputs and outputs. One example project starts by feeding a prompt into several still-image generators, then sends the nicest one on to serve as source material for several video generators. Another deconstructs an image into editable layers, allowing for the sort of masking and tweaking that was once solely the province of a product such as Photoshop. A third starts with an actual beauty shot of a dessert taken in a studio, then generates purely synthetic images of other foodstuffs that retain its look and feel. Workflows can accept user input that affects their operation, turning them into mini-apps with ongoing value.



[Photo: Weavy]



Many tools have long helped users perform programming-like feats via workflow builders with some conceptual similarities to Weave, if not its emphasis on AI and imagery. One you might be familiar with is Apple’s Shortcuts. Field himself remembers using another called LabVIEW in middle school. But the unusual degree of buzz around Weavy’s implementation of the idea attracted his attention.



“I started to hear about it from people who are connoisseurs of product and have good taste,” he says. “It spiked as something to check out.”



Meeting with the startup’s founders, Field bonded over their approach to balancing power and approachability, which struck him as Figma-esque. As he explains it, ”My job to get right every day, from a product standpoint, is, how do you balance the power of a tool with approachability and simplicity? It’s a constant battle. I just felt like the way that they were thinking about that aspect was extraordinary.”



[Photo: Figma]



Field was also attracted by the fact that their product didn’t spit out AI images and videos allegedly ready for use. Instead, it was about making it easier for human creators to slice, dice, and otherwise rework them before they ever appeared anywhere. 



“It’s easy to consider AI outputs as the final destination, but that’s not the way you should think about it,” he says. “They’re just this new creative starting point.  You can use them like clay, and you can figure out how to transform them. And I think [Figma Weave] does a really good job of showing how it’s possible.”



Field says that Figma is working on integrating Weave with its broader ecosystem—both making it possible to bring Figma designs into Weave and adding elements of Weave to other products. It’s also planning to speed further development through additional hires. Maybe most of all, he’s mindful of the delicate work involved in not screwing up what Weavy created on its own.



“They’ve got the trust of their community,” he told me. “I think it’s very important for Figma to show that we’ll be a good steward of the team, of this platform—and that we’re doing everything we can to help them build.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Figma, acquires, Weavy, workflow, tool, with, ‘artistic, intelligence’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>As shutdown threatens SNAP food aid, these states are taking action</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-shutdown-threatens-snap-food-aid-these-states-are-taking-action</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-shutdown-threatens-snap-food-aid-these-states-are-taking-action</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ With federal SNAP food assistance set to run dry this weekend amid the protracted U.S. government shutdown, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont became the latest states Wednesday to announce help for low-income households that rely on the funds to eat.They join states from New York to Nevada in scrambling to find ways to get food to people who are increasingly anxious and will otherwise go hungry without their normal monthly payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.



Several states take action Wednesday



In Louisiana, where nearly one in five residents receive SNAP benefits, lawmakers authorized $150 million in state funding Wednesday to help avoid Saturday’s expected interruption. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry backed a bipartisan measure to allow most of the state’s nearly 800,000 SNAP recipients to receive their full monthly benefit amount.“Our priorities are specific, we’re going to protect the most vulnerable population in Louisiana — which is our kids, disabled and elderly,” Landry said.But officials said that while program details are still incomplete, the effort will likely exclude “able bodied” adults who aren’t caring for children or don’t share a household with elderly or disabled members — about 53,000 recipients.Elsewhere, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that her state will provide $30 million in emergency food assistance to residents through EBT cards, backfilling SNAP benefits temporarily. The Democrat leads a state where 21% of the population relies on SNAP — the highest rate in the nation. Officials said the benefit would cover about 30% of what residents usually see at the start of the month.New Mexico held a two-day special legislative session at the outset of the shutdown to shore up food banks and pantries with $8 million in new funding, along with $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset cuts under President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cut bill.The emergency funding is expected to last about 10 days, while Democratic state House Speaker Javier Martínez said the Legislature is positioned to approve more if necessary because “children going without basic food staples is an emergency.”Lujan Grisham said state officials are aware that 10 days isn’t enough but they are prepared to deal with the issue for as long as they can.“We’re not going to let food insecurity creep into this state,” she said.In Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic legislative leaders approved using $6.3 million in state funds to cover 15 days of SNAP benefits and provide $250,000 to food banks. The Legislature had previously put $50 million aside for such emergencies.



Different strokes for different states



So far, state responses have been mixed. Some, like Rhode Island, say they will funnel reserve federal welfare funds directly onto the debit cards issued to people who buy groceries with SNAP. States including Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, West Virginia plan to boost funds to food pantries to help cover for low-income families needing food. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo are both seeking to direct $30 million in state funds to cover food assistance.Other states such as Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Florida have not acted.In Nebraska, the state Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement Tuesday announcing it would pause SNAP benefits the next day. It said it is “actively coordinating with food banks, nonprofit partners, and community organizations,” and listed area food banks for those seeking help.Leaving people to fend for themselves will mean the most vulnerable — like children and the elderly — will go hungry, said Tashara Leak, a registered dietitian and nutritional researcher and professor at Cornell University. She also serves on New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy that routinely meets with New York’s governor.“The panic is already starting,” Leak said, adding families with limited resources are “already rationing food in preparation to not receive benefits on Nov. 1.”



States can’t do what the federal government can



Despite the best efforts of states, local governments and food charities, it won’t be enough to cover what the federal government does under SNAP. Even states with fat budget surpluses couldn’t cover the SNAP tab much beyond November. That tab nationwide totaled about $100 billion in 2024.“There’s no way for the states to be able to fill in the gap for the month of November, especially with such short notice,” Leak said.Democrats have called on the Trump administration to release contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted SNAP payments, but it has declined to do so.Recently, a group of Democratic state officials filed suit, asking a judge to require the Trump administration to keep funding SNAP benefits. They say that the government is required to use one contingency fund, which has around $5 billion, for that purpose and that another larger reserve fund of about $23 billion is also available. A hearing is set for Thursday in federal court in Boston.Delays in benefits are nearly certain for most beneficiaries whose debit cards are replenished early in the month — even in states that are planning to pay for benefits or if a judge orders the federal government to load the cards immediately.The legal filing asserted that in California, for instance, there will be a one-day delay in benefits available for every day after Oct. 23 that the process of putting money on cards hasn’t begun. That means that if a judge orders the program to continue on Thursday, the first cards would likely not be ready until around Nov. 10.Christopher Bosso, a Northeastern University professor of public policy and political science who has published a book about SNAP, said even a delay would be deeply felt. Beneficiaries often stock up on groceries at the start of the month, and stores often hold sales then that encourage shoppers to do so.“We’re about to find out how much this program matters, in ways that people hadn’t realized,” Bosso said.







AP writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.



—Margery A. Beck and Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>shutdown, threatens, SNAP, food, aid, these, states, are, taking, action</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>AI stock valuations aren’t wrong—they’re just not right … yet, says JPMorgan assets boss</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-stock-valuations-arent-wrongtheyre-just-not-right-yet-says-jpmorgan-assets-boss</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ai-stock-valuations-arent-wrongtheyre-just-not-right-yet-says-jpmorgan-assets-boss</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;The question is how fast will we grow into those multiples?&quot; JP Morgan&#039;s Mary Callahan Erdoes told an audience at the Fortune Global Forum. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/54883183710_7b8b130633_o-e1761574042239.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>stock, valuations, aren’t, wrong—they’re, just, not, right, …, yet, says, JPMorgan, assets, boss</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>From transactional to transformational: Four strategies for donors to drive lasting impact </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-transactional-to-transformational-four-strategies-for-donors-to-drive-lasting-impact</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-transactional-to-transformational-four-strategies-for-donors-to-drive-lasting-impact</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I’ve spent over two decades helping nonprofits and families turn generosity into lasting change. Here are four ways donors can meet this moment. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/william-jarvis-headshot.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>From, transactional, transformational:, Four, strategies, for, donors, drive, lasting, impact </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>How employee ownership can uplift Gen Z’s labor force </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-employee-ownership-can-uplift-gen-zs-labor-force</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-employee-ownership-can-uplift-gen-zs-labor-force</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The newest generation of American workers feels unheard in the places that depend most on their ideas and energy. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image_335841.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, employee, ownership, can, uplift, Gen, Z’s, labor, force </media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>‘Are you crazy?’ ‘A little…’ Inside one obsessed U.S. Agent’s $50 million secret plot to capture Nicolás Maduro by turning his pilot against him</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/are-you-crazy-a-little-inside-one-obsessed-us-agents-50-million-secret-plot-to-capture-nicolas-maduro-by-turning-his-pilot-against-him</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/are-you-crazy-a-little-inside-one-obsessed-us-agents-50-million-secret-plot-to-capture-nicolas-maduro-by-turning-his-pilot-against-him</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Armed with a $50 million bounty and a rogue plan, a Homeland Security agent tried to flip Maduro’s personal pilot into delivering Venezuela’s president straight into U.S. custody. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP25300787563757-e1761658171960.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Are, you, crazy’, ‘A, little…’, Inside, one, obsessed, U.S., Agent’s, 50, million, secret, plot, capture, Nicolás, Maduro, turning, his, pilot, against, him</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Bill Gates says a ‘doomsday outlook’ on climate is driving people to focus on the wrong things</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bill-gates-says-a-doomsday-outlook-on-climate-is-driving-people-to-focus-on-the-wrong-things</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/bill-gates-says-a-doomsday-outlook-on-climate-is-driving-people-to-focus-on-the-wrong-things</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;If given a choice between eradicating malaria and a tenth of a degree increase in warming, I&#039;ll let the temperature go up,&quot; Gates said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2237235833-e1761658514224.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Bill, Gates, says, ‘doomsday, outlook’, climate, driving, people, focus, the, wrong, things</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>This week in business: Markets, machines, and mosquitoes</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-markets-machines-and-mosquitoes</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-markets-machines-and-mosquitoes</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This week, tech companies were either melting down in real time or promising a future where computers are smarter than we are. Investors panicked, calmed down, panicked again, and then bought T-shirts for sea otters. We saw a giant internet outage that reminded everyone just how dependent the modern world is on one company. We also saw a stock that most people had basically pronounced dead suddenly rip higher like it was 2021 again.



There was drama in Washington, too. The White House leaned even harder into AI content as a political weapon, raising a question that has been building all year, which is: Are we entering the AI misinformation era for real, or are we already in it and pretending we aren’t? At the same time, Meta cut jobs in the name of moving faster on artificial intelligence, and Apple gave Wall Street something to cheer about by proving that, yes, people will still buy a new iPhone if you make it fast, thin, and expensive.



But the biggest optimism play of the week came from someplace totally different. Taylor Swift wore a vintage aquarium T-shirt, and her fans turned that into millions of dollars for sea otter rescue in a matter of hours. There are very few forces on Earth that can move money that fast. Central banks. Oil markets. Taylor Swift.



AWS outage hits much of the internet



An overnight outage at Amazon Web Services took down big parts of the internet, including apps and sites like Reddit, Lyft, and McDonald’s. The problem was tied to AWS systems in one U.S. region, but because so many companies run through that same infrastructure, the impact went global. Amazon said the root issue was a DNS problem that it has mostly fixed, but a lot of users still saw slowdowns and random errors long after the first alert. The outage was another reminder that a huge amount of the modern economy sits on top of someone else’s server.



Beyond Meat stock suddenly rips higher



Beyond Meat’s stock shot up more than 60 percent after spending the past few weeks in penny stock territory. The spike does not mean the business is suddenly healthy. Demand for plant-based meat has cooled, sales have dropped, and the company is still deep in trouble. What actually happened is a classic short squeeze in which traders who were betting against the stock got forced to buy shares back fast, which pushed the price higher.



Trump responds to protests with AI video



After the nationwide “No Kings” protests, President Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself in a fighter jet dumping sewage on protesters. He also dismissed the nearly 7 million people who showed up, saying they do not represent the country. Vice President JD Vance boosted a matching AI-style meme of Trump in a crown. Critics say this kind of content is basically making the protesters’ point for them and also shows how comfortable the administration is with pushing AI-altered media at scale.



Meta cuts 600 jobs from its AI lab



Meta said it is cutting about 600 jobs in the new AI superintelligence lab that it launched this year. Leadership says the smaller team will be able to move faster and make decisions with less internal debate. The company has been pouring tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence and high-end infrastructure, including new data centers and ad tools. The layoff news barely moved the stock, which suggests investors see this as normal cost control for a company that is still planning to spend heavily on AI.



Quantum computing stocks pop on takeover rumors



Shares of several U.S. quantum computing companies jumped after reports that the Commerce Department is talking to them about possible government investments. The basic idea is that Washington may want a financial stake in these firms in exchange for federal funding. Traders read that as a sign that quantum is getting treated like strategic tech, similar to chips and rare earth minerals. The result was a fast rebound for names like IonQ and Rigetti after a rough day in the broader market.



Gold and silver prices fall hard



Gold and silver both dropped sharply after hitting record levels earlier in the week. Prices for gold fell back toward the low $4,100 range per ounce, and silver slid under $50. The pullback suggests investors are feeling slightly less panicked about things like tariffs, inflation, and the government shutdown. In plain terms, money moved out of crisis mode and back toward risk.



Iceland finds mosquitoes for the first time



Scientists confirmed that mosquitoes have now shown up in Iceland, a country that’s basically never had them in human history. Warmer average temperatures are making the island friendlier to insects that could not survive there before. The specific species they found is cold-tolerant, which means it might be able to last through Icelandic winters and stick around. It is a small discovery with big implications because mosquitoes carry disease, and climate change is helping them expand north.



Egg recalls keep growing



More than 6 million eggs have now been pulled over salmonella concerns tied to Black Sheep Egg Company and others. The FDA escalated the recall to its highest risk tier and keeps adding new affected lots and brands. Experts say the spike in recalls is not only about farms doing something wrong. It is also about better, faster testing that can spot contamination earlier and force products off shelves before people get sick.



Apple hits a record high on iPhone 17



Apple stock hit an all-time high, at around $264 a share, after early data suggested the iPhone 17 lineup is selling faster than last year’s iPhone 16 launch. The standout this cycle is the new iPhone Air, which is thinner, lighter, and still priced as a flagship. Strong demand in both the U.S. and China helped fuel the rally and gave investors fresh confidence heading into Apple’s next earnings report.



Taylor Swift raises millions for sea otters



Taylor Swift wore a vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium T-shirt in her latest concert film, and her fans did the rest. The aquarium brought the shirt back, priced it at $65.13, and raised more than $2.3 million for sea otter rescue and rehab. The campaign ran on Tiltify, which let the aquarium process tens of thousands of orders almost instantly. It was a case study in what happens when fandom, nostalgia, and e-commerce all hit at once. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, week, business:, Markets, machines, and, mosquitoes</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>May the First Amendment be with you: Protester sues after ‘Imperial March’ performance sparks arrest</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/may-the-first-amendment-be-with-you-protester-sues-after-imperial-march-performance-sparks-arrest</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/may-the-first-amendment-be-with-you-protester-sues-after-imperial-march-performance-sparks-arrest</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Protests against President Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into American cities have no shortage of whimsy, but the empire struck back against one demonstrator.



A lawsuit filed on October 23 accuses police officers and a National Guard member of violating a protester’s constitutional right to play the “Imperial March” theme from Star Wars. 



The D.C. resident, Sam O’Hara, was “tightly handcuffed” and detained for 20 minutes after ignoring a warning from a National Guard member to stop playing the song. In the complaint, O’Hara alleges that four Washington, D.C., police officers, an Ohio National Guard sergeant, and the District of Columbia violated his First Amendment rights. 



“Government conduct of this sort might have received legal sanction a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the suit on O’Hara’s behalf, stated. “But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from restraining individuals from recording law enforcement or peacefully protesting, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District’s prohibition on false arrest) bars groundless seizures.”



O’Hara began filming the National Guard deployment in D.C. over the summer, often following behind Guard members while playing the song and then posting the videos to a TikTok account that has more than a million likes across 24 videos. 



“Armed National Guard should not be policing D.C. residents as we walk around our neighborhoods,” O’Hara said. “It was important to me not to normalize this dystopian occupation.



The “Imperial March” theme is associated with the fictional fascist empire from Star Wars; its main villain, Darth Vader; and the empire’s foot soldiers, the Stormtroopers. The Galactic Empire, long a fixture of pop culture, intentionally echoes the aesthetics and policies of Nazi Germany.



“The government doesn’t get to decide if your protest is funny, and government officials can’t punish you for making them the punch line,” ACLU-DC senior staff attorney Michael Perloff said in a press release. “That’s really the whole point of the First Amendment.”



Clashes over National Guard deployment



The lawsuit is the latest clash in courts over the Trump administration’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to a handful of U.S. cities with Democratic leadership. The National Guard has already been activated in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and Memphis, though those deployments are the subject of ongoing court battles between state and local leaders and the federal government. Trump has also threatened deployments in New York City, Baltimore, the Bay Area, St. Louis, and New Orleans.



The National Guard is historically called in by state governors to help with emergencies and natural disasters, but guard members can also be mobilized by the federal government for national emergencies. Last year, National Guard members deployed in 17 states conducted search and rescue missions and delivered food and water to victims of Hurricane Helene.



Since first deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles in June against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Trump has escalated his unprecedented use of the state military force in U.S. cities. Trump claims that the National Guard is necessary to quell urban crime, but violent crime has already dropped dramatically in many of the cities targeted for the unusual deployments. Homicide rates dropped by 50% in the first half of 2025 in Portland, Oregon, and in Memphis, robbery, burglary, and larceny hit 25-year lows this year.



“As I have said from the beginning, the number of federal troops we need in Portland is zero,” Mayor Keith Wilson said of the deployment earlier this month. “Not from Oregon. Not from California. Not from Texas. And not from anywhere else.”



On October 23, Trump appeared to back down from a threat to send the National Guard to San Francisco after a persuasive phone call with the CEOs of Nvidia and Salesforce. “Great people like Jensen Huang, Marc Benioff, and others have called saying that the future of San Francisco is great,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They want to give it a ‘shot.’ Therefore, we will not surge San Francisco on Saturday.”



Chicken suits and Star Wars



As the courts decide the legality of Trump’s unilateral use of National Guard troops, protesters are weaponizing absurdism and humor against the presence of federal law enforcement. In Portland, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has famously attracted a growing crowd of peaceful protesters wearing inflatable animal costumes. The trend was inspired by the early appearance of a frog-suit-clad activist who has since been pepper sprayed directly into his air-intake vent. 



Another Portland protest regular famous for wearing a chicken suit explained the use of humor in a recent interview with the city’s alt-weekly: “What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it [says] that we’re actually not that afraid,” Jack Dickinson, 26, told the Willamette Week. 



“When they try to describe this situation as ‘war-torn,’ it becomes much harder to take them seriously,” Dickinson added. “Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.”


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>May, the, First, Amendment, with, you:, Protester, sues, after, ‘Imperial, March’, performance, sparks, arrest</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Remote work is shaped by geopolitics, not technology</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/remote-work-is-shaped-by-geopolitics-not-technology</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/remote-work-is-shaped-by-geopolitics-not-technology</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Once upon a time, the big idea was simple—work from anywhere! Thanks to technological advances, you didn’t need to be tethered to your office desk to collaborate with coworkers (or swap memes with them). As long as you had your laptop and good Wi-Fi you could be by the pool on a tropical island, drink in hand, and a magnificent sunset in the background.



Forward-thinking companies would recognize that talent could be found in the most unexpected places. Employees get to mix and match their work with the life they love. Governments would enable this with offers of special digital nomad visas. The whole world would become one big, friendly workplace.



Hold that thought. Before you swap suits for flip-flops, you should recognize that the future of work might not be what you pictured. An alternate future is taking shape, where geopolitics is shaping who works, the location of work, and the type of work. Driven by national security concerns and a proclivity to support “their” companies at the expense of “others,” governments are reshaping the future of work.



YOUR remote work (Can YOU do the work remotely?)



The first promise of remote work was that work could be democratized. More people from around the world could access jobs in a far more distributed model of talent and collaboration. Ideas flow across the world and organizations benefit from a more global intelligence. But that promise collides with geopolitical reality.



Take the case of Apple. As the company started to move some of its manufacturing operations to India, it needed to hire workers at scale. According to an Economic Times report, Apple’s ecosystem in India was expected to create 600,000 jobs. But who works at these facilities is an increasingly geopolitically fraught question.



There were initially hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians supporting Apple’s expansion in India. But more than 300 of them were asked to return to China recently. The recall of engineers—the second in recent months—was seen as a push by China to curb technology transfer to Indian operations and prevent manufacturing exits from the country. To continue operations, Apple’s suppliers have turned to engineers from Taiwan.



Driven by geopolitical objectives, government restrictions increasingly shape who can work on leading or cutting-edge projects, the individuals a company can hire, and how long they can stay in those roles. 



Global companies are taking a close, hard look at their workforce and making difficult choices about who gets to work on different types of projects. Technology companies in Silicon Valley are increasing security vetting of potential recruits to keep commercial information secure. Changing tariff rates could risk millions of jobs in Asia and elsewhere. Thai workers manufacturing solar cells are bearing the brunt of a trade war between China and the U.S. A large-scale study of foreign directors in listed Chinese firms found that as political relations deteriorated, foreign directors were more likely to exit from their roles. On the other hand, scientists at U.S. federal agencies facing layoffs—especially those with expertise in artificial intelligence—were targeted for recruitment to research operations in China.



your REMOTE work (Can you do the work REMOTELY?)



The second promise of remote work is that work could be done from anywhere. As the technology continues to improve, employees don’t need to be in the office or even in the country. Digital nomads skipped through cities, countries, or even continents. You could log in to work while also visiting your family in another country. You adopt a more flexible lifestyle. But geopolitical reality strikes again.



As countries emphasize sovereignty, data security, and the protection of strategic interests, the data, models, and technology resources that can be used from other countries becomes more limited. The Financial Times reported that foreign universities and research institutes lost access to China’s largest academic database. More countries are adopting data localization laws, which require businesses to store certain types of data within the country to protect national security. The U.S. restricts the transfer of citizens’ data to countries of concern. 



Such requirements make it harder to access data and information from another country, even for employees of the same company. American business travelers to China may not, for instance, have access to their work email. Financial analysts working at a fanatic pace to evaluate deal opportunities may find that they need to be on the ground in a given market to access relevant data, not because the technology to transfer those data to another country doesn’t exist, but because political interests prevent the transfer of such data overseas. Some companies are asking staff traveling to certain countries to use temporary loaner phones and not bring company laptops. Without your trusty laptop, expect disruptions to work and productivity.



your remote WORK (Can you do the WORK remotely?)



The final promise of remote work is that technology would allow you to do your job; i.e., execute the same tasks as you would have when it was business-as-usual. But geopolitics has changed the job description for many employees.



Focusing on teams, operations, or finances of a business used to be the typical mandate for a manager. With appropriate routines in place, these tasks could even be completed from a remote location. But today’s managers have to take on different tasks. Consider Jensen Huang, the CEO of the world’s most valuable company, NVIDIA. For years, Mr. Huang avoided the rough and tumble world of Washington lobbying, preferring the company of the video-gamers. 



But when the company’s AI chips became enmeshed in global politics, Mr. Huang’s work changed. He crisscrossed the world convincing lawmakers to facilitate the sales of his company’s chips. He became a geopolitical superstar convincing leaders from the U.S. to China about his company’s role in their vision.



Mr. Huang is not alone. Fortune reported on how companies set up teams to track political developments and quickly present leadership with options—but that those team members completely dropped their day jobs. With the need to have an ear to the ground and interact with political actors, remote work becomes increasingly challenging. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-1421929-remote-work-is-shaped-by-geopolitics-not-technology.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Remote, work, shaped, geopolitics, not, technology</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Ikea just made a mini bed for your phone</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ikea-just-made-a-mini-bed-for-your-phone</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ikea-just-made-a-mini-bed-for-your-phone</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s a well-known fact that phone time before bed makes it harder to sleep. Studies show that a nighttime scroll keeps your brain active, delays REM sleep, and may even disrupt your circadian rhythm. Now, Ikea has created an unusual solution to this damaging habit: designing a dedicated bed for your phone.



The Ikea Phone Sleep Collection is essentially an ultra-miniaturized version of an Ikea bed frame, made in the perfect dimensions to cradle your smartphone on a bedside table. Embedded in the bed’s frame is an NFC chip that tracks how long the phone has been tucked in. If the time exceeds seven hours for seven consecutive nights, the user is rewarded with a shopping voucher of around $27. Despite its diminutive size, this five-piece product, like almost all of Ikea’s inventory, comes flat-packed and requires self-assembly. 



“From the masters of sleep comes a new revolution in rest: A complete breakthrough in bedtime that will change the world for good,” an ad for the phone bed reads. “It’s the innovation you didn’t know you needed until now, and that you will never not need again.”



Unfortunately for doomscrollers in the U.S., the agency Memac Ogilvy made the the Phone Sleep Collection exclusively for Ikea customers in the United Arab Emirates, where it’s currently available to locals who spend more than $207 on Ikea products. While the phone bed is clearly a marketing ploy, it’s not exactly an outlandish idea within today’s growing market for “hacks” to reduce screentime.



[Photo: Ikea]



Why tucking your phone into bed makes sense, actually



Around 2017, dumbphones enjoyed a spike in popularity as smartphone users began to realize just how much their phones dictated their daily lives, with brands including Nokia and  Consumer Cellular jumping in on the trend. Since then, though, the dumbphone craze has waned slightly as smartphones have become an increasingly integral and unavoidable tool for both work and life. Instead, luddite hopefuls are turning to creative alternatives to cut their screentime.



Recent solutions have included screentime reducing apps, like Hank Green’s Focus Friend or the Touch Grass app; a “Brick” device that blocks distracting apps; and even a phone case that’s so heavy it’s literally hard to pick up. The Ikea phone bed is basically another concept within this realm, except specifically geared toward the nighttime ritual. 



“While the Phone Sleep Collection is a limited launch here in the UAE, its underlying principle addresses a universal challenge,” says Carla Klumpenaar, Ikea UAE’s GM of marketing, communications, HF &amp; retail design. “We believe that small, mindful rituals, like tucking your phone into its own bed, can create better routines that can contribute to improved sleep quality and mental clarity. This initiative transforms an everyday challenge into an engaging lifestyle habit, underlining IKEA’s commitment to offering meaningful solutions that extend beyond just furniture.”



Is it silly? Of course. But if it works to reclaim even a bit of shut-eye, it might just be genius. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91426332-ikea-phone-bed.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ikea, just, made, mini, bed, for, your, phone</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The three Cs of good decisions</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-three-cs-of-good-decisions</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-three-cs-of-good-decisions</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The quality of our decisions defines our legacy as leaders. We make around 35,000 decisions a day and close to 800,000,000 in a lifetime. Not all decisions are equal. Many are default, some are reversible, but the consequential ones leave us with no U-turn. Decision-making is inescapable. So, let’s delve deeper into the anatomy of good decisions.



What drives good vs. bad?



Our decisions are deeply rooted in our values, competence, courage, and compassion. The psychological context from which decisions flow includes our emotional intelligence, comfort zone, values, moods, needs, decision-making style, and crucially, our self-awareness. Good decisions matter, but what drives the chemistry of good versus bad?



Emotionally intelligent leaders have mastered the skill of responding rather than reacting. They understand the interplay between their comfort zone and their fears and the limitations this imposes. They have identified their nonnegotiable values. They understand that moods are biochemical responses to be tamed before making consequential decisions. They know their basic human needs can generate significant blind spots and patterns of decision-making of which they must become aware. Finally, leaders have preferred decision-making styles that determine both the quality and speed of their decisions. This is the chemistry of decision-making. 



It’s clear, then, that the thoughts and emotions of a leader have the greatest impact on the quality of their decisions. So what are the safeguards for good decisions? Competence, courage, and compassion boosted by self-awareness and supported by values.



The foundation



Self-awareness is foundational. It enables us to see ourselves similarly to how others see us. We can stand outside ourselves and observe our behavior and the effect it has on our personal and professional relationships and the results we achieve. Self-awareness includes consciousness of our internal dialogue, the words we use, and the impact these words have on our emotions and behaviors. I have conducted thousands of Business Emotional Intelligence psychometric profiles and seen that on a standard deviation scale of one to ten, over 65% of leaders score between 4 and 7 on the self-awareness scale. 



Without self-awareness, we look outward for the causes of failure, blame others, and cast ourselves in the role of a victim instead of a responsible leader. With deep self-awareness, we are better positioned to apply the three Cs of good decisions: competence, courage, and compassion.



The three Cs




Competence means that we are capable of transforming our knowledge and experience into practical and coherent actions.  We have sufficient objectivity to recognize that we do not know everything and that in this complex world with unparalleled depth and breadth of knowledge, we are not the ultimate reference for anything. We surround ourselves with competent, multidisciplinary teams who bring complementary capabilities into our circle of influence. We welcome those who ask uncomfortable questions, scrutinize the details, point out the risks, and have respectful adult-to-adult conversations with us. Most important of all, we do not want to be the “Emperor” in the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes.





Courage. The willingness to make unpopular decisions, admit that we were wrong or that we made a mistake, is what courage looks like in decision-making. It takes courage to look in the mirror and objectively (as is humanly possible) examine the facts from multiple perspectives, scrutinize the logic, face our biases, and strip away the vanity of our egos in order to make the hard decisions. Here are three questions and their shadow questions that can help us make decisions based on principle instead of popularity:



What did you focus on?

But what did you miss?





What did it mean?

How was your interpretation distorted by your assumptions?





What did you do?

What action did you not take?







Compassion. Awakening our humanity by looking at our fellow humans and recognizing that they too have feelings, needs, and perspectives is what empathy is about. We do not have to agree or disagree with them. Understanding others enriches and expands our range and depth of experience. It does not threaten our existence. Compassion is not pity. It is a recognition of what makes us human. If we close our eyes to what is happening around us, we miss the most critical component of all. Decisions are not driven by facts. Decisions are driven by emotion and justified by facts. By ignoring emotions we omit one of the most critical components of good decisions. 




Fear of the unknown



According to the Center for Creative Leadership and Harvard Business School, the greatest fear of the CEOs of the 200 top companies in the U.S. is not knowing what they don’t know—for example, what the next disruptive technology will be and where it will come from.  Emotion is what drives action, not logic. Recognizing this will improve the quality of our decisions and ensure that good decisions are acted upon.



Good decisions are actionable, aligned, and sustainable through clarity of purpose based on values. Values are what matters most to us. However, we are often unaware of our values because values drive our default behaviors, habits, and unconscious biases. The good news is that we can become conscious of what our values really are by analyzing our most difficult and life-changing decisions. Embedded in our subconscious programming, once consciously identified, values enable us to find our purpose and make decisions that are not only attainable but also sustainable. Life-changing decisions like leaving your medical practice to become a bestselling author or volunteering to do unpaid work because you want to contribute are good examples. Our values drive and support our decisions.



In conclusion, self-awareness boosts good decisions because it enables leaders to look inward and outward and objectively separate their assumptions from the true causes of problems. The three Cs—competence, courage, and compassion—form a powerful triad upon which great leaders can make better decisions. Looking for the facts through multidisciplinary perspectives, separating ego from objectives, and understanding the human impact of decisions are safeguards. Finally, when good values are aligned with purpose, decisions become more actionable. These are the foundations of good decisions.







 ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91423443-the-three-cs-of-good-decisions-decisions-leadership.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, three, good, decisions</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S on the ‘Hollywood model’ and going with your gut</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cognizant-ceo-ravi-kumar-s-on-the-hollywood-model-and-going-with-your-gut</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/cognizant-ceo-ravi-kumar-s-on-the-hollywood-model-and-going-with-your-gut</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fortune-Ravi-Kumar-Horizontal.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Cognizant, CEO, Ravi, Kumar, the, ‘Hollywood, model’, and, going, with, your, gut</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Private credit: the case for freeing investors from the grip of passive management  </title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/private-credit-the-case-for-freeing-investors-from-the-grip-of-passive-management</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/private-credit-the-case-for-freeing-investors-from-the-grip-of-passive-management</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Public markets no longer strictly seek the highest and best use of capital. Instead, they reward large-index constituents with a lower cost of capital. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/bc-partners-headshot-e1761142774631.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Private, credit:, the, case, for, freeing, investors, from, the, grip, passive, management  </media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>I’m a CEO who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 43. I felt empowered when I turned to GenAI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/im-a-ceo-who-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-at-43-i-felt-empowered-when-i-turned-to-genai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/im-a-ceo-who-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-at-43-i-felt-empowered-when-i-turned-to-genai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I was overconfident and skipped my mammogram last year because of a busy work schedule. That was a mistake. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dru-armstrong-hs.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>I’m, CEO, who, was, diagnosed, with, breast, cancer, 43., felt, empowered, when, turned, GenAI</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>‘Judge, Jury and Executioner’: How the SEC is  finally leveling the playing field on its dreaded ‘Wells Notice’ enforcement process</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/judge-jury-and-executioner-how-the-sec-is-finally-leveling-the-playing-field-on-its-dreaded-wells-notice-enforcement-process</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/judge-jury-and-executioner-how-the-sec-is-finally-leveling-the-playing-field-on-its-dreaded-wells-notice-enforcement-process</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Until now, the Wells Notice has informed putative defendants that they have only two weeks to submit a written defense or “Wells Submission.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2241247041-e1761158585688.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Judge, Jury, and, Executioner’:, How, the, SEC, finally, leveling, the, playing, field, its, dreaded, ‘Wells, Notice’, enforcement, process</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Debt financing in AI is a signal tech’s bull market is ‘getting weaker and weaker as the days go by,’ Morgan Stanley CIO says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/debt-financing-in-ai-is-a-signal-techs-bull-market-is-getting-weaker-and-weaker-as-the-days-go-by-morgan-stanley-cio-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/debt-financing-in-ai-is-a-signal-techs-bull-market-is-getting-weaker-and-weaker-as-the-days-go-by-morgan-stanley-cio-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “The landscape has suddenly gotten a lot, lot, lot more complicated” for tech stocks going forward, Lisa Shalett says. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-585199452.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Debt, financing, signal, tech’s, bull, market, ‘getting, weaker, and, weaker, the, days, by, ’, Morgan, Stanley, CIO, says</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Why Trump is allowed to tear down part of the White House</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-trump-is-allowed-to-tear-down-part-of-the-white-house</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-trump-is-allowed-to-tear-down-part-of-the-white-house</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The White House, one of the most historically significant and secure buildings in the United States, is being torn apart. 



Demolition crews were on the White House grounds this week to begin demolition of the front facade of the East Wing in order to make way for the construction of a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom that President Trump announced in July. “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump wrote on social media the day the work began.



When the ballroom was first announced this summer, Trump said the project “won’t interfere with the current building.” During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went even further, saying “nothing will be torn down.”



Those statements turned out to be false. Photos and videos taken at the site on October 20 show the walls of the building being chewed to bits by heavy construction equipment outfitted with a jaw-shaped demolition tool that looks like the head of a tyrannosaurus rex.



“This is one of the most important buildings in the nation. This is one of the symbols of who we are as a people,” says Bryan Green, a former commissioner on the National Capital Planning Commission, a government agency that oversees and advises on planning in the Washington, D.C. area. “It’s hard to look and see a wrecking ball hitting it.”



An exemption leaves little protection for the People’s House



Despite the White House’s historic and symbolic significance, there was little to protect it from the demolition work now underway. The White House, along with the Supreme Court building, the Capitol building, and several other properties, is exempted from historic preservation rules that would otherwise stand in the way of such a building being torn down. 



Under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, a strict review process is required for federal projects that may affect historic buildings, leading to both public scrutiny and legal obligations surrounding any proposed changes to existing historic resources. When it comes to the White House, various other entities have some level of oversight, including the National Park Service, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capitol Planning Commission, but none can fully override a project like the demolition and ballroom addition due to the building’s Section 106 exemption.



During his time on the National Capital Planning Commission, Green says he participated in the Section 106 review process and found it beneficial to the outcome of the projects in question. “Projects generally improve as a part of that process,” he says. “You’re having lots of eyes on them, having lots of different people with different interests look at these things and comment on them. They get better.”



The White House ballroom project and its related East Wing demolition had very little, if any, public involvement. Though Trump initially said that several concepts were being considered for the project, the administration did not release any designs or name any architects ahead of July 31, when Trump announced that the White House had chosen Washington, D.C.-based McCrery Architects as the lead architect of the project. Trump has said the project, with an estimated cost of $200 million, would be funded by donors, himself included, “with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!”



The White House did not respond to a request for comment. McCrery Architects referred Fast Company’s questions to the White House.



[Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images]



“A reminder of how far that exemption can be taken”



The White House’s exemption from the Section 106 review process is “unfortunate,” says Priya Jain, an associate professor of architecture at Texas A&amp;M University. “This project and what is happening serves as a reminder of how far that exemption can be taken,” Jain says.



The exemption for the White House, along with the Supreme Court and the Capitol, is not explicitly explained by the policy, but Jain says it likely has to do with evolving security and operational needs that officials don’t want bogged down with an official review or approval process. “Security and safety concerns are paramount,” she says.



Jain is also chair of the Heritage Conservation Committee of the Society of Architectural Historians, which recently issued a statement expressing concern over the lack of oversight on this project, calling for “a rigorous and deliberate design and review process.” 



The organization notes that the White House has undergone numerous exterior and interior modifications since construction began in 1792, including a major reconstruction after the British set fire to the building during the War of 1812, the construction and expansion of the West Wing in the first decade of the 1900s, and the construction of the two-story East Wing building in 1942. This was the last major addition to the White House.



The White House has evolved, but so has the preservation field



In a recent post on LinkedIn, White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin ran through the changes the White House has seen over the centuries, and the criticism they caused. For example, the now-iconic colonnades added to the building by Thomas Jefferson in 1801 were seen at the time as extravagant and reflecting “aristocratic tendencies,” according to McLaurin. 



The East Wing, as it was until a few days ago, was built in the midst of World War Two, sparking criticism about the misappropriation of funding during an international crisis. Even the Rose Garden, which has since been paved over by Trump, was criticized for its elitism.



“Media and Congressional criticisms have often focused on costs, historical integrity, and timing, yet many of these alterations have become integral to the identity of the White House,” McLaurin writes. “It is difficult for us to imagine The White House today without these evolutions and additions.”



Notably, all these changes happened before the creation of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, which is why the Society of Architectural Historians is so concerned about the Section 106 exemption being exploited for such a large demolition and construction project.



“The preservation field has come a long way,” says Jain. She notes that though the section had exempted the buildings at the time of writing, their status as prominent public buildings sets a precedent for other preservation projects and “they should follow some of these best practices that have been established.”



The Trump administration has emphasized the importance of having the ballroom completed “long before” the end of Trump’s term, which may have played a role in the fast pace of design selection and starting construction.



“Designing in public takes time. It takes time to work towards a consensus,” Green says. “I would assume that the goal was just go fast, no revisions. I don’t know that for sure, but it sure looks like that.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91426331-white-house-demolition.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, Trump, allowed, tear, down, part, the, White, House</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Pastrami&#45;bacon&#45;jam burgers and salmon sandwiches: Gas stations are going gourmet</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/pastrami-bacon-jam-burgers-and-salmon-sandwiches-gas-stations-are-going-gourmet</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/pastrami-bacon-jam-burgers-and-salmon-sandwiches-gas-stations-are-going-gourmet</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Fast-food companies, beware: Gas stations and convenience stores are coming for your customers.



Fireside Market, a Wisconsin convenience store chain, announced a new store concept in Slinger, Wisconsin, designed to sell more burgers and less gas. It has a drive-through, curbside pickup area, and gourmet menu items—and it’s a model of the convenience store of the future.



Fireside Market’s burger and sandwich menu is several steps up from the outdated idea of day-old taquitos spinning on a rotating food warmer at the local convenience store. Instead, its menu has items like a burger topped with bacon, pastrami, and balsamic-onion jam, and a grilled-salmon sandwich.




        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by fireside MARKET (@fireside.market)




Falling demand for gas, tobacco, and lottery tickets has upended the business model convenience stores once relied on. In a world with fewer smokers and more Teslas, it’s no longer enough for convenience stores to be an afterthought for drivers stopping to fuel up on gas or soda. They need kitchens.



The percentage of in-store sales that comes from food service—a category that includes prepared foods, commissary, and beverages—is on the rise. It grew from 23% of in-store sales in 2021 to nearly 29% today, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores trade group. That trend is especially noticeable at breakfast time: Sales from morning-meal traffic at food-forward convenience stores grew 9% in the third quarter this year, compared to just 1% at fast-food chains, according to data from market research firm Circana.



Fireside Market’s 9,700-square-foot Slinger location, its first with EV chargers, is designed for this new reality. 7-Eleven closed more than 400 stores in North America last year, but it’s looking to grow its fresh prepared-food offerings as part of its comeback. Meanwhile, food-forward chains are in expansion mode.



Buc-ee’s in Luling, Texas, circa 2024 [Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images]



Buc-ee’s opened its largest location ever in Luling, Texas, last year, while convenience store chain Sheetz opened its 800th location in Raleigh, North Carolina, in August. Casey’s General Stores, known for its pizzas, has broadened its menu to include burgers and sandwiches, while Fast Stop, a Louisiana-based convenience store chain, is taking the trend a step further, spinning off its made-to-order menu of Cajun-inspired foods into its own restaurant with nary a gas pump in sight, according to trade publication C-Store Dive.



In a world that runs on less gas, gas stations have to adapt to survive. Many are finding food is the answer. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91425268-convenience-store-drive-throughs.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Pastrami-bacon-jam, burgers, and, salmon, sandwiches:, Gas, stations, are, going, gourmet</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Anthropic’s relationship with the U.S. government is getting complicated</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropics-relationship-with-the-us-government-is-getting-complicated</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/anthropics-relationship-with-the-us-government-is-getting-complicated</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Anthropic insists that it’s getting along with the Trump administration just fine.In a new blog post published on October 21, the company’s CEO, Dario Amodei, pushed back on what he called “a recent uptick in inaccurate claims about Anthropic’s policy stances.” 



His comments come after David Sacks, a prominent tech venture capitalist currently serving as the Trump administration’s AI czar, accused Anthropic of having an “agenda to backdoor Woke AI” through state-level regulation and working with Democratic mega-donors. That narrative has since gained traction within online right-wing spaces. The comments also follow the White House’s release of an executive order specifically focused on combating “woke AI” earlier this year, though officials have yet to say how it will be enforced. 



Now Anthropic is defending its work on AI safety, which Amodei argued should prioritize “policy over politics.” He also doubled down on the company’s position on regulating AI on the state level, in absence of a national standard. 



Citing JD Vance’s comments on AI directly, Amodei pointed to several areas of agreement with the Trump administration, including to “maximize applications that help people, like breakthroughs in medicine and disease prevention, while minimizing the harmful ones.” 



The CEO also questioned the notion that Claude, the company’s flagship chatbot, is more susceptible to political bias than other similar large language models. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have increasingly leveled accusations that the country’s leading AI companies are building biased AI models, echoing the accusations made against social media companies in recent years. 



In short, Anthropic wants to toe the line between sticking to its commitment to study AI safety—safeguarding against general artificial intelligence endangering the human species and society in all sorts of destabilizing ways—and appeasing the professed concerns of the Trump administration. That’s all happening while the company attempts to scoop up more government work. 



“Anthropic is committed to constructive engagement on matters of public policy. When we agree, we say so,” wrote Amodei. “When we don’t, we propose an alternative for consideration. We do this because we are a public benefit corporation with a mission to ensure that AI benefits everyone, and because we want to maintain America’s lead in AI. Again, we believe we share those goals with the Trump administration, both sides of Congress, and the public. We are going to keep being honest and straightforward, and will stand up for the policies we believe are right. The stakes of this technology are too great for us to do otherwise.”



Federal contracts



Amodei underscored that Anthropic already has myriad partnerships with the federal government, including a contract with the Pentagon and work with the Energy Department’s national laboratory system. Along with competitors like OpenAI, Google, and xAI, Anthropic is also working with the General Services Administration to offer its enterprise Claude service to federal agencies at a discounted price. 



Anthropic’s work within the GSA seems to be unaffected by whatever might be happening within the Office of Science and Technology Policy, where Sacks serves as an adviser, a government official familiar with the matter told Fast Company. Last month, Democrats launched an ethics inquiry into the investor, who has received waivers that allow him to participate in the administration while maintaining some of his investments. 



Anthropic has gotten good feedback from the GSA about government use of the tool, a company spokesperson says. The AI developer also points to its ongoing partnership with Palantir on meeting Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) requirements, a wonky but critical cloud security review program used to offer technology across federal agencies. 



Palantir is a controversial technology contractor that’s seen its business with both the defense and civilian sides of government grow in recent years. As part of that work, Palantir has already been cleared to provide its cloud technology to federal agencies. 



While Anthropic has been picking up government contracts, it appears to be falling behind OpenAI on independent FedRAMP authorization. This could be a game changer for OpenAI: Should OpenAI earn that accreditation, it won’t need to work through another company—like Microsoft—to offer its technology directly to the government. At that point, OpenAI would be a more freestanding government contractor, maintaining far more independence from other major cloud companies. 



The same government official told Fast Company that Anthropic has yet to share a plan for gaining accreditation for its systems through that program, or securing a sponsorship for review in another way. A spokesperson for the GSA declined to comment.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Anthropic’s, relationship, with, the, U.S., government, getting, complicated</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Does playing video games make you sharper at work?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/does-playing-video-games-make-you-sharper-at-work</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/does-playing-video-games-make-you-sharper-at-work</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ For many, picking up a controller at the end of a long day to neutralize some zombies or take on a side quest with a fairy is a way to unwind and escape from the demands of work. 



But it might also have some unexpected benefits that follow you from the character select screen and into the office. 



A new report from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) finds that the motivations behind gaming go far beyond fun. While 66% of the more than 24,000 players in 21 countries surveyed say they play primarily for enjoyment, the majority credit gaming with developing real-world skills, like problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and critical thinking. All useful transferable skills to play up in a job interview. (Maybe don’t reveal you honed them playing Fortnite, though.)



More than half the respondents say playing video games helps relieve stress (58%). Forty-five percent say playing video keeps their minds sharp, and nearly half (43%) of players say video games have positively influenced their education or career path.



“The player perspective is supported by scientific research, with many studies concluding that video games improve cognitive skills and decision-making,” Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO, Entertainment Software Association, told Fast Company. 



“A number of industries have already embraced interactive technologies for training employees, from medical treatments and surgery to astronautics and emergency response,” says Pierre-Louis. “I anticipate more will recognize gameplay as a way to engage with and develop their workforce in the near future.”



Brain health experts are a bit divided as to whether some games, like Wordle, actually improve cognitive function. And while the ESA report is of course an industry one, there’s other data out there that may support its findings.



A 2022 study found that kids who play video games showed better impulse control and working memory than those who didn’t. Another from 2021 found that playing video games does improve not only cognitive functions, but also mood and emotional well-being in elderly people.



Another, from 2020 from University of Liechtenstein, found a strong correlation between video game skills and managerial ability. “In fact, being adept at video games can significantly boost one’s career,” the researchers wrote. 



A literature review published in Procedia Computer Science, cited in the ESA report, also found that gaming can enhance perception, attentional control, and decision-making. Nurses and doctors, for example, who trained with simulation games showed improvements in both risk assessment and response time.



These benefits aren’t limited to just life-or-death scenarios. Retailers have also turned to game-based tools to prepare employees for peak shopping events, the report notes. Sports teams use simulation tech to help athletes train. Across industries, gaming has become a quick fix to boost preparedness and improve team outcomes.



Of course, spending hours gaming in the evening is not always the answer to your work woes. Sometimes it’s just a way to unwind after a long day. (There’s research that suggests mental health benefits of having hobbies, by the way.)



But research has also previously found that gaming can actually hinder the amount of work young men do by 15 to 30 hours over the course of one year. And excessive gaming can be detrimental to mental health, or even spiral into addiction for some people. 



As companies struggle to maintain engaged employees, burnout is on the up. Who knows? Maybe a chill pastime in front of a glowing screen is just the thing to take the edge off. (Or, in some ways, may also give the edge you need to perform better at work.) ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Does, playing, video, games, make, you, sharper, work</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Beyond Meat and Krispy Kreme shares are soaring today as investors get the meme&#45;stock munchies</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/beyond-meat-and-krispy-kreme-shares-are-soaring-today-as-investors-get-the-meme-stock-munchies</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/beyond-meat-and-krispy-kreme-shares-are-soaring-today-as-investors-get-the-meme-stock-munchies</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Don’t look now, but meme stock mania appears to be back with a vengeance this week. 



This time around, Beyond Meat, Inc. (Nasdaq: BYND) and Krispy Kreme, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNUT) are the two main stocks getting all the attention from meme investors. Here’s what you need to know.



Beyond Meat shares skyrocket again



On Monday, Fast Company reported on the surging share price of Beyond Meat, the producer of plant-based meat alternatives. The company started the trading week by enjoying a stock price surge of more than 67% in premarket trading that day.



But far from any change in the company’s financial fundamentals, what seemed to be driving shares higher were short sellers and meme stock enthusiasts. 



Indeed, Beyond Meat’s business has been struggling in recent years as consumers have turned away from plant-based meat alternatives. 



More recently, Beyond Meat announced that its creditors had agreed to a debt swap, which will result in the issuance of 316 million new BYND shares, thereby diluting existing shares.



But a struggling company in penny stock territory can be red meat to meme investors. For much of the past week, meme traders on Reddit and elsewhere have been pumping up the stock—and it appears to be working.



Yesterday, Beyond Meat shares rose a staggering 146% to close at $3.62 per share. And today in premarket trading, as of the time of this writing, BYND shares are up another 103% to $7.37. 



That puts Beyond Meat shares at a price they have not seen since 2024.



It also puts Beyond Meat’s shares firmly in the green for this year. The stock began 2025 at around $4 per share, but that price had fallen to as low as 50 cents per share just last week, before meme stock traders decided to take a bite.



One other contributing factor to Beyond Meat’s surge this week is that, as CNBC notes, the stock was added to Roundhill Investment’s Meme Stock ETF on Monday, cementing its place in the meme stock pantheon.



Meme stock traders want dessert, too



Krispy Kreme’s stock is also seeing some meme stock action this week. DNUT shares rose more than 13% yesterday to $3.71, and as of the time of this writing, in premarket trading this morning, the company’s shares are up another 40% to $5.23 apiece.



While those gains are a far cry from the ones BYND shares are experiencing, DNUT shares have more experience in the meme stock arena. Meme stock investors heavily traded DNUT shares earlier this year.



Other factors that may be impacting interest in Krispy Kreme’s stock include the company’s recent international expansion in Spain, with additional countries, Brazil and Uzbekistan, planned before the end of the year. 



Investors likely hope that this expansion can help offset domestic sales issues.



Still, despite its recent gains, DNUT shares remain significantly down from where they were at the beginning of this year. In January, the stock traded at more than $9.80 apiece. And as of yesterday’s close, DNUT shares have fallen more than 67% over the past 12 months. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Beyond, Meat, and, Krispy, Kreme, shares, are, soaring, today, investors, get, the, meme-stock, munchies</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why AI failures are worth talking about—loudly and publicly</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-ai-failures-are-worth-talking-aboutloudly-and-publicly</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-ai-failures-are-worth-talking-aboutloudly-and-publicly</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When it comes to experimenting with AI, these women C-suite executives advise giving employees permission to fail. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/54854867999_c31d203b50_o-e1760630353592.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, failures, are, worth, talking, about—loudly, and, publicly</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Big Bang Theory star had an existential crisis after his big break—despite making $1 million an episode: ‘You feel empty’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/big-bang-theory-star-had-an-existential-crisis-after-his-big-breakdespite-making-1-million-an-episode-you-feel-empty</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/big-bang-theory-star-had-an-existential-crisis-after-his-big-breakdespite-making-1-million-an-episode-you-feel-empty</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ After The Big Bang Theory made him a multimillionaire, Kunal Nayyar hit an unexpected low: “I was in my early 30s, and I had everything,” the actor tells Fortune. “But the truth is, nothing can satisfy you.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2041801025-e1760963524659.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Big, Bang, Theory, star, had, existential, crisis, after, his, big, break—despite, making, million, episode:, ‘You, feel, empty’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>It’s not 40 hours—Gen Zers don’t know how long they need to work in a week and even experts can’t decide</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/its-not-40-hoursgen-zers-dont-know-how-long-they-need-to-work-in-a-week-and-even-experts-cant-decide</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/its-not-40-hoursgen-zers-dont-know-how-long-they-need-to-work-in-a-week-and-even-experts-cant-decide</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Cerebras CEO says entrepreneurs should work &quot;every waking minute,&quot; and Google&#039;s Sergey Brin told Gemini staffers a 60-hour workweek is the “sweet spot”—but experts say that’s outrageous. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-1388795373-e1741370111745.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>It’s, not, hours—Gen, Zers, don’t, know, how, long, they, need, work, week, and, even, experts, can’t, decide</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Empathy is the most under&#45;hyped factor of the AI transformation era, American Express exec says</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/empathy-is-the-most-under-hyped-factor-of-the-ai-transformation-era-american-express-exec-says</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/empathy-is-the-most-under-hyped-factor-of-the-ai-transformation-era-american-express-exec-says</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Anna Marrs, group president of global merchant and network services, American Express, spoke at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women conference on Wednesday. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/54856915563_dfbe87e60e_o-e1760963969381.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Empathy, the, most, under-hyped, factor, the, transformation, era, American, Express, exec, says</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Jeff Bezos sold his Seattle mansion for record&#45;breaking $63 million after he and wife Lauren Sánchez moved to Miami to live in $237 million compound</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jeff-bezos-sold-his-seattle-mansion-for-record-breaking-63-million-after-he-and-wife-lauren-sanchez-moved-to-miami-to-live-in-237-million-compound</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jeff-bezos-sold-his-seattle-mansion-for-record-breaking-63-million-after-he-and-wife-lauren-sanchez-moved-to-miami-to-live-in-237-million-compound</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The Amazon founder owns three Miami mansions in the Billionaire Bunker. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2221819721-e1760967565182.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jeff, Bezos, sold, his, Seattle, mansion, for, record-breaking, 63, million, after, and, wife, Lauren, Sánchez, moved, Miami, live, 237, million, compound</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Why did Apple subtract the “+” from Apple TV?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-did-apple-subtract-the-from-apple-tv</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-did-apple-subtract-the-from-apple-tv</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I was thrilled this week when Apple issued a press release announcing that its original film, F1 The Movie, starring Brad Pitt, would make its streaming debut on the company’s video service December 12. But it wasn’t the news about the movie that excited me. Rather, it was a small line at the end of the press release that quietly announced something else: “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity.”



The “+” branding on Apple TV+ always bugged me. Whenever I looked at it, I thought, “Apple TV plus what?” Apple News offers a free base version and a paid version that gets you more content, called “Apple News+,” which makes sense. But there’s never been a free version of Apple’s video streaming service, so what was the “+” signifying? The “+” branding had also grown increasingly tiresome over the years, as nearly every streaming service added the mathematical operator onto its name.



Mercifully, Apple has now decided to subtract the plus. Here’s the why, and how the company could go further toward to ending branding’s most tiresome scourge.



The company didn’t invent the “+”, but it embraced it like no other



Until this week, Apple had been leaning hard into the “+” branding for years—nearly as hard as it did to the much more iconic “i” branding in the early 2000s. 



Apple debuted its first “+” branding all the way back in October 2011 with its AppleCare+ extended warranty program, which covered accidental damage to a user’s iPhone. It used an alphabetic version of the nomenclature with the iPhone 6 “Plus” model in 2014. But it wasn’t until 2019 that Apple began to go hog wild on “+”. 



That year, Apple debuted the Apple News+ news subscription service and the Apple TV+ video streaming service. A year later, in 2020, Apple debuted the Apple Fitness+ workout streaming service, and a year after that, the company added its latest “+” service, iCloud+.



Yet Apple wasn’t the first tech or media company to tack “+” onto a product. The earliest I can remember is NBC Universal’s and News Corp’s “Hulu Plus” back in 2010, and then, several months before Apple debuted AppleCare+ in 2011, Google came out with its now-defunct social network Google+. The next major company to embrace the “+” was Disney, with ESPN+ in 2018. 



However, the “+” really went viral in the final months of 2019. In September of that year, BET launched BET+. Two months later, Apple TV+ and the streaming giant Disney+ arrived. In the years that followed, we got more: Discovery+, Paramount+, AMC+, the short-lived CNN+, and more.



But it was Apple, with its no fewer than five “+” products, that was the clear cross-bearer—sorry, plus-bearer—for the techno-media industries.



Apple explains why it killed off the Apple TV “+”



Apple’s announcement to drop the “+” from Apple TV+ this week came out of the blue. However, shortly after the abrupt name change, the company explained its reasoning.



In an appearance on The Town podcast (via 9to5Mac), Apple’s senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, who oversees products including Apple Music, Apple News, and the newly named Apple TV, spoke about the subtraction of the “+”. Cue revealed that the company originally named its streaming service “Apple TV+” simply because Apple had used the “+” mark in its other subscription services, such as Apple News+ and iCloud+.



“But we do that when we have a free service and then there’s a paid version,” Cue acknowledged, noting the distinction between Apple TV and the company’s other paid services.



“We stayed consistent because of it,” Cue continued, admitting, “but we all called it Apple TV, and we said, given where we are today [with the service’s brand awareness], it’s a great time to [ditch the “+”], so let’s just do it.”



Apple shows no signs of entirely abandoning the “+”



My colleague, Grace Snelling, spoke to several branding experts the wake of the Apple TV service rebrand. They all seem to agree that Apple made the right move in dropping the +.



As Snelling noted, in the early days of the streaming wars that began in 2019, the “+” addendum attached to a name served as an easy identifier, indicating that the product being sold was a streaming service. However, now that the symbol has become ubiquitous, it has lost some of its branding power. As Cue pointed out, the Apple TV streaming service brand is now strong enough that the “+” is no longer needed.



Yet while Apple has now subtracted the “+” from Apple TV, the company remains firmly on the “+” side of the equation. Four of its products still carry the mathematical moniker: Apple News+, iCloud+, Apple Fitness+, and AppleCare+. Here, the + makes more sense than it ever did on Apple TV, since it signifies additional features. Cue’s comments suggest that Apple has no intention of eliminating the “+” from the rest of this product lineup. 



Still, it’s worth noting that the removal of “+” from Apple TV’s name isn’t the first time in 2025 that Apple has eliminated the symbol from one of its products. In September, Apple replaced the iPhone Plus model in its smartphone lineup with the new iPhone Air. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, did, Apple, subtract, the, “”, from, Apple, TV</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Here’s what the new 401(k) tax&#45;break guidelines may mean for you</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/heres-what-the-new-401k-tax-break-guidelines-may-mean-for-you</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/heres-what-the-new-401k-tax-break-guidelines-may-mean-for-you</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s human nature to wait until the last minute rather than plan ahead—perhaps especially when it comes to retirement planning. There’s always plenty of other excellent uses for your money, until suddenly you’re staring at an underfunded 401(k) with only a few years left before you’ll need it.



This is why president George W. Bush passed legislation in 2001 that (among other things) allowed for catch-up contributions among workers who were 50 or older. This gave older workers a chance to beef up their 401(k) accounts while they were typically at the peak of their earning years and let them continue to take advantage of making pre-tax contributions.



Other than increasing the amount of money 50+ workers can contribute, the basics of catch-up contributions have remained virtually the same for the past two decades—until now. As of calendar year 2027, the SECURE 2.0 Act eliminates the catch-up contribution tax break for 50+ workers earning $145,000 or more.



Here’s what you need to know about how this change may affect your retirement planning.



Current contribution and catch-up limits



As of 2025, workers may contribute up to $23,500 pre-tax to their 401(k) or other defined contribution workplace retirement plan. Workers over the age of 50 may put aside an additional $7,500 in catch-up contributions, for a total of $31,000, pre-tax. And any workers between the ages of 60 and 63 may make an $11,250 super catch-up contribution, for a total contribution limit of $34,750 in pre-tax dollars.



The ability to make these contributions pre-tax means 50+ workers get to reduce their tax burden for the current year by over $30,000, a huge tax benefit. 



Same catch-up contributions, different tax breaks



But after December 31, 2026, the IRS will require you to make catch-up contributions with after-tax money if you earned $145,000 or more from your current employer in the previous year. In other words, if you’re over 50 and earn more than $145k in 2026, you’ll have to put in any 2027 catch-up contributions as after-tax Roth contributions.



This change does not affect regular contributions at all. Even if you are a high earning 50-something, every dollar of your regular contributions will be pre-tax (unless you choose otherwise). It is only the catch-up contributions that must be categorized as Roth contributions for high earning individuals.



Roth ain’t so bad, once you get used to it



There’s a very good reason why Uncle Sam made 401(k) plans tax-deferred: we’re much more likely to contribute money to our futures if we can get a tax break today. But the thing about this kind of upfront tax-break is that taxes will come due eventually. You will have to pay regular income taxes on 401(k) withdrawals in retirement.



Roth contributions, on the other hand, are made with money that has already been taxed. While that makes things a bit more expensive today, it can be a boon for your future self because the money grows and can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement.



(This is why I personally recommend having at least some money set aside in a Roth account. Investing in a Roth retirement account means you have a tax-free source of cash that won’t affect your Social Security benefits or other taxable income if you need access to a big chunk of money. For example, if you have a health issue in retirement, you can pull money from your Roth account without affecting the tax-balanced fixed income you’re living on.)



In addition, Roth 401(k) plans don’t require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) as of age 73, unlike traditional 401(k)s. That means you can let your money continue to grow in your Roth 401(k) past your 73rd birthday.



While potentially losing the tax break on catch-up contributions is not ideal, especially if you’ve been counting on it, there are some real benefits to having money in a Roth account for retirement.



How many workers will this really affect?



There is still time before the new rules go into effect, but it does raise an interesting question: just how widespread an issue will this be?



To start, only about 8.37% of individual workers earned $145,000 or more in 2024. As of 2025, there are an estimated 124.37 million Americans over the age of 50. If we assume 8.37% of 124.37 million 50+ Americans are earning $145k or more, that leaves us with 10,410,154 affected workers.



However, not everyone contributes to a 401(k) plan or other defined contribution plan. According to 2025 research by Gallup, only 66% of Americans over age 50 have money invested in a 401(k) plan, 403(b) plan, or IRA, either on their own, or jointly with a spouse.



If we assume that only 66% of workers earning over $145,000 are investing in a defined benefit plan, that leaves us with 6,870,701 potentially affected individuals.



That said, even if you’re not among the 6.8 million workers who might face this problem, you still may want to consider making Roth contributions. If your 401(k) plan doesn’t offer Roth contributions as an option, you can always open a Roth IRA on your own to take advantage of the same benefits.



Whether you’re under the age of 50 or earning less than $145,000, or both, you can still benefit from the upsides of a Roth.



Preparing for good problems



The upcoming changes to catch-up contribution rules can feel like having the rug pulled out from under you, but there’s still time to get ready for the shift. It’s also a good idea to remember that if you’re required to make Roth 401(k) catch-up contributions, it’s because you’re otherwise in pretty great financial shape. That’s because you:




Could afford to max out your 401(k) annual contribution that was more than $23,500 for the year



Earned at least $145,000 in 2026



And still had money left over that you could contribute to your retirement account.




Though it may affect your tax strategy now, the new rules will also give you access to a Roth account that will grow tax-free and will be available for tax-free withdrawals without any RMDs. 



The change also brings the benefits of Roth 401(k) plans into the spotlight, and may encourage more plan participants to make Roth contributions, even if the new rules don’t affect them.



All in all, the new rules may be a pain in the neck to plan for, but they’re mostly a net benefit. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Here’s, what, the, new, 401k, tax-break, guidelines, may, mean, for, you</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>An entry&#45;level homebuilding boom in the Southeast smacks into a shifted housing market</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/an-entry-level-homebuilding-boom-in-the-southeast-smacks-into-a-shifted-housing-market</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/an-entry-level-homebuilding-boom-in-the-southeast-smacks-into-a-shifted-housing-market</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.



In early October, a post on X by FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller caught my attention:




Speaking with a home builder last night (Chattanooga, TN): High-demand in the low-end of the market ( ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/p-1-91424602-entry-level-homebuilding-boom.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>entry-level, homebuilding, boom, the, Southeast, smacks, into, shifted, housing, market</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Building House of Highlights into a sports media powerhouse</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/building-house-of-highlights-into-a-sports-media-powerhouse</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/building-house-of-highlights-into-a-sports-media-powerhouse</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ You’ve probably heard of House of Highlights—even if you’re not a sports fan, it’s hard to miss, whether on YouTube or scrolling through your social feeds.



What started as a college dorm Instagram account has grown over 11 years into the #1 sports media brand on the platform, boasting 100 million followers and billions of monthly views.



Today, House of Highlights is a multi-platform sports media powerhouse, producing creator-led content and original series that rival traditional TV. Drew Muller, vice president and general manager at House of Highlights, spoke with Yasmin Gagne and Joshua Christensen on the Most Innovative Companies podcast about growth strategies, creator partnerships, and how the company balances viral moments with long-form storytelling.







How did House of Highlights start?



[The genesis of the project came from] a guy named Omar Raja in his college dorm room. The idea was: “I’m not seeing the highlights that I want on the platforms where I’m spending time.” Seems like kind of table stakes now that you see the proliferation of highlights basically everywhere you look on social media. But back then it really was a novel idea.



And the Bleacher Report leadership at the time [. . .] led the acquisition of bringing in this Instagram account into the sports world and saying, “this account is doing something interesting—it’s speaking with young people, it’s overperforming in ways that seem to not map to what typical sports companies are doing.”



[It was ultimately a credit to Bleacher Report] who let House of Highlights incubate as a startup within the larger company, allowing it space to grow and preserve its unique voice.



From there, the idea was: let’s figure out if we can make this into a multi-platform media company that can stand on its own and be incremental to what Bleacher Report was already doing. So how do we make this differentiated and give fans a reason to want to follow both accounts? 



How do you make sure House of Highlights keeps its own voice and identity?



A lot of it maps down to a steadfast commitment to voice and clarity of who we are and who we’re not. A lot of it is due to the organizational structure where House of Highlights is able to maintain operational and strategy independence. We have our own go-to-market strategy, we have our own assets and content strategy and logos and identities and even fonts.



But it does take a day-in and day-out focus to balance the two, because we do eat from the same pool of sports rights and sometimes resources.



You moved from Instagram highlights to hour-long programming. What were the conversations like around developing long-form content?



When we first started to make original content, it was almost out of necessity creator-led. We were a small scrappy team, and in many instances we couldn’t afford to pay huge athletes. There were creators that were starting to blow up on Instagram and YouTube, but were nowhere near the scale we’re talking about today. We were able to form big partnerships with creators that are now household names [like] Supreme Dreams, and Mark Phillips. All of it tied back to sports, youth culture, and putting an entertaining lens on what it is to be a sports fan or to experience sports with your friends in a group chat.



The most value that we’ve gotten from building habitual long-form viewership is making sure that an hour or two-hour-long video has a clear path to short form [because] we have massive amounts of short-form expertise and scale, and people are expecting that from us. 



How has House of Highlights’ approach to creator deals evolved?



[When looking at the creator’s growth chart, we want to be] where they’re starting to take off, but before they get to the point where they’re a household name and they’re the cream of the crop, not to say we don’t still want to work with them at that point, but typically that’s when they’re getting overpaid by some of the legacy companies. 



[We] built a lot of the formats that have been replicated by many of the big leagues and some of the big media companies. [Creators] know they’re not just showing up for an appearance fee or to check a box. We’re trying to build special content together and special franchises and IP that can scale. 



House of Highlights, as we’ve discussed, is publishing across multiple platforms. How do you approach content programming across those platforms that all reward different types of content and cadence?



[On YouTube], you’re going to see full game recaps for folks that maybe aren’t in the cable bundle and aren’t watching two- to three-hour games—they typically come to House of Highlights YouTube for a 10- to 15-minute recap of that game.



On TikTok, because of how the For You Page operates, you can publish more, and those videos will find their homes without taking up all of someone’s feed. On Instagram, if someone follows House of Highlights and we’re publishing a hundred times a day, it will feel like that in your feed.



Under-34 sports fans are watching less and less live cable sports events—[so how] can we build an appointment viewing experience for that fandom? From an advertising perspective, obviously that is super valuable, and it’s increasingly hard to reach that audience at scale.



What’s next for House of Highlights?



We’ve got three events left in our Creator League season. We’ve got a basketball knockout five on five, and then a championship series. That’ll carry us through the end of November. Based on the numbers that we’re seeing, we’re excited about what the championship could look like. 



And then honestly, the growth of our Fans versus Haters series and where that overarching brand can go in terms of debate style content for a younger audience. 



[At the end of the day, a lot of it] comes down to our focus on YouTube and how we’re making House of Highlights a broadcast channel. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Building, House, Highlights, into, sports, media, powerhouse</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This week in business: Cinnamon scares, AI badges, and gold’s big glow&#45;up</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-cinnamon-scares-ai-badges-and-golds-big-glow-up</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-cinnamon-scares-ai-badges-and-golds-big-glow-up</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Your pantry, your portfolio, even your flight plans all made headlines this week.



The FDA turned everyone’s favorite spice into a hazard warning, while the world’s wealthiest got a new credit card that skips the whole Social Security number thing. Washington’s still stuck in neutral—though a few lucky borrowers are finally seeing their student loans disappear—and airports are feeling the fallout. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s on a downward spiral, gold’s having a moment, and the housing market’s math still doesn’t add up no matter how many times you punch the calculator.



Retailers, at least, seem to be thriving in chaos. Walmart doubled down on AI, cutting a deal with OpenAI so shoppers can chat their way through checkout, then followed up with plans to blanket its supply chain in smart sensors. Over in the cultural corner, major news outlets refused to play ball with the Pentagon’s new press rules, and the Boy Scouts—now Scouting America—rolled out merit badges in AI and cybersecurity. 



If that sounds like a lot, it is. The throughline? Whether it’s your cinnamon or your shopping list, everything familiar is getting rewired in real time. Here’s a look at what made headlines this week.



FDA widens ground cinnamon warning over elevated lead



The FDA expanded its list of ground cinnamon products to avoid, citing testing that found elevated lead levels and urging consumers to discard affected items. Sixteen products now sit on the list, spanning multiple distributors and retailers with specific lots and best-by dates. No illnesses are confirmed, but the agency warns long-term exposure can harm children’s development, and the list has grown through multiple updates since July 2024.



A premium no-SSN card takes aim at AmEx Platinum’s turf



Fintech startup Karta unveiled a $300-annual-fee premium card for affluent non-residents with U.S. assets—no Social Security number required. Perks mirror marquee travel cards (lounges, events, protections), and the product is managed via WhatsApp with AI-assisted service. Backed by $5.4 million in seed funding and 22 banking partners, Karta is targeting customers hit by steep foreign card fees and the wind-down of AmEx’s International Dollar Card.



IBR student-loan forgiveness resumes for eligible borrowers



Notices are landing in inboxes for borrowers on the Income-Based Repayment student loan plans who’ve hit 20- or 25-year payment thresholds. The move restarts discharges paused in July amid systems updates and litigation fallout. It’s not a new program—just the promised IBR relief catching up—so borrowers should keep paying until they receive official confirmation.



Scouting America adds AI and cybersecurity merit badges



Scouting America introduced new badges covering machine learning basics, prompt communication, deepfake awareness, and cybersecurity concepts this week. The goal is to marry traditional “be prepared” ethos with digital-age fluency. It’s also a retention play as membership has fallen from historic peaks, with newer badges designed to meet kids where they live—online.



Flight delays mount as shutdown enters week three



A mix of bad weather and shutdown-related staffing strain produced tens of thousands of flight delays across the long weekend. Trade groups say flying remains safe, but chokepoints at Northeast hubs added to traveler frustration. With Congress still gridlocked, operational unpredictability remains the near-term baseline.



Bitcoin swoons while gold shines



After notching an all-time high earlier this month, Bitcoin slid to a four-month low this week as investors rotated toward gold. Macro jitters—from tariffs talk to the federal shutdown—pressed risk appetite. The move highlights crypto’s evolving “safe-haven” narrative: sometimes it benefits from stress, sometimes the old haven still wins.



Zillow: “Unrealistic” rate cuts needed for affordability



Back-of-the-envelope modeling suggests the average 30-year mortgage would need to drop to ~4.43% to make a median home affordable to a median-income buyer (assuming 20% down). In several coastal markets, even 0% rates wouldn’t fix the math given taxes, insurance, and upkeep. Zillow’s takeaway: don’t bank on rates—or prices—bailing out budgets soon.



Walmart to enable ChatGPT checkout with OpenAI



Walmart announced an “agentic commerce” tie-up so shoppers can purchase via natural language directly in ChatGPT. The integration leans on OpenAI’s Instant Checkout and Agentic Commerce Protocol, pitching fewer clicks and more personalization. Investors liked the direction of travel, framing it as an on-ramp to AI-assisted shopping at mass scale.



Major outlets reject Pentagon press rules



Major news outlets including The New York Times, AP, and Fox News have said they won’t sign the Defense Department’s new required policy governing access and information requests, leading them to leave the Penagon this week.



Newsrooms argue the rules impact routine reporting and set a troubling precedent; the government says they’re common-sense procedures. The standoff raises practical questions about credentialing and transparency.



Walmart rolls out ambient IoT sensors across supply chain



In a parallel modernization push, Walmart plans millions of battery-free sensors on pallets to track inventory across 4,600 stores and 40+ distribution centers, expanding nationwide in 2026. The data will feed Walmart’s AI systems to improve accuracy, cold-chain compliance, and on-shelf availability. It’s a scale bet that visibility equals velocity—and profit.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, week, business:, Cinnamon, scares, badges, and, gold’s, big, glow-up</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Ulta Beauty’s new CFO is a Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson veteran tasked to help lead the company’s next chapter</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-ulta-beautys-new-cfo-is-ajohnson-johnson-veteran-tasked-to-help-lead-the-companys-next-chapter</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-ulta-beautys-new-cfo-is-ajohnson-johnson-veteran-tasked-to-help-lead-the-companys-next-chapter</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Christopher DelOrefice will join the company on Dec. 5. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Ulta-Beauty-Herald-Square-e1760615203879.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Ulta, Beauty’s, new, CFO, a Johnson, Johnson, veteran, tasked, help, lead, the, company’s, next, chapter</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm invests $50 million in Solana staking protocol Jito</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/andreessen-horowitzs-crypto-arm-invests-50-million-in-solana-staking-protocol-jito</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/andreessen-horowitzs-crypto-arm-invests-50-million-in-solana-staking-protocol-jito</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ This is the largest ever commitment from one investor into Jito, said the executive director of the Jito Foundation. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Crypto-Coins-Solana-13.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Andreessen, Horowitz’s, crypto, arm, invests, 50, million, Solana, staking, protocol, Jito</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gen Z’s digital native status is a double&#45;edged sword. They have cyber blind spots</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-zs-digital-native-status-is-a-double-edged-sword-they-have-cyber-blind-spots</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-zs-digital-native-status-is-a-double-edged-sword-they-have-cyber-blind-spots</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ By 2030, Gen Z will make up roughly 30% of U.S. workers, which means businesses can’t afford to wait. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-1430345687-e1760545152753.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gen, Z’s, digital, native, status, double-edged, sword., They, have, cyber, blind, spots</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>From pilots to powering sustainable growth: the C&#45;suite blueprint for physical AI</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-pilots-to-powering-sustainable-growth-the-c-suite-blueprint-for-physical-ai</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/from-pilots-to-powering-sustainable-growth-the-c-suite-blueprint-for-physical-ai</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We are witnessing this technology advance beyond the digital world right before our eyes. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/raj-sharma.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>From, pilots, powering, sustainable, growth:, the, C-suite, blueprint, for, physical</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Verizon exec tells unemployed Gen Z they can always volunteer to stand out in the current bleak job market: ‘No one’s going to say no to free work’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/verizon-exec-tells-unemployed-gen-z-they-can-always-volunteer-to-stand-out-in-the-current-bleak-job-market-no-ones-going-to-say-no-to-free-work</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/verizon-exec-tells-unemployed-gen-z-they-can-always-volunteer-to-stand-out-in-the-current-bleak-job-market-no-ones-going-to-say-no-to-free-work</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As millions of young grads face unemployment, Verizon’s talent chief insists that even unpaid and informal experience can set candidates apart. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/unemployed_gen_z_job_interview_verizon.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Verizon, exec, tells, unemployed, Gen, they, can, always, volunteer, stand, out, the, current, bleak, job, market:, ‘No, one’s, going, say, free, work’</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Flight delays today: Air travel headaches continue as government shutdown enters its third week</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/flight-delays-today-air-travel-headaches-continue-as-government-shutdown-enters-its-third-week</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/flight-delays-today-air-travel-headaches-continue-as-government-shutdown-enters-its-third-week</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Headaches continued for U.S. travelers over the weekend as a combination of bad weather and impacts from the ongoing government shutdown ensnarled many would-be fliers. 



Flight delays and cancellations piled up over the three-day holiday period, with flight-tracking service FlightAware showing nearly 30,000 delays in, within, and out of U.S. airports from Sunday of last week through Monday. Here’s the latest on the situation at U.S. airports and what travelers need to know:



How bad have flight delays been? 



Delays and cancellations at many airports have grown progressively worse since the U.S. government shut down on October 1. With no end in sight to the political impasse in Washington that brought us here, the shutdown will enter its third week tomorrow.



FlightAware data shows there were 7,928 delays in, within, and out of U.S. airports yesterday, along with 592 cancellations.



Saturday and Sunday were roughly the same, with 5,007 delays and 114 cancellations on Saturday and 7,981 delays and 271 cancellations on Sunday.















Airlines for America, a trade group representing U.S. airlines, had warned before the weekend that shutdown-related shortages in air traffic controllers could create travel headaches at a number of airports, although the group insisted that flying remains safe, as CNN reported. 



Bad weather, including a nor’easter that made its way up the East Coast, contributed to the chaos, causing delays at Northeast airports including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark International Airport in New Jersey.



Will delays continue this week?



As of early Tuesday morning, FlightAware data showed significantly fewer delays and cancellations so far, but the numbers were significantly rising by the hour. 



As of 9 a.m. ET, the site reported 771 delays and 42 cancellations, up from roughly 499 and 26 an hour earlier. Only time will tell what the future has in store.



Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill remain deadlocked over key sticking points. Most crucially, Democrats want to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that are set to expire this year.



According to estimates from KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation), the loss of the credits would lead to significantly higher healthcare premiums for millions of Americans.



This story is developing… ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Flight, delays, today:, Air, travel, headaches, continue, government, shutdown, enters, its, third, week</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Quantum computing stocks soared again yesterday. The reason why may surprise even their biggest boosters</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/quantum-computing-stocks-soared-again-yesterday-the-reason-why-may-surprise-even-their-biggest-boosters</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/quantum-computing-stocks-soared-again-yesterday-the-reason-why-may-surprise-even-their-biggest-boosters</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Shares in America’s “Quantum Four” quantum computing companies surged again yesterday. D-Wave, IonQ, Quantum Computing, and Rigetti all saw their stock prices jump by double-digit percentages. 



But why? The Quantum Four’s big stock price gains had nothing to do with radical new quantum computing breakthroughs. Instead, investors can thank banking giant JPMorganChase for the gains. Here’s what you need to know.



Why did quantum computing shares surge yesterday?



Yesterday, America’s four most prominent quantum computing companies saw their stock prices surge by double-digit percentages. But the genesis behind these soaring share prices wasn’t directly related to news about the companies.



Instead, the upward movement in the Quantum Four’s share prices was largely due to financial giant JPMorganChase. 



On Monday, the investment bank announced a “Security and Resiliency Initiative” to invest in industries critical to America’s national economic security interests.



This initiative will see JPMorganChase invest $1.5 trillion in select industries over the next 10 years. 



And the first wave of this funding—to the tune of up to $10 billion—has already been decided upon. The banking giant announced it will invest the 11-figure sum via “direct equity and venture capital investments” in companies operating across four key areas, which include:




Supply Chain and Advanced Manufacturing



Defense and Aerospace



Energy Independence and Resilience



Frontier and Strategic Technologies




For quantum computing investors, it’s that last area—frontier and strategic technologies—that matters. Included in that grouping are companies in the AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing space.



“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products, and manufacturing—all of which are essential for our national security,” JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon said in a press release announcing the initiative. 



He added, “This new initiative includes efforts like ensuring reliable access to life-saving medicines and critical minerals, defending our nation, building energy systems to meet AI-driven demand, and advancing technologies like semiconductors and data centers. Our support of clients in these industries remains unwavering.”



However, it is worth noting that Dimon did not specify which quantum computing companies would receive investments from the bank. 



In an accompanying chart, the bank merely said that strengthening capabilities in quantum computing and other areas, including AI and cybersecurity, “could directly translate into higher GDP and create military, intelligence, biotech, and cyber resilience benefits.”



Yet despite not name-dropping any of the Quantum Four, their stocks surged.



Quantum stocks soared by double digits



In the United States, there are four prominent publicly traded quantum computing companies: D-Wave, IonQ, Quantum Computing, and Rigetti. All four companies saw their stock soar yesterday after JPMorganChase’s announcement.




D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS): up 23% to $40.62



IonQ (NYSE: IONQ): up 16% to $82.09



Quantum Computing (Nasdaq: QUBT): up 12% to $21.46



Rigetti Computing (Nasdaq: RGTI): up 25% to $54.91




In addition to America’s Quantum Four, shares in the United Kingdom’s Arqit Quantum (Nasdaq: ARQQ) also jumped 20% to close at $58.27.



Despite Monday’s price surges, all Quantum Four stocks and the U.K.’s Arqit are currently down in premarket trading on Tuesday morning, as of the time of this writing.



The drops aren’t large: QBTS is down less than 3%, IONQ and QUBT are down around 4%, RGTI is down just over 3%, and ARQQ is down just under 3%. 



These modest declines suggest that some investors are engaging in profit-taking after yesterday’s share price surge. 



Still, many quantum investors are likely buoyed by the notion that one of America’s biggest investment firms thinks quantum computing will be critical to national security in the years ahead. If that conjecture is correct, companies operating in those spaces have a lot to gain.



Shares in the Quantum Four have had a great year



While the real-world benefits of quantum computing, which uses the properties of quantum mechanics to solve computational problems that classical computers couldn’t hope to, are likely still years away, the companies operating in the nascent space have seen tremendous returns over the past year.



When it comes to the Quantum Four, all have had incredible returns both year-to-date (YTD) and over the past twelve months (12/m), as of yesterday’s stock market close:




D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS): up 383% YTD, up 4,087% (12/m)



IonQ (NYSE: IONQ): up 96% YTD, up 670% (12/m)



Quantum Computing (Nasdaq: QUBT): up 29% YTD, up 3,001% (12/m)



Rigetti Computing (Nasdaq: RGTI): up 259% YTD, up 6,629% (12/m)




These are gains that many investors are hoping will continue well into the future. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Quantum, computing, stocks, soared, again, yesterday., The, reason, why, may, surprise, even, their, biggest, boosters</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Meet the first&#45;ever luggage with built&#45;in AirTags</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-the-first-ever-luggage-with-built-in-airtags</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-the-first-ever-luggage-with-built-in-airtags</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When Apple’s AirTag came out four years ago, one of the most obvious uses for it was for luggage.



On my long trips to Asia, I always breathe a sign of relief when I glance at my phone and find that my checked suitcase has been loaded onto the aircraft. And I often wish I had one in my carry-on suitcase, especially when the overhead bins run out of space and the flight attendant checks my bag at the gate.



July, a fast-growing Australian startup, has become the first luggage brand to incorporate AirTags directly into its suitcases. The technology was made in partnership with Apple and Google, so the tags are integrated with both Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find Hub networks.



On October 14, July unveils this new feature, which will eventually be incorporated into its full line of carry-ons and suitcases. Cofounder Athan Didaskalou believes trackers will soon become standard in all suitcases, but it is still important to him for July to be first to market with this technology. “We have a team of industrial designers on hand, and we like making things,” Didaskalou says. “The only way to stand out today is by continuing to innovate.”



[Photo: July]



The Ubiquitous Roller Suitcase



Step into an airport today, and you’ll see virtually every traveler pushing wheeled luggage. Didaskalou points out that each element in the now-ubiquitous roller suitcase was the result of a breakthrough in design. In 1987, an airline pilot developed the concept of a wheeled suitcase with a telescoping handle—a vast improvement over having to carry your suitcase like a briefcase. By the 1990s, most suitcase brands had shifted to this design.



In recent decades there have been incremental improvements. After September 11, 2005, the Transportation Security Administration imposed a new regulation that all luggage locks had to have a keyhole that agents could access. Soon after, it became standard for all suitcases to have TSA locks. And a decade ago, brands began incorporating phone chargers into their suitcases so travelers could charge their phones on the go. (The TSA now forbids phone chargers in checked luggage, so chargers in suitcases must be removable.)



[Photo: July]



The global luggage market is enormous: It was $38.8 billion in 2023, according to Grand View Research, and it’s projected to grow to $61.49 billion by 2030. Given that most suitcases today have the same set of standard features, brands often end up competing with each other based on aesthetics.



Samsonite dominates the industry, owning a fifth of the market with its many brands, which include American Tourister and Tumi. Samsonite generated $3.68 billion in 2023. But there are many other players.



At the high end, there’s Rimowa, known for making durable suitcases with distinct grooves. Over the past decade, a wave of startups has popped up with sleeker and more colorful designs at an affordable price point of $200 to $300 for a carry-on. Direct-to-consumer startups like Away, Monos, Béis, and Floyd all create trendy cases that target the millennial and Gen Z traveler.



But it’s a crowded, competitive market, and some brands have struggled. Paravel, for instance, tried to create an eco-friendly suitcase, but it filed for bankruptcy in May of this year, and was acquired by the British suitcase brand Antler. Another luggage brand, Baboon to the Moon, was struggling to grow its revenue and was acquired by turnaround firm the Hedgehog Co. in 2023.



[Photo: July]



Improving the Design of a Suitcase



July was founded in Australia in 2019. Its sleek, colorful suitcases have become very popular in Australia and across the Asia Pacific region, which North American brands like Away and Monos have been slower to enter. Didaskalou wants July to stand out from competitors by rethinking the design of its suitcases in a more fundamental way.



Over the past few years, the brand has been playing with the configuration of suitcases. It was among the first brands to launch the trunk format, where the suitcase doesn’t open in the middle, but rather toward the top. “Some people want depth when they’re packing,” he says. “It can be awkward to open your luggage in the middle and try to balance it on the luggage stand at your hotel.”



When Apple and Google opened up the API for the AirTag, it occurred to Didaskalou that luggage tracking was the next frontier of suitcases. Many consumers were already putting AirTags in their suitcases, but it was not a seamless solution. “They might need to move the AirTag from one suitcase to another, or take it out to use it for something else,” he says. “Or they might forget to use it altogether. It’s just another thing to worry about when you’ve already got a lot on your mind.”



[Photo: July]



July’s designers spent months trying to figure out how to incorporate AirTags seamlessly into suitcases. They ended up putting them into the strip of plastic at the top of the suitcase, right next to the TSA lock. When you first get the suitcase, you pull on the plastic tab that separates the battery from the AirTag to activate it. Then you press a button on the strip to activate it, to see your luggage in your Apple Find My or Google Find Hub app on your smartphone.



Didaskalou says that while the experience is simple for consumers, it was complex to design. It was important to make the underside of the AirTag accessible to change its battery. However, the AirTag is on the same strip as the TSA lock. “We needed to have access to the AirTag but not expose the TSA lock,” he says. “We also needed everything to be very tightly secured, because things bounce and move when you travel.”



July has patented some aspects of this AirTag component, but Didaskalou believes many other luggage brands will soon realize that consumers now expect to be able to easily track their luggage. So they will soon begin incorporating AirTags or other trackers directly into their suitcases. But he believes they will only become widespread in the next year or so.



And ultimately, Didaskalou believes that it’s the larger luggage makers that are more likely to update their suitcases first. In many ways, he’s looking to compete with Samsonite, an innovator with roughly 20% of the market share. “Samsonite has always been first to come up with new materials and manufacturing processes,” Didaskalou says. “We’re proud because this is the first time we’ve beat them.” ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meet, the, first-ever, luggage, with, built-in, AirTags</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Is there a better way to teach business?</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-there-a-better-way-to-teach-business</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/is-there-a-better-way-to-teach-business</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I was asked to be the keynote speaker recently for an important conference at Rutgers Business School on the future of business education. I thought it would be helpful for business school leadership and students and for recruiters of business school graduates to recap my message in this Playing to Win/Practitioner Insights (PTW/PI) piece. It is called The Future[s] of Business Education: Two Strategy Paths. And as always, you can find all the previous PTW/PI here.



Audience participation



The conference attendees were mainly U.S. business school deans and other senior faculty members. The array of deans was quite impressive with deans from leading schools including Cornell, Goizueta, Haas, Kellogg, Stern, Ross, Tepper, Tuck, and Wharton.



I started with a bit of audience participation by asking all tenure stream academics from business schools to stand up. I then asked them to sit down if their school has in its MBA program a required statistics course that provides instruction on how to make an inference from a sample to the universe from which the sample is drawn. As I expected, 100% of the audience sat down. That is now completely standard fare.



I asked them to stand back up and then to sit down if their school seeks to convince MBA students that they should make their decisions based on rigorous data analysis. Again, as I expected, 100% sat down.



So, I got confirmation that business education universally teaches students both how to make inferences from data and that they should make data-based decisions.





Making inferences from data



I then dove into making inferences from data. As I have pointed out many times before and recently at Nudgestock in London, statistics teaches students that the only legitimate way to make an inference to the universe from which a sample is drawn is to ensure that the sample is representative.



You can’t ask a sample of men what they want in their Electric Vehicle (EV) and infer what consumers want in their EV because men are not representative of all consumers. The same would hold for a sample of women or young consumers or east coast consumers. Statistics teaches that you can legitimately use a sample of men only if you are trying to determine what male EV buyers want—because that sample is representative of the universe. In addition, the sample must be big enough to be statistically significant.



However, it is important to realize that 100% of all data that we use in such statistical analysis is from the past. We never have data from the future.



Hence, when we use data analysis to tell us what to do, we are implicitly assuming that the future is identical to the past. Otherwise, the sample wouldn’t be representative and business school statistics class tells us that we shouldn’t be using it. Yet our marketing, strategy, finance, operations, and HR classes tell students to make decisions based on rigorous data analysis.



The Aristotelian distinction



I then explained the Aristotelian distinction about which I have written before. Greek philosopher Aristotle was the father of science and his Analytica Posteriora the most important work in the history of science. While he created the scientific method, which was formalized in the Scientific Revolution 2000 years later, he did not prescribe its use everywhere.



He made a critical distinction between two parts of the world. In one part, things cannot be other than they are. For example, anywhere on the earth’s surface, gravity has always and will always cause objects to accelerate toward the ground at 32 feet/second2—because when it comes to gravity, things cannot be other than they are. But when it comes to smartphones, there were zero in the world in 1999 and probably (the estimates are all over the place) over seven billion now. Smartphones exist in the part of the world where things can be other than they are. That world changed dramatically with the introduction of the BlackBerry in 2000 and has changed pretty much every year since.   



Aristotle did more than make this distinction. He encouraged the use of his scientific method in the part of the world where things cannot be other than they are but warned against ever using it in the part of the world where things can be other than they are. The father of science was crystal clear and modern-day statisticians would affirm his logic. In essence, he was warning against the use of unrepresentative samples.



For business educators this calls for an assessment of the degree to which business is in the cannot part or the can part of the world. The whole business obsession with VUCA (i.e., volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) suggests businesspeople see the future of business as constantly shifting—i.e., can, not cannot. Of course, there are exceptions. Plastic cools at a certain rate in an injection molding machine. But that phenomenon represents a tiny, tiny fraction of the business world. Consumers change, competitors change, technology changes, regulations change, and so on. The future is routinely different than the past.



The business school schism



Therein lies the fundamental business school schism. Business schools teach two things that can’t coexist in business. Businesspeople live in a world in which the future is routinely different than the past. But they are educated—and universally so as demonstrated by my audience participation—to use methods appropriate only for a world in which the future is identical to the past.



This leaves business school students with a choice. On one hand, they can ignore their business education, but that begs the question: why spend time and money on something that you subsequently ignore? On the other hand, they can embrace their education and become terribly flawed technocrats—following the analysis despite its inherent logical inconsistency.



I think they are choosing a bit of both. On one hand, they are actually doing more than ignoring their business education: they are skipping it entirely, especially at the MBA level. I pointed out in a 2013 speech at the Academy of Management that U.S. students applying to U.S. MBA programs was in secular decline and from what I can see, the decline has continued. On the other hand, the MBA is still the second biggest volume graduate degree in America (after one-year Master of Education—which has a built-in demand because teachers get an automatic salary bump with one). So, many are still embracing it.



Two strategy paths



This leaves two strategy paths for business schools. On one hand, they can keep teaching fundamentally flawed, logically inconsistent content and watch business education continue to decline for two reasons. First, many prospective students will take a pass on business education because they don’t want to be trained to be data technocrats. Second, the business world has only a limited appetite for absorbing data technocrats.



On the other hand, they can do what I recommended in my speech. That is to teach the Aristotelian distinction and equip students to follow Aristotle’s instruction in the part of the world that can be other than it is, which is the dominant part of business. That entails teaching business students to imagine possibilities and to understand the logic of possibilities well enough to choose the one for which the most compelling argument can be made—which means focusing more on developing students’ logic capabilities than their analytical prowess.



The business school reaction



Sadly, I don’t come out of the conference feeling that business education will choose the second path. In business education (and probably any other kind of tertiary education), when convention is challenged it is attacked, which is what Thomas Kuhn described in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions—and it is exactly what happened at the end of my talk. The first audience question wasn’t a question; it was an assertion from a dean (don’t know who he was but I think he said his name was Bruce): “That was a lot of arm-waving.”



My immediate reaction, which I verbalized, was that this was why I was delighted to have left the academy six years ago and haven’t thought a single day about going back. This is what the academy does. When it doesn’t like something because it challenges convention, somebody takes responsibility for launching an attack. And since they know behavioral economics, they know that the rest of the audience will anchor on the attack, and the challenger will be destroyed by brute force. Childish but true.



I didn’t take the bait and instead of defending, I simply asked what in my talk constituted “arm-waving?” He didn’t like that much and mumbled around for a while then asked me to put up slide 13 and pointed to the second point and said I hadn’t explained it much. So, not explaining one point on one slide as thoroughly as he wished meant that the entire talk could be dismissed as “arm-waving.” Suffice it to say, he didn’t get the satisfaction he was looking for—and I think I can give myself credit for not eviscerating him. Twenty years ago, I would have. But I realize now that this is theater, and he was just playing his assigned role.  



Since the designated attack dog hadn’t succeeded, the rest of the audience questions were mild and not unfriendly. But I am quite convinced that nothing is going to change on this front. Business schools will continue to teach the schism—though perhaps they will do it more sheepishly.



Practitioner insights



Paradigms die hard—per Kuhn. The paradigm of business education teaching students to make rigorous data-based decisions is well entrenched—super well-entrenched. The standard approach of the people who depend on the continuation of the dominant paradigm is to fight any attempt to challenge it—whether they have any useful argument or not. That is where business education is today—and it isn’t going to change from within.



My advice then is for two kinds of practitioners—business school students (prospective or actual), and companies that recruit from business schools.



For students, lower your expectations, though it is a bit different for undergraduate business versus MBA education.



For undergrads, you will pick up a language system for business and learn some useful business concepts. One way or another, you will have to do that—and this is one plausible way. But protect yourself. Understand that they are teaching across a schism, and it doesn’t make sense. Just ignore them. You can’t be a useful businessperson making rigorous data-based decisions the way it will be taught to you.



For MBAs, think carefully. Your opportunity costs are much higher than for undergrads in business because the average full-time MBA has 4–5 years of business experience—and they give up two years of an already attractive salary to take a full-time MBA. You share some of the undergrad reasons for attending, but at a far higher opportunity cost. Many of you should take a pass. This isn’t an institution that is learning and getting better. It is entrenched in an agenda that isn’t helpful to the world—or you.  



For employers, it makes sense to recruit there. The biggest value of business education programs is selectivity. It is hard to get into a quality business program, so the schools have presorted for you. The second value, in the case of MBAs, is commitment due to the high opportunity cost they pay. They must have high commitment to personal improvement to incur the out-of-pocket and opportunity costs to get their education. So, it is a high-value cohort from which to recruit.



But you need to recognize that you will have to deprogram many of them who will graduate believing that they need to make all their decisions entirely based on rigorous data analysis—because that is what they are taught. You will have to deprogram them for them to be useful to you. But if you understand that and have a system for deprograming, you will get human capital that it is worth recruiting. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>there, better, way, teach, business</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The ‘New York Times’ and others announce they are not signing the Pentagon’s new press rules</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-york-times-and-others-announce-they-are-not-signing-the-pentagons-new-press-rules</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-york-times-and-others-announce-they-are-not-signing-the-pentagons-new-press-rules</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network said Monday they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Reuters on Monday also publicly joined the group that says it will not be signing. AP confirmed Monday afternoon that it would not sign.“Reuters is bound by its commitment to accurate, impartial and independent news,” the agency said in a statement. “We also steadfastly believe in the press protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution, the unrestricted flow of information and journalism that serves the public interest without fear or favor. The Pentagon’s new restrictions erode these fundamental values.”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell said. “This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”Hegseth also reposted a question from a follower who asked, “Is this because they can’t roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military installation under the First Amendment?”Hegseth answered, “yes.” Reporters say neither of those assertions is true.Pentagon reporters say signing the statement amounts to admitting that reporting any information that hasn’t been government-approved is harming national security. “That’s simply not true,” said David Schulz, director of Yale University’s Media Freedom &amp; Information Access Clinic.Journalists have said they’ve long worn badges and don’t access classified areas, nor do they report information that risks putting any Americans in harm’s way.“The Pentagon certainly has the right to make its own policies, within the constraints of the law,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Monday. “There is no need or justification, however, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to reporting from Pentagon facilities.”Noting that taxpayers pay nearly $1 trillion annually to the U.S. military, Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson said “the public has a right to know how the government and military are operating.”Trump has applied pressure on news organizations in several ways, with ABC News and CBS News settling lawsuits related to their coverage. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and moved to choke off funding for government-run services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.







David Bauder writes about the media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social



—David Bauder AP Media Writer ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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</item>

<item>
<title>‘Psychology of Money’ author Morgan Housel follows the same morbid success measure as Warren Buffett—a “reverse obituary”</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/psychology-of-money-author-morgan-housel-follows-the-same-morbid-success-measure-as-warren-buffetta-reverse-obituary</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/psychology-of-money-author-morgan-housel-follows-the-same-morbid-success-measure-as-warren-buffetta-reverse-obituary</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The behavioral finance known for his bestseller The Psychology of Money, unveils the psychology behind spending. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Housel_6215.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>‘Psychology, Money’, author, Morgan, Housel, follows, the, same, morbid, success, measure, Warren, Buffett—a, “reverse, obituary”</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Ben Horowitz and Raghu Raghuram on AI, politics, and the questions they don’t have easy answers to</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ben-horowitz-and-raghu-raghuram-on-ai-politics-and-the-questions-they-dont-have-easy-answers-to</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/ben-horowitz-and-raghu-raghuram-on-ai-politics-and-the-questions-they-dont-have-easy-answers-to</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ As the former VMware CEO joins VC firm a16z, Raghuram and Horowitz sat with Fortune for a candid conversation about the state of things. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-10-at-43545-PM.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Ben, Horowitz, and, Raghu, Raghuram, AI, politics, and, the, questions, they, don’t, have, easy, answers</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gen Z coder rejected by the Ivy League despite founding a $30 million app says college is ‘not worth it for most people’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-coder-rejected-by-the-ivy-league-despite-founding-a-30-million-app-says-college-is-not-worth-it-for-most-people</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/gen-z-coder-rejected-by-the-ivy-league-despite-founding-a-30-million-app-says-college-is-not-worth-it-for-most-people</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Although he started his first business at just ten years old, earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, and achieved a 34 on the ACT, he was still rejected by the Ivy League. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/unnamed.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Gen, coder, rejected, the, Ivy, League, despite, founding, 30, million, app, says, college, ‘not, worth, for, most, people’</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Meet the millennial father of six who went from homelessness to building a thriving trades business—and a blueprint for America’s reskilling revolution</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-the-millennial-father-of-six-who-went-from-homelessness-to-building-a-thriving-trades-businessand-a-blueprint-for-americas-reskilling-revolution</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meet-the-millennial-father-of-six-who-went-from-homelessness-to-building-a-thriving-trades-businessand-a-blueprint-for-americas-reskilling-revolution</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;&#039;We as a country have done a poor job equipping our children for life,&quot; Arkeem Sturgis tells Fortune. Some people &quot;want to work with their hands.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/sturgis.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meet, the, millennial, father, six, who, went, from, homelessness, building, thriving, trades, business—and, blueprint, for, America’s, reskilling, revolution</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The new corner office is at home</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-corner-office-is-at-home</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-new-corner-office-is-at-home</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We&#039;re Columbia Business School professors and we know there’s no shortage of felt unfairness in the workplace, especially when it comes to remote work. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2171207102-e1759894729713.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, new, corner, office, home</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Wall Street rally hits pause while European shares are mixed</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/wall-street-rally-hits-pause-while-european-shares-are-mixed</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/wall-street-rally-hits-pause-while-european-shares-are-mixed</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ European shares were mixed in early trading while Asian shares mostly fell on Friday after a respite from Wall Street’s recent feverish rally. The price of gold also pulled back from record highs following recent torrid runs.The futures for the S&amp;P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were both up less than 0.1%. Oil prices slipped.In early European trading, Germany’s DAX rose 0.2% to 24,652.73, while France’s CAC 40 added 0.4% to 8,076.96.Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1% to 9,498.95, weighed down by losses for mining and energy stocks.Most Asian indexes fell. But South Korea’s Kospi climbed 1.7% to 3,610.60 as trading reopened after a holiday. India’s BSE Sensex also gained, adding 0.5%.The Kospi’s surge was fueled by a rally of tech shares including SK Hynix, which rose 8.2%. Samsung Electronics added 6.1%, boosted by news that Nvidia-backed Reflection AI had raised $2 billion in funding, increasing its market value to $8 billion.Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1% lower to 48,088.80, pulling back from big gains the previous day after data showed producer prices rose more than expected in September.Political uncertainty also loomed after the ruling Liberal Democrats failed to persuade their junior coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, to stay. The Komeito’s leader said the group was unhappy with the Liberal Democrats’ stance on cleaning up corruption.The Komeito’s move was a significant blow to hopes for LDP leader Sanae Takaichi, an ultra-conservative lawmaker, to become Japan’s first female prime minister.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed 1.8% to 26,277.84, while the Shanghai Composite index slipped nearly 1% to 3,897.03.Australia’s S&amp;P/ASX 200 slid more than 0.1% to 8,958.30. Taiwan’s stock market was closed for a holiday.On Thursday, the S&amp;P 500 slipped 0.3% from its latest all-time high for just its second loss in the last 10 days. The Dow dropped 0.5% and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.1%.Gold also fell following its stellar rally this year, losing 2.4% to drop back below $4,000 per ounce, while Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. They’re taking a moment following big runs driven in large part by expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to support the economy.Financial markets have been climbing so relentlessly, including a 35% leap for the S&amp;P 500 from a low in April, that worries are mounting that prices may have shot too high. Concerns are particularly strong about the frenzy lifting stocks related to artificial-intelligence technology.In other dealings early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 6 cents to $61.45 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, edged down 14 cents to $65.08 per barrel.The U.S. dollar fell to 152.71 Japanese yen from 153.05 yen. The euro rose to $1.1585 from $1.1569.



—Teresa Cerojano, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Wall, Street, rally, hits, pause, while, European, shares, are, mixed</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>A surprising number of companies want hiring managers to prove AI can’t do the job before a role is approved</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-surprising-number-of-companies-want-hiring-managers-to-prove-ai-cant-do-the-job-before-a-role-is-approved</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-surprising-number-of-companies-want-hiring-managers-to-prove-ai-cant-do-the-job-before-a-role-is-approved</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ With year-to-date hiring plans sinking to a 16-year low according to a report from Challenger, Gray &amp; Christmas, many people are beginning to feel the impacts—and it’s reasonable enough to believe that artificial intelligence (AI) might have something to do with the slump. 



Zip, a company that creates procurement software, recently released a study that shows how AI might be factoring into hiring decisions even more than previously believed. 



The report surveyed 1,030 “experienced leaders” who are also responsible for some degree of spending and supply management within their companies. Seven in 10 of the leaders—which amounts to 67%—reported that they’re already using AI in “spend and supplier management,” while 17% say they’re using it widely.



Basically, AI is taking over faster than most individuals and companies expected. 



One of the more interesting parts of the study found that optimism about AI is outpacing readiness. This can seem contradictory when you consider that 75% of companies are factoring AI into hiring decisions, but this number could reflect companies that list AI literacy in their job descriptions. 



The more alarming finding may be that 17% of companies now require proof from hiring managers that a job can’t be performed by AI before a role is approved. 















Human skills will still matter



The study found that the skills being prioritized among the leaders are changing, with “AI and automation fluency” being the most critical skill expected in the next three years, followed by data analysis and decision support.  



The evidence further implies that AI is leading companies to rearrange their spending priorities. Respondents identified professional and legal services, gig workers, consultants, and travel and events among the areas where they’re looking for cost reductions this year. 



“By gathering these broad perspectives, we aimed to illuminate not just how spend is managed today, but what it reveals about the future of business,” Nick Heinzmann, Zip’s head of research, wrote in the report, which Zip calls the “State of Spend” survey.



The study reflects that the desire to save money by having AI replace workers may represent an overall contradiction of most companies’ overall goals—especially when establishing relationships with clients is more important than ever. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>surprising, number, companies, want, hiring, managers, prove, can’t, the, job, before, role, approved</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>The winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-winner-of-the-2025-nobel-peace-prize-is-venezuelan-opposition-leader-maria-corina-machado</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/the-winner-of-the-2025-nobel-peace-prize-is-venezuelan-opposition-leader-maria-corina-machado</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”The former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolás Maduro’s government, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.“In the past year, Ms. Machado has been forced to live in hiding,” Watne Frydnes said. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”



Machado says she’s humbled and grateful



Machado’s ally, Edmundo González, who lives in exile in Spain, celebrated the Nobel award as a “very well-deserved recognition” of her fight and that of Venezuelans for freedom and democracy. He posted a short video on X of himself speaking by phone with Machado.“I am in shock,” she said, adding, “I cannot believe it.”“This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Norwegian Nobel Institute. “I am just part of a huge movement. … I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honored not only by this recognition, but I’m honored to be part of what’s going on in Venezuela today.”“I believe that we are very close to achieving, finally, freedom for our country and peace for the region,” she said, adding that “even though we face the most brutal violence, our society has resisted” and insisted on struggling by peaceful means. “I believe that the world will now understand how urgent it is to finally, you know, succeed.”



Crackdown on dissent



Maduro’s government has routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents.Machado, who turned 58 this week, was set to run against Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government disqualified her. González, who had never run for office before, took her place. The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations.The crackdown on dissent only increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.The election results announced by the Electoral Council sparked protests across the country to which the government responded with force that ended with more than 20 people dead. They also prompted an end to diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various foreign countries, including Argentina.Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for González over the publication of election results. He went into exile in Spain and was granted asylum.More than 800 people are in prison in Venezuela for political reasons, according to the human rights advocacy group Foro Penal. Among them is González’s son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, who was detained in January.Dozens of those prisoners actively participated in Machado’s efforts last year. Some of her closest collaborators, including her campaign manager, avoided prison by sheltering for more than a year at a diplomatic compound in Caracas. They remained there until May, when they fled to the U.S.



Early Friday in Caracas, some people heading to work expressed disbelief at the news of Machado’s win.“I don’t know what can be done to improve the situation, but she deserves it,” said Sandra Martínez, 32, as she waited at a bus stop. “She’s a great woman.”There was no immediate reaction from Maduro’s government.Support for Machado and the opposition in general has decreased since the July 2024 election — particularly since January, when Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term and disappointment set in.Machado was included in Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in April. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote her entry, in which he described her as “the Venezuelan Iron Lady” and “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”Machado becomes the 20th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, of the 112 individuals who have been honored.



Speculation about Trump’s Nobel chances



There had been persistent speculation ahead of the announcement about the possibility of the prize going to U.S. President Donald Trump, fueled in part by the president himself and amplified by this week’s approval of his plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Watne Frydnes said: “I think this committee has seen any type of campaign, media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace.“This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X Friday morning that “President Trump will continue making peace deals around the world, ending wars, and saving lives.” He added that “the Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”The peace prize is the only one of the annual Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo, Norway.Four of the other prizes have already been awarded in the Swedish capital, Stockholm this week — in medicine on Monday, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winner of the prize in economics will be announced on Monday.







Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City and Moulson from Berlin. Jorge Rueda contributed from Caracas, Venezuela, and Mike Corder from The Hague, Netherlands.







AP coverage of Nobel Prizes: https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes



—Kostya Manenkov, Regina Garcia Cano and Geir Moulson, Associated Press ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/10/AP25283332522572.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>The, winner, the, 2025, Nobel, Peace, Prize, Venezuelan, opposition, leader, María, Corina, Machado</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Defense tech is booming. But we’re still missing the basics</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/defense-tech-is-booming-but-were-still-missing-the-basics</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/defense-tech-is-booming-but-were-still-missing-the-basics</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ America’s defense technology sector is rapidly expanding. Top talent, ambitious founders, and serious capital are flooding into a mission that matters, delivering products and solutions that will send us to the moon, deploy unimaginably capable unmanned aerial devices, and redefine what’s possible in modern warfare. It’s an exciting moment—one full of possibility and potential.



But here’s the problem: while everyone is focused on the moonshots, we’re overlooking the foundation. The unsexy stuff. The quiet, mission-critical gaps that don’t make headlines but could leave us dangerously vulnerable. We’re building skyscrapers without checking if the ground beneath us is solid.



I’ve spent decades navigating this ecosystem—from antitrust law to Capitol Hill and building critical technology at Palantir for Defense, Intelligence, and Public Health. And I can tell you: America’s national security demands the big bets. But if we want true resilience, we need to get serious about filling the gaps. Here’s where we’re falling short—and how we can fix it.



The barrier to entry? It’s not paperwork—it’s people



Government go-to-market is notoriously hard. Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)—these acronyms form their own labyrinth, sidelining products and burning through runway. But the real barrier isn’t the bureaucratic maze. It’s the human one.



Success in this space requires identifying, cultivating, and maintaining relationships with every critical stakeholder group throughout a program’s lifecycle. There’s no shortcut. And the complexity multiplies because every agency and department operates differently. They have distinct cultures, decision-making processes, and procurement rhythms.



Then there’s the churn. People rotate roles. Administrations change every four years. Priorities shift. Which means yes, you do have to rebuild relationships constantly. This reality demands a level of operational maturity, business development sophistication, and long-term investment that most startups simply can’t sustain. Innovation gets hampered before it even starts.



We’re funding moonshots—and ignoring everything else



These sky-high barriers create a funding environment that rewards only the most ambitious ideas: building America’s missile defense shield, designing next-generation autonomous drones, launching satellites into low-Earth orbit.



These projects are critically important. They must get done. But what about everything else?



For every loud leap forward, there are thousands of quiet, mission-critical problems leaving us exposed. Not because they’re unsolvable, but because they fall outside traditional models of scale, funding, and attention.



What good is a billion-dollar drone without a reliable charging system? Why are life-saving field surgeries still being conducted with techniques from Vietnam? Why is mission-critical data being stored on local hard drives?



Yes, we need hydrogen-powered autonomous jets. But we also need better military construction techniques. Better gimbals. Better field logistics. The unglamorous stuff that keeps the glamorous stuff running.



Platforms need products—and we don’t have enough



Despite an abundance of platforms, we’re facing a shortage of components. Companies like Anduril and Palantir are building some of the most ambitious, technically sophisticated defense platforms ever created.



But here’s the catch: They’re not incentivized to populate those ecosystems with specialized applications—nor should they be. Their business models reward scale and horizontal integration, not the painstaking work of solving narrow, specific mission problems.



The result? Platforms without components are like operating systems without apps: powerful in theory, underutilized in practice. Real value emerges when platforms are filled with verticalized, specialized tools tuned to specific mission sets, environments, and workflows.



What’s missing is an ecosystem that supports a new generation of builders—small, agile companies creating plugins, widgets, and mission-focused modules that integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructure. This requires new funding models that reward precision problem-solving, not just scale.



Speed isn’t optional anymore—it’s survival



In an age of exponential technological change, speed is strategy. For five decades, we’ve overvalued perfection: building exquisite, bespoke systems engineered to the exact specifications of a single mission. We’ve undervalued iteration—especially in the field where conditions change rapidly.



That approach won’t cut it anymore.



We need to identify what’s needed today and ship it to the frontlines as fast as possible, anticipating and removing blockers before they become catastrophic delays. It’s time for a “build fast, fix faster” mindset. That means embracing edge manufacturing, hardening supply chains with domestic production, and structuring R&amp;D teams for maximum autonomy.



Yes, some projects require decade-long timelines. Some problems demand ambitious, wide-reaching platforms. But we also have urgent gaps in our resilience that demand urgency to fix.



Build with your users, not for them



Iteration and urgency only work with partnership. I’ve seen too many well-intentioned solutions developed at breakneck speed that completely miss the mark. Why? Because they were built in a vacuum. Teams delivered what they thought was needed instead of what was actually necessary.



Usually, it’s because they lacked the prerequisites for success: direct access to end users, their leadership, and a deep understanding of program requirements.



Every product lifecycle should begin with a concrete demand signal. What’s the urgent problem blocking mission success today? Not what you assume it is—what the people on the frontlines are actually experiencing. Warfighters. Field operators. Career civil servants.



Then build alongside them. Attend field exercises. Sit in the mud. Watch systems fail in real conditions. Learn from the people whose lives depend on your technology working. Surface these solutions to leadership. Invest in problems and solutions that have buy-in from every level.



Because defense technology is ultimately public service—and a team sport. Like any team sport, listening matters more than speaking. Everyone has a role to play to win.



The path forward



We’re not short on vision, talent, or commitment. What we need now is alignment: between technologists and operators, platforms and products, and urgency and execution.



The opportunity in front of us is extraordinary. If we can bridge the gap between innovation and implementation, we won’t just build better systems. We’ll build a stronger, safer, more resilient future—one that can handle both the moonshots and the fundamentals that keep them flying. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Defense, tech, booming., But, we’re, still, missing, the, basics</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Oil prices are down following Gaza ceasefire deal</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oil-prices-are-down-following-gaza-ceasefire-deal</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/oil-prices-are-down-following-gaza-ceasefire-deal</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Oil prices declined on Friday, after settling around 1.6% lower in the previous session, as the market’s risk premium faded after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war in Gaza.



Brent crude futures were down 66 cents, or 1%, at $64.56 a barrel at 1016 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 61 cents, or 1%, to $60.90.



“Finally having some kind of peace process in the Middle East is lowering the shoulders a little bit,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB. This could ease fears about crude carriers passing through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, he said.



BOTH BENCHMARKS ON TRACK FOR WEEKLY GAINS



Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement on Thursday in the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza.



Under the deal, which Israel’s government ratified on Friday, fighting will cease, Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza, and Hamas will free all remaining hostages it captured in the attack that precipitated the war, in exchange for hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.



Numerous vessels have been attacked by the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen since 2023, targeting ships they deem linked to Israel in what they described as solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.



On a weekly basis, Brent was up around 1% and WTI was relatively flat, so far. Both benchmarks fell steeply last week.



Prices climbed about 1% on Wednesday to a one-week high because of stalled progress on a Ukraine peace deal, a sign that sanctions against Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter, could continue.



The Gaza ceasefire deal means the focus can move back to the impending oil surplus, as OPEC proceeds with the unwinding of production cuts, said Daniel Hynes, an analyst at ANZ.



A smaller-than-expected November hike in output agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) on Sunday eased some of those oversupply concerns.



“Markets’ expectations for a sharp ramp up in crude supply have not manifested themselves in substantially lower prices,” BMI analysts said in a note on Friday.



“The most recent rise in production is lower than previously feared, contributing to a slight rise in prices for the week,” they said.



Investors are also worried that a prolonged U.S. government shutdown could dampen the American economy and hurt oil demand in the world’s largest crude consumer.



Additional reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan



—Anna Hirtenstein, Reuters ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Oil, prices, are, down, following, Gaza, ceasefire, deal</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Stablecoin startup Coinflow raises $25 million to challenge Stripe</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stablecoin-startup-coinflow-raises-25-million-to-challenge-stripe</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/stablecoin-startup-coinflow-raises-25-million-to-challenge-stripe</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Pantera Capital led the round, with participation from Reciprocal Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Jump Capital. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-e1759845893191.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Stablecoin, startup, Coinflow, raises, 25, million, challenge, Stripe</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>A world without data centers (404: your life not found)</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-world-withoutdatacenters404-your-life-not-found</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/a-world-withoutdatacenters404-your-life-not-found</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ You are always using a data center, even if you don&#039;t know it. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Chris-Bair.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>world, without data centers 404:, your, life, not, found</media:keywords>
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<title>Robin Williams’ daughter says ‘stop sending me AI videos of Dad’ because it’s ‘disgusting’ and ‘not what he’d want’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/robin-williams-daughter-says-stop-sending-me-ai-videos-of-dad-because-its-disgusting-and-not-what-hed-want</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/robin-williams-daughter-says-stop-sending-me-ai-videos-of-dad-because-its-disgusting-and-not-what-hed-want</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Zelda Williams, 36, says AI allows for the &quot;puppeteering&quot; of dead celebrities like her late father. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-134396505-e1759925655722.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Robin, Williams’, daughter, says, ‘stop, sending, videos, Dad’, because, it’s, ‘disgusting’, and, ‘not, what, he’d, want’</media:keywords>
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<title>Top trends shaping the future of finance—AI, agility, and proactive leadership are in the spotlight</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-trends-shaping-the-future-of-financeai-agility-and-proactive-leadership-are-in-the-spotlight</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/top-trends-shaping-the-future-of-financeai-agility-and-proactive-leadership-are-in-the-spotlight</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Building tech-fueled teams is a high priority for CFOs. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2169976404.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Top, trends, shaping, the, future, finance—AI, agility, and, proactive, leadership, are, the, spotlight</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>American Eagle CEO defends Sydney Sweeney campaign: ‘You can’t run from fear. We stand behind what we did’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/american-eagle-ceo-defends-sydney-sweeney-campaign-you-cant-run-from-fear-we-stand-behind-what-we-did</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/american-eagle-ceo-defends-sydney-sweeney-campaign-you-cant-run-from-fear-we-stand-behind-what-we-did</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ &quot;Sydney Sweeney is worth every single dollar that we invested,” according to American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2227830556-e1759929371249.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>American, Eagle, CEO, defends, Sydney, Sweeney, campaign:, ‘You, can’t, run, from, fear., stand, behind, what, did’</media:keywords>
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<title>As many CEOs call employees back to the office, this CEO is bucking the trend and embracing remote work</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-many-ceos-call-employees-back-to-the-office-this-ceo-is-bucking-the-trend-and-embracing-remote-work</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/as-many-ceos-call-employees-back-to-the-office-this-ceo-is-bucking-the-trend-and-embracing-remote-work</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning.






When Brian Doubles became CEO of Synchrony in 2021, a global pandemic had upended the way companies thought about work. Remote options became ubiquitous, and many employees, when possible, were given the tools they needed to do their jobs from anywhere. Now, even as other financial services companies and banks have issued return-to-office mandates, Doubles is making a different bet: Stamford, Connecticut–based Synchrony allows its more than 20,000 employees to work from home or in a company facility (or a mix of both) with in-person gatherings for training, leadership meetings, innovation sessions, and culture-building events.



The decision appears to be paying off. Turnover is down, job applications are up 30%, and this year Synchrony climbed to No. 2 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, up from No. 37 in 2021.



The recognition caps four years of key gains for the company, which is the nation’s largest issuer of private-label credit cards. In June, Synchrony announced it would power a new credit card program with Walmart, winning back business the company lost to rival Capital One in 2018, and adding to a roster of clients that includes Lowe’s, Verizon, and Amazon. Last year, the company reported net interest income of $18 billion, an increase of 26% from 2021. Since Doubles became CEO, the stock has risen more than 60%, outperforming the S&amp;P 500. (Disclosure: Synchrony was a sponsor of the recent Fast Company Innovation Festival.)



Synchrony’s growth comes despite some headwinds in the world of consumer credit, which former Synchrony parent General Electric helped popularize when it started financing appliance purchases in the 1930s. (GE completed the spin-off of its credit business in 2015.) Store-branded cards once dominated credit card issuance. Now, as big brick-and-mortar retailers such as JCPenney and Macy’s have contracted, store credit cards account for just 4% of purchase volume in the U.S. Well-heeled consumers, meanwhile, are opting for rewards cards such as American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve, while more cash-conscious Gen Z consumers finance purchases using buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) products.



Productive paranoia



Synchrony is well placed to respond to changes in the business and economic landscape thanks to a reorganization Doubles executed upon becoming CEO. Though the company was posting strong financial results as consumers returned to pre-pandemic spending, Doubles restructured the business to expand and diversify its customer base; he also created a growth organization and combined the technology and operations to accelerate new product development.



“I have a productive paranoia, and I think the best time to embark on a big change like that is from a position of strength,” he says. “The intent of the reorganization was to bring innovation to market faster—to anticipate what our partners need from us before they’re asking us for it.” For example, rather than creating a dedicated solution for every enterprise customer (Synchrony calls them partners), the company now develops a standardized product and scales it across hundreds of customers, making customized tweaks in the later stages.



Leaders say bringing teams together has given different departments fluency in their counterparts’ work, leading to faster digital tool development. “When I go inside our P.I. [program increment] sessions, which is how agile teams operate, I can’t tell who’s from technology and who’s from credit,” Max Axler, chief credit officer, says of the cross-departmental group that works on PRISM, a proprietary system that makes underwriting and credit decisions.



PRISM is a case study in harnessing Doubles’s productive paranoia. Synchrony changed a process that was working just fine—Synchrony has always been expert at underwriting—and took it to new levels. Today, PRISM can assess an applicant’s creditworthiness in a six-second window while they’re checking out at a store, using 9,000 data points, up from about 100 in 2018. “It was a big message to the organization that we were going to completely redesign the credit platform,” Doubles says, adding: “It gave other teams permission to rethink everything they were doing as well. Even if it’s working, rethink it.”



Because PRISM looks at more variables to make credit decisions, Synchrony says it has been able to extend cards to people who previously might have been rejected because of their credit scores alone. And many of those consumers become especially loyal customers: Synchrony says these customers use their cards as “top-of-wallet” payment methods, driving repeat purchases. (Synchrony makes money when consumers borrow and pay interest on credit cards it has issued.)



Winning back Walmart



Even as Synchrony has been seeking new sources of revenue, including its own buy-now-pay-later offering, investors and analysts are cautiously optimistic about the financial impact of returning customer Walmart. (Before the companies parted ways in 2018, Walmart accounted for about $10 billion, or 19%, of Synchrony’s retail card balances, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal.)



Doubles didn’t offer much detail about the renewed relationship other than touting the benefits of the new card, especially for Walmart+ subscribers, who pay a membership fee for perks like free delivery and shipping, among others.



In a September report recapping a meeting with Synchrony executives, Bank of America Securities senior payments analyst Mihir Bhatia noted that management expects the partnership to be accretive to growth and profit margins, and characterized company leaders as “palpably more excited” about a deeper collaboration with Walmart, including store displays and online promotion of the card. “If Walmart is invested in the partnership and pushes the product and creates an interesting value proposition, customers will respond to that and get the card,” says Bhatia, who has a “buy” rating on Synchrony stock. “If more people get the card, more people spend money on the card, more people borrow on the card, and that’s good for Synchrony.” (The report also paraphrased management saying pure-play BNPL competitors are having a limited impact on Synchrony’s growth, and noted that Synchrony has introduced its own BNPL offering.)



RTO outlier



For all its technological and operational gains, Synchrony is still best known in some circles for its flexible work arrangements. But it wasn’t always a remote-work champion. “Pre-pandemic, we were a 99% in-office culture,” says DJ Casto, chief human resources officer at Synchrony. “This was a big fundamental change and a big trust exercise with our workforce.”



A company survey showed that more than 85% of employees wanted a remote option, prompting the company to permanently adopt a policy that lets everyone work from home or in the office, or for many, a combination of the two, provided they live within commuting distance of a Synchrony office and come in from time to time. In contrast, many Wall Street investment banks and competitors such as JPMorganChase have mandated in-office days. It is worth noting that because Synchrony doesn’t have any physical bank branches, which aren’t needed in the credit card business, the company is able to offer hybrid work to hourly and salaried workers alike.



“We’re trusting our employees to still give 110% even though we’re not monitoring how much time they’re spending in the office,” Doubles adds. “I remind our team all the time that the hybrid work model is a privilege, and we have to earn it every day. We have to earn it by running a successful business that’s growing.”



To ensure accountability and employee engagement in a hybrid workforce, Casto says the company emphasizes the importance of ongoing one-on-one meetings between employees and managers with “significant focus on coaching” versus “managing.” Indeed, the company has embedded coaching throughout the organization. All of Doubles’s executive leadership team members have coaches, and Casto is working to make coaching available to a wider group of employees, including high-potential folks or people trying to work through complicated problems. The company also offers wellness coaches to all employees.



Listening to employees drove Synchrony’s approach to work. Doubles says he also leans on active listening to help him run the business. “You have to listen to your employees,” he says. “They’re going to tell you what’s working and what’s not working. And if they’re telling you what’s not working, you have got to act on it fast, and they have to feel you acting on it.”



Is your team remote or back in office?



What is your company’s remote-work policy, and has it improved employee engagement? Send your experiences to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’d like to share some of your insights in a future newsletter.



Read more: winning workplaces



Fast Company’s 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2025



Inc.’s 2025 Best Workplaces recognizes the top small and midsize employers



Adam Grant on how to build a winning workplace ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>many, CEOs, call, employees, back, the, office, this, CEO, bucking, the, trend, and, embracing, remote, work</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Exclusive: Uniqlo is opening 11 new stores in the U.S. next year, including 4 in NYC. See the full list of locations</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-uniqlo-is-opening-11-new-stores-in-the-us-next-year-including-4-in-nyc-see-the-full-list-of-locations</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-uniqlo-is-opening-11-new-stores-in-the-us-next-year-including-4-in-nyc-see-the-full-list-of-locations</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Uniqlo, the Japanese retailer known for its monochromatic casual wear and accessories, is gearing up to significantly expand its U.S. physical footprint next year. 



The brand will open 11 new stores across seven cities in spring and summer 2026, Uniqlo told Fast Company. The expanded fleet will include four new stores in New York City: three in Manhattan and an additional location in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. 



The new locations come two decades after Uniqlo opened its first U.S. store in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood in 2006.



For fans of Uniqlo’s ultra-stretch jackets, Pufftech vests, and functional backpacks, it gets even better: The company is also planning new “flagship” locations in Chicago and San Francisco, along with additional stores in Seattle, Boston, Washington, D.C., and the Annapolis Mall in Maryland. 



Uniqlo currently operates 78 stores in the United States. The new stores will add to that tally, putting its U.S. footprint closer in size to that of Inditex-owned Zara, the Spanish fast-fashion chain, which has roughly 97 stores in the United States. Both are still relatively small in comparison to rival H&amp;M Group, which reported 754 stores across North and South America as of August 31.



Uniqlo’s leadership says the brand is not looking to open stores merely for the sake of planting flags in new territories. 



“Our strategy is about thoughtful growth—opening the right stores in the right places—while ensuring every location reflects our customer’s voices and delivers a meaningful, high-quality experience,” Fuminori Adachi, CEO of the brand’s U.S. division, said in a statement.  



Retail is facing headwinds in 2025 



The expansion comes as many U.S. apparel chains have been struggling with declining foot traffic and sluggish sales. 



Price-conscious shoppers, stung by sticker shock and an uncertain economy, are buying less or staying away altogether. Many consumers, especially younger ones, have turned to ultra-cheap e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu for their fashion fixes. 



Some well-known apparel chains have culled their store counts or worse in recent years. U.S. retailer Gap Inc. announced in 2020 that it would close 350 of its Gap and Banana Republic stores. More dramatically, fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 wound down its U.S. operations after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. 



Apparel sellers are hardly the only chains impacted by a landscape reshaped by online shopping. Retailers from Starbucks to Petco have closed stores this year as they reassess their brick-and-mortar needs and redesign their storefronts for an era when in-store customers can no longer be taken for granted.



All of this makes Uniqlo’s announcement a welcome bright spot. Fast Retailing, the brand’s Tokyo-based parent company, saw its revenue grow 10.6% in the nine months to May compared to the same period last year, according to financial results announced in July. 



The retail giant, which operates more than 3,600 stores worldwide—including some 2,500 Uniqlo stores—generated sales of 3.1 trillion yen ($21.42 billion) for its fiscal year ending August 31, 2024. 



Where are the new Uniqlo stores opening?



The full list of new locations being announced by Uniqlo are below.



New York




Brooklyn: Williamsburg



Manhattan: Union Square



Manhattan: Bryant Park, Fifth Avenue



Manhattan: World Trade Center




Illinois




Chicago: 600 N. Michigan Avenue



Chicago: Oakbrook Mall




California




San Francisco: 830 Market Street




Massachusetts 




Boston: Downtown Crossing, 395-403 Washington Street




Maryland 




Annapolis Mall




Washington State 




Seattle area: Issaquah Commons




Washington, D.C.




Georgetown Park: 3262 M Street NW




In addition to the above stores, the Austin American-Statesman last week reported that Uniqlo is planning to open a location in the Texas capital, citing a regulatory filing. A representative for Uniqlo declined to confirm the Austin location.   ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Uniqlo, opening, new, stores, the, U.S., next, year, including, NYC., See, the, full, list, locations</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Tonight’s October full moon will also be a harvest supermoon: Here’s what it means and the best time to see it</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tonights-october-full-moon-will-also-be-a-harvest-supermoon-heres-what-it-means-and-the-best-time-to-see-it</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tonights-october-full-moon-will-also-be-a-harvest-supermoon-heres-what-it-means-and-the-best-time-to-see-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ October ushers in changing foliage, cooler temperatures, and the spooky season made eerier with less daylight. 



Costumes are donned and even the night sky wants to help set the mood. Much to the dismay of werewolves, October’s Harvest supermoon will peak tonight (Monday, October 6) at 11:47 p.m. ET, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. 



Let’s break down the science behind this nighttime spectacle and take a look at future events.



Why is October’s full moon called the Harvest Moon?



The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox gets the moniker Harvest Moon. September’s offering took place on September 7 and the equinox took place on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that October gets the crown in 2025, although that is not always the case.



Before modern conveniences, the Harvest Moon helped farmers out by rising around the same time each evening and giving extra illumination. This light allows those working the land to get crops collected before the frigid winter months arrive. 



What is a supermoon?



The moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical pattern. This means there are points on its path when the moon is closer to the Earth than at others. 



When the satellite is at its closest points to the Earth, it is called perigee. When a full moon happens during this period, it gets upgraded to super. (We can’t confirm yet if it gets a cape and a sidekick.) 



According to NASA, supermoons can appear in the sky to be “30% brighter and up to 14% larger” than your average full moon. This happens three or four times a year.



What about the Draconid meteor shower?



The extra light is both a blessing and a curse. The supermoon is not the only celestial phenomenon taking place on October 6 as the Draconid meteor shower is expected to begin and peak on October 8.



The supermoon’s illumination might just upstage the meteors from the 21P Giacobini-Zinner comet by washing them out. 



Supermoons appear full to the naked eye for a couple of days, and the Draconid meteor shower will last until October 10, so there’s a small window of hope. 



If that doesn’t pan out, you can always look forward to the Orionid meteor shower peak, which takes place on October 21.



But wait, there’s more . . . 



October’s Harvest Moon is a trendsetter. This bright spot is the first of three back-to-back supermoons that will close out the year. November’s moon just might outdo the Harvest Moon, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Tonight’s, October, full, moon, will, also, harvest, supermoon:, Here’s, what, means, and, the, best, time, see</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Federal shutdown enters sixth day as Republicans and Democrats remain in deadlock</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/federal-shutdown-enters-sixth-day-as-republicans-and-democrats-remain-in-deadlock</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/federal-shutdown-enters-sixth-day-as-republicans-and-democrats-remain-in-deadlock</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Republican and Democratic lawmakers at an impasse on reopening the federal government provided few public signs Sunday of meaningful negotiations taking place to end what is about to be a six-day shutdown — with President Donald Trump saying that layoffs are occurring.Asked on Sunday night when federal workers would be fired as he has threatened to do, Trump told reporters: “It’s taking place right now and it’s all because of the Democrats.”“The Democrats are causing the loss of a lot of jobs,” Trump added, declining to answer a question about which agencies are subject to the cuts.The possibility of layoffs would escalate an already tense situation in which Washington lawmakers have struggled to find common ground and build mutual trust. Leaders in both parties are betting that public sentiment has swung their way, putting pressure on the other side to cave.Democrats are insisting on renewing subsidies to cover health insurance costs for millions of households, while Trump wants to preserve existing spending levels as he believes that Democrats will have to cave because of the jobs and federal projects being put at risk.The squabble comes at a moment of troubling economic uncertainty. While the U.S. economy has continued to grow this year, hiring has slowed and inflation remains elevated as Trump’s import taxes have created a series of disruptions for businesses and hurt confidence in his leadership. At the same time, there is a recognition that the nearly $2 trillion annual budget deficit is financially unsustainable.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, among those appearing on the Sunday news shows, said there have been no talks with Republican leaders since their White House meeting last Monday.“And, unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent,” Jeffries said. “And what we’ve seen is negotiation through deepfake videos, the House canceling votes, and of course President Trump spending yesterday on the golf course. That’s not responsible behavior.”The Trump administration sees the shutdown as an opening to wield greater power over the budget, with multiple officials saying they will save money as workers are furloughed by imposing permanent job cuts on thousands of government workers, a tactic that has never been used before.Even though it would be Trump’s choice to cut jobs, he believes he can put the blame on the Democrats because of the shutdown.“It’s up to them,” Trump told reporters on Sunday morning before boarding the presidential helicopter to celebrate the Navy’s 250th anniversary in Norfolk, Virginia.While Trump rose to fame on the TV show “The Apprentice” with its catchphrase of “You’re fired,” Republicans on Sunday claimed that the administration would take no pleasure in letting go of federal workers, even though the administration had also put funding on hold for infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic areas without clear signs of remorse.“We haven’t seen the details yet about what’s happening” with layoffs, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday morning on NBC. “But it is a regrettable situation that the president does not want.”Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, also said the administration would prefer to avoid the layoffs.“We want the Democrats to come forward and to make a deal that’s a clean, continuing resolution that gives us seven more weeks to talk about these things,” Hassett said on CNN. “But the bottom line is that with Republicans in control, the Republicans have a lot more power over the outcome than the Democrats.”Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California defended his party’s stance on the shutdown, saying on NBC that the possible increase in health care costs for “millions of Americans” would make insurance unaffordable in what he called a “crisis.”But Schiff also noted that the Trump administration has stopped congressionally approved spending from being used. That essentially undermines the value of Democrats trying to seek compromises on the budget since the administration could block the spending of money from any deal. The Trump administration sent Congress roughly $4.9 billion in “pocket rescissions” on foreign aid, a process that meant the spending was withheld without time for Congress to weigh in before the previous fiscal year ended last month.“We need both to address the health care crisis and we need some written assurance in the law — I won’t take a promise — that they’re not going to renege on any deal we make,” Schiff said.The television appearances indicated that Democrats and Republicans are busy talking, deploying internet memes against each other that have raised concerns about whether it’s possible to negotiate in good faith.Vice President JD Vance said a video putting Jeffries in a sombrero and thick mustache was simply a joke, even though it came across as mocking people of Mexican descent as Republicans insist that the Democratic demands would lead to health care spending on immigrants in the country illegally, a claim that Democrats dispute.Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are not eligible for any federal health care programs, including insurance provided through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Still, hospitals do receive Medicaid reimbursements for emergency care that they are obligated to provide to people who meet other Medicaid eligibility requirements but do not have an eligible immigration status.The challenge, however, is that the two parties do not appear to be having productive conversations with each other in private, even as Republicans insist they are in conversation with their Democratic colleagues.On Friday, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government failed to notch the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster. Johnson said the House would close for legislative business next week, a strategy that could obligate the Senate to work with the government funding bill that was passed by House Republicans.“Johnson’s not serious about this,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on CBS. “He sent all his congressmen home last week and home this week. How are you going to negotiate?”Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday that the shutdown on discretionary spending, the furloughing of federal workers and requirements that other federal employees work without pay will go on so long as Democrats vote no.“They’ll get another chance on Monday to vote again,” Thune said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”“And I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart,” he said.







Jeffries, Johnson and Schiff appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Hassett was on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Schumer was on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and Thune was on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”



—Josh Boak, Associated Press ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Federal, shutdown, enters, sixth, day, Republicans, and, Democrats, remain, deadlock</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine paves way for possible new cancer treatments</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/2025-nobel-prize-in-medicine-paves-way-for-possible-new-cancer-treatments</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/2025-nobel-prize-in-medicine-paves-way-for-possible-new-cancer-treatments</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi from Japan won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for work shedding light on how the immune system spares healthy cells, creating openings for possible new autoimmune disease and cancer treatments.



This year’s prize relates to peripheral immune tolerance, or “how we keep our immune system under control so we can fight all imaginable microbes and still avoid autoimmune disease”, said Marie Wahren-Herlenius, a rheumatology professor at the Karolinska Institute.



Sakaguchi told reporters outside his university laboratory that “I feel it is a tremendous honour,” Kyodo news agency reported.



REGULATORY T CELLS: THE IMMUNE SYSTEM’S ‘SECURITY GUARDS’



The winners for medicine are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute medical university and receive a prize sum of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million), as well as a gold medal presented by Sweden’s king.



Brunkow is senior programme manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, while Ramsdell is scientific adviser at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. Sakaguchi is a professor at Osaka University in Japan.



“Their discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases,” the prize-awarding body said in a statement.



The laureates identified so-called regulatory T cells, which act as the immune system’s security guards that keep immune cells from attacking our own body, it added.



After announcing the winners, the institute’s Thomas Perlmann said specific therapies had yet to win market clearance but more than 200 trials on humans involving regulatory T cells were ongoing.



Among companies in the early race, Sonoma Biotherapeutics , which Ramsdell co-founded, is partly funded and supported by U.S. drugmaker Regeneron to work on therapies against diseases including inflammatory bowel disease.



Also targeting that condition, Quell Therapeutics has partnered with AstraZeneca.



Other biotech firms exploring the approach include Bayer’s BlueRock.



MEDICINE THE FIRST PRIZE OF NOBEL SEASON



The Nobel Prizes were established through the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and a wealthy businessman. They have been awarded since 1901 for outstanding contributions in science, literature, and peace, with interruptions mainly during the World Wars.



The economics prize was added later and is funded by Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank.



Winners are selected by expert committees from various institutions. All prizes are awarded in Stockholm, except for the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo — a possible legacy of the political union between Sweden and Norway during Nobel’s lifetime.



Past recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine include renowned scientists such as Alexander Fleming, who shared the 1945 award for discovering penicillin. In recent years, the prize has recognized major breakthroughs, including those that enabled the development of COVID-19 vaccines.



Last year’s medicine prize was awarded to U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its key role in how multicellular organisms grow and live, helping explain how cells specialise into different types.



Medicine in accordance with tradition kicks off the annual Nobels, arguably the most prestigious prizes in science, literature, peace and economics, with the remainder set to be announced over the coming days.



More than a century after their inception, the Nobel Prizes remain steeped in tradition. The awards culminate in ceremonies attended by the royal families of Sweden and Norway, followed by lavish banquets held on December 10 — the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.



($1 = 9.3898 Swedish crowns)



(Reporting by Niklas Pollard, Johan Ahlander in Stockholm; Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo and Marie Mannes and Greta Fondahn in Stockholm; Writing by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; editing by Alex Richardson)



—Johan Ahlander, Niklas Pollard and Ludwig Burger, Reuters ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>2025, Nobel, Prize, Medicine, paves, way, for, possible, new, cancer, treatments</media:keywords>
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<item>
<title>Trump says the U.S. can grow its way out of $37 trillion in debt. Ray Dalio’s debt&#45;cycle research says not so fast</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-says-the-us-can-grow-its-way-out-of-37-trillion-in-debt-ray-dalios-debt-cycle-research-says-not-so-fast</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trump-says-the-us-can-grow-its-way-out-of-37-trillion-in-debt-ray-dalios-debt-cycle-research-says-not-so-fast</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “With the kind of growth we have now, the debt is very low relatively speaking. You grow yourself out of that debt,” Trump said. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2238138813_cbc6cd-e1759525351931.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Trump, says, the, U.S., can, grow, its, way, out, 37, trillion, debt., Ray, Dalio’s, debt-cycle, research, says, not, fast</media:keywords>
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<title>Jeff Bezos agrees with OpenAI’s Sam Altman: We’re in an AI bubble. But Amazon’s founder says the benefits will be ‘gigantic’</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jeff-bezos-agrees-with-openais-sam-altman-were-in-an-ai-bubble-but-amazons-founder-says-the-benefits-will-be-gigantic</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/jeff-bezos-agrees-with-openais-sam-altman-were-in-an-ai-bubble-but-amazons-founder-says-the-benefits-will-be-gigantic</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ “That doesn’t mean anything that is happening isn’t real. AI is real, and it is going to change every industry.” ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2238565305-e1759534063698.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Jeff, Bezos, agrees, with, OpenAI’s, Sam, Altman:, We’re, bubble., But, Amazon’s, founder, says, the, benefits, will, ‘gigantic’</media:keywords>
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<title>Astronaut says Gen Z often quits when things get uncomfortable—here’s the Jeff Bezos Blue Origin training that taught her to push through</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/astronaut-says-gen-z-often-quits-when-things-get-uncomfortableheres-the-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-training-that-taught-her-to-push-through</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/astronaut-says-gen-z-often-quits-when-things-get-uncomfortableheres-the-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-training-that-taught-her-to-push-through</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ From space rockets to 13-hour workdays, this millennial astronaut reveals exclusively in Fortune the mind trick that can make discomfort your secret weapon to success. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-2211787083-e1759401949461.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Astronaut, says, Gen, often, quits, when, things, get, uncomfortable—here’s, the, Jeff, Bezos, Blue, Origin, training, that, taught, her, push, through</media:keywords>
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<title>Why longer municipal strategies make sense now</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-longer-municipal-strategies-make-sense-now</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/why-longer-municipal-strategies-make-sense-now</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I&#039;m Vanguard&#039;s head of municipal investing and I still see room to run. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Malloy_Paul_19a-1.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Why, longer, municipal, strategies, make, sense, now</media:keywords>
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<title>Meta VP: AI is the best thing in advertising – if we use it right</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meta-vp-ai-is-the-best-thing-in-advertising-if-we-use-it-right</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/meta-vp-ai-is-the-best-thing-in-advertising-if-we-use-it-right</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ I worked in the ad industry for two decades, and every marketer and brand at Cannes Lions is actively exploring how to partner and invest the right way. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/meta_derya_matras_hi-res-e1759260299546.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sat, 04 Oct 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Meta, VP:, the, best, thing, advertising, –, use, right</media:keywords>
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<title>Success can be a trap. How to avoid being a one&#45;hit wonder</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/success-can-be-a-trap-how-to-avoid-being-a-one-hit-wonder</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/success-can-be-a-trap-how-to-avoid-being-a-one-hit-wonder</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s the dream: You finish a huge project that wins widespread acclaim—from your boss, your peers, your clients, your friends and family. You’re flying high. The world should be your oyster. 



And yet? You can’t find the inspiration to follow up. Your productivity dries up. You’re afraid lightning won’t strike twice. 



You fear being a one-hit wonder. Maybe not in the obsolete pop star sense—but in the professional, creative, successful sense. It’s a horrible, limiting feeling that kills your productivity, not to mention confidence.



But according to research from the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, there’s a cause for the feelings of inadequacy following a big accomplishment. And better understanding this phenomenon can help to break through that mental block.



In this paid Premium story, you’ll:




Better understand why success makes you scared



How to trick your brain out of the paralyzing thought loop



Learn how to knock it out of the park a second time




Feeling marked by success



The research points to something called a “creative identity threat,” in which you become so attached to your reputation for genius (or, well near genius), that you fear putting it at risk with another project. This paralyzes original thinking—making a sophomore slump almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.







Dirk Deichmann, one of the researchers behind the Rotterdam study, says that the inspiration for this project was the product of living in a flat above a cookbook store. He was fascinated by the sheer variety of titles in their window. “You can do endless combinations with new categories [of cuisine], new techniques, and materials,” he says. So as a creativity researcher, he immediately started wondering what kinds of factors would influence a cookbook author’s success.



Working with Markus Baer, a professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis, he turned to data from the U.K.’s cookbook market, looking at detailed records of year-by-year sales. They found that around 50% of first-time authors fail to write another book in the five years following their debut.



Now, this could occur for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the sales of the first book were dreadful. But in many cases, it was the opposite: It was often the people with the most original ideas and the greatest acclaim who failed to publish a second title.



The phenomenon, they suspected, could be explained by an area of psychology known as “role identity theory”: how certain “roles” become embedded in our sense of who we are. If we have received extraordinary praise for our ingenuity, then our reputation for creativity may become central to our identity. We fear that crown slipping, and so we (counter-intuitively) avoid new creative adventures—in case we fail to meet the same acclaim a second time. 



Fear of a jeopardized reputation



Deichmann and Baer decided to test this hypothesis and explore this phenomenon of self-sabotage.



They measured how “novel” each cookbook on their list was (by analyzing publishers’ online descriptions of its contents), as well as how many awards each book received, if any. Sure enough, the more “creative” someone’s debut had been—and the more acclaimed they had received—the less likely they were to publish a sequel. Success, it seems, can be a poisoned chalice.



For further evidence, Deichmann and Baer decided to recreate the phenomenon with participants in the lab. In one experiment, the participants were asked to come up with a concept for a new cookbook. Some were told that they had shown great originality, while the rest were told their idea was “solid and traditional.” These two groups were divided again, with roughly half from each receiving additional recognition by being told their idea was likely to “make a big splash”—leading them to be featured on the cover of the university’s magazine. Finally, all participants were offered the chance to pitch a second cookbook concept.



As expected, the people who had been singled out for their creativity, and won the additional recognition of the magazine cover, were significantly less likely to propose a follow-up idea. 



Crucially, a questionnaire about their feelings confirmed that this reluctance stemmed from their fears of losing their creative identity. They were more likely to agree with the statement “the thought of coming up with a new idea for a second book makes me feel like I could jeopardize my reputation as a creative producer,” for instance.



A creative identity threat may be prevalent in many domains, Deichmann suggests. Any time you allow your ego to depend on the acclaim you hope to receive for a project, be it a killer marketing campaign, an ingenious design or an outstanding product line, you could find yourself struggling to come up with more new ideas.



Escaping the trap



If you worry about suffering from creative identity threat, Deichmann has a couple of suggestions.



The first is collaboration. Find someone, or a group of people, who might be able to contribute to your next project. “That way, the creative identity threat doesn’t lie so heavily on you, but you share it.” The second is to try to focus your mind on the creative process, rather than obsessing about the end goal, which inhibits the free-flowing thoughts that are essential for idea generation.



This fits with research by Ella Miron-Spektor, professor of organizational behavior at the INSEAD business school in Fontainebleau, France. She’s examined how people’s “goal orientation” can influence their creativity. Some people are “performance oriented” (worried about how their results compare to their peers); others are “learning oriented” (focused on building skills). 



In one study, Miron-Spektor looked to seven years of data from a tech company that had introduced an innovation program asking employees to suggest ways to improve their processes or products, which were then judged by an expert panel. She found that learning-oriented people produced more ideas, and the quality of those ideas tended to grow over time. Meanwhile, the performance-oriented people tended to dry up quickly.



Finally, Deichmann’s third piece of advice: Establish a creative routine. After a big success, you may feel especially anxious if you simply wait for your next “eureka!” moment to land by change. But you may feel greater confidence if you can find a systematic process to find and test ideas. An inventor or designer, for example, might start out by interviewing and observing their potential customers to suggest new markets to exploit: “You define a problem, you generate different ideas for that problem, and you prototype.”



There is no guarantee that inspiration will strike the same mind twice—but a little courage, perseverance, and strategy can greatly enhance the chances that your genius will burn long into the future.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Success, can, trap., How, avoid, being, one-hit, wonder</media:keywords>
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<title>How the government shutdown will keep crucial data from investors and policymakers</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-government-shutdown-will-keep-crucial-data-from-investors-and-policymakers</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-government-shutdown-will-keep-crucial-data-from-investors-and-policymakers</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The government shutdown that began Wednesday will deprive policymakers and investors of economic data vital to their decision-making at a time of unusual uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy.The absence will be felt almost immediately, as the government’s monthly jobs report scheduled for release Friday will likely be delayed. A weekly report on the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs that is typically published on Thursdays — will also be postponed.If the shutdown is short-lived, it won’t be very disruptive. But if the release of economic data is delayed for several weeks or longer, it could pose challenges, particularly for the Federal Reserve. The Fed is grappling with where to set a key interest rate at a time of conflicting signals, with inflation running above its 2% target and hiring nearly ground to a halt, driving the unemployment rate higher in August.The Fed typically cuts this rate when unemployment rises, but raises it — or at least leaves it unchanged — when inflation is rising too quickly. It’s possible the Fed will have little new federal economic data to analyze by its next meeting on Oct. 28-29, when it is widely expected to reduce its rate again.“The job market had been a source of real strength in the economy but has been slowing down considerably the past few months,” said Michael Linden, senior policy fellow at the left-leaning Washington Center for Equitable Growth. “It would be very good to know if that slowdown was continuing, accelerating, or reversing.”The Fed cut its rate by a quarter-point earlier this month and signaled it was likely to do so twice more this year. Fed officials said they would keep a close eye on how inflation and unemployment evolve, but that depends on the data being available.A key inflation report is scheduled for Oct. 15 and the government’s monthly retail sales report is slated for release the next day.“We’re in a meeting-by-meeting situation, and we’re going to be looking at the data,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said during a news conference earlier this month.The economic picture has recently gotten cloudier. Despite slower hiring, there are signs that overall economic growth may be picking up. Consumers have stepped up their shopping and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta estimates the economy likely expanded at a healthy clip in the July-September quarter, after a large gain in the April-June period.A key question for the Fed is whether that growth can revive the job market, which this Friday’s report might have helped illustrate. Economists had forecast another month of weak hiring, with just 50,000 new positions added, according to a survey by FactSet. The unemployment rate was projected to stay at a still-low 4.3%.On Wall Street, investors obsess over the monthly jobs reports, typically issued the first Friday of every month. It’s a crucial indicator of the economy’s health and provides insights into how the Fed might adjust interest rates, which affects the cost of borrowing and influences how investors allocate their money.So far, investors don’t seem fazed by the shutdown. The broad S&amp;P 500 stock index rose slightly Wednesday to an all-time high.Many businesses also rely on government data to gauge how the economy is faring. The Commerce Department’s monthly report on retail sales, for example, is a comprehensive look at the health of U.S. consumers and can influence whether companies make plans to expand or shrink their operations and workforces.For the time being, the Fed, economists, and investors will likely focus more on private data.On Wednesday, the payroll provider ADP issued its monthly employment data, which showed that businesses cut 32,000 jobs in September — a signal the economy is slowing. Still, ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said her firm’s report “was not intended to be a replacement” for government statistics.The ADP data does not capture what’s happening at government agencies, for example — an area of the economy that could be significantly affected by a lengthy shutdown.“Using a portfolio of private sector and government data gives you a better chance of capturing a very complicated economy in a complex world,” she said.The Fed will remain open no matter how long the shutdown lasts, because it funds itself from earnings on the government bonds and other securities it owns. It will continue to provide its monthly snapshots of industrial production, which includes mining, manufacturing, and utility output. The next industrial production report will be released Oct. 17.



—Christopher Rugaber and Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writers ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, government, shutdown, will, keep, crucial, data, from, investors, and, policymakers</media:keywords>
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<title>Tilly Norwood already has a Wikipedia page, and not even the editors are sure what to call it</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tilly-norwood-already-has-a-wikipedia-page-and-not-even-the-editors-are-sure-what-to-call-it</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/tilly-norwood-already-has-a-wikipedia-page-and-not-even-the-editors-are-sure-what-to-call-it</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ It’s not just Hollywood that’s been grappling with how to deal with AI-generated characters. Wikipedia editors are figuring all this out as they go along, too. 



Following reports this week that an AI “actress” named Tilly Norwood is attracting interest from talent agents and rattling real-life performers who make their living in movies and on TV, Wikipedia editors moved quickly to create a page for the character—and almost immediately began arguing over how to describe it.



Is it a synthetic actress? Is it even a she? Can Tilly Norwood, despite having 45,000 followers on Instagram, be accurately described as doing anything? 



These are the types of questions that have been plaguing the dutiful volunteers who are tasked with editing the world’s largest crowd-sourced encyclopedia. While few would argue that the AI character doesn’t meet Wikipedia’s notability guidelines, no one seems quite sure what exactly to say about it.



“I’m not comfortable with asserting that Tilly Norwood exists, actually,” one editor wrote on Tuesday, the day the page was created. “I’m also not comfortable with the article using gendered pronouns for the Tilly construct.”



Do AI actresses dream of electric Oscars?



The discussions this week among Wikipedia editors—which are visible via the website’s “talk” pages—offer a fascinating window into the semantic debates that our society is facing more broadly at a time when we’re sharing more and more of our screen time with AI-generated objects designed to look and act like us. 



An early revision of Tilly Norwood’s page described the character as an “artificial intelligence-generated actress” who “starred” in an AI-generated sketch comedy show. 



The current version of the page has toned down the anthropomorphic language, although the gendered pronouns remain intact: “Tilly Norwood is an artificial intelligence-generated character marketed as an actress.”



A review of talk pages reveals that editors debated passionately about whether to refer to Tilly Norwood as an actress at all, with some arguing that Wikipedia’s language should merely reflect common usage. “‘Actress’ is how the vast majority of reliable sources describe her,” one person wrote.



‘Trained on the work of professional performers’



Tilly Norwood is the brainchild of Xicoia, an AI talent studio launched by Dutch comedian and producer Eline van der Velden. The studio is a division of production company Particle6. 



The character, whose social media feed includes a mix of AI-generated modeling shots, selfies, and epic movie scenes, made a splash recently at the Zurich Film Festival and has since sparked industry backlash.



SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents screen actors, issued a blistering statement, calling Tilly Norwood a “computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers—without permission or compensation.”



A report last year from consulting firm CVL Economics found that more than 203,000 entertainment-related jobs in the United States could be disrupted by generative AI technologies by 2026.



Fortunately, where Wikipedia is concerned at least, this is not entirely new territory. After all, the site has hosted a page for Mickey Mouse since 2001. For the record, Mickey is described as a he.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<title>Fermi stock price rises today after successful IPO: Rick Perry’s data center firm benefits from AI FOMO</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fermi-stock-price-rises-today-after-successful-ipo-rick-perrys-data-center-firm-benefits-from-ai-fomo</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/fermi-stock-price-rises-today-after-successful-ipo-rick-perrys-data-center-firm-benefits-from-ai-fomo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Despite being under a year old and having no revenue, Fermi America had a very successful initial public offering (IPO) this week. 



The company, which aims to provide data and power centers for artificial intelligence, saw its shares (Nasdaq: FRMI) close at $32.53 on their first day of trading Wednesday, up nearly 55% from their IPO price of $21 per share. 



Fermi’s stock price continued to rise through after-hours and into premarket trading on Thursday, reaching $36. It reached a high of $39 per share overnight, before dropping closer to $37 ahead of the market opening. 



What is Fermi?



The company was cofounded by Rick Perry, former Texas governor, a GOP presidential contender in 2012 and 2016, and U.S. Secretary of Energy for part of President Trump’s first term. His cofounder, Toby Neugebauer, is a former co-managing partner at Quantum Energy. 



Since its founding in January 2025—yes, nine months ago—Fermi has done very little show and much more tell. It’s working on something called Project Matador, “a multi-gigawatt energy and data center development campus” that would be the world’s largest “HyperGrid.” 



In its final form, the center would exist as the Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus at Texas Tech University. 



According to Fermi, it would be “the only site with the potential to include safe, clean, new nuclear power, the nation’s biggest combined-cycle natural gas project, utility grid power, solar power, and battery energy storage at unprecedented scale.”



Fermi aims to deliver up to 11 gigawatts of power to AI data centers by 2038, with 1.1 gigawatts online at the end of 2026. 



With that said, all Fermi currently has is a lease for 5,236 acres of land from Texas Tech University and a dream. It needs funding to start any construction on Project Matador, some of which could come from its successful IPO. 



So why has Fermi had such a prosperous IPO, despite being little more than a newborn idea? One theory is that investors see an uncertain startup as a lower cost to entry for investing in the AI boom, which is expected to require enormous power and data in the years ahead.



The share prices for big AI players like Meta Platforms and Oracle Corp were $717.34 and $289.01, respectively, at close on Wednesday. That’s a lot less accessible than $20 or $30, which can still make someone feel included in the buzz.  ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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<title>Trump’s regulators are working on the biggest overhaul of U.S. capital rules since the 2008 recession</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-regulators-are-working-on-the-biggest-overhaul-of-us-capital-rules-since-the-2008-recession</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/trumps-regulators-are-working-on-the-biggest-overhaul-of-us-capital-rules-since-the-2008-recession</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ 
As President Donald Trump’s regulators revamp bank rules, big lenders expect their capital requirements could fall, in a stunning victory for the industry which faced a big hike under former President Joe Biden, according to senior industry executives.








Aiming to cut red tape that Trump’s agency picks say is hurting the U.S. economy, they are working on the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. capital rules since the global financial crisis of 2008.



In addition to narrowing the “Basel Endgame” capital hikes which sparked unprecedented pushback from Wall Street banks, the Fed plans to reduce a capital surcharge levied on risky global banks, shrink a key leverage constraint, and overhaul annual tests that gauge whether lenders can withstand an economic shock.



The country’s largest lenders, which have lobbied hard for the long-sought review, are optimistic that the changes combined will result in their capital levels remaining flat or falling, said six industry and regulatory sources, including three top bankers.



That expected outcome, reported here for the first time, marks a dramatic turnaround for the industry which faced a 19% hike in 2023 under the draft Basel capital rules which proposed changes to how big banks gauge lending and trading risks.



While the Fed last September said that hike would be halved, the plan was never finalized and died with Trump’s election.



Big banks have long complained that capital rules are excessive and poorly calibrated, and that some of that cash could better serve the economy through lending. They also argue that they weathered the COVID-19 economic shock just fine.



Critics say efforts to chip away at the capital regime are dangerous, and could leave the industry vulnerable at a time when the outlook for the U.S. economy is growing cloudy.



With big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup together holding around $1 trillion in capital, even a small dip could free up billions of dollars for lending, trading, dividends and share buybacks.



“You’re going to see here the most aggressive streamlining or easing of bank regulations that we’ve seen certainly since Dodd-Frank and probably sometime before that,” said Ian Katz, managing director at Capital Alpha Partners, referring to the landmark 2010 post-crisis law that overhauled bank rules.



A spokesperson for the Fed’s new regulatory chief, Michelle Bowman, who is leading the overhaul, declined to comment. Bowman said last week that she wants the rules to “work well together” and did not necessarily expect capital to fall. Regulators will unveil a new Basel draft by early 2026, she added.



The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which are also working on the Basel draft, also declined to comment.



“America’s largest banks are the strongest in the world,” said Amanda Eversole, CEO of the Financial Services Forum which represents the country’s eight biggest banks. “Modernizing capital rules will let them put that strength to work – fueling growth for consumers, small businesses, and the economy.”



‘EXTREMELY CONSEQUENTIAL’



The sources, who declined to be identified discussing confidential regulatory issues, said they expect the new Basel draft to be broadly “capital-neutral” at a minimum. That means it would neither increase nor decrease system-wide capital, but change how it is distributed.



Trump’s pick for FDIC chair, Travis Hill, in January said “roughly” capital-neutral would be a “prudent starting point.”



To get there, regulators are expected to abandon a “dual stack” that would have required banks to comply with the stricter of two methods for measuring their risk capital which penalized banks with large trading businesses, and to ease a requirement to put capital aside for operational risks, like cyberattacks or lawsuits, two of the people said.



Capital reductions could then come as the Fed updates the “GSIB” surcharge to better account for economic growth, and as regulators tailor the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio, a risk-blind capital safety net, to each individual bank, three of the sources said.



After the industry sued the Fed in December, the central bank is also working to make its stress tests, which partly determine big lenders’ capital buffers, more transparent, likely helping them to optimize their results.



Two of the sources cautioned, however, that the regulatory discussions are ongoing and that Democrats on the Fed board may oppose changes that are too favorable to the industry.



Based on an analysis of industry materials, Washington-based group Better Markets, which advocates for tougher financial rules, estimates that banking system capital could fall by $200 billion if the industry secures all the relief it has been pushing for.



“It’s huge and extremely consequential,” said Phillip Basil, director of economic growth and financial stability at Better Markets. “It’s going to take a lot less to bring down a big bank.”



Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar



—Lananh Nguyen, Nupur Anand, Pete Schroeder and Tatiana Bautzer, Reuters ]]></description>
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<item>
<title>Nobody thinks a government bond crisis is going to happen but Wall Street is talking about it anyway</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/nobody-thinks-a-government-bond-crisis-is-going-to-happen-but-wall-street-is-talking-about-it-anyway</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/nobody-thinks-a-government-bond-crisis-is-going-to-happen-but-wall-street-is-talking-about-it-anyway</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ France and the U.K. are the two countries flirting most with a credit crisis, analysts say. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-153081592.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Nobody, thinks, government, bond, crisis, going, happen, but, Wall, Street, talking, about, anyway</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Exclusive: Assort Health raises $76 million Series B to build on voice AI healthcare platform</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-assort-health-raises-76-million-series-b-to-build-on-voice-ai-healthcare-platform</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/exclusive-assort-health-raises-76-million-series-b-to-build-on-voice-ai-healthcare-platform</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Assort Health has raised a $76 million Series B, led by Lightspeed, Fortune can exclusively report. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/JBJ-Media-Co-Assort-Health-489-e1759200898624.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Exclusive:, Assort, Health, raises, 76, million, Series, build, voice, healthcare, platform</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>Escape from New York: Impending election of a democratic socialist mayor has the wealthy fleeing to the suburbs</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/escape-from-new-york-impending-election-of-a-democratic-socialist-mayor-has-the-wealthy-fleeing-to-the-suburbs</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/escape-from-new-york-impending-election-of-a-democratic-socialist-mayor-has-the-wealthy-fleeing-to-the-suburbs</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Westchester agents see a &quot;Mamdani effect,&quot; while one Manhattan-based realtor tells Fortune she&#039;s &quot;never seen this type of reaction to a mayor.&quot; ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2221170613-e1759165277607.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>Escape, from, New, York:, Impending, election, democratic, socialist, mayor, has, the, wealthy, fleeing, the, suburbs</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How Georgia’s top accounting official uses technology and change management to champion a new era in government finance</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-georgias-top-accounting-official-uses-technology-and-change-management-to-champion-a-new-era-in-government-finance</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-georgias-top-accounting-official-uses-technology-and-change-management-to-champion-a-new-era-in-government-finance</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Gerlda B. Hines, a former CFO, is leading the charge in the tech transformation. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CFO-Daily-Gerlda-Hines-Georgia-state-accounting-officer.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, Georgia’s, top, accounting, official, uses, technology, and, change, management, champion, new, era, government, finance</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How the intersection of wealth management and private assets is reshaping global investing</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-intersection-of-wealth-management-and-private-assets-is-reshaping-global-investing</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-intersection-of-wealth-management-and-private-assets-is-reshaping-global-investing</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We can&#039;t fully understand the rapid growth of private markets without considering how it has intersected with other key investment trends. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/henry-fernandez-headshot.png" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, intersection, wealth, management, and, private, assets, reshaping, global, investing</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>This week in business: From recalls to resurrections (and an unraptured Tuesday)</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-from-recalls-to-resurrections-and-an-unraptured-tuesday</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/this-week-in-business-from-recalls-to-resurrections-and-an-unraptured-tuesday</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ If you spent the week doomscrolling #RaptureTok and wondering whether to leave your houseplants a goodbye note, good news: the end times did not arrive on Tuesday. What did show up, however, were a bunch of very earthly headlines.



One very famous network host is back (though not on every station—because why make anything simple in 2025?). Housing kept playing hot-and-cold depending on your ZIP code, retail nostalgia made a crafty comeback, and beverage brands learned that promising better guts requires better evidence.



Michaels brings back Joann with new shop-in-shop rollout



Months after acquiring Joann’s intellectual property, Michaels is reviving the beloved crafts brand via two in-store experiences. “The Knit &amp; Sew Shop” is rolling out across U.S. and Canadian locations, bringing back favorites like Big Twist yarn plus fabric-cutting tables and new sewing machines. A second concept, “The Party Shop,” expands into party goods—balloon bars included—as Michaels positions itself as a one-stop destination for creativity and celebrations. Not everyone’s cheering; some Joann loyalists see it as Michaels trying to become Joann (and maybe Party City) in all but name.



TikTok goes apocalyptic with #RaptureTok



Just in case your week wasn’t already stressful, TikTok briefly convinced millions that the Rapture was scheduled for Tuesday. The viral “RaptureTok” trend started after a South African pastor predicted Jesus’s return for September 23 or 24. Some former Evangelicals chimed in with stories of lingering “Rapture trauma,” while creators like @sonj779 leaned into parody with “Rapture Trip Tips.” In the end, doomsday didn’t arrive—but the algorithm still delivered plenty of end-times content



Zillow maps the hottest and coldest housing markets



Zillow’s Market Heat Index pegs the national market at a neutral 52, but the map is anything but uniform. Sellers hold the upper hand in several Northeast and Midwest metros (think Rochester, Buffalo, Hartford), while buyers have leverage in parts of the Gulf and Southwest Florida, plus pockets of Texas and the Midwest. Inventory build-ups and days-on-market trends are driving these splits. The takeaway: pricing power is hyperlocal—your negotiating stance changes fast once you cross county lines.



Jimmy Kimmel returns to late night after Disney suspension



After nearly a week off the air following controversy over on-air remarks, Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC this week. Most affiliates aired the show, but station groups Nexstar and Sinclair say they’ll keep preempting it for now. Viewers who can’t catch it locally still have streaming and clip options.



Amazon settles Prime case; $1.5B set aside for user refunds



Amazon reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC this week over allegations it used deceptive tactics to enroll customers in Prime and then made it too hard to cancel. The deal includes a record $1 billion civil penalty and a $1.5 billion fund for affected users, plus UI changes to simplify canceling.



Poppi agrees to $8.9 million settlement over ‘gut healthy’ claims



Prebiotic soda Poppi will pay $8.9 million to settle a class action alleging its “gut healthy” marketing outpaced the science. Shoppers who bought between January 23, 2020, and July 18, 2025, can file claims (without receipts up to $16 per household; more with proof). Final approval is slated for November, with payments after court sign-off. It’s a reminder that functional-health branding draws both customers and lawyers—bring receipts, and preferably peer-reviewed ones.



Trump promotes unproven Tylenol-autism and vaccine links



At a White House presser, the president suggested ties between acetaminophen, vaccine timing, and autism. The claims are widely rejected by medical experts. Major medical organizations reiterated Tylenol’s appropriateness during pregnancy and emphasized decades of evidence against a vaccine-autism link. The administration framed new efforts as a broader push to study autism’s causes. Health pros warn that mixed messages risk real-world harms if patients avoid needed care.



Senate report flags DOGE cloud risks to Social Security data



A Senate report this week alleges that Elon Musk’s DOGE moved sensitive Social Security and employment data to an inadequately secured cloud environment. Whistleblowers and internal risk assessments cited a high likelihood of a catastrophic breach. Lawmakers are calling for an immediate halt and tighter oversight.



Costco ahi tuna poke recalled over potential listeria



An FDA-announced recall covers more than 3,300 pounds of Kirkland Signature Ahi Tuna Wasabi Poke tied to contaminated green onions. Sold in 33 states with pack date 9/18/25 and sell-by 9/22/25, the product should be discarded or returned; no illnesses have been reported. Listeria can be serious for vulnerable groups and during pregnancy. It’s the latest in a string of quality-control headaches for big-box private labels—check your fridge before your next sushi-night shortcut. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/09/p-1-91412016-This-week-in-business-From-recalls-to-resurrections-and-an-un-raptured-Tuesday.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>This, week, business:, From, recalls, resurrections, and, unraptured, Tuesday</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How and why to celebrate an accomplishment</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-and-why-to-celebrate-an-accomplishment</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-and-why-to-celebrate-an-accomplishment</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Watch any sporting event live or on television, and you’re guaranteed to be treated to the spectacle of at least one athlete celebrating. Football players develop elaborate dances in the endzone following a touchdown. Soccer players will tear off their shirts as they run to the corner of the field after a goal. Volleyball teams will congregate on their side to congratulate each other on winning a rally.



In sharp contrast to these ubiquitous celebrations, many of us fail to acknowledge great things that have happened in the workplace. Work successes are also worth some demonstration of joy. So, why do athletes get to have all the fun?



There are several reasons why we’re not that demonstrative about our successes. For one, a lot of the projects that go well are the culmination of months or years of effort. Indeed, sometimes by the time the project is officially deemed a success, many of the participants in the project are tired of it. In addition, successful projects rarely have the equivalent moment of crossing the goal line where it suddenly gets classified as a success. Indeed, even landing a big contract with a client marks the beginning of a new process rather than the pure culmination of work. Plus, even when there is an unambiguous success, there are often 12 other projects going on that need attention.



Nonetheless, there are some good reasons to want to celebrate. Here are a few things you can do.



Take a victory lap



Small celebrations of successes are valuable, because they enable you to recognize how all the little things you do daily add up to something more significant. Yes, you may enjoy your job, and just being able to do the work may be rewarding enough. But, when you achieve a goal, you should find a way to mark the occasion. Develop a little ritual that you can use to enjoy the moment. You can even take the time to review some of the milestones that led to the victory.



Not every celebration needs to be done in public. Certainly, you can highlight a great outcome or a fantastic team effort in an organization-wide email or in a social media post. But, it is also nice to have private routines that enable you to savor a success. Earlier in my career when a significant focus of my professional life was on research and publication in professional journals, I would take a moment whenever I had a paper accepted to update my CV and my online list of publications as a way of enjoying the completion of a project before just diving into the next thing on my to-do list.



Be a good example



You can’t expect the employees of an organization to celebrate if nobody in management or leadership ever celebrates a win. It is important for leaders in the organization to set the tone for what and how to celebrate. This can be done in a few ways.



First, leaders should acknowledge team victories publicly. Take some time in a group meeting to call out great things that have happened. Send around an email or highlight the wonderful outcome in a social media post. When you show the team that you care about and celebrate wins, you create an environment in which everyone feels like they should do the same.



If you do have your own private rituals for enjoying big moments, you may want to share that with your mentees as well. Let them know that you take the time to recognize your own accomplishments. Your team members don’t know how you stay motivated. Sharing your secrets can help your team members to develop healthy approaches to appreciating their work.



Use celebrations to acknowledge efforts



A public celebration of a success is also a way to highlight what you think are the active ingredients in the team’s success. If you only focus on great outcomes, then you may inadvertently send the message that the ends matter more than the means.



Instead, call out the behaviors that you think are most important for leading to the successes you want. If someone persevered through setbacks, you can acknowledge them for their grit. If a team did a particularly good job of engaging a key business process, let everyone else know about it. These celebrations are also a great way to shine light on people who are new to the organization. Those messages help everyone on the team to feel valued and seen. They also provide you with a chance to demonstrate that how you achieve goals is at least as important as reaching desirable outcomes. ]]></description>
<enclosure url="https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/09/p-1-91408609-how-and-why-to-celebrate-an-accomplishment.jpg" length="49398" type="image/jpeg"/>
<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, and, why, celebrate, accomplishment</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger could give Trump more control over U.S. media</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-paramountwarner-bros-discovery-merger-could-give-trump-more-control-over-us-media</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-the-paramountwarner-bros-discovery-merger-could-give-trump-more-control-over-us-media</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Following unprecedented threats from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, major affiliate station owners Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcasting pressured Disney’s ABC to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air over his comments related to Charlie Kirk’s killing.



The suspension is a harbinger of what could happen under a fundamental restructuring of U.S. media that will take place if the proposed Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger is approved by the Trump administration.



The deal, first revealed on September 11, 2025, would erase one of the five remaining movie studios and concentrate oversight of two of the country’s most prominent newsrooms—CNN and CBS, both targets of the Trump administration’s ire—under one owner with strong ties to Donald Trump.



Based on research from the Global Media &amp; Internet Concentration Project, our analysis shows that Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery would gain control of more than a quarter of the US$223 billion U.S. media market, along with influence over film, television, streaming and the cloud infrastructure upon which digital media increasingly depends.



The combined entity would acquire nearly half of the cable television market, including HBO and CNN. The merger would nearly double Paramount’s share of the video streaming market, uniting HBO Max, Paramount+ and Discovery.



By combining two major Hollywood film studios, it would also capture nearly one-third of the film production market.



This is exactly the type of merger that U.S. antitrust agencies have historically scrutinized because of concerns that excessive market concentration gives too much power to a few companies.



In media markets, such concerns are pronounced: Concentration threatens media diversity and increases the risk of media bias and ideological manipulation.



A mega-conglomerate like Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery would control a vast share of U.S. viewership. Subject to pressure from or, worse, alignment with the Trump administration, the merged company could promote and protect the administration’s interests.



Donald Trump has made no secret of his distaste for Jimmy Kimmel. Donald Trump account, Truth Social



Cloud control



By combining media production and valuable brands such as Harry Potter, DC Comics, and Barbie, the merged giant would gain great negotiating power with competing streaming companies, advertisers and distributors. The merged companies could also secure more lucrative streaming deals, better licensing windows, and higher per-subscriber and ad rates with cable providers.



The 2023 Hollywood writers and actors strikes opposed the exploitative impact of streaming and AI on creative workers’ compensation. The new media giant would wield significant bargaining power over those media workers.



The merger’s potential detrimental impact extends beyond film and television industries.



Paramount is helmed by David Ellison, and the merger is backed by his father, Larry Ellison. Ellison senior owns the world’s fifth-largest cloud provider, Oracle.



Cloud providers are the critical infrastructure for streaming platforms, ferrying digital content from streamers to viewers. As streaming becomes the dominant mode of media consumption, the Ellison family’s control over this infrastructure could give Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery another lever of power over its competitors.



Diversity denied



With potential size and reach to rival Disney and Comcast’s NBC Universal, Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery could become another massive media outlet with right-wing ties.



The proposed deal follows the Trump administration’s $1.1 billion cuts in public media funding. These cuts—affecting PBS, NPR, and more than 1,500 affiliated local news stations across the country, all accused by Trump of “partisan bias” – effectively accelerate the ongoing demise of local, independent news.



Concurrently, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. has settled its dynastic succession, ensuring Fox remains a core channel for the American right.



If the merger is approved, Fox Corporation, the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting, and Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery would control one-third of all U.S. media.



This consolidation would further cement the partisan media model driving deepening political polarization in the U.S., as public and local news media lose funding. The deal also would undermine already declining media independence, fundamental to holding the powerful—whether corporations or politicians—to account.



Wielding regulation



The Trump administration has not shied away from using antitrust law and communications regulation to exercise political control over media.



Before initiating its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount was acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Ahead of the government’s merger review, amid regulatory signals it could affect the review process, Paramount-owned CBS paid $16.5 million dollars to Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit Trump filed based on allegations of “deceptive” editing of an interview with his political opponent Kamala Harris. Editing of interviews is a standard editorial practice.



Shortly after, the merger was approved by the FCC with strict political conditions: hiring an ombudsman to oversee CBS’s reporting and eliminating all of the network’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.



David Ellison accepted these conditions, promising to eliminate all of Paramount’s U.S.-based DEI programs. For the ombudsman role, he hired Kenneth Weinstein, former CEO of the conservative Hudson Institute and ambassador to Japan under the first Trump administration.



Since then, the Paramount CEO also has pursued Bari Weiss, a prominent conservative voice, to guide “the editorial direction” of the CBS news division. Ellison’s moves signal that editorial independence at CBS, and soon perhaps CNN, may be subject to ideological oversight.



Meanwhile, Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, has ties to Donald Trump going back to the first Trump administration. The New York Times in an April 2025 profile said that Ellison “may be closer to Mr. Trump than any mogul this side of” Elon Musk.



The senior Ellison has been playing a key role in negotiations over the future ownership of TikTok. His ties to Trump run deep enough to likely make him one of the main beneficiaries of the TikTok deal currently in negotiation between the United States and China.



Trump has shown an appetite for coercing media companies. For instance, ABC settled a Trump lawsuit in late 2024 with a $15 million donation to the as-yet-unbuilt Trump Library.



By placing two major news outlets in the hands of a family with ties to Trump, the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger would facilitate such control.



What Orbán did—but faster



This is the “Hungarian model” on speed.



Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s authoritarian leader, spent a decade asserting increasing control over that nation’s media.



The Trump administration is poised to accomplish the same in less than a year – and at greater scale.



In addition to helping allies buy a growing share of U.S. media, in his first eight months Trump also has managed to score conciliatory overtures from the nation’s tech billionaires, who fired fact-checkers at major social media platforms, curbed moderation of hateful content and asserted rigid editorial control over the op-ed pages at The Washington Post, one of the country’s most prominent newspapers.



If the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is approved and Larry Ellison joins Andreessen Horowitz as part of the impending TikTok deal, a movie studio, CBS, CNN, Fox, 185 Sinclair-owned TV stations and a major social media platform will have owners with strong ties to Trump.



We believe the promised benefits of a Paramount-Warner Bros. Disovery merger, including lower streaming prices, pale next to the damage it would do to media diversity and pluralism.



By acquiring greater control over film production, TV and streaming, the merger would dramatically reconfigure the very media institutions that shape U.S. culture and politics.



The Trump administration’s review of this merger may further cement the administration’s political control over the U.S. media.



This story has been updated to reflect developments in the status of Kimmel’s show.



Pawel Popiel is an assistant professor of journalism at Washington State University.



Dwayne Winseck is a professor of journalism and communication at Carleton University.



Hendrik Theine is a postdoctoral fellow at Johannes Kepler University Linz and the University of Pennsylvania. 



Sydney Forde is a postdoctoral fellow in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.



 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, the, Paramount–Warner, Bros., Discovery, merger, could, give, Trump, more, control, over, U.S., media</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>What to know about leucovorin, the drug the Trump administration says can treat autism</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-to-know-about-leucovorin-the-drug-the-trump-administration-says-can-treat-autism</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/what-to-know-about-leucovorin-the-drug-the-trump-administration-says-can-treat-autism</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ The US government has announced controversial guidance on the prevention and treatment of autism in children.



New health recommendations aim to discourage pregnant women from taking the painkiller paracetamol—also known as acetaminophen and by the brand name Tylenol—to prevent autism.



The recommendations also include using the drug leucovorin to treat speech-related difficulties that children with autism sometimes experience.



So what is leucovorin and what does the science say about its ability to treat autism?



What is leucovorin?



Leucovorin is a form of folic acid, a B vitamin our bodies usually get from foods such as legumes, citrus fruits, and fortified grains.



The medication is most often used in cancer treatment. It’s typically used alongside the chemotherapy drug fluorouracil, a cancer treatment that stops cancer cells from making DNA and dividing. Leucovorin enhances the effects of fluorouracil.



Leucovorin is also used to reduce the toxic side effects of methotrexate, another chemotherapy drug.



Methotrexate works by blocking the body’s use of folate, which healthy cells need to make DNA. Leucovorin provides an active form of folate that healthy cells can use to make DNA, thereby “rescuing” them while methotrexate continues to target cancer cells.



Because methotrexate is also used to treat the skin condition psoriasis, leucovorin can also be used as a rescue agent during treatment for this autoimmune condition.



Why is folate important?



Because folate is essential for making DNA and other genetic material, which cells need to grow and repair properly, it’s especially important during pregnancy.



This is because insufficient folate is linked to the development of spina bifida, a condition where a baby’s spine does not develop correctly. For this reason, women are advised to take folic acid supplements before conception and during the early months of pregnancy.



Folate is also important for supporting the production of red blood cells and overall brain function.



Why is it being considered to treat autism?



The recommendation to use leucovorin to treat autism seems to stem from a theory that low levels of folate in the brain can lead to a condition called cerebral folate deficiency.



Children with cerebral folate deficiency don’t usually display symptoms for the first two years. Then they show signs of speech difficulties, seizures, and intellectual disability.



As the signs of autism are similar and it usually presents at around the same age, some people have proposed a link between cerebral folate deficiency and autism.



What does the evidence say?



So can giving children folate, in the form of leucovorin, help them to function better with autism? The evidence says maybe yes, and here’s what we know so far.



A review of the evidence in 2021 analysed the results of 21 studies that used leucovorin for autism or cerebral folate deficiency. Children who took the drug generally had improved autism symptoms. But the authors also said more studies were needed to confirm the findings.



Since then, a small 2024 study involved about 80 children aged two to ten years with autism. Half took a daily maximum dose of 50mg of folinic acid (similar to leucovorin), the other half took a placebo. Children given folinic acid showed more pronounced improvement when compared with those who took the placebo.



A similar 2025 study examined the same dose of folinic acid given to Chinese children with autism. Those given folinic acid had greater improvement in a type of social skill known as social reciprocity when compared with children given placebo.



While promising, none of these trials are at the level to change medical practice. We’d need further, larger studies before doctors can make a proper recommendation.



Like all drugs, leucovorin has side effects. The most serious or common are severe allergic reactions, seizures and fits, and nausea and vomiting.



In a nutshell



Overall, the latest health recommendations are not yet backed by sufficient evidence.



While the US Food and Drug Administration will now allow doctors to prescribe leucovorin to treat autism symptoms, the Australian government should not change its prescribing guidance.



Support for people with autism should continue to follow evidence-based best practice until the data from clinical trials of leucovorin is more robust.



Nial Wheate is a professor at the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University and Jasmine Lee is a pharmacist and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.



This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>What, know, about, leucovorin, the, drug, the, Trump, administration, says, can, treat, autism</media:keywords>
</item>

<item>
<title>How upstart brands like Hoka and On can tackle giants like Nike</title>
<link>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-upstart-brands-like-hoka-and-on-can-tackle-giants-like-nike</link>
<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/how-upstart-brands-like-hoka-and-on-can-tackle-giants-like-nike</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ When Iga Światek breezed to victory in this year’s Wimbledon women’s final, little mention was made of the head-to-toe On kit she was wearing. The reaction was testament to the “softly, softly” approach used by On these last few years—but the victory and subsequent exposure cemented its place among the fastest-growing challengers in a category long dominated by household names like Nike, Adidas, and Puma.



Together, these legacy brands still command a significant portion of the global athletic footwear market, but their grip is loosening. Between 2021 and 2023, challenger brands like Hoka and On (sometimes referred to as On Running) grew their revenues by 29%, compared with just 8% for the incumbents. Hoka recently posted record quarterly sales of $653 million, up 20% year-on-year, despite raising prices and expanding globally. On made roughly $2.6 billion in sales in the 2024 fiscal year, tripling its net profit from the previous year.



Sportswear is a difficult category to enter, let alone disrupt. A strong product isn’t enough. To grow in this space, you need a brand strategy that’s clear, consistent, and built for scale. Challenger brands like On and Hoka are showing how it’s done. Here are five lessons for others looking to follow.



It’s more than a look, you need a brand



On launched with a very focussed and modest product range, some proprietary cushioning technology called CloudTec, and a focus on performance. It leveraged its Swiss heritage with a Swiss engineering marque on each pair of shoes. But while its products were technically excellent, it’s also given the brand an emotional feel.



Whereas Nike leans into power, pushing limits, and being the best, On has taken a softer, more inclusive stance. The brand celebrates the pleasure of physical training—together—as well as beating a personal best. Its products look good socially and casually, but they also perform. They were inspired by serious athletes, and despite their mass fashionable appeal, serious athletes still wear them. The company’s mission has been to ignite the human spirit through movement.



A brand that wants to scale needs to understand who they are and what they offer, and build that into everything: design, advertising, and tone. Creating that well-articulated brand from the outset helps guide them as they grow.



Know how and when to broaden appeal



Performance can take a brand only so far. At some point, emotional connection becomes the growth driver. But scaling up and becoming a lifestyle brand—which Nike did decades ago and On has done more recently—is about timing and relevance.



The mistake brands looking to broaden their appeal often make is to try to appeal to everyone too early. Starting small, with a focused core, is what builds credibility. Mass appeal should come when the foundation is strong enough to support it, and methodically.



For those looking to grow, the challenge is to expand without losing what makes them distinctive. Technical credibility builds trust, but identity and feeling shape long-term loyalty. They need to consider how their product makes people feel. Do they inspire confidence? Belonging? Aspiration? And are these perceptions powerful enough to shape purchasing decisions during that crucial time when a customer is in buying mode?



Build a brand beyond the logo



For smaller brands, it’s essential to clarify which brand assets are fixed—logo, symbol, color, tone—and which can evolve. Nike can play with its assets because it’s so recognizable. But for brands still establishing themselves, repetition and consistency are key.



On’s early identity focused solely on the “On” symbol. It became their most visible asset through sheer repetition, despite many customers still reading the symbol as ‘QC’. In its perfectly pitched series of ads with Roger Federer and Elmo, On used this identified confusion to charming comic effect, proving that there’s still room for creativity, but within parameters. Younger brands must also be bold in how they deploy these assets, in fast-moving, crowded markets they have to stand out. Identify which brand elements are fixed, which are flexible, and ensure they’re applied with purpose.



Don’t get lost chasing growth



Rapha revolutionised cycling apparel by capturing the emotion of the best of the sport’s history and matching it with uncompromising quality and design. But in recent years, it has lost its way. In October 2024, the brand reported an operational loss of £21 million ($28 million) over the year, the seventh loss-making year in a row.



The brand had grown quickly but seemingly lost control of its core offering. The Rapha Cycling Club sounded smart but hasn’t added much: Subsidized bike hire at global hubs isn’t relevant to most riders. Over the same period, its club membership dropped by 4,000 to 18,000 members. A flood of newer competitors now mirrors Rapha’s original proposition, often at lower prices.



For scaling brands, it’s important to recognise that the opportunities you turn down are just as important as the ones to take up. When a brand gets distracted by growth, it risks losing sight of what made it special in the first place. Holding your ground and not chasing every trend is a strength, not a weakness. On’s “Soft Wins” is more than a slogan, it’s a signpost to a core brand behavior.



Communities can’t be forced



For smaller brands building their market presence, communities are incredibly valuable. They increase loyalty and create fans who share and showcase the brand, helping wider audiences to grow organically. From the outset, On, for example, developed a really core fanbase by telling stories that people wanted to hear, often about the joy of the activity, with kindness and a positive outlook.



However, as Rapha shows, you can create the conditions for a community, but you can’t dictate it. In the case of bike brand Brompton, brand communities look totally different in different markets. In the U.K., it’s bearded tech-heads commuting across London. In China, it’s color-themed Sunday ride-outs in the park. A brand has to know when to step back, but at the same time it can watch, listen, and learn.



Scaling without losing your edge



It is one thing building a brand and a product that does well, it’s even harder to be that challenger brand looking to scale up in a crowded market. Growth adds pressure to diversify, monetize, and be everywhere at once.



However, brands like On and Hoka prove that it is possible to reach those taller heights. They are succeeding because they’ve built something clear, valuable, and repeatable and then scaled it with focus and a great deal of attention to detail. To be a successful challenger, don’t dilute what makes you distinctive, and resist the urge to say yes to everything. Define your brand early and scale on your own terms. ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
<media:keywords>How, upstart, brands, like, Hoka, and, can, tackle, giants, like, Nike</media:keywords>
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<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Tomas Kauer</dc:creator>
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<title>Aldi just rebranded its private&#45;label products</title>
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<guid>https://thebusinesseconomic.com/aldi-just-rebranded-its-private-label-products</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Aldi is finally putting its name on its products. The grocer, which runs nearly 3,200 stores in the U.S., tells Fast Company that it’s launching its first-ever namesake brand and putting its name on the front of its private-label product packaging for the first time.



It’s no small task: More than 90% of Aldi’s products are private label.



Generic brands have found new life as customers have traded down from national brands to cheaper private labels to beat inflation. In 2024, retailers sold a record $270 billion worth of private-label products in the U.S., according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association. For Aldi, though, private-label brands don’t just represent a growing slice of the pie, they’re the whole pie.



[Image: courtesy Aldi]



“Private label is the core of what we do,” says Scott Patton, Aldi’s chief commercial officer. “I’m not going to say we invented it; I would say we’ve perfected it.”



While the grocer has seen a 7.1% year-over-year increase in store traffic this year, it also has a problem: Too many customers who bought Aldi private brands didn’t know those brands were exclusive to the chain.



“The overall sentiment was, on average, customers didn’t know that was an Aldi brand,” says Kristy Reitz, the grocer’s director of brand and design. “Now if they shop us a little less frequently, they think they can find that brand elsewhere, and in fact it’s a private-label brand to Aldi.”



[Image: courtesy Aldi]



Aldi turned to multiple creative partners to handle the job, including Favorite Child, Pearlfisher, Contrast, Equator, and Sun Strategy. The goal was to make the packaging recognizable, but it also needed to be flexible.



“If every package shows up in this very tight design system and in the exact same way, it would look kind of boring,” Reitz says. “It would be harder to shop.”



[Image: courtesy Aldi]



The company’s new portfolio of private-label packaging includes “an ALDI original” endorsement that will appear on the front for brands like Simply Nature and Specially Selected, while some brands will be replaced with the Aldi name, the company says.



Aldi’s competitors have already responded to the rise of private labeling by upgrading their generic packaging, like Target’s Up&amp;Up and CVS’s Well Market. Walmart launched Bettergoods, an altogether new private-label brand, to expand its retail reach.



[Image: courtesy Aldi]



Aldi says its packaging overhaul wasn’t done as a response to that trend, or in response to litigation, like the suit filed by Mondelez International in May, which accused the grocery chain of ripping off its packaging for legacy brands like Oreo and Chips Ahoy.



“This has actually been a project we’ve been working on for a couple of years,” Reitz says.



But it does represent a concerning development for the company’s competitors. By finally putting its name on its own product packaging, Aldi is making the most of its advantage as a private-label grocer at a moment when customers are more interested than ever in shopping generic.


 ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Business Economic Syndicated News</dc:creator>
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