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.

    • AI executives champion self-regulation whilst Trump spurns government oversight

      A commentary piece argues that Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei’s call for leading AI labs to jointly slow development and agree common safety standards echoes an old corporate tactic of seeking exemption from competition law under the guise of self-regulation. It notes that the proposal, quickly backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Google…

    • Seawater uranium extraction breakthrough addresses US nuclear fuel concerns

      US clean tech startup Fluxnium says it has developed a way to economically extract uranium from seawater, potentially unlocking a vast new fuel source as America pursues plans to triple its nuclear power capacity by 2050. The breakthrough matters because yellowcake prices have risen 75% over five years and the US has little uranium within…

    • A brief history of AI executives calling for regulation

      This piece contextualises the recent wave of AI executives—including Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Satya Nadella and Elon Musk—publicly calling for AI regulation, arguing that such warnings from people who profit from the technology deserve scepticism but are not new. It traces a long lineage of concern about intelligent machines, from 19th-century philosophical warnings…

    • Meta Developing Camera-Free Smart Glasses to Address Privacy Concerns

      Meta was reported to be preparing a camera-free pair of smart glasses, codenamed Luna, unveiled alongside other hardware at its Meta Connect event. According to The Information, the move was designed to address a growing privacy backlash against Meta’s existing Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have been used to covertly film people and have subsequently been…

    • Beauty triumphs over novelty in Alvin Ailey’s New Works

      This review of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s New Works programme at Sadler’s Wells, London, praises a mixed bill that leans on skill, craft and emotional depth rather than avant-garde novelty. While acknowledging the programme could be seen as dated, the critic argues its enduring qualities of beauty and humanity give it lasting appeal, singling…

    • AI firms seek competition reprieve under guise of safety

      The Guardian’s Rana Foroohar argues that Anthropic chief Dario Amodei’s proposal for leading AI labs to jointly “pace the frontier” – coordinating to slow development and agree safety standards – is a repackaged version of a familiar corporate tactic: seeking exemption from antitrust laws under the guise of self-regulation. She warns that freeing AI firms…

    • US government refuses AI regulation as industry leaders warn of risks

      This Guardian opinion piece by Shakeel Hashim argues that the Trump administration and Republican leadership are failing to regulate artificial intelligence despite mounting warnings from within the industry itself. Even rival AI chief executives Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Dario Amodei have called for development to slow amid growing risks, yet Trump has dismissed these…

    • Company behind failed Surrey oilfield project sells site at massive loss

      UK Oil and Gas (UKOG), the company behind the long-running and ultimately unsuccessful bid to drill for oil at Horse Hill in Surrey, has sold the site for just £1m and rebranded as UK Energy Group, pivoting towards clean energy projects such as salt-cavern storage. The sale comes after the 2024 supreme court “Finch Ruling”,…

    • Meta is reportedly ready to launch less pervy smart glasses

      Meta is reportedly preparing to launch a new pair of smart glasses, codenamed Luna, that ditch the camera entirely — a move that comes as the company faces a growing privacy backlash over the recording capabilities of its existing Ray-Ban smart glasses. According to a report from The Information, Meta could unveil the camera-free device…

    • McLaren to build SUVs geared towards Formula One fans with children

      McLaren is preparing to build its first SUV in the company’s 63-year history, aiming to attract wealthy Formula One fans and families who have never bought one of its two-seater supercars. The vehicle, which is yet to be named, forms part of a £500m UK investment programme funded by McLaren’s new owner, Abu Dhabi’s CYVN…