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.

    • DeepMind weather model outperforms government forecasters in accuracy benchmarks

      Google DeepMind and Google Research have released WeatherNext 3, a new AI-driven weather forecasting model that has topped independent accuracy benchmarks and outperformed both rival AI systems and traditional government forecasters. Google says the model will begin powering weather data across Search, Google Maps and Gemini, marking a significant step in the shift from costly,…

    • Gal Gadot’s Goodles Mac-and-Cheese Startup Acquired by Pasta Giant Barilla

      Goodles, the mac-and-cheese brand co-founded by actress Gal Gadot, has agreed to be acquired by Barilla Group, the world’s largest pasta manufacturer. The deal marks a significant step up for the health-conscious mac-and-cheese startup, giving it access to Barilla’s global scale and resources, though it remains unclear what role, if any, Gadot will play in…

    • Dianna Russini’s Ties To NFL Coach Violated Ethics Rules But Didn’t Taint Most Reporting, Athletic Probe Finds

      An independent investigation commissioned by The Athletic has found that former NFL insider Dianna Russini breached the outlet’s ethics standards by cultivating a personal relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, but concluded that the vast majority of her reporting was not compromised as a result. The findings, published on Thursday, follow Russini’s…

    • OpenAI Cut Off a Billion-Dollar Customer to Avoid Elon Musk

      OpenAI has ended its partnership with Cursor, the AI coding editor, after Elon Musk’s SpaceX acquired the company, choosing to sacrifice significant revenue rather than continue supplying its models to a Musk-controlled business. The move highlights the depth of OpenAI’s distrust of Musk, with the firm citing past instances of “Elon Musk’s companies violating contracts”…

    • Lenovo concept laptop expands from 14 to 17 inches

      Lenovo has unveiled Project Swan, a concept ThinkBook laptop with a flexible screen that expands horizontally from 14 to 17 inches, shown off at IFA 2026. It builds on Lenovo’s history of rollable-screen concepts, offering a more compact and practical alternative to some of the company’s more extreme designs, and points towards where business laptop…

    • Google says its AI weather model is getting better

      Google has rolled out WeatherNext 3, an updated AI weather forecasting model that it says draws more heavily on live satellite observations rather than relying solely on historical data, allowing forecasts to update every hour instead of every six. The company describes the results as “unprecedentedly” sharp, particularly for predicting rain and snow from fast-moving…

    • aTwist launches vertical microseries platform in eight markets

      aTwist, a new vertical-video microseries platform founded by television veterans Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Braun, has launched in eight markets with an initial slate of scripted, unscripted and animated original series. The venture positions itself as a distinct entrant in the fast-growing mobile-first streaming space, betting that tightly paced, cliffhanger-driven storytelling can hook…

    • B.B. King Documentary in the Works From Musician’s Estate and Winter State Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)

      The B.B. King Music Company and the late musician’s estate have announced a new feature documentary charting his life, music and legacy. The project is currently in development, with details on the creative team, production, distribution and release still to be confirmed, and marks a significant effort to bring King’s story to a wider audience…

    • How Sonos rebooted itself

      Sonos CEO Tom Conrad has spoken about how he steered the company back from the crisis triggered by its botched 2024 app redesign, which badly damaged customer trust and threatened the brand’s reputation. Conrad, a board member at the time, took over as interim chief executive during the fallout before being made permanent CEO around…

    • Boy’s death from scurvy shocks Australia amid Seattle shooting self-defence claim

      A six-year-old Queensland boy with Down syndrome has died of scurvy; in Seattle, a 15-year-old charged over the Bite of Seattle shooting claims self-defence. Also: Atlas Artists loses two partners, and Doro Pesch covers Fleetwood Mac.