Homechevron_rightArchiveschevron_rightBusiness and Economy

Archives

Explore Stories by Date

23 Jan 2026

Tesla drops Autopilot and one-time purchase as FSD shifts to $99 monthly subscription model

Tesla has discontinued its basic Autopilot system in the US and Canada, pushing customers toward a subscription-based model for Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The company will eliminate the $8,000 one-time purchase option on February 14, requiring new buyers to pay $99 per month. CEO Elon Musk confirmed the subscription price will increase as capabilities improve, though he provided no timeline for when unsupervised driving will be available.

4 Sources

Deloitte scraps traditional job titles for 181,500 US employees as AI reshapes Big Four firms

Deloitte is overhauling job titles for its entire 181,500-strong US workforce starting June 2026, moving away from traditional consultant roles to more specific designations. The Big Four firm is introducing a new 'Leaders' class and alphanumeric job levels as part of a modernization effort driven by AI's transformative impact on the consulting industry.

2 Sources

TikTok deal finalizes as ByteDance divests US operations to American investors

After years of legal battles and national security concerns, TikTok has closed a deal splitting its US operations from its global business. Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX now control 45% of TikTok US through a new joint venture, while ByteDance retains a minority stake. The agreement raises questions about user data privacy and algorithm changes that could affect 200 million American users.

3 Sources

Intel prioritizes Xeon processors over PC chips as AI demand strains foundry capacity

Intel is reallocating manufacturing resources from consumer processors to data center chips as unexpected AI infrastructure demand creates supply bottlenecks. The company admits hyperscaler customers caught it off guard with surging orders, forcing difficult choices that could impact PC availability and pricing through early 2026.

7 Sources

Yelp acquires AI lead management startup Hatch for $300M to accelerate transformation

Yelp announced it will acquire Hatch, an AI-powered lead management platform, for up to $300 million. The deal combines Yelp's scale with Hatch's conversational AI agents to help service businesses automate customer communication across SMS, email, and voice channels, marking a significant step in Yelp's AI transformation strategy.

2 Sources

22 Jan 2026

Autodesk cuts 1,000 jobs to redirect investments to AI and cloud platform initiatives

Design software maker Autodesk is eliminating roughly 1,000 positions, representing 7% of its global workforce, to redirect investments to AI and cloud. The workforce reduction primarily targets customer-facing sales teams as the company completes its sales and marketing optimization strategy, with restructuring charges expected between $135 million to $160 million.

2 Sources

PayPal acquires Cymbio to accelerate agentic commerce across AI shopping platforms

PayPal announced the acquisition of Tel Aviv-based Cymbio to strengthen its agentic commerce capabilities. The deal enables merchants to sell products through AI chatbots like Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, with ChatGPT and Google Gemini support coming soon. Cymbio's technology will power PayPal's Store Sync service, helping brands maintain control while reaching millions of AI platform shoppers.

4 Sources

Hyundai's humanoid robot plans spark fierce labor union resistance over mass job losses

Hyundai Motor Group's announcement to deploy Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robots at its factories by 2028 has triggered fierce opposition from its labor union. The union warns that the planned deployment of 30,000 robots annually could bring a massive employment shock, while Hyundai argues the robots will handle dangerous tasks and boost efficiency.

4 Sources

Software Stocks Tumble as AI Disruption Fears Trigger M&A Activity and Private Equity Interest

Cloud software stocks have plunged more than 8% this year as investors worry artificial intelligence will displace traditional enterprise software. But Orlando Bravo of Thoma Bravo sees the selloff as creating exceptional buying opportunities, arguing that software companies' deep domain knowledge positions them to lead enterprise AI adoption rather than be disrupted by it.

2 Sources

Nvidia slashes RTX 50-series production to prioritize AI demand, triggering GPU drought

Nvidia is reportedly cutting production of its RTX 50-series consumer graphics cards by 15-20% through at least Q3 2026 to meet surging AI demand. The RTX 5060 may be discontinued for six months, while flagship models like the RTX 5090 and 5070 Ti could become nearly unobtainable. Industry sources warn of potential 30-50% price increases as the company prioritizes AI data centers over gaming hardware.

4 Sources

Alibaba plans IPO for chip unit T-Head to bankroll $53B AI infrastructure push

Alibaba is preparing to list its AI chipmaking unit T-Head through an initial public offering, tapping surging investor demand for companies competing in the AI accelerator market. The move follows CEO Eddie Wu's pledge of over $53 billion toward AI infrastructure investments. T-Head will first be restructured with partial employee ownership before the IPO, though timing remains unclear.

5 Sources

OpenAI pursues $50 billion funding round from Middle East investors at $830 billion valuation

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is courting Middle East sovereign wealth funds for a massive $50 billion funding round that could value the ChatGPT maker at up to $830 billion. The move comes less than a month after closing a record $40 billion SoftBank investment, as the AI leader races to finance its ambitious infrastructure plans while facing intensifying competition from Google and Anthropic.

5 Sources

Broadcom sees insatiable demand for AI chips as custom silicon race heats up

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan told analysts the company faces insatiable demand for its AI chips and networking solutions, with a $73 billion backlog expected to ship over 18 months. The chipmaker holds an 18-month lead in custom AI chip development over customer-led programs, positioning it to capture explosive growth as hyperscalers shift from Nvidia GPUs to application-specific integrated circuits.

3 Sources

Ubisoft accelerates player-facing generative AI investment amid restructuring and layoffs

Ubisoft announced major restructuring plans including layoffs and seven project cancellations while accelerating investments in player-facing generative AI. The publisher intends to integrate AI-powered NPCs directly into gameplay experiences, particularly in open-world games, despite growing industry backlash against generative AI technology.

2 Sources

Jamie Dimon warns AI rollout may need to slow down to prevent civil unrest and job disruption

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told the World Economic Forum that AI adoption may outpace society's ability to adapt, potentially triggering civil unrest. He called for phased implementation, retraining programs, and even government intervention to protect over 300,000 employees, citing the trucking industry's 2 million workers as a critical example of where safeguards are needed.

5 Sources

Get all updates into your inbox 💌, Stay Up-to-date for Free 🥳

Your Daily Dose of Curated AI News

Don’t drown in AI news. We cut through the noise - filtering, ranking and summarizing the most important AI news, breakthroughs and research daily. Spend less time searching for the latest in AI and get straight to action.

The Outpost

News

About