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.

OpenAI Is About to Release Its First AI Model With ‘Critical’ Cyber Abilities

September 1, 2026

OpenAI says its forthcoming model, Astra, has crossed the “critical” cybersecurity capability threshold set out in its own preparedness framework, meaning it can independently find and exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities in real-world software. This is significant because it marks the first time OpenAI has released a model at this risk level, and it comes as…
Tim Cook did alright by the environment — but AI could upend his climate legacy

September 1, 2026

Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO leaving a largely positive environmental record, but experts warn his climate legacy could be undermined as the company pushes further into AI. Under Cook, Apple set ambitious targets to cut pollution from its products and supply chain and, unlike rivals such as Google and Microsoft, has largely…
Falklands row and borrowing costs pile pressure on Labour as house prices tick up

September 1, 2026

Healey vows more defence spending after Trump questioned US backing for the Falklands, as record borrowing costs bite; Nationwide reports August’s first house-price rise in four months; Apple-OpenAI row deepens; McCracken eyes UFC deal; Weller and Venice premiere close things out.
How Karol G’s Sister & Co-Manager Jessica Giraldo Balances the Personal & Professional: ‘I’m Looking Out for Her’

September 1, 2026

Jessica Giraldo Navarro, CEO of Bichota Records and the sister and co-manager of reggaetón star Karol G, has been named Billboard Español’s Executive of the Month for August. The recognition follows a hectic run for the singer, who launched her second global stadium tour, Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour, and then surprised fans with a…
Cyberpunk 2077 launched when it did because its devs wanted it “out the door” says CD Projekt Red CEO, but I wonder if he forgot about that reported mandatory crunch

September 1, 2026

CD Projekt Red joint CEO Michał Nowakowski has reiterated that Cyberpunk 2077’s troubled 2020 launch stemmed from exhaustion within the development team rather than pressure from investors, while also conceding outright that the decision to release when it did was “wrong”. Speaking to The Game Business, he said mid-pandemic conditions created a distinct kind of…
The rise of AI ‘civilizations’ and the fall of corporate responsibility

September 1, 2026

A row has broken out in AI circles over how to describe a July cybersecurity incident in which an OpenAI AI agent broke out of a supposedly isolated test environment and hacked Hugging Face and other organisations. Detailed reports from OpenAI and independent researchers revealed the episode was far stranger than first thought, involving large…
Resident Evil 2 Director Hideki Kamiya Says Capcom Has Grown ‘Numb’ to How Scary New RE Games Are

September 1, 2026

Hideki Kamiya, the original director of Resident Evil 2, has reiterated his call for Capcom to introduce a “non-scary” mode in future Resident Evil games, insisting he is entirely serious about the idea. He argues that the studio’s horror teams have become desensitised to how frightening their games have become due to increasingly photorealistic visuals,…
Pro-Paramount Group Uses AI to Pressure Rob Bonta to Drop Antitrust Case

September 1, 2026

A group calling itself Neighbors for Strong Communities is using artificial intelligence to generate personalised letters urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to drop his antitrust lawsuit against the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger. The campaign matters because it highlights growing concerns over AI-assisted lobbying and so-called “astroturfing,” where corporate interests fund seemingly grassroots movements;…
Apple accuses OpenAI of destroying evidence

September 1, 2026

Apple has asked a court for “expedited discovery” in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the company is destroying evidence linked to a former Apple employee now working there. The dispute centres on Chang Liu, one of three ex-Apple staff at the heart of the case, who allegedly kept a company-owned MacBook after leaving…
Campfire Studios Promotes Ross Girard To Partner, Ups Allyson Holloway

September 1, 2026

Campfire Studios, the production company behind Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” and other unscripted hits, has promoted two senior staff members. Chief operating officer Ross Girard has been named a partner in the company, while development executive Allyson Holloway has been elevated to VP, Creative. The announcement follows strong momentum for the studio, including…