The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block the graphics chip maker Nvidia from acquiring the mobile chip design powerhouse Arm from its current owner, Softbank. The proposed merger, and the FTC’s case to block it, represent a number of firsts for the tech industry and its regulators. The $40 billion merger, which was announced in September, is being called the largest in chip industry history. If approved, it would send seismic waves through that industry and position Nvidia as an ess
When Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, he thought it had a less than 10% chance of succeeding as a business. “I just accepted that I would probably just lose everything,” he said in 2016, “but that maybe we would make some progress if we could just move the ball forward. Even if we died, maybe some other company could pick up the baton.” SpaceX’s advancements indeed have given birth to a growing space economy and revived the manufacturing base south of Los Ange
A version of this article originally appeared on Principal.com. What do a 30-year-old accounting clerk from Oregon and a 37-year-old school consultant from Minnesota have in common? They’re both on track to retire early, possibly by 55. When Erynn Ross moved back home to Oregon after graduating from college, he knew he’d save money by living with his mom. What he didn’t expect was that she would tell him he could pay her rent—or pay into an index fund. “T
Some people get excited about the holidays in December. Others focus their enthusiasm on Spotify Wrapped—and that group is a lot more vocal. The music streaming service’s annual look back at what you listened to can be a fun wrap-up to a rough year. But it can also expose some truths about your listening habits that you might not be ready to face. And, naturally, that has resulted in an explosion of memes. Twitter and Instagram are being flooded with people gleefully sharing their
When Apple gave out its annual App Store Awards last year, the overarching theme was obvious: In one way or another, a high percentage of them helped us get through one of the weirdest, most stressful years most of us have ever experienced. (Exhibit A: The iPad app of the year was Zoom, a fact that felt virtually preordained.) The pandemic is still with us, but this year’s App Store Awards are back to a more traditional, eclectic mix of products. Here’s Apple’s list in its e
Fun fact about me: I love, love, love working from home. It is, quite simply, the best. That’s one man’s opinion, though. You might also love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in the middle. Whatever the case, if you find yourself working from home on a regular basis, you absolutely, positively must add these four free apps to your remote-work setup. Block background noise with Krisp You’re on a Zoom call with your boss. The dog is barking. The baby is crying. Your anxiety leve
I came across a fascinating story from someone we’ll call John. We’ll call him that because it’s his name and he told me I can use his real name. John is a fan of LEGO and of Star Wars. I can relate. We have four children and have an entire playroom at our home mostly dedicated to the LEGO constructions our children have built over the past few years. Many of them are Star Wars themed, though not quite like this. When John found the Mos Eisley Cantin
Mobile chip kingpin Qualcomm and the gaming hardware maker Razer are betting that a new wave of faster and more powerful dedicated handheld gaming devices will soon be the objects of gamers’ desire. The two companies worked together to build a prototype version of such a device, which is powered by a new Qualcomm system-on-a-chip called the Snapdragon G3x, which was designed specifically for dedicated mobile gaming devices. The companies announced the new prototype device and th
A dozen pedigreed horses make their way down a racetrack as a crowd erupts in a low roar. Super Sal, a frisky colt, takes the early lead and looks like he might run away with it. But as the pack stampedes through the 500-meter mark and starts to thin out, a mare named Fascoo begins to pull ahead. Wait! Here comes Ghost Hunter, a shimmering, khaki-colored steed. The horses’ rhythmic clip-clopping grows louder. Ghost Hunter whips through the finish line first, beating Super Sal by a fractio
Last week, the world was shaken by news of a worrisome new coronavirus variant called Omicron. By Monday, President Joe Biden assured Americans, “This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” Public health experts say it will take weeks to get the full picture of how this virus mutation is affecting human health, but in the meantime there are steps we can take to mitigate our risk of infection. Since the World Health Organization labeled the Omicron a variant of conc