Pulse
Original reporting by Pulse, synthesizing breaking news from multiple sources with AI-powered analysis. Each story combines insights from leading publishers, expert commentary, and real-time data.
Senate Bill Demands BEAD Transparency as Oklahoma Secures $574M to Connect 40,500 Homes
Senate Majority Leader John Thune introduced the Accelerating Broadband Permits Act, forcing NTIA to publish a real‑time BEAD dashboard. At the same time, NTIA gave final approval to Oklahoma’s BEAD plan, unlocking $428 million in federal grants and $146 million in private match to connect 40,509 homes and businesses across the state.
Bajaj Auto Beats Q4 Estimates and Launches $595 M Record Share Buyback
Bajaj Auto reported quarterly earnings above analyst forecasts and unveiled a 56.33 bn‑rupee ($595 M) share buyback at a 16.3% premium. The earnings surge was driven by premium bike sales, margin expansion and a recent tax cut on 350 cc motorcycles.
AI Redefines Martech Stack as Growth Slows to 0.7% in 2026 Report
The State of Martech 2026 report, authored by Scott Brinker and Frans Riemersma, finds the martech ecosystem grew only 0.7% to 15,505 solutions, while churn accelerated with 1,488 new products added and 1,367 removed. The data suggest AI, orchestration, and...
Europe’s Container Surplus Drains, Tightening Global Flows
Carriers are accelerating the repositioning of empty containers from Europe to Asia, draining a previously reported surplus and tightening availability across European ports. Sogese’s May 2026 market update shows yard utilisation still high at 75‑85% while transit times on Asia‑Europe...
Optimove Report Finds 52% of Summer Shoppers Will Spend More in 2026
Optimove's new Summer Shopping Report reveals that 52% of U.S. consumers intend to increase their summer spending in 2026, driven by a focus on quality, price and AI‑enabled discovery. The findings signal a competitive, high‑intent season for retailers that must...
FDA Turmoil Casts Shadow Over Gene‑Therapy Conference in Rome
At the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s meeting in Rome, industry leaders grappled with heightened U.S. regulatory uncertainty after the FDA’s cell‑and‑gene therapy rejection rate doubled since 2024 and the agency’s top gene‑therapy regulator, Vinay Prasad, left. Recent approvals for rare‑disease...
Intuit Launches QuickBooks Workforce, AI‑Native HCM Platform for SMBs
Intuit announced QuickBooks Workforce, an AI‑native human‑capital management system that unifies payroll, time tracking, benefits and talent acquisition for small and mid‑market companies. The platform targets firms that currently juggle 7‑25 separate tools and spend roughly $120,000 a year on...
Iran War Sends Residential Investor Sentiment to Three-Year Low, Index Falls to 87
The RCN Capital/CJ Patrick Investor Sentiment Index slid 14 points to 87 in Q1 2026, its lowest reading in three years. The drop reflects the impact of the Iran war, rising mortgage rates and sluggish home sales, leaving investors more...
CoTec and Copper Intelligence Ink JV to Turn DRC Copper Tailings Into Marketable Concentrate
CoTec Holdings and Copper Intelligence have signed a non‑binding term sheet to create a joint venture that will process historic copper tailings in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The partnership aims to unlock the economic value of legacy deposits and...
People Inc. Boosts Digital Revenue as Google Traffic Falls 63%
People Inc., the rebranded IAC publishing arm, posted an 8% year‑over‑year increase in Q1 digital revenue to $253 million despite a 63% collapse in Google‑referenced traffic. The growth stems from off‑platform audience expansion, AI licensing deals and a new contextual ad...
Ireland Unveils Five‑Year National Financial Literacy Strategy to Tackle Money‑Management Gaps
Ireland's Department of Finance has launched a five‑year National Financial Literacy strategy, running to 2029, after Minister Simon Harris opened applications for a new financial‑literacy ambassador role. The plan aims to lift the 57% of adults below OECD standards and...
TerraPower Isotopes Breaks Ground on $450 Million Actinium‑225 Plant in Philadelphia
TerraPower Isotopes broke ground on a $450 million, 250,000‑square‑foot Actinium‑225 manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, a move that will increase global supply twentyfold. The flagship Bellwether Laboratory aims to support next‑generation alpha‑particle cancer treatments and create roughly 225 permanent jobs.
NetApp Appoints Jurgen Hofkens as CTO and VP of Engineering Sales for EMEA and LATAM
NetApp announced Jurgen Hofkens as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering Sales for EMEA and LATAM, effective May 1 2026. The hire aims to speed AI‑driven data adoption, bolster data sovereignty and cybersecurity, and deepen hybrid‑cloud engagement across the two...
Bain Appoints Marc‑André Kamel Managing Partner of French Operations
Bain & Company announced that Marc‑André Kamel will serve as managing partner of its French office, succeeding Dominique Di Marzo, who moves to head the firm’s Financial Services practice across EMEA. Kamel, a Bain veteran since 1988, brings three decades...
Trading Technologies Adds FX Forwards, NDFs, Swaps to Unified Platform
Trading Technologies announced that its FX suite now supports forwards, non‑deliverable forwards and swaps, merging OTC currency products with its listed‑derivatives execution environment. The move gives institutional desks a single interface for spot, futures, precious metals and multi‑currency hedges, aiming...
Duetto Elevates Michael Schäffner to Chief Sales Officer to Drive Global Profit‑Focused Growth
Duetto announced Michael Schäffner as its new Chief Sales Officer, tasking him with scaling the company’s Revenue and Profit Operating System across hotel brands, groups and casino resorts. The promotion underscores Duetto’s push to link commercial strategy directly to profitability...
Illoca Raises $13 Million Seed to Launch AI‑Powered Architectural Sketch Interface
Illoca, an AI‑native design engine, announced a $13 million seed financing led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from AIX Ventures, Root Ventures and Alt Ventures. The funding will accelerate development of Illoca Tracing Paper™, a sketch‑and‑language interface aimed at cutting...
Wolters Kluwer Deploys AI Invoice Review Agent with Built‑In Governance, Promising 10% Spend Savings
Wolters Kluwer introduced the LegalVIEW BillAnalyzer Invoice Review Agent, an AI‑driven tool that automatically flags non‑compliant legal invoice line items and makes adjustments. The system, built on a $200 billion invoice data set, claims 98% decision accuracy and can uncover savings of...
CMS Launches Digital Prior Authorization for Nursing Homes, Aiming $15B Savings
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled a nationwide electronic prior‑authorization system for skilled‑nursing facilities, projecting $15 billion in savings over the next decade. The rollout, slated for Jan. 1 2027, integrates EHR vendors, hospitals and payers to cut paperwork and speed...
Salary.com and WorldatWork Unveil 29‑City Total Comp Tour for Pay Professionals
Salary.com and WorldatWork announced the Total Comp Tour, a 29‑city, May‑August event series that begins May 6 in Waltham, MA. The roadshow offers in‑person panels, AI‑focused sessions and peer networking for isolated compensation teams, signaling a push to build community...
Nvidia Launches Spectrum‑X Ethernet Fabric and Opens MRC Protocol for Gigascale AI Clusters
Nvidia announced the Spectrum‑X AI‑native Ethernet fabric and released the Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC) transport protocol as an open specification. The move targets the massive bandwidth and resilience requirements of today’s frontier AI models, and is already deployed in leading...
OPM Deploys AI Tools to Draft Job Descriptions and Automate Retirement Services
U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor announced the rollout of the USA Class AI platform to generate federal job descriptions and AI chatbots to handle routine retirement inquiries. The initiative targets the agency’s 2 million civilian employees and more...
IBM SkillsBuild Teams with NAAIC to Deliver Free AI Training to Community College Faculty
IBM SkillsBuild and the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC) have launched a free, self‑paced AI learning pathway for community college faculty across the United States. The program supports IBM's pledge to train two million AI learners by the end of...
Basware Secures SAP Clean Core Certification, Boosting AP Automation for Enterprises
Basware announced its Connector for SAP Cloud ERP has earned SAP Clean Core certification, making it one of the first accounts‑payable providers to meet SAP's strict integration standards. The certification promises upgrade‑safe AP automation for the thousands of firms facing...
ServiceNow Extends Build Agent to All Major AI Coding Tools, Enforcing Governance by Default
ServiceNow announced at its Knowledge 2026 conference that Build Agent is now generally available in ServiceNow Studio and integrated with every major AI coding assistant, including Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code and GitHub Copilot. The integration embeds the platform’s governance layer...
Duke Energy Locks In 2.7 GW of Data‑Center Power Contracts in Q1 2026
Duke Energy announced that it signed 2.7 GW of new energy service agreements with data‑center operators in the first quarter of 2026, bringing its total contracted data‑center load to 7.6 GW. The contracts underpin a broader 7.8 GW pipeline and support the utility’s...
OPay Targets $20bn Valuation in $4bn US IPO, Eclipsing Nigerian Banks
OPay announced plans for a $4 billion initial public offering on U.S. exchanges, aiming for a post‑money valuation north of $20 billion. The filing positions the African fintech above the market caps of Nigeria’s Zenith Bank and GTCO, and has sparked a...
Glean Names Amar Maletira COO to Drive Product Growth
Glean announced the appointment of Amar Maletira as chief operating officer. Maletira will oversee operational execution and product growth for the company's AI‑driven knowledge‑management platform, aiming to boost sales and customer adoption. The move signals Glean's intent to scale its...
Samsung Launches One UI 8.5 Rollout Across Galaxy Devices Starting May 6
Samsung announced the official rollout of its One UI 8.5 skin on May 6, beginning in South Korea and soon expanding to other markets. The update adds AI‑driven communication and creative tools to a wide range of Galaxy smartphones and tablets,...
CVS Health Beats Q1 Estimates, Raises FY2026 Guidance on Aetna Surge
CVS Health reported first‑quarter net income of $2.94 billion and sales of $100.43 billion, surpassing analyst forecasts. The company lifted its full‑year 2026 earnings guidance to $7.30‑$7.50 per share and revenue target to at least $405 billion, citing a stronger Aetna insurance unit.
Specialty Insurance Rates Drop to 2020 Levels, 10‑Point Index Decline Accelerates Softening
WTW’s Specialty Insurance Marketplace Survey reports a 10‑point fall in the rate index for 1 January 2026 renewals, pulling pricing back to 2020 levels. The decline affects 75% of the 42 material classes surveyed, far outpacing the 30% drop seen in 2024,...
Legora Completes Third Acquisition of Graceview, Advised by White & Case
Legal AI startup Legora announced the acquisition of regulatory‑intelligence platform Graceview, its third purchase since March and the first advised by global law firm White & Case. The deal expands Legora’s suite of AI tools for in‑house counsel, underscoring a...
EVERSANA Appoints Mike Guarino as CEO of Global Agency INTOUCH
EVERSANA announced that Mike Guarino, former CCO of IPG Health, will become chief executive of its global agency EVERSANA INTOUCH. The move is designed to accelerate data‑ and AI‑powered commercialization for life‑sciences brands.
Corgi Funds Unveils Record 34 Actively Managed ETFs on Cboe BZX
Corgi Funds introduced 34 actively managed exchange‑traded funds on the Cboe BZX exchange, the largest one‑day rollout in U.S. history. The suite mixes 28 thematic ETFs with six buffered equity products, all priced with expense ratios between 0.20% and 0.35%....
S&P Cuts India FY27 Growth Forecast to 6.6% Over Iran War Risks
S&P Global Market Intelligence reduced India's fiscal year 2027 growth projection to 6.6%, down from 7.1%, citing the ongoing Iran war. The downgrade highlights shrinking fiscal space, rising debt and potential curbs on capital expenditure, while structural drivers such as...
Marriott Sees U.S. Hotel Demand Lift Beyond Luxury, Select‑service RevPAR up 3.5% in Q1
Marriott International said U.S. hotel demand is widening beyond the luxury segment, with luxury and resort RevPAR climbing nearly 7% and select‑service RevPAR jumping 3.5% in the first quarter. The rebound reflects a shift toward drive‑to destinations as fuel prices...
ServiceNow Unveils Autonomous Security & Risk Platform with Armis and Veza Integration
ServiceNow announced the Autonomous Security & Risk platform at its Knowledge 2026 event, integrating Armis and Veza to provide a unified graph that governs AI agents, identities and connected assets. The move follows the company's security and risk portfolio crossing...
Nuro Secures California Driverless Permit for Uber‑Backed Lucid Robotaxi Service
Nuro has been granted a California DMV driverless testing permit for its Lucid Gravity robotaxis, paving the way for Uber’s premium robotaxi rollout. The approval allows testing without a safety driver at speeds up to 45 mph, bringing the companies closer...
BD Names Vitor Roque CFO to Drive Next Phase of Growth
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced Vitor Roque as its new chief financial officer, effective May 7, 2026. Roque, a 25‑year BD veteran who served as interim CFO since December 2025, will steer the finance function as the company pushes...
Johnson & Johnson’s Ottava System Completes First Robotic Gastric Bypass
Johnson & Johnson reported that its Ottava robotic platform successfully performed its first fully robotic gastric bypass, with no cases converted to open surgery. The milestone supports the pending FDA De Novo filing and positions Ottava against established systems from...
Wizeline Installs Inés Casares as CEO to Accelerate AI‑Native Strategy
Wizeline announced that Inés Casares, the company's chief services officer, will assume the chief executive officer role effective immediately. The move is positioned to deepen the firm’s AI‑native services and sustain its rapid expansion, while preserving executive continuity.
VTuber Ironmouse Ends Sponsorship with Perfect World’s ‘Neverness to Everness’ Over AI Use
Twitch star Ironmouse announced she is terminating her sponsorship of Perfect World’s open‑world gacha title Neverness to Everness after the developer Hotta Studio allegedly misled her about the game’s use of generative AI. The move has prompted other creators to...
AMD Beats Q1 2026 Estimates as Data Center Revenue Jumps 57% to $5.8B
Advanced Micro Devices posted a Q1 2026 earnings beat, driven by a 57% year‑over‑year rise in data‑center revenue to $5.8 billion and more than 50% growth in server CPU sales. The company forecast server‑CPU revenue to surge over 70% in the...
Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro Unveils AI‑Driven $25.2B Growth Plan
Disney reported fiscal Q2 revenue of $25.2 billion, up 7%, and introduced a three‑pillar growth plan centered on AI, original IP and global consumer reach. CEO Josh D'Amaro said the strategy will drive streaming growth, new content creation and operational efficiencies.
Salesforce to Hire 1,000 AI‑Native Graduates in New Builder Initiative
Salesforce announced a commitment to bring 1,000 AI‑native recent graduates into its ranks through the Builder program. The move targets a talent pool already fluent in generative AI, a strategic response to a 6% dip in entry‑level hiring and predictions...
Study Finds 59% of Gen Z Cancel Streaming Subscriptions Over Single Shows
Dentsu and IGN Entertainment’s 2026 Generations In Play report reveals that 59% of Gen Z users cancel and renew streaming subscriptions to chase a single title, while 62% refuse to pay full price for video games. The findings signal a...
ECB Report Shows Euro‑Area Financial Integration Gains Amid Ongoing Market Fragmentation
The European Central Bank released a new report today indicating that euro‑area financial integration has improved markedly since late 2022, driven by higher cross‑border debt holdings and interbank lending. At the same time, equity market fragmentation and weak external financing...
IEA Chief Warns Iran War Could Spark the Biggest Energy Crisis Ever
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that the war in Iran and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger the largest energy crisis in history. Speaking with Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, Birol said the...
U.S. Navy Super Hornet Disables Iranian Tanker Breaching Hormuz Blockade
U.S. forces used an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to fire a 20mm cannon at the Iran‑flagged tanker M/T Hasna, disabling its rudder after the vessel ignored multiple warnings. The action is part of Operation Epic...
Foreign Demand for U.S. Treasuries Stalls as Investors Shift to Other Sovereigns
The Institute of International Finance said foreign investors have stopped adding to U.S. Treasury holdings, keeping net purchases flat this year while increasing purchases of Japanese and European sovereign debt. The shift reflects growing concerns over the United States’ mounting...