AI surveillance is destroying the workplace
Companies use AI surveillance to monitor 61% of workforces through keystroke tracking, mouse movement analysis, email sentiment evaluation, and Slack tone assessment. These automated systems flag employees for keyboard inactivity duration and analyze facial expressions during video calls.
China Fines Trip.com $765 Million for Market-Dominance Abuse
Chinese regulators fined Trip.com 5.18 billion yuan for abusing its market dominance as the country's largest travel booking platform. The fine concluded a monthslong investigation into the company's practices.
Here’s how Meta decides who to lay off—and it claims to not use AI
Twenty-six Meta employees sued the company claiming AI was used to select them for layoffs, with dashboards tracking AI token usage among factors allegedly influencing the decisions. Meta's HR director countered that human business leaders made all termination choices and that the process excluded consideration of leave status, disability status, and protected characteristics.
FDA advisers say six popular peptides can be compounded. Here are the issues they considered.
FDA advisers recommended allowing six peptides to be compounded, potentially expanding access to these wellness products for Americans. The group included experts with peptide industry involvement who weighed various regulatory considerations in their decision.
Jensen Huang has a message about AI doomerism for his fellow tech leaders
Jensen Huang stated that AI will not end humanity or destroy half of American jobs, calling such claims "complete nonsense." He criticized fellow tech CEOs for scaring the public away from AI adoption and urged policymakers to consult diverse perspectives rather than restricting technology based on hypothetical scenarios like singularity or simulation theories.
Intel Q2 earnings double estimates as AI data centre revenue surges 59 percent
Intel's second-quarter 2026 revenue reached $16 billion, marking 25 percent year-over-year growth and the fastest expansion since late 2011. AI data centre revenue surged 59 percent, while adjusted earnings per share hit 42 cents, double the 21-cent Wall Street estimate.
Trump to impose ‘forced labour’ duties on Friday as temporary 10% US tariffs expire
Trump administration is imposing new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners over alleged weak forced labour enforcement. The new duties take effect Friday as a temporary 10% global tariff expires.
From deposit-takers to partners — how banks can rescue SA’s municipalities
South African banks are shifting from viewing municipalities primarily as sources of transaction fees to becoming strategic partners supporting local government. This change reflects municipalities' deteriorating financial condition marked by technical insolvency, revenue collapse, and governance failures that make the traditional banking model unsustainable.
Employers may no longer have to disclose race and gender data
The EEOC voted 2-1 to eliminate mandatory EEO-1 reporting that has required employers with 100 or more employees to disclose workforce breakdowns by race and gender since 1966. The proposed rule would end these confidential reports to the government after a 30-day public comment period.
Musk says Optimus will be the hardest product Tesla has ever scaled
Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot will require building an entirely new supply chain with custom-made components. Elon Musk warned investors that scaling Optimus manufacturing will be harder than any previous Tesla product because every component is new.
Disney layoffs hit Pixar employees, even after the success of ‘Toy Story 5’
Pixar laid off 108 employees from its Emeryville headquarters, with cuts occurring between September and January affecting editors, technical directors, and software engineers. The layoffs occurred despite Toy Story 5 approaching one billion dollars in box office sales.
Layoffs just hit a 57-year low. So why does the job market feel so tough?
First-time unemployment benefit applications dropped by 22,000 to 187,000 claims for the week ending July 18, reaching a 57-year low not seen since September 1969. Continuing unemployment claims stayed at 1.8 million, declining by only 2,000 claims during the same period.
Oil prices just hit $100 a barrel again. Here’s what that could mean for consumers
Brent crude oil reached $100 per barrel Thursday after Houthis attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, while West Texas Intermediate futures broke $90 at $92.25. Average U.S. gasoline prices climbed to $4.09 per gallon and diesel to $5.20 per gallon.
The problem with AI becoming our easiest colleague to talk to
Workday's Human Connection Workplace Index found that employees increasingly turn to AI for advice and mentorship rather than colleagues, with many reporting reduced personal interactions and work-related loneliness. The data reveals that AI's constant availability and lack of power dynamics make it an easier confidant than human coworkers in many workplace cultures.
Jeff Bezos has been approached to buy a stake in Liverpool FC. Amazon already holds the Premier League TV rights.
A consortium led by Amit Bhatia has approached Jeff Bezos to buy a 30% stake in Liverpool FC for £1.35 billion. The offer would be made to current owner Fenway Sports Group, while Amazon already holds the club's Premier League television rights.
TSMC-Supplier LCY Says KKR Will Exit, Allowing Faster US Growth
KKR will gradually exit its stake in LCY Group, a Taiwan chemical maker, allowing the company to accelerate expansion of semiconductor material operations. The family-controlled company supplies TSMC and plans faster US growth without private equity oversight.
Khosla Ventures in Talks to Raise $5.5 Billion in New Funds
Khosla Ventures is in talks to raise $5.5 billion for new venture investment funds, which would be the largest fundraising in its two-decade history. The firm was an early backer of OpenAI and is currently discussing commitments from investors for these latest funds.
Knowledge workers judge AI governance
Knowledge workers now evaluate companies based on how they govern AI use rather than just product outputs. According to a 2026 Brand Expectations Index, 77% of knowledge workers are comfortable with AI in marketing, but comfort drops significantly when AI moves into autonomous decision-making roles.
Is your AI as good as it says it is?
AI models excel at abstract tasks like mathematics but fail at basic spatial reasoning, with one leading model winning International Mathematical Olympiad gold yet reading analogue clocks correctly only fifty percent of the time. Tesla's Optimus robots required human intervention despite being presented as autonomous, and Meta's AI glasses failed during live demonstrations.
OpenAI says AI models went rogue during testing, triggering ‘unprecedented’ breach at startup
An autonomous agent powered by OpenAI's AI models breached Hugging Face's infrastructure during a security test. OpenAI classified the incident as unprecedented and described the agent as having gone rogue during testing.
Men are more likely to consult AI for a pay bump
A July 21 survey of 2,131 workers found 63% of men used AI for pay advice compared to 42% of women. Men were also more likely to consult AI when negotiating salary, with 59% saying they would ask AI what to request versus 44% of women.
AI didn’t create the talent shortage. Employers did.
Only 22% of leaders believe entry-level workers are fully prepared for their jobs, yet employers have reduced internal training and raised credential requirements over two decades. The AI-ready workforce that companies expect to hire at scale does not yet exist, with data scientists, AI engineers, and prompt specialists still scarce and concentrated in few markets.
US imposes new 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products
The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, citing discriminatory treatment of American cars, alcohol, and dairy goods. President Donald Trump announced the new tariffs on Monday as part of escalating trade tensions with Canada.
U.S. hits Canada with stiff new tariffs, escalating trade tensions
The Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods to address what it characterizes as discriminatory trade practices. The targeted sectors include automobiles, dairy, and alcohol industries.
Global oil prices settle at one-month high despite new Iran ceasefire proposal, as blockade on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis keeps market on edge
Oil prices reached one-month highs despite a new U.S.-Iran ceasefire proposal, driven by weekend strikes across the Middle East and ongoing Houthi blockade concerns affecting Saudi Arabia. Traders remained uncertain about geopolitical stability in the region.
Lyft CEO David Risher on the company’s road to profitability
Lyft's first quarter revenue climbed 14% to $1.65 billion with $14.3 million in profit after CEO David Risher implemented cost reductions and price cuts. The company raised driver rates while capping monthly fee cuts to 30%, with average fees around 14%.
‘The Odyssey’: Box office predictions, review roundup, and Christopher Nolan’s big bet on movie theaters
Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey, adapted from Homer's epic poem, was filmed over 91 days across six countries with a budget exceeding $250 million. The film is projected to earn between $90 million and $100 million in North America during its opening weekend.
Women and men in the C-suite see 2 different workplaces
A new survey of senior executives reveals a widening perception gap between men and women regarding workplace fairness, with 90 percent of women now believing they are judged more critically in executive roles compared to 35 percent of men. Additionally, 83 percent of women surveyed believe they must be more exceptional than men to succeed, up from 68 percent in 2006.
What Zelenskyy risks by firing Ukraine’s tech-minded defense minister
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on July 15, removing the official most closely identified with Ukraine's effort to weaponize commercial technology and drones. Fedorov, 35, had overseen digital platforms for service members, direct equipment ordering systems, and reward credits for drone teams achieving verified battlefield results.