New data shows a surge in no-employee business formation in AI-exposed industries, with such applications up 26.8% from Q1 2024 to Q1 2026, according to economist Liya Palagashvili of George Mason University's Mercatus Center. Meanwhile applications more likely to become employer firms fell 6.4% in those sectors. Entrepreneurs like Alex Willen, running 12 e-commerce brands solo, and Kristin Ginn, founder of AI consultancy trnsfrmAItn, report six-figure revenues without hiring staff.
cnbc.com
· 2026-11-07
eBay is laying off hundreds of employees in its second major round of job cuts this year. The move comes even as the company's stock has risen significantly, which CEO Jamie Iannone attributed to a successful strategy shift, saying 'our strategy is working.'
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-22
Ahold Delhaize confirmed that a cyberattack last week knocked some corporate systems offline, disrupting websites, apps and customer service tools at Albert Heijn, Etos, Gall & Gall, Delhaize and Stop & Shop. Stores stayed open throughout, and the company says most Central and Southeastern European sites are restored while US and other European services are still being brought back online. Ahold Delhaize has notified the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre and filed a formal police report.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-20
Online sellers say AI agents acting on behalf of shoppers are now inserting themselves into the buying process, creating friction between businesses and their customers. These agents can handle tasks like comparison shopping, negotiating, or completing purchases without direct human interaction with the merchant's own interface.
wsj.com
· 2026-10-16
In a Fast Company interview, Walmart U.S. President and CEO David Guggina described how the retailer is combining its extensive store footprint, supply chain infrastructure, e-commerce operations and customer data into one integrated system. He argued this convergence lets Walmart respond faster to shifting customer needs and extract greater value from its existing assets.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-17
Gilt Groupe, the once high-profile flash-sale e-commerce company, served as an early training ground for many employees who later launched their own startups. A number of these founders were women who credit their time at Gilt with giving them the operational and entrepreneurial skills to strike out on their own.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-15
Emily Oberg, founder of fashion brand Sporty & Rich, revealed she tested AI-generated imagery to cut costs on e-commerce photo shoots, which typically run upwards of $200,000 twice a year. She said the results looked flat, lifeless and overly perfect, with models appearing 'dead in the eyes,' prompting her to return to using a full human team for future shoots.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-08
Shopify COO Jess Hertz said the $185 billion e-commerce company is shifting its hiring criteria toward what she calls 'X-shaped people'—workers with multiple deep areas of expertise rather than one specialty paired with broad general skills. She explained this change is driven by AI's growing role in the workplace, which demands employees who can absorb complexity and work fluidly across disciplines. Hertz made the comments on the Rapid Response podcast, noting Shopify recently posted $3.58 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 34% year-over-year.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-04
A federal lawsuit filed by the FTC alleges that Amazon secretly raised minimum price thresholds in some advertising auctions after bids were already submitted, effectively changing the rules mid-game. The suit claims this practice forced advertisers to pay more than they should have, generating billions in extra revenue for Amazon.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-01
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by more than 20 states, plans to file a lawsuit against Amazon alleging it deceived advertisers by manipulating ad pricing on its retail platform. The suit reportedly claims Amazon generated billions of dollars through this practice.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-31
A new Entrepreneur op-ed argues that identifying a profitable niche is only the first step for e-commerce founders, who often stall by over-researching or polishing websites before validating demand. The author outlines a practical approach: define a single customer and problem, translate that problem into a specific offer, and test it cheaply before scaling.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-08-28
Arizona publicist Tracy Green earned over $500 in two weeks by sharing shopping links from ShopMy, an affiliate marketing platform, with her roughly 1,900 Instagram followers after a trip where friends swapped product recommendations. Another user, New York publicist Stephanie Dresher, began doing the same after realizing friends already asked her for outfit advice, turning casual recommendations into paid links earning 10% to 30% commissions.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-08-26
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