Software stocks are getting dumped as investors price in a world where AI could replace software services.
Why it matters: The software selloff dragged down the entire market on Tuesday—it's the first example of how the market will respond when presented with evidence that AI could disrupt or even replace an entire industry.
SpaceX's acquisition of xAI — likely to be followed by an IPO and possibly even a megamerger with Tesla — will serve as the ultimate test of Elon Musk's seemingly mystical ability to captivate investors based on far-out promises.
Why it matters: The mashup reflects the interlocking nature of Musk's empire — a sprawling mix of companies that have long competed for his attention and now look increasingly like a single enterprise.
Walmart's stock climbed roughly 1% on Tuesday morning, vaulting the world's biggest retailer into the trillion-dollar market valuation club.
Why it matters: The stock gain is an affirmation of both Walmart's status as the biggest shopping destination in the trade-down economy and its transformation into an online powerhouse.
French prosecutors raided X's Paris offices Tuesday and summoned Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino for voluntary questioning in a criminal probe tied to Grok's Holocaust denial and explicit deepfakes.
The autonomous future stopped being theoretical this weekend, as a swarm of AI agents signed up for a social media network built just for them.
Why it matters: Security teams, corporate leaders and government officials are far from ready for a reality where agents have real autonomy inside their systems.
The Trump administration's aim to build a U.S. strategic reserve of critical minerals for commercial use opens a new front in U.S. efforts to ease reliance on China.
Why it matters: It's designed to protect domestic manufacturers from supply shocks.
A suspected China-based hacking group spun up a phishing campaign around Christmas that mimicked U.S. policy briefings in an attempt to hack diplomats, according to new research from cybersecurity firm Dream Security shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The campaign successfully infected "a lot of people," Dream CEO Shalev Hulio said in an interview. "We just don't know who and how big [of a] scale," he added.
A Democratic senator is demanding answers from an AI toy company accused of exposing tens of thousands of children's private conversations, according to a letter shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters:AI-powered toys are rapidly entering children's homes, but safeguards around how companies collect, store and monitor kids' data haven't kept pace.
Amazon Prime members are using fast delivery less like a convenience perk — and more like a substitute for routine shopping trips, according to new data from Amazon.
Why it matters: Groceries and everyday household essentials now account for half of all same- or next-day deliveries to U.S. Prime members, signaling a deeper shift in how Americans buy basics — and their reliance on delivery instead of physical stores.
You can only fully understand politics, business and your own anxiety in 2026 by reckoning with the three, once-in-a-generation shifts unfolding at once:
The ideologies, tactics and tone of governance.
The lightning-fast advancements in AI.
The overnight transformation of how our realities are shaped.
Why it matters: All three are hitting all of us — and all at once. If you focus on only one (like many do with President Trump), you miss the enormity of change pushing our minds and nation somewhere new, different and uncertain.
The internet is awash in speculation, suspicion and disgust over the millions of new pages of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Justice Department on Friday.
Few believe the story is anywhere near finished.
Why it matters: The DOJ's final release has delivered tantalizing revelations about Epstein's ties to elite society. But it has brought neither clarity nor closure to the fundamental questions that have kept the scandal alive.
Two years after exiting Google, the co-founders of Fitbit are launching their next act: an AI-powered service for monitoring the health of one's entire family.
Why it matters: After helping turn personal health tracking into a mass habit at Fitbit, James Park and Eric Friedman are betting the next big shift is shared health, tapping AI to help ease the heavy mental load of caregiving.
A former Google engineer was found guilty of economic espionage and theft of confidential AI technology for the benefit of China's government, the FBI said Monday.
Why it matters: Intelligence and defense officials have long warned of increased efforts by Beijing and others to obtain U.S. intellectual property and use AI against American interests.
