David Lidsky's Blog, page 15

Sanders: AI may take 100 million jobs in the next 10 years

The senator’s new job-loss report offers a scary view of the transformation that may be just around the corner.

Bernie Sanders says in a new ChatGPT-assisted report released Monday that AI and automation could eliminate nearly 100 million jobs over the next decade. 

OpenAI’s dev day: A fresh focus on putting AI to work

Apps, agents, and Codex: The company is intent on building tools that make work better.

OpenAI’s announcements at its third annual developer conference told a lot about where the company is in its evolution. 

Employees lose nearly an hour a week to online tool fatigue

New research finds there’s a cost to switching back and forth between a gazillion platforms.

Digital tools are a necessary part of work life for just about any office gig. But using too many apps, communication platforms, and other tools can be massively frustrating. And according to newly released research, switching back and forth between online systems is also a time thief. 

Microsoft hikes prices on Game Pass, but GameStop will stick with the old rate

The price increase will penalize the service’s biggest fans, a possibility the ailing retailer is looking to exploit.

Last week, subscribers of Microsoft’s Game Pass were in an uproar over the company’s plans to hike the price from $19.99 per month to $29.99.

One of the most surprising reactions, however, came not from gamers but from retail partner GameStop. While you’ll pay $30 per month if you sign up for Game Pass Ultimate directly with Microsoft, you’ll get the same old price—for some indefinite period—if you stick with GameStop. “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is still $19.99 a month with us. You’re welcome,” the retailer wrote in a social media post.

This popular retailer now sells Ozempic with an additional discount

The chain’s pharmacy is offering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs nationwide, along with a 2%-off perk for certain customers.

Some good news on the weight-loss front: Customers can now go to Costco to get Ozempic and Wegovy, brand-name injectable prescription drugs manufactured by drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which contain the same active ingredient: semaglutide.

Why your next Christmas gift might be picked by AI

According to Adobe’s 2025 holiday forecast, shoppers will spend a record $253.4 billion—and a growing share of that spending will be guided by AI assistants and buy-now-pay-later plans.

According to Adobe’s annual analysis, this year’s shopping season won’t just break records—it will rewrite the playbook. AI assistants are set to steer how people search, shop, and spend, while buy-now-pay-later plans can help cash-stretched consumers keep the holiday magic alive.

Dubai chocolate bars are more than a trend. They’ve disrupted the confectionery market

Trader Joe’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Costco are among the retailers that now carry Dubai chocolate confections.

Some flavor crazes flirt with us and fade. Others stay and make themselves at home.

Amtrak’s new Acela trains can’t keep up with high-speed rail

The fastest train in America rides on one of the country’s oldest railroad tracks.

A quarter century after the Acela began whisking passengers between Washington, D.C.; New York; and Boston, the Acela’s slightly faster replacement finally began service at the end of August. 

Taylor Swift sells 2.7 million copies of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ on first day, breaking the U.S. record

Swift has broken her own record for most first-week sales . . . in one day.

It’s the life of a saleswoman. Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, sold 2.7 million copies in traditional album sales—which include physical and digital formats—in its first day in the U.S. That’s according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company.

You can now get home goods by Es Devlin and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Zara prices

These are high-end home goods from a brand that wants to send a message about its staying power half a century in.

For its 50th anniversary, Zara has partnered with 50 designers and creators for a collection you might not expect from a fast-fashion mall brand.