The Brutalist Report

Fortune

• S&P rings up 5th loss in 6 days as tech stocks drag index down, led by AMD’s 17.3% drop [19d]
• Over a million people are losing power during a freezing snowstorm while data centers nearby guzzle electricity [19d]
• Why Bad Bunny is essential to the future of the NFL, even if Trump hates his halftime show [19d]
• From ‘Operation Dirtbag’ to ‘Catch of the Day,’ Trump’s ICE nicknames ripped as ‘disgusting’ and ‘subhuman’ [19d]
• Short-seller claims IonQ, the biggest quantum computing company on the stock market, failed to disclose holes in its revenue [19d]
• Scott Galloway predicts OpenAI could pull its IPO amid AI ‘vibe shift’ as investors ‘gag’ on Trump proximity, questionable revenue [19d]
• Pinterest cracks down on dissent, fires engineers for an internal layoff tool as AI shake-ups keep employees on edge and in line [19d]
• McDonald’s wants you to eat caviar McNuggets this Valentine’s Day [19d]
• Scott Bessent’s ‘gotcha’ moment on Trump’s tariffs and inflation: He denies writing ‘tariffs are inflationary’ in letter to hedge fund investors [19d]
• Meta’s Hyperion AI data center will sprawl to four times the size of Manhattan’s Central Park [19d]
• Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example [19d]
• Ray Dalio warns the world is ‘on the brink’ of a capital war of weaponizing money—and gold is the best way for people to protect themselves [19d]
• Jeff Bezos’ mass layoffs at the Washington Post a ‘case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction,’ former editor says [19d]
• The tech stocks free fall doesn’t make any sense, BofA says in rebuke to investors while doubling down on the sector’s longevity [19d]
• PepsiCo is cutting prices for snacks like Doritos by ‘up to 15%’ to appease customers pinched by the K-shaped economy [19d]
• Bitcoin demand in Nancy Guthrie disappearance shows how crypto is becoming a more frequent feature of physical crimes [19d]
• Turns out your college degree really matters—for keeping you on the wealthy side of America’s K-shaped economy [19d]
• Why United Rentals’ CTO tried to break his own AI agent before giving it to thousands of employees [19d]
• Palmer Luckey says AI will make hardware so cheap you’ll be able to buy a ‘Ford F-150 for $1,000’ [19d]
• What Is the Best Sleeping Position? [19d]
• The CEO of $11 billion Oura explains why customers must shell out for subscription fees after paying $349 or more for the ring [19d]
• Kevin O’Leary blasts attacks on billionaires in the ‘narrative of inequality’ and says the rich don’t get enough credit for the jobs they’ve created [19d]
• Disney’s new D’Amaro-land:  a dream team succession saga comes to life [19d]
• Olympic medals have doubled in value—one U.S. gold medalist swimmer just sold his for over $100K each [19d]
• ‘Let a thousand flowers bloom’: Jensen Huang says demanding ROI from AI is like forcing a child to make a business plan for a hobby [19d]
• Philippines’ first male Olympic gold medalist in history was given a fully furnished $555,000 condo to go with his medals [19d]
• Kalshi gave away $50 in free groceries for 3 hours in New York City. A line 4 blocks long full of students and people on food stamps formed [19d]
• In 2026, it’s time for CEOs to rethink HQs and look to Dubai’s playbook for growth [19d]
• ‘I felt a little useless and it was sad’: Sam Altman feels obsolete using his own AI tools—and he’s not the only one [19d]
• Trump may have shot himself in the foot at the Fed, as Powell could stay on while Miran resigns from White House post [19d]
• Bill Gates ‘has to answer’ for Epstein files mentions, Melinda French Gates says, weeks after record $8 billion donation in divorce settlement [19d]
• The ‘Kardashian Kurse’ and a Jurassic Park reunion are among the Super Bowl commercials planned for this year [19d]
• Americans are so broke and housing is so expensive that ‘rent now, pay later’ is on the rise [19d]
• Something broke in the economy in 2023 that explains why so many people are miserable about it, New York Fed says [19d]
• Trump hit with $16 billion lawsuit for move to cripple New York metro area rail tunnel [19d]
• JD Vance appeals to allies for new ‘trading bloc’ that keeps Trump’s tariffs in place, secures access to rare earths [19d]
• Workspace CEO says bosses who force five-day mandates are taking an old ‘factory style approach’ when they should be embracing AI [19d]
• Signs of forced entry found at home of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, source says [19d]
• Disney’s incoming CEO Josh D’Amaro is a 54-year-old who has been at the company nearly half his life [19d]
• How the Magnificent 7 destroyed index funds: There’s nowhere to hide [19d]
• Former Cohere exec Sara Hooker has raised $50 million for her AI startup Adaption Labs—a bet on smaller, smarter models [19d]
• With PayPal stock down 80%, finance chief Jamie Miller steps in as interim CEO [19d]
• Kleiner Perkins’s Leigh Marie Braswell learned about risk from playing poker: “If the odds are in your favor, you push your chips to the center” [19d]
• Ken Griffin is apparently done with ‘sucking up’ to the White House [19d]
• Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board [19d]
• Crypto crime-fighting startup TRM Labs notches $1 billion valuation with new $70 million funding round [19d]
• Ro CEO wants to erase GLP-1 stigma with first Super Bowl ad featuring Serena Williams [19d]
• Palantir CEO Alex Karp says Trump has a point about the AI race: ‘there’s a real hesitance to adopt these kind of products in the West’ [19d]
• Nevada legislators blast Boring Company over safety and environmental violations as Elon Musk-owned startup declines to testify in hearing [19d]