Business

/

ArcaMax

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Disney strikes $20-million deal for Character.ai's assets as AI startup files for bankruptcy

Business / Business News /

Character.ai, a California startup that has faced lawsuits over allegations that chatbots created on its platform harmed the mental health of teens and led to copyright issues, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Menlo Park-based company runs an app that allows people to create and interact with chatbots who mimic celebrities, historical ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

CFTC staff were told to retract analysis of suspicious oil trades

Business / Business News /

When President Donald Trump backed away from threats to strike Iranian power plants on March 23, it sparked a frenzy of buying and selling across oil, equities and other markets.

Traders had grown accustomed to prices lurching wildly on developments in the Middle East. But this time, some bettors had timed it perfectly. Billions of dollars’ ...Read more

Tomas Cuesta/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Legacy carmakers risk losing mass market to Chinese rivals

Business / Business News /

Legacy carmakers won’t likely be able to match Chinese rivals on price and may already have missed first-mover advantage on electric and software-developed vehicles, according to a report by Mobility Global Inc.’s automotive analysts.

The paper, which the research firm released Tuesday, projects established automakers will retain the upper...Read more

Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America/TNS

UnitedHealth posts $4B profit in comeback from financial spiral

Business / Business News /

UnitedHealth Group is gaining steam on a turnaround as it heads into a critical enrollment season for its Medicare Advantage business.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based health care giant reported third quarter results Tuesday that surpassed profit expectations, showing ongoing progress under chief executive Stephen Hemsley toward profitable ...Read more

Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Why Philly was just ranked the worst big US city for drivers

Business / Business News /

In news that surprises no one, Philadelphia was recently named the worst city for drivers.

That’s according to a WalletHub survey released last week that compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities “across 30 key indicators of driver-friendliness.”

The metrics did not take into account the actual friendliness of the drivers. Instead, ...Read more

NYC Council/NYC Council/TNS

Elon Musk's SpaceXAI to testify before NYC Council after subpoena

Business / Business News /

NEW YORK — Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI is expected to testify at a City Council hearing about artificial intelligence on Friday — coming after the company was subpoenaed by the legislative body.

The Council previously tried to get the company to testify at a nearly 10-hour hearing last week, when representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google ...Read more

Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

$837 million in public and private funds will be invested in Port of Philadelphia, Gov. Shapiro says

Business / Business News /

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced the state will invest $371 million in the Port of Philadelphia, a commitment he said will help create thousands of jobs and boost the port’s capacity to handle container cargo and automobiles.

Shapiro said the state funding will “unlock” at least $200 million in private investment and $...Read more

Caroline Petrow-Cohen/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Vietnamese electric ride hailing service launches in LA with its own cars and drivers

Business / Business News /

Los Angeles is getting a new all-electric ride hailing service as Vietnam’s Green SM launches in the city.

Its cyan-colored vehicles will compete with Ubers, Lyfts and autonomous taxis to shuttle customers across busy streets and freeways. The vehicles arrive amid a surge in transportation options as several robotaxi companies ramp up ...Read more

Lauren Chapman/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

What is nepotism? CA policy updated after manager fired for helping friend get job

Business / Business News /

A whistleblower investigation into hiring practices at the California Department of Education sparked an update to the agency’s nepotism policy. A manager, who served as part of an interview panel, was found to help a “close friend” get a job at CDE.

The employee applied for a job in April 2024. The employee and manager were often seen ...Read more

ROBYN BECK/Getty Images North America/TNS

Walmart to cover some GLP-1s, insulin at no cost for workers

Business / Business News /

Walmart Inc. plans to cover more than 250 prescription drugs without charge for its employees and add other health benefits to attract and retain workers at a time when many companies are raising healthcare costs.

The list of covered medications includes many generics alongside some in-demand branded drugs such as Novo Nordisk A/S’ Ozempic ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Who's to blame if AI fails at work? Wharton study shows a split

Business / Business News /

Companies are giving artificial-intelligence systems more autonomy to boost productivity and efficiency. But as bots take on more responsibility, executives, managers and employees remain unclear on who should be held accountable when something goes wrong.

A new report published Tuesday by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Boeing Max deliveries in first three quarters hit record high, again

Business / Business News /

Boeing has recorded its highest number of 737 Max deliveries for the year's first three quarters for the second year in a row.

The plane manufacturer delivered 363 Max aircraft from January through the end of September, the company said Tuesday, its highest yearly output for this period since it began delivering the Max in May 2017.

After two ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Getty Images to restructure via bankruptcy; no Seattle layoffs planned

Business / Business News /

Seattle-based Getty Images is filing for bankruptcy and once again going private through a major restructuring deal with financial backing from the Getty and Koch families.

The media company, which manages a marketplace of stock and editorial visual media, has been saddled with debt for years, hampering strong revenue growth since 2021. Its ...Read more

Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times/TNS

Microsoft cuts purchases of carbon removals by 80%

Business / Business News /

Microsoft Corp. dramatically cut back investments in carbon removals in the first half of the year, as it ratchets up spending on artificial intelligence.

The company bought 8.55 million metric tons of carbon removal credits in the year through mid-July, which is about 80% less than it purchased over the same period in 2025, according to ...Read more

Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Kroger plans to slash 37% of corporate jobs in next three years

Business / Business News /

Kroger Co. plans to cut more than one-third of its corporate headcount as the grocer seeks to simplify operations and compete more effectively under new Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran.

The company will eliminate about 3,000 roles across various functions over the next three years, according to a memo viewed by Bloomberg News. Kroger has ...Read more

GMC/TNS/TNS

Grille parts still fly off top-selling GM truck, safety officials say

Business / Business News /

Federal safety regulators are investigating reports of continued problems with grille parts flying off a top-selling General Motors Co. pickup truck.

At issue are some GMC Sierras from model years 2022-24. GM last year recalled grille deflectors on Sierra 1500 models with chrome grilles following complaints of the part falling off while driving...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois cannabis customers bought more at lower prices, while sales revenue and taxes fell, new state report shows

Business / Business News /

Illinois consumers continued setting records for buying cannabis products and enjoyed lower prices due to increased competition, but sellers’ revenue shrank, a new state report shows.

Total reported retail sales dropped to about $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2026, down from nearly $2 billion the year before, according to the state’s annual ...Read more

Courtesy PPL Susquehanna/Nuclear Regulatory Commission/TNS/TNS

How rising electricity prices helped Amazon book $599M unrealized gain

Business / Business News /

In the artificial intelligence race, Amazon and other companies worth trillions of dollars are competing to secure as much electricity as they can to power as many chips as possible. Their gargantuan demand is sending shock waves through energy markets.

Wholesale energy prices are rising — in the Northwest, but especially at the epicenter of ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Port of Los Angeles sets record for busiest month ever

Business / Business News /

The Port of Los Angeles moved a record amount of cargo in September as lower tariffs and the upcoming holiday season drive shipments.

The record-setting month comes at the end of the port's busiest quarter in its history, from July through September.

The port moved more than 1 million 20-foot-equivalent container units last month, topping its ...Read more

Justlight/Dreamstime/TNS

Meta says new Muse model reaches AI frontier after aggressive push

Business / Business News /

Meta Platforms Inc. released a long-awaited artificial intelligence model on Monday, a milestone that will test whether its multibillion-dollar push to rebuild its AI organization has improved its technology enough to compete among leaders.

Known as Muse Wonder, the new model is the company’s most capable since Meta Chief Executive Officer ...Read more