Author: Editor

Zach Oldham, cofounder of the adtech startup Gravity, thinks AI ads will eventually become the world’s largest advertising channel.His company just secured fresh funds to pursue the opportunity he sees in both ads designed to appeal to humans on AI platforms and those targeted at AI bots themselves.Gravity exclusively told CMO Insider it raised a $30.5 million Series A funding round, co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Committed Capital. It brings the startup’s total funding to $38.5 million.Gravity offers a full-stack ad platform: a demand-side platform that helps advertisers place ads within AI chatbots and to agents, a supply-side platform…

Your student-loan servicer wants more help carrying out the sweeping changes from the Department of Education.The Government Accountability Office released a report on Thursday that delved into the coordination between four federal student-loan servicers and the Education Department. It found that the servicers — Nelnet, Aidvantage, MOHELA, and EdFinancial — reported challenges implementing program changes from the department, citing a “lack of clear up-front instruction” that has sometimes led to “extensive back-and-forth,” the report said.The lack of clear instructions has caused delays in communicating with borrowers, leading to administrative errors and incorrect billing information that take time for the servicer…

Growing up in Croatia, Néa Dune may not have imagined a career as a professional mermaid and free diver, but her dreams weren’t far off.”I always wanted to do a lot of stuff: be an astronaut, a detective, a horse rider, a dancer,” said Dune, who now lives in LA. “I had so many different hobbies.”The hobby that stuck began with a curtain. In 2012, Dune prepared for a seaside photoshoot by pulling down a curtain and making a mermaid tail. The whimsical idea was a hit: Dune’s photos ended up in the popular Mermaids & Mythology magazine and changed…

A Fox Sports camera during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 18, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida.David Rosenblum | Icon Sportswire | Getty ImagesFox won’t negotiate a new NFL media rights deal until closer to 2030, when its current contract with the league expires via an opt-out clause, Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Murdoch said during a Thursday earnings conference call.The NFL has held preliminary discussions with both Fox and CBS-parent Paramount Skydance about reworking the deals to eliminate the league’s opt-out clause and raise the cost of the live rights, CNBC…

The Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk logos.Mike Blake | Tom Little | ReutersThe diverging paths of two GLP-1 drugmakers were on full display this week.Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk beat second-quarter estimates and raised their full-year outlooks. But while investors cheered Lilly’s results, sending shares higher on Wednesday, they punished Novo a day earlier – underscoring a growing divide in Wall Street’s confidence in the two obesity drug leaders.As Lilly continues to exceed expectations and widen its edge in the obesity drug space, Novo is still racing to win back market share, restore investor confidence in its pipeline and…

The logo of car manufacturer Ford is pictured in Inwood, New York, on Feb. 5, 2024.Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty ImagesFord Motor announced Thursday that its new midsize electric truck will have a starting price of $28,350 and be called the “Fathom,” as the automaker looks to offer an affordable option in the pricey EV truck market. Destination and delivery charges of $1,595 will bring the price to $29,945, coming in at the $30,000 mark the automaker had long promised in touting its upcoming electric vehicles.Ford said preorders for the five-passenger truck will begin in early 2027. Customer deliveries…

Venture capital investor John Doerr during an interview on an episode of “Bloomberg Wealth with David Rubenstein” in Stanford, California, July 22, 2022.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.Investment firms of ultrawealthy families showed no signs of slowing down in July despite a turbulent month for markets between a sharp correction and soaring energy prices. Last month, family offices made 57 direct investments in companies, holding steady from…

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Shaquille O’Neal.Mike Lawrence | National Basketball Association | Rob Kim | Getty ImagesNBA great Shaquille O’Neal told CNBC he thinks Caitlin Clark is facing a rite of passage that “all the greats went through” as the Indiana Fever guard navigates her third season in the WNBA.”Once she passes through that, the league will belong to her,” O’Neal said during a CNBC Sport interview on the set of his show, “Dunkman.”Clark has been the target of some harsh fouls that include hip checks, eye pokes and a recent blow to the throat. That, combined…

Peloton delivered its first full year of net profit and operating income in fiscal 2026, but said it expects sales to fall in the coming fiscal year as it begins to lap price increases on its hardware and subscription plans. Peloton shares tumbled about 13% in premarket trading as the outlook disappointed investors. Even so, Peloton CEO Peter Stern highlighted the major strides the company has made in becoming profitable.”This was the year where Peloton sort of grew up,” Stern told CNBC in an interview, calling fiscal 2026 a “landmark” year for the company financially. “That solid foundation positions us for…

A general view of logo and signage for a Burger King, Home of the Whopper on January 29, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. John Keeble | Getty ImagesRestaurant Brands International on Thursday reported quarterly earnings that topped analysts’ expectations, fueled by strong growth for the once struggling Burger King, both domestically and abroad.”Burger King’s performance is a great example of what’s possible when you invest in the fundamentals and execute well – an approach we’re applying across all of our brands,” Restaurant Brands CEO Josh Kobza said in a statement.Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based…