IBM has weathered more corporate rebrandings than most businesses try in their lifetimes, as well as wars, recessions, and the dot-com bust. However, it felt different last week to watch IBM stock drop 11% in a single session. Not exactly disastrous. But disturbing. Reports that Anthropic’s AI tools could automate modernization of COBOL systems, the antiquated programming language that subtly powers government databases, banks, and insurers, caused the decline, which was the worst in over 20 years. IBM’s mainframe and COBOL ecosystem has been a reliable, nearly imperceptible source of cash flow for many years. That engine suddenly appeared vulnerable.…
Author: errica
Screens continue to flash red and green with a subdued urgency, but the trading floor no longer roars as it once did. The stock of Paramount Skydance did what investors had been waiting for on Thursday afternoon: it surged by over 20%. That kind of spike feels almost theatrical for a business that has been stumbling through earnings misses and skepticism. After months of conjecture, Paramount’s offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery at $31 per share put an end to the competition and eliminated Netflix. The market reacted rapidly. PSKY saw a significant increase in after-hours trading, closing at $13.51.…
Situated on the outskirts of Durham, HMP Frankland’s perimeter fencing creates a stark contrast with the gloomy northern sky. Locals sometimes refer to it as “Monster Mansion,” a moniker that sounds more like shorthand than dark humor. Men serving whole-life terms are inside; their names, which formerly made headlines, have since faded into the background. Among them is Anthony Russell Huntley. He is 43 years old and serving a life sentence for killing three people in a week-long murderous rampage in October 2020. A pregnant woman was among the victims. In court, the specifics of those crimes were characterized as…
The British public is not amused by the name Ian Huntley. Like a stone dropped into still water, it lands heavily and creates ripples that never completely go away. Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both ten years old, disappeared from the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire in August 2002. The ensuing search was emotional, thorough, and extremely public. A school caretaker who was on camera expressing sympathy stood in the middle of it. It’s nearly intolerable to watch those interviews now that you know what happened later. Huntley described the community’s concern while speaking quietly and with downcast eyes. Even…
Late February in Hubballi is warm and nearly silent. By mid-morning, players are squinting against the sun as the concrete outside KSCA Stadium radiates heat. That morning, Qamran Iqbal, who had driven from Srinagar overnight, hardly slept before getting out of a car. Back home he had been wrapped in winter air less than twelve hours before. He was now preparing for a final for the Ranji Trophy. It’s difficult to ignore how quickly cricket careers can change course. One teammate was hurt. One phone call late at night. One boarding pass was quickly booked. He wasn’t even in the…
The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Team stood on the verge of something that seemed almost impossible on a chilly February evening in Hubballi, as the sun sank behind the stands and shadows stretched across the field. The eight-time champions, Karnataka, were hundreds behind. Silently, the scoreboard glowed. Additionally, the heavyweights did not write the script for once. The symbolism is difficult to miss. A 1960-founded team that had been used to early eliminations and low expectations all of a sudden controls the tempo of a Ranji Trophy final. Jammu and Kashmir was viewed as a participant, not a contender, for…
Fans carrying framed pictures of Carmen Salinas stood outside a funeral home in Mexico City on a December morning. Some were curling at the edges, while others were laminated. As though it were a relic, a woman pressed a photograph to her chest. Outside, traffic roared as usual, while inside, the coffin lay under bright lights. Mexico wept loudly, but the city continued on. It never does. Despite being only 4 feet 11 inches tall, Carmen Salinas always seemed bigger than the streets she traversed. She started performing as a child, singing and posing as famous people on radio shows.…
Penitencia has done something disturbing: it has made people sit down and listen, in a nation where violence frequently becomes background noise. Politicians, no. To prosecutors, no. but to inmates. Usually, the camera is motionless. It’s fluorescent, harsh, and prison-issue lighting. And across from Saskia Niño de Rivera, a man who has been incarcerated for decades speaks in a tone that trembles and doesn’t. During those interviews, it’s difficult to ignore how silent the room feels. No melodramatic music. Don’t take short cuts. Just a man or woman talking about the worst choices they have ever made. The format appears…
Even before the first ball was bowled that night in Chennai, the air felt heavy. Fans wearing blue jerseys were arriving at the MA Chidambaram Stadium early. Some were still talking about South Africa’s defeat in Ahmedabad, while others were just staring at the pitch, as though they could read fate from its subtle green gleam. Rarely does a Super Eight match between Zimbabwe and India carry the weight of history, but this one did. Semi-final hopes would falter with just one slip. After winning the toss, Zimbabwe decided to field after detecting surface moisture. It was a daring call,…
Anthropic is not a publicly traded company, to put it simply. However, Anthropic no longer feels straightforward. The San Francisco-based AI company has subtly transformed from a specialized safety-focused startup to one of the most talked-about private businesses globally in recent years. Its offices are located in a posh area of downtown San Francisco, close to other major AI companies, where engineers argue over model behavior over espresso machines and badge-access elevators hum. Like sports fans checking the results of the playoffs, analysts and venture capitalists outside update valuation dashboards. Even though private market valuations have reportedly approached $300 billion…