Elon Musk appears to be readying a new project to enter the AI arena against Microsoft and OpenAI.
Why it matters: His plans could involve harnessing together technology from at least two of his companies — Tesla and Twitter — "to some degree," according to Musk.
The price of pasta is being served uncomfortably al dente, triggering official crisis meetings in Italy and hitting American consumers on already inflated grocery bills.
Why it matters: The skyrocketing price of pasta is a perfect case study in what drives inflation — involving rising commodity costs, rocky supply chains and accusations of excessive corporate profit-taking.
Uber is poised to begin rolling out Waymo self-driving cars in the Phoenix area, marking what could be the first step in a broader partnership signaling the end of the long-standing feud between the two companies.
Why it matters: This is Uber's long-expected return to the autonomous vehicle game since selling its own AV research unit in early 2021.
Is it possible to engineer a soft landing where we all keep our jobs but just spend less, thereby bringing inflation pressures down without triggering a recession? The Fed definitely hopes so — and new spending data from Morning Consult suggests they might be on track.
Why it matters: Retail spending data out last week suggested that the American consumer was barely slowing down. Zoom out, however, and it appears most people are actually spending less than they were a year ago.
BuzzFeed on Tuesday will debut a new online retail storefront for Goodful, a lifestyle commerce brand it launched in 2016 initially as a joint venture with snack company Mondelez. The store will be powered by Verishop, the luxury e-commerce site founded by former Snapchat executive Imran Khan and his wife, former Amazon executive Cate Khan.
Why it matters: The site marks BuzzFeed's first online retail store that combines licensed and curated goods under one brand. It's also Verishop's first white-label offering.
The Daily Wire, a conservative media and entertainment company, plans to put its entire slate of podcasts, which are almost all recorded as videos, on Twitter beginning May 30, company executives told Axios.
The big picture: Elon Musk's free speech absolutism is pushing conservatives to embrace the platform.
Brands with ties to the heartland — including John Deere (Illinois), Kohl's (Wisconsin) and USAA (Texas) — are enjoying big reputation gains compared with foreign firms, according to this year's Axios Harris 100 poll.
Why it matters: Companies deeply embedded in American culture ranked higher than most others across attributes such as culture, ethics, citizenship and trust — especially brands associated with China.
In its first month, President Biden’s re-election campaign has already tripled what Donald Trump’s team has spent in online ads in 2023, an attempt to jump-start small donations and lessen Trump’s digital advantage.
Why it matters: Biden needs to lean more heavily into digital advertising to gain traction with donors, as he can’t rely on his organic reach online as much as Trump, who is currently the leading GOP presidential contender.
A runway incursion occurs any time an aircraft is on a runway when it's not supposed to be — say, for example, if pilots taxi onto an active runway without controllers' permission.
Why it matters: The FAA, airlines and other stakeholders have been striving to reduce the number of incursions following a spate of alarming near-disasters in recent months.
Time is money. But in the case of the debt ceiling, money is also time.
Driving the news: Uncle Sam's checking account — something known as the Treasury General Account, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — is dwindling fast.
The share of Americans who skipped medical treatment last year because of costs rose substantially from the lows of 2020 and 2021, per a Federal Reserve Survey out Monday.
Why it matters: The ability to afford health care often translates into better health.
The Walt Disney Company took a big hit in this year's Axios Harris Poll 100, dropping a dozen spots, to 77th, after tangling with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over students' LGBTQ+ rights.
Why it matters: In voicing opposition to DeSantis' so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill last year, Disney gained favor with Democrats but took such a large reputation hit with Republicans that its overall reputation score was severely impacted.
FTX and Tesla, once seen as shining examples of innovation and opportunity, took two of the biggest reputational hits in this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 brand reputation survey.
Why it matters: Amid a crypto collapse and Musk madness, Americans have grown wary and weary of big ideas and powerful moguls who they feel have overpromised and underdelivered.
This survey is the result of a partnership between Axios and Harris Poll to gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America, based on 20 years of Harris Poll research.
A group of Chinese Florida residents are seeking to stop a new property law that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed from taking effect on July 1 on grounds that it's discriminatory.
Driving the news: The four plaintiffs argue in a lawsuit filed Monday that the legislation restricting people from China and six other countries from buying homes and land in the state is both unconstitutional and in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
