Talk Fuse

    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.

    • Beehiiv raises creator plan prices as users weigh platform costs

      Beehiiv is raising subscription prices for creators, prompting some users to question whether the newsletter platform remains worth the cost. The change matters because many creators chose Beehiiv as an alternative to Substack, which takes a 10 per cent share of subscription revenue. The renamed Lite plan will cost $139 a month for up to…

    • Braverman Identity Row, House Prices Ease, France’s Debt Crisis Deepens

      Braverman sparks identity row as house prices ease and French debt crisis worsens. Separately, a British soldier dies in Ukraine while FDA approves a heart valve that expands as children grow.

    • Nacon’s new PS5 controller can mix audio from your phone and console

      Nacon has announced the Revolution 5 Unlimited, a premium PS5 controller with a built-in screen for changing settings and mixing audio. It can combine game sound with music from a phone when headphones are connected to the controller, and is designed to work with PCs and Android devices as well as PS5. Pre-orders start today…

    • Merged Paramount and Warner Bros. to adopt Skydance corporate name

      Paramount and Warner Bros. are set to operate under the corporate name Skydance when their planned merger closes. CEO David Ellison says the new identity, named after the company he founded, is intended to give the combined business a shared name while allowing both studios and their brands to retain their identities. The $110 billion…

    • Shivon Zilis says Elon Musk ended relationship without warning

      Shivon Zilis says Elon Musk ended their relationship without warning, describing the sudden breakup as painful and expressing hope they can remain friends and co-parent. Her account matters because the two share four children, and she is also an executive at Neuralink, Musk’s brain implant company. Zilis, 40, shared her feelings in a post on…

    • Firmus faces investor doubts and local opposition ahead of multibillion-dollar float

      Firmus Technologies is preparing for a multibillion-dollar Australian sharemarket listing as it plans a large expansion of AI datacentres, but its projections and valuation are drawing investor scepticism. In Tasmania, local opposition has grown over how the company secured approval for a major facility, raising questions about community consultation and the practical risks facing its…

    • Keurig opens Alta preorders for coffee made with compostable pucks

      Keurig has opened preorders for the Alta, a single-serve machine that brews coffee and espresso using compressed coffee pucks instead of conventional plastic-and-aluminium pods. Its AltaRounds are wrapped in a plant-based coating derived from seaweed and are compostable, offering pod-style convenience with less packaging waste. The machine costs $499.99, with shipping expected to begin on…

    • Tesla deliveries dip year on year but beat analysts’ forecasts

      Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, down 2.1 per cent from a year earlier, when buyers rushed to use a federal electric vehicle tax credit before it expired. Deliveries fell short of last year’s level but exceeded analysts’ expectations, offering some support for the view that the company’s recovery is continuing. Tesla produced…

    • Ayaneo’s Konkr Pocket Advance updates the Game Boy Advance with modern features

      Ayaneo has unveiled the Konkr Pocket Advance, a modernised Game Boy Advance that upgrades the classic handheld with a superior 3.5-inch LCD screen, eight additional control buttons, and Android software. The device achieves what reviewers consider the best balance between authentic GBA design and meaningful contemporary improvements, striking a compelling appeal to longtime fans. This…

    • Amazon urges US communities to back AI data centre expansion

      Amazon is urging US communities to support new AI data centres, arguing that slowing construction could harm the country’s economy and national security. The appeal comes amid declining public support for such projects and local opposition over their effects on jobs, energy use, the environment and society. AWS chief executive Matt Garman said more than…