Meta just told some of its former managers to become managers again
Meta is asking some individual contributors in its Applied AI division to return to managerial roles after implementing a flat structure with up to 50 contributors per manager. The division, formed in March with 7,000 employees, previously eliminated management layers during its 2023 efficiency campaign.
Central Eurasia names its 2026 Road to Battlefield winners: Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ
Three startups,Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ,won the Central Eurasia regional final of Road to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026. They will compete at the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.
China’s car exports beat last year’s record with four months to go
China exported over 6.2 million passenger cars in the first eight months of 2024, surpassing its entire 2023 export total with four months remaining. Plug-in hybrids drove much of Europe's growth, as these vehicles escape EU tariffs on Chinese cars.
What Scaling a Payments Company Taught Me About the Problems Success Creates
Systems built to support ten thousand customers fail silently when reaching one hundred thousand users. Most teams don't discover the problems until failures are already causing financial losses.
Tencent-backed chipmaker Enflame nearly triples in its Shanghai debut
Shanghai Enflame Technology's shares surged 179% above their IPO price on their first trading day, closing at 410 yuan compared to an offer price of 142.18 yuan. The Tencent-backed AI chipmaker raised approximately 6.12 billion yuan in its initial public offering on Shanghai's Star Market.
LIV Golf’s Stunning Downfall: From Saudi Billions to Bankruptcy
LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy four years after its Saudi-backed launch disrupted professional golf by recruiting top PGA Tour players. The league's seven largest creditors are elite golfers owed up to $7.5 million each.
AI workers who publicly quit ‘help to move the needle’ with safety concerns, experts say
Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old Anthropic researcher, publicly quit the AI industry citing safety concerns about "self-improving superintelligence." His X post garnered over 105 million views and claimed researchers believe advanced AI could cause existential destruction by decade's end.
AI researcher claims he resigned from Anthropic over threat to the human race. His post is going viral
An AI researcher resigned from Anthropic, claiming both Anthropic and OpenAI are recklessly pursuing self-improving superintelligence that could kill humanity within the decade. His post garnered nearly 79 million views on X, with the researcher stating that AI systems could soon hack anything and acquire real power while people at these companies understand the existential risks involved.
This ‘union-busting’ calculator arms workers with information
A nonprofit watchdog launched a search tool today that provides workers access to data on 800 union-busting consultants and thousands of law firms from government filings, revealing their clients, fees, and campaign track records. The tool addresses a significant information gap, as approximately 75% of employers hire such consultants while 16.5 million unionized workers represent far fewer than the 50 million Americans who desire union membership.
Cognition’s valuation doubled in 15 weeks. So did its revenue, and the multiple barely moved.
Cognition's valuation doubled from $26 billion to $48 billion in 15 weeks while run-rate revenue nearly doubled from $492 million to almost $900 million. Both valuations maintained approximately 53 times run-rate revenue multiple.
Why quantum computing stocks are soaring today while the rest of the market falls
Three quantum computing companies,Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and Quantinuum,each received $100 million in government funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's CHIPS Research and Development Office. The Commerce Department will receive minority, non-controlling equity stakes in the companies as part of the $2 billion initiative announced under the CHIPS and Science Act.
PGM recovery puts the shine back on ARM earnings
Platinum group metals drove ARM's earnings this year, replacing iron ore as the primary profit contributor from the previous year. The company's diversified portfolio enabled a counterbalance effect across different commodity segments.
Trust in AI starts with human-AI boundaries
Fifty-six percent of consumers expect AI to improve their experience, but only 19% want AI agents as primary brand interactions. The ability to switch to a human at any time emerged as the most important factor for building trust in AI experiences.
PAPER TRAIL: Invoices reveal anomalies in the millions Daybreak Foods paid to PIC-linked law firm
Daybreak Foods paid millions in legal fees to a PIC-linked law firm with documented billing anomalies severe enough that the business rescue practitioner recommended criminal prosecution and civil recovery. Invoices reviewed by the DA revealed sufficient misconduct to warrant an SIU investigation into the legal fees charged.
Volcanic island in Indonesia erupts, canceling 1,558 flights and affecting 170,000 passengers
A volcanic island in Indonesia's Sunda Strait erupted twice Sunday, sending ash into the air. The eruptions canceled 1,558 flights and affected 170,000 passengers.
They paid $470,000 for a ‘boring’ business. Within days, almost everything went wrong
A couple paid $470,000 for a South Florida landscaping company expecting passive income, but the seller disappeared and ten of twelve employees quit within days, dropping monthly revenue from $70,000 to $40,000. Over the next year, the owners rebuilt revenue to $60,000-$65,000 monthly while working 80-hour weeks.
America’s disposable workforce is growing. It comes with hidden costs
The rise of disposable workers allows companies to reduce costs and gain flexibility by avoiding traditional employee obligations. Contractors now fill roles across sectors including building maintenance, nursing, legal services, and freelance work that were formerly held by permanent employees.
Tesla’s viral ad for its new Cybercab robotaxi has one glaring problem
Tesla introduced the Cybercab, a driverless taxi with butterfly doors and no steering wheel, now available in Austin, Texas. The vehicle's advertisement showed riders storing mobility aids like wheelchairs and crutches in the trunk, but raised questions about how passengers would enter the car after placing their devices inside.
What’s the beef? Rising meat prices at Walmart, Costco, Aldi, Publix, and more prompt Department of Justice probe
The Department of Justice expanded its beef price investigation to eight grocery chains and retailers including Walmart, Costco, and Publix. Ground beef averaged $6.88 per pound in July, up from $3.88 in January 2020, prompting DOJ requests for detailed pricing, wholesale purchase, and margin information.
Hiring bounces back in August with 162,000 jobs added
The U.S. added 162,000 jobs in August, far exceeding forecaster expectations of 65,000 and bringing the unemployment rate to 4.1%. Restaurants and bars contributed 59,000 of those jobs, while average hourly wages increased only 3.1% year-over-year, the weakest growth since May 2021.
Volkswagen flags 50,000 job cuts across group as board approves turnaround plan
Volkswagen's supervisory board approved a transformation plan involving 50,000 job cuts to address tariffs, overcapacity, and competition from Chinese rivals. The cuts represent a significant reduction in the company's workforce as part of its turnaround strategy.
The security workers who guard OpenAI and Anthropic could go on strike
Security workers at OpenAI, Anthropic, and other tech companies authorized a strike after Allied Universal proposed only a 25-cent hourly wage increase in 2027 with no raises for three years. The SEIU-United Service Workers West union is demanding a $30 minimum wage and expanded benefits following 19 stalled bargaining sessions.
Why are AI companies buying books?
AI companies are purchasing used books to train large language models, with courts ruling this destruction of physical books for AI training qualifies as fair use under copyright law. The practice emerged from a copyright settlement that established legal precedent for acquiring and destroying physical books in this manner.
OpenAI unleashes Astra, its most capable and controversial model yet
OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra, trained on more than 100,000 GPUs, which the company claims outperforms all other frontier models on benchmarks measuring computer use, browser use, software engineering, and cybersecurity. Astra scored 99.9% on the ARC-AGI-3 reasoning test and will roll out Thursday to limited organizations before becoming available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users through the API and Amazon Web Services.
The ‘Great Flattening’ rolls on as Uber lays off middle managers
Uber is cutting 10% of its 3,300-person workforce to reduce management layers and speed decision-making. The number of workers seven or more layers from the CEO decreased by 20%, while micro-teams with one or two reports were cut nearly in half.
There’s a new record number of 401(k) millionaires as retirement savings hold at all-time highs
The number of 401(k) millionaires reached a record high in the second quarter as retirement savings hit all-time highs. Fidelity Investments attributed the increase to investors maintaining focus on long-term goals despite ongoing economic concerns.
Jason Isbell’s Suno lawsuit takes aim beyond AI copyright
A group of artists including Jason Isbell and David Lowery sued AI music generator Suno, claiming the company lets users create music mimicking their individual styles without permission or compensation. The lawsuit focuses on identity misappropriation rather than copyright infringement and opens with a Star Trek essay comparing Suno to the Borg Collective.
Uber cuts 10% of jobs today, stock up: Why these layoffs are different from others
Uber eliminated 3,300 employees, representing 10% of its 34,000-person workforce. The company cited organizational streamlining and management layer reduction rather than artificial intelligence as the reason for cuts.
Data Center Spending to Reach $31.6 Trillion by 2050 on AI Boom
Global data center spending will total $31.6 trillion through 2050 to support artificial intelligence growth. This investment level represents an unprecedented scale in historical spending on infrastructure, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.