Americans trust certain prediction markets, trading platforms and sportsbooks more than some of the country's blue-chip corporations, though men are less likely to trust them than women.
Why it matters: Burgeoning gambling culture is fostering a nation of risk takers, prompting a debate over predatory practices, healthy behavior and the state of the economy.
Elon Musk claims SpaceX can tap into a $28.5 trillion market for its business, the largest "in human history," per the company's prospectus.
Why it matters: It's an astoundingly huge number — only slightly less than U.S. gross domestic product, which is the value of everything the biggest economy on earth produces.
Google's overhaul of the search bar this week washes away one of the last vestiges of the internet's halcyon era — when search tools felt empowering, social media and swiping were novel, and popular disillusionment had yet to set in.
Why it matters: The AI era and the TikTok-ification of social media have produced a digital world that's responsive to the market demands of today and unrecognizable from a decade ago.
America's classic neighborhood watch programs are fading as AI-powered apps turn neighborhoods into digital watch zones.
Why it matters: The automation of neighborhood safety with tools like Amazon's Ring and the Nextdoor app is quietly dismantling one of the country's most basic forms of civic life: neighbors who actually know each other.
