News•Feb 11, 2026
Wabtec Acquires Dellner Couplers (UPDATED 2/11)
Wabtec announced a definitive agreement to acquire Dellner Couplers for $960 million in cash, funded by cash on hand and short‑term debt. The deal values Dellner at roughly 12.5 times its projected 2025 EBITDA and includes anticipated $22 million in cost synergies over three years. Dellner, a 84‑year‑old supplier of safety‑critical train connection systems, is expected to generate about $250 million in revenue in 2025 and will add roughly 100,000 couplers and 12,500 gangways to Wabtec’s portfolio. This acquisition marks Wabtec’s sixth purchase since November 2024, bolstering its passenger‑rail and transit offerings.
By Railway Age
News•Feb 11, 2026
Freddy’s Frozen Custard Names Todd Paladini as CIO
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers announced Todd Paladini as its inaugural chief information officer. Paladini, a veteran with over two decades leading IT for brands like Cafe Rio and Cinemark, will oversee modernization of the chain’s technology infrastructure. The hire...
By Fast Casual
News•Feb 11, 2026
A New Addition to PTO: Heartbreak Leave
A recent Zety survey finds that one in three employees believes companies should offer dedicated “heartbreak leave” and many have already taken time off after a breakup. Younger workers, especially Gen Z and millennials, are most eager for the benefit, with...
By Employee Benefit News
News•Feb 11, 2026
TikTok Is Becoming a Core Marketing Channel — Not Just a Social App
The episode explains how TikTok has shifted from a pure entertainment platform to a core marketing channel where users discover brands and make purchasing decisions, with 92% taking action after viewing short‑form videos. It highlights the challenges mid‑size and regional...
By Street Fight
News•Feb 11, 2026
Currito Opening 11 Locations in 2026
Currito, the Cincinnati‑based fast‑casual bowl chain, will open 11 new restaurants across the Midwest and Mid‑Atlantic in 2026, following a record year that saw 25 franchise units sold in the past 18 months. The expansion targets markets such as Dayton,...
By Fast Casual
News•Feb 11, 2026
Britney Spears Sells Catalog
The episode discusses Britney Spears' reported sale of her music catalog to independent publisher Primary Wave, noting the lack of confirmed details and price. It places this deal in the context of recent high‑profile catalog sales by artists like Queen,...
By RAIN News
News•Feb 11, 2026
CGI Expands Global Alliance with Google Cloud to Help Businesses with Gemini AI
CGI has broadened its multi‑year alliance with Google Cloud to accelerate enterprise adoption of the Gemini agentic AI platform. The expansion equips tens of thousands of CGI consultants with Gemini Enterprise and funds joint workshops, hackathons, and training programs. It...
By ChannelE2E
News•Feb 11, 2026
Lloyds Banking Group to Close Another 95 Branches
Lloyds Banking Group announced it will shut 95 more branches – 53 Lloyds, 31 Halifax and 11 Bank of Scotland locations – between May 2024 and March 2027. The closures will leave the group with about 610 branches after the...
By BBC News – Business
News•Feb 11, 2026
Would You Pay £7.50 for a Pint of Guinness?
The Advocate Arms in Market Rasen is polling patrons on a possible £7.50 price for a pint of Guinness, up from its current £6. Diageo says the increase translates to roughly £0.04 per draught pint and stresses that retail pricing...
By BBC News – Business
News•Feb 11, 2026
Arcjet Release V1 of Its SDK for Enabling Security Capabilities in JavaScript Apps
Arcjet launched version 1.0 of its JavaScript SDK, delivering a stable, production‑ready API for security functions such as bot mitigation, email verification, rate limiting, and data redaction. The SDK can block malicious bots, enforce custom traffic rules, and protect against...
By SD Times
News•Feb 11, 2026
Best Trade Finance Bank In North America: BNY
BNY was named the Best Trade Finance Bank in North America, reflecting its robust portfolio and eight global trade centers. The bank leverages high credit ratings, competitive pricing, and a suite of digital tools to streamline trade processing, risk mitigation,...
By Global Finance Magazine
News•Feb 11, 2026
When the Recruiter Stops Believing the Culture (and Candidates Can Tell)
The article defines "cultural drift" as the gap between a company’s proclaimed values and the behaviors that actually emerge, often surfacing after growth, re‑orgs, or leadership changes. Recruiters, as the first human touchpoint for candidates, notice this drift early, sensing...
By ERE
News•Feb 11, 2026
Pega Targets $2bn Revenue Milestone as It Bets on 'Predictable AI' - CEO Alan Trefler Slams 'Delusional' Multi-Agent Approach
Pegasystems beat its guidance as Pega Cloud annual contract value surged 33% year‑over‑year, positioning the firm to cross the $2 billion revenue mark by 2026. CEO Alan Trefler championed a "predictable AI" Blueprint approach, arguing that design‑time AI‑driven workflows are more...
By diginomica (ERP/Finance apps)
News•Feb 11, 2026
Zimmer Plans US Salesforce Reorganization
Zimmer Biomet announced a U.S. salesforce reorganization aimed at creating a fully dedicated, product‑specialized team of 2,500 reps. The shift targets high‑growth segments such as sports medicine, trauma, robotics, and ambulatory surgery centers, with one‑third of the transition already complete....
By MedTech Dive
News•Feb 11, 2026
Empathy Engineer: Is This the £110k Job of Your Dreams?
The tech sector is inventing high‑paying roles such as empathy engineer, a position that blends social, cultural and emotional insights with technology design and can command salaries up to £110,000. A Tide survey found that 80% of British job seekers...
By The Guardian – Work & careers
News•Feb 11, 2026
Why Harbor Health Is Acquiring Dementia Support Company Rippl
Harbor Health, an Austin‑based primary care and health‑insurance group, announced the acquisition of Rippl, a Seattle‑based dementia‑care platform. The deal, terms undisclosed, adds Rippl’s CMS GUIDE‑model services for Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare beneficiaries to Harbor’s condition‑focused care pathways. By...
By Healthcare Innovation
News•Feb 11, 2026
Take2 Raises $14M Series A for AI Hiring
Take2 announced a $14 million Series A round led by Human Capital, with participation from Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments, Reach Capital, SemperVirens VC and Honeystone Ventures. The startup builds autonomous AI agents that conduct phone interviews, schedule appointments and handle credential verification for...
By Just AI News
News•Feb 11, 2026
European Investment Bank Launching Financing Platform for Energy Efficiency
The European Investment Bank is injecting €60 million into Solas Capital’s Sustainable Energy Fund II to launch a new financing platform that will support energy‑efficiency projects for SMEs across the EU. The platform is designed to mobilize nearly €400 million of total capital,...
By POWER Magazine
News•Feb 11, 2026
Upside Robotics Is Reducing Fertilizer Use and Waste in Corn Crops
Upside Robotics secured a $7.5 million seed round to scale its solar‑powered autonomous fertilizer robots for corn. The robots, driven by proprietary algorithms, have already cut fertilizer use by 70%, saving roughly $150 per acre. After testing on 70 acres in...
By TechCrunch Robotics
News•Feb 11, 2026
Apptronik Closes over $935M Series A with New $520M Extension Round
Apptronik announced a $520 million Series A‑X extension, bringing its total Series A funding to over $935 million and total capital raised near $1 billion. The round includes existing backers such as Google, B Capital and Mercedes‑Benz, and new investors AT&T Ventures, John Deere and Qatar...
By Robotics 24/7
News•Feb 11, 2026
Littler Lightbulb – January 2026 Appellate Roundup
The January 2026 appellate roundup highlights several pivotal employment‑law decisions. The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court, holding that any amount of entertainment work qualifies a production company for the Multi‑employer Pension Plan Amendments Act exemption. The Fifth Circuit affirmed...
By Littler – Insights/News
News•Feb 11, 2026
What Rubio Gets Right (and Wrong) About the Western Hemisphere
Juan S. González argues that U.S. security hinges on a stable Western Hemisphere, echoing Roosevelt’s Monroe‑Doctrine insight. He praises Secretary of State Marco Rubio for recognizing the need for proactive engagement but criticizes Rubio’s reliance on coercion and short‑term pressure....
By Foreign Policy
News•Feb 11, 2026
IRS Roundup- January 21 – February 9, 2026
The IRS issued several key updates between Jan 21 and Feb 9, 2026, including Notice 2026‑9 extending the deadline for IRA and pension plan amendments to Dec 31 2027, and Fact Sheet 2026‑2 outlining the rollout of fully electronic federal payments under Executive Order 14247. It opened applications...
By National Law Review – Employment Law
News•Feb 11, 2026
Conducting Criminal Background Checks? What the Phath Decision Means for Employers
The Pennsylvania Third Circuit in Phath v. Central Transport clarified that the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA) applies whenever an employer considers criminal history, even if the applicant volunteers the information. Employers must now evaluate any disclosed conviction for...
By PA Labor & Employment Blog
News•Feb 11, 2026
US Insurance Tech Spending 2026: From Modernization To Intelligence
The episode examines Forrester's forecast that U.S. insurance tech spending will rise by $173 billion in 2026, reaching 6 % of total national tech outlays. It explains how insurers are shifting from pure modernization to intelligence‑driven initiatives—cloud migration, AI‑enabled analytics, automation, and...
By Forrester Blog – CIO Insights
News•Feb 11, 2026
Report Reveals a Lack of Awareness and Poor Career Advice Is Impacting Apprenticeship Uptake
The In‑Comm Training Annual Barometer, surveying over 350 16‑ to 21‑year‑olds, shows apprenticeship consideration slipping to 80%, a 9% drop. More than half of respondents (54%) admit they know no local schemes, and only a third trust the government understands...
By Employer News (UK)
News•Feb 11, 2026
Rising Health Costs Outpace Social Security for Retirees
Health inflation is projected at 5.8% annually, more than double the 2.4% Social Security cost‑of‑living adjustment. Medicare Part B and Advantage premiums jumped 9.7% for 2026, while Part D drug premiums have risen 50% since the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The widening...
By Employee Benefit News
News•Feb 11, 2026
Big Bang Vs. Phased ERP Implementation: Which Is Best?
Choosing between a big‑bang and a phased ERP implementation is a pivotal decision for C‑suite leaders. A big‑bang rollout delivers the entire system at once, eliminating interim integrations but carries high risk of cost overruns and delayed user feedback. A...
By TechTarget SearchERP
News•Feb 11, 2026
Kroenig on NPR on Iran
Atlantic Council vice‑president and Scowcroft Center senior director Matthew Kroenig appeared on NPR on Feb. 11 to discuss the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. He outlined the limited progress of back‑channel talks aimed at reviving a nuclear agreement and highlighted...
By Atlantic Council
News•Feb 11, 2026
Max Gosney Joins Future Travel Experience as New Managing Director
Future Travel Experience (FTE) announced Max Gosney as its new Managing Director, adding 15 years of aviation media and events expertise. Gosney previously served as Portfolio Director and Conference Chairman at Mark Allen Group, overseeing Ground Handling International and MA...
By Future Travel Experience
News•Feb 11, 2026
CFO Offices Are Getting to Grips with the Idea that AI Isn't that Simple for Their Role, but Interest Isn't...
BlackLine CEO Owen Ryan says CFOs remain wary of AI that functions as a black box, insisting on accuracy, transparency, auditability and security. The company is shifting from simple automation to an AI‑driven orchestration built on three pillars—data, context and...
By diginomica (ERP/Finance apps)
News•Feb 11, 2026
3 Restaurant Brands Tap Tech Chiefs to Scale Operations
Three restaurant operators—Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, CEC Entertainment and Starbucks—have each added senior technology executives to accelerate digital transformation and scale operations. Freddy’s appointed its first CIO, Todd Paladini, to unify franchisee systems, while CEC promoted Nathan Hunstable to...
By Restaurant Dive (Industry Dive)
News•Feb 11, 2026
Turning Uncertainty Into Opportunity: Modernizing Retail Finance to Navigate Inflation, Interest Rates and Currency Volatility
Retail finance leaders are grappling with volatile interest rates, persistent inflation, and a weakening dollar, which together strain cash flow and margin stability. To survive, finance teams must shift from reactive bookkeeping to proactive portfolio‑management tactics, using scenario modeling and...
By Total Retail
News•Feb 11, 2026
Integrate Raises $17M to Move Defense Project Management Into the 21st Century
Integrate, a Seattle‑based startup founded by former Air Force officer John Conafay, raised a $17 million Series A to commercialize its secure collaboration platform for defense projects. The company recently secured a $25 million, five‑year contract with the U.S. Space Force, proving demand...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 11, 2026
Fear Grows That AI Is Permanently Eliminating Jobs
A growing chorus of workers, researchers, and public figures warn that artificial intelligence could permanently eliminate millions of jobs. MIT researchers estimate current AI systems can automate tasks performed by over 20 million American workers, roughly 12 % of the labor force,...
By Futurism AI
News•Feb 11, 2026
Judge Backs Illinois Law on Card Fees
A federal judge upheld Illinois' Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which bans card‑swipe interchange fees on sales tax and gratuities, finding that the National Bank Act does not preempt the state law. The ruling, issued by Judge Virginia Kendall, also struck...
By Payments Dive
News•Feb 11, 2026
Faraday Future Follows Tesla’s EV Playbook, Only Better
Faraday Future is rolling out its Super One, an AI‑centric luxury electric SUV priced between $20,000 and $80,000, positioning it as a direct challenger to high‑end models like the Cadillac Escalade. The company recently secured $30 million to fund the broader...
By CleanTechnica
News•Feb 11, 2026
Oatly Loses Long-Running 'Milk' Battle with Dairy Lobby
Oatly has lost a UK Supreme Court ruling that bars the company from trademarking or using the phrase “post‑milk generation” in its marketing, after Dairy UK argued that the term “milk” should be reserved for animal‑derived products. The court affirmed earlier...
By BBC News – Business
News•Feb 11, 2026
Saba Recommends Share Tender Offer if Its Edinburgh Worldwide Bid Is Successful
Saba Capital Management has urged shareholders of Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust (EWIT) to accept a 100% cash exit at 99% of net asset value if its board slate wins the upcoming AGM. The activist hedge fund, which has unsuccessfully challenged...
By MoneyWeek – All
News•Feb 11, 2026
Seven Influential Women in Biotech in 2026
The article spotlights seven women reshaping biotech in 2026, from Shehnaaz Suliman’s $29 million‑funded mRNA program at ReCode to Julie Kim’s historic appointment as Takeda’s first female CEO. It details their strategic wins—such as Vertex’s CRISPR therapy approval under Reshma Kewalramani...
By Labiotech.eu
News•Feb 11, 2026
Complyance Raises $20M to Help Companies Manage Risk and Compliance
Complyance, a Boston‑based AI‑native governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platform, closed a $20 million Series A round led by GV. The solution embeds AI agents into existing tech stacks to automate continuous data‑compliance checks and third‑party risk assessments, cutting audit cycles from...
By TechCrunch Venture Feed
News•Feb 11, 2026
Humanoid Robot Startup Apptronik Has Now Raised $935M at a $5B+ Valuation
Apptronik, a University of Texas spin‑out building humanoid robots, reopened its Series A to raise a total of $935 million, pushing its post‑money valuation to roughly $5.3 billion. The round added $520 million from existing backers Google, Mercedes‑Benz and B Capital, alongside new investors, and...
By TechCrunch Robotics
News•Feb 11, 2026
Marketers Struggle to Predict AI’s Methods for B2B Purchase Choice
A new Norstat study of 175 UK decision‑makers shows AI tools now dominate the B2B buying journey, with 79% using AI daily or weekly and spending up to four hours each week on AI‑driven decisions. Buyers rely on AI summaries...
By Marketing Tech News
News•Feb 11, 2026
Latvian Deep Space Energy Raises €930K Pre-Seed to Develop Radioisotope Power for Moon and Satellites
Latvian deep‑tech startup Deep Space Energy has closed a €930 k pre‑seed round, led by Outlast Fund and supplemented by ESA, NATO DIANA and Latvian government grants. The capital will accelerate development of a radioisotope power generator that uses Americium‑241, delivering...
By ArcticStartup
News•Feb 11, 2026
$15K to Land a Job? What HR Can Make of ‘Reverse Recruiting’
Job seekers are increasingly paying reverse‑recruiting firms anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over $15,000 to have professionals apply, optimize resumes and network on their behalf. Executive‑level packages cost $10,000‑$15,000 for candidates targeting $200K‑$400K salaries, while mid‑tier services charge...
By Human Resource Executive
News•Feb 11, 2026
Except Trump, Nobody Has Stated India's Refusal to Buy Russian Oil: FM Lavrov
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian Duma that only U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed India will cease buying Russian oil, and no Indian official has made such a statement. Lavrov highlighted India’s new BRICS chairmanship and its focus...
By ET EnergyWorld (The Economic Times)
News•Feb 11, 2026
Stripe Valuation Nears $140B in Latest Tender Offer, Company Maintains Private Status
Stripe is arranging a secondary tender offer that could value the payments firm at about $140 billion, up from roughly $107 billion a year earlier. The company reiterated it has no immediate plans for an IPO, preferring private‑market liquidity for employees and...
By PaySpace Magazine
News•Feb 11, 2026
Govt Urges Refiners to Prioritise US, Venezuelan Crude Amid Evolving Trade Ties: Report
India has urged its state‑owned refiners to give priority to crude from the United States and Venezuela as part of a broader effort to diversify supplies and reduce reliance on Russian oil. The government’s suggestion applies to spot‑market tenders for...
By ET EnergyWorld (The Economic Times)
News•Feb 11, 2026
Peter Piper Pizza Truly Engrained in the Communities It Serves
Peter Piper Pizza operates about 115 restaurants across Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico, offering a $10.99 all‑you‑can‑eat lunch buffet aimed at workers, families and budget‑conscious diners. Chief marketing officer Genaro Perez emphasizes targeting different demographics at various times...
By Fast Casual
News•Feb 11, 2026
Toronto Pearson Named One of Canada’s Best Employers
Toronto Pearson International Airport has been named to Forbes Canada’s Best Employers 2026 list for the third straight year, climbing five spots to rank 102nd among the nation’s top 300 workplaces. It is the only airport featured in the ranking,...
By Hotelier Magazine (Canada)