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The AI race is already generating forces that are transforming the global economy. That makes it surprisingly similar to the green transition, given the potential of both to upend traditional industries, labor markets and geopolitical balances. Both call for trillions of dollars in upfront investments in exchange for significant benefits over the medium and long term.

Microsoft is changing how it charges for its software for the first time in two decades, moving to bill customers with a pay-as-you-go model each time they use its new AI agent.

SpaceX has agreed to acquire Cursor for $60 billion in stock, adding the popular AI coding assistant to Elon Musk's newly public aerospace-and-AI conglomerate. CNBC reports: Cursor built a popular AI coding tool that helps software developers generate, edit and review code, and the company has experienced explosive growth since its founding in 2022. In November, Cursor said it crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue, according to a release at the time. Cursor was also ranked at No. 37 on the annual CNBC Disruptor 50 list in 2026. [...] Musk merged SpaceX with his AI startup, xAI, earlier this year, and the Cursor deal looks set to help revitalize the company's efforts to compete with rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI, which also offer popular coding tools. SpaceX expects the merger to close during the third quarter of this year, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The transaction is subject to "requisite regulatory approvals," the filing said.

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Hospitality leaders are being forced to handle far more than operational disruption when crises hit, according to new research from the University of Surrey. Researchers found that modern crises demand emotional resilience, ethical judgment and rapid decision-making under intense public scrutiny.

Jensen Huang's company Nvidia makes the computer chips that unleashed a revolution in artificial intelligence. Now he's wagering that an AI buildout can revive U.S. manufacturing, pushing past limits facing science and society.

The grocery store is a busy place, full of signs and signals that we may or may not always notice. Picture yourself in your usual store: Do your eyes get drawn to a "limited quantities" sign or a "buy now before it's gone" promotion?

Asda, Amazon and B&Q among retailers in talks to sell devices that feed into household sockets and can cut electricity bills by 30%

• Spanish homes save €10 a month via renewables expansion

Bosses of some of Britain’s biggest retailers are discussing plans with the government to start selling plug-in solar panels as part of a drive to encourage more UK homes to generate their own electricity.

Executives from brands including Currys, B&Q and Amazon met Martin McCluskey, the minister for energy consumers, on Tuesday to discuss guidelines for selling “balcony solar panels” to the British public.

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© Photograph: Climate Central

© Photograph: Climate Central

© Photograph: Climate Central

Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have found that there is a significant amount of rare earth elements trapped in the coal and coal ash supply of the Gulf Coast—with a total value of more than $187 billion.

News consumers around the world are now turning more to social media and video platforms than traditional outlets for information, a respected report said Tuesday, warning that old-style business models are under threat.

Sellers on TikTok used pricey items to lure bidders to “Surprise Sets” livestreams, but most of the auctions yielded only cheap prizes. Gambling experts are concerned about the potential for harm.

A Silicon Valley software maker and an ecommerce company reveal to WIRED how they are navigating the emerging challenge of “tokenomics.”

Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt.

Anthropic leaders flew to Washington, DC, to meet with White House officials on Monday. After high-level talks, they’re still split on the risk Claude Fable 5 presents.

The "right to repair" movement is gaining steam as consumers push corporations to offer them more freedom to fix products—from cars to dishwashers to toys.

The world has never had more data, more models or more economists. It has rarely felt more out of control. Uncertainty, not risk, has become the defining condition of our era. Central bankers invoke it. Political leaders use it to defer decisions and justify extraordinary ones. Academics are struggling to adapt their theories to a brave new world of unexpected outcomes and erratic policy choices. The IMF's World Uncertainty Index—which tracks how often the word appears in economic and political reporting across 143 countries—has been running at historically elevated levels for the better part of a decade, with fresh spikes after every major shock.

In an internal memo seen by WIRED, Bosworth promised employees more stability, better communication, and the return of workplace perks as the company seeks to improve morale.

Change can be hard—especially when you're used to receiving change. Switching from cash-based to digital payment methods can be a difficult sell, particularly in developing economies, poorer neighborhoods and among older people who have gotten used to cash. But digital payments have certain advantages for both businesses and consumers, and a Cornell-led research team explored ways to spur adoption of modern payment technology.

More than 2.6 million Canadians work for themselves, and according to an annual RBC poll conducted in 2025, 59% of Canadians aspire to own a business—the highest level since 2017.

While most businesses have introduced AI in the workplace to enhance employee productivity, an Auburn University information systems researcher cautions that under certain circumstances, AI deployment can inadvertently zap the motivation of its highest-performing workers, which could diminish the company's overall profit.