Warren Buffett’s successor appears to be considering his first significant move after taking over as CEO this month.Kraft Heinz warned investors Tuesday that Berkshire Hathaway may be interested in selling its 325 million shares in the name brand food giant that Buffett helped create back in 2015. The news came in a filing with stock market regulators.Buffett and the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital orchestrated the merger of Kraft and Heinz back then because they already owned Heinz and believed in the power of their brands. Now Greg Abel may be plotting a different course.Over the years since Buffett had come to realize that the company’s competitive moat around its brands wasn’t as strong as he thought as consumers have increasingly been willing to switch to store brands and move away from processed foods. Berkshire took a $3.76 billion writedown on its Kraft-Heinz stake last summer. Buffett said last fall that he was disappointed in Kraft Heinz’ plan to split the company in two, and Berkshire’s two representatives resigned from the Kraft board last spring.But still it was rare for Buffett to unload an acquisition during his six decades leading Berkshire even when he soured on a business’ prospects. Berkshire didn’t respond to questions Tuesday about the filing where Kraft Heinz disclosed that its largest shareholder “may offer to sell, from time to time, 325,442,152 shares.” Kraft Heinz shares fell nearly 4% to $22.85 after the announcement.There’s no sign Berkshire has started selling yet, but CFRA Research analyst Cathy Seifert wonders if this could be just the beginning of a comprehensive review of Berkshire’s varied holdings. In addition to its massive stock portfolio worth over $300 billion, Berkshire owns an assortment of insurers including Geico, several utilities, BNSF railroad and an eclectic mix of manufacturing and retail companies.“My sense is that Greg Abel’s leadership style may be a departure from Buffett’s, and this sale, if completed, would represent a shift in corporate mindset,” Seifert said. “Berkshire under Buffett typically only made acquisitions- not divestitures. It’s not inconceivable, in our view, that Abel may likely assess every Berkshire subsidiary and decide to jettison those that do not meet his internal hurdles.”Of course Abel already knows many of Berkshire’s companies well because he has been managing all of the non-insurance companies since 2018. But he only became CEO on Jan. 1. Buffett remains chairman, but investors are watching closely for any changes Abel might make at the venerable conglomerate.Investor Chris Ballard, who is managing director at Check Capital, said “selling Kraft is probably the most low-hanging fruit for Greg. We personally wouldn’t be sad to see the holding go.”But of course it would be bard for Berkshire to unload all of its shares on the public market because it is such a large stake, so Ballard said he wonders if there could be a large prospective buyer in the wings.But Buffett said last fall that Berkshire wouldn’t accept a block bid for its shares unless the same offer was made to all Kraft Heinz shareholders.
Josh Funk, AP Business Writer
President Donald Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, after a minor electrical issue aboard Air Force One had forced a return to Washington to switch aircraft.Shortly after he landed in Zurich, his Marine One helicopter took him to the site of the international gathering. The White House said arriving late wouldn’t push back his scheduled address at the forum in the Swiss Alpswhere his ambitions to wrest control of Greenland from NATO ally Denmark could tear relations with European allies and overshadow his original plan to use his appearance at the gathering of global elites to address affordability issues back home.Trump’s speech is set to focus on domestic policy. But it may touch on Greenland as well as the U.S. military operation that led to the recent ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.On Thursday, Trump plans to more heavily lean into foreign policy, including discussing hemispheric domination by Washington, and the “Board of Peace” he’s creating to oversee the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas.That’s according to a White House official who spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that haven’t been made public. Trump will also have around five bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, though further details weren’t provided.
Tariff threat looms large
Trump comes to the international forum at Davos on the heels of threatening steep U.S. import taxes on Denmark and seven other allies unless they negotiate a transfer of the semi-autonomous territorya concession the European leaders indicated they are not willing to make.Trump said the tariffs would start at 10% next month and climb to 25% in June, rates that would be high enough to increase costs and slow growth, potentially hurting Trump’s efforts to tamp down the high cost of living.The president in a text message that circulated among European officials this week also linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize. In the message, he told Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Stre, that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace.”In the midst of an unusual stretch of testing the United States’ relations with longtime allies, it seems uncertain what might transpire during Trump’s two days in Switzerland.On Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Davos panel he and Trump, a Republican, planned to deliver a stark message: “Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America. It’s a failed policy,” he said.“This will be an interesting trip,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday evening for his flight to Davos. “I have no idea what’s going to happen, but you are well represented.”In fact, his trip to Davos got off to a difficult start. There was a small electrical problem on Air Force One, leading the crew to turn around the plane about 30 minutes into the flight out of an abundance of caution. That pushed the president’s arrival in Switzerland back hours.Wall Street wobbled on Tuesday as investors weighed Trump’s new tariff threats and escalating tensions with European allies. The S&P 500 fell 2.1%, its biggest drop since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.8%. The Nasdaq composite slumped 2.4%.“It’s clear that we are reaching a time of instability, of imbalances, both from the security and defense point of view, and economic point of view,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in his address to the forum. Macron made no direct mention of Trump but urged fellow leaders to reject acceptance of “the law of the strongest.”Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that should Trump move forward with the tariffs, the bloc’s response “will be unflinching, united and proportional.” She pointedly suggested that Trump’s new tariff threat could also undercut a U.S.-EU trade framework reached this summer that the Trump administration worked hard to to seal.“The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July,” von der Leyen said in Davos. “And in politics as in business a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something.”
Trump will talk about housing
Trump, ahead of the address, said he planned on using his Davos appearance to talk about making housing more attainable and other affordability issues that are top priorities for Americans.But Trump’s Greenland tariff threat could disrupt the U.S. economy if it blows up the trade truce reached last year between the U.S. and the EU, said Scott Lincicome, a tariff critic and vice president on economic issues at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.“Significantly undermining investors’ confidence in the U.S. economy in the longer term would likely increase interest rates and thus make homes less affordable,” Lincicome said.Trump also on Tuesday warned Europe against retaliatory action for the coming new tariffs.“Anything they do with us, I’ll just meet it,” Trump said on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight.” “All I have to do is meet it, and it’s going to go ricocheting backward.”Davos a forum known for its appeal to the global elite is an odd backdrop for a speech on affordability. But White House officials have promoted it as a moment for Trump to try to rekindle populist support back in the U.S., where many voters who backed him in 2024 view affordability as a major problem. About six in 10 U.S. adults now say that Trump has hurt the cost of living, according to the latest survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.U.S. home sales are at a 30-year low with rising prices and elevated mortgage rates keeping many prospective buyers out of the market. So far, Trump has announced plans to buy $200 billion in mortgage securities to help lower interest rates on home loans, and has called for a ban on large financial companies buying houses.
Promoting the ‘Board of Peace’
There are more than 60 other heads of state attending the forum. On Thursday, Trump plans to have an event to talk about the Board of Peace, meant to oversee the end of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and possibly take on a broader mandate, potentially rivaling the United Nations.The White House official said around 30 are expected to join the board after invites were sent to about 50 countries late last week.Fewer than 10 leaders have accepted invitations to join the group so far, including a handful of leaders considered to be anti-democratic authoritarians. Several of America’s main European partners have declined or been noncommittal, including Britain, France and Germany.Trump on Tuesday told reporters that his peace board “might” eventually make the U.N. obsolete but insisted he wants to see the international body stick around.“I believe you got to let the U.N. continue, because the potential is so great,” Trump said.
Michelle L. Price contributed from Washington.
Josh Boak, Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani, Associated Press
In October, gold hit a significant milestone, reaching $4,000 an ounce for the first time. Less than four months later, the precious metal is well on its way to $4,900 an ounce in an astonishing push that shows no signs of stopping.
Late Tuesday, January 20, gold hit a new record high of $4,800 an ounce, and by Wednesday morning, it rose to over $4,880 an ounceup more than 12% year-to-date (YTD) and up about 76% over the last 12 months.
A report from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) predicts gold could trade anywhere between $3,450 and $7,150 an ounce in 2026. Analysts surveyed by the LBMA predict wildly different figures, with Robin Bhar of RBMC forecasting an average of $4,000 per ounce, and Julia Du of the ICBC Standard Bank predicting an average of $6,050 per ounce.
Silver has also continued its surge right alongside gold. The precious metal surpassed $95 per ounce for the first time on Tuesday. It has fluttered ever since, dropping within $2 less an ounce, before reaching above $95 again and again. Silvers new record-high figure is up about 34% YTD, and up more than 201% over the last year.
In the LBMA report, Du took an equally bullish stance on silver, forecasting an average of $125 per ounce, while Bart Melek of TD Securities predicted an average of $44.25 per ounce.
Why do gold and silver continue to rise?
Gold and silver are seen as safe-haven assets at a time of intense geopolitical uncertainty. This week has seen President Donald Trump continue his push to take Greenland by whatever means necessary.
Today, he is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos to further his demands, and push back against European leaders who oppose them.
Over the weekend, Trump threatened tariffs of up to 25% on eight European countries, including the United Kingdom and Denmark.
Right now, too many physicians and patients are trapped in a fragmented system. Information existsbut rarely in a form thats usable or easily actionable. Too often, lab results arrive as scanned images. Medication histories show up late or unreadable. Critical details hide in pages no one has time to sift through.
What clinicians feel in those moments is not just inconvenienceits strain. Theyre carrying the weight of navigating a complexity that shouldnt sit on their shoulders in the first place. Many expect artificial intelligence (AI) to solve the problem but while it can be an important part of the solution, AI is only as smart as the data it feeds on and only as effective as the structure that enables it. When information is incomplete, inconsistent, or locked in silos, even the most advanced tools struggle to deliver meaningful insight.
AI plays an important rolebut not by fixing fragmented data on its own. The work of organizing, connecting, and interpreting healthcare information still belongs to people and the systems they build. Where AI helps is after that foundation is in place: by bringing the right information forward at the right time, reducing the effort it takes to find what matters, and supporting better decisions in the moment of care. The next era of healthcare innovation wont be driven by larger AI models. It will be driven by how well we prepare the information they rely on.
The benefits of AI
AI is already helping clinicians reclaim time. It drafts documentation, supports communication, and reduces administrative burden reducing the pressures that drive burnout.
A nationwide survey of more than 500 physicians and administrators conducted by athenaInstitute for its AI on the Frontlines of Care report found that 64% of clinicians said documentation-related AI reduces their workload, and nearly half identified time saved as AIs most important benefit. What stands out is how often clinicians describe these savings in terms of what they get back: the ability to be present with their patients.
Less administrative pressure doesnt just lighten their workloadit changes how they show up in the exam room. Thats powerful.
But these gains reveal a deeper truth: AI performs best when the information around it is complete, consistent, and interpretable. For too many medical practices across the nation, thats the exception, not the rule.
AI only works when the data works
Clinicians consistently report difficulty accessing what they need when they need it, according to athenaInstitutes research. Nearly half say they encounter inconsistent formats or information that is simply hard to locate. Only 2% report having timely, comprehensive visibility across systems.
This disconnect has real consequences. AI cannot flag early signs that a patients condition is worsening if key information is missing. It cant prevent duplicative testing when records dont follow patients across medical settings. It cant strengthen clinical reasoning when the underlying information contradicts itself.
AI is a force multiplier, but it can only magnify what already exists. If the data is fragmented, the insight will be fragmented too.
This is why interoperability matters to every one of us, whether we realize it or not. For clinicians, its the difference between piecing together bits of information or having a clear picture of their patients. For patients, its the difference between reciting the same information repeatedly or speaking face-to-face with your physician, with no distractions.
AI adoption grows when it reduces friction in the workflows clinicians struggle with most: documentation, intake, communication, scheduling, and claims. Trust grows when AI is transparent, monitored, and clinically grounded. Safety grows when interoperability and standardization serve as the backbone of clarity.
Four shifts that will shape the future
The organizations that unlock AIs full value will be the ones that build the strongest data foundation. Leading organizations will take four actions.
1. Curate, not accumulate. Clinicians dont need more data. They need meaningful data that supports their ability to treat patients.
2. Standardize to simplify. Predictable structure in the dataformats, fields and definitionsreduces friction and cognitive load.
3. Make intelligence portable. Patients move. Their information should move with themintact, interpretable, and ready to support the next moment of care.
4. Support intuitive interpretation. The best AI surfaces what matters, explains why, and reinforcesnot replacesclinician judgment.
When these elements come together, AI stops functioning as a series of disconnected tools and starts acting as a true intelligence partnerone that provides clarity instead of noise.
Healthcare has never lacked dedication, intelligence, or compassion. What it has lacked is claritythe ability to see the full picture when it matters most. AI can help deliver that clarity, but only when its built on a system that speaks a common language. If we invest in connected, usable data today, we wont just make healthcare more efficient. Well make it more human. And thats the kind of progress and innovation patients, clinicians, and communities deserve.
Stacy Simpson is chief marketing officer at athenahealth and co-chair of athenaInstitute.
The EAT-Lancet Commission gives us a clear roadmap: If we want to feed 10 billion people without destroying the planet, we need to radically transform our diets by eating more whole grains, more legumes, and fewer ultra-processed foods.
The problem? We’re asking consumers to overhaul their eating habits while competing against an entire industry that has spent decadesand billions of dollarsengineering products to be scientifically irresistible. Whole foods don’t stand a chance against ultra-processed alternatives optimized for addictive taste and shelf stability, unless they can deliver on both flavor and texture.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD NEEDS TO BE DELICIOUS
Consumers shouldnt have to sacrifice the planet for great taste, and thats where the food industry has failed us. The pasta category represents a promising opportunity to change this narrative. Its a universal comfort food beloved across cultures, income levels, and palates. Pasta is uniquely positioned to lead this shift, not just because its loved, but because it can naturally carry whole grains, legumes, and nutrient-dense ingredients without disrupting the eating experience consumers value most.
Yet most “better-for-you” pastas have disappointed consumers. Grainy textures, chalky aftertastes, mushy mouthfeelthe category has trained people to expect compromise. Nutritious ingredients shouldnt disrupt expectations. Creating more nutritious pasta that delivers the taste consumers expect requires studying how different plant proteins behave during extrusion, how hydration affects structure, and how to preserve the al dente bite that defines great pasta. The goal in product development is not to mimic traditional semolina pasta but to unlock an exciting, satisfying way to enjoy legumes, celebrating their natural flavor, texture, and nutritional value rather than disguising them.
If food companies want to stay both relevant and responsible, true innovation should be a tool for sustainability, not just a marketing message. And real innovation starts with the food itself: naturally nutritious, minimally processed ingredients are inherently good for people and the planet.
START WITH HOW FOOD IS DEVELOPED
But equally important is how we develop food. This work doesnt happen only in labs; it happens in kitchens. The industry needs more chefs, not just scientists; people who understand how flavors interact, how ingredients behave, and how to creatively blend them into something both nourishing and craveable.
The kitchen is quite literally the heart of our companythe place where chefs experiment, teams gather, colleagues taste prototypes, and spontaneous conversations shape the next generation of products. Its where flavor, nutrition, and sustainability meet in practice, not theory. This collaborative, culinary-first approach is what ensures that better-for-you food doesnt just check boxes; it genuinely delights.
How we communicate this to consumers is essential. For years, the language of healthy eating has become almost clinicala maze of disclaimers and technical jargon. We need to bring the conversation back to clarity and enjoyment: explaining why wholesome ingredients matter, how minimal processing supports better health and a more satisfying eating experience, all without compromise. Clearer language and education won’t just help consumers make better choices; it will help them understand why the choices exist in the first place.
TASTE MUST DRIVE CHANGE
But achieving this is a cultural shift, not a quick fix. It demands patience, steady investment, and a willingness to prioritize long-term impact over short-term wins. And it cannot rest on food companies alone. Real progress requires alignment across the entire food value chain, from manufacturers to retailers and distributors, with retailers playing a particularly powerful role in shaping access, visibility, and everyday choice.
We cant wait for consumers to demand better. All stakeholders need to lead proactively by creating better options, making them accessible, and letting great taste drive adoption. The future of the planetand the health of billionsdepends on the choices we make today.
Carlo Stocco is the managing director of Andriani/Felicia North America.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has alerted the public to a threat posed by select canned tuna products. The canned tuna is at risk of harboring the bacterium that causes botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning. Heres what you need to know about the canned tuna recall.
What’s happened?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has posted a recall notice on its website announcing that select cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that can cause botulism in humans and animals who consume it.
The canned tuna is produced by the El Segundo, California Tri-Union Seafoods company, which initiated the voluntary recall after it became aware that a third-party distributor had inadvertently released quarantined product that was linked to a recall in early 2025.
That recall was related to a flaw in the easy open pull tab lid on select canned tuna products. The flaw meant that the seal on the can could be impacted, which could cause the tuna inside to leak or for bacteria like Clostridium botulinum to enter the product.
Tri-Union Seafoods has learned that some quarantined products from that recall were inadvertently distributed by a third-party distributor, hence the new recall.
[Photo: Genova]
What canned tuna is being recalled?
There are multiple canned tuna products being recalled. The products are sold in cans under the Genova brand. The recalled products include:
Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil 5.0 oz 4 Pack
UPC: 4800073265
Can Code: S84N D2L
Best if Used By Date: 1/21/2028
Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil 5.0 oz 4 Pack
UPC: 4800073265
Can Code: S84N D3L
Best if Used By Date: 1/24/2028
Genova Yellowfin Tuna in in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sea Salt 5.0 oz
UPC: 4800013275
Can Code: S88N D1M
Best if Used By Date: 1/17/2028
Product photos can be found in the recall notice here.
Which states were the recalled tuna sold in?
The recalled canned tuna was sold in nine states, including:
California
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maryland
Michigan
Ohio
Wisconsin
Virginia
Which stores were the recalled tuna sold in?
According to the recall notice, the recalled canned tuna was distributed to six retailers. These include:
Albertsons stores in California
Giant Food stores in Maryland and Virginia
Meijer stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Pavilions stores in California
Safeway stores in California
Vons stores in California
What should I do if I have the recalled tuna?
The recall notice stresses that even if the recalled product doesnt smell or look spoiled, you should not use it.
Instead, you should dispose of the recalled canned tuna or take it back to its place of purchase for a full refund.
Alternately, consumers with the recalled product can contact Tri-Union Seafoods for a retrieval kit and a coupon for a replacement can of tuna.
Full details about the tuna recall can be found in the notice posted to the FDAs website.
Back on December 15th, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score more than 40 points in a game. It was also just the third time a teenager had 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the leagues 79-year history.
The only other two players to achieve that last stat line were LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Given that elevated company, and the fact that James, Durant, and about 65% of the NBA wear Nike shoes, it is still a bit of a shock to see Flagg donning New Balance.
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The privately-owned, Massachusetts-based shoemaker has gradually built a comparatively small, but elite roster of athlete ambassadors over the past decade. Despite its sizeNew Balances 2024 sales were about $7.8 billion, compared to Nikes $51.4BFlagg shares the shoe brand with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, and Major League Baseball MVP Shohei Ohtani. Not to mention WNBA standout Cameron Brink, as well as fellow NBA stars Tyrese Maxey, Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray, Darius Garland, and Zack Levine. Many star in the brands newest ad that dropped on January 5th.
CMO Chris Davis says the goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the best, most boutique sports marketing brand in the world. We had to find that core component of our identity that enabled us to succeed for the first 110 years of our existence, says Davis. And it was rooted in the idea of being the ultimate challenger brand. We always say internally that we’re a brand with heritage, not a heritage brand. A heritage brand purely relies on its past. A brand with heritage honors its past, but is obsessed with innovating into the future.
That mentality has fueled New Balance as it’s disrupted streetwear, fashion, and sports. But as its business has grown by 20% or more in each of the past five years, the challenge now is maintaining that boutique challenger status amid the significant growth.
Pushing forward with new design
As Flagg, Ohtani, and Allen are scoring in sports, New Balance is also able to maintain and build on its streetwear and fashion bonafides with innovative looks like the new Gator Run (a flat style trainer), and of course the snoafer (aka 1906L). Meanwhile, the Abzorb 2000 and SC Elite V5 have been named among the best sneakers of 2025.
Davis says that the original seeds for its current star-studded athlete roster were its heritage in running combined with its ties to streetwear and sneaker culture.
In those early stages, it was certainly about resonating with our ascension, particularly in the streetwear space, he says. And then of course, it was about the trusted innovations that we’ve been putting forth in running for decades.
Now, the driving force is the brands commitment to its independence and what that affords them in how they work with athletes and other collaborators.
The fact that we are privately owned certainly facilitates a unique mindset, says Davis. And the fact that we don’t have to make decisions based on Wall Street or quarterly earnings reports, it enables us to take a long-term vision, build a strong foundation, and primarily to do things because we believe that they are the right thing to do, the right thing for the brand, the right thing for our people internally and the right thing for all our partners.
The evolving brand of New Balance
He credits the brands independent identity with attracting the first in its wave of new athletes over the past decade. But another pillar to Davis athlete strategy is partnership over sponsorship. Athletes arent silod in a single sports category of basketball or tennis, but part of the brand as a whole. This is embodied in launches like the recent collab between fashion label Miu Miu and Gauff.
We work collaboratively on everything that our major athletes touch, he says. So we co-author our storytelling, we co-author our product, and we co-author our business strategies together. They have a massive input on how we’re coming to market collectively. That not only enhances their sphere of influence, but it makes them more connected to our brand.”
As 2026 kicks off, the challenge facing Davies is the same as it was 12 months ago: Continued growth without sacrificing the culture that got it here. But New Balance recognizes that perception of its brand has changed, and that’s helpd their momentum. Years ago, it was New Balance pitching athletes and other partners to team up, now the company turns down about 99% of inbound requests.
The best indication of future behavior is past behavior, and success breeds success, says Davis. At the end of the day, being the best version of ourselves is one of our major goals. But, I don’t think it’s gotten easier because our expectations have gotten higher.
A group of former government workers are developing a plan that a future administration can use to rebuild government services damaged by DOGE.
Tech Viaduct, an initiative launched by the left-leaning think tank Searchlight Institute, is made up of former senior government officials with experience in agencies including U.S. Digital Service (USDS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and General Services Administration (GSA). Its goal is to create a plan for how the federal government might repair and improve its digital presence, services, and processes. And fast.
The group’s thinking is that actual implementation of government reform requires a long lead time, but political party mandates only last until the next electionso the next administration can’t afford to spend two years studying the problem. Instead, the next president needs to hit the ground running.
“It’s the combination of rigid short deadlines, such as legislation or election calendars, and every action happening extremely slowly,” Mikey Dickerson, a former administrator of USDS from 2014 to 2017 who’s now working in leadership for Tech Viaduct, says of the slow pace of government work.
“It’s good to slow down and be careful when figuring out how a change is going to impact people,” he tells Fast Company. “It’s not good when minor technical decision requires approval from 35 committee members, representing 40 different agendas. That second type of slowness needs to be pruned way back.”
A tactical plan for the future
Tech Viaduct’s objectives are to draw up a tactical plan for a future administration with options that vary based on political circumstances, including day-one executive actions and wider ambitions that could pass with support from Congress. With three more years left in President Donald Trump’s final term, the scope of their work is a moving target.
Part of their work is administrative, technical, and boring to the average civilian, like reforming government procurement, personnel, and oversight systems. But another part is public-facing: building visibility in order to drive adoption and support for the initiative. Americans often compare government services to that of the private sector, and the government is often found wanting. A brand rehab has long been in order.
Before it folded last year, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was created out of USDS, the executive branch’s digital office. In place of those entities is the National Design Studio, a new office that launched last August and is headed by Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia. The office has given Trump initiatives the sheen of Silicon Valley web design, masking an agenda of government cuts in a shiny wrapper. This initiative is less interested in such window dressing, according to the plan it’s outline so far.
Tech Viaduct’s idea for day-one digital repair
Dickerson says he imagines a future president’s day-one executive orders could include a direction that agencies cooperate with a “triage team” to determine digital risks and needs, or stabilize and restore government programs so that they an perform their intended purposes.
Other executive orders could instruct agencies to stop illegal or unsafe abuse of private data. He says hed like to see a transparent accounting of what happened to public data under DOGE. His bigger goal is the long-term, systemic improvement to government procurement and the civil service.
“It won’t be an overnight miracle,” Dickerson says. “It’s not possible to build, fix, or repair as quickly or dramatically as you can do demolition.”
Project Searchlight says it will take years to correct DOGE’s damage, but the group also learned something from DOGE’s efforts: Changing government fast is possible if there’s sufficient political will.
“What could be done if the mandate and power of and urgency of DOGE was used to build more effective government services instead of tear them down?” Dickerson asks. Tech Viaduct seeks to find out.
Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk turned to the actors from Apple’s 2000s “Get a Mac” ads to differentiate its GLP-1 medication amid a rising sea of competitors.
On January 20, the Danish pharmaceutical company announced its “There’s Only One Ozempic” campaign starring Justin Long and John Hodgman. The actors are reprising their roles from Apple’s Mac vs. PC ads playing the personifications of a name brand and the alternativebut now for weight-loss drugs.
[Video: Novo Nordisk]
Long personified Mac in the original Apple campaign by dressing in a more youthful, casual way than Hodgman, who personified a stuffy, dorky PC by wearing glasses and a suit and tie with a closely cropped haircut. (Think Steve Jobs versus Bill Gates.) In the Apple ads, Mac was always portrayed by Long as more cool and capable.
In the new Ozempic ad, Long personifies Ozempic, facing off in a mock game show against Hodgman, who plays all of Ozempic’s competitors wrapped up in one dull brown T-shirt. (His hardworking name is “Other GLP-1s for Type 2 Diabetes.”) Hodgman’s character gets the game show’s single question right after the host asks which GLP-1 is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to lower the risk of worsening chronic kidney disease. The answer is, of course, “Ozempic,” which ultimately makes his win bittersweet.
The “Get a Mac” campaign was created by Apple’s ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab; 66 total spots aired from 2006 to 2009. In 2010, Adweek named it the best ad campaign of the 2000s for connecting technology to humanity. Now Novo Nordisk is hoping some of that magic can rub off.
The new campaign aims to reassert Ozempic’s brand equity in the public sphere as it faces business headwinds. It follows both layoffs and lower sales growth at the company, even as its U.S. competitor Eli Lilly is ascendent. The ad also drops shortly after Novo Nordisk’s other GLP-1, Wegovy, hit the market in pill form.
In such a competitive landscape, Novo Nordisk is working to make its brand name the standard. “There’s Only One Ozempic” plays up Ozempic’s unique selling proposition in a practical sense, as a solution to chronic kidney disease. But with a jingle based on the song “Magic” and a pair of actors remembered for selling computers, it’s also positioning its drug as the most desirable GLP-1.
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Among the 24 price forecasts tracked by ResiClub in our final 2026 home price forecast roundup, the average prediction is a +1.43% increase in U.S. home prices in 2026.
Keep in mind that roundup mentioned above looks at forecasts for nationally aggregated home prices. On a regional and neighborhood basis, home price swings can vary greatly from the national figure. For example, on a year-over-year basis, U.S. home prices as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index are up +0.1%, while home prices in the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, Connecticut metro area are up +4.6% and home prices in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas metro area are down -6.0% during that same timeframe.
To better understand how regional home prices may vary in 2026, ResiClub reached out to economists at Zillowwhose forecast of U.S. home prices rising by +2.1% in calendar 2026 is slightly above the average modeland economists at Moodys Analyticswhose forecast of U.S. home prices rising by +0.8% in 2026 is slightly more bearish than the average modelto gather their metro-level home price forecasts.
Lets take a look at the metro-level forecasts.
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When we published our final roundup of national home price forecasts for 2026, Zillow was forecasting +1.2% for 2026; however, over the weekend they slightly upgraded that to +2.1%.
Zillow economists write the following:
With supply no longer as tight as it was during the pandemic, price gains are likely to stay modest. Buyers should see a bit more time and leverage when they shop, while sellers can still build equity, just at a slower pace than in past boom year(s) . . . Looking ahead, Zillow projects sales will strengthen in 2026 as mortgage rates trend lower and affordability improves. Existing home sales are forecast to reach 4.3 million next year, a 5.2% yearoveryear gain. After two slow years, the recovery is expected to be led by the Southeast and West, where demand is more ratesensitive and is starting to rebound as borrowing costs ease.
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The forecast by Moodys chief economist Mark Zandi has U.S. home prices, as measured by the Moody’s repeat sales index, rising just +0.8% in calendar year 2026, followed by +1.5% uptick in 2027.
When I recently reached out to Moodys Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi for his updated home price forecast, he said his long-term outlook for the U.S. housing market remains largely unchanged: He expects a prolonged period of stagnation as affordability gradually improves. Following the historic run-up in prices during the pandemic housing boom and the subsequent mortgage rate shock, Zandi believes resale activity/existing home sales will likely stay frozen for several more years.
Affordability has to be restored for housing to regain its mojo, Zandi told ResiClub a few months ago. Flat home prices [adjusted for inflation] is the healthiest path forwardits the only way for incomes to catch up.
Zandi expects nominal national home prices to move sideways over the next 12 to 18 months, with local variation: markets in the South and West, where building has been stronger, seeing some modest declines, while tight-inventory markets in the Northeast and Midwest remain more stable.
The worst of the pain in the housing market might be now and in the next six to nine months. After that, things will begin to feel a little betterbut not good, Zandi told ResiClub in October. The housing market will heal . . . but its going to take timeand a lot of patience.
Over the next decade, Zandi projects U.S. home prices will rise roughly in line with inflation, meaning no real [adjusted for inflation] house price gains for around 10 years.
We expect homes for sale to steadily increase as more existing homeowners need to sell for demographic reasonsdeath, divorce, children, job changeand lower mortgage rates help ease their interest rate lock. The [potentially] lower rates will also support housing demand, but the increase in housing supply will be even more significant, weighing on house price gains, Zandi tells ResiClub.
What is ResiClubs take?
The housing market is still working through a cyclical cooling phase, with many of the nations fastest-growing Sun Belt boomtowns undergoing a deeper recalibration after experiencing greater overheating during the pandemic housing boom. This adjustment period wont last forever, and the long-term growth fundamentalssuch as rising populationin many of these Southern markets remain attractive. However, in 2026, ResiClub believes the market is still within that normalization window (but weregetting closer to exiting it).
Broadly speaking, housing markets where inventory (i.e., active listings) has climbed well above pre-pandemic 2019 levels have experienced softer/weaker home price growth (or event outright declines) over the past 42 months since the pandemic housing boom fizzled out. Conversely, housing markets where inventory remains far below 2019 pre-pandemic levels have, generally speaking, experienced more resilient home price growth over the past 42 months.
Using active inventory/months of supply as a short-term guide, we expect the greatest pricing resilience in 2026 to be in Midwest and Northeast markets, while the greatest pricing softness is still likely in Gulf markets such as Austin and Punta Gorda, Florida. (I think both Zillow and Moodys are a little too optimistic about Southwest Florida in particular, which I believe is still in correction modealthough it is starting to create some interesting buying opportunities.)
Regardless of how regional inventory (see our latest monthly inventory update here) or regional home prices (see our latest monthly home price update here) perform in 2026, well be closely tracking the trends to keep you informed of any shifts.
