Author: Editor-in-Chief

 With all the problems in the world, from massive inequality to the climate crisis, you’d think voluntary guidelines to improve corporate environmental and social practices would be a no-brainer. After all, addressing those critical issues can also boost a company’s bottom line. But companies with business models based on activities that create greater inequalities and cause harm to the air, water, and soil, are threatened by ESG (environmental, social and governance) investor policies. ESG encourages investors to consider criteria such as environmental risk, pay equity and transparency in accounting. That’s why Big Oil is fighting back. Much of the “anti-woke” rhetoric you hear…

At the center of every empire is an ideology, a belief system that propels the system forward and justifies expansion – even if the cost of that expansion directly defies the ideology’s stated mission. For European colonial powers, it was Christianity and the promise of saving souls while extracting resources. For today’s AI empire, it’s artificial general intelligence to “benefit all humanity.” And OpenAI is its chief evangelist, spreading zeal across the industry in a way that has reframed how AI is built. “I was interviewing people whose voices were shaking from the fervor of their beliefs in AGI,” Karen…

How much do foundation models matter? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s come up a lot in my conversations with AI startups, which are increasingly comfortable with businesses that used to be dismissed as “GPT wrappers,” or companies that build interfaces on top of existing AI models like ChatGPT. These days, startup teams are focused on customizing AI models for specific tasks and interface work, and see the foundation model as a commodity that can be swapped in and out as necessary. That approach was on display especially at last week’s Boxworksconference, which seemed devoted entirely to…

 The pandemic hit the live music industry extremely hard in Canada. Many live music venues, without income for two years, permanently closed. But even before the pandemic, many venues were struggling with increasingly unaffordable rents. Is there a way to put live music venues onto more solid financial footing that allows them to focus on the artists and their development? A group of us in Toronto – Hugh’s Room – are, with the support of our community, doing just that. Hugh’s Room presents more than 200 concerts a year. Over its twenty years its hosted notable Canadian artists like Jane…

 On May 30, 2022, the Toronto Star published a contribution from financial advisor Lesley-Anne Scorgie entitled: You received CERB and shouldn’t have. Now you have to repay it. So, what are your options if you really can’t afford to? Scorgie’s tough-love advice to CERB ineligibles is basically to ‘buck up’ and face the music. After getting clear on the amount you owe and your repayment schedule, start making plans. Sell your valuables and belongings, collect debts from friends and family, start doing things yourself that you would normally pay others to do and stop spending as much. The language used is pungent. “Go…

 Recently, a student approached me about food price inflation, its impact on the student body, and the strategy generally adopted by the Bank of Canada to combat inflation. We were reviewing media articles in class on the prices frozen by Loblaws on their no name brand goods in conjunction with the billions that were added to the wealth of its CEO, Galen Weston Jr., especially during the pandemic. The course, which I recently introduced at MacEwan University, is titled Humanistic Economics, where I eschew fancy mathematics and lead students through critiques of standard textbook theory and introduce them to alternative perspectives on topical issues including inequality,…

 In many countries — most notably the U.S. — corporations are considered “persons” under law, enjoying many of the same legal rights and responsibilities as “natural” persons. Judging by the way some corporations operate, you might conclude they’re not very good people. Defining corporations as “persons” simply means they have a legal identity separate from shareholders and owners. But what is the purpose of a business or corporation? If you look at sectors such as the fossil fuel industry, you might be led to believe the primary aim is to enrich shareholders and CEOs, and maybe create some employment, regardless of…

 The global economic system is based on the creed of cancer — endless growth. It’s impossible to maintain steady growth indefinitely on a finite planet. This is not ideology but simple mathematics. Steady growth in anything — from the amounts of resources we use or garbage we make or the size of our population, city limits or the economy — is “exponential growth,” with a predictable doubling time. Growth at one per cent a year will double in 70 years, two per cent in 35 years, three per cent in 23 years, four per cent in 17.5 years and so…

On Tuesday, Ramp answered any lingering questions as to why investors recently valued the expense management startup at $22.5 billion, Just 45 days after a previous funding round valued it at $16 billion: The company says it has achieved $1 billion in annualized revenue. Annualized revenue refers to a company’s current revenue rate projected over a full year. In March, co-founder and CEO Eric Glyman told TechCrunch that Ramp had hit annualized revenue of $700 million. That’s $300 million of revenue growth in about six months. Ramp, which provides corporate expense management and financial software tools, raised $500 million…

Apple debuted the third-generation AirPods Pro at the “Awe-dropping” event on Tuesday, featuring heart-rate tracking, improved audio, and a smaller, more interactive charging case. It’s been three years since Apple refreshed the AirPods Pro line, releasing the Pro 2 model in 2022. The new AirPods Pro are available for preorder today at a cost of $249. The headphones will arrive in stores on September 19. IMAGE CREDITS:APPLE One of the standout features of the AirPods Pro 3 is its heart-rate sensing capability, a first for the AirPods line. This addition will operate similarly to the Powerbeats Pro 2, using LED…