Walmart announced Friday that longtime CEO Doug McMillon will step down after more than ten years leading the nation’s largest retailer. John Furner, the current head of Walmart U.S., will take over after the company’s fiscal year ends on February 1.
Furner, 51, started at Walmart as an hourly worker in 1993 and now oversees more than 4,600 stores. McMillon, 59, oversaw Walmart’s shift from a traditional big-box chain into a retail and e-commerce powerhouse, boosting revenue and market value while raising wages and improving benefits. He’ll stay on the board through next spring.
The shift signals a new chapter for a company that rarely changes CEOs and often promotes from within.
Even Six-Figure Earners Are Feeling Broke These Days
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Six figures used to mean you made it. Now it means you’re barely hanging on. At least that’s what a new Harris survey suggests.
Americans earning six-figure salaries say they are in “survival mode,” living paycheck to paycheck. Rising housing costs, child-care bills, debt payments, and everyday expenses are eating through earnings that once felt solid. In many cities, $100,000 no longer brings stability.
As a result, families are cutting back on travel, putting off big purchases, and leaning on savings just to get through the month. Even workers with strong careers say they feel stretched thin. $100,000 looks impressive on paper, but reality tells a different story.
eBay Will Go All-In on AI
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eBay is hitting “refresh” with a big AI upgrade, according to CNN. The company rolled out five new AI-powered shopping tools this week, including a conversational chatbot and smarter shipping estimates built with help from OpenAI.
The move is part of eBay’s push to modernize and reclaim ground in a crowded e-commerce market. Early signs suggest investors like the direction. The stock has climbed sharply in recent years and is outpacing giants like Amazon and Microsoft this year.
For eBay, the gamble is simple. These new features could help spark a real comeback—or leave the platform stuck in the past.
Mortgage Rates Edge Up Again as Housing Costs Stay High
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Mortgage rates nudged higher for the second week in a row, with the average 30-year loan now sitting in the mid-6 percent range.
The move follows a brief period of declines that had offered a little relief to buyers. Rates on 15-year mortgages slipped slightly, but not enough to ease broader affordability concerns. Even with borrowing costs still near their lowest levels of the year, many would-be homeowners remain squeezed by steep prices and limited inventory.
The latest uptick adds another hurdle to first-time buyers who are looking to enter the market.
Luxury Electric Cars Hit a Speed Bump
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Sales of luxury electric vehicles have stalled. Once seen as the future of high-end driving, these premium EVs are now facing slumping demand, longer delivery waits, and growing resistance from buyers dealing with rising prices and weaker incentives.
Automakers that rolled out sleek luxury EV models, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning are rethinking timing and strategy after fleets gathered dust and incentive payouts dropped. The shift highlights how even affluent consumers are proving cautious in the electric-vehicle race, especially as costs climb and choices multiply.
The promise of luxury EV dominance may be under threat just as the market thought it had arrived.
Did AI Hack Anthropic? Researchers Say No.
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Anthropic says Chinese state-based hackers used its AI model to run 80–90 % of a cyber-attack autonomously.
But independent researchers say the figure is misleading. They note the system still needed human input at key points — planning, validation and decision-making. One noted the model frequently got things wrong or overstated its access. The researchers argue the event reflects advanced automation more than true AI independence.
The debate highlights the challenge of defining “autonomy” in cybersecurity and raises questions about how capable self-directed AI really is.
Walmart announced Friday that longtime CEO Doug McMillon will step down after more than ten years leading the nation’s largest retailer. John Furner, the current head of Walmart U.S., will take over after the company’s fiscal year ends on February 1.
Furner, 51, started at Walmart as an hourly worker in 1993 and now oversees more than 4,600 stores. McMillon, 59, oversaw Walmart’s shift from a traditional big-box chain into a retail and e-commerce powerhouse, boosting revenue and market value while raising wages and improving benefits. He’ll stay on the board through next spring.
The shift signals a new chapter for a company that rarely changes CEOs and often promotes from within.
