Industry Pressed over Level 4 Progress
At FutureNet World in London, Infovista CEO Rick Hamilton warned that entrenched information silos and unclear operator goals are stalling progress toward Level 4 network automation, the TM Forum’s most advanced self‑optimising stage. He argued the telecom sector must sharpen focus and accelerate collaboration to achieve multi‑domain orchestration and intent‑based management. Operators such as MasOrange, Telenor and MEO acknowledged the challenge but remain optimistic, projecting Level 4 capabilities may not materialise until 2028 at the earliest. The debate highlighted a split between ambition and practical timelines.
Samay Raina’s Still Alive Becomes Most-Watched Comedy Special on YouTube with 53.78 Million Views
Comedian Samay Raina’s stand‑up special *Still Alive* hit 53.78 million views on YouTube within two weeks, making it the platform’s most‑watched comedy special worldwide. The special revisits the fallout from last year’s *India’s Got Latent* controversy that temporarily sidelined several digital...
Jacob Ortiz
Jacob Ortiz, a veteran operations and workplace services leader with more than 13 years of experience, now serves as Metro Workplace Lead for Accenture. He brings a service‑oriented mindset and operational expertise drawn from hospitality, hotel, and corporate environments. Ortiz...
Amitabh Sarkar on Why the Proof Matters More Than the Promise
Amitabh Sarkar argues that a brand promise in B2B markets only gains credibility when it is underpinned by concrete proof. He explains that his firm deliberately moved away from traditional B2B advertising that leans heavily on rational arguments and product...
Draft Delegated Act – Market Risks – Own Funds Requirements
On 21 April 2026 the European Commission released a draft delegated act amending the Capital Requirements Regulation to provide temporary, targeted relief for market‑risk capital. The proposal modifies both the alternative internal model and the standardized approaches, and adds an overall multiplier...
Acquiring Is Easy; Operating Demands Naïve Optimism
Here’s one thing I’ve learned after 160+ podcast conversations with people buying, operating, and scaling lower middle market businesses: It requires a lot of optimism and naivety. Describing these people... yes, they're all extremely capable, great at executing the skills needed to...
Sports Franchise Valuations Outpace Revenue Multiples, Lacking Catalyst
Padres are reportedly selling at 9x revenue. Slap that multiple on $BATRK, owner of the Atlanta Braves, and there's 100%+ upside. Ex. real estate assets. Honestly, these multiples are irrelevant, sports franchises are collectables for billionaires to have fun. But the Braves...
What If Wellbeing Is A Work Design Problem with Jo Yarker
In this episode of the HR Chat Show, Professor Jo Yarker, an occupational psychologist, explains that many organizations treat wellbeing as a tick‑box exercise rather than a work‑design issue, leading to superficial interventions that aren’t measured for impact. She introduces...
Pets at Work? How Benefit Teams Can Prep to Accommodate Service Animals
Employers are increasingly encountering requests to bring service or emotional‑support animals to the office, a practice recognized as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. Legal experts note a post‑pandemic surge in such inquiries, spanning dogs, miniature horses and even less...
Volkswagen Hits the Reset Button, Starting with Its EVs
Volkswagen announced a comprehensive brand reset, shifting focus from feature‑laden electric models to a customer‑centric approach rooted in its heritage. The company will reintroduce physical buttons, intuitive controls, and traditional model names, ending production of the ID.4 SUV at its...
Vast Data CEO Renen Hallak On AI, Growth And A $30 Billion Valuation
Vast Data announced a $1 billion Series F funding round that lifts its valuation to $30 billion, positioning the company as a leading AI operating system provider. CEO Renen Hallak emphasized the shift from pure storage to a full‑stack platform that integrates databases,...
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DealRoom Launches M&A Benchmark Tool to Help Deal Teams Compare Their Operations Against 150+ Industry Peers
DealRoom introduced an M&A Benchmark Tool that lets buy‑side teams compare their operations against data from more than 150 peer dealmakers. The interactive survey takes under two minutes and asks six questions covering team size, deal volume, typical deal size,...
The Fund Managers and Asset Classes Favoured by Investors
Despite the Iran conflict and inflation worries, investors continued to pour money into UK funds in March 2026. Net inflows reached $1.4 billion, driven by $1.9 billion into passive equity vehicles while active equity saw $5.4 billion withdrawn. Vanguard topped the manager rankings...
Bloomsbury Layoffs
Bloomsbury Publishing announced a restructuring aimed at fueling future growth after a period of rapid expansion, including a doubling of sales and more than a doubling of profits in 2023‑2024. Headcount rose from 738 to 1,238 over five years, prompting...
Reitmans Partners with Toronto Tempo for WNBA Debut
Canadian retailer Reitmans announced a partnership with the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise, to serve as presenting sponsor of the team’s dance crew, The Rhythm Section. The deal highlights Reitmans’ Hyba activewear line, which will create custom uniforms...
Rebuilding The Etsy Brand Around The Moments Of Your Life
Etsy is reshaping its brand around "milestones and mini stones," leveraging spontaneous cultural moments like breakup parties to fuel social‑first advertising. The new Festival Shop, launched this month, pairs musical artists such as Laufey, PinkPantheress and Willow Avalon with independent...
Capital Q Ventures Funds Nutrition Brand Nur to ‘Redefine’ Protein Category
Capital Q Ventures, through its accelerator Capital Q Velocity, is backing nutrition startup Nur to scale its hydration‑based protein platform that uses fermented beta‑lactoglobulin (BLG). The undisclosed investment will secure co‑investors for current and future rounds, enabling Nur to commercialize...
You Block NVIDIA. You Build Huawei
Jensen Huang has repeatedly warned that cutting China off from Western AI technology will backfire, pointing to Huawei’s resilience. Despite two decades of U.S. sanctions, Huawei remains the world’s largest telecom equipment vendor, with no American competitor matching its scale....
India Denies Cash, Crypto Payments to Iran for Hormuz Passage
India officially denied any cash or cryptocurrency payments to Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The denial followed an April 18 incident in which Iranian forces fired on two Indian‑flagged vessels, including the tanker Sanmar Herald, forcing them to...
How to Coach Your Sales Team with Empathy without Losing Your Edge (Ask Jeb)
Jeb Blount explains that many sales managers mistake sympathy for empathy, which hurts team performance. He outlines how true empathy means understanding a rep’s perspective without agreeing, then holding firm on expectations. The core coaching technique is to listen fully,...
Government Bailout Turns Into Spirit Airline Stake
This administration taking an ownership stake in Spirit Airlines in exchange for a $500 million bailout loan is the most Spirit Airlines thing I’ve ever heard.
Google Signs Multi‑billion Deal for Nvidia GB300 AI Chips
Exclusive: Google deepens Thinking Machines Lab ties in a deal valued in 'single-digit billions,' per a source familiar. Includes access to Nvidia’s new GB300 chips + infra services to support model training and deployment. https://t.co/2fywSlR1Kp via @techcrunch
Does Private-Credit Smoke Mean Financial Fire?
The private‑credit market has exploded, with assets topping $1.2 trillion and non‑bank lenders now supplying roughly 30% of U.S. middle‑market loans. While default rates stay modest, the sector’s rapid expansion raises questions about data transparency and oversight. Analysts warn that the...
Private‑Equity Hospital Takeovers Cut Staff, Raise ER Deaths 13%
"When private equity firms acquire hospitals, they cut clinical staff to boost profits — and emergency room death rates rise 13%." — from INCORRUPTIBLE by Eric Ries, out May 26 https://t.co/QemqcsZZbq
AI Agents Consolidate Rental Management Tools Into One
Trellis (@usetrellis) builds AI agents that run operations for short-term rental managers. Instead of juggling 5–10 disconnected tools, operators get an agent that learns how they work and builds the software needed to run their business. Congrats on the launch, @lodobenvenuti00...
The Scoop: Nike Admits Misstep, Replaces Running Ad After Boston Marathon Backlash
Nike faced backlash after a Boston Marathon store sign read “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.” The phrasing was deemed exclusionary, especially toward adaptive athletes and casual walkers. Nike removed the sign within days, issued an apology, and replaced it with an...
S2P Fundamentals Are Simple Despite Varied Practices
“The Source-to-Pay (S2P) cycle is poorly understood partly b/c different orgs. adopt different practices for different types of spend. However, the fundamentals of an effective S2P process are straightforward.” 🔗 https://t.co/gy1EdLmJwM #procurement #purchasing #supplychain
MLS Clubs Rank Among Top 50 Valuations
Here are the first @MLS team mentions in this year's list of most valuable soccer clubs. Where were they in the top 50? Click below to find out: https://t.co/iJ4UwR0kR9
Spana Changes Its Name to Better Reflect Mission
The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad has rebranded as Working Animals International to more clearly reflect its focus on working animals such as donkeys, horses, mules and camels. Founded in 1923, the charity provides veterinary care, owner training...
Trump's Spirit Stake Highlights Endless Airline Bailouts
Trump is likely to take a stake in Spirit, another bailout for an industry that keeps getting bailouts. Just re-regulate the airlines so it's a profitable and reasonable industry instead of a play for market power and subsidies. https://t.co/tiEtOKouPz
The Race for the Next U.N. Chief Kicks Off
The United Nations has launched the first interactive dialogues for the next secretary‑general, grilling four officially nominated candidates in three‑hour livestreamed sessions. Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, emerged as the clear front‑runner, even answering in French to signal...
Family Influencers Make the Lifestyle Look Good. But Kids Pay the Price, New Book Says
Fortesa Latifi’s new book, *Like, Follow, Subscribe*, examines how family influencers turn children’s lives into monetized content, tracing the evolution from mid‑2000s mommy blogs to today’s high‑production vlogs. The work spotlights cases like Mormon mom‑influencer Aubree Jones, whose pregnancy announcements...
Data Center World 2026: AI Pushes Infrastructure to New Limits
At Data Center World 2026, leaders from Oracle, Nvidia and Google warned that AI is forcing a fundamental redesign of data‑center infrastructure. Facilities must now accommodate two distinct workload patterns—massive GPU‑driven training clusters and distributed inference services—while supporting rack power...
Seize Generational Chance to Own American Spirit Branding
generational opportunity to acquire american spirit IP and create the greatest airline branding of all time https://t.co/izCJIJiPz5
Fed’s Rate Tightening Always Ends With Credit Cracks
The Fed's core dilemma: inflation requires higher rates. Credit breaks at higher rates. Every tightening cycle ends when something cracks — not when inflation hits target. 1982: S&L stress. 2007: housing. 2023: banks. Always the same story. $TLT https://t.co/Ogvr0NZVik
Recent Grads Are Settling for Jobs They Plan to Leave, Says ZipRecruiter
A new ZipRecruiter survey of 3,000 recent and rising graduates reveals that many are accepting positions below their qualifications, with 20% feeling overqualified and 18% deliberately applying for lower‑level roles. Only 26% say they are on their ideal career path,...
Seeking Your Questions on College Sports Scheduling Guarantees
I've got like, 1,000+ game contracts now across FB, MBB, WBB, softball, baseball and WVB to work on a EP newsletter about game gaurentees. Is there anything else anybody is curious about re: college sports scheduling? I'll try to...
The CITB Levy Explained: Rates, Returns, Grants & Everything Construction Employers Need to Know (2025–2026)
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy continues at 0.35% of PAYE payroll and 1.25% of net CIS sub‑contractor payments, funding industry‑wide training, apprenticeships and research. For 2025‑26 the exemption threshold rises to £150,000 and the full‑levy band starts at...
1180: Where Finance Meets the Real World | Scott Thorell, CFO Benetrends
In this episode, CFO Scott Thorell shares his journey from public accounting at Ernst & Young and global audits at Campbell Soup to leading finance in mid‑market, founder‑led companies, most recently Benetrends Financial. He discusses the unique challenges of scaling...
Proof Is The Product: How Trials And POCs Have Become A Real Go‑To‑Market Motion
B2B buyers now demand concrete proof that AI‑enabled solutions deliver measurable outcomes, turning proofs of concept and free trials into mandatory evaluation steps. Buying committees have grown to an average of thirteen stakeholders, making traditional messaging insufficient. Trials must be...
Gumroad Offers SaaS Sales with 5% Fees
Gumroad is getting into helping people sell SaaS. We're a Merchant of Record (handle all sales taxes) and can reduce our fees from 10% to 5% if you're selling downloadable software. Email me if you're interested: sahil@gumroad.com
Public Venture Fund Opens to $500 Investors
Announcing my new thing: I'm launching a new public venture fund USVC is built by AngelList with @naval shaping our investment strategy in the technology companies building our future And unlike traditional venture funds, everyone can invest along with just $500:
Sigma Advanced Systems Completes $15 Million Extrovis Divestment
Sigma Advanced Systems Limited has sold its 36.52% stake in Swiss pharma firm Extrovis AG for $15 million (≈ ₹137.6 crore). The cash infusion is earmarked to sharpen Sigma’s focus on aerospace and defence, a sector it is turning into a pure‑play platform....
Trying to Do Something You Probably Shouldn't
The post revisits Goodhart’s Law, emphasizing that it targets statistical regularities used for control, not direct output measures. It argues that metrics become unreliable when they are gamed as targets, but true outputs like disease case counts remain robust. Drawing...
How Luxury Retail Actually Works: Retail Staff
Luxury retail’s success hinges on staff, not just marble floors or curated lighting, according to former Dior VP Douglas Mandel. He argues that an employee‑centric culture translates directly into a client‑centric brand, especially in Canada’s competitive luxury corridors. Empowering associates,...
Reorganization Of Interior Has Not Produced Promised Results, Says PEER
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s 2025 reorganization transferred roughly 5,000 administrative, IT and communications staff to the Office of the Secretary, promising significant cost savings. A FOIA request by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) revealed the department has no records...
Pre-Markets Up on Ceasefire, Mostly Solid Q1 Earnings
Pre‑market trading on April 22 surged as an extended Iran cease‑fire eased geopolitical risk, lifting the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq by roughly 0.6‑0.8%. Investors also brushed aside Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh’s testimony, keeping focus on Jerome Powell’s pending rate decision....
What Substack Isn't Telling You About Your Audience
The post highlights a critical distinction on Substack between followers and email subscribers. Followers receive notification‑style emails but remain tied to the Substack platform, while subscribers can be exported and used elsewhere. Backed by substantial funding, Substack is likely to...
The YouTube (and Reels/Shorts) Retention Iceberg
Manish Pandey’s post breaks down YouTube, Reels, and Shorts retention into three layers—surface, below, and critical—highlighting the first 60 seconds as the decisive moment for audience stay‑or‑go. He outlines concrete tactics such as storytelling arcs, rapid visual changes, on‑screen graphics,...
Duvel Moortgat Acquires American Craft Beer Pioneer
Duvel Moortgat, via its U.S. arm Firestone Walker, is buying Stone Brewing from Japan’s Sapporo, adding the iconic craft label to its portfolio. The deal follows Duvel’s recent purchase of the Trumer pilsner brand, expanding its presence in the American...