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On August 5, new automotive industry data revealed how EV brands are faring in the U.K. and Germany, and the update marks yet another chapter in the saga of Teslas terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. According to the reports, Teslas European sales slumped in July, as sales of its top competitor, the Chinese company BYD, shot up. This isnt exactly a new story: Since the beginning of the year, Teslas European sales have been trending on a sharp downward decline, while BYD has made major headway in expanding through global markets. As this pattern continues to play out, the data points to the possibility that BYD is on a fast track to overtake Tesla at the top of the EV market. Tesla continues to stumble in the U.K. and Germany According to data from the U.K.s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Teslas new car sales in the U.K. dropped by nearly 60% to 987 units in July, down from 2,462 year-over-year. The story was much the same in Germany, where the brands new car sales fell by around 55%, based on data from the road traffic agency KBA. Teslas slump cant be attributed to an overall decline in the EV market, either: Total EV sales were up by 9.1% for the month in the U.K., and up 58% in Germany. BYD, on the other hand, saw massive gains in Europe this past month. In the U.K., the brand quadrupled its year-over-year sales for the month to a total of 3,184. In Germany, sales went up almost fivefold to 1,126 cars sold. At this point, Tesla is falling solidly behind BYD in the European market. By late March of this year, Tesla had already sold nearly 43% fewer cars in the region compared to the same period in 2024. In May, its sales in the U.K. and Germany plummeted to multi-year lows, allowing BYD to surpass it on European sales for the first time ever. Now, it seems like BYDs upward trajectory is only getting started. BYD may be on a path to EV market domination Tesla and BYDs battle for market dominance in Europe might be a harbinger of whats to come for the two brands on a global scale. In 2024, BYD topped Tesla in terms of total revenue, but it still lagged behind on overall profitability. In 2025, that narrative may be shifting. Per its second quarter earnings report, published at the end of July, Tesla notched its steepest decline in quarterly revenue in more than a decade, with a 12% fall. The news has caused investors to question whether Tesla CEO Elon Musks involvement in American politics has permanently damaged the brand. Meanwhile, BYD saw its revenue rise by 37.4% year-over-year in its most recent first quarter report. As pressure continues to mount against Tesla, the brand is beginning to bet more of its resources on breaking into the nascent robotaxi industry. On August 1, though, a Florida court verdict called the safety of Teslas Autopilot function into question, a development that may stifle Teslas robotaxi plans before they even get off the ground. Teslas compounding struggles, combined with BYDs meteoric success, may result in a very different global EV landscape by the end of this year. BYDs second quarter results, which are likely to publish at the end of August, will shed more light onto how the company is currently faringand how soon it might be poised to dethrone Tesla on profit.
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E-Commerce
As artificial intelligence reshapes every industry, America stands at a crossroads. We can either double down on our greatest competitive advantage, attracting the world’s brightest minds, or watch our AI leadership slowly migrate to countries that have figured out what we haven’t: immigration policy is technology policy. After over a decade leading AI initiatives at Microsoft, democratizing natural language processing that serves millions globally, I’ve seen both the promise and the peril of our current moment. The engineers and researchers building tomorrow’s breakthroughs are increasingly weighing their options. The question isn’t whether they want to build in America, it’s whether America wants to make it possible. The Talent Pipeline America Built Let’s start with what we’re doing right. The U.S. has created an unmatched ecosystem with 59% of the world’s top-tier AI researchers. We’ve built the universities, the venture capital networks, and the innovation culture that attracts global genius. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI didn’t emerge by accident, they’re the product of decades of smart talent attraction. The data shows our success: nearly half of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, generating $8.1 trillion in revenue and employing over 14.8 million people. In AI specifically, only 20% of top researchers earned their undergraduate degrees in the U.S., but 59% choose to do their breakthrough work here. We’re not starting from zero, we’re optimizing a proven winning formula. When we get immigration right, the returns are extraordinary. H-1B workers earn a median wage of $108,000 compared to $45,760 for U.S. workers generally, contributing significantly to tax revenue and consumer spending. Research shows that when immigrant college graduates increase by 1%, patents per capita increase by 918%. Each talented engineer who builds here creates jobs for American workers through the companies they found and the teams they build. When Timing Costs Talent The challenge isn’t our destination, it’s our process. Processing times for employment-based Form I-129 petitions, the petitions U.S. employers must file to request permission for a foreign national to work temporarily under visas like the H1B or O1, have climbed sharply. They rose more than 25% last quarter and over 80% compared to a year ago, according to USCIS Q2 FY2025 data, even though the overall backlog has decreased. At the same time, EB-1A cases, which are meant for individuals with extraordinary ability, reached a record high of 16,000 pending petitions. For the people leading advances in AI, these are not just delays. They are missed opportunities. In a field where timing is everything, a slow and unpredictable immigration process can push talent to build somewhere else. The Global Competition Advantage Meanwhile, our allies have streamlined their approach. Canada’s Global Talent Stream processes work visas in two weeks. Australia’s National Innovation Visa offers permanent residency with 13 month processing times for exceptional talent. The UK’s Global Talent visa fast-tracks digital technology experts, including those in AI and fintech. Meanwhile in the U.S., work visa petitions like the H1B and O1 often take several months to process. Employers must pay thousands in additional fees for premium processing just to reduce the wait to 15 business days. These aren’t just policy differences, they’re strategic choices. While we debate, they’re decisively capturing talent that could be strengthening American innovation. But this also represents an opportunity: if they can create efficient systems, so can we. Evolving Policies and Smarter Strategies The encouraging news is that progress is underway. In 2024, policy clarifications helped redefine specialty occupation criteria, making it easier for AI engineers and data scientists to qualify for H1B visas without triggering burdensome requests for evidence. In 2023, the Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence issued to Congress aimed to modernize immigration pathways for technical talent. In 2025, a new Executive Order on AI introduced a broader national strategy focused on innovation, safety, and global competitiveness. While the new order replaced the earlier 2023 directive, it places less emphasis on immigration and education, areas that many experts see as critical to long-term AI leadership. Forward-thinking companies are also adapting. Many are exploring O-1 visas for extraordinary ability, which aren’t subject to annual caps, or EB-2 National Interest Waivers for researchers whose work benefits the U.S. The key is matching the right visa strategy to each individual’s profile, something that requires expertise but yields dramatically better outcomes. America’s Enduring Advantage The infrastructure is already here: world-class universities, robust venture capital, and innovation ecosystems that remain the global gold standard. We need immigration processes that match the speed of the minds we’re trying to attract. According to research from the Center for Growth and Opportunity, a startup visa could create 500,000 to 1.6 million new jobs over 10 years. Our choice is simple: we can streamline the pathways for global talent to contribute to American innovation, or we can watch other nations benefit from the minds we educated and inspired. The future belongs to countries that can attract and empower the world’s brightest. America built that playbook, now we need to execute it.
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E-Commerce
Retirement was once a hard-earned rite of passage for most Americans. However, in modern times, as many working Americans struggle to make ends meet, it’s not always an option. And, outside of financial concerns, more individuals’ sense of purpose appears to be deeply connected to working. That means that for many, retirement is no longer a given, and for some, it’s not desirable. Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax surveyed 1,000 working Americans age 65 to 99. According to the research, 51% of respondents said they planned to continue working indefinitely. “This isnt too surprising considering the cost of living is on the rise, the report explained. “Many seniors struggle with financial insecurity or fear of outliving their retirement savings. Those with major healthcare costs or other financial stressors are the most concerned, the report noted. Financial concerns are certainly plentiful today, especially for older working Americans. From high costs of living to worries about the fate of social security, it makes sense that adults are retiring later, or not at all. A 2022 Gallup survey found that on average, Americans are working around four years longer than they did in the 1990s, from an average age of 57 in 1991 to 61 at the time of the survey. According to the Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax survey, 48% of respondents say they will continue working due to financial necessity. “Our survey also found that just 34% of people feel financially prepared for retirement,” the report explained. “Another 32% do not feel prepared at all, while 34% only feel somewhat prepared. Along with this, 85% of respondents said that financial considerations somewhat or strongly influenced their decision to work past the standard retirement age.” In addition to their own financial concerns, many older workers are supporting other family members, such as grown children. One in five said they are supporting or supplementing children or other family members who do not live with them. And according to a recent Savings.com survey, parents are shelling $1,474 monthly to help their adult children. Therefore, retirement may no longer be a personal choice, but one that may have generational impacts. Still, the shift away from retirement isnt entirely financial. It’s also related to concerns about physical and mental health. According to the Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax survey, many Americans want to continue working as a means of supporting cognition and overall wellness. Forty percent of those surveyed said that even if they had no financial need to continue working, they still would prefer to in order to stay physically and mentally well. And for many, work is central to their sense of identity, which makes retirement an emotional choice. Almost 70% (68%) said that working gives them purpose and 55% said having a job makes them feel valued in society. While there are clear financial incentives that are keeping many Americans employed longer, work is also closely connected to a sense of purpose, identity, and therefore, to mental health. So, for some, giving it upat any ageno longer feels like a reward, but a punishment.
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E-Commerce
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