Venture capitalist (VC) money might be drying up—dropping by a third globally last year—but startups are still fetching billion-dollar valuations by tapping into something that never goes out of style: Matters of national security. Twitter laid off another 200 employees—or about 10% of its remaining workforce—bringing the company’s headcount to less than 2,000 from about 7,500 when Elon Musk officially took over the company in October of last year. Big charities like Oxfam, Unicef, and World Vis...
Feb 28, 2023•8 min
Air Canada is piloting (and not the in-the-air kind) facial recognition tech for passengers boarding certain flights from Vancouver to Winnipeg. Canada’s inflation rate is cooling, but might prove to be sticky. You may have never heard of Tobias Jesso Jr., but he’s a shining, homegrown example of just how lucrative being a songwriter can be in the age of music royalty sales. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 27, 2023•9 min
The head of the Royal Norwegian Air Force has a vision for Arctic security that involves Canada, the US, Finland, Sweden, and (of course) 250 ultra-modern fighter jets. Google is testing ways to block Canadian users from seeing news content on Search, as part of a spat with the feds over the idea that tech giants should pay up for linking articles. JPMorgan has told ChatGPT to clear its desk and head on home. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 24, 2023•8 min
Canada plans to bring 1.5 million newcomers aboard over the next three years, over 50% of whom will be economic immigrants. But they will face an uphill battle to reach their full potential. A federal agency has very quietly decided that the government shouldn’t be using TikTok. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 23, 2023•9 min
Despite a lacklustre earnings report marred by slowing sales, Home Depot will commit US$1 billion towards wage increases for its hourly workers in Canada and the US, with handy hardware helpers set to receive pay bumps later this month. Canada will deploy two naval vessels to the coasts of Haiti that will be tasked with monitoring the waters around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Data from the largest-ever 4-day work week pilot shows that the 61 UK organizations participating in the six-mont...
Feb 22, 2023•8 min
Portugal will stop offering so-called golden visas—which grant non-EU nationals residency permits in exchange for investments into the country starting at ~$500,000—in an attempt to tackle a lack of affordable housing. You can now add electoral influence to your list of “things the West and China are fighting about” along with spy balloons, research funding, and real estate investing. If you’ve been on social media, you’ve probably come across a pair of red boots that look stolen off the feet of...
Feb 21, 2023•8 min
World Bank chief David Malpass will step down over a year before his tenure ends, giving the Biden administration a coveted opening to fill by June of next year. Nestlé, the world’s biggest food maker, saw its real internal growth (a measure of sales and consumer product choices) fall by 2.6% last quarter as the company raised prices by 10.1%, its steepest price hikes in decades per Financial Times. The Canadian women’s national soccer team is playing the US tonight in their first game of the Sh...
Feb 17, 2023•8 min
Tired of having needless arguments that don’t go anywhere with your friends, family, and co-workers? Now you can have them with your search engine instead! If there was a list of groups hoping the Bank of Canada keeps its promise to stop hiking interest rates this year, housing developers would be at the very top. Last year, over 40,000 migrants crossed into Canada through an unofficial border crossing into Québec. In the last six months, the feds have relocated over 5,300 to other provinces. Ce...
Feb 16, 2023•9 min
The EU has effectively banned the sale of new gas-powered vehicles after 2035, after approving a law that will force carmakers to achieve a 100% cut in emissions by that time. Lab-grown diamonds are pretty darn close to the real deal. Complete global dominance of the maple syrup market isn’t enough. Canada wants to be a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) too. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 15, 2023•9 min
After 15 years of Bed Bath & Beyond (BB&B), Canadians will have to start looking elsewhere for avocado slicers, onion choppers, and any other bizarre kitchen gadgets under the sun. Real estate developers say new rules aimed at boosting the housing supply may actually have the reverse effect. Technology has come a long way since the phrase catfish entered the cultural lexicon over a decade ago, and now cybersecurity and fraud experts are warning that new and advanced AI tech might have th...
Feb 14, 2023•9 min
Fox is expected to rake in ~US$600 million after selling out of its Super Bowl ad slots. The average cost of a 30-second spot was pegged at US$6.5 million, and some ended up going for over $7 million. Canada added 150,000 jobs in January, obliterating analyst expectations which projected a measly gain of only 15,000 jobs. Delivery apps and financial tech are out. For some investors, daycare is in. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 13, 2023•8 min
Layoffs. They’re not just plaguing Big Tech anymore. Disney plans to lay off 7,000 workers and restructure its organization as it looks to boost profits and cut costs by US$5.5 billion. Tech companies are making their phones and computers a lil’ bit easier to fix, but consumer advocates want lawmakers to push them further. Thousands of travellers probably wished they owned a private jet after a disastrous holiday travel season. If they could afford one, Bombardier would be happy to help them out...
Feb 10, 2023•9 min
Leafs vs. Habs. Pepsi vs. Coke. Dudes who wear shorts year-round vs. Canadian winters. Then, there’s Google vs. Microsoft. And a new front has opened up in their ongoing war. Canada’s ready to add some more green to its energy mix. While most of the tech industry saw quarterly earnings reports that ranged from “disappointing” to “AHHH!!!”, Uber is looking at its latest numbers with a big, toothy grin. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 09, 2023•9 min
Justin Trudeau met yesterday with the nation’s premiers, offering them $196.1 billion in healthcare funding to put towards healthcare over the next decade, including $46.2 billion in completely new funding. In exchange, provinces and territories must improve how they collect and share health data and report on how they spend the money they receive. The Bank of Canada (BoC) is trying to open up. But unlike your typical therapy session, it’s the Canadian public with the trust issues. Tired of hear...
Feb 08, 2023•9 min
Switzerland is going to have a referendum about whether the country should be allowed to go completely cashless. As workers hang on to work-from-home for dear life, employers are turning to tracking software (aka bossware or tattleware) to ensure workers aren’t busy napping or doing laundry. Tripadvisor took down the listing for Le Nouveau Duluth, the platform’s top-ranked Montréal restaurant, after a CBC investigation found that the eatery didn’t exist. Celebrating something? Let us know here: ...
Feb 07, 2023•9 min
The triple A of Big Tech—Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet—all dropped earnings reports for the final quarter of 2022, each with its own specific points of concern. Arguing on social media: It’s not just for cranky relatives you only see once a year. Major Canadian grocery chains can get in on the fun, too. Magic mushroom shops are springing up across the country, not unlike the spree of black market pot shops that populated urban areas in the runup to legalization in 2018. Celebrating something? Let ...
Feb 06, 2023•8 min
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani was the world’s third-richest person just a week ago. He’s now (as of writing) down at 17th place… Grocery bills are set to get even higher as grocers begin to process a backlog of requests from suppliers to increase prices. Tim Hortons has reached a half-baked settlement under some pretty stale privacy laws. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 03, 2023•9 min
Recent earnings reports give us a glimpse into how old-world social media platforms are adapting to a scary new world where ad revenue continues to fall. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A central bank chair walks into a conference hall and delivers an interest rate hike… Inflation is coming down, and the reason may lie in what’s happening in housing. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Feb 02, 2023•8 min
As Canada’s aviation industry continues to do damage control after a disastrous holiday season, one airline is looking to assert itself as a major player amidst the turmoil. A rule change decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine in British Columbia this week, and the government will be watching carefully to see how it all plays out. Toronto-Dominion Bank has sealed an exclusive advertising deal with the most popular immigration website you’ve never hea...
Feb 01, 2023•8 min
Think your Sunday Scaries are bad? Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa after a six-week winter break with enough on their plates to keep yours truly hiding in bed. Now that artificial intelligence (AI) can pass MBA exams and create workout plans, investors just can’t pull out their chequebooks fast enough. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Jan 31, 2023•9 min
It feels like we’ve suddenly been transported back to 2013, because everyone is talking about BuzzFeed. But the reason they’re talking about it is very 2023. Remember last year, when we were all gleefully shaming Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner for their exorbitant flying habits? That was fun, right? You may soon be able to get a lot more than a massage and 75% off your next physio appointment with your workplace health insurance. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.c...
Jan 30, 2023•7 min
The country’s top court is deciding whether pretend people can help defend real crimes. Canadian dealmaking fell ~40% in 2022 and is currently down ~50% from the same last year. Despite this, workers at the country’s top investment banks can sleep easy knowing their jobs are not in imminent danger. The food industry wants to appeal to a growing number of “climatarians” and “regenivores”. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Jan 27, 2023•8 min
$37 chicken, $14 yogurts, and $8 cabbage? Apparently, we haven’t seen the worst of it, as groceries are set to become even more expensive in the coming months. Not to be outdone by Big Tech, the media sector is also battling a series of shocking layoffs. Work From Home is definitely here to stay, but unfortunately, not for everyone. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Jan 26, 2023•9 min
A new lobby group wants Canada to embrace the idea of employee-owned businesses. China’s manufacturing sector may be slowing, but its facial recognition industry is booming. As Ukraine gears up for what’s been called a pivotal moment in its war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is suddenly dealing with newfound problems at home. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Jan 25, 2023•9 min
Offshoring your manufacturing to China is so yesterday. Right now, it’s all about India. Ken griffin’s Citadel has replaced Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater as the most successful hedge fund of all time—the MOAT, if you will—after generating US$16 billion for investors last year. With laptop sales on the decline, the companies that make them are trying to come up with new bells and whistles to keep consumers coming back. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Jan 24, 2023•8 min
When it rains, it pours. At least when it comes to tech layoffs, with Google-parent Alphabet becoming the most recent name to announce a headcount reduction. Amid a flurry of recent announcements, it’s clear that efforts to help a healthcare industry in crisis are kicking into high gear. Somebody needs to make Top Gun, but for airline pilots, because the profession is facing a shortage and could really use a shiny new recruitment tool. Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typ...
Jan 23, 2023•8 min
The US reached the max amount of debt that it’s allowed to take on (aka the debt ceiling) yesterday, causing the US Treasury to begin taking special measures to ensure the government can continue paying its debt. Hacking group Lockbit has earned the title of “most prolific ransomware gang in the world”, carrying out ~25% of all known ransomware attacks last year and taking responsibility for breaches of over 40 organizations across the globe this month alone. TikTok is prepared to open its algor...
Jan 20, 2023•9 min
Air Canada and WestJet have been cutting domestic flight routes in recent months, a move that one business group thinks is fishier than an in-flight meal. If it wasn’t bad enough that the cost of dating (read: rising restaurant prices) has skyrocketed, now the cost of landing a date is also on its way up. Russia is thought to be preparing for a major offensive in the war with Ukraine. Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, wants 300 Western tanks and 600 vehicles to help fend it off. Celebratin...
Jan 19, 2023•7 min
If you’re doing dry January, maybe just keep at it for a while—at least that’s what new national guidelines on alcohol intake would recommend. China’s GDP grew [only 3% last year](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/16/business/china-gdp-2022-hnk-intl/index.html#:~:text=China's economy expanded by just,downturn in the property market.), well below government targets and the country’s slowest growth rate since 1976 (aside from 2020, because of you know what). And somehow, that’s not even the worst news C...
Jan 18, 2023•9 min
As layoffs spread across the tech and finance landscapes like a bad rash, workers are trying to get ahead by securing new jobs before the corporate axe comes a-chopping. Life is a fickle thing. Just ask Michele Romanow. One day you’re the face of a Heineken advertising campaign. The next you’re stepping down as the CEO of your company. The days of take-home and open-book essays are over, as a new wave of generative artificial intelligence (AI) puts a full stop on traditional classroom learning a...
Jan 17, 2023•8 min
