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This week served up a sampler platter of business stories with a little bit of everything: food recalls that had shoppers double-checking the fridge, a high-stakes immigration raid that spilled into international diplomacy, and a splashy fintech IPO testing investor appetite. Housing data hinted that the balance of power is (slowly) tilting back toward buyers in parts of the country, while a blue-chip tech veteran reminded Wall Street that AI demand can paper over a messy quarter. Overseas, Argentinas markets were whipsawed by politicsagainunderscoring how quickly sentiment flips when reform agendas wobble. Theres a common thread running through it all: resilience under pressure. Food companies are racing to pull risky products before they cause harm; automakers and suppliers are navigating the fine print of U.S. work visas; and growth-hungry firms are courting the public markets even as valuations come back to earth. At the same time, nonprofits are turning into content studios to build community (and revenue), builders are using incentives to keep homes moving, and investors are trying to separate real AI tailwinds from hype. Its a reminder that business isnt just earnings and chartsits people, policy, logistics, and timing. With that, lets dig into the biggest moves and what they could mean next. Cheese recall over Listeria fears The Food and Drug Administration flagged multiple cheeses from both Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op and Sunrise Creamery this week after listeria was detected on finished product and cutting equipment. Impacted items range from Gouda and Swiss to pepper Jack and shredded blends, with some sell-by dates stretching into 2026. No illnesses have been reported, but consumers are asked to return or toss affected products and check pantries for long-dated packs. ICE raid at Hyundai battery site sparks a diplomatic scramble On September 4, roughly 300 South Korean workers were detained during a Georgia raid tied to a $4.3 billion Hyundai-LG Energy battery project, the largest single-site action of its kind by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Seoul arranged a charter flight to return the workers to South Korea and is pushing for smoother U.S. visa pathways for technical staff. The incident could complicate trade ties and serves as a cautionary tale for foreign firms staffing fast-moving U.S. projects. Frozen foods salmonella recall widens Chetak LLC expanded its voluntary recall to dozens more Deep-brand frozen veggies and fruits after a positive salmonella test. The outbreak has sickened 11 people across 10 states and led to four hospitalizations. Its part of a broader run of salmonella alerts this season; retailers are urged to pull impacted lots immediately. NYC Marathon nonprofit launches a content studio New York Road Runners is spinning up East 89th St Productions to capture the marathons built-in drama and community. First up: Final Finishers, a documentary premiering at Tribeca that celebrates those last epic hours at the finish line. Beyond storytelling, NYRR sees content as a way to diversify revenue and deepen ties with runners and donors. Housing tips toward buyers in 14 states Active listings are up year over year, and in 14 states inventory has climbed back above 2019 levelsgiving buyers a bit more leverage. Sunbelt and Mountain West markets that ran hot during the Pandemic Housing Boom are seeing softer pricing as builders dangle incentives. Nationally were still below 2019 inventory, but the trend is moving away from sellers complete control. Klarna finally listsat a slimmer valuation BNPL heavyweight Klarna priced its New York Stock Exchange debut at $40 a share, above guidance but well below its 2021 peak valuation. The company is profitable again, but investors will watch whether growth can continue without fueling consumer debt concerns. For the IPO market, its another data point that public is open, just not at 2021 prices. Argentinas markets stumble after local election shock A big loss for President Javier Mileis party in Buenos Aires sent the peso to new lows and hammered stocks and bonds. The setback clouds the path for reforms in the South American country and raises questions about its foreign exchange policy ahead of national midterms. With International Monetary Fund support in the backdrop, investors are bracing for more currency and debt volatility. Oracle pops on AI cloud optimism Austin-based Oracle Corp. missed on earnings and revenue in its first quarter, but shares ripped higher on September 10 thanks to eye-popping AI-driven cloud bookings and long-term revenue targets. CEO Safra Catz touted multibillion-dollar deals with marquee AI names and a massive jump in remaining performance obligations. Investors shrugged off recent layoffs, focusing instead on the growth runway through the decade. Ford recalls ~1.5 million vehicles for backup-camera glitch Ford issued yet another recall this week. This one, announced September 9, is due to a faulty rear-view camera that can display a blank or distorted image across a wide range of 2015 to 2019 Ford and Lincoln models. The company will inspect and replace cameras at no charge; regulators cite 18 accidents and no injuries. Owners will get mailed notices with service instructions.
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E-Commerce
A lot of the Cool Tools we feature here are about maximizing productivity, but this week, lets focus instead on a way to budget your precious downtime. As someone who watches the streaming TV space closely, Im well aware of how many choices exist when you sit down in front of the TV. Between Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and more, there are endless things to watch, and not nearly enough time to get through them. So before you commit to a new show, heres a resource to figure out how many hours (or days) of total watch time youre in for. After all, theres nothing worse than being stuck on a cliffhanger. This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures! Estimate watch times the easy way To see how long itll take to get through the next show youre streaming, check out a resource called Bingeclock. Bingeclock is a free website that lists the total runtime of any TV series or movie. Looking up a show takes just a few seconds; theres no login or registration required. To find a total watch time, just type the name of the show or movie into the search box. Directly on the search results page, youll see how many days, hours, and minutes itll take to watch. You can also hit the Cut credits button to see what the watch time would be if you skipped that part of the presentation. Precise streaming planning is never more than a few clicks away. Clicking on a show title leads to a page with more options, including a handy Daily planning button that asks how many episodes you intend to watch per day. Choosing a number will update the watch time, showing how many days youd need to get through the entire series. Bingeclock lets you get incredibly nuanced with mapping out your streaming schedule. While you dont need an account to use Bingeclock, creating one unlocks some interesting extra featuresincluding a watchlist, a log of your past binges, and a way to plan Marathons of multiple movies or TV shows. (You can also head to the Leaderboards tab to see popular Marathons from others, like the two-day Marathon of every Godzilla movie.) Streaming marathons, in stylethanks to Bingeclock’s intelligent estimates. The site has a few other charming oddities. The Bingerdie game is essentially Wordle, but with terms from popular TV shows, and the Are We Trek Yet? subsite shows how many fictional Star Trek advancements have become reality. And if all this leaves you feeling even more indecisive about what to watch, just head to the Your Antennas menu. Here, youll be given a virtual tube TV with dozens of seemingly random streaming channels to flip through, from Grateful Dead concert footage and Disney theme park walkthroughs to recent robotics demos. You never know what you might find in Bingeclock’s on-demand “channels.” Its nice to know that while Bingeclock can help meticulously plot your TV time, it can help you waste it as well. Bingeclock is completely web-based and will work in any browser, on any device, without any downloadsthough the service does also offer an Android app and a beta-level, TestFlight-requiring iOS app if youd rather go that route. Its completely free to use without any limitations. And you dont have to provide any personal info whatsoever to use itthough if you do opt to create an account, the < href="https://www.bingeclock.com/privacy/">sites privacy policy is pretty standard and straightforward about how it does and doesnt use any associated details. Treat yourself to all sorts of brain-boosting goodies like this with the free Cool Tools newsletterstarting with an instant introduction to an incredible audio app thatll tune up your days in truly delightful ways.
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E-Commerce
Theres been a lot of conversation around the role of managers in the age of AI . Weve all seen the clickbait: AI is coming for your job. That tagline is lazy and dangerous. The bigger truth is that AI will expose managers who play it safe, cling to spreadsheets, and ignore what makes them truly human. The best managers don’t get outmaneuvered by AI, they use it as a force multiplier. And that doesnt necessarily mean leaders who are fluent in technical jargon. It means managers who double down on what machines cant replicate: judgment, trust, and wisdom. The myth vs. reality of AI and jobs Managers everywhere need to stop panicking about robots stealing their jobs. They do, however, need to evolve with it. Companies have poured tens of billions into GenAI. Still, according to a recent study by MIT’s Project NANDA, 94% of generative AI pilot projects fail to deliver real business value. The study also found that only about 10% of job tasks are fully automatable. AI isnt wiping out managers. Its just redistributing grunt work. The smarter question for leaders is, what parts of my role are uniquely human, and what parts am I wasting time on that AI could handle? Heres a case in point. I once worked with a tech leader who was drowning in status reports. She was wasting 30% of her week. After AI dashboards took over, she shifted to skip-level check-ins. Engagement scores jumped 18% in one quarter. AI didnt replace her. It ended up making her indispensable. Where AI belongs (and where it doesnt) You can use AI to leverage automation to enhance speed and efficiency by streamlining workflows. Its also helpful to handle repetitive noise tasks like scheduling, setting reminders, and tracking progress. This approach helps to identify patterns and insights, which allows for the detection of potential burnout, dips in engagement, or strategic blind spots. You can get a quick summary of trends and synthesis of data. Where AI isnt helpful is when it comes to providing feedback, performance reviews, or conflict resolution. This requires empathy, trust, connection, accountability, and a personal touch. Thats not something that technology can provide. AI cant look someone in the eye and say, Ive got your back. It cant model resilience. It cant see you and your people through the chaos. AI, ultimately, is the amplifier. Youre the signal. If you outsource humanity, you dont have a leadership edge; you have a countdown clock. The human + machine playbook The best leaders I know dont compete with AI; they partner with it. The strategy is simplethey let the machine handle noise and spend their reclaimed time on connection, coaching, and clarity. Stats back this up. MIT Sloan research found that managers who combine AI insights with human judgment make better, faster decisions 85% of the time. Plus, their teams trust them more, not less. What employees actually want in the AI era For most people, AI isnt necessarily what they fear. What they fear is losing leadership thats present and real. They want leaders who stay human while using AI to remove friction. Today, 58% of workers report using AI intentionally at work, with nearly 27% using it weekly. However, theres a significant trust gap. According to KPMGs recent study, 57% of respondents hide their Gen AI usage from managers, and 66% dont verify AI outputs for accuracy. Fewer than half (47%) have received training. That mismatch isnt about tools but trust, leadership, and literacy. The managers edge in an AI world The next decade wont reward the manager who resists AI. But it will reward those who use it wisely. That means someone who knows how to judge and interpret the data that AI can spot. AI might be able to flag burnout trends, but only people can say, Lets talk and fix this. Consider the scale: 78% of organizations already utilize AI in at least one business function, and 91% report saving administrative time, saving more than 3.5 hours per week.However, teams still trust humans more than machines. While 75% of employees say AI agents can be teammates, only 30% are willing to accept an AI boss. AI wont replace managers. But to thrive in the future, managers need to double down on what only humans do best: trust, empathy, and vision. If they choose not to do this, organizations will replace themnot with a robot, but someone who knows how to stay human. AI can reshape workflows, but managers are the ones who shape outcomes, including trust. This isnt about humans versus machines. Its about humans using machines to unlock what makes us powerful. AI wont replace managers, but managers who pretend its not here? Theyre replacing themselves with irrelevance. The leaders who thrive in the next decade wont be the most technical. Theyll be the most human.
Category:
E-Commerce
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