On May 16th, 2025. I woke up and was ready to get into my graduation gown for the day of celebration of Villanova's graduation ceremony. My family and friends came from pretty much across the country to see me walk across the stage and receive my diploma.Michael. Sean. Mathias.Yeah Michael. I was really on top of the world. Super excited to finally have the diploma that shows my hard work over those four years. I was super excited to apply those skills to the job market, to an employer, and finally be an in ...

Industry Overview - Commercial explosives are essential for various industries, including construction ($2 trillion), energy ($2.1 trillion), mining ($737 billion), and quarry ($170 billion) [3] - Blasting is the most cost-effective method for mines to fracture rock, reducing the cost of consumer goods manufactured from mine resources [1] Supply Chain and Shortages - The US is facing a shortage of TNT due to the war in Ukraine [2] - NATO and Europe are rearming at a pace not seen since the Cold War, increasing demand on the defense supply chain [3] - A new army-run TNT plant is under construction but is not expected to be operational until 2028 [4] - In the short term, the industry needs to find supplies to meet the demand [4]

AI Chip Market Overview - Nvidia's GPUs have become central to generative AI, driving its valuation, with 6 million Blackwell GPUs shipped in the past year [1] - The AI chip market includes GPUs, custom ASICs, FPGAs, and chips for edge AI, with ASICs growing faster than GPUs [2][3] - Nvidia briefly reached a $5 trillion valuation due to its GPU's dominance in AI [5] GPU Technology and Competition - GPUs excel at parallel processing, making them ideal for AI training and inference [5][7][9] - AMD's Instinct GPUs are gaining traction, utilizing an open-source software ecosystem, contrasting Nvidia's CUDA [12][13] - Nvidia is shipping 1,000 Blackwell server racks weekly, each priced around $3 million [11] - Nvidia's next-generation Rubin GPU is slated for full production next year [14] Custom ASICs and Cloud Providers - Custom ASICs are designed by major hyperscalers like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft for specific AI tasks [2] - Custom ASICs offer efficiency and cost reduction but lack the flexibility of GPUs, costing tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to develop [16][17][18] - Amazon's Trainium offers 30-40% better price performance compared to other hardware vendors in AWS [24] - Broadcom is a major beneficiary of the AI boom, helping build TPUs for Google and custom ASICs for Meta and OpenAI, potentially winning 70-80% of the ASIC market [27] Edge AI and Manufacturing - NPUs (Neural Processing Units) are integrated into devices like phones and laptops for on-device AI processing [31][32] - AMD acquired Xilinx for $49 billion, becoming the largest FPGA maker [37] - TSMC manufactures most AI chips for companies like Nvidia, Google, and Amazon, with new plants in Arizona [37][38]

Layoff announcements skyrocketed toward the end of 2025, as generative AI and economic tightening pressure corporations to restructure their workforces. Many companies are cutting costs by trimming middle management and, in certain industries, eliminating entry level roles that can be replaced by AI. But layoffs aren't the only thing experts are concerned about.Generative AI is speeding up how people work, but that efficiency can come at the trade off of maintaining skills and rising up the corporate ladder ...

Business Strategy & Expansion - Taco Bell aims to establish a $5 billion beverage business by 2030 [1] - The company is remodeling locations into "Live Moss Cafes" to capitalize on the popularity of specialty drinks [1] - Taco Bell plans to remodel its stores into 31 Live Moss cafes in the US by the end of 2025 [4] Company Performance - Taco Bell contributes approximately 40% of Yum Brands' revenue [2] - Taco Bell's sales have increased by nearly 20% in the past three years [2] Pricing & Value Perception - Taco Bell has increased prices by about 80% over the past decade [3] - Taco Bell maintains a higher value perception among consumers making less than $50,000 [3]

Performance & Market Positioning - EVs surpass gas cars in power and speed, offering a better driving experience, yet sales in the U_S_ lag behind global figures [2] - Tesla established narrative command of EVs by creating a seminal product, shifting perceptions from mere "vegetables" to desirable "desserts" [6][9] - Automakers are adding EVs to high-performance lines, including supercars, hypercars, and racing series, extending to mainstream vehicles like trucks and SUVs [11][12] - The 9000-plus-pound GMC Hummer EV accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 2_8 seconds, while the Porsche Macan 4S electric achieves it in under 4 seconds [13] Challenges & Obstacles to EV Adoption - EV sales declined after federal credits ended, leading automakers to reconsider all-electric futures and increase gas and hybrid production [23] - Surveys indicate that charger availability, charging time, range, and price are major concerns for mainstream EV adoption [23] - EVs, on average, sell for approximately $9,000 more than the already high overall new car price in the U_S_ [24] - Customers buying high-end EVs sometimes prefer the feel and sound of gas engines, and simulated sounds have not been well-received [26][27][28] - Charger availability, charging time, and range anxiety remain significant obstacles to wider EV adoption [29] Future Trends & Solutions - The next battleground for EV domination will be on the consumer side, with EVs designed from a blank sheet as rolling computers with centralized hardware and constantly updated software [33] - Driver education should be integrated into EVs, using sensors to assess driver reactions and adjust acceleration accordingly to enhance safety [39][40] - The industry needs to make EVs easier to live with, more affordable to own, and smart enough to manage their immense power responsibly [41]

I'm here at Shield AI getting an exclusive first look at the XBAT. It's an autonomous fighter jet that is powered by an AI system called Hivemine. Shield AI is a CNBC disruptor 50 company which is our list of the most innovative private companies that represent this new generation of AI.The company says this aircraft is a gamecher for a few reasons. The first is of course the AI. There is no pilot so it is putting less lives at risk in dangerous operations.The second is cost. Shield says this is going to be ...

I'm Sarah Eisen and I'm here inside Nike Sports Research Lab got a rare peak here at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike Secretive Lab spans more than 80,000 square feet where researchers study athletes apparel and footwear and design new innovations. >> Nicely done.>> Nike says prototypes can be built in less than an hour. >> Everything in here, this entire space is designed to let us capture data on you no matter where you go. So, we have over 400 motion capture cameras. We have over 90 96 force ...

Zillow is the most popular real estate website in the United States. The company has transformed the way people buy, sell, and rent homes, or at least dream about that kind of thing. >> We are one of the first apps on the iPhone, and that really created the category.>> Realtor. com, Zillow, some of the other aggregation sites that are out there provided an experience for consumers that wasn't there before. Zillow, what they have an advantage on is just the scale of traffic that they've got is quite substant ...

Salad chain Sweetgreen revolutionized the fast food industry when it launched in 2007, proving healthy food could be convenient and accessible. That's why it was so exciting to the consumer that there was actually a restaurant concept that offered these type of items on their menu. In 2025, it's still a lunch favorite among office workers in big cities, but looks can be deceiving.The company has been struggling ever since going public in 2021. It has never been profitable, reporting a $90 million net loss i ...