Concerns are growing that the de-facto tolling of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a domino effect for key shipping bottlenecks worldwide, creating more global inflation and effectively killing key components of international maritime law. As Iran insists on some form of fee structure for traversing the now-infamous strait—and the U.S. increasingly seems unable to
Spotify cofounder Daniel Ek built his audio empire on the premise that music should be instantly playable, with no waiting around for songs to buffer or download. Now, he’s taking that desire for instant gratification and pointing it at our bodies. Ek has developed a $500 longevity body scanner that collects photos, blood, and electrical
Strategic oil inventories have reached a 40-year low, and experts warn their continued depletion could damage the underground caverns where the reserves are stored. Last week, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) plunged below 300 million barrels for the first time since the 1980s, when the reserves were being filled, according to the Department of Energy.
The latest multi-billion dollar AI startup isn’t for writing code or generating images. It’s for answering your landlord. New York-based property and housing management company EliseAI is in talks to raise a new round of funding at a $3.7 billion valuation, including $300 million in financing. Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners are in talks
Egg prices have finally stopped punishing American shoppers. A dozen averaged $2.19 in July, down nearly 26% from a year earlier as flocks recovered from avian flu. Now nearly 19 million eggs are carrying a different kind of problem—and the sell-by dates on some of them run through today. The problem began in July, when
Stripe’s multi-billion-dollar pursuit of AI model marketplace startup OpenRouter isn’t just creating one of the biggest AI acquisitions of the year; it’s minting venture capital firms’ speedy wins. Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures are poised to turn investments made less than two years ago into payouts worth nearly $2 billion combined if Stripe acquires the
