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Former Opendoor CEO Eric Wu has emerged from a year-long break to found a new company, now out of stealth since May, that builds AI-powered voice assistants for construction and field workers. The tool acts as a hands-free coach guiding laborers through tasks, aiming to address a labor shortfall the industry group Associated Builders and Contractors pegs at roughly 349,000 missing workers this year.
Stefano Cataldi, a neuroscientist at Columbia University studying serotonin's role in cognition, is weighing whether to leave bench research entirely to focus on science policy work. He is a delegate for the United Auto Workers union representing postdocs and research scientists, and last year he founded SCOPE, a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory-backed program that teaches scientists about policy, communication and career resources.
A new economic analysis argues that automation can damage workers psychologically even when it doesn't cost them their jobs. Employees derive meaning not just from producing output but from knowing that output depends on their own effort, and a credible machine substitute undermines that sense of indispensability even if the human worker stays employed. The researchers show this dynamic can raise wages when compensation adjusts fully, or force workers to absorb the loss when it doesn't.
WIRED's Labor Day sales roundup highlights discounts on gadgets its reviewers have personally tested, spanning headphones, vacuums, and AirTags. The standout deal cuts the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 laptop to $1,200, a $700 reduction, offering 32GB of RAM in a machine praised for its OLED display and battery life. The list was refreshed on September 5 with additional vacuum and smart home discounts.
Retailers including Best Buy, Newegg and Walmart are closing out Labor Day sales with discounts of up to 38% on pre-built gaming PCs, some saving buyers over $1,200. Featured deals include an ABS Kaze II Aqua with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5080 for $2,999.99, and an iBuyPower Y40 with a Ryzen 9 9900X and RX 9070 XT for $2,199.99.
The national average price for regular gasoline reached its highest point ever recorded for a Labor Day weekend, driven by ongoing refinery disruptions and continued instability tied to the Iran conflict. Despite the record for this specific holiday period, prices remain below the all-time high of $5.02 per gallon reached in June 2022.
Apple hardware is heavily discounted as part of Amazon and Best Buy's Labor Day 2026 sale, with under 24 hours remaining. Deals include AirTag 2 at $20, AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off, AirPods Max 2 at $100 off, a $150 cut on the M5 MacBook Air, record-low pricing on the new M6 Mac mini ahead of shipping, and Amazon lows on iPhone 17 Pro models.
Elegoo is offering discounts of up to 35% on its Neptune 3 Pro and Neptune 4 Plus 3D printers as part of a limited-time Labor Day sale. The Neptune 3 Pro drops to $169, while the larger Neptune 4 Plus is priced at $309, both cheaper than listings on major retailers like Amazon. Both printers have previously earned strong reviews for build quality, auto-leveling, and ease of use.
Ahead of Labor Day 2026, most major chains including Costco, Target and Walmart plan to remain open, though some locations may run shorter hours. Banks and stock markets, by contrast, will close for the federal holiday, following their usual practice.
Investor Brad Feld shares a personal reflection on Labor Day weekend, noting that at 60 he's increasingly focused on what truly matters. He shares a list his partner Amy texted him identifying life's real luxuries, including time, health, rest, and meaningful relationships, rather than material wealth.
Amazon and Best Buy kicked off Labor Day weekend sales covering a wide range of Apple products, including AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off, AirTag 2 starting at $20, and pre-order discounts on the new M6/M5 Pro Mac mini. Additional deals include $150 off the 13-inch M5 MacBook Air, all-time low pricing on 2026 Apple Studio Displays, and discounts on iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models. Separately, Baseus launched a new 100W GaN charger in a Dark Cherry finish with a discount code bringing it to $39.99.
Physicists operating the LZ Dark Matter Experiment nearly a mile underground in South Dakota detected a single subatomic interaction that doesn't match any known physics signature. The team has submitted findings to Physical Review Letters, stressing they cannot yet say whether it's a dark matter signal, background noise, or something entirely new.