Author: Rudolph Angler

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a theoretical AI that could reason on par with humans, remains shrouded in uncertainty. However, leading industry researchers suggest we’re approaching a form of AGI within the next few years. Miles Brundage, OpenAI’s former head of policy research and AGI readiness, recently shared on the Hard Fork podcast that in the coming years, the industry might see “systems that can basically do anything a person can do remotely on a computer.” This could include actions like navigating a mouse, typing on a keyboard, or even appearing convincingly human in video calls. Brundage stressed that governments should…

If you check X or TikTok right now, you might think Vice President Kamala Harris is set for a landslide victory. Posts suggest that Donald Trump’s lead is slipping even in traditionally red states, citing fringe polls and alleged insider quotes. There are claims of Florida and Texas turning blue, more young and female voters registering, and even astrological hints that Harris is destined for the presidency. On the flip side, your feed might instead suggest Trump has the election locked down. Supporters point to waves of MAGA hats spotted in California, children dressed as Trump for Halloween in Philadelphia,…

High-income earners continue migrating to low or no-income-tax states like Florida and Texas—a particularly strategic move for those planning to sell a business. For wealthy entrepreneurs not yet ready to relocate, tax savings are still possible with skilled legal help. By setting up a specific type of trust, business owners can leverage favorable tax laws in other states. Instead of selling their business outright, they transfer shares to an “incomplete non-grantor” (ING) trust in a tax-friendly state like Nevada. When these shares are sold, the trust collects proceeds without incurring state income or capital-gains taxes, allowing the assets to grow…

As Election Day nears, the intense U.S. presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump approaches its conclusion. Over 68 million Americans have already voted, signaling high engagement in a contest marked by unexpected twists and turns. Throughout the campaign, Trump has capitalized on economic concerns, consistently a top priority for voters. Initially, when President Joe Biden was the expected Democratic candidate, economic issues posed a significant challenge despite steady job gains and low unemployment post-COVID-19. But with rising inflation, many voters remain anxious about the economy. Although wages have grown, elevated prices continue to impact…

In October, the U.S. economy added just 12,000 jobs, falling significantly short of the 106,000 jobs economists had forecasted. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%, as expected. The impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which hit several states in late September and early October, is believed to have slowed job growth. “October’s data are the first collected since Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the United States,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted in its report. The storms caused extensive damage, especially across the southeastern U.S., and disrupted hiring plans for many businesses. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su…

Next week, a select group of Goldman Sachs employees will receive one of the most coveted titles in finance: partner at the iconic Wall Street bank. Goldman promotes its top talent—including traders, investment bankers, wealth managers, and professionals in tech and compliance—to partnership every two years, typically in early November. Achieving this role is a rare honor within the firm, where only a few of the roughly 45,000 employees are chosen. The partnership, once an exclusive club for leaders who invested their own capital in the firm, now has between 400 and 450 members, a number CEO David Solomon has…

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has shared his vision for revitalizing the brand, focusing on faster service and creating more inviting cafés. In his first earnings call since joining last month, Niccol stated, “It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers. My experience tells me that when we return to our core identity and consistently deliver a great experience, our customers will come back.” Starbucks reported a 6% drop in U.S. comparable sales and a 14% decline in China, while pausing its financial guidance for the upcoming fiscal year due to business challenges and leadership…

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman is under fire from some employees over his recent comments on the company’s stricter return-to-office (RTO) policy, as detailed in an open letter. Over 500 employees have signed the letter, which was sent to Garman on Wednesday. The signatories criticized his remarks supporting Amazon’s new mandate that employees return to the office five days a week, an increase from the previous three-day requirement. The letter urges Garman to reconsider the mandate, following his comments in an all-hands meeting where he claimed that nine out of ten employees he’d spoken with were enthusiastic about returning…

Trump Responds to Biden with “MAGA Garbage Truck” Stunt Former President Donald Trump arrived at a Wisconsin airport on Wednesday in a “big, beautiful MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Garbage Truck.” Wearing an orange safety vest, Trump called out, “How do you like my garbage truck?” as it drove on the tarmac. He added, “This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.” The stunt followed President Biden’s controversial remark calling some Trump supporters “garbage” during a campaign call. Biden was responding to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comment referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” at Trump’s Madison…

America appears to be experiencing what German political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann termed in the 1970s as a “spiral of silence.” She argued that people often withhold their views on contentious issues if they feel the majority disagrees, creating an illusion of consensus and making compromise increasingly difficult. To explore Americans’ hidden opinions, researchers at Populace used a method called the list experiment. Respondents were split into two groups: one received a list with three statements, and the other an identical list plus a fourth statement that represented a viewpoint the researchers wanted to test. By asking respondents how many statements…