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October 28, 2026 The Appetizer “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI. So, you guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes. Because what you will see with your eyes, you will not believe.”
Now, on to the numbers. Drum roll, please …
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Dig In Artificial intelligence may be the future, but someone still has to pay for the servers. Data centers, power infrastructure, and advanced chips don’t come cheap, and borrowing is playing a bigger role alongside big tech companies’ own cash flows. Think of paying cash versus taking out a loan. Same purchase, different obligations. For AI, the question isn’t just what’s being built – it’s who has to pay, and who takes the hit if things don’t go according to plan. Some lenders can look to a company’s broader business for repayment. Others may rely on a specific data center, its equipment, leases, or customer contracts. And while the building may last for decades, the computing equipment inside can become outdated much sooner. That doesn’t mean the AI buildout is headed for trouble. It simply means a great technology doesn’t automatically make every investment financing the technology a great investment. Take a look at our latest Sight|Lines, where we dig into who is financing the AI buildout, who carries the risk, and why the fine print matters almost as much as the technology. |
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Weekly Specials Startups are gene-editing crops to glow or turn purple when disease or pests strike, helping farmers spot trouble and act without widespread chemical use. A mood ring for the farm. If only the basil on the windowsill were this forthcoming. Jay-Z has reportedly picked the halftime performer for the Big Game: Jay-Z. A useful reminder that networking works especially well when you already have your own number. Apparently, the most valuable thing in the parking lot wasn’t a car. Thieves stole nearly $1 million in trading cards from a FedEx truck parked outside a Professional Sports Authenticator grading center in Santa Ana, California. The truck was there for 60-90 minutes. So much for keeping your cards close. Some people carve a pumpkin. Others grow one that could require a loading dock. A Rhode Island farmer raised a 3,156-pound pumpkin, setting a world record. At that point, the hard part of making a jack-o’-lantern isn’t choosing the face. It’s finding the front door it’ll fit through. |
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Corporate Lunch Apple is sourcing more iPhone components from U.S. manufacturers. Finally, something about our phones that’s getting closer to home instead of further into the cloud. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals reported promising early results for its experimental Alzheimer’s drug, reducing tau, a protein linked to the disease, by about 73%. Arrowhead hit its target – now to see if it hits the bigger one: improving patients’ memory. Spotify removed 50 million AI-generated tracks from recommendations. We’ve already got AI slop in our newsfeeds; at least Spotify is trying to keep it out of our headphones. Starbucks is bringing its North American purchase-to-sit policy to China. Apparently, some people can walk into a Starbucks without ordering anything. Can’t relate – especially during pumpkin spice season. But hey, if I must order a latte, who am I to argue? Rules are rules! Walmart is combining Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus into one membership, adding to perks like free delivery, gas savings, and streaming. Sounds familiar? Amazon Prime would like a word. |
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