ERP Today Interview: Achyut Jajoo
Salesforce unveiled Agentforce Manufacturing, a suite of pre‑built AI agent templates designed for manufacturers. The solution promises to scale operations without adding headcount by automating routine ERP tasks. Achyut Jajoo, Salesforce’s SVP and GM, highlighted the necessity for ERP systems to become AI‑ready to stay competitive. The announcement positions Salesforce as a key player in the AI‑driven manufacturing transformation.
AI Tools Remove Data Barriers, Driving Explosive Growth
I now constantly get questions about the SAAS meltdown, role of AI, system of records etc. I don't have an answer to all these. But I do know that we saw an acceleration in our business in Q2, Q3, and...
Does Sourcing Diversification Matter in the Age of Tariffs?
Tariff volatility has shifted from a temporary policy tool to a lasting cost driver for apparel and footwear retailers, exposing those overly dependent on a single sourcing region. Diversifying production across multiple geographies is now framed as an agility strategy,...
EHR/PM Integration Biggest Satisfier for Ambulatory Software Suites, KLAS Finds
The episode reviews KLAS Research’s 2026 report on comprehensive ambulatory EHR and practice‑management (PM) suites, revealing that integration of clinical and financial workflows is the top driver of satisfaction for ambulatory organizations. The study of 176 providers shows 71% value...
Ukraine Seeks God Mode with New Control App for Drone War
Ukraine has deployed Mission Control, a digital command‑and‑control system that centralizes planning, execution, and reporting for every drone operation across the country. Integrated into the broader DELTA battlefield management ecosystem, the platform captures launch data, flight routes, and mission outcomes...
Leidos Partners with RegScale to Bolster Federal Cybersecurity
Leidos announced the integration of its UpHold Armor platform with RegScale’s Continuous Controls Monitoring solution to strengthen cybersecurity across the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The joint offering will initially roll out to the U.S. Air Force, automating risk...
SPAC Ecosystem Is Undergoing Significant Transformation : Analysis
The SPAC market, which exploded in 2021 with over 600 offerings raising $162 billion, has entered a maturation phase as of 2025‑2026. New SEC regulations introduced in 2024 have forced sponsors to adopt tighter disclosure, performance‑linked incentives and longer deal timelines,...
6 Steps to Build a Climate-Resilient Ecommerce Shipping Workflow
The episode outlines a six‑step framework for building a climate‑resilient ecommerce shipping workflow, emphasizing that humidity, temperature swings, and condensation can damage products and erode margins. It guides listeners to map the entire shipping journey, collaborate with suppliers on pre‑shipment...
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins to Testify at House Financial Services, Senate Banking Committees This Week
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins will testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Feb 11 and the Senate Banking Committee on Feb 12. These are his first appearances before both panels. The hearings come as the SEC advances a sweeping overhaul of...
Elusive Quantum State with Fractional Charge Finally Detected in Twisted Material
Researchers have reported the first optical detection of a –1/3 fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) state in twisted MoTe₂ bilayers. Using photoluminescence and reflective magnetic circular dichroism, they observed ferromagnetic order at filling factors ν = –1, –2/3 and –1/3, with Curie...
Salesforce Puts Heroku Out to PaaSture
Salesforce announced it will cease developing new features for its Heroku platform-as-a-service, moving the product to a sustaining‑engineering model that emphasizes stability, security and support. Existing customers can keep using and renewing Heroku, but the company will no longer sell...
Expert Insights: The True Cost of a Bad Telehealth Experience
The article argues that relying on "at‑the‑elbow" support to compensate for clunky telehealth platforms hides deeper usability problems. It highlights how bundled EHR video tools often lack essential workflow integration, forcing organizations to spend on training, staffing, and workarounds. These...
Lawmakers Weigh Government’s Role in Lowering AI Risk to Workers
Lawmakers are evaluating whether the federal government should intervene to mitigate AI‑related risks to workers. During a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, Bradford Kelley of Littler argued that the low number of lawsuits over...
Quantum Algorithms Now Optimise Swarm Behaviour for Complex Tasks Efficiently
Researchers at LSU introduced a quantum‑enhanced framework for dynamically designing communication topologies in linear multi‑agent systems. By reformulating the topology selection as a mixed‑integer quadratic program and solving the binary subproblem with a quantum imaginary‑time‑evolution (QITE) algorithm, the method achieves...
How a Romanian Startup Found Its Strongest Growth in Latin America
Pluria, a Romanian‑founded hybrid‑work platform, has seen its strongest growth in Latin America, especially Colombia, Mexico and Argentina, with 2025 revenue expanding 2.5 times versus the prior year. The company entered the region opportunistically, bypassing traditional market analysis, and quickly...
Storage News Ticker – 9 February 2026
The storage‑focused news ticker highlighted a wave of AI‑centric and security‑driven product launches, from Aerospike’s default Dynamic Data Masking to Cloudera’s on‑prem AI inference and Trino‑powered warehouse. Databricks secured a $5 billion equity round, reporting $5.4 billion ARR with strong AI revenue,...
AI‑First, Word‑of‑Mouth, Personal Brand: SaaS Survival 2026
It's 2026. If you're a SaaS founder, you're probably screwed. Anything you do that works gets copied, CAC is up, LTV is down. Here are the 7 things I see that ARE working - in a world where most things...
Audio Content As A Conversion Asset for Product-Driven Brands
The episode explores how product‑driven brands can treat audio as a conversion‑focused asset, highlighting the emotional trust and memory benefits of the human voice over static visuals. It explains practical tactics such as repurposing top blog posts into narrated clips,...
Groww Adds More Clients than Entire Industry in January
Groww added roughly 353,000 active demat accounts in January 2026, surpassing the entire industry’s net gain of 302,000 accounts. This surge lifted its market share to 27.66%, a 60‑basis‑point rise from December. The broker now serves 12.48 million clients, cementing its...
![The Downlink [Feb 08, 25] Space Money: The Space Force Budget And A New Leader](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/b15d6f1cb9aee2070efecd81eec3386a.webp)
The Downlink [Feb 08, 25] Space Money: The Space Force Budget And A New Leader
The U.S. Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed the Space Force’s FY 2026 budget of $26 billion. The allocation marks a modest increase over the previous year and underscores continued investment in space‑based defense capabilities. At the same time, the Space...
Haply Robotics Raises $16 Million to Build the “Steering Wheels” For Physical AI
Haply Robotics announced a $11.75 million USD (CAD $16 million) seed‑plus financing round, led by Sound Media Ventures and backed by Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund, Hanwha, Two Small Fish Ventures, and BDC Capital. The Montreal‑based startup builds high‑precision haptic controllers—such as the Inverse3...
Scaling Intelligence: How New Dexory Tools Drive Data Visibility
Dexory unveiled a next‑generation autonomous robot and a new Storage Health software feature, both aimed at boosting real‑time warehouse visibility. The robot’s scanning range expands to 60 feet, delivering richer data across complex rack configurations, while Storage Health uses AI‑driven computer...
FinTechs Reshape Middle East Money Movement as Capital Returns
The Middle East is emerging as a fintech hotbed, driven by high smartphone usage, youthful demographics, and state‑backed payment infrastructure. After a global funding slowdown, capital surged back in 2025, with MENA fintech investment climbing 77% to $7.5 billion, 58% of...
AI Lawsuits in 2026: Settlements, Licensing Deals, Litigation
2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year for AI copyright litigation. The New York Times’ ongoing suit against OpenAI and Microsoft, along with high‑profile cases such as Getty Images vs. Stability AI and Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, highlight mounting pressure on AI...
Avoid Exclusivity: Protect Your Deal Leverage
Buyers and investors will commonly request exclusivity as part of a transaction process. As a founder, you should be hesitant to grant that request. Exclusivity is a period of time in which a seller is locked into negotiation with just...
CMA CGM Group, Marlink, and Eutelsat Partnership
CMA CGM, Marlink, and Eutelsat have signed a multi‑year partnership to equip over 300 CMA CGM vessels with OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity. The rollout will be completed within nine months, using a hybrid LEO/GEO architecture via Marlink’s XChange NextGen edge...
Orchestrate Multiple AIs, Don’t Choose Just One
ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude vs Grok vs Perplexity — different tools, different strengths. There’s no single “best AI”, only the right AI for the job: ChatGPT → creative work, coding, problem-solving, versatile workflows Gemini → deep integration with Google...
Fresenius Kabi and Phlow Corp. Enter First US End-to-End Manufacturing Collaboration
Fresenius Kabi and Phlow Corp. have launched the United States’ first end‑to‑end domestic manufacturing collaboration for epinephrine injection, pairing Phlow’s new API production facility in Virginia with Fresenius Kabi’s existing formulation and fill sites. The partnership includes an FDA‑filed Drug...
China's Evolving EV Monopoly - Energy Realities Podcast
The episode dissects China’s growing monopoly over the global EV market, highlighting its state‑backed battery dominance, predatory pricing, and the resulting threats to Western automakers in the US, Canada, the UK, and the EU. Panelists critique policy responses, note massive...
Hacktivist Scrapes over 500,000 Stalkerware Customers’ Payment Records
A hacktivist identified as “wikkid” scraped more than 536,000 payment records from the stalkerware vendor Struktura, also operating as Ersten Group. The leaked dataset reveals customer email addresses, the specific surveillance app purchased, payment amounts, card type and last four...
Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach Clocks Out Amid Job Cuts and Market Jitters
Carl Eschenbach has resigned as CEO of Workday, handing the reins back to co‑founder Aneel Bhusri. The transition follows a series of cost‑cutting moves, including an 8.5% staff reduction and a recent 2% layoff, as the firm grapples with AI‑driven market...
Capital One Pays CEO Fairbank $40M for 2025
Capital One's board approved a $40 million compensation package for CEO Richard Fairbank for 2025, a 19 % increase from his 2024 pay. The package consists of $2.5 million in restricted stock units and a $37.5 million year‑end incentive award, including $24.8 million in performance...
Physical AI Robotics Draws Millions in Funding as Digital Markets Face Correction
In 2025 venture capital redirected billions from speculative crypto to physical AI robotics, allocating $211 billion to hardware solutions. Global venture funding reached $425 billion, highlighted by Mimic Robotics’ $16 million seed round to develop dexterous robot end‑effectors for manufacturing. ETH Zurich researchers...
Despite FDA’s Crackdown, Pharma Is Still Spending Millions on Ads
The FDA launched an aggressive crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising last fall, issuing thousands of warning letters to drugmakers over misleading consumer ads. Despite the heightened scrutiny, the industry continued to pour roughly $2 billion into promotional campaigns, shifting spend toward digital...
The Inbox Vs. The Pocket: Why ATS Vendors Need to Embrace Text for Hourly & Skilled-Trade Hiring
Applicant tracking systems still mandate email addresses, creating a major barrier for hourly and skilled‑trade workers who prefer mobile communication. Mobile ownership is near‑universal, with text messages delivering roughly 98% open rates and 30‑45% response rates, far outpacing email. The...
Discord Will Require a Face Scan or ID for Full Access Next Month
Discord will launch a global age‑verification system next month, automatically placing every user in a teen‑appropriate mode unless they prove they are adults. Unverified users will lose access to age‑restricted servers, stage channels, and will face stricter content filters and...
The New WIZ-Kid in Protein Degradation
Targeted protein degraders that eliminate the transcription factors WIZ and ZBTB7A are shown to raise fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels, offering a disease-modifying strategy for sickle cell disease and β‑thalassemia. Novartis disclosed a series of CRBN‑based glue degraders, culminating in the...
Should You Really Vibe Code a TMS?
In this episode Adrian Gonzalez examines the modern "build vs. buy" dilemma for transportation management systems (TMS) in the age of AI‑driven vibe coding. He references Dave Clark’s rapid custom CRM build and recent market jitters over AI’s impact on...
New Tech, Data, AI Roles Shaping the Last Five Years
Job titles that have emerged in Tech, Data and AI the last 5 years: 👇
NASA Shifts Workforce Toward Civil Servants for In‑House Expertise
.@NASA is rebalancing its workforce towards civil servants to bring more expertise in house, according to a Friday announcement from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. https://t.co/jeFpQdG00n
NASA Let AI Drive The Perseverance Rover For Two Days
NASA employed Anthropic’s Claude AI to generate waypoints for Perseverance, enabling the rover to travel 456 meters over two days without human control. The AI processed HiRISE orbital images and digital elevation models to identify hazards and plot a safe path....
Proton Rocket Returns to Pad After Three Years
Proton rocket returned to launch pad this morning in preparation for its first flight in nearly three years on Thursday: https://t.co/DyHPm6OdhH https://t.co/KXqkCYSXcA
New Mineral Sunscreen Eliminates Unsightly White Cast
We developed a mineral #sunscreen that reduces white cast - described in https://t.co/2FW3QLelWT @ACSMatLett & featured @UCLAHealthJCCC https://t.co/PegyIICqN0 & @WomensHealthMag https://t.co/7LgQK3JLex #ChallengeInitiative @UCLA https://t.co/lSeguUK4nB
Icy Hudson River
In late January 2026, Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager captured a striking view of ice covering the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore. The false‑color image, taken on Jan 28, highlights light‑blue ice, red vegetation, and snow‑covered banks. Scientists attribute the ice...
NASA, SpaceX Brief Crew‑12 Launch Set for Feb 12
Happening now, NASA and SpaceX leadership are holding a news briefing on the Crew-12 mission, now launching no earlier than Feb. 12 at 5:38 a.m. EST. Follow this thread for updates🧵1/n Watch live: https://t.co/Ub6fx27Z5m https://t.co/CwFUNoXkTr
IDEAL's A2A Shift Powers Pan‑European Payment Sovereignty
iDEAL to phase into Wero starting in 2026 Strategic implications: Account-to-account payments (A2A) eliminating card network intermediaries. iDEAL processes 1.5B transactions annually with 100% Dutch consumer reach—now gets pan-European scale. Payment sovereignty meets network effects https://t.co/Qmf2G62B8k
Superconducting Material Revived by Pressure Could Unlock Lossless Power Transmission
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have synthesized iron‑rich Fe₁.₁₁Se single crystals via a two‑step hydrothermal ion‑exchange and de‑intercalation method, achieving a superconducting onset temperature of 30.4 K—far above the 8.5 K of stoichiometric FeSe. The material contains 11 % interstitial Fe,...
AI-Driven Monday Metrics Reveal Hidden Growth Patterns
Every Monday I get a deep AI analysis of our metrics across every product area to enjoy with my coffee. Anomalies, growth, trends, recommendations. AI spots patterns human analysts easily miss. I can @ the agent for further questions. AI will soon...
7 CNC-Machined Components Every Industrial Robot Depends On
Industrial robots consist of numerous CNC‑machined components, with seven parts—joint housings, gearbox casings, motor mounting plates, end‑effector interface plates, link structures, bearing seats, and encoder mounts—forming the core of every robot. These parts require tight dimensional tolerances (±0.01 mm to ±0.025 mm)...
Supercapacitor Developer Skeleton Opens First US Engineering Facility in Houston, Texas
Estonian supercapacitor maker Skeleton Technologies opened its first U.S. engineering facility in Houston, Texas, to support AI data‑center customers. The graphene‑based devices can smooth power spikes and claim up to 45% energy savings for high‑performance computing workloads. Skeleton already has...
