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Anthropic finance chief Krishna Rao faces growing pressure to demonstrate sustainable profitability as the artificial intelligence company prepares for a Nasdaq IPO under the ticker ANT. Anthropic reported revenue of $16.29bn for the first half of 2026, up from $1.16bn a year earlier, while its operating loss narrowed from $2.14bn to $693m. However, its net loss reached $80.75bn, largely reflecting a $72.39bn accounting charge related to financing instruments. Computing infrastructure expenses climbed to $8.95bn from $2.33bn, highlighting the substantial costs of supporting AI growth. Anthropic's enterprise customer base continues to expand, with more than 11,900 customers generating at least $100,000 annually as of September 30th. Investors will closely examine whether the company can sustain revenue growth, manage infrastructure commitments, and improve profitability amid intensifying competition, potential pricing pressures, and governance risks.

 

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FedEx has appointed Jamere Jackson as its new chief financial officer, effective November 30th, as the delivery giant focuses on profitable growth, cash generation, and disciplined capital allocation. Jackson joins from AutoZone, where he has served as CFO since January 2021, and previously held senior finance roles at Hertz Global Holdings, Nielsen Holdings, and General Electric. His compensation package includes a $1m annual base salary and a $2m signing bonus, payable in two installments in November 2026 and November 2027. Mr. Jackson succeeds interim CFO Claude Russ, who assumed the role following John Dietrich’s departure in June after the FedEx Freight spinoff. FedEx expects Mr. Jackson’s financial and operational experience to support its long-term growth strategy, while AutoZone has begun searching for his replacement.

 

CFO

Reuters

James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has announced an investigation into a proposal by Delaware to create a new type of autonomous business entity that would be run by an artificial intelligence (AI) agent and enjoy legal personhood like a corporation. Comer wrote in a letter to Gov. Matt Meyer: “We are concerned that Delaware’s [Artificial Intelligence Company] proposal could be used to protect powerful AI companies and their investors from responsibility for reckless harmful actions.” The committee is seeking documents from Meyer’s office by November 9th, including risk assessments, outside consulting agreements, draft bills and communications on the project. The state’s proposal would create a regulatory “sandbox” to test the structure, including liability limits for parent companies and investors.

 

Bloomberg Law

Financial Times

Insurance Business

DoorDash is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire grocery delivery rival Instacart in a deal that could value the business at approximately $17bn, with an agreement potentially to be reached as early as this week. The proposed acquisition would significantly strengthen DoorDash’s position in the online grocery and convenience delivery market, complementing its existing restaurant delivery operations and growing partnerships with major retailers. Instacart, which floated in 2023, was valued at approximately $13bn before news of the talks emerged, with its shares rising around 8% following the report, while DoorDash shares fell approximately 6%. The potential transaction comes amid intensifying competition from Walmart and Amazon, with DoorDash seeking to expand its delivery network and diversify its services. However, discussions remain ongoing, and there is no guarantee that a deal will be completed.

 

Bloomberg

Fox News

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.75%–4% at its October meeting, despite stronger-than-expected September inflation data strengthening the case for further tightening. Consumer and wholesale price increases have raised concerns that inflation remains stuck near 3%, above the Fed’s 2% target, while substantial artificial intelligence (AI) investment, higher energy costs, and tariffs continue to support economic activity and put pressure on prices. However, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh and other senior officials have signaled a preference for patience following September’s rate increase, reducing market expectations of an October hike to approximately 15%. Policymakers are also mindful of financial market volatility and the proximity of the November 3rd midterm elections, although officials maintain that politics do not influence their decisions. While some Fed officials favor more immediate tightening to contain inflation, investors widely anticipate another rate increase in December, with some economists forecasting additional hikes in early 2027.

 

Wall Street Journal

Microsoft has announced plans to offer voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees, representing more than a quarter of its 223,000-strong workforce, as part of efforts to reduce costs and reshape its operations around artificial intelligence. The program will target eligible staff at vice president level and below across the U.S., Canada, India, and the U.K., including employees in its Xbox, Windows, Copilot, and finance divisions. Those accepting the offer will receive benefits comparable to standard severance packages. The move follows several rounds of layoffs and an earlier voluntary retirement program in July, which saw more than 30% of approximately 8,750 eligible employees accept buyouts. The latest initiative comes ahead of Microsoft's quarterly earnings announcement on Wednesday, with investors closely watching whether its substantial AI spending is translating into stronger financial returns.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

New York Times

Media company Skydance is offering some staff a one-time voluntary buyout as it seeks to cut ‌costs after merging with Warner Bros Discovery and assuming its bigger rival's massive debt. "As we bring our ⁠teams together, we recognize that not everyone will ​see their future here, and we respect that," Skydance ​CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz wrote in a memo to employees. The company is also moving to a five-day-a-week ​in-office policy, according to the memo.

 

U.S. News

CNBC

Reuters

A lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn seeks to strike down New York state's lower minimum wage ‌for workers who earn tips. The lawsuit focuses on the pay practices of ​Chili's operator Brinker International, and claims such a wage fuels sexual and racial harassment of workers. The proposed class action by three former Chili's employees claims the policy, which is operational in most other U.S. states, enables Brinker to force staff to rely on tips and exposes them to unlawful discrimination. "Brinker promotes a culture in which ​tipped service employees make customers 'feel special,' even at the expense of their dignity and ⁠safety," the lawsuit says.

 

Reuters

BP is to make an accelerated payment of approximately $350m to the US state of Louisiana and resolve remaining coastal zone lawsuits involving the company, including remaining litigation linked to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The new agreement was signed by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill and BP CEO Meg O’Neill. The payment replaces remaining instalments due over the next seven years under the 2015 Deepwater Horizon Economic Damages Settlement. "We have now disposed of ​claims and settled with all ​but ⁠one of the major defendants in these coastal cases," Landry said in a statement ​distributed by BP.

 

Offshore Technology

Reuters

Dollar General has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 20 states over allegations that it systematically charged customers higher prices at checkout than those advertised on shelves or in promotions. The lawsuit claims the retailer, which operates more than 21,000 stores across the U.S., failed thousands of pricing inspections and received tens of thousands of consumer complaints, resulting in millions of dollars in alleged overcharges, particularly affecting low-income and rural households. Regulators are seeking financial penalties, customer compensation and a permanent injunction to prevent further violations. The legal action follows several previous settlements, including a $15m class-action agreement and a recent $1.875m settlement with New York authorities. Dollar General has denied the allegations and pledged to defend itself, maintaining that pricing discrepancies are occasional and that it has strengthened its price-accuracy procedures in recent years.

 

Des Moines Register

CNBC

Courthouse News

Reuters

Workers at Volkswagen are threatening strike action in the new year unless management reverses the recent termination of almost all wage deals with German employees, in a move which put long-standing labor standards including working hours and holiday pay up for renegotiation. "We are giving the company until the end of October to withdraw this notice of ​termination," said IG Metall's chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger, who added: "Otherwise a massive process will be set in motion which, let me make this clear, will pave the way for industrial action at Volkswagen." Arne Meiswinkel, an executive at Europe's top automaker, said after ​talks on Friday: "The economic situation has deteriorated dramatically since the collective bargaining agreement for the future was concluded in 2024. This creates an urgent need for action."

 

Reuters

Bloomberg reports on the impact of the deadly attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants and the broader regional war on Saudi Arabia's non-oil sector, observing that the disruption has “effectively shut [Riyadh's] financial district.”  Tim Callen, a former International Monetary Fund mission chief for Saudi Arabia, said: “The attacks on Saudi take away one of the investment attractions of the past, namely stability in an unstable region . . . With the risk of escalation in the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, things don’t look likely to get better in the short-term.”

 

Bloomberg

McDonald’s has announced it will end its 32-year sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup when its current agreement expires at the end of 2026, following a global marketing campaign that failed to meet the company’s expectations. Despite generating additional business and strong internal engagement, the campaign, which spanned more than 110 countries and featured limited-edition meals, collectible merchandise, and high-profile soccer stars, underperformed relative to its significant investment. Chief financial officer Ian Borden emphasized the need to prioritize sustainable, long-term growth over promotional partnerships, as McDonald’s reassesses its approach to major sports and entertainment sponsorships. The company plans to shift greater investment toward its own brand assets, intellectual property, and creator collaborations to strengthen customer engagement, while maintaining a presence in sports marketing through other partnerships.

 

Bizcommunity