Sierra, which builds custom AI agents for enterprise customer service, is expanding to Japan, backed by a new investment from Softbank's Vision Fund 2, co-founders Clay Bavor andBret Taylor announced at Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
The big picture: AI agents are a hot topic in 2025 — though they've been Sierra's focus from the start. And it has seen rapid growth since its launch last year.
Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arorasaid growing AI threats make new detection methods a more pressing need than simplydoubling down on protecting outdated systemsat Axios' AI+ Summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
Why it matters: AI relies on massive amounts of personal data to function, making those systems a tantalizing target for a new wave of attackers who are also using AI to boost their hacking capabilities, he said.
President Trump on Thursday signed a peace deal to end the war in eastern Congo and used the moment to advance another priority: securing U.S. access to critical minerals.
The big picture: The Trump administration has aggressively pursued rare earth minerals and magnets overseas — vital for everything from the production of vehicles to nuclear weapons — after China threatened U.S. access.
Dollar stores are suddenly in the conquest businesses, capturing a new cohort of customers as stretched Americans look to save.
Why it matters: When inflation was hot and people were spending on experiences, the dollar store industry had been in a prolonged slump. Now, three bullish earnings reports from the leading dollar-store chains show their newfound momentum as shoppers look to pinch pennies.
MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, plans to launch a membership-based, direct-to-consumer product next summer, the network's president Rebecca Kutler plans to announce during an investor day presentation for parent company Versant on Thursday.
Why it matters: It represents the most significant digital investment in the network's 30-year history.
Scale AI made headlines after Meta took a 49% stake in the AI app development company and poached its co-founder and CEO Alexandr Wang to serve as its chief AI officer.
As head of communications, Tom Channick is tasked with telling the story of Scale's next phase, with former chief strategy officer Jason Droege taking the reins as CEO.
Former communications executive Michelle Masek has launched an AI operating system for comms and public relations professionals called Honeyjar AI, Axios is first to report.
Why it matters: It's an AI platform for communications, by communicators and backed by leading VC, media and comms executives.
The New York Times and its intelligence reporter Julian E. Barnes on Thursday sued the Pentagon, alleging it violated the First Amendment rights of reporters when it stripped access for journalists who refused to sign a sweeping and unprecedented pledge to not cover unauthorized information.
Why it matters: The lawsuit is the first major legal action taken by a news organization that aims to push back against the Defense Department's new policy and possibly reverse it.
A year of upheaval in the U.S. Foreign Service has left a beleaguered workforce struggling to advance the country's diplomatic goals, according to a new survey by the American Foreign Service Association.
Why it matters: The survey paints a grim picture of life in the diplomatic corps since President Trump's administration dismantled key federal agencies and cut thousands of jobs.
Nearly 45 million people on average watched the three Thanksgiving Day NFL games this year, according to Nielsen ratings, shattering the previous record of 34.5 million viewers set last year.
Why it matters: The NFL credits the ratings boost, in part, to better methodology used by Nielsen to calculate out-of-home viewers, or people who watch its games in bars and restaurants.
Auto standards are the latest energy policy fight to get subsumed into the politics of affordability that look slated to dominate the midterms.
Why it matters: Contra the late Kris Kristofferson, freedom's just another word for ... cheaper vehicles. That's what Trump officials claim by naming their rollback of auto mileage rules the "Freedom Means Affordable Cars" plan.
A survey out Thursday finds that knowledge workers under 40 want AI to be less generic, with styles tailored to how they actually write and speak.
Why it matters: The youngest workers are typically on the bleeding edge — first to adopt new technology and a leading indicator of where it's headed next.
A geothermal energy company announced Thursday that it has discovered — with AI's help — the first commercially viable system of its kind in over 30 years.
Why it matters: Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals officials said the underground find, in a remote area of western Nevada, offers fresh evidence that geothermal can become an attractive option to meet soaring U.S. energy demand.
Kendrick Lamar's "luther" (with SZA) was the most-streamed song on Spotify in Dallas this year.
The big picture: Bad Bunny ended Taylor Swift's two-year run as Spotify's top global artist, as men — including Drake and The Weeknd — returned to the platform's top five after being absent in 2024.
Spotify didn't immediately release local artist data for 2025, so we don't know yet how much y'all streamed Swift's full albums "Reputation" and "The Life Of A Showgirl."
A report that Microsoft lowered its ambitious growth targets was enough to take billions of dollars out of the tech sector on Monday before the company denied the report.
Why it matters: The knee-jerk selloff is indicative of how quick the market is to react to doubts over the AI trade right now.
The song Kendrick Lamar and SZA debuted at the Super Bowl was Spotify's most-streamed song of 2025 across the country and here in Raleigh.
Why it matters: It's been 10 years since Spotify debuted Wrapped, turning personal listening habits into shared experiences.
Zoom in: In 2025, Raleigh didn't have any country tracks crack the top 5, making it a very different vibe than last year.
Soft pop ballads dominated local playlists instead.
Case in point: Raleigh kept Chappell Roan in heavy rotation, blasting "Pink Pony Club" enough to vault it into the fourth spot two years after its release.
Last year, it was "Good Luck, Babe!" making the list.
America's babies are joining the 401(k) generation early, thanks to the new "Trump accounts."
Why it matters: Like employment-based retirement funds, Trump accounts will draw even more Americans into the stock market — along with all the risks, rewards and drawbacks that entails.
"It's like a 401(k) from birth," Brad Gerstner, an investor and champion of the accounts, said at an Oval Office press conference earlier this week.
Economic pain is mounting quickly for America's small businesses, raising the chances of a Main Street recession despite an AI-powered growth boom.
The big picture: The economic fortunes of mom-and-pop businesses are diverging from their larger counterparts. The dynamic is not new, but the divide is getting bigger, faster.
Over 260,000 cases of shredded cheese sold at major retailers including Aldi, Target and Walmart are being recalled because the products may contain metal fragments, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.
The big picture: Great Lakes Cheese Co., a manufacturer based in Hiram, Ohio, initiated a voluntary recall in early October for the cheeses that are sold in 31 states and Puerto Rico, and the FDA classified the designation as a "Class 2" recall on Monday, per the FDA report.
Trump ally and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell officially registered to raise campaign funds for a potential Minnesota governor bid through the state's site Wednesday.
The big picture: Lindell, who previously pushed false claims about 2020 election fraud, told MPR News he's "98 percent sure" he'll join an already packed gubernatorial field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge two-time incumbent Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
Spotify Wrapped, a recap of users' listening year, dropped on Wednesday with new social features, IRL pop-ups and AI-powered listening stats — presenting a vivid example of how music is being discovered, marketed and monetized in 2025.
Why it matters: Wrapped has become a cultural holiday that now doubles as a window into a music ecosystem overwhelmed by volume, driven by algorithms and reshaped by AI.
