Axios

The good news is AI is actually making workers more productive, rather than obsolete. The bad news? Employers might expect that productivity regularly, leading to pressure and burnout.

The big picture: Companies may need AI guardrails to avoid overwork while protecting increased productivity, researchers wrote in Harvard Business Review.

Harley-Davidson's retail motorcycle sales plunged for the fourth straight year in 2025, as the company struggles to pull in younger riders and grapples with the punishing effects of President Trump's trade war.

Why it matters: The motorcycle maker's prolonged sales slide shows how even iconic American brands can struggle to adapt as younger consumers, higher costs and trade tensions reshape demand.

Valentine's Day might be a national holiday, but America's taste in romantic movies differs across the country.

Between the lines: Roku search data exclusively shared with Axios reveals the romance title each state is unusually into, and the results range from "Wedding Crashers" to "When Harry Met Sally."

Several states are rolling out new incentives to lure Canadians back to the U.S. after visits from America's northern neighbor fell by roughly 20% between January and October 2025.

The big picture: Canada leads all international visitors to the U.S. Those 20.4 million visits in 2024 generated about $20.5 billion in spending and supported 140,000 American jobs, according to U.S. Travel Association data.

Candle Media, the media rollup company backed by Blackstone, has sold a majority stake in digital media company ATTN: back to its co-founders Matthew Segal and Jarrett Moreno, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The deal empowers Segal and Moreno, who continued to lead the company under Candle Media's ownership, to reinvest ATTN:'s profits back into the company they started and drive a new phase of growth.

Alphabet is on a borrowing spree — Google's parent company raised $20 billion in a bond sale Monday.

Why it matters: Tech giants are spending enormous amounts on AI, and, despite their relatively deep coffers, they need help paying for it.

A new, strange-bedfellows group is launching an initiative with an ambitious goal: "reimagine how the United States manages its public lands and waters in the face of accelerating 21st-century challenges."

Why it matters: Ground Shift is quite different from existing groups working to sway management of vast swaths of public lands used for energy, conservation, recreation and more.

Homeowners in the Valley and nationwide are staying in their houses for the longest time in at least 25 years, largely thanks to their low mortgage rates, data shows.

Why it matters: That — along with still-high home prices and tight inventory — is keeping the housing market on ice.

The big picture: Metro Phoenix sellers at the end of 2025 had owned their homes for an average of 8.7 years, just above the national average of 8.6 years.

Dallas-Fort Worth homeowners are staying in their houses for the longest time in at least 25 years, largely thanks to their low mortgage rates, data shows.

The big picture: Sellers at the end of 2025 had owned their homes for an average of 7.7 years in D-FW — a record in data going back to early 2000, when the average was just over 2 years.

• The nationwide average was 8.6 years at the end of 2025, up from 4.2 years in 2000.

Another day, another sign that foreign investors may be tiptoeing away from the U.S.: This time, it's a report that China is telling its banks to cut back on buying U.S. Treasury securities.

Why it matters: Such a retreat would rhyme with a growing concern that the dollar — and America — is losing its status as the safest place in the world to park your money.

AI CEOs are openly trash-talking each other, sniping over advertising and their philosophical approaches to the future.

Why it matters: The squabbling is intensifying as the cost of staying competitive in AI soars — and pressure is mounting for the technology to deliver real returns.

Pop star Chappell Roan announced Monday she is no longer represented by Wasserman, the talent agency led by Casey Wasserman, citing a need for representation that aligns with her moral values.

Why it matters: Her departure marks the latest public backlash against Wasserman, who also serves as head of the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, following the release of the Epstein files.

Parkour — once synonymous with an outlaw, fence-hopping subculture — became one of the fastest-growing fitness trends in the U.S. last year, according to ClassPass.

Why it matters: The sport all about moving freely through space has gone mainstream, which means even this reporter tried it out.