Business
US venture capital investment is increasingly going to AI
About half of all US VC investment went to AI companies last quarter.

Watch AI eat the VC world in one chart

Nearly half of US venture capital investment went to AI companies last quarter

The share of artificial intelligence venture capital investments in the US has tripled in the last few years, according to data from PitchBook’s Venture Monitor Report that published last week. At $27 billion last quarter, investment in AI and machine learning startups made up nearly half of all investment, up from 15% in 2017.

That’s as venture capital investment overall, which peaked in 2021, has been on the decline in recent years.

But this year, thanks in part to interest in AI and the general hype around the technology, VC spending might get out of its funk. Overall spending is on pace to reach $187 billion in the US in 2024, up about 12 percent from last year.

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Taco Bell Restaurant

Taco Bell is named the fastest drive-thru for a fifth year, but it may have lost a human touch with AI

Though Chick-fil-A was the slowest fast-food drive-thru, it was considered the friendliest, per the latest QSR report. At the Golden Arches, however, customers weren’t lovin’ the vibe.

business

Amazon doubles down on groceries with new private-label collection, sending grocery stocks lower

Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Grocery, a new private-label food brand that combines its Fresh and Happy Belly lines into one collection.

The label covers more than 1,000 staples, from milk and eggs to olive oil and fresh meat, with most items priced under $5. Shares of Amazon were little changed, but grocery-selling rivals Target, Walmart, and Kroger all slipped around 2% following the announcement. Costco also slipped about 1%.

The launch highlights Amazon’s growing push into both grocery and private-label essentials as more customers trade down to cut costs. In August, the e-commerce giant added perishable groceries to same-day delivery in 1,000 cities and towns across the country.

At the same time, Amazon said shoppers purchased 15% more private-brand products in 2024 compared to the previous year across Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon Fresh.

business

Ford sales climb for 7th straight month as EVs hit a quarterly record on tax credit expiration

September marked another banner month for Ford’s electric vehicle business, with EV sales climbing 85% from the same month last year to more than 11,700 units.

For the third quarter as a whole, Ford’s electrified unit sales grew nearly 20%. That’s the division’s best Q3 on record, boosted by the looming end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on Tuesday. Ford, with rival GM, has found some ways to extend that credit in the hopes of keeping sales stable.

Overall, Ford sales rose 8.2% on the quarter, and September was the automaker’s seventh straight month of sales gains. Ford sales have been buoyed this year by panic buying: first from fears of tariff price hikes (and Ford’s strong incentives), and lately from the EV credit expiration.

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