Two years after Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, the brand continues to struggle, posting dismal sales over what should have been its most profitable holiday weekend. Despite favorable July 4th weather and strong performance from Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (ABI) other labels, Bud Light remains a “clear laggard,” according to industry data.
Amazon’s move to stretch Prime Day from two to four days is facing sharp criticism after new data revealed a staggering 41% plunge in Day 1 sales compared to 2024’s event. The report, released by Momentum Commerce and cited by Bloomberg, tracks 50 brands across categories and shows that extending the mega-sale backfired as consumer urgency evaporated.
A new AI-powered website called LooksMapping is turning heads in the restaurant world by ranking eateries based on the attractiveness of their customers, not their cuisine. Targeting 9,800 restaurants in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the site rates diners on a scale of 1 to 10 using profile photos pulled from millions of Google reviews.
Veteran-owned construction software firm BuildOps has selected Raleigh, North Carolina, for its latest expansion hub, turning down Austin in favor of $2.8 million in incentives. The company plans to hire 291 employees over five years, offering average salaries of $110,000—well above Wake County’s current average of $76,643.
Autonomous taxi company Waymo has suspended operations in parts of downtown Los Angeles after five of its vehicles were set on fire during violent anti-ICE riots over the weekend. The company, owned by Alphabet Inc., confirmed it pulled vehicles from the area “out of an abundance of caution” after the attacks.
Klarna, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant, has reported a sharp increase in losses as more customers struggle to repay loans. The company’s first quarter net loss surged to $99 million—double last year’s $47 million loss—driven by a 17 percent spike in consumer credit defaults, which hit $136 million. Klarna’s BNPL model allows shoppers to split payments into installments, but it profits from fees charged to merchants and customers who miss payments.
Portland’s flagship luxury high-rise, the $600 million Ritz-Carlton tower, may soon change hands as its developers prepare to surrender the property to their lender. Struggling with the economic aftershocks of COVID-19 and years of downtown unrest, the 35-story tower—Block 216—has failed to reach profitability.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has announced a major deal to supply 18,000 AI GPUs to Humain, Saudi Arabia’s newly launched state-sponsored artificial intelligence company. The announcement was made during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom.
Microsoft confirmed it is laying off 3% of its global workforce, affecting an estimated 6,840 employees across all divisions. The cuts, which began Tuesday, will impact staff in the U.S. and abroad, including teams at LinkedIn and Xbox.
