Toyota is said to be developing a battery-electric version of the Corolla, its best-selling nameplate globally, according to a recent report. This would mark the first time the long-running compact car lineup has offered a fully electric option alongside its existing gas and hybrid variants.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-23
South Korea's K-pop industry is increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence and robotics into aspects of music creation and live performance. The move has drawn scrutiny from fans and performers who have voiced concerns about the technology's role in an industry built on human artistry.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-22
Germany's automotive sector is confronting a sharp downturn, with European car sales dropping from nearly 18 million units in 2019 to about 13 million in 2025. Rising competition from Chinese manufacturers, new 25 percent US tariffs on imports, and an aging workforce have combined to push Volkswagen Group toward considering shutting four of its domestic factories, a move once thought unimaginable.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-22
Satellite operators are finding it harder to book rides to orbit as SpaceX scales back its workhorse rocket in favor of newer vehicles, while competing launch companies have yet to ramp up capacity to match demand. The resulting supply crunch is forcing smaller satellite makers and researchers to compete more aggressively for limited slots.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-22
President Trump announced he will create an 'AI Force' initiative and appoint an AI czar to keep the U.S. artificial intelligence industry advancing rapidly. The announcement came shortly after several tech executives publicly raised concerns this month about potential catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems. Trump's statement offered few specifics on how the new office would operate or address those safety worries.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-21
Meritage Hospitality Group, which runs 314 Wendy's locations across 15 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Wendy's franchising arm, Quality Is Our Recipe LLC, is listed as its largest unsecured creditor, owed roughly $24.9 million in deferred franchise fees. Meritage says it will continue operating its restaurants, including its Bojangles and independent locations, during restructuring.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-21
A design commentary challenges the popular claim that 'taste' will be designers' defense against automation, arguing that simply recognizing quality after the fact offers no real edge. Instead, the piece contends the true creative advantage lies in identifying and committing to ideas before their value is widely recognized, not in judging what's already accepted as good.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-21
WIRED polled 634 women working in the technology industry about their daily experiences, gathering candid feedback on workplace culture and emerging tools. Respondents described ongoing friction with male-dominated office dynamics even as executives increasingly integrate AI into their routines.
wired.com
· 2026-09-21
A longtime WIRED writer and editor published a personal essay recounting a 17-year career marked by repeated instances of sexism, including being paid less than a male predecessor, having her parenting fitness questioned by bosses, and working at a publication where men appeared on 70 covers versus four for women. She traces her discomfort with some men in the industry back to her early days interning at WIRED in 2009, when the newsroom lacked female editors and reinforced narratives crediting men as the primary innovators in tech.
wired.com
· 2026-09-21
Fast Company's Impact Council published a reflection tied to the America 250 celebration, examining how the country's founding spirit of risk-taking has driven technological breakthroughs from aviation to computing. The piece argues that sustaining this innovative edge for another quarter millennium requires deliberate policy and industry choices rather than assuming continuity.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-21
A commentary argues that leading AI companies are exaggerating existential risk narratives before Congress to secure favorable regulation and entrench their market position. The piece points to summer 2026 incidents involving AI agents allegedly behaving erratically as examples of security failures being reframed as signs of near-godlike AI capability rather than basic engineering flaws. The author contends lawmakers, flattered by apocalyptic framing, are granting industry-friendly rules instead of scrutinizing mundane technical failures.
deadneurons.substack.com
· 2026-09-20
Data firm Luminate has published a report analyzing the factors that determine whether television shows get renewed or cancelled in today's streaming-heavy landscape. The report identifies specific viewership and engagement metrics that networks and streaming platforms increasingly rely on to make these decisions.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-20