Author: arthursheikin@gmail.com

[ad_1] One of the most employer-friendly policies in the US has become law.Florida enacted legislation that allows companies to enforce non-compete agreements for up to four years, up from the current two. The new law is a big win for Citadel’s CEO Ken Griffin, who advocated for it.With the new arrangement, employees leaving a company would be relieved of their job responsibilities but severely restricted from working elsewhere. They would keep their pay and benefits but would not be entitled to bonuses, which can make up a large chunk of pay in finance and management positions.The rule applies to workers…

[ad_1] CNN  —  President Donald Trump said at least seven countries can expect tariff letters on Wednesday morning, as he ramped up pressure on nations to strike deals with the United States by saying his new August 1 deadline would not be extended. The announcement came as Trump vowed to slap a 10% levy on imports from the BRICS group of emerging economies, revealed plans for a 50% tariff on copper imports and threatened a massive 200% import tax on pharmaceuticals, renewing uncertainty for the global economy and markets – which have already experienced months of volatility. “A minimum of…

[ad_1] For Steve Wilson, early retirement always felt like a distant dream.At 17, he enlisted in the military and served for two decades, moving from base to base — including a posting in South Korea, where he met his wife. At 38, he retired from active duty and eventually took a job with the state after moving back to Colorado, where he’s from.He never imagined spending retirement overseas, but over time, he warmed to the idea and began researching popular destinations, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Costa Rica.”We looked at crime rates, we looked at real estate, we looked at expenses,…

[ad_1] Grok’s “politically incorrect” update took an extreme turn on Tuesday afternoon after the chatbot began praising Hitler’s leadership, joking about the size of Jewish people’s noses, and tying Ashkenazi surnames to “anti-white hate.”In numerous since-deleted posts on X, Grok doubled and even tripled down on its offensive jokes and comments before eventually reversing course and calling its own posts an “epic sarcasm fail.”Business Insider previously reported that Grok 3 shared several inflammatory responses on X following a recent system update. Elon Musk posted Friday that the bot had been “significantly” improved and that users “should notice a difference” when…

[ad_1] This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Joshua Charles Woodard, 29, cofounder of The Sparrows, a manufacturing consultancy based in Shenzhen.I’ve always liked building real, physical products. When I was 8, I took pottery classes and made small sculptures of superheroes.When I was 14, I learned that a Hong Kong company had bought a significant stake in Legendary Entertainment, the studio behind “Inception” — a favorite movie at the time. It sparked my curiosity about China.Both influenced my studies at MIT, where I majored in mechanical engineering and minored in Mandarin.I thought being fluent in Chinese and…

[ad_1] Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox. Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as traders eyed the latest tariff developments, and what’s on the radar for the next session. Apple Apple ‘s chief operating officer Jeff Williams is moving on . He will oversee the design team until his retirement late this year. Apple said this was part of a planned transition. Apple’s operations leader Sabih Khan will move into the COO role.…

[ad_1] London CNN  —  Today was supposed to be the day that President Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries kicked in after a three-month delay, absent trade deals. But their introduction has been postponed, again. The new, August 1 deadline prolongs uncertainty for businesses but also gives America’s trading partners more time to strike trade deals with the United States, avoiding the hefty levies. Mainstream economists would probably cheer that outcome. Most have long disliked tariffs and can point to research showing they harm the countries that impose them, including the workers and consumers in those economies.…

[ad_1] LangChain, an AI infrastructure startup providing tools to build and monitor LLM-powered applications, is raising a new round of funding at an approximate $1 billion valuation led by IVP, according to three sources with knowledge of the deal.  LangChain began its life in late 2022 as an open-source project founded by Harrison Chase, who was then an engineer at machine learning startup Robust Intelligence. After generating significant developer interest, Chase transformed the project into a startup, securing a $10 million seed round from Benchmark in April 2023, That round was followed a week later by a $25 million Series…

[ad_1] One month after its big WWDC event, Apple appears to be waffling about how glass-like its new “Liquid Glass” software aesthetic should be.Apple’s newest beta of its iOS 26 iPhone software frosts over much of the transparent design. In the test version of its forthcoming software, Apple increased the contrast between the front display and background items, also boldening the bubbles’ tints.The latest changes likely make iOS 26’s interface more readable — but some critics questioned if Apple was getting rid of what they felt was so innovative about the redesign it first showed off.Apple typically releases its new…

[ad_1] An open letter voicing support for a Sequoia Capital partner is circulating online after the VC’s remarks about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani generated backlash.Sequoia Capital has faced pressure to act after its partner, Shaun Maguire, called Mamdani an “Islamist” — a remark Maguire has said was political, not religious or racial. An open letter signed by hundreds of self-identified founders, investors, and tech workers called on the VC firm to take disciplinary action against Maguire.Now, a letter of support is generating signatures of its own.”On July 4, Shaun published a post on X,” the letter reads. “Whether…