All Economy
- First LookLego rebuilds its business model amid falling salesAfter rebounding from near bankruptcy to achieve record sales by adding new toys, online content, and film franchises, Lego looks to simplify. With a new CEO, the company will eliminate 1,400 jobs in an effort to jumpstart growth.聽
- Why 鈥榢iller robots鈥 are becoming a real threat 鈥 and an ethics testDozens of CEOs from firms with a hand in artificial intelligence have issued a joint warning that autonomous weapons pose the risk of warfare that is cheaper, and can occur faster, than ever.聽
- Bridging the skills gap, one solar panel at a timeA municipal program in the US capital aims to equip youths from underserved communities with the skills to build a career while bringing the cost savings of rooftop solar to low-income residents.
- US wages are rising, maybe faster than you thinkMedian weekly earnings jumped 4.2 percent in the past 12 months, the fastest gain since 2007. And demographic trends suggest the economy鈥檚 鈥榮lice of pie鈥 for workers could keep growing.
- First LookFurloughed railroad workers rehired en masse, but is coal really growing?Warren Buffett's BNSF Railway has called back roughly 4,000 of the 5,000 furloughed workers across its system last year, reflecting stronger volumes of coal, grain, and intermodal containers and trailers, a spokesman said.
- First LookAmazon's announcement of Whole Foods price cuts sends shares of rival grocers tumblingThe company鈥檚 purchase of Whole Foods has been hanging over a brick-and-mortar retail sector unsure of how to respond to the world鈥檚 biggest online retailer.
- Pitch from hometowns to skilled workers: Come homeRecruiters in areas with a dearth of professionals, including Maine, are successfully targeting talent that has local roots, but left for school and careers.
- First LookWal-Mart joins with Google to deliver voice-enabled shoppingWal-Mart has announced plans to collaborate with Google's Home device to offer voice shopping. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, seems to be keeping a close eye on Amazon, whose smart speaker, Echo, has met with success nationwide.聽
- Trump-era shift: CEOs find a voice for moral outrageCorporate America started the year ready to engage with a controversial but business-minded president. This week CEOs have risen in chorus to denounce Trump's lackluster response to racism.
- Can do-good ethos survive public ownership? Etsy is a test.The artisan marketplace says people and profits can coexist. But investors turn up the earnings pressure.
- First LookAmazon launches new service to target impulse buyingThe online retail giant has rolled out Instant Pickup on several college campuses throughout the US. The service offers a way for consumers to receive orders in a matter of minutes.
- First LookAmazon ramps up research on pre-made meals, but will home cooks buy them?The online retail giant may be hoping to access a market of customers looking for quick-and-easy meals using a technology originally developed for the military to extend the shelf life of foods while retaining flavor, texture, and nutrients.聽
- Troubling trend behind sexist memo at GoogleThe internet allows fringe groups to open for 鈥榙ebate鈥 topics that have long been settled, including Silicon Valley鈥檚 need to diversify its workforce. 聽
- First LookGoogle VP rejects employee鈥檚 challenge to its diversity programsAn employee's online memo highlights tensions in the workplace over company programs that are implemented to increase employee diversity.聽
- America's stores are closing. Why isn't that raising a jobs alarm?America's retail stores, from Sears to Macy's, are shedding jobs at a rate that dwarfs that of manufacturing or coal, but their implosion is happening far more quietly. Here's why.
- Finally some good news for homeowners 鈥 but it's in jeopardyAn improving economy is making homeownership available to more Americans. But black and Latino households remain far behind, and policy changes could threaten the gains.
- First LookGerman diesel industry feels local and global pressure to go electricAs Australia and other major European powers push gas and diesel bans, German lawmakers and auto manufacturers convened Wednesday with hopes to salvage diesel, an industry that fuels 800,000 jobs and comprises the nation's largest export.
- First LookAmazon holds massive job fair to recruit warehouse hiresThe ecommerce giant hopes to ramp up production by offering thousands of jobs on-the-spot聽in their warehouses across the United States on Wednesday.聽
- First LookVirtual watercooler: how employees tap into workplace culture from afarWith more remote workers, managers are adopting strategies such as yearly meetups and chatty online journals to help employees feel connected.
- First LookSweeping free trade deal poised to benefit companies at the expense of small-scale farmersA free trade deal that would spur economic growth in the eyes of government officials could also force farmers from traditional livelihoods and disproportionately harm women, say Asian advocacy groups.聽