Valve Faces Legal Reckoning Over Music Rights Gap on Steam
The Performing Right Society has filed legal proceedings against Valve for allegedly failing to obtain licenses covering music in thousands of games sold via Steam since 2003.
Tom Whitfield Business
Corporate news, markets, and the economy
Tom Whitfield 
When the Bills All Come Due: Your March 2026 Financial Survival Guide
Home insurance premiums are jumping by up to $1,200 from today, interest rates are expected to rise again in May, and mortgage stress is climbing. A practical guide to navigating the squeeze.
Andrew Marsh 
HPE's Pricing U-Turn: When a Quote Is No Longer a Promise
HPE has rewritten its terms and conditions to allow price adjustments on server orders after quotes are issued, citing unprecedented memory and storage cost volatility driven by AI demand.
Daniel Kovac 
Chariot clears regulatory hurdle for Nigerian lithium prize
Chariot Resources received government approval to transfer Nigerian lithium exploration licenses into a joint venture with local partner Continental Lithium, removing a major regulatory obstacle.
Priya Narayanan 
Japan and US eye $13 billion display factory to challenge China's dominance
Japan Display Inc. and the US government are exploring a $13 billion display manufacturing plant as China extends its commanding lead in global production capacity.
Yuki Tamura 
Death markets and regulatory drift: The Kalshi reckoning
Kalshi's decision to block payouts on a $54 million prediction market has sparked a class action lawsuit and widening questions about market rules, disclosure and who really controls the outcome.
Aisha Khoury 
Let the AI handle angry responses: study shows restraint pays off
A new study finds that AI-powered review management systems reduce public company responses to complaints while driving actual operational improvements, suggesting machines handle negativity better than humans.
Tom Whitfield 
Microsoft Hedges AI Bet With Claude Integration, But Security Doubts Linger
Microsoft is making Anthropic's Claude models available across its Copilot platform, including a new Cowork automation service. But the move comes as security researchers highlight serious file exfiltration vulnerabilities that Microsoft's own infrastructure may not fully resolve.
Sarah Cheng 
Uber rolls out women driver matching nationwide across the US
Uber has expanded its Women Preferences feature nationwide across the US, allowing women riders to request women drivers. The move mirrors rival Lyft's year-old Women+ Connect program.
Andrew Marsh 
Amazon Challenges SpaceX's Million-Satellite Orbital Datacenter Plan
Amazon has filed a petition with the FCC asking regulators to reject SpaceX's application for a million-satellite orbital datacenter constellation, citing vague technical specifications and concerns about space debris.
Darren Ong 
Australia's Fragmented Security Regulation Exposed by Systemic Industry Failures
Experts warn the MA Services scandal is symptomatic of a broken regulatory system. State-based licensing, inadequate oversight and weak accountability mechanisms have allowed major security firms to operate with minimal scrutiny despite affecting millions of Australians.
Oliver Pemberton 
Microsoft's $99 E7 tier signals sharp turn in enterprise AI pricing
Microsoft confirms its AI-centric E7 subscription at $99 per user per month from May 1, bundling Copilot and Agent 365. Gartner's analysis reveals a modest 13.2% discount compared to buying components separately.
Mitchell Tan 
Live Nation keeps Ticketmaster but faces sweeping concert industry reforms
Live Nation has settled its antitrust case with the US Department of Justice without selling Ticketmaster, but will face major structural changes including divesting amphitheaters and opening its ticketing platform to rivals.
Sophia Vargas 
MariaDB reverses Galera removal, but questions linger over open source commitment
MariaDB reversed course on removing Galera Cluster from its open source database after community backlash, but analysts say lingering concerns about the company's commitment to free software deserve scrutiny.
Priya Narayanan 
Hasbro Cuts Toy Design Time by 80% Using AI Tools, But Tariffs Remain a Bigger Challenge
Hasbro is using AI to accelerate toy design, creating 10 concepts in the time it once took to make one. But tariffs threatening $100 million to $300 million in costs pose a far greater test of the company's resilience.
Sophia Vargas 
Magnet test exposed €40,000 copper scam targeting German hardware maker
German cooling solutions manufacturer Thermal Grizzly discovered it had been defrauded of €40,000 after receiving plated steel instead of pure copper and aluminium from Chinese suppliers.
Yuki Tamura 
The Infrastructure Play Behind Nscale's $2B Victory
UK-based AI infrastructure firm Nscale has raised $2 billion and appointed former Meta and Yahoo executives to its board, signalling it sees itself not as a startup but as foundational to the next generation of the internet.
Riley Fitzgerald Hidden Freight Shock: War Surcharges Reshape Australian Retail Prices
War surcharges on container ships have hit Australian supply chains hard, with retailers facing bills that will reshape prices on everything from electronics to furniture. Consumer confidence is already collapsing.
Darren Ong 
How Ticketmaster's Parent Used Concert Threats to Block Rivals
Rival ticketer SeatGeek had to offer 'retaliation insurance' to venues fearful that Live Nation would cut off access to major concerts if they switched platforms. The practice became central to the government's monopoly case.
Sophia Vargas 
Tech Giants Join Tariff Refund Claims After Supreme Court Ruling
Major technology companies are filing lawsuits to recover tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which the US Supreme Court struck down in February 2026.
James Callahan