Author: wildgreenquest@gmail.com

For the past two years, I’ve had a front-row seat to one of the largest and most rigorous datasets in global design. Each year, the iF DESIGN AWARD receives over 10,000 submissions spanning 93 categories of design. Participants include industry giants like Apple and Coca-Cola, to startups and independent design studios that are actively shaping the field’s future. Taken together, these entries offer more than a snapshot of excellence. They reveal where design is actually headed. What emerges from recent winners is a growing shift: In many categories, sustainability is no longer a differentiator, it’s the baseline for great design.…

Key Takeaways Doughnut franchises are no longer just small treat shops — top brands have evolved into systemized, data-driven operations that attract investors. Leading franchises stand out by turning occasional purchases into daily or weekly routines, creating steady, predictable revenue streams for franchisees. Established brands offer strong recognition and built-in demand, while smaller or emerging concepts provide more flexibility and growth potential. Doughnut franchises are evolving from simple treat shops into structured, data-driven businesses that appeal to investors looking for recognizable brands and repeatable customer demand.The doughnut category in the 2026 Franchise 500Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500 includes a dedicated doughnut…

Organizers of the Giro d’Italia recently warned the cyclists not to pee into their water bottles and then toss them on the side of the road. Yes, cyclists pull over to the side of the road to pee during a race! (Photo: JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)Published May 20, 2026 04:39PMProfessional cycling is a sport of dizzying calorie consumption. During the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia, the cyclists burn gazillions of calories and must gulp down massive quantities of pasta and rice to keep their cannon-like legs churning. They also guzzle coffee, recovery shakes, electrolyte swill, and sugary gels…

A person holds a phone displaying the Instagram logo in Knurow, Poland, on April 20, 2025. (Photo Illustration by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesContent creators and influencers have a new Meta app to consider in 2026: Instants. This real-time photo-sharing platform, accessible both within Instagram and as a standalone app, is designed for sharing unedited photos that disappear after 24 hours or after being viewed. Here’s what you need to know about Instagram’s Instants and what it means for creators and influencers.What Is Instagram’s Instants?Instagram Instants is a new way to share photos with your followers or…

Meta just laid off 8,000 employees to pay for its AI infrastructure — and started tracking the keystrokes of those who remain, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company began cutting 10% of its workforce while simultaneously monitoring employees’ mouse clicks and keystrokes to train AI models. When workers asked if they could opt out of the tracking program, a Meta executive said no. More than 1,500 employees have signed a petition demanding that the company stop collecting their computer-use data. The layoffs are meant to offset Meta’s $145 billion investment in AI infrastructure this year, largely to build…

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $58.32 billion. The Santa Clara, California-based company said it had a profit of $2.39 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to $1.87 per share. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.77 per share. The maker of graphics chips for gaming and artificial intelligence posted revenue of $81.61 billion in the period, also topping Street forecasts. Ten analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $78.75 billion. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from…

Joshua Higginbotham swore off buying new cars from his local Jeep dealerships after spending entire days going back and forth on price. Then he used Carvana to buy a brand-new $51,000 Jeep Wrangler without leaving his Kansas City couch. He ordered it online from a Carvana dealership over 1,000 miles away in Arizona, paid $1,290 for shipping, and skipped the negotiation entirely, according to the Wall Street Journal. Carvana has quietly spent over $160 million acquiring seven Stellantis dealerships in the past year, bringing its digital-first, no-haggle model to the new-car business. The results are impressive: its Casa Grande, Arizona,…

Billions in philanthropic giving unlocked by the AI boom could mean more government-philanthropy partnerships for scientific research and STEM education.U.S. National Science FoundationDollars toward Federal R&D and STEM Education funding could soon go much further thanks to government partnerships with philanthropies born of the rise of AI. In The Third Wave of American Philanthropy, writer Nan Ransohoff laid out how hundreds of billions of dollars in new philanthropic capital, derived from the AI boom, could potentially become available for investment. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States, recently committed to increasing…

Key Takeaways Dr. Forbes Riley generated more than $2.5 billion in sales across three decades of appearing on home shopping networks like QVC and HSN. She says that pitching starts with the listener’s problem, not a product or origin story. Her success on QVC and HSN came from treating pitching as relationship‑building, constantly adjusting to real‑time feedback and focusing on making viewers feel seen. Dr. Forbes Riley built her career in front of the camera, turning products into must-haves and generating more than $2.5 billion in cumulative sales. Over the course of three decades, she became a fixture on home…

Meta officially announced a sweeping round of layoffs today that will impact thousands of employees across the business, or about 10% of the company’s 78,000-person workforce. In a memo to employees today—obtained by Business Insider—Meta remained coy about the rationale for the layoffs, using the same language as in prior internal communications. “As previously shared, we have decided to reduce headcount as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making,” the company wrote in the memo, which was signed by “Meta Leadership” and offered no…