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A new research note just named Waymo the Kool-Aid man of the ride-haling economy. And it might leave Uber, Lyft, and Tesla playing catchup. The study, published on March 16 by Wall Street research firm MoffettNathanson, is a 21-page exploration into how Alphabet’s self-driving car company is poised to disrupt the existing ride-sharing landscape as it continues to aggressively scale. Waymos incursion into the U.S. rideshare narrative reminds us of the Kool-Aid commercials from our childhood, the analysis begins. The Kool-Aid man kicks down walls, causes havoc, screams oh yeah, and runs off into the next scene. In the case of Waymo, it continues, theyre kicking down the walls of an entrenched industry, wreaking terror on the multiples, and then running off to the next city announcement. The analysts demonstrate that Waymo has amassed a major head start against other players in the autonomous vehicle (AV) space, and is beginning to pose a competitive threat to Uber and Lyft, which currently corner the market on ride-haling in the United States. Meanwhile, the researchers argue, Waymos expansion in multiple major cities is leaving Teslas self-driving efforts in the dust, casting doubt on whether Elon Musk’s EV company will ever be able to compete in an industry its been desperate to enter. Whats next for Waymo? Waymo had a big year in 2025, and MoffettNathansons researchers believe that the companys upward trajectory is only getting started. In early 2025, Waymo was fully operational in five U.S. cities. By early 2026, the company had expanded its reach to active operations in 10 U.S. cities and was testing its services in at least 19 other locations. According to MoffettNathansons analysis, the company expanded its total share of the ride-hailing economy from 0.2% to 0.8% over the course of 2025, reaching a total of 450,000 weekly rides by the end of the year. While those numbers are still relatively small, they forecast an upcoming shift in the industry as driverless tech expands. MoffettNathanson predicts that Waymos total rides will grow by over 100% in 2026 to 34 million, in line with the companys stated goal to end 2025 with a rate of 1 million trips per week. If those estimates prove accurate, Waymo could snag 1.2% of the rideshare market by the end of 2026 and 4% by the end of 2028an outlook that MoffettNathansons analysts say they do not consider to be overly optimistic. What this means for Uber and Lyft Waymos projected expansion leaves competitors like Uber and Lyft in a bit of a tricky position. Waymo and Uber have partnered together to bring Waymos robo-taxi services to Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. MoffettNathanson notes that the partnership has been promising, but the researchers said “we would be surprised” if it were to keep expanding, given Waymo’s head start in self-driving and its success in San Francisco. Essentially, Waymo is in a unique position as one of the only current players in the AV industry that’s scaling broadly (aside, perhaps, from Amazon’s Zoox, which is growing on a much smaller scale), leaving Uber with limited chips to bargain with. Further, MoffettNathansons analysis notes that Waymo announced its plans to independently test in new locations. Where Tesla stands in the AV race Meanwhile, MoffettNathanson’s analysis essentially writes Tesla out of the AV ride-share competition. Tesla first launched its own robotaxi services in Austin in June 2025 and in the San Francisco Bay Area in July. For years, CEO Elon Musk has been touting the companys autonomous driving goals as an inevitable futureand those goals became even more important to the company amidst a catastrophically difficult year for Tesla in 2025 and Waymos expanding success in the market. However, as Fast Company has reported, Teslas robo-taxi aspirations currently seem more like a pipe dream than a reality. Whereas Waymo operates driverless vehicles in multiple major cities, almost all of Teslas first robo-taxis launched with human drivers at the wheel, presumably as an added safety measure. We acknowledge the potential of the companys [full self-driving] technology, but until Tesla is consistently operating at scale without a human in the car and without accident rates above humans, we believe robotaxis market share impact will be limited, MoffettNathansons analysis reads.
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E-Commerce
Nearly 4,000 workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant went on strike on Monday, marking the first labor strike at a U.S. slaughterhouse in more than four decades. The strike began early Monday morning at the Swift Beef Co. plant, which is owned by JBS USA, a subsidiary of the largest meatpacking company and protein producer in the world. About 3,800 workers, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, are involved in the strike. The union says that the company has committed multiple unfair labor practicesincluding retaliation against workers, threats to withhold bonuses or pension payments if workers strike, and intimidation. The Colorado action is the first at a U.S. slaughterhouse since workers went on strike at a Hormel plant in Minnesota in 1985, which ended up lasting for more than a year. JBS has also charged workers to offset the costs of safety equipment, has proposed wage increases of less than 2% per year, and has raised health care premiums in a way that workers say is consuming their wages as the general cost of living rises, the union says. In a statement to Fast Company, JBS says its Greeley, Colorado, location complies fully with all federal and state labor and employment laws, and that it is committed to open communication with workers and to safe operations. What’s the beef? The union and JBS have been negotiating a new contract for nine months. In February, 99% of union members voted to authorize a strike; the previous contract expired Sunday night. They continue to increase chain speeds and create dangerous working conditions, all while reducing hours for workers, Leticia Avalos, a JBS worker, said in a statement in early February. Safety conditions are a big concern for such workers. Meatpacking is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. At poultry, beef, and pork processing plants, workers are exposed to dangerous equipment, slippery floors, and biological hazards related to feces and blood; they can even breathe in bacteria from infected animals or be exposed through cuts. Despite these conditions, labor disputes in the industry are rare. Union workers say thats because such plants often rely on vulnerable workers like refugees and immigrantsincluding those who are undocumented, who make up anywhere from 30% to 50% of the meatpacking workforce. The industry hasnt had a labor dispute for a very long time, and its because they hire a very vulnerable workforce and the expectations are they keep their head down, Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, told The Guardian. Theyre doing the work, frankly, no one in this country wants to do. Cordova also suggests the company has been emboldened by the Trump administration. Pilgrims Pride, a subsidiary of the JBS conglomerate, donated $5 million to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committeewhich is more, Sen. Elizabeth Warrens office noted, than contributions from Apples CEO plus Amazon, Meta, and Google combined. Meat prices are soaring in 2026 In the background of the strike is the fact that U.S. meat prices are skyrocketing. In December 2025, prices for beef in particular were up 15% year over year, and those prices have continued to rise nearly 7% so far in 2026. Experts say those increases are affected by overall inflation, a parasitic fly crisis in Mexico, and the fact that the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low. Its not yet clear if the strike will affect those prices even more. A JBS spokesperson said the company is adjusting production across its network in order to minimize disruptions.
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E-Commerce
A limited-time dime design that the U.S. Mint is releasing this year is drawing attention over a very symbolic omission. The Emerging Liberty dime, created for the U.S. Semiquincentennial, shows a woman who personifies Liberty on the heads side; on the tails side, there’s a bald eagle holding arrows in its talons for war, but it’s missing olive branches in its other talons for peace. The coin design was announced late last year, but those missing olive branches seem especially glaring as the Iran war enters its third week. Left: 2026 SemiQ Dime Uncirculated Reverse; Right: 2025 Roosevelt Dime Uncirculated Reverse [Photo: U.S. Mint] During his presidency, Trump’s has used the mint to make a statement about his priorities. The administration has been trying to put Trump’s visage on a commemorative $1 coin, despite a U.S. law barring living former and current presidents from appearing on coins. Meanwhile, the four-year American Women Quarters program ended last year and wasn’t renewed. Trump’s Mint also scrapped plans from the Biden Administration for commemorative 2026 coin designs that would have depicted advancements in civil and voting rights in U.S. history. Instead, the coin designs will focus on the U.S. founding and American Revolution. The new Emerging Liberty dime will temporarily replacing the classic Roosevelt dime showing Franklin D. Roosevelt on one side and a torch, olive branch, and oak branch on the other side for liberty, peace, and strength. The Roosevelt dime will return in 2027. A new symbolism Left: 2026 SemiQ Dime Uncirculated Obverse; Right: 2025 Roosevelt Dime Uncirculated Obverse [Photo: U.S. Mint] Critics say that the new dime design sends a pointed message, and given the administration’s track record, that’s a fair read of the situation. Trump hasn’t pursued a foreign policy of peace in his second term, despite campaign promises to do so. Still, he has been an effective marketer of the idea. Trump used logos for initiatives like the so-called “Board of Peace” and “Shield of the Americas” summit, and after forcibly taking over the U.S. Institute of Peace last year, his State Department put his name on it. His push to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War is estimated to cost as much as $2 billion, and after after wearing a branded “USA” hat to the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops, his political action committee used a photo from the event in a fundraising email promising donors they’d get “private national security briefings.” For its part, the Mint says the new dime was designed to symbolize the past, not the present. It said the eagle’s arrows represent “the American Revolution and the colonists fight for independence.” Eric David Custer, the Mint medallic artist who created the image, told WPSU Public Media he left out the olive branches to represent the fact that colonists didn’t yet have peace at the time. The eagle’s talons are left open to show that it’s waiting for peace, though, he said. Custer’s past work includes designs for the 2022 Negro Leagues Baseball Commemorative Coin Program, 2023 American Women Quarters Program, and 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program. Emerging Liberty dime is up against some tough optics, even with its intended meaning. Ditching the olive branch might be a story about the country’s founding, but doing so as the country embarks on a deeply unpopular war creates an irony that’s hard to ignore. The bald eagle on the Emerging Liberty dime might be waiting for peace, but in this moment, it seems primed for war.
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E-Commerce
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