Amazon will pay $2.5 billion in penalties and refunds to settle allegations that it enrolled its customers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and made it difficult for them to cancel, the FTC announced Thursday.
Why it matters: $1.5 billion of that will go directly to Prime subscribers, capped at $51 per person.
Amazon.com will pay $2.5 billion in penalties and refunds to settle allegations that it enrolled customers for its Prime subscriptions without their consent and made it difficult for them to cancel.
Why it matters: The settlement demonstrates that Trump administration regulators are willing to stand up to Big Tech even as their CEOs woo the president.
President Trump on Thursday said the U.S. would impose tariffs of 30% to 50% on some kinds of furniture and cabinetry, calling it a matter of national security.
Why it matters: Trump previously threatened to tariff furniture in the name of reviving the domestic industry — despite opposition from that industry itself, which warned of higher costs.
Monumental Sports Network says YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV do not intend to renew its distribution deals.
Why it matters: Being dropped from both digital pay-TV providers would impact "hundreds of thousands" of D.C. sports fans, Zachary Leonsis, president of media and new enterprises for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, tells Axios.
Used car values depreciated rapidly this summer as competitors were "aggressive" on pricing, CarMax CEO Bill Nash warned Thursday.
Why it matters: Prices had spiked earlier in 2025 as Americans rushed to snap up vehicles ahead of anticipated tariffs — but sales have tapered off since then, prompting a scramble to attract customers.
A group of Disney investors is alleging that the company prioritized "improper political" considerations over the best interests of stockholders with its brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel last week.
Why it matters: In an era where companies are caving to demands from the Trump administration, the investors are arguing that political expediency might in fact hurt profits.
Job postings are down from last year, per the latest data from jobs site Indeed.com.
Why it matters: That's not great news for folks looking to switch jobs, but for new graduates trying to break into the labor market — it's a dire moment.
President Trump on Thursday indicated farmers could soon get a bailout funded by tariffs, one that could echo similar relief he provided in his first term.
Why it matters: American farmers are being walloped by the trade war, especially soybean growers, who've seen their largest export market — China— disappear.
ChatGPT will now proactively start conversations with users through OpenAI's new preview of ChatGPT Pulse, released to Pro users on the mobile app Thursday.
Why it matters: Letting ChatGPT take the initiative could turn it into a more helpful personal assistant — and encourage users to turn over more of their private data and browsing habits.
A new OpenAI tool to evaluate AI model performance on "economically valuable work" shows that the bots are gaining on us when it comes to common job tasks.
Why it matters: We're at an AI reckoning, where leaders are trying to justify investments without effective tools to measure returns.
ESG— as fraught as the acronym might be — is actually good for business, according to Carlyle global head of corporate affairs Megan Starr.
Why it matters: Companies have shied away from promoting their environmental, sustainability and socially conscious business activities for fear of coming under attack or being deemed "woke" by right-wing activists.
At a time when other business leaders were firing employees for their reactions to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson took the opposite approach, encouraging employees to engage in open dialogue.
Why it matters: The move could have landed the apparel giant in the middle of the latest culture war.
Private equity giant Blackstone won't be running highway rest stops in Massachusetts, after a wild saga of big-money bids, litigation, and political intrigue.
Catch up quick: In early 2024, state officials issued an RFP to operate 18 highway service plazas, many of which haven't been significantly renovated since the 1950s.
Robert Kraft has agreed to sell an 8% stake in the NFL's New England Patriots at around a $9 billion valuation to billionaire Dean Metropoulos and private equity firm Sixth Street Partners, per a source familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: This is the first time that Kraft has sold part of the team since he acquired it more than 30 years ago.
Uber Eats and Instacart rolled out parallel pushes Thursday to help shoppers save on groceries — signaling affordability has become the new battleground in on-demand grocery shopping.
Why it matters: Delivery and in-store tech are converging on the same pain point: high food prices.
China's long-awaited emissions target is either a nod to realism (and the benefit of under-promising) or a dangerous failure of ambition, depending on who you ask.
Why it matters: The country is the world's largest carbon emitter by a mile. It's also the world's largest energy consumer.
Nvidia's $100 billion investment in OpenAI has investors questioning whether we're seeing too much circular investing: companies using their free cash flow to give their biggest customers money that will make a round trip back home.
Why it matters: Wall Street is already concerned about an AI bubble, and this kind of funding just adds fuel to the froth fire.
The S&P 500 will easily hit 7,000 by year-end, says Max Kettner, chief multi-asset strategist at HSBC. That would put the market up nearly 20% on the year.
Why it matters: Kettner joins strategists at JPMorgan and elsewhere on Wall Street who don't see this bull market rally ending anytime soon.
Here's what's new on Apple TV+, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney+ and HBO Max.
What we're watching: A new season of "Slow Horses," a noir drama about a journalist taking down corruption in a midwestern city and the story of a 19th-century dynasty.
With their latest deals to fund the data center boom, AI firms are making history — in terms of dollar size, convention-busting structure, and astronomical risk.
Why it matters: The U.S. is betting its economic fortunes on the belief that OpenAI's Sam Altman, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and other AI leaders are wizardly innovators dreaming up novel financing vehicles to drive a golden future — rather than salesmen juggling billions and praying the music never stops.
The White House is threatening to use a potential short-term spending lapse to make long-term changes to the federal workforce.
Why it matters: Thousands of government employees could permanently lose their jobs if Congress doesn't reach an agreement to fund the government by Oct. 1.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" drew more than 6 million viewers in its return to the airwaves Tuesday night following a six-day suspension by Disney over his comments about Charlie Kirk.
Why it matters: Kimmel's return was expected to draw a large audience, but 6.2 million is especially impressive given that the program was not available to roughly 25% of ABC affiliates across the country.
