For months, layoffs across the tech industry have mostly been blamed on the rise of AI adoption. However, new research suggests the relationship between AI and employment may be more nuanced.

Apparently not. A study by Ramp and Revelio Labs found that companies that invested heavily in AI actually hired more employees, especially when compared to companies that didn’t invest in AI:

Luckily for young professionals… Companies that really leaned into AI continued hiring entry-level workers at the same rate as senior employees and often had younger workforces than companies that hadn’t adopted AI.

Hopefully it will help you sleep better: The data may offer a little comfort for workers by challenging the idea that AI is broadly replacing people, even as some companies cite the technology when announcing layoffs and other studies suggest it could be reducing entry-level job opportunities.

Why does this matter? While the researchers warn that it’s too early to draw firm conclusions about AI’s long-term impact on employment, some economists argue that AI could ultimately create jobs by improving productivity, lowering costs, and increasing demand for goods and services.

US stocks finished the first half of the year with their strongest performance in six years, overcoming geopolitical conflict, rampant inflation worries, and uncertainty surrounding record AI spending.

Despite markets stumbling earlier this year due to the US-Iran war, the S&P 500 climbed nearly 10% since January and finished the second quarter up 14.9%, its strongest gain since 2020.

Investors largely seemed to look past the international squabble, instead betting that tensions would de-escalate and the Strait of Hormuz would reopen:

What’s driving the growth? Much of Wall Street's recent gains were driven by the AI industry, particularly semiconductor and memory companies. The PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index posted its strongest quarter on record, surging nearly 92% over the past three months.

Even smaller companies are benefiting from the AI boom: The Russell 2000 is also hitting the races, having its best start since 1991, though semiconductor stocks have done much of the heavy lifting for the broader index.

How does this affect you? With its historic quarterly run, Wall Street has delivered a staggering 15% to 21% surge in household equity value. That is giving Americans a much-needed boost to their retirement savings, which can act as a crucial shield against the increasingly high cost of living.

On Wednesday, sweeping changes to the federal student loan system took effect that will reshape how millions of Americans borrow and repay student debt for years to come.

The overhaul simplifies the repayment system, introduces a cap on how much you can borrow, and phases out several existing repayment plans. According to the new rules:

As for repayment plans: Going forward, new borrowers will choose between the Tiered Standard Plan and the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), which sets monthly payments at 1% to 10% of a borrower's income. The around 7 million people who are currently enrolled in the Biden-era SAVE plan, which expired Wednesday, must switch to RAP or another plan within three months.

Are these good or bad changes? Depends on who you ask. Education officials argue the changes are intended to streamline the program and reduce long-term federal costs, while critics warn they could make college more expensive for many borrowers.

Why should you care? While the new student loan rules could make higher education more expensive for some families by limiting how much students and parents can borrow and reducing the number of repayment options available, they could also encourage students to take on less debt and choose programs with stronger financial returns.

Over time, the changes could help reduce student loan defaults and lower the long-term cost of federal lending for taxpayers, and/or make graduate school less affordable and push more students toward private loans.

Everyone’s hunting for the next Unicorn.

The type of “category disruptor” that grows fast and turns early believers into big winners.

59,000+ investors think that Mode Mobile could be one of those rare finds.

Americans spend 4 ½ hours on their phones daily, and Mode Mobile is monetizing that screentime. With $1B+ earned by over 490M customers and 32,481% revenue growth, Mode’s EarnPhone is turning smartphones into income generating assets.

Their previous raises sold out, and the company is now offering pre-IPO shares at $0.52/share with up to 20% bonus, exclusive to early investors.

Being early is everything, and this window is still open.

>> Review the offer before it closes

^{*Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.}

^{Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.}

^{The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.}

At a time when consumers were already facing record grocery costs, three of the nation's largest egg producers have agreed to settle allegations that they conspired to artificially inflate egg prices.

Federal and state investigators say the three companies, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman's Egg Ranch, manipulated a key pricing benchmark used by egg sellers and buyers, making demand appear stronger.

Officials allege the coordinated bidding pushed prices higher, adding to the sharp increase shoppers saw during the nationwide egg shortage propagated by bird flu outbreaks between 2022 and 2025.

While they all deny wrongdoing, the impact is undeniable:

How bad was the shortage? Pretty bad. The bird flu outbreak led farmers to cull about 200 million birds, reducing egg supplies and prompting restaurant surcharges, purchase limits at grocery stores, and even inspiring some people to dye potatoes instead of eggs for Easter.

What happens to the rotten suppliers? Under the settlement, the three companies will pay a combined $3.3 million to 17 states, donate 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations, and implement stronger antitrust compliance policies.

Why is this important? The settlement could help protect consumers from future price-fixing by requiring stricter oversight of major egg producers and banning the practices at the center of the investigation. It also hints that regulators may take a tougher stance on alleged anticompetitive behavior in other industries that affect everyday household costs.

A new study from Wharton organizational psychologist Adam Grant, Marissa Shandell, and Courtney Elliott found that the growing number of return-to-office mandates may be driven by more than concerns about productivity.

Instead, it might just be your narcissistic boss.

The study, cited by an opinion essay in The New York Times, tracked the traits of thousands of executives over six years, including pay packages and even how prominently leaders' photos appeared in company reports.

The study found that:

Does that mean every anti-WFH boss is egotistic? No. The studies’ authors acknowledge that some jobs require in-person work and that individual organizations may have legitimate reasons for office-based policies, but argue that blanket mandates are often difficult to justify based on performance alone.

Why is this important? The research indicates that workplace policies affecting millions of Americans could increasingly reflect executive management styles rather than evidence about what helps employees perform best. Regardless, if return-to-office policies continue expanding, many workers could spend more time and money commuting while giving up some of the flexibility they've come to expect.

> The company behind Biscoff cookies has seen its stock soar nearly 600% over the past decade and 17,000% since 2000, thanks to viral trends, its expansion into spreads, and it becoming an airline snack staple.

> Biologists at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, combined dozens of nonliving chemicals to create an artificial cell that eats, grows, reproduces, and even competes for food like naturally occurring cells.

> New research found that lab-grown retinal cells can help protect eyesight in mice, potentially advancing early-stage vision loss treatments.

> Scientists were baffled after finding the first dinosaur bone ever discovered in Antarctica, which had spent more than 40 years sitting unnoticed in a museum drawer.

> On Wednesday, NASA began a first-of-its-kind mission to rescue the aging Swift Observatory by using custom robotic arms to prevent it from falling into Earth’s orbit. Watch the full plan here.

> The DOJ seized nearly 400 websites accused of illegally streaming World Cup matches, dubbed "Operation Offsides," in one of the largest anti-piracy crackdowns in sports history.