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Warp, which builds software to help developers control AI agents and other software from the command line, is rolling out a new tool called Oz to collaboratively command AI in the cloud. Last year, Warp launched its agentic development environment, which lets programmers command AI agents to write code and other tasks. Developers can also use the software to edit code on their own and run command-line development tools. That release came as many developers became increasingly fond of vibe codingthe process of instructing an AI on what source code should do rather than writing it directlyand the industry produced a variety of tools, including Anthropics Claude Code and Googles Antigravity, aimed at assisting with the process. But, says Warps founder and CEO Zach Lloyd, most existing agentic development software is geared at individual developers interacting with agents developing code on their own computers. That can make it difficult for teams to collaborate on agent-driven development and even make it hard for managers and colleagues to understand what individual developers already have AI agents working on. It can also make it difficult to guarantee agents are properly configured and securely handling company code and data, even in the face of deliberate attempts to steal data, like external prompt injection attacks meant to deceive AI, Lloyd says. Right now, with everyone who’s using these agents on their local machines, it’s like the Wild West, he says. You don’t know what they’re doing. [Image: Warp] Oz looks to solve that problem by providing secure, cloud-based sandboxes for AI agents to run as they write code, process customer feedback and bug reports, and handle a variety of other tasks, with all of their operations logged and accessible through a Warp app or web interface. Every time an agent runs, you get a complete record of what it did, Lloyd says. [Image: Warp] Through Oz, companies can heavily customize what access employees have to different agents and tweak what permissions agents themselves have to avoid security risks. And agents can be automatically scheduled to run at particular times or in response to particular events, or manually instructed to run as needed, says Lloyd, demonstrating one agent the company uses internally to root out potential fraudulent use of its platform. Developers can also switch between running particular agents in the cloud or on their own computers, which can be useful for interactive development, and the context of previous interactions and runs is automatically preserved. Since the cloud-based side of Oz is commanded via a standardized interface, locally run agents and other apps can even trigger agents to run in the cloud for purposes like generating code to respond to bug reports or feature requests. [Image: Warp] Our view on this is to try to make it really flexible, because companies are going to have lots of different systems and ways of deploying agents, Lloyd says. Warp says more than 700,000 developers are now using its software, which has expanded from an enhanced command-line terminalthe esoteric, text-based interface long beloved by power users on Linux and MacOSto include tools for knowledge sharing and commanding AI agents. The company declined to share precise revenue numbers but said that annual recurring revenue grew by a factor of 35 last year. [Image: Warp] Users of Oz will generally be charged both for cloud computing and for AI inference costs, with limited use of the system also available in Warps free plans, but customers can also work with Warp to use their existing infrastructure or AI models of their choice. Warp, which reported at the end of last year that its agents have edited 3.2 billion lines of code, is in essence betting that even in an era when vibe coding is making it easier than ever to build custom software, compaies interested in security, ease of use, and fast deployment will still prefer to use its tools for managing their coding agents rather than developing their own in house. Every company this year that’s building software is going to want some sort of solution to do this, just because it’s such a big potential force multiplier for how software is produced, says Lloyd.
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E-Commerce
Honda reported Tuesday a 42% drop in profit for the nine months through December, compared to a year earlier, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs hurt the Japanese automaker’s earnings.Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co.’s profit over the three quarters totaled 465.4 billion yen ($3 billion), down from 805.2 billion yen.That marked the second straight year that profit declined during the period at Honda, the maker of the Accord sedan, Civic compact and Odyssey minivan.Sales for the three quarters dipped 2.2% to 15.98 trillion yen ($102.6 billion) from the previous year. Honda stuck to its full fiscal year profit forecast at 300 billion yen ($1.9 billion).The slowdown in electric vehicles in the U.S. market was one negative factor, according to Honda, while the relatively healthy performance in its motorcycle division worked as a plus.Honda lowered its global EV sales ratio projection for 2030 to 20% from its previous target of 30%. It also said it canceled the development of some EV models, because the EV market was changing.The Trump administration, which has favored the oil and gas industry, has backpedaled on prior programs supporting the proliferation of EVs, dismantling programs that kicked in during the Biden administration, which had encouraged environmentally cleaner cars and trucks.Last year, Trump lowered the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts to 15% from an earlier 25% that he had initially announced. Japan promised to invest $550 billion in U.S. projects.Tariffs are a major blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy, including the automakers. Last week, Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. reported a decline in recent profit, and announced that its chief financial officer, Kenta Kon, will become its new chief executive and president.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office in October as Japan’s first female leader, scored a landslide parliamentary election victory for the governing party over the weekend. That’s expected to make it easier for her Liberal Democratic Party to push forward on its policies, including bolstering growth by boosting government spending, especially in technology and defense.Honda stock jumped 2.1% in Tuesday’s trading. The Nikkei 225 benchmark finished 2.3% higher, renewing a record high for the second day straight, in a rally set off, in part, by Takaichi’s popularity. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer
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E-Commerce
Shortly after 7:00 local time this morning, the internet-famous walk for peace monks began the final miles of their 2,300-mile walking journey. They left Alexandria, Virginia, and are set to arrive in Washington, D.C., before 9:30 a.m., where theyll take part in a public event at Bender Arena. The group plans to spend the next three days in and around the nations capital before traveling by bus to Fort Worth, Texas, where the journey began. Find out how they plan to spend the next few days. Who are the monks and why did they walk to D.C.? More than three months ago, a group of about 19 Buddhist monks and their rescue dog companion, Aloka, set out on a 2,300-mile walking journey to promote peace. The movement has been well-received in the United States and globally. Throughout the journey, massive crowds of people have gathered to welcome and celebrate the monks. They started the walk in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025. After 108 days of walking, they arrived in Washington, D.C., this morning. The groups Facebook page notes that theyre walking to raise awareness of inner peace and mindfulness across America and the world. The monks have been using their Facebook page to provide updates, share photos, and announce official events. An interactive map powered by Google Maps also let people follow along with the monks in real time. As their message of hope and peace has reached more people, their social media following has continued to grow significantly. They now have nearly 6 million combined followers across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The monks’ rescue dog, Aloka, who has been part of the walking journey, has become an internet fan favorite. In January, Aloka had surgery to heal a leg injury. Hes doing well, but because hes still recovering, hes been traveling in an escort car that follows the walking route. Aloka has his own official social media accounts. He has a combined following of over 1.5 million fans across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Heres where the monks will be this week The group has shared the following schedule for the week: Tuesday, February 10: 7:00 a.m.: Walk from Alexandria, VA, to Washington, D.C. 9:30-10:45 a.m.: Public Event at Bender Arena Lunch stop: Theyll attend an invite-only lunch at the National United Methodist Church 1:002:30 p.m.: Interfaith Ceremony at Washington National Cathedral 2:30 p.m.: Unity Walk on Embassy Row In the evening, theyll attend a private event at George Washington University Wednesday, February 11: 9:30 a.m.: Walk to Peace Monument / Capitol Hill begins Lunch stop: Theyll attend an invite-only lunch at St. Marks Capitol Hill Church 1:30 p.m.: Begin walking to the Lincoln Memorial 2:30-4:00 p.m: Peace Gathering and Concluding Ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial 4:30-7:30 p.m.: Meditation session with Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara at George Washington University Smith Center Thursday, February 12: 9:00 a.m.: Begin walking from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Maryland to the Maryland State Capitol 10:00-10:45 a.m.: Peace gathering at the steps of the Maryland State Capitol 12:30 p.m.: Depart for Fort Worth, Texas, by bus Saturday, February 14: The group is set to arrive in Fort Worth around 8:00 a.m. They plan to walk from downtown Fort Worth to the Hng Ðo Vipassana Bhavana Center, where the 2,300-mile journey began. The homecoming walking route is approximately six miles. To celebrate the completion of their journey, a peace gathering will be held at the Hng Ðo Vipassana Bhavana Center. If youd like to follow along throughout the coming days, check their Facebook page for updates.
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E-Commerce
Americans’ hope for their future has fallen to a new low, according to new polling.In 2025, only about 59% of Americans gave high ratings when asked to evaluate how good their life will be in about five years, the lowest annual measure since Gallup began asking this question almost 20 years ago.It’s a warning about the depth of the gloom that has fallen over the country over the past few years. In the data, Gallup’s “current” and “future” lines have tended to move together over time when Americans are feeling good about the present, they tend to feel optimistic about the future. But the most recent measures show that while current life satisfaction has declined over the last decade, future optimism has dropped even more.The finding comes from a longstanding Gallup question that asks Americans to rate their current and future lives on a scale from 0 to 10. Those who give themselves an 8 or higher on the question about the future are categorized as optimists.“While current life is eroding, it’s that optimism for the future that has eroded almost twice as much over the course of about that last 10 years or so,” said Dan Witters, the research director of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index.Gallup assesses people who rate their current life at a 7 or higher and their anticipated future at an 8 or higher as “thriving.” Fewer than half of Americans, about 48%, are now in that category.Democrats and Hispanic Americans, in particular, were in a darker mood last year. But even with President Donald Trump back in the White House and his party in control of both houses of Congress, Republicans aren’t feeling nearly as good about the future as they were in the last year of Trump’s first term. Democrats’ optimism fell significantly Americans’ attitudes toward the future tend to shift when a new political party enters the White House generally, the party in power grows more optimistic, while the party without control is more down. For instance, Democrats became more positive about the future after Joe Biden won the presidency, while Republicans’ outlook soured.Witters notes that these changes typically happen “by roughly the same amount, same level of magnitude, so they cancel each other out.”That didn’t happen in 2025.Toward the end of Biden’s term and the start of Trump’s second term, Democrats’ optimism fell from 65% to 57%. Republicans grew more hopeful, but not enough to offset Democrats’ drop.“The regime change in the White House almost certainly was a big driving factor in what’s happened,” Witters said. “And a lot of that was just because the people who identified as Democrats really took it in the chops.”But Republicans are still quite a bit gloomier about the future than they were in the last year of Trump’s first term. A January AP-NORC poll found that while the vast majority of Republicans are still behind the president, his work on the economy hasn’t lived up to many people’s expectations. Hispanic adults grew more pessimistic Hispanic adults’ optimism for the near future also declined during Trump’s first year in office, dropping from 69% to 63%.That decrease was sharper than among white and Black Americans, something that Witters said could be tied to overall cost concerns, health care worries or alarm about Trump’s recent immigration policies.Last year, a survey by the American Communities Project found that people living in heavily Hispanic areas were feeling less hopeful about their future than in 2024. Trump’s favorability fell among Hispanics over the course of 2025, according to AP-NORC polling, which also found that Hispanic adults reported higher levels of economic stress than other groups.A Pew Research Center poll conducted in October found that the administration’s tough immigration enforcement is highly visible in Hispanic communities. About 6 in 10 Latinos said they had seen or heard of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids or arrests in their community in the past six months.“(Deportations are) something that everybody can see and look at with their own eyes,” Witters added. “But if you’re Hispanic, I think it’s fair to think that that might hit a little closer to home.” This data is a part of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. The 2025 results are based on data collected over four quarterly measurement periods, totaling 22,125 interviews with U.S. adults who are part of the probability-based Gallup Panel. Linley Sanders, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Target Corporation has reportedly announced that it will cut about 500 roles at the company, partially in an effort to reallocate financial resources to boost the in-store customer experience. The job cuts would be the second major wave of cuts that Target has made in the last five months, and come less than two weeks after the companys new CEO stepped into the role. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? On Monday, media outlets including CNBC and MarketWatch reported on a memo sent to Target employees by the companys chief stores officer, Adrienne Costanzo, and its chief supply chain and logistics officer, Gretchen McCarthy. In the memo, the executives announced that the chain would be initiating more layoffsthis time cutting around 500 positions. However, the majority of the job cuts will not impact store-level retail workers. Instead, the memo says that about 400 jobs will be lost across its distribution and another 100 jobs will go across its store district level. Fast Company has reached out to Target for comment. We’ll update this story if we hear back. Targets roughly 2,000 stores are divided into geographic districts staffed by corporate regional office workers. The memo stated that the number of these districts will be reduced, and thus some corporate workers overseeing these districts will be let go. Target has around 440,000 employees, most of whom work in its retail division. Job cuts of around 500 mean Target is laying off about 1/10 of 1% of its workforce. Why is Target cutting jobs? Besides a reorganization of its geographic districts, the financial savings from job cuts will allow Target to reinvest more money into front-line in-store staffing. This change also fuels our ability to put significantly more payroll in our storesprimarily in additional labor and hours where needed most, but also in new guest experience training for every team member at every store, the memo stated. In recent years, Target has faced customer criticism that checkout lines have gotten longer and stores have become messier. This has been attributed to lower staffing levels in stores and to store employees being taken off the floor to help fulfill online curbside orders. But the job cuts also come less than two weeks after Targets new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, stepped into the role at the beginning of this month. Fiddelke was named incoming CEO last year and had previously served as the companys operating officer. Fiddelke himself is the one who notified Target employees via memo in October that the company was laying off 1,800 workers. At the time, Fiddelke said those layoffs were a necessary step in building the future of Target and enabling the progress and growth we all want to see. Target hit by external and self-made problems In recent years, Target has had essentially flat year-over-year sales, not helped by the fact that many of its cost-conscious consumers are cutting back on their discretionary spending and inflation surges. A majority of the goods Target sells are discretionary items. Additionally, many of Targets products come from China and other countries in Asia that have been hit hard by President Trumps tariffs, thus raising Targets costs when it imports those goods to the United States. The company also shot itself in the foot last year when it reversed course on its celebrated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the wake of Trump entering the White House for a second term. The reversal of its DEI policies led to fierce consumer backlash and boycotts, resulting in foot traffic falling by almost 8% in many of its stores. How has Targets stock price reacted to the layoff news? Investors in Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) seem unfazed by the news of more job cuts. Yesterday, TGT shares closed roughly flat to $115.52 per share. And in premarket trading this morning, TGT shares are up only about 0.4%. Given this, investors seem to think the layoffs and district changes will have little meaningful impact on Targets financesat least in the immediate term. The good news for Target is that, as of yesterdays close, the companys shares are up over 18% year to date. While the companys stock price is still down about 12% over the past year, TGT shares have now recovered significantly since their November low of around $83.
Category:
E-Commerce
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