The evidence is mounting. There was a time when a college degree all but guaranteed a job. Not anymore.
For decades, entry-level roles served as the primary on-ramp into the workforce for college graduates. They offered young professionals a footholdan opportunity to build experience, earn income, and grow into long-term careers. But today, that pathway is rapidly eroding. And its leaving an entire generation of educated workers without a clear way in.
Todays college graduates are facing one of the most hostile job markets in recent memory, especially when it comes to entry-level roles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a 9.3% unemployment rate for bachelor’s degree holders aged 20 to 24 in August 2025, almost double the average unemployment rate for all workers. In the U.S., entry-level hiring is down 23% compared to March 2020, which is more than the 18% decline in overall hiring, according to research from LinkedIn. Additionally, a 2023 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that fewer than 60% of graduates had a job six months after finishing their degree. The culprit? Its a cocktail of economic uncertainty, cautious corporate spending, and accelerating automation.
When capital becomes more expensiveas it has with persistently high interest rates until recentlycompanies rethink where every dollar goes. In this new calculus, entry-level roles are often the first to be cut. These positions dont immediately generate ROI, require onboarding and training, and often take time to ramp up. Instead of hiring junior talent, companies are choosing to redistribute work across existing teams, lean more heavily on AI, or simply delay the hire indefinitely.
Weve effectively created a hiring freeze for the next generation of workers.
Freelancing as a New Path Forward
Danielle Farage, a Gen Z content creator and workplace advocate, saw this play out firsthand. After graduating in the middle of the pandemic, she took a corporate job, only to be laid off shortly after. Instead of waiting for the job market to stabilize, she started her own business. Today, she runs a thriving career built on public speaking, marketing consulting, and digital content creation.
I decided it was time to bet on myself, Danielle said. My generation is disillusioned with the old playbook. We want transparency, flexibility, and purpose. If companies cant offer that, well build it ourselves.
Thats exactly what thousands of Gen Z workers are doing. The Upwork Future Workforce Index study found that 53% of skilled Gen Z workers are already freelancing, batting above the average of 28% of all skilled workers who are freelancing.
Whats more, 53% of Gen Z freelancers are working full-time hours, many on sophisticated, strategic projects across industries like AI, creative design, and business consulting. They arent dabblingtheyre building careers. And counter to what many may think, Gen Z freelancers are nearly twice as likely to have a postgraduate degree as their employed peers.
Theyre also using freelancing as a way to learn faster. They pitch clients, negotiate contracts, deliver outcomes, and adapt in real time. These are not the soft-skill-lite roles typically assigned to entry-level employees. This is a crash course in entrepreneurship.
Rachel, a freelancer and former political science major, told me she turned to freelancing after a quarter-life crisis. I was burnt out working in law and policy, she shared. Freelancing gave me the flexibility to adventure, find a home, earn what I needed, and take care of myself while building a business that works around my chronic illnesses.
The Paradoxical Skills Requirements for Entry-Level Roles
The very traits employers claim to seekresilience, creativity, and initiativeare being honed more rigorously in the freelance economy than in traditional workplaces. Freelancing isnt just work. Its self-education. It teaches you how to sell your skills and ideas effectively, because every project starts with a pitch. It builds time management, as theres no manager keeping tabsyour schedule is yours alone to manage. It sharpens self-advocacy, requiring you to confidently price your value, set boundaries, and push back against scope creep. And it turns personal branding into a lived skill, as you become your resume, portfolio, and reputation all at once.
As Danielle Farage put it, No ones going to sell you like yourself. And most full-time roles dont teach you that.”
This reality is backed by research: Upwork found that Gen Z freelancers report higher levels of intrinsic motivation, self-determination, and creative satisfaction than their full-time peers. Many feel more connected to their work, not less.
And while much has been said about AI eliminating jobs, Gen Z freelancers are actually ahead of the curve. They are significantly more likely to train themselves on generative AI tools61% versus 41% of their traditionally employed counterparts.
These are the muscles Gen Z needs to buildnot just to survive todays job market, but to thrive in tomorrows economy.
The Freelancing Fork in the Road
Gen Z doesnt need to freelance for life, but its a smart first step. It offers a way to earn income while the job market remains uncertain, build a portfolio of real-world experience, and develop business, communication, and leadership skills at a much faster pace than many entry-level roles allow. Most importantly, freelancing puts Gen Z back in the drivers seat. No waiting for a recruiter to respond. No agonizing over rejection emails. Freelancing is about building skill, hustle, and forward momentum.
And in a world where the entry-level job may not be coming back anytime soon, that kind of self-directed momentum might just be the most important credential of all.
Across all sectors of the economy, there is a lot of churn in leadership right now going all the way to the top. The C-suite and its equivalent in many organizations has become a merry-go-round. When a new leader is hired into a key role, they must quickly get adapted to how things work in order to make positive changes while breaking as few things as possible.
Great leaders have strategies to enable them to engage their new team quickly and institute change effectively. Here are four strategies that are critical.
1. Meet your team
In a leadership role, you are likely to have many teams in your portfolio. In order to do anything successfully, you need to know who you have working for you, how their teams function, and which groups can be relied on to carry out their work.
No matter how much intel you get from others before starting the role, there is no substitute for sitting down with the teams and getting to know them. This can take a while, so it may seem like a waste of time. But, talking strategically and tactically with the leaders who work for you can give you a sense of their capacity to understand, collaborate, and implement your vision moving forward.
High-level leaders can never understand every detail of what every team is doing, of course. But, it is important for leaders to know the portfolios of the people who report to them, the strengths and weaknesses of those portfolios, and the pros and cons to the structure of the organization as it is.
2. Listen first
Too often, leaders come in wanting to prove that they deserve to be in their role. So, they start by issuing orders. The assumption is that good leadership involves information flowing from the leader down to the team.
Great leadership is collaborative. A leader must understand the situation in the organization, where the problems are, and what goals are just about ready to be achieved. That can only be done by asking good questions and listening to the answers.
You want to find out the concerns of your direct reports so that you can develop plans to address them. You also want to understand the ways that the capacities of your teams can help you to achieve goals that are important to you. Youll only find that out by hearing what people are trying to tell you.
Listening also helps to develop trust. People are more apt to want to follow your strategic recommendations when they are tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of their team. When the teams reporting to you feel understood, they are much more likely to engage and to adopt your goals as their own. Ultimately, great leaders get teams to work with them and not just for them.
3. Find a quick win
Much of high-level leadership involves significant strategic plans that can take quarters or even years to implement fully. In order to get teams to follow you on that longer journey, it is valuable to demonstrate that you can achieve a goal.
Through the conversations you have and the listening you have done to understand your teams, find a short-term goal that would lead to a meaningful step toward one of the major strategic pillars you would like to pursue. Then, engage with the teams that can help to achieve that goal and work with them to help make it happen. Provide the resources and guidance to move the project forward.
The key for these quick wins to succeed is to use your growing knowledge of the organization to merge your strategic vision with the tactical strengths of your teams. That way, the success of the venture feels like something that could not have been done prior to your engagement with the team. That success helps to provide additional trust that longer-term projects will also succeed.
4. Transitions are better than purges
Of course, no organization is perfect, and it is often necessary to move people and positions around. There may be great people playing the wrong roles. And sometimes, there are people on the team who are not contributing enough to warrant keeping around.
There is often an urge to cut people immediately to make a clean break and move forward. And when a team is bloated and has a lot of redundancy, that is often necessary.
But, the management and leadership members of the team are also are likely to have a lot of institutional knowledge that will help you to better understand how to achieve your aims. That is where slowing things down can be helpful.
After all, the new people you put in place may be aligned with your vision for the future, but they may not know which processes in the organization were put in place to keep other demons at bay. Creating an overlapping period of transition can help new people to get up to speed on how to be effective in their new roles while also providing a humane exit ramp to those who will be moving on.
Maxwell House is doing some downsizing. For a limited time, it’s changing its name to Maxwell Apartment.
Just in time for National Coffee Day, the coffee brand owned by the Kraft Heinz Company announced that while supplies last, it’s selling a year’s supply of its specially packaged coffee for just $40 on Amazon, or what it’s calling a 12-month “lease.” It’s the same exact coffee, just cheaper at about 10 cents less per ounce. (It also has a new name for the first time in 133 years.)
The brand cites statistics that coffee drinkers could save more than $1,000 a year with the offer compared to daily cafe runs. That’s not enough for a down payment on a home, but it’s something, and it comes as coffee pricesnot to mention home pricesare on the rise.
“Two-thirds of American adults drink coffee every day, which can add up quickly, especially these days,” Holly Ramadan, head of coffee for North America for Kraft Heinz, said in a statement.
[Photo: Kraft Heinz Company]
Brewing a comeback
Ground coffee saw the highest inflation rate in any category except for eggs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, thanks to factors like supply issues, tariffs, and volatile weather.
“Maxwell House believes no one should have to go without great tasting coffee, and Maxwell Apartment delivers the same delicious taste people know and love, at a value that celebrates all our fans are doing to make smart choices in their lives,” Ramadan said.
Maxwell House’s parent company Kraft Heinz saw net sales of about $26 billion in 2024, but it announced this month that it’s splitting into two publicly traded companies about a decade after merging.
The split comes as the company’s total revenue and stock has fallen, and amid a wider trend away from processed foods. Kraft Heinz said the breakup would help reduce operational complexity, drive efficiencies, and allow each company the give more attention and resources to their specific portfolios.
Maxwell House will join the half of the company now being called North American Grocery Co., which will get custody of portfolio of well-known food and beverage brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles, Capri Sun, Lunchables, and Ore-Ida.
The Maxwell Apartment promotion is part of a larger effort that Maxwell House says it has planned this fall to emphasize value and consistent flavor. And at a time of rising costs and in a competitive landscape of private label brands, that’s exactly what a national brand would have to do to succeed.
Here is something you don’t hear everyday: Hillshire Brands, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, has recalled some 58 million pounds of corn dogs and sausage-on-a-stick products saying they “may be contaminated with extraneous material, specifically pieces of wood embedded in the batter,” according to the Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The problem was discovered after the Tyson Foods subsidiary received multiple consumer complaints, five of which involved injuries. Upon investigation, Hillshire Brands determined that the wooden sticks entered the production process prior to product battering. FSIS has received no additional reports of injury from consumption of these products.
The agency is concerned that some products may be in consumers refrigerators and freezers, along with school and institution refrigerators and freezers.
What is the product information for the recall?
The corn dog and sausage-on-a-stick products were packaged between March 17, 2025, and September 26, 2025. The products subject to recall bear establishment number EST-582 or P-894 printed on the packaging. Here’s a list of the products subject to recall:
UNBRANDED FOOD SERVICE
Product Name: Batter Wrapped Franks on a Stick with Turkey and Chicken, Pork, Beef added
Lot number: 10000050925
Package size and type: 2.67oz franks in a 6lb case
Use by date: 12/13/2025, 12/22/2025, 12/27/2025, 1/3/2026, 1/12/2026, 1/18/2026, 1/27/2026, 2/2/2026, 2/3/2026, 2/23/2026, 3/21/2026, 4/12/2026, 4/27/2026, 5/18/2026, 5/23/2026
JIMMY DEAN
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Cinnamon French Toast Sausage on a Stick
Lot number: 10000033532
Package size and type: 30oz cartons in a 7.5lb case
Use by date: 11/17/2025, 12/21/2025, 1/18/2026, 3/16/2026,
4/8/2026, 4/26/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Original Pancake & Turkey Sausage on a Stick
Lot number: 10000033532
Package size and type: 2.51 oz sticks in a 9.41lb case
Use by date: 12/1/2025, 1/13/2026, 2/15/2026, 3/14/2026, 3/29/2026, 5/4/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Blueberry Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick
Lot number: 10000033494
Package size and type: 30oz cartons in a 15 pound case
Use by date: 11/16/2025, 11/23/2025, 11/30/2025, 12/8/2025, 12/22/2025, 12/26/2025, 12/29/2025, 1/2/2026, 1/4/2026, 1/10/2026, 1/12/2026, 1/25/2026, 2/1/2026, 2/12/2026, 2/13/2026, 2/26/2026, 2/27/2026, 3/7/2026, 3/13/2026, 3/15/2026, 3/22/2026, 3/27/2026, 4/5/2026, 4/15/2026, 5/3/2026, 5/6/2026, 5/7/2026, 5/13/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Pancake and Turkey on Stick
Lot number: 10000070613
Package size and type: 40IW 6.27 pounds case
Use by date: 12/1/2025, 1/13/2026, 2/15/2026, 3/14/2026, 3/29/2026, 4/5/2026, 5/4/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage On A Stick, Pancake Batter Covering a Pork & Chicken Sausage Link, Original
Lot number: 10000064591
Package size and type: 50 oz carton in a 25 pound case
Use by date: 11/12/2025, 11/20/2025, 11/27/2025, 12/4/2025, 12/10/2025, 1/7/2026, 1/11/2026, 1/23/2026, 1/28/2026, 2/9/2026, 2/14/2026, 2/20/2026, 2/25/2026, 3/10/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/20/2026, 3/25/2026, 4/1/2026, 4/12/2026, 4/18/2026, 4/22/2026, 5/1/2026, 5/8/2026, 5/14/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage On A Stick, Pancake Batter Covering a Pork & Chicken Sausage Link, Original
Lot number: 10000033531
Package size and type: 28.125 pounds per case
Use by date: 12/12/2025, 12/21/2025, 1/29/2026, 3/12/2026, 5/2/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Pancake Batter Covering A Pork & Chicken Sausage Link, Original
Lot number: 10000033525
Package size and type: 6 carton per case/ 4.687lbs
Use by date: 11/13/2025, 11/14/2025, 11/15/2025, 11/20/2025, 11/21/2025, 11/27/2025, 11/28/2025, 11/29/2025, 12/4/2025, 12/5/2025, 12/9/2025, 12/11/2025, 12/12/2025, 12/17/2025, 12/18/2025, 12/24/2025, 12/25/2025, 12/26/2025, 12/31/2025, 1/1/2026, 1/7/2026, 1/8/2026, 1/9/2026, 1/23/2026, 1/24/2026, 1/26/2026, 1/28/2026, 1/29/2026, 2/4/2026, 2/19/2026, 2/20/2026, 2/25/2026, 3/5/2026, 3/12/2026, 3/19/2026, 3/20/2026, 3/26/2026, 4/1/2026, 4/2/2026, 4/3/2026, 4/9/2026, 4/10/2026, 4/16/2026, 4/17/2026, 4/18/2026, 4/23/2026, 4/24/2026, 5/1/2026,5/2/2026, 5/7/2026, 5/8/2026
Product Name: Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage On a Stick, Pancake
Batter Covering A Pork & Chicken Sausage Link, Original
Lot number: 10000033496
Package size and type: 30oz carton in a 15 pound case
Use by date: 11/13/2025, 11/14/2025, 11/15/2025, 11/19/2025, 11/21/2025, 11/26/2025, 11/28/2025, 11/29/2025, 12/3/2025, 12/5/2025, 12/7/2025, 12/9/2025, 12/11/2025, 12/17/2025, 12/18/2025, 12/24/2025, 12/25/2025, 12/26/2025, 12/27/2025, 12/29/2025, 12/31/2025, 1/1/2026, 1/8/2026, 1/9/2026, 1/14/2026, 1/17/2026, 1/22/2026, 1/24/2026, 1/26/2026, 1/30/2026, 1/31/2026, 2/1/2026,2/2/2026, 2/4/2026, 2/6/2026, 2/7/2026, 2/11/2026, 2/18/2026, 2/19/2026, 2/21/2026, 2/27/2026, 3/2/2026, 3/4/2026, 3/5/2026, 3/19/2026, 3/26/2026, 4/2/2026, 4/3/2026, 4/9/2026, 4/10/2026, 4/16/2026, 4/17/2026, 4/19/2026, 4/23/2026, 4/24/2026, 5/7/2026, 5/15/2026, 5/16/2026, 5/31/2026
STATE FAIR
Product Name: State Fair Corn Dogs Batter Wrapped Franks On a Stick Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added
Lot number: 10000084818
Package size and type: 48 count -12lbs case
Use by date: 1/4/2026, 1/11/2026, 2/13/2026, 3/1/2026,
4/6/2026, 4/28/2026, 5/17/2026, 6/1/2026
Product Name: State Fair Turkey Corn Dogs, Whole Grain Batter Wrapped Turkey Franks On a Stick
Lot number: 10000028322
Package size and type: 48 count per case
Use by date: 1/31/2026, 2/22/2026, 4/11/2026, 5/3/2026, 6/7/2026
Product Name: State Far Beef Hot Dogs Wrapped in a Honey
Sweetened Batter.
Lot number: 10000046146
Package size and type: 32 oz cartons in a 12 pound case
Use by date: 4/27/2026, 5/6/2026, 6/8/2026
Product Name: State Fair Beef Hot Dogs Wrapped In a Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000004126
Package size and type: 13.35 oz cartons in a 10.012lb case
Use by date: 1/20/2026, 1/27/2026, 2/12/2026, 3/2/2026, 3/4/2026, 5/20/2026, 5/25/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fully Cooked, Classic Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork, Beef Added Wrapped in a Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000001365
Package size and type: 36 count/2.67oz/6lbs case
Use by date: 12/20/2025, 1/5/2026, 2/6/2026, 3/22/2026, 6/6/2026
Product Name: State Fair Classic Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added
Lot number: 10000008481
Package size and type: 48 count/4oz/12lbs case
Use by date: 1/4/2026, 1/11/2026, 2/13/2026, 3/1/2026, 4/6/2026, 4/28/2026, 5/17/2026, 6/1/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fiesta Corn Dogs, Batter Wrapped Chicken Franks – Pork, Turkey, Beef Added with Cheese and Jalapeno Peppers
Lot number: 10000009149
Package size and type: 12 lbs case
Use by date: 12/30/2025, 2/3/2026, 2/25/2026, 3/15/2026, 4/11/2026, 5/3/2026, 5/24/2026
Product Name: State Fair Hot Dogs made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added Wrapped in a Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000022346
Package size and type: 42.72 oz cartons in a 10.675 pound case
Use by date: 12/12/2025, 12/14/2025, 12/15/2025, 12/19/2025, 12/26/2025, 12/29/2025, 1/2/2026, 1/6/2026, 1/8/2026, 1/9/2026, 1/16/2026, 1/19/2026, 1/21/2026, 1/23/2026, 1/24/2026, 1/25/2026, 1/30/2026, 2/1/2026, 2/8/2026, 2/9/2026, 2/10/2026, 2/11/2026, 2/14/2026, 2/17/2026, 2/21/2026, 2/24/2026, 2/27/2026, 3/6/2026, 3/9/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/13/2026, 3/14/2026, 3/15/2026, 3/16/2026, 3/20/2026, 3/23/2026, 3/24/2026, 3/27/2026, 3/29/2026, 4/3/2026, 4/5/2026, 4/9/2026, 4/10/2026, 4/19/2026, 4/20/2026, 4/24/2026, 4/26/2026, 5/1/2026, 5/4/2026, 5/6/2026, 5/8/2026, 5/9/2026, 5/15/2026, 5/19/2026, 5/20/2026, 5/22/2026, 5/25/2026, 6/2/2026, 6/5/2026, 6/12/2026, 6/13/2026, 6/14/2026
Product Name: State Fair Classic Corn Dogs Hot Dogs Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added Wrapped in A Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000001126
Package size and type: 16 oz cartons in a 12 pound case
Use by date: 12/17/2025, 12/22/2025, 1/5/2026, 1/7/2026, 1/19/2026, 1/26/2026, 1/28/2026, 2/2/2026, 2/14/2026, 3/7/2026, 3/10/2026, 3/17/2026, 3/24/2026, 4/13/2026, 4/20/2026, 4/28/2026, 5/4/2026, 5/11/2026, 6/3/2026, 6/9/2026
Product Name: State Fair Classic Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs Made With Turkey and Chicken, Pork , Beef Added Wrapped In A Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000059443
Package size and type: IW 30 CNT SWC 6/5LB
Use by date: 12/14/2025, 12/15/2025, 12/16/2025, 12/21/2025, 12/22/2025, 12/23/2025, 12/27/2025, 12/29/2025, 12/31/2025, 1/3/2026, 1/5/2026, 1/7/2026, 1/9/2026, 1/10/2026, 1/12/2026, 1/16/2026, 1/18/2026, 1/20/2026, 1/21/2026, 1/23/2026, 1/24/2026, 1/30/2026, 2/1/2026, 2/6/2026, 2/7/2026, 2/10/2026, 2/14/2026, 2/17/2026, 2/21/2026, 2/22/2026, 2/23/2026, 2/27/2026, 3/6/2026, 3/7/2026, 3/8/2026, 3/9/2026, 3/11/2026, 3/13/2026, 3/20/2026, 3/22/2026, 3/25/2026, 3/27/2026, 4/3/2026, 4/4/2026, 4/6/2026, 4/10/2026, 4/13/2026, 4/19/2026, 4/24/2026, 4/25/2026, 4/26/2026, 4/27/2026, 5/1/2026, 5/2/2026, 5/4/2026, 5/6/2026, 5/8/2026, 5/9/2026, 5/10/2026, 5/16/2026, 5/17/2026, 5/18/2026, 5/19/2026, 5/20/2026, 5/22/2026, 5/23/2026, 5/26/2026, 5/31/2026, 6/2/2026, 6/3/2026, 6/5/2026
Product Name: State Fair Classic Corn Dogs Hot Dogs Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added Wrapped in A Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000037409
Package size and type: PK 22 CNT 6/58.7oz
Use by date: 12/12/2025, 12/13/2025, 12/17/2025, 12/19/2025, 12/20/2025, 12/26/2025, 12/27/2025, 1/2/2026, 1/4/2026, 1/6/2026, 1/8/2026, 1/12/2026, 1/17/2026, 1/18/2026, 1/25/2026, 1/26/2026, 1/27/2026, 1/28/2026, 2/8/2026, 2/9/2026, 2/14/2026, 3/3/2026, 3/7/2026, 3/10/2026, 3/23/2026, 3/25/2026, 3/29/2026, 4/4/2026, 4/5/2026, 4/12/2026, 5/3/2026, 5/4/2026, 5/5/2026, 5/11/2026, 5/12/2026, 5/15/2026, 5/20/2026, 5/25/2026, 6/9/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fully Cooked Classic Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs Made With Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added, Wrapped in a Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000013658
Package size and type: 36 count/2.67oz
Use by date: 1/10/2026, 2/25/2026, 5/2/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fully Cooked Turkey Corn Dogs, Batter Wrapped Turkey Franks on a Stick
Lot number: 10000009481
Package size and type: 48 count
Use by date: 12/21/2025, 2/16/2026, 3/7/2026, 4/25/2026, 5/10/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fully Cooked Whole Grain Batter Wrapped Uncured Chicken Franks on a Stick
Lot number: 10363650928
Package size and type: 48 count-4 oz
Use by date: 4/4/2026, 5/9/2026, 6/6/2026, 7/18/2026, 8/8/2026, 8/15/2026, 8/29/2026, 9/19/2026
Product Name: State Fair Beef Corn Dogs, Beef Hot Dogs Wrapped In A Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000037550
Package size and type: 42.72 oz cartons in a 10.675 lb case
Use by date: 12/22/2025, 12/28/2025, 1/5/2026, 1/11/2026,
1/19/2026, 1/27/2026, 1/31/2026, 2/2/2026, 2/11/2026, 2/12/2026, 2/13/2026, 2/16/2026, 2/24/2026, 2/28/2026, 3/1/2026, 3/2/2026, 3/4/2026, 3/10/2026, 3/14/2026, 3/15/2026, 3/16/2026, 3/17/2026, 3/21/2026, 3/24/2026, 4/5/2026, 4/14/2026, 4/18/2026, 4/20/2026, 4/21/2026, 4/27/2026, 5/6/2026, 5/11/2026, 5/25/2026, 5/31/2026, 6/1/2026, 6/8/2026, 6/15/2026
Product Name: State Fair Fully Cooked Corn Dogs, Beef Hot Dogs Wrapped In A Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000069419
Package size and type: 24 CNT 6/64.08 OZ
Use by date: 3/10/2026, 3/14/2026, 3/28/2026, 5/11/2026
Product Name: State Fair Classic Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs Made with Turkey and Chicken, Pork Added Wrapped in a Honey Sweetened Batter
Lot number: 10000016146
Package size and type: 12 oz cartons in a 6 lb case
Use by date: 12/23/2025, 12/31/2025, 1/2/2026, 1/12/2026, 1/18/2026
Product Name: State Fair Turkey Corn Dogs Batter Wrapped Turkey Franks On a Stick
Lot number: 10000009488
Package size and type: 48 count-4 oz
Use by date: 12/16/2025, 12/21/2025, 1/20/2026, 2/16/2026, 3/7/2026, 3/8/2026, 3/28/2026, 4/21/2026, 4/25/2026, 5/10/2026, 5/24/2026
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Spending on AI infrastructure is now contributing more to U.S. GDP growth than the entire consumer economy, according to new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The comparison, which was posted to Twitter (X) by economist Heather Long on Monday, suggests that hype may not be the only thing propping up the high stock prices and valuations of AI companies such as Nvidia and OpenAI.
Here, “consumption” means consumer spending on goods and services for personal use, which traditionally contributes about 70% of U.S. gross domestic product. “AI Spending” means business investment in software and information processing equipment, including data center construction, chip purchases, and computing infrastructure.
The AI boom is fueling strong US economic growth. But it no longer eclipses consumption, based on the latest Q2 GDP data. How much did these things add to GDP growth in the first half of 2025?AI spending added 1.05 pp Consumption added 1.05 ppWe'll see what happens in Q3. pic.twitter.com/nQDhDsIgKH— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) September 29, 2025
The numbers show that AI spending contributed 1.05% of total economic growth in the first half of 2025, after contributing only between .02% and .03% from 2022 through 2024 — a 4X to 5X growth ratio.
The bad news (for the overall economy) is that consumer spending has fallen dramatically, from contributing 2.6% of GDP growth to just 1.05% in mid-2025. The decline could stem from flagging consumer confidence as the Trump tariffs take hold, and inflation fatigue and economic uncertainty continues.
Heady times for AI companies
This has all been good news for AI companies and their suppliers.
Michael Cembalest, who is Chairman of Market and Investment strategy at J.P.Morgan, writes in a recent brief that since the appearance of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI-related stocks have accounted for 75% of S&P 500 returns, 80% of earnings growth, and 90% of capital spending. OpenAI is now valued at $300 billion. Anthropic is valued at $183 billion.
The AI spending is mainly focused on the new data centers that the AI industry says are necessary to deliver next generation services to both businesses and consumers. Now, Cembalest says, new data center spending is eclipsing new office construction for the first time. But he also points out that new data centers are coming under increased regulatory scrutiny because of their inordinate demands on the power grid.
On the other hand, the BEA numbers suggest that the economy is increasingly dependent on one narrow segment, when a healthy economy would show broad corporate investments across sectors. That might be fine if AI infrastructure investment lasts, and if consumer confidence recovers.
But investors typically abhor prolonged capital expenditures, especially if theres no sign of that infrastructure leading to measurable business efficiencies. And so far, the efficiencies brought by generative AI and new automation have been spotty.
An experimental medication made from marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new study, offering further support for the drugs potential in treating one of the most common forms of chronic pain.
The 800-patient study by a German drugmaker is the latest evidence of the therapeutic properties of cannabis, which remains illegal under U.S. federal law even as most states have made it available for medical or recreational use.
Health officials in Canada and Europe have previously approved a pharmaceutical-grade form of cannabis for several types of pain, including nerve pain due to multiple sclerosis. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug containing CBD one of the many non-intoxicating chemicals found in cannabis to treat rare seizures in children with epilepsy.
Unlike that drug, known as Epidiolex, the new cannabis formula from drugmaker Vertanical contains THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that gets users high. But levels of the chemical are very low, essentially a microdose compared to whats available in gummies, chocolate bars, and other products sold at marijuana dispensaries in the U.S. The company said patients in the trial didnt show any signs of drug abuse, dependence, or withdrawal.
Vertanical is seeking approval for a large group of patients: those suffering from lower-back pain, a chronic condition that affects millions and has few proven treatments.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen cant be used for long-term pain because of their side effects, which include stomach ulcers and indigestion. Opioids are no longer recommended, after the overprescribing of painkillers such as OxyContin in the 1990s and 2000s led to the ongoing epidemic of addiction to that class of drug.
Chronic pain is one of the most frequently cited conditions of people enrolled in state-run medical marijuana programs. But there’s been little rigorous research on the drug’s use in that group.
Lead study author Dr. Matthias Karst said in an email that the new findings show cannabis “can significantly reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with chronic low-back pain, without the safety concerns commonly associated with opioids. Karst is a pain specialist at Hannover Medical School and a consultant for Vertanical.
For the new study, patients with back pain were randomly assigned to take Vertanicals proprietary liquid cannabis extract or a placebo.
At the end of 12 weeks, patients taking the medication reported a nearly 2-point reduction in pain on an 11-point scale, compared with 1.4 points for those taking placebo. The difference was statistically significant. Those getting the drug also reported improvements in sleep and physical function.
Patients who continued with a six-month extension phase continued to experience reductions in pain. The results were published Monday in the journal Nature.
Side effects included dizziness, headache, fatigue, and nausea, and led to more than 17% of people discontinuing the drug early. Researchers said that the dropout rate was lower than what’s typically reported with opioids, which can cause constipation, nausea, drowsiness, and carry risks of addiction.
Vertanical has filed an application for its drug with European regulators. In the U.S., the company says it is working closely with regulators to design a study to support FDA approval.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Matthew Perrone, AP health writer
Comcast said on Monday it will appoint President Michael Cavanagh as co-CEO, adopting a dual chief executive model as the company prepares to spin off several NBCUniversal cable networks as part of a restructuring.
Cavanagh will take up the new role in January and also join the company’s board, serving alongside Brian Roberts, who will continue as chairman and co-CEO.
Several high-profile firms such as Oracle and Netflix have adopted a co-CEO model to better manage their operations as they become more complex and globally diversified.
Comcast plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable channels, including USA Network and CNBC, into a new company called Versant later this year amid shifting market dynamics and growing interest in streaming platforms.
“He is the ideal person to help lead Comcast as we manage the pivot we are making to drive growth across the company,” Roberts said in a statement.
Comcast is also planning a restructuring of its largest business unit, connectivity and platforms that includes Xfinity internet, mobile and pay TV services, Reuters reported earlier this month. It plans to eliminate a layer of management and cut jobs as part of efforts to centralize operations.
The company is also working to turn around its broadband business, which has faced intense competition from wireless telecom providers that are aggressively promoting internet and mobile bundle deals.
Comcast has responded by introducing national pricing, five-year price guarantees, and bundled mobile and broadband packages.
Cavanagh joined Comcast as its finance chief in 2015. He was previously also the JPMorgan’s CFO for six years, and co-head of the financial giant’s corporate and investment bank.
Harshita Mary Varghese, Reuters
CSX railroad announced Monday that it had replaced its CEO less than two months after an investment fund urged it to either find another railroad to merge with to better compete with the proposed transcontinental Union Pacific railroad or fire outgoing CEO Joe Hinrichs.
The outgoing CEO, who came to the railroad in 2022 after a long career with Ford, focused on repairing CSX’s relationship with its workers and labor unions and unifying the team after a bitter contract fight. But Ancora Holdings, which helped spur major changes at Norfolk Southern, said CSX’s operating performance deteriorated significantly under Hinrichs’ leadership. Hinrichs resigned to clear the way for Steve Angel to become CEO effective Sunday.
Angel, 70, also comes from outside the rail industry although earlier in his career he oversaw GE’s locomotive building unit, so he does have that experience. CSX said he has 45 years experience leading large public companies, including most recently as CEO of Linde and Praxair.
We are excited to welcome Steve as our new CEO. He is a visionary in creating long-term value and an expert in guiding companies through significant transformation,” the railroad’s board Chairman John Zillmer said.
CSX has been under pressure from Ancora and other investors since Union Pacific announced its $85 billion deal to acquire Norfolk Southern, which is CSX’s rival in the eastern United States. But both BNSF and CPKC railroads said they aren’t interested in a merger right now.
Ancora said CSX has delivered disappointing shareholder returns and poor financial performance during Hinrichs’ tenure. But over the past year, CSX was working on two major construction projects repairs from Hurricane Helene and a major tunnel renovation in Baltimore that disrupted the railroad. Both those projects were just completed this month, so CSX’s performance was expected to improve in the fourth quarter.
Angel promised to make improvements at the Jacksonville, Florida-based company, which is one of the six largest railroads in North America.
My top priorities will be to ensure the safety of the railroad and our employees, deliver reliable service to our customers, and increase value for our shareholders, Angel said in a statement.
Josh Funk, AP transportation writer
Lufthansa announced on Monday it plans to cut thousands of workers as it aims to increase profitability and efficiency, in part by relying more heavily on artificial intelligence.
The airline group said it will eliminate a total of 4,000 jobs worldwide by 2030, the majority of which will be in Germanywith a focus on administration roles, not operational ones.
“The Lufthansa Group is reviewing which activities will no longer be necessary in the future, for example due to duplication of work,” the company said in a statement. “In particular, the profound changes brought about by digitalization and the increased use of AI will lead to greater efficiency in many areas and processes.” (The Lufthansa Group includes Germany’s Lufthansa, in addition to Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, and ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia.)
That restructuring will include the largest fleet modernization in the company’s history. To that end, the Lufthansa Group expects to add more than 230 new aircraft by 2030, including 100 long-haul aircraft.
The Cologne-based German carrier said it plans to invest in the growth of its core business, expanding locations and its international presence, including in Canada and Portugal. It also plans to extend its digital business models, as part of its Ambition 2030 program. The changes are expected to significantly increase revenue and profit by 2030.
The airline also set new financial targets for 2028 to 2030, saying it expects its adjusted operating margin to reach 8-10% and over 2.5 billion euros in adjusted free cash flow per year.
Lufthansa, like a number of companies including Klarna, Duolingo, and Salesforce, has recently turned to AI. Some of those companies even instituted AI-first workplaces as a way of slashing workforces toward greater profitabilitybut not without some missteps.
According to a recent Nexford University survey, in the past year, around 65% of companies conducted layoffs, with 68% of companies identifying cost-cutting as the culprit, and 27% citing AI adoption.
Lufthansa financials
Lufthansa reported strong Q2 2025 results with considerable year-on-year growth, including a 27% increase in its operating profit compared to 2024, and a 3% increase in revenue (from 10 billion to 10.3 billion).
Last year, Lufthansa increased its revenue by six percent year-on-year to EUR 37.6 billion as it offered more flights, making it the highest revenue in its history. However, the operating profit (adjusted EBIT) was EUR 1.6 billion, compared with EUR 2.7 billion the previous year, as the airline faced strikes and higher global costs.
Lufthansa (Deutsche Lufthansa AG), which is traded under the stock ticker LHA on the Xetra and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges, closed up slightly on Monday.
Electronic Arts has announced plans to go private in what will be the largest leveraged buyout in history. The $55 billion purchase of the entertainment giant behind franchises that include Madden NFL and Battlefield is set to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will be, by far, the majority investor in EA, one of the largest third-party publishers of video games. Silver Lake and Affinity Partners (whose CEO is Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner) will own minority interests. CEO Andrew Wilson will continue to head EA.
The all-cash deal calls for a buyout of EA stock at a price of $210 per share. The company was trading at $202 per share Monday afternoon. On Thursday, before The Wall Street Journal reported a buyout was imminent, shares were trading at roughly $171.
EA is a longtime stalwart in the video game industry, but like many publishers of late, it has been somewhat stalled financially as the gaming boom of the pandemic has slowed considerably. In 2022, EA reported $7.2 billion in revenues. The following year, it saw an increase to $7.6 billion, and in 2024 the figure was $7.4 billion. The stock has also lagged far behind the S&P 500’s gains.
Was EA sold for too little?
While the industry has been in the midst of a consolidation trend, both in terms of buyouts and revenues, some analysts think EA might have been undervalued in this deal.
“While the $210 per share take-out price represents a substantial premium to EAs unaffected trading levels, we continue to believe the transaction undervalues EAs long-term earnings power,” wrote the Benchmark Co.’s Mike Hickey in a note to investors. “We value EA at $250 per share, with a best-case path to $300 if Battlefield evolves into the market share leader.”
The leveraged buyout, Hickey argues, transfers what he expects will be a “franchise-defining growth cycle” to new owners before current shareholders can realize those gains.
“In our view, this transaction is a self-serving, opportunistic move by management and the investor group,” he wrote.
Wedbush Securities’ Alicia Reese didn’t go quite so far as Hickey, but she did point out that the purchase price (about 20 times the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA) was a lower multiplier than the Activision deal (which worked out to 21.5 times) and roughly on par with the industry average over the last five years of 19.8 times. EA, with its rich catalog of intellectual property (IP), would presumably be able to command a higher multiple.
Boon for Riyadh
Assuming the deal closes, the buyout will be a victory for the Saudi Arabia PIF, which has been expanding its interests in the video game world in recent years. The group holds stakes in several well-known publishers.
Prior to Monday’s deal, the PIF owned roughly 10% of EA’s shares. It also holds 6.2% of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive Software and 4.2% of Nintendo. This spring, the PIF purchased Niantic, maker of Pokémon Go, for $3.5 billion and also paid $4.9 billion for Scopely, the maker of mobile gaming hit Monopoly Go.
The deal comes as criticism continues about the Saudi Royal family’s record of human rights abuses.
While the $55 deal is expected to set a record as far as leveraged buyouts (CNBC reports EA has 45 days to solicit a better offer, though the deal was unanimously approved by the company’s board), it still falls short of an overall industry record. Microsoft’s $69 billion buyout of Activision-Blizzard remains the industry’s most expensive acquisition to date. Microsoft faced several hurdles from regulators in the U.S. and U.K. as it attempted to close that purchase.
The Microsoft/Activision deal closed in 2023. In July of this year, Microsoft announced plans to lay off 9,100 workers, with many of those cuts coming in the gaming division. That followed an additional 6,000 jobs lost in May of this year.
