Core Insights - Costco is experiencing a shift in consumer behavior towards "food at home," leading to increased sales in meat and produce categories [3][4] - The company reported Q1 2025 sales of $60.99 billion, reflecting a 7.5% increase from the previous year [4] - Membership numbers rose by 7.2% year-over-year, reaching nearly 139 million cardholders [5] Sales Performance - Strong growth in sales attributed to a shift in dining habits, with consumers opting for home-cooked meals over dining out [2][6] - The increase in sales is particularly noted in lower-priced food items, including poultry, beef, and pork [4] Market Trends - The trend of eating at home is echoed by other retailers and fast-food chains, indicating a broader industry shift due to inflation and high food prices [6][7] - Walmart reported that eating out is approximately 4.3 times more expensive than eating at home, which is driving more customers to grocery stores [8]

Core Viewpoint - Intel's co-CEOs are considering a potential separation of the company's manufacturing and products businesses to address poor financial performance and political implications [1][4]. Group 1: Business Structure and Strategy - Intel is creating more separation between its manufacturing and products businesses, with a formal split still being a possibility [1][6]. - The company is forming a subsidiary for Intel Foundry and establishing a separate operational board for it, indicating a move towards greater independence for the foundry operations [7][8]. - CFO David Zinsner mentioned that the businesses are already run fairly independently, but further steps are being taken to facilitate a potential split [3][6]. Group 2: Leadership and Management - Until a permanent CEO is appointed, the co-CEOs will manage most areas together, but Zinsner will specifically oversee the Foundry business [8]. - The separation of operations and inventory management software for the two sides of the business is part of the ongoing changes [7]. Group 3: Geopolitical and Competitive Considerations - The manufacturing segment holds significant geopolitical importance for both Intel and the US, which complicates the decision regarding separation [4]. - Protecting intellectual property (IP) from clients in the foundry business is crucial, necessitating a clear separation from the Intel Products business [9].

Costco beat expectations for its fiscal first-quarter earnings, with net sales growth of 7.5%.Comparable sales growth was largely driven by increased traffic.The company ended the quarter with nearly 139 million membership cardholders, up 7.2% over last year.People just can't get enough of Costco — even as membership fees went up.Advertisement The wholesale club beat Wall Street's expectations Thursday, posting fiscal first-quarter net sales of $60.99 billion, up 7.5% from the same period last year.Compara ...

Cruise founder Kyle Vogt criticized GM's decision to pull robotaxi funding.GM's decision to divest from Cruise comes as other tech giants forge ahead with robotaxi plans.Investors appeared to welcome the news as GM looks to cut costs.General Motors' decision to pivot away from robotaxis has one big critic: Cruise founder Kyle Vogt.Advertisement Vogt, who resigned from the company in 2023, posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) following GM's announcement that it would stop funding Cruise ...

Google unveiled Gemini 2.0, enhancing the AI product's capabilities.Gemini 2.0 focuses on agentic AI, improving multi-step problem-solving.Google's Project Astra and Mariner showcase advanced AI integration with popular services.It's December, which apparently means it's time for all the AI companies to show off what they've been working on for the past year. Not to be left out, Google lifted the lid on its next-generation AI model, Gemini 2.0, which it promises is a big step up in smarts and capabilities.A ...

General Motors just pulled the plug on Cruise's robotaxi dreams.The self-driving venture has been in doubt since a pedestrian was seriously injured last year.GM's decision is a warning for the auto industry that time and money may not be enough with robotaxis.General Motors' decision to pull the plug on Cruise is a warning for the rest of the auto industry that building a robotaxi business is hard, really expensive — and fraught with risk.Advertisement The automaker invested more than $10 billion in Cruise ...

GM is halting Cruise robotaxi development, merging it with its own technical team.The decision follows safety issues, regulatory challenges, and intense competition in the field.Cruise competes with Alphabet's Waymo, Zoox, and potentially with Tesla's Cybercabs.General Motors is giving up on Cruise's robotaxi focus after eight years of pouring money into the commercial business.Advertisement GM said on Tuesday that it will no longer fund Cruise's robotaxi development work because of increasing competition ...

Advertisement A bright spot on Lululemon's horizon was its robust growth in international markets.Its international sales increased 33% in Q3 of 2024, compared to 2% in the Americas.China, in particular, was a strong market for the brand this quarter.Lululemon's robust growth in its international markets — particularly China — made up for its lackluster performance in the Americas.The Vancouver-based activewear brand, known for selling $100 yoga pants, reported strong third-quarter sales in its stores abro ...

Advertisement Jeff Bezos said he's "putting a lot of time" into Amazon despite stepping down as CEO in 2021.Bezos said Wednesday at the DealBook Summit that he's spending 95% of his time at Amazon on AI.Amazon announced this week it's building a supercomputer with Anthropic to enhance AI capabilities.Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon over three years ago, but he's still putting in the hours at the company to help it in the AI race. Speaking at The New York Times's DealBook conference on Wednesday, t ...

Core Insights - Tim Cook's potential retirement is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion as he ages, with a focus shifting from his predecessor Steve Jobs to who will succeed him as CEO [2][4] - Cook has expressed a desire for his successor to be an internal hire, emphasizing the importance of continuity within the company [6] - Apple has not made any official announcements regarding Cook's retirement timeline, but insiders suggest it may be at least three years away [6] Group 1 - Tim Cook has been CEO of Apple since 2011 and has indicated that discussions about his departure are becoming more frequent [2][3] - Cook has dedicated a significant portion of his life to Apple, stating that it has been a privilege to lead the company [3][4] - Potential successors mentioned include John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, and Jeff Williams, chief operating officer [5] Group 2 - Cook has articulated his vision for Apple's legacy, stating that the company will be remembered for delivering transformative products that enhance people's lives [7] - He has indicated that the decision regarding his successor will ultimately be up to others within the company [6]