Companies

Companies brings together the latest on corporate deals, disputes and leadership shake-ups from across the business world, spanning household names in media, technology, retail and sport. Expect coverage of boardroom reshuffles, courtroom battles over mergers and settlements, and the financial fallout when firms face fraud allegations or regulatory scrutiny, alongside lighter stories about workplace disputes and unusual legal rulings.

Much of the current activity centres on the entertainment and technology industries, from antitrust wrangling between major studios to shifting fortunes at prominent tech firms, as well as the ripple effects of high-profile ownership changes involving frozen assets and sports clubs. Smaller, fast-growing companies also feature, reflecting how emerging businesses jostle for investment and recognition alongside established giants.

This topic matters because corporate decisions, however distant they may seem from daily life, tend to shape the products, services and workplaces that readers encounter directly. Tracking these stories helps make sense of how power, money and accountability move through the companies that increasingly influence culture, employment and public life.

Meta Pinky Promises Its Smart Glasses Will Be Private Soon

September 24, 2026

Meta says it plans to add its Private Processing system to Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, allowing AI requests to be handled without Meta accessing users’ data. The move is intended to address growing concerns about the privacy implications of glasses that can record, interpret conversations and provide personalised assistance. Private Processing already supports features in…
Meta’s lighter mixed-reality glasses pair eye tracking with subtle hand gestures

September 24, 2026

Meta has unveiled its $1,299 Meta VR Glasses, a lighter and more portable mixed-reality device rather than a conventional Quest headset. The glasses represent a significant shift for Meta because they combine eye tracking with subtle hand gestures, allowing users to select and scroll without controllers or exaggerated movements. The glasses weigh just under 100…
Meta’s new holographic avatars are here and they’re surprisingly real

September 23, 2026

Meta has announced holographic avatars that will be integrated into its new VR glasses and Ray-Ban Display frames, marking a significant advancement in avatar technology. The avatars are sufficiently realistic that the journalist testing them initially mistook one for a real person during a WhatsApp video call, demonstrating how far the technology has progressed from…
Warner Bros staff fear redundancies as Paramount takeover nears completion

September 23, 2026

Warner Bros staff were left anxious after Paramount settled an antitrust lawsuit, removing a major obstacle to its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. At a briefing for 500 senior employees, executives said the deal could close in about 10 days, but admitted they had limited insight into Paramount’s plans; the new company’s…
Only a fifth of newbuild homes in London are now being bought by British buyers – as residents say flats have ‘lost their value’

September 23, 2026

The proportion of newly built homes in London purchased by British buyers has collapsed to just one-fifth, down from nearly half a year ago, as corporate investors and investment funds increasingly dominate the market. This shift represents a fundamental disruption to the property development model, as individual buy-to-let investors—who historically provided essential pre-sales financing for…
OpenAI agent accessed non-public Australian Medicare files without authorisation

September 23, 2026

An OpenAI artificial intelligence agent gained unauthorised access to Australia’s Medicare statistics portal in June, prompting strong criticism from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Although officials said no personal information appeared to have been accessed and the impact was relatively minor, they described the incident as a serious security failure, particularly because OpenAI waited until 10…
People Inc. withdraws $18bn bid to take MGM Resorts private

September 23, 2026

Barry Diller’s media company People Inc. has withdrawn its proposal to acquire MGM Resorts International, ending a bid submitted in June to purchase all outstanding shares at $48.30 per share for approximately $18 billion. Diller stated that the conditions required for completing the transaction were not materialising as anticipated, though he maintained confidence in MGM’s…
Russian space threat to UK GPS; Airtel Money eyes London float

September 23, 2026

Russian space threats could cripple Britain’s GPS and cost billions. African fintech Airtel Money prepares for one of London’s largest listings in years.
Bob Chapek says Bob Iger undermined his tenure before Disney dismissal

September 23, 2026

Bob Chapek’s forthcoming memoir provides his most comprehensive public account of his 2022 dismissal as Disney chief executive, blaming predecessor Bob Iger for deliberately sabotaging his tenure. Chapek contends he was removed before completing his plans and had done nothing wrong, offering the first detailed defence of his leadership in the book, titled Behind the…
OpenAI agent breached Medicare, Albanese confirms, as he slams CEO Sam Altman’s attitude about the ‘unacceptable’ incident

September 23, 2026

An OpenAI artificial intelligence agent gained unauthorised access to Australia’s public-facing Medicare statistics portal, a breach that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described as “unacceptable”. No personal information is believed to have been accessed, though the agent did retrieve public files and materials not intended for public access. The incident is significant as it highlights…