Author: Editor

November 11 marks the 100th birthday of Route 66, the iconic American highway that runs from Chicago to California.I grew up in St. Louis, right along the old route, so, in honor of the anniversary, I set out to drive part of it.Along the way, I met people who’ve kept the road’s legacy alive and their businesses afloat.However, for every store that has survived, I was surprised to see even more motels, gas stations, and restaurants boarded up.They stood as phantoms of a forgotten era. Their neon signs went dark long ago.These are the ghost towns of Route 66 that…

On Sunday, a small crowd took to the streets of Boston to protest, holding signs, chanting, with one person even appearing in full costume and face paint. The protest took place in front of the Back Bay headquarters of insurance company Liberty Mutual. The protest was not against some sort of corporate malfeasance, political, or even a social justice issue.They were protesting the existence of Liberty Biberty, the new fuzzy yellow mascot that appears in the insurance giant’s TV ads.People, for some reason, really hate the Liberty Biberty puppet.There’s a Facebook page with over 40,000 people devoted to hating it.…

A close-up view shows a standalone Ford corporate Blue Oval logo monument sign at a vehicle dealership in Santaquin, Utah, United States, on August 30, 2026. Charles-McClintock Wilson | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesDETROIT — Ford Motor is set to announce third-quarter earnings after the markets close Wednesday.Here’s what Wall Street expects, based on average analysts’ estimates compiled by LSEG:Earnings per share: 40 cents adjusted, estimatedAutomotive revenue: $46.24 billion estimatedThose results would mark a 2% decline in revenue compared with a year earlier and a roughly 11% decrease in adjusted earnings per share. Ford’s 2025 third-quarter results included $47.19 billion in…

Just weeks after announcing a new round of funding at a $48 billion valuation, AI coding startup Cognition is fielding new investor interest at a much higher price.The startup has received offers valuing it at between $70 billion and $80 billion and is seriously considering a round before the end of the year, according to sources familiar with the matter.The talks around the financing are still early, and valuation targets could still change.Founded in 2023 by Scott Wu, Steven Hao, and Walden Yan, Cognition is best known for Devin, an AI coding agent designed to automate software engineering tasks. The…

Frontier Airlines reported a 71% increase in airfare in the third quarter as the country’s largest budget airline tried to pass along an even bigger jump in jet fuel prices. Frontier’s fare revenue averaged $67.82 per passenger in the third quarter, compared with $39.74 last year. Including the budget airline’s many fees, such as for checked and carry-on luggage, total revenue per passenger rose 30% on the year to $138.22.Customers kept booking despite the higher prices. Frontier’s passenger count rose 18% to more than 9.8 million people in the quarter. That’s a difference of 1.5 million passengers from last year.…

To understand why China is desperate to ship cars overseas, visit a dealership in Beijing.Autumn has traditionally been the peak time to buy vehicles in the country, but this year many showrooms are empty or shut.Car salesman Li Ke said that other than the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2026 “golden September and silver October” season, as it’s known, is the slowest he’s seen in his 26 years on the job.”In past years, customers would come to the showrooms nonstop,” he told CNBC during an interview in his deserted showroom at a complex of dealerships on the outskirts of the Chinese capital. “We…

McDonald’s is exiting the playing field.The fast-food giant’s surprise decision to end its 32-year run as a FIFA World Cup sponsor shows how major global brands are reassessing the cost, clutter, and commercial return of sports’ biggest properties.McDonald’s ran its largest-ever World Cup marketing push during this summer’s tournament, and McDonald’s CFO Ian Borden said on an August earnings call that the effort “underperformed versus our expectations.”The company said last week that it had decided not to renew its current deal, which is due to end this year. It also indicated to FIFA that it isn’t looking to invest in…

About 60,000 Microsoft employees have a choice to make: take a buyout and leave at the end of the year, or stay.Eligible employees have until early December to decide. Offers reviewed by Business Insider vary by level, location, and length of service.For US employees at levels 64 and below, the cash offer is one week of base pay for every six months of service; at levels 65 to 67, it is two weeks for every six months. The offers also include continued stock vesting and health insurance.Buyouts are a reasonably common offering for corporations looking to cut costs, but deciding…

Home Depot wants to roll out the welcome mat for your AI agent — so long as it’s wearing a name tag and acting on your behalf.During a sit-down interview with Business Insider, Angie Brown, the company’s executive vice president and chief information officer, said the retailer wants to support AI agents that can search and buy products on a customer’s behalf. But Home Depot needs to be sure of two things first.”We want to know you’re not a bot, and we actually want to know if it’s you,” she said. “That’s something that Muse is working on right now,…

Lots of executives drink coffee. Few drink as much as Nestlé’s CEO, Philipp Navratil.”Before 10, I would have had five cups for sure,” the CEO told Business Insider, adding that he typically has “at least” eight cups of coffee every day.The CEO of the company behind more than 30 billion-dollar brands, including Nespresso and DiGiorno, said he likes his coffee black, cold, and without sugar. Navratil said he considers his go-to drink a “healthy beverage” and has only recently started dabbling in decaf.Navratil said he starts with drinking water when he wakes up to make sure he’s hydrated, and then…