SoundCloud's Big Bet for the AI Era
SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton outlined how the streaming platform is leveraging artificial intelligence to boost artist discovery and fan engagement. The company’s AI tools analyze new music and listener habits to expand an emerging artist’s audience from a few thousand to tens of thousands, catering to its “virtual crate digger” user base. Seton also introduced a parallel “AI board” modeled on the insights of industry leaders such as Kendrick Lamar and Universal Music’s Lucian Grainge, which helps test product and market strategies. While the AI board informs decisions, the human board chaired by Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson retains final authority.
ChatGPT Ads Now Offer CPC Bidding Between $3 And $5: Report via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ads Manager has added a cost‑per‑click (CPC) bidding option, with bids ranging from $3 to $5 per click. The change follows a rapid price decline since the pilot’s February launch, where CPM rates fell from $60 to as...
Former Penn Swimmer John Ternus Named Tim Cook’s Successor as Apple CEO
Apple announced that senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus will succeed Tim Cook as chief executive officer, with Cook moving to the role of executive chairman. Ternus, a 1997 Penn engineering graduate and former varsity swimmer, has been...
GASB Videos Help Gov't Officials Navigate Financials
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has launched a 16‑video series to demystify government financial reports for elected officials and other stakeholders. Each video runs 5‑10 minutes and walks viewers through the four financial statements in the Annual Comprehensive Financial...
TinyLog: One Backlink a Day
TinyLaunch’s latest post urges creators to boost their SEO by earning one backlink per day through directory submissions. It explains that Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR) reflects backlink strength and that a modest 365 backlinks annually can markedly improve rankings and...
FedEx Settles Charge It Denied Telework Accommodations to Workers with Disabilities
FedEx has agreed to pay $280,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit alleging the company denied telework accommodations to disabled dispatchers in New York. The settlement also obligates FedEx to provide annual ADA training, report all accommodation requests to the EEOC,...
California Contractor Ordered to Pay $468K in Wage Theft Case
A California contractor, SCA General Contracting, was ordered to pay $468,505 in back wages and damages to 137 construction workers after a Department of Labor investigation uncovered minimum‑wage and overtime violations from November 2024 through November 2025. The consent judgment...
My Two-Rule Formula for Building Personal Brands
Justin O'Brien argues that most personal‑branding advice reduces distinctive leaders to generic listicles, stripping away the unique stories that make them memorable. He proposes a two‑part formula—keep it simple and make it exciting—where the message must be inherently clear and...
Trust, Customer Focus, and Humble Sales Drive Leadership
The best CEO advice I received throughout my career: • trust must be #1 business core value • customer service is not a department • sales is the hardest job in any company • customer focus > competitor focus • agency (can do) > intelligence...
KPMG: AI Isn’t Replacing Staff, It’s Redefining Them
KPMG’s latest talent survey reveals that artificial intelligence is reshaping, not eliminating, professional roles. Firms report a 30% year‑over‑year increase in salaries for AI‑related skills and a surge in reskilling initiatives, with 70% of respondents launching dedicated programs. The study...
How Apple's AI Strategy Changes with a New CEO
The episode examines how Apple’s AI roadmap may shift under its new CEO, contrasting Apple’s historically cautious stance with the recent surge of AI development on Mac hardware, especially the Mac mini’s role in the OpenClaw agent ecosystem. It highlights...
AcuityMD Closes $80M Series C Led by StepStone Group
AcuityMD, the Boston‑based AI platform for medical‑device sales teams, closed an $80 million Series C round led by StepStone Group, bringing its valuation to $955 million. The funding, also backed by Benchmark, Redpoint Ventures, ICONIQ and Atreides, will fuel the rollout of "agentic...
Columbus NWSL Franchise Secured for $205M Fee
New at @SBJ: A consortium led by Haslam Sports Group has agreed to pay a $205M expansion fee to bring an @NWSL franchise to Columbus. That's up from the $165M the league received for Atlanta and $110M it receieved for...
This Is What Critics of Apple and Tim Cook Get Dead Wrong
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook faces persistent criticism despite the company’s soaring stock price and a clear strategic pivot toward AI‑powered hardware. In a MarketWatch column, Mark Hulbert argues that Apple’s real innovation lies in embedding artificial intelligence directly into its...
Scaling Bio 008: Serif Biomedicines' Jake Rubens on Turning Modified DNA Into a New Class of Medicine
In this episode, Jake Rubens of Serif Biomedicines explains how the company is turning DNA into a new class of medicines by using chemically modified DNA and a protein co‑factor to overcome DNA’s historic immunogenicity and delivery challenges. He contrasts...
Kevin Armantrout Promoted to CEO of Bagel & Co.
Kevin Armantrout, previously Bagel & Co.'s chief operating officer, has been promoted to chief executive officer, succeeding co‑founder Mike Marsh who will remain on the board to focus on capital strategy and site selection. The chain also appointed industry veteran...
Why U.S. Listings Are Vital to Wise and Revolut
London‑based fintechs Wise and Revolut are positioning U.S. stock listings as central to their expansion strategies. Wise will list on Nasdaq on May 11, shifting its primary listing from London, while Revolut is targeting a U.S. or dual IPO by 2028...
Midwest Shoe Merchants Has New CEO, Board Expansion Plan
Midwest Shoe Merchants, a family‑owned retailer founded in 1950, announced that third‑generation co‑owner David Sajdak has been promoted to CEO, succeeding his father Jim. The company plans to expand its six‑member board by adding at least three external advisors by...
One Challenge, Five Startups: Better Public Transport for India
India’s Transport4All (T4A) Challenge, launched in April 2021 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Smart Cities Mission, mobilized over 240,000 citizens, 130 cities and 28 startups to tackle chronic bus‑service unreliability. The competition split the problem...
GrowthRise Mastermind Recap Apr 21, 2026
The GrowthRise Mastermind recap highlighted key decisions around display advertising platforms, noting that AdRoll is most effective when a company’s Google spend is below $50,000, while Google Display outperforms once that threshold is crossed. It reinforced that a 1.5‑2% click‑through...
Are Internal CEOs the Way to Go?
Tim Cook will leave Apple’s CEO chair after nearly 15 years, handing the role to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. Cook praised Ternus as a detail‑obsessed engineer and the ideal successor. The move aligns with Egon Zehnder’s...
Gummy Bear-Maker Haribo of America CFO Departs
Haribo of America CFO Wes Saber announced his departure after 11 years, ending a tenure that saw the launch of the company’s first U.S. manufacturing plant. Saber, a former Mars executive, oversaw the $300 million, 500,000‑square‑foot facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin,...
Op/Ed: Oil Shocks Will Keep Coming. High-Speed Rail Can Boost Our Resilience.
Oil price volatility tied to the Strait of Hormuz threatens U.S. security and consumer costs, prompting calls for a resilient, electrified transport network. California is advancing a high‑speed rail system powered by renewable electricity, positioning it as the backbone of...
Lower Rates Needed to Manage Unmanageable Federal Debt
Hearing Kevin Warsh talk about Fed independence, and watching hard assets sell off on that, feels a lot like the hype around DOGE. Great in theory, but ultimately unrealistic. The reality is that government debt has reached a scale that no brilliant...
AI Surveillance Prunes Fraud, Elevates True Perform
Studying of teams with AI is the trend of 2026 1. Study your workforce with apis, key loggers and screen recording 2. Find out who isn’t working (fraudsters) and fire them 3. Find out who is simply taking credit for...
Why Your Daily Sales Meetings Aren’t Working (Ask Jeb)
Jeb Blount argues that most daily sales huddles are too long and poorly structured, draining reps' energy before they hit the phones. He recommends cutting the meeting to ten‑to‑fifteen minutes, holding it every single day without exception, and following a...
Hudson to Helm BinMaster Sensors and Technologies
BinMaster Sensors and Technologies (BST) announced the promotion of Scott Hudson to chief executive officer, elevating the longtime president who joined the firm in 2015. Hudson’s tenure includes steering three strategic acquisitions, expanding product development, and guiding the company through...
NASA Invests in Small Businesses Innovating for Space and Earth
NASA announced the selection of more than 30 small firms for its SBIR and STTR programs, committing roughly $16.3 million in seed funding. Fifteen companies received up to $150,000 each under the SBIR Ignite Phase I to prove concept feasibility, while seventeen...
Private Credit Drowning in Bad AI‑Focused Loans
FT summing up a recent Sona report: "Private credit is full of cruddy loans issued by companies that couldn’t get financed anywhere else, and assembled haphazardly into rattlebags, rather than carefully constructed portfolios, by dealmakers (cosplaying as managers) who get...
Trump’s War Tactics Alienate Key Asian Allies
My take on the Trump's war strategy on @MarioNawfal: "Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, and India are under the gun. The US-Israeli war has imposed massive costs on them. Now they are pivoting away from the US." TRUMP = A MASTERCLASS IN HOW...
Jelena Vrbaski Named President of Puratos Canada
Puratos has appointed long‑time executive Jelena Vrbaski as president of its Canadian division, succeeding Michael Simone. Vrbaski, a 15‑year veteran who most recently served as vice‑president of sales, will steer the business toward deeper customer partnerships, innovation, and operational excellence....
Most Acquirer Mergers Destroy Value; Premiums Risk Overpayment
The VIC bashing I've been seeing on Twitter is a bit over the top, honestly. $BLD got bought at a 20% premium, who's to say $QXO didn't overpay here? Remember, the absolute majority of mergers end up value-destructive for the acquirer.
Tim Cook's Lackluster F1 Flag Hints at Retirement
first major clue that Tim Cook was ready to retire was that time F1 asked him to wave the checkered flag a few years back…and he completely mailed it in https://t.co/RytzEk136S
Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: UnitedHealth Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast
UnitedHealth Group reported adjusted earnings of $7.23 per share in Q1, well above analyst expectations, and used the momentum to raise its full‑year profit outlook. The boost reflects tighter medical‑cost controls and higher government reimbursement rates across its insurance operations....
Trade Official's Import Limits Raised Fertilizer Costs for Farmers
"If the president is worried about high fertilizer prices, he might want to have a conversation with his top trade official... [who] lobbied for policies that limited fertilizer imports and drove up prices for American farmers." Drain. The. Swamp. https://t.co/IU5lNBpAfN https://t.co/OcSBv6gDxx
ABM’s Cost Myth Debunked: Focus on Foundations First
ABM has a reputation for being expensive and complex. But according to Saul Marquez, that’s a myth. The real issue? Teams focus on tools before they’ve done the foundational work. Full interview 👉 https://t.co/I8eCvTnUvZ @OutcomesRocket #ABM #hcmktg
ANA CEO Liodice Planning Goodbye From Advertiser Advocacy Group
Bob Liodice, who has led the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) for 23 years, announced he will step down as CEO at the end of 2026 and serve in an advisory role through Q1 2027. During his 31‑year tenure, ANA...
Trump's 2.0 Cabinet Welcomed Women, but They've Been the First to Leave
President Trump’s second‑term Cabinet includes more women than his first term and any prior Republican administration, yet three female secretaries—Labor Secretary Lori Chavez‑DeRemer, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem—have exited within two months. Their departures stem from bipartisan pressure...
Put Employees First to Truly Serve Customers
Does "Employees More First" Disparage Customers? - CX Journey™ https://t.co/xTpbca676G “… if you genuinely want to put customers first, you must put employees more first.” #peoplefirst #peoplecentric https://t.co/o5qSwOc8WH
AI Research Lab NeoCognition Lands $40M Seed to Build Agents that Learn Like Humans
NeoCognition, an Ohio State spin‑out, announced emergence from stealth with a $40 million seed round. The funding, co‑led by Cambium Capital and Walden Catalyst Ventures and backed by Vista Equity Partners and notable angels, will fuel development of self‑learning AI agents...
NFL Wins $27M Lawsuit Over Packers Cheer Song Claims
The NFL defeats a $27 million lawsuit accusing the league and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue of copyright infringement and antitrust violations over the use of Green Bay Packers cheer songs: https://t.co/XSQ6TJTIwl.
A Portfolio Approach to Angel Investing
The episode walks listeners through Angel Academy’s portfolio‑based angel investing program, explaining how a group of accredited investors can pool capital into a fund that backs a curated set of early‑stage startups. Hosts outline the fund’s structure—minimum commitment of 37...
India, Taiwan Get Time Till October to Settle ICT Tariff Dispute
India and Taiwan asked the WTO dispute settlement body to postpone the adoption of a ruling on India’s ICT import duties until October 27. The dispute, launched in 2019, concerns India’s tariff that rose from 7.5% to 20% to spur domestic...
Global Work Tech Investment in Q1 2026: Infrastructure Bets, Early-Stage Formation, and a Market Running at Its Baseline
Global work‑tech investors poured $1.9 billion into 58 deals in Q1 2026, a 54% jump from the same period last year. Five late‑stage mega‑deals—Vensure, Vestwell, DailyPay, Preply and Garner Health—absorbed 68% of that capital, signaling a shift toward AI‑driven infrastructure. Meanwhile, seed...
Iran Talks on Hold because of Trump’s Blockade
Iran has refused to send its negotiating team to Islamabad, demanding that President Donald Trump lift the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz before talks resume. Trump, who hinted negotiations could restart soon, has kept the blockade in...
Why China’s Exports Will Keep on Rising
China’s export momentum is accelerating, with semiconductor shipments leading the surge. In the first quarter of 2026, Chinese firms shipped transistors—particularly IGBTs—up 26% in dollar terms versus the same period a year earlier. The growth spans diverse markets, from motorbike...
The AI Governance Mirage: Why 72% of Enterprises Don’t Have the Control and Security They Think They Do
A VentureBeat survey finds 72% of enterprises claim two or more AI platforms as their primary layer, exposing a governance mirage where perceived control masks real security gaps. The sprawl, illustrated by Mass General Brigham’s custom Copilot skin to protect...
Sage Intacct Advisory Puts AI To Work For CAS
Sage has launched an AI‑enhanced Sage Intacct Advisory module that turns its core financial platform into a service‑delivery engine for client accounting services (CAS). The upgrade adds AI‑driven workflows, industry templates and data‑migration tools, enabling partners to standardize advisory work...
SecDuffy Weighs United CEO's Bid for American
News: I asked @SecDuffy in interview about @United CEO Scott Kirby proposal he made on acquiring American https://t.co/DJkmFCRb1Z
L.A. Mayor's Budget Turns 180 Degrees From Last Year
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass unveiled a $14.6 billion 2026‑27 spending plan that flips last year’s proposed $1 billion cut. The new budget funds the hiring of 510 police officers, a $233 million boost to the police department, and a $55 million increase for...