GoKawiil
Tech News
Dutch companies LeydenJar and Powall are not manufacturing complete batteries but specializing in critical components, such as battery anodes, aiming to secure a strategic foothold in the global battery supply chain. LeydenJar's Christian Rood likens this approach to ASML's dominance in semiconductor equipment, where being indispensable in one production step grants outsized influence over an entire industry.
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.
A defense technology company backed by Erik Prince has acquired a Ukrainian manufacturer of unmanned ground vehicles in a deal valued at $224 million. The acquisition marks one of the first major consolidation moves in Ukraine's fragmented drone industry, which currently includes roughly 500 companies.
A new report from the Plastic Pollution Coalition finds plastics industry groups, including the Society of Plastics Engineers, have been supplying free or low-cost teaching materials to K-12 schools nationwide. These include lesson plans, worksheets, science activities and traveling programs like PlastiVan that emphasize plastics' benefits to society while minimizing their environmental and health harms. The coalition is urging schools to adopt stricter policies limiting industry-funded curricula.
A debut crime novelist's $2 million book deal collapsed after rumors surfaced that AI had helped write the manuscript, prompting his own literary agents to pull it from consideration. The incident, born from a fierce bidding war among fourteen publishing houses, has become emblematic of a broader cultural reckoning over AI use that is now spreading from creative industries into everyday corporate workplaces.
The House of Representatives has trimmed its September calendar down to only four voting days, sharply reducing the window for lawmakers to act on pending legislation. Among the bills losing time is the CLARITY Act, considered the crypto industry's top remaining legislative priority in Congress.
Gamescom organizers issued a public apology after indie developers criticized the company's initial muted response to laptops and consoles stolen from their booths. The company said it has since contacted the affected exhibitors, is running its usual post-event review, and will hold an additional security evaluation for indie booths. At least three exhibitors—Ryan Laley, iam8bit, and Tessera Studios—reported stolen equipment during the event.
As AI data centers rise across the country, the trucking industry is quietly benefiting from hauling the materials needed to build them—HVAC systems, wiring, tubing and semiconductors. Industry executives say this equipment-heavy freight, especially flatbed and heavy-haul segments, has seen multiyear-high spot rates and tighter capacity even as broader freight demand remains uneven amid tariffs and record diesel prices.
A recent survey found that 46% of C-suite executives say workplace AI adoption has made them consider leaving their current industry altogether. The findings also point to broader worker unease, with many employees expressing nostalgia for office life before AI tools became standard.
Volkswagen's Executive Board has formally approved a restructuring program dubbed Future Plan 2030, confirming it will eliminate 50,000 jobs, including management positions, to hit a nine percent operating margin target by 2030. The plan also involves halving its model lineup, cutting product complexity by 75 percent, and reportedly retiring the Seat brand while keeping Cupra. Volkswagen says European factories are running over 500,000 units above demand, and it will decide the fate of plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm by mid-2027.
A former startup CEO who has raised tens of millions in VC funding argues that traditional venture capital, once about backing founders to build companies, has been co-opted by a small group of extremely wealthy investors. He says this cohort now operates with little accountability to markets, regulators, or voters, using the VC label to pursue a broader ideological agenda rather than genuine innovation.
Intel told employees last week it is eliminating its 'Fellow' and 'Senior Fellow' titles, dating back to 1980, in favor of 'Distinguished Engineer' and 'Senior Distinguished Engineer.' CTO Pushkar Ranade said the change reflects a new leadership standard requiring technical staff to pair deep expertise with strategic vision and measurable business outcomes, though compensation is unaffected.