My NCAA recovery (Go Blue!) Tuesday morning train reads:
• Sales of used EVs surge in US as petrol prices pass $4 a gallon: Americans are buying second-hand electric vehicles even as the market for new vehicles slumps. (Financial Times)
• The ‘magic number’ for a comfortable retirement just got bigger: A 2026 Northwestern Mutual survey raised the retirement “magic number” to $1.46 million, highlighting a growing gap between what Americans expect they need and the savings many actually have, with generational differences in retirement preparedness. (USA Today)
• Private Credit and the New World of Financial Risk: There’s a whiff of 2008 in the air (Paul Krugman)
• An Inside Look at OpenAI and Anthropic’s Finances Ahead of Their IPOs: Silicon Valley’s hottest startups have the same challenge: funding giant computing costs. (Wall Street Journal)
• How many products does Microsoft have named ‘Copilot’? I mapped every one: A few weeks ago, I tried to explain to someone what Microsoft Copilot is. I couldn’t… because the name ‘Copilot’ now refers to at least 75 different things. (Tey Bannerman)
• I broke up with my Kindle. My new e-reader treats me better. Was it the bibliophile Eden some Kobo fans described? Not quite. The reality was messier than expected — but still better. After Amazon’s Kindle removed my ability to download and back up my own e-books, I went in search of an alternative. (Washington Post)
• ‘Food security timebomb’: a visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade: The Strait of Hormuz isn’t just about oil—it’s a chokepoint for global fertilizer supplies. The blockade is threatening food security from Asia to Africa. UN says record numbers of people could face acute hunger if conflict continues. (The Guardian)
• When War Crimes Rhetoric Becomes Battlefield Reality: The Slippery Slope to Total War on Iran. Iranian power plants and other critical civilian infrastructure are protected from attacks by the law of war the United States helped craft after World War II. Such an object can lose its protection only if it is used for military purposes by the enemy and its destruction “offers a definite military advantage.” Even then, such an object can be attacked only if, after a case-by-case rigorous analysis, the “concrete and direct military advantage anticipated” outweighs the civilian suffering that is expected to result. (JustSecurity)
• We’re cancer doctors. These are the symptoms most people overlook: Oncologists lay out the subtle warning signs that most people dismiss. Early detection saves lives, and this is the kind of piece that could actually do it. (The Telegraph)
• The Trajectory of the Artemis II Moon Mission Is a Feat of Engineering: The astronauts will break all previous records for distance traveled from Earth. Here’s how they’ll get there—and back. (Wired) see also Artemis II crew saw a life-changing view. The story of a viral photo. An Artemis II astronaut captured Earth in striking detail, even showing green auroras lighting up the atmosphere. Here’s why the view inspires humans in a profound way. An Artemis II astronaut captured Earth in striking detail, even showing green auroras lighting up the atmosphere. Here’s why the view inspires humans in a profound way. (USA Today) see also The 4 ways science confirms the Moon landings were real: Even though no human has stepped foot on the Moon’s surface in 50 years, the evidence of our presence there remains unambiguous. (Big Think)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Songyee Yoon, founder and managing partner of Principal Venture Partners, an AI-focused investment firm established in 2024, and since 2025 a member of the board of directors of HP.
Helium shortage has started impacting tech supply chains, execs say
Source: Reuters
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