Author: Editor

It was the summer of brand scandals — but not because marketers are suddenly more accident-prone.The reason: the internet has become highly attuned to brand missteps and apt to turn them into full-blown crises.This weekend, Hyrox was plunged into a reputational emergency after an athlete soiled herself during a race and was allowed to continue, sparking a wave of online complaints about hygiene. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen Good Good’s bad ad scandal, Neutrogena taking heat over its alleged treatment of Hayden Panettiere, and Target apologizing for stocking an offensive Halloween costume.Each scandal had its nuance, but they…

You’ve just set down your Xbox controller after wiping out the final boss. Now, time for an ad!The folks at Patentlyze made me aware of a recent patent filing from Microsoft that hints at Xbox’s in-game advertising ambitions.The filing, published earlier this month, outlines a concept for a content management system that would detect appropriate breaks in streaming gameplay — like completing a level — to insert an ad. Gamers could be rewarded for watching the ad with a credit that offers a set period of uninterrupted gameplay.The usual patent caveats apply. Companies like Microsoft file many patents, and they…

Grindr became one of the world’s best-known dating brands by helping men meet each other using their phones. Its marketing dollars, on the other hand, are increasingly being deployed in the real world.Grindr CMO Tristan Pineiro told me that there are two pertinent — and digital — business reasons he’s betting big on IRL.The photos and videos that people organically share when they’re enjoying an event can travel further on social media than the brand’s own posts. Then there’s a quirk of Grindr’s advertising business: Many brands are still wary of placing their ads inside a gay hook-up app.”There is…

Michael Burry, the investor who rose to fame for betting against the housing market before the 2008 crash, is now warning about what he sees as the social consequences of the AI boom.In a Substack post, the investor immortalized by “The Big Short” said he was “righteously indignant over the wealth transfer to the very few that these bubbles create.”Burry said mechanisms ranging from “circular financing among tech companies” to “schemes emanating from Washington DC” were driving “this extreme enrichment of the lucky few.” At the same time, much of the economy is “existentially worried about grocery and gas prices.”…

Canada could become the European Union’s first “associate member” as it looks to strengthen its international relationships amid escalating trade tensions with the US and President Donald Trump.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that she wanted to “open the door” to the new arrangement, which is not currently defined in EU treaties.”In short, we want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible,” von der Leyen said at the EU’s State of the Union address.The proposal would deepen cooperation on manufacturing, AI, critical minerals, energy, defense, and Arctic policy.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has…

Travelers navigate security lines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Terminal 1 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 23, 2026.Stephen Maturen | Getty ImagesDespite a near record number of people flying in the U.S., it appears travelers are happier with the airports they find themselves moving through.J.D. Power’s annual North America Airport Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday, reported that overall airport satisfaction increased significantly this year. Travelers gave higher ratings in part because of the newer gates and terminals many airports have opened in recent years, according to the study.”Overall, travelers are happier with what they are seeing in most airports,” said Mike Taylor,…

The time has finally come for the Fed to adjust interest rates — or so the market says.Investors are pricing in more-than-90% odds of a quarter-point increase when the central bank announces its decision at 2 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield has pushed above 5%, its highest level since 2007 — a reminder that the bond market is not waiting for the Fed to make borrowing more expensive. It’s been a long and winding road. The expectation at the start of 2026 was for two rate cuts throughout the year. That then flipped to two hikes. Yet the…

Jalonni Weaver is an in-house recruiter at a life insurance company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She’s worked in the field since 2021. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.I was interviewing a candidate for an early-career role. We got on the call, and she introduced herself, then moved the camera. She was like, “My toddler’s sitting right here eating. Is it OK? He’s not going to be a problem.”She explained that she couldn’t afford childcare because she was unemployed.Her toddler wasn’t a problem. I have a one-year-old, and she’s a problem. Most of the time, her toddler…

Forget Greece — Brevan Howard’s latest real-estate digs will be in an old-school hedge fund hot spot.The $35 billion manager is adding an office in Greenwich, the leafy Connecticut suburb long known for its concentration of hedge funds, early next year, a person close to Brevan told Business Insider. It will be the European-based firm’s fourth American outpost, along with offices in New York, Austin, and Miami, the latter of which is set to open later this year.The firm, which has personnel in London, Jersey, and Geneva, does not currently have an outpost in Athens. The Greek capital has been…

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said that AI is reducing the need for some workers, but only repetitive ones.In a Tuesday interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer on “Mad Money,” Friar addressed AI use for efficiency at OpenAI, using her own finance department as an example.”There is no doubt we are doing things with our own products inside of finance, for example, that do limit the number of people we need,” Friar told Cramer. “But in many cases it’s for jobs that I don’t think of as great jobs, frankly.”Friar pointed to credit checks as one example. OpenAI’s procurement operation was conducting…