Meta Bets Its Next Revenue Line on Personal AI Agents
Meta announced personal AI agents as a core component of its future revenue strategy during second-quarter earnings on July 29, 2026, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling them "the foundation for our next wave of products and revenue lines." The company has not yet launched this consumer agent business but plans to provide additional details in coming months.
WEX Deploys AI to Stop Fleet Fuel Fraud Before It Happens
WEX is adding an AI-powered fraud prevention tool called SecureFuel to its WEXOnline platform to identify and block unauthorized fuel purchases before approval. The capability will be deployed for North American fleet customers beginning August 3.
EnFi Secures $15 Million to Bring Agentic AI to Commercial Lending
EnFi raised $15 million in Series A funding to scale agentic AI technology for commercial lending workflows. The Massachusetts-based fintech will use the capital to grow its team and accelerate go-to-market efforts.
Businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees made 92% of May hires
Small businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees accounted for 92% of private sector hires in May, with companies employing 10 to 49 people making the largest contribution. Companies with 5,000 or more employees posted 3% of job openings but made fewer than 2% of actual hires.
Morgan Stanley Unveils Lowest-Cost Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) ETFs
Morgan Stanley launched two new exchange-traded products: the Ethereum Trust trading under ticker MSSE and the Solana Trust under ticker MSOL. Both products are positioned as low-cost options for investors seeking exposure to these cryptocurrencies through NYSE Arca trading.
NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts
Eighteen innovative aerospace technology concepts received awards totaling $3.2 million from NASA's NIAC program. Each Phase I award provides up to $175,000 for nine-month investigations into solar system exploration and universe understanding.
At Waymo, an AI project isn't ready until its evals are — not when the model performs well
Waymo uses "eval-centric development," making continuous evaluation a core engineering practice rather than a final deployment check. The company has driven over 220 million fully autonomous miles with 17 times fewer serious crash injuries than human drivers.
Microsoft’s Azure just crossed $100bn a year, and the AI bet mostly paid off
Microsoft's Azure cloud service revenue exceeded $100 billion annually, with quarterly cloud revenue reaching $59.3 billion, up 27% year-over-year. Total company revenue rose 18% to $90 billion for the quarter ending June 30, and net income increased 31% to $35.8 billion.
Is AI really a job killer? Some employers say they’re actually hiring more
Visa announced plans to eliminate 7% of its workforce, totaling 2,600 employees, with CEO Ryan McInerney citing AI as a factor in how work gets done. A ZipRecruiter survey found that 35% of recruiters expect AI to increase head count at their companies, while 24% said hiring had already increased due to AI.
Robinhood Crypto Revenue Tops Estimates Despite 38% Drop, How Will Stock React?
Robinhood's second quarter cryptocurrency transaction revenue reached $100 million, exceeding analyst expectations of $86.6 million despite declining 38% year-over-year. Total net revenues increased 32% to $1.31 billion while diluted earnings per share grew 48% to $0.62.
OpenAI is giving 100,000 scientists free AI. Here’s how it can afford to.
OpenAI is offering 100,000 academic researchers free access to its frontier models through 2027, beginning with 10,000 users this summer. The programme scales to reach the full 100,000 researchers by the end of the rollout period.
Meta Revenue Beats, But AI Spending Crushes Profit Margins: Will the Stock Surge?
Meta's operating margin fell to 31% from 43% due to AI infrastructure spending, legal charges, and severance costs despite beating revenue expectations. The company's stock price dropped 5.06% to $556 in after-hours trading as investors reacted to higher projected capital spending.
Lonely North Carolina 4-year-old brings neighborhood of strangers together with his friendly wave
A 4-year-old boy in North Carolina named Roman Butzlaff waved at his neighbors daily from his yard, eventually connecting with multiple people on his block. His consistent friendly gestures transformed a neighborhood of strangers into a community where residents now serve as adoptive grandparents to him.
Enterprise AI agents can't talk to each other, can't be trusted with permissions, and can't be audited — 5 startups are already fixing that
Enterprise AI agents lack infrastructure to communicate, be authorized, and be audited effectively. Five startups are developing solutions including BAND, which creates a coordination layer allowing agents to discover each other, delegate tasks conversationally, and return summarized results to users.
Binance.US Reportedly Plans CFTC License Bid to Launch Prediction Markets
Binance.US plans to apply for a Commodity Futures Trading Commission license next month to operate prediction markets for US customers. CEO Stephen Gregory announced the timeline at the Rare Evo conference in Las Vegas, though no filing has yet been submitted to the agency.
BMW is cutting 8,000 jobs and handing its cars’ brains to Qualcomm
BMW is cutting approximately 8,000 jobs in Germany by the end of 2027 and will use Qualcomm technology for its vehicle computing systems over the next decade. The job reductions will occur through a voluntary redundancy scheme affecting administrative roles.
Uefa calls emergency meeting as opposition to Fifa plan hardens
Uefa is holding an emergency meeting Thursday with its 55 member nations to coordinate opposition to Fifa's plan for selling World Cup stakes to private investors. A potential European boycott of Fifa tournaments, including possibly the Women's World Cup, is being considered as a response option.
This Cambridge startup is building a ‘foundation model’ for the chest to speed drug trials
Qureight raised $20 million in Series B funding to build a single foundation model covering the entire chest instead of creating separate models for individual diseases. The Cambridge startup develops AI imaging tools for lung and heart clinical trials, with the foundation model allowing it to derive additional applications.
Montana Teen Uses Rodeo Lasso to Rescue Drowning Man on Yellowstone River
A 14-year-old boy used a rodeo lasso to rescue a man drowning in the Yellowstone River by catching him around the neck and arm. Jory Thomas was spending the Fourth of July weekend at his grandparents' home when he performed the rescue.
How an overlooked geothermal plant got a second chance
Zanskar purchased a failing geothermal plant in New Mexico in June 2024 where underground reservoir water was cooling over time. The plant now operates at full capacity two years later using a new approach.
Democratic Senator Backs Clarity Act — With Proposed Law Enforcement Changes Included: Report
A Democratic senator supports the Clarity Act while proposing law enforcement modifications to the legislation. Lawmakers, predominantly Democrats, continue advocating for changes to the long-delayed bill.
Nimble claims its new, domain-specialized Web Search Agents cut token costs in half while boosting retrieval accuracy
Web Search Agents perform 21% more accurate research while consuming 51% fewer tokens than comparable AI search alternatives. The system combines self-learning retrieval strategies, proprietary web indexes, and live web access for domain-specific enterprise search capabilities.
Fifa opens disciplinary proceedings against Argentina over Falklands banner and final chaos
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Argentina for displaying a Falkland Islands banner after their 2-1 World Cup semi-final victory against England. Players Paredes and Molina are also being investigated for involvement in a brawl following the final match.
NASA Sets Coverage for August Northern Hemisphere Total Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse will be visible on August 12 across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal. NASA will stream the eclipse live with multiple camera views and expert interviews across various online platforms.
Target SVP says its real AI moat isn't the models — it's everything built around them
Target's competitive advantage comes from the infrastructure and systems built around AI models rather than the models themselves. Agents at Target earn autonomy gradually and are deployed only for problems that create significant value, integrated across supply chain, replenishment, and demand forecasting systems.
Banc of California sees surprise $251.3M loss
Banc of California incurred a surprise $251.3 million loss after repositioning securities into shorter-duration, higher-yielding products. The bank launched a sale of $827 million in real estate and multifamily loans while retiring $385 million in debt.
NASA’s Curiosity Views a Sand-Capped Butte
NASA's Curiosity rover photographed a sand-capped butte nicknamed "Miraflores" measuring approximately 20 feet tall using its Mastcam on June 11, 2026. The formation occurred as surrounding rock eroded away over time, leaving the butte standing in a deepening valley.
NASA’s Curiosity Discovers a Field of Martian Polygons
Curiosity rover discovered a large field of polygonal surface features on Mars on sols 4,930 and 4,931, representing the densest concentration of these formations the rover has encountered. The 360-degree panoramic view captured these polygons spanning across a single expanse of terrain.
First Nations lead the return of salmon to Canada’s Upper Columbia River
Sockeye salmon are returning to Canada's Upper Columbia River between the Rocky and Purcell mountains after being absent for decades, with First Nations leading restoration efforts. Students from nearby schools have been raising the young salmon for five months before their release into the river.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, US Soccer in ‘final stages’ of agreeing on new contract
Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer are finalizing a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup, with the coach earning significantly more than his current deal. Pochettino was hired in September 2024 and will continue leading the team beyond the 2026 World Cup.