Business News

MrBeast not quite in the bidding race for TikTok just yet, rep says

Jimmy Donaldson — better known online as MrBeast — isn’t in the TikTok bidding race just yet, according to a representative for the YouTube star. Donaldson stirred interest in a Jan. 13 post on X saying he’d “buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.” That seemed all the more certain this week when Donaldson was named in reports related to an investor group looking to buy the TikTok’s U.S. operations in an all-cash offer, led by Recruiter.com Ventures founder and CEO Jesse Tinsley. But, contrary to Tuesday night reports, MrBeast spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said Donaldson hasn’t officially joined any bids.

Davos 2025: Trade, tariffs, AI and UN chief Guterres dominate World Economic Forum agenda

DAVOS, Switzlerand (AP) — A speech by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticizing fossil fuel use and warning of the perils of artificial intelligence has headlined the agenda at the World Economic Forum’s annual event in Davos. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez then called for tighter European Union regulation on social media platforms. Shifts underway in U.S. President Donald Trump’s first week back in office — including calls for tariffs on U.S. trading partners — also featured heavily in the scheduled events and side chats of government officials, academics and business executives.

Trump rescinds Biden’s executive order on AI safety in attempt to diverge from his predecessor

Hours after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump made a symbolic mark on the future of artificial intelligence by repealing former President Joe Biden’s guardrails for the fast-developing technology. But what comes next from Trump and how it will diverge from how his predecessor sought to safeguard AI technology remains unclear. The new administration didn’t respond to requests for comment about the repealed Biden policy and even some of Trump’s most enthusiastic tech industry supporters aren’t so sure.

Starbucks’ policy change flushes out a debate over public restroom access

Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain’s policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.

Murdoch’s UK tabloids apologize to Prince Harry and admit intruding on the late Princess Diana

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry claimed a monumental victory Wednesday as Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit. Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne read a statement in court Wednesday saying News Group offers a “full and unequivocal apology” for years of unlawful intrusion. It was the first time News Group Newspapers has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper once known for featuring topless women on Page 3. The statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of his mother, the late Princess Diana.

Samsung aims to turn its next generation of Galaxy smartphones into AI companions

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Samsung is injecting another dose of artificial intelligence into the next version of its Galaxy smartphones, escalating an effort to simplify people’s lives while deepening their dependence on a device that accompanies them almost everywhere. The three Galaxy S25 models unveiled Wednesday are the second generation to be designed for the AI age, a craze that market-leading Apple joined last September with the release of the iPhone 16. In its next phase, Samsung is positioning the Galaxy S25 as an “AI companion” capable of understanding more requests in conversational, learning people’s routines and perform more technological tricks, The phones will have starting prices ranging from $800 to $1,300.

Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to end affirmative action in federal contracting and is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and insisted on restoring strictly “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients.

On “Farmtok,” agriculture gets its moment in the spotlight. What would it mean if that disappeared?

BUCYRUS, Ohio (AP) — As the future of social media platforms such as TikTok remains unknown, a younger generation of farmers is relying on social media to connect with audiences outside agriculture. For some farm influencers, revenue from social media platforms can augment income from farming and can help them connect with audiences that want to better understand where their food comes from.

Trump’s embrace of meme coin sours mood in crypto industry

President Donald Trump’s goodwill in the cryptocurrency industry has taken a hit after he and his wife launched meme coins — a move critics say looks like an unseemly cash grab that undermines an effort to legitimize digital assets. The industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration and spent heavily to help Trump win, is eager for the new president’s help to make crypto a bigger part of mainstream financial systems. Trump has promised a lighter regulatory touch and picked pro-crypto officials for key government positions. By associating himself so closely with meme coins, some crypto fans worry that Trump hurts his chances to help the wider crypto industry.

Stock market today: Netflix and AI excitement have Wall Street flirting with an all-time high

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix, Oracle and other technology stocks are lifting U.S. indexes as their profits pile higher and excitement builds around the moneymaking prospects of artificial intelligence. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Wednesday and was on track to surpass its record set in early December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 105 points, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. Netflix led the way after joining the list of companies to top analysts’ expectations for profit in the latest quarter. Oracle added to its jump from the day before on excitement about its new partnership that will invest in AI-related infrastructure.