Markets
Why the AI boom has become an election problem
Not very long ago, if you asked someone what they thought about data centers, they might have asked you what a data center is. Now, an overwhelming majority of Americans know exactly what you’re talking about, and they’re against it. The anti-data center sentiment is so strong it has flipped…
I’m an influencer, mother of 3, and the founder of ‘The Skinny Confidential.’ Here’s a day in my life in Austin.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauryn Bosstick, the 40-year-old founder and CEO of The Skinny Confidential, based in Austin. It’s been edited for length and clarity. Before founding The Skinny Confidential, I was bartending five to six nights a week while in college…
Gen Zers have cooled on Burning Man as the desert festival gets pricier
Burning Man is falling out of favor with Gen Zers. As the annual counterculture festival kicks off in the Black Rock Desert of northwestern Nevada, the annual Black Rock City census survey, which tracks the demographics of festival attendees, shows that burners in their 20s hit a record low in…
Ikea is betting that spending over a billion dollars to slash prices will pay off
Ikea’s operators are betting more than a billion dollars on slashing the prices of some of its most popular products. Ikea’s largest franchise owner, Ingka Group, said Tuesday it would invest 1.2 billion euros, or about $1.39 billion, with other Ikea franchises and the Inter Ikea Group to lower…
All 16 of Russia’s latest satellites for its Starlink rival failed to reach their intended orbit
An entire batch of Russian low Earth orbit satellites, intended to help create Moscow’s version of Starlink, has failed to reach or remain at their anticipated altitudes just over a month after launch. The 16 Rassvet-3 satellites, launched on July 19, were originally supposed to orbit the Earth at…
Olympic skier Eileen Gu says staying at the top is harder than winning
Eileen Gu, the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, said she switches into “contest mode” when she competes. Speaking to Jay Shetty on Monday’s episode of the “On Purpose” podcast, Gu said she has a mantra that helps keep her performing at the highest level. “I train like I’ve never…
I spent a year abroad in my 20s and thought it cured my anxiety. I was wrong, but full-time travel helps me live with it.
By the time I was a teenager, two seemingly contradicting things had become fundamental parts of my identity: I was deeply anxious, and I desperately wanted to see the world. As a kid, I worried about trivial matters, like whether doors were locked and faucets weren’t running before bed, to the…
Meta bricked the cameras on thousands of its AI glasses
Thousands of Meta’s AI glasses no longer have functioning cameras after the company detected people tampering with the recording indicator lights. Meta announced new efforts in recent weeks to crack down on people who drill out or cover up the tiny lights on their Meta glasses, which can make it…
Bank of America employee killed in Times Square stabbing
A Bank of America employee was killed in a stabbing in Times Square on Monday afternoon by a woman armed with two knives. Erin Piacenti, 32, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital from stabbing injuries, the New York City Police Department confirmed Tuesday. Piacenti was a vice president on the…
Sam Altman says fears that AI data centers guzzle water are overblown — but hard to dispel
Sam Altman says concern about AI water usage is a “meme” that doesn’t actually hold any water. The OpenAI CEO was asked to respond to resistance to AI, including concerns about water consumption, on the premiere episode of the Sources podcast with Alex Heath, published Tuesday. Altman said that…