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A new survey shows roughly one in four homeowners are voluntarily paying extra toward their mortgage principal each month, aiming to shorten their loan term and reduce total interest paid. The trend comes even as broader housing affordability pressures make it harder for many other borrowers to set aside any extra cash.
Jyothi Swaroop, chief growth officer at ChargePoint, described the leadership approach he uses to drive rapid expansion at the EV charging company. He argues that aiming for small, incremental improvements limits results, and instead pushes teams to target 5x or 10x gains regardless of a business's size or stage.
A blogger writes that the rise of generative AI has made much of the internet harder to use, citing AI-generated summaries cluttering search results and bot-produced 'slop' overwhelming social platforms like X. In response, they've deactivated most social accounts and shifted toward RSS feeds, Substack newsletters, and a curated list of YouTube channels.
The New York Times launched a new set of five to six bonus puzzles released every Wednesday, created by its puzzle constructors and editors, available exclusively to Games or All Access subscribers. The lineup includes 'Wordle in 1,' a variant with five grids partially filled with correct and incorrect letters to solve, plus smaller spinoffs like Connections 3x3 and Colorful Strands, a color-coded version of Strands. Core puzzles such as Wordle, Connections and Strands remain free.
NASA has directed Axiom Space to develop a lighter, less complex spacesuit variant called the Sortie Suit for the first crewed Artemis lunar landings, aiming to hit a 2028 target date at the Moon's South Pole. The decision, announced internally by Artemis Program Manager Jeremy Parsons, will see the simplified suit used on both SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, cutting mass and easing integration with the spacecraft.
A dark web marketplace called Nexus emerged this week claiming to sell searchable access to over 150 million U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses and passports, with roughly half a million new records added daily. Security journalist Brian Krebs and researcher Zach Edwards traced the likely source to IDScan, a Louisiana-based identity verification firm used by major consumer brands to check tens of millions of IDs monthly. Both researchers confirmed their own personal documents appeared in the database, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's photo was also reportedly found among the listings.
Proofpoint, owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire cybersecurity company Varonis Systems. News of the talks sent Varonis shares sharply higher, reflecting its roughly $5 billion market valuation.
A Walmart Business survey of over 500 decision-makers at companies with 10 to 500 employees found that 37% spend four to seven hours per week on routine purchasing tasks like comparing prices, placing orders and reconciling invoices. The survey also revealed that 87% of businesses juggle two to five suppliers just for everyday supplies, from office goods to breakroom snacks to tech accessories.
The developer has released Muse Spark 1.3, an updated AI model available now through Muse Code and the Meta Model API. The update focuses on sustaining longer, multi-step tasks, following complex instructions more reliably, and collaborating more actively with users by asking clarifying questions and checking in before consequential actions. A more advanced reasoning mode is expected soon pending additional safety testing.
Delivery Hero's supervisory and management boards have approved Uber's $15 billion acquisition bid and are recommending shareholders vote in favor. Uber, already Delivery Hero's largest shareholder, set a threshold requiring at least 50% plus one share of outstanding capital, while major investor Prosus agreed to sell its 17% stake as part of the deal.
Google has shipped Gemini 3.8 Flash, its third Flash-tier model in six weeks, built to handle complex agentic workflows more effectively than earlier versions. Alongside it, the company introduced Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber, a specialized version aimed at vulnerability detection and automated patching, though that variant is currently restricted to participants in Google's Fairwind Program.
Germany has budgeted €108 million over four years to fund the eleventh version of its Government Site Builder, a PHP-based content management system already used by more than 80 federal agencies to run over 250 websites. The spending splits into €26.88 million for development, €73.2 million for migration and relaunch, and €8 million for operations. The author contrasts this with the roughly $730,000 the PHP Foundation received in total contributions in 2025.