Tesla rival Lucid is slashing its workforce as the EV winter tightens its grip. EV startup Lucid is cutting 12% of US employees, according to an email interim CEO Marc Winterhoff sent to unaffected employees on Friday, which Business Insider has seen.Winterhoff said the cuts would exclude hourly production employees in manufacturing, logistics, and quality. "This difficult but necessary decision was made to improve organisational effectiveness and optimize our resources as we continue on our path toward pro ...

The Supreme Court struck down a chunk of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policy on Friday, finding a new limit to the expansive presidential powers he has sought. The 6-3 decision centered on the tariffs Trump justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a national security law that allows the president to regulate economic activity during emergencies.Those IEEPA-justified tariffs have been one of Trump's most powerful weapons in his efforts to renegotiate trade agreements aroun ...

Core Insights - Blue Owl Capital is facing challenges in securing financing for a $4 billion data center project in Pennsylvania, which it is co-developing with CoreWeave, a rapidly expanding AI cloud computing service provider [1][2][3] Financing Challenges - The lack of lender interest in the Lancaster project is attributed to growing caution regarding AI companies with lower credit ratings, as CoreWeave holds a below-investment-grade rating of B+ from S&P Global Ratings [3] - A senior executive from a specialty lender indicated that they chose not to participate in the financing due to these concerns [3] Project Status - A spokesperson for Blue Owl stated that the Lancaster project is already under construction and is "fully funded, on time, and on budget," although it remains unclear if Blue Owl is solely funding the construction [7] - If Blue Owl cannot secure debt financing, it may face significant cash outlays for the project's construction [7] Market Context - The situation highlights the complexities and risks associated with financing infrastructure for AI computing, with analysts expressing concerns over the ability to raise debt for such projects [8] - Recent reports indicated that major banks struggled to sell off $38 billion of debt for two data center campuses anchored by Oracle, reflecting broader market hesitance [9][10] Strategic Partnerships - CoreWeave has committed to leasing 100 megawatts of capacity at the Lancaster data center, with potential expansion to 300 megawatts, and plans to invest up to $6 billion in the project [10] - In August, Chirisa Technology Parks announced a partnership with Blue Owl and Machine Investment Group to provide $4 billion in funding for the construction, separate from CoreWeave's investment [11] Innovative Financing Approaches - Blue Owl has been recognized for its creative financial strategies in the data center boom, including a previous partnership with Meta that raised $27.3 billion in investment-grade corporate bonds [12] - There are potential avenues for Blue Owl to explore alternative financing structures, such as leveraging the credit of investment-grade customers or pooling loans from institutional investors [13]

Core Insights - Khaby Lame's $975 million deal with Rich Sparkle Holdings is under pressure due to a significant drop in Rich Sparkle's share price, which fell from $180 to $11 [1][4] - Lame, a prominent TikTok influencer, has over 160 million followers and is known for his unique style of dialogue-free videos [2] - The deal involves creating an AI avatar of Lame to drive brand deals and product sales, with projections suggesting potential annual sales of $4 billion [3][12] Company Overview - Rich Sparkle Holdings, previously a financial printing company, aims to leverage Lame's popularity through an AI avatar for e-commerce [3][16] - The merger is structured as a reverse merger, allowing Lame to enter public markets with less scrutiny compared to a traditional IPO [17] Market Context - The influencer economy has seen limited success in public markets, with few enduring IPOs aside from major social media platforms [15] - Rich Sparkle's revenue for the 2025 fiscal year was reported at $6.2 million, indicating a need for substantial growth to meet projections [16] Digital Avatar Strategy - The use of digital avatars for sales is gaining traction, particularly in China, where they have generated significant revenue during livestreams [7][11] - Lame's digital avatar could potentially operate continuously, providing a competitive edge in e-commerce [8][9] Sales Projections and Challenges - Rich Sparkle's estimate of $4 billion in annual sales for Lame's avatar is ambitious, especially compared to existing platforms like Whatnot, which reported $8 billion in total sales for 2025 [13][14] - Current sales figures for TikTok Shop in the US are significantly lower, with around $500 million reported during peak shopping periods [14] Risks and Considerations - The reliance on a single personality for revenue generation poses risks, as seen in other influencer-led companies that have struggled post-IPO [18][19] - The valuation of Lame's business and its potential for success in public markets remains uncertain due to the lack of detailed financial information [5][6]

Meta is dialing back the metaverse to mean something far less futuristic: an app on your phone. The company, which spent billions of dollars to build Horizon Worlds — an immersive, virtual hangout zone on its Quest virtual reality headsets — is "shifting focus" for Horizon Worlds "to be almost exclusively mobile," according to a blog post published on Thursday.Horizon Worlds is part of Meta's Reality Labs division for VR products and smart glasses, a unit that has burned nearly $80 billion since 2020. "Last ...

Core Insights - Walmart's e-commerce operations achieved profitability in 2025, surpassing breakeven levels, with a positive outlook for future growth [1] - The company reported a 4.7% increase in overall sales to $713.2 billion, with e-commerce sales rising nearly 25% to over $150 billion [2] - Walmart's physical presence, with 5,200 locations, enhances its ability to deliver customer experiences, particularly in grocery and everyday essentials [4] E-commerce Growth - High-income households, particularly those earning over $100,000, have significantly contributed to Walmart's share gains in e-commerce [2] - The expansion of product categories, including fashion, has attracted new shoppers, with fashion leading sales growth in general merchandise [5][6] - Walmart's in-house shopping assistant, Sparky, has resulted in 35% larger transaction totals among app users [7] Competitive Landscape - Despite Walmart's growth, Amazon remains the largest company by revenue, with $716.9 billion, but Walmart's e-commerce progress poses a competitive threat [3][8] - Walmart's strategy to leverage its physical stores for e-commerce fulfillment gives it an edge in rapid delivery services compared to Amazon [4]

Core Viewpoint - Ryan Cohen criticizes a new class of corporate bureaucrats he terms "Risk-Free Insiders," advocating for an "owner's mentality" among corporate leaders to ensure accountability and align their interests with shareholders [1][7][14] Group 1: Criticism of Corporate Practices - Cohen condemns independent directors who prioritize job security over accountability, suggesting they are complicit in corporate mismanagement [1][2] - He highlights corporate executives who benefit from stock price increases without facing consequences for poor performance, receiving large bonuses or payouts regardless of their company's success [2][6] - Cohen also criticizes managers who evade responsibility by hiring expensive consultants, thereby shifting blame away from themselves [6][7] Group 2: Call for Change - Cohen emphasizes the need for corporate leaders to treat shareholders' money as their own, arguing that personal financial risk is essential for maintaining business integrity [7][8] - He warns that failure to adopt this mentality could lead to the deterioration of iconic American companies, benefiting only the insiders while shareholders suffer [8] Group 3: Parallels with Warren Buffett - Cohen's approach draws comparisons to Warren Buffett, who has similarly criticized overpaid executives and compliant directors, advocating for an owner's mentality [10][11] - Buffett's philosophy emphasizes that directors should have personal financial stakes in the companies they oversee, contrasting with the current trend of high fees incentivizing compliance [10][12] - While Cohen diverges from Buffett in some strategies, such as cryptocurrency investments, he shares a commitment to frugality and has built a significant stake in GameStop [13][14]

Tesla and Waymo's battle to win the robotaxi race is getting catty. In regulatory comments published on Wednesday, Tesla said it only hired US-based human helpers to assist its robotaxis when they get stuck, after Waymo came under fire for using remote workers in the Philippines to guide their autonomous vehicles out of sticky situations.The two robotaxi rivals have been engaged in regulatory sniping as they jockey to shape California's new autonomous vehicle regulations. In comments submitted to the stat ...

Core Insights - DoorDash CEO Tony Xu emphasizes that the company's grocery offering has a competitive edge over Amazon due to the variety of choices available to consumers [1][2] - DoorDash collaborates with existing grocery chains rather than owning its own brands, which allows it to provide a wider selection of products [2] - The company is expanding its services to retailers, including fulfillment through DashMarts, to help grocers compete with Amazon [4] Company Strategy - DoorDash has expanded partnerships with grocery chains, including Kroger and regional players like Schnucks, to enhance its grocery delivery service [2] - The company is focusing on fulfilling both small and large grocery orders, which is beneficial for grocers as they earn more from a diverse range of products [5] - DoorDash aims to make its retail and grocery business unit-economic positive by the second half of 2026, indicating a strategic focus on profitability [6] Market Position - Despite disappointing fourth-quarter earnings, DoorDash shares rose by as much as 14% in after-market trading, reflecting investor confidence in its grocery strategy [4] - The grocery delivery market is competitive, with Amazon expanding its same- and next-day delivery services, which has impacted shares of DoorDash and Instacart [1]

Core Insights - Meta is significantly enhancing its partnership with Nvidia through a "multigenerational" deal to build data centers utilizing millions of Nvidia's current and next-generation chips for AI training and inference [1][2] Group 1: Partnership Details - The agreement indicates Meta's increasing dependence on Nvidia, despite its efforts to develop in-house chips and collaborate with other suppliers like AMD [2] - The deal includes the deployment of both Nvidia's GPUs and CPUs, which are essential for general computing tasks and AI workloads [3][4] - Nvidia's CPUs are being marketed as a standalone product, reflecting the growing importance of CPUs in AI workloads beyond model training [5] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - The partnership comes amid heightened competition in AI infrastructure, with companies like Google, AMD, and Broadcom attempting to challenge Nvidia's market leadership [3] - Analysts suggest that while competitive pressure is increasing, the overall demand for AI infrastructure remains high, making it unlikely for Nvidia's rivals to experience significant declines in the near term [5] Group 3: Technical Aspects - By sourcing both GPUs and CPUs from Nvidia, Meta can simplify its operations, as a single vendor approach is often preferred for problem resolution [6] - In addition to GPUs and CPUs, the deal will also involve the use of Nvidia's networking equipment and confidential computing technology for AI features in WhatsApp [7]