The European Union has firmly responded to threats from former US President Donald Trump, who proposed a 50 percent tariff on all goods from the EU. The EU’s top trade official, Maros Sefcovic, stated that the bloc is committed to a fair and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the United States. Following talks with US…
Author: Skyler Phillips
Skyler Phillips turns spreadsheets into stories that matter. With a background in economics and data visualization, Skyler covers markets, labor trends, inflation, tech industry shifts, and the financial policies that impact everyday people.
OpenAI Buys Jony Ive’s io for $6.5B, Boosting AI Design Power and Rewarding Early Investors
OpenAI has officially acquired io, the tech design company founded by Jony Ive, in a high-profile all-stock deal valued at $6.5 billion. This strategic acquisition was announced on Wednesday and underscores OpenAI’s commitment to fusing cutting-edge AI technology with world-class design expertise. The acquisition will see io’s shares converted into OpenAI’s for-profit stock, marking a…
Outdated FAA Tech Pushes U.S. Air Traffic Control Toward Crisis, CNN Finds
Long before the dramatic communications blackout at Newark Liberty International Airport sparked national attention, air traffic controllers across the United States were already grappling with repeated failures in radar and radio systems. These issues, which have persisted for years, have at times forced controllers and pilots into life-threatening situations, including near-collisions and emergency landings made…
OpenAI Bets on Jony Ive to Build Human-Centered AI Devices Beyond the Smartphone Era
The rise of artificial intelligence has significantly transformed the digital world, reshaping software development, online searches, and multimedia generation. However, despite its vast digital influence, AI has yet to establish a strong presence in everyday physical gadgets. Most interactions with AI still occur through apps on smartphones, with little progress in embedding it into purpose-built…
Elon Musk Scales Back Political Spending After Record Donations to Trump Campaign
Elon Musk, who made a record-breaking financial push to support Donald Trump in the 2024 election, announced plans to significantly reduce his political spending going forward. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Musk stated, “I think I’ve done enough,” suggesting he sees no current need to continue large-scale political donations. He emphasized that future contributions…
Nvidia Unlocks NVLink Fusion to Power Custom AI Systems with Non-Nvidia Chips at Computex 2025
At Computex 2025 in Taiwan, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang introduced NVLink Fusion, a groundbreaking update to Nvidia’s interconnect technology that will enable integration of non-Nvidia central processing units (CPUs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with Nvidia’s GPUs. Previously, NVLink was restricted to Nvidia chips only. The shift reflects Nvidia’s intention to enable more customizable AI…
Trump’s Partial Tariff Pause Offers Short-Lived Relief as Trade Tensions with China Loom Again
The recent pause on some of Donald Trump’s massive tariffs on Chinese imports has triggered a collective sigh of relief across various sectors. Wall Street reacted positively, big retailers celebrated, and many businesses felt a momentary reprieve. However, the celebration might be premature. While some tariffs have been paused, others remain firmly in place—namely, a…
Scott Bessent Downplays U.S. Credit Downgrade, Defends Tariff Strategy and Trump-Era Jet Gift Amid Scrutiny
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Moody’s recent downgrade of the U.S. credit rating from Aaa to Aa1 as a “lagging indicator” during an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press. He emphasized that credit rating agencies typically react slowly to economic changes. Moody’s cited rising government debt and interest payment ratios, which have increased significantly…
Trump’s AI Deals in Gulf Ignite Innovation Push and National Security Showdown Over Chip Exports
Former President Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Gulf has been marked by a series of groundbreaking deals that could reshape the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Central to this transformation is the commitment from Gulf nations—particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE—to build massive AI data centers powered by cutting-edge American technology. These partnerships, backed…
Moody’s Downgrade Reflects Soaring U.S. Deficits and Mounting Pressure for Fiscal Reform
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the United States’ sovereign credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, citing rising fiscal deficits and increasing debt servicing costs due to high interest rates. The agency noted that government debt and interest payment levels have grown significantly over the last decade, outpacing similarly rated countries. This adjustment brings Moody’s in…