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PepsiCo is investing in precision agriculture technology, including drones and data analytics, on farms like a multigenerational operation in Alberta to improve soil health and crop yields. The company relies on roughly 45 billion potatoes annually for Lay's, Ruffles and other snack brands, making stable harvests essential to its supply chain.
Brynn Putnam, who sold fitness startup Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million, has launched Board, a touchscreen gaming table designed for groups to play together in person. Tristan Walker, who sold Walker & Company Brands to Procter & Gamble, is building Heirloom Craft, a venture acquiring and expanding fine-craft trade schools such as a San Francisco leatherworking academy tied to a former Hermès artisan.
Vermont's Mountain School enrolls high schoolers for roughly $40,000 per semester, having them cook, clean, farm and care for animals on its 418-acre campus instead of following a typical classroom schedule. About 30% of students receive financial aid, and many come from wealthy families unfamiliar with basic chores like cleaning a composting toilet or sweeping a floor.
A University of Toronto study found emergency department visits for gambling disorders doubled after Canada legalized single-event sports betting in 2021 and Ontario opened its online gambling market to private operators in 2022. Researchers examined 952 ER visits over 14 years and found the increase was concentrated among young men, with visits among males aged 10-29 up 154 per cent and those aged 30-44 up 116 per cent above expected levels, while rates among females stayed flat.
L.L. Bean's new CEO has directed $50 million toward renovating the company's flagship store in Maine, redesigning it to emphasize immersive, tactile experiences over standard product displays. The revamped space greets visitors with elements like live fish rather than leading with clothing or footwear collections.
Manischewitz, the 138-year-old Jewish food brand, is rolling out a dating show alongside new products like frozen challah, rugelach, and a food truck serving hot dogs and matzo ball soup. The push comes as the brand aims to modernize its image and reach younger consumers during the Jewish High Holidays, the ten-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Omaha Steaks is cutting its catalog by 60%, simplifying its pricing structure, and shrinking its overall lineup while pledging to emphasize domestically raised beef. The move comes as the broader beef market faces turmoil, with grocery prices at record highs and cattle supplies at their lowest in 75 years.
The US Commerce Department is distributing $300 million in CHIPS Act funding equally among D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and Quantinuum, giving each $100 million while also acquiring minority ownership stakes in the companies. The money targets hardware manufacturing challenges like cryogenics, semiconductor fabrication, ion traps, and photonics rather than quantum software development.
WIRED's Uncanny Valley podcast covers two prediction-market controversies: Kalshi issued a lifetime ban to former Congressman George Santos, and a Google engineer faces an insider-trading case tied to Polymarket. The episode also examines a reverse-engineered Flock AI person-search tool and debate over labeling AI agents as 'rogue.'
New Jersey's attorney general has asked the Supreme Court to resolve whether states can regulate sports wagers offered through prediction markets like Kalshi. The move follows a split between federal appeals courts: the 3rd Circuit ruled such bets are federally regulated swaps outside state control, while the 9th Circuit found they are simply gambling by another name and can be blocked by states like Nevada.
Ollie, a subscription-based personal AI assistant, has become one of the first family-focused AI products to achieve SOC 2 compliance, an independently audited standard proving it has formal data security controls in place. CEO Bill Lennon says the company's subscription model, rather than data monetization, ensures user data isn't shared or used for AI training. The San Diego startup has raised $7.5 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures and AI House.
SurveyMonkey has launched its largest product overhaul since the company started in 1999, embedding AI tools throughout the platform. The update is designed to help users create surveys more quickly and to convert raw respondent feedback into actionable insights for businesses.