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Bloomberg

Why an AI 'Death Spiral' Threatens the Internet

For decades, publishers depended on search engines to send readers to their websites, where advertising helped fund the creation of online content. But the rise of AI-powered search is changing that model. Researchers like Rand Fishkin say "zero-click" searches are increasingly keeping users inside platforms rather than sending them to publishers, while Rutgers professor Caitlin Petre warns that falling traffic could threaten the long-term economics of journalism and content creation. Yet some large publishers are adapting. People Inc. CEO Neil Vogel says his company has offset declining search traffic through brand diversification, social media distribution, licensing agreements, and paid partnerships with AI companies. The broader question is whether the internet can continue producing the content AI depends on if fewer creators are paid for their work.

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Bloomberg

Is the Caribbean the Next Space Race Battleground?

The rapid growth of satellite networks is creating a global race to build the infrastructure needed to get them into orbit. Launch on Demand founder Burton Catledge is developing what could become the first US-owned commercial spaceport in Latin America, betting that demand for launch capacity will surge as the number of satellites in orbit expands dramatically over the coming decade. McKinsey aerospace expert Ryan Burkardt says existing launch infrastructure is already strained. CSIS aerospace specialist Kari Bingen sees more than just demand driving the opportunity: space could become a new frontier of geopolitical competition as China expands its footprint across Latin America.

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Bloomberg

Can a Forgotten Caribbean Town Become a Spaceport?

The Dominican Republic's plan to build a commercial spaceport in the small town of Oviedo is about far more than rockets. Launch on Demand founder Burton Catledge says the project could create thousands of jobs, attract new investment, and help diversify the country beyond tourism. Supporters envision a new hub for aerospace, technology, and education, while local residents hope the project can bring opportunities to a region that has long felt overlooked. But before launches begin, developers must build the infrastructure, workforce, and regulatory framework needed to support an entirely new industry. For many in Oviedo, the spaceport represents a chance to put their town, and perhaps the country itself, on the map.

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Bloomberg

The Aluminum Shock Hitting the Global Economy

The global aluminum market is being squeezed by two powerful forces at once: conflict in the Middle East and rising US tariffs. Industry executives say disruptions to production and shipping in the Gulf region are removing significant supply from global markets just as tariffs are already pushing prices higher for American buyers. Jean Simard of the Aluminium Association of Canada warns the full impact of blocked shipments and damaged smelters has yet to hit North America, while Norsk Hydro executive Trond Christophersen says Asian markets are facing even greater physical supply risks. For manufacturers like Minnesota-based Wolf Tooth Components, the combination of tariffs, supply disruptions and surging demand from AI data centers is driving costs sharply higher and creating new uncertainty across the aluminum supply chain.

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Bloomberg

How Poland Became Europe's Growth Leader

Poland has become one of Europe's standout growth stories, with an economy that crossed $1 trillion and a new generation of entrepreneurs returning home after studying and working abroad. Finance Minister Andrzej Domański points to decades of reform, EU integration, foreign investment and a diversified economy as drivers of Poland's rise, while venture capitalist Aleksandra Pedraszewska says Warsaw's technology scene now offers opportunities that were far less obvious a decade ago. But economists warn that sustaining the boom will require Poland to address large deficits, elevated defense spending, demographic decline and the need for more investment in research, education and innovation.

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Bloomberg

Can AI Grow Without Hurting Local Communities?

The rush to build AI data centers is drawing trillions of dollars in investment and long-term bets from infrastructure firms such as DigitalBridge. But in communities where those facilities are being built, residents and officials are raising concerns about electricity costs, water use, noise, transparency and who bears the risk if demand falls short. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is challenging approval of a major data center project near Ann Arbor, arguing that ratepayers deserve more transparency about contracts and potential costs. DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi says the industry can navigate the backlash, but only by working with local communities and showing how the benefits outweigh the burdens.

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Bloomberg

Why Britain's Bond Market Is Sounding the Alarm

As political uncertainty grows in the United Kingdom, investors are increasingly focused on the country's fiscal outlook and rising government borrowing costs. Bloomberg Opinion Columnist John Authers says concerns over spending, debt, and political instability are pushing gilt yields higher, reviving memories of past market crises that helped topple governments from Harold Wilson to Liz Truss. With Britain's debt burden elevated and both major parties under pressure to spend more, the bond market is increasingly shaping the limits of economic policy. Authers argues the UK may be confronting fiscal pressures earlier than other advanced economies, offering a warning about the broader risks facing heavily indebted governments worldwide.

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Bloomberg

China's Energy Boom Could Give It the AI Edge

As the United States and China compete for dominance in artificial intelligence, energy is emerging as a critical battleground. Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson warns that while the US still leads in AI technology, electricity shortages could become a major constraint as data center demand surges. Former US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns says China's enormous investments in transmission, renewables, batteries, and power generation are already reshaping global supply chains, while Hoover Institution senior fellow Elizabeth Economy argues Beijing's clean-energy strategy is as much about economic and geopolitical power as climate policy. Together, their assessments point to a growing reality: the AI race may depend not just on chips and software, but on generating enough power to sustain the technology.

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Bloomberg

'The Oppenheimer' of the AI Era

What drives the tech titans behind the AI arms race? For some, it's the thrill of scientific discovery; for others, it's the pursuit of profit. Through the story of DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis and other AI leaders, author Sebastian Mallaby explores how motivations ranging from scientific curiosity to commercial ambition and political power are shaping the future of the technology. We sat down with Mallaby to discuss the fraught and simultaneously symbiotic tension between science and capital at the heart of the AI revolution, and whether governments are prepared for systems becoming dramatically more powerful.

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Bloomberg

Can New York City Tax the Rich Without Driving Them Away?

New York City's effort to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap has triggered a high-profile clash between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Wall Street leaders, including Citadel founder Ken Griffin. Mamdani's proposed "pied-à-terre" tax on luxury second homes has become a flashpoint in a broader debate over whether the city should raise more revenue from wealthy residents or focus on restraining spending growth. Wall Street veteran Whitney Tilson, Partnership for New York City CEO Steve Fulop, and real estate executive Ruth Colp-Haber all warn that messaging matters when competing for businesses and high earners, even as supporters argue the existing property tax system places much of the burden on middle-class property owners and commercial real estate owners. The dispute highlights a larger challenge facing New York: balancing its books while remaining attractive to workers, investors, and employers.

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