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Mark Cubans enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is well known. He has called the technology the ultimate time-saving hack and bluntly stated that if youre not learning AI, youre fed. But with his latest investment, the billionaire bypassed the plethora of AI startups and focused instead on something more human-centered. Cuban has invested an undisclosed amount in live events company Burwoodland, which produces nightlife experiences throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The investment will make him a minority owner in the company. Founded in 2015 by Alex Badanes and Ethan Maccoby, the New York City-based company says it has sold more than 1.5 million tickets to live events like Emo Night Brooklyn, Gimme Gimme Disco, All Your Friends, and Broadway Rave, which center on DJ sets that are themed to a certain musical genre. Its time we all got off our asses, left the house, and had fun, said Cuban in a statement. Alex and Ethan know how to create amazing memories and experiences that people plan their weeks around. In an AI world, what you do is far more important than what you prompt. Thats not the first time Cuban has touted the potential of real-world experiences in an increasingly AI-dominated environment. Last June, he took to social network Bluesky to write, Within the next 3 years, there will be so much AI, in particular AI video, people wont know if what they see or hear is real. Which will lead to an explosion of f2f [face-to-face] engagement, events, and jobs. Burwoodland leans hard into that way of thinking, producing over 1,200 shows per year. Strategic partners of the company include music industry veterans Izzy Zivkovic (founder of artist management company Split Second, which counts Arcade Fire among its clients) and concert promoter Peter Shapiro. Klaf Companies, the investment and advisory platform founded by Justin Kalifowitz (who also created Downtown Music Holdings, which represents songwriting copyrights from John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ray Davies, and One Direction), is also a partner. Ethan and I started this company because we know firsthand how powerful it is to find your people through the music you love, Badanes said in a statement. That sense of community shaped our lives, and creating spaces where others can feel that connection has always been our purpose. Having the confidence of an investor as respected and accomplished as Mark is a tremendous honor. With concert ticket prices continuing to escalate, Burwoodland keeps entry fees low, offering a low-cost live experience for music lovers. Tickets to its events generally run in the $20 to $40 range, though some events cost more. The company has already booked 2026 events in Milan, Brooklyn, Louisville, Nashville, and Antwerpand later this month will host the Long Live Emo Fest at Brooklyns Paramount theater, which holds up to 2,700 patrons. The experiences have become popular enough that some of the artists being celebrated in the various genres Burwoodland focuses on have shown up at the events, with some even performing. Maccoby and Badanes didnt plan to start a business. The two, who have been friends since childhood, began throwing house parties in college and kept up the practice afterward, when they lived in Brooklyn. When those soirees got too big for their apartment, they took over a nearby bar to host them and Burwoodland (named after an area in London where they grew up) was born. The duo quit their day jobs in 2022 to focus exclusively on the startup. There has been increasing interest in the live event space from investors lately. Last June, NYC-based Fever, a live-entertainment discovery platform, secured a $100 million investment from L Catterton and Point72 Private Investments. And in September, DJ/producer Kygos company Palm Tree Crew (which hosts music festivals) received a $20 million Series B investment led by WME Group, giving it a $215 million valuation.Chris Morris This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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E-Commerce
One of the things that I love about working for myself is that I dont need to ask anyones permission before making a decision. If I want to make a change, I go for it, on whatever timeline makes sense for me. But the freedom of solopreneurship can be a double-edged sword. Since you dont need approval from other people, nothing is stopping you from chasing every shiny tool, course, or strategy that promises to solve your problems. The ability to say no to distractions is an underrated skill for solopreneurs. Theres a difference between making strategic decisions and letting yourself be pulled in a million directions. You need to master the former and resist the latter. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Questions to ask yourself when evaluating something new Before jumping on something new, run it through a quick filter. Ask yourself: What specific problem does this solve? (If you can’t name it, it’s probably a distraction.) Is this solving a problem I actually have right now? If I have this problem right now, is it urgent? Or merely annoying? What’s the cost of looking into this more? (Consider the time to learn something new, the time away from existing work, and the potential to derail other plans you may have.) Most shiny objects appeal to problems we think we have, not problems we’re actually facing. Or they dont address an urgent need, and it makes more sense to look into them later. If you ask yourself these questions, the answers can prevent you from hopping on the latest bandwagon when the shiny object doesnt actually make sense for your business. Im guilty of not always taking the time to stop and think. I vibe-coded myself a new website the other weekend. Did it solve a problem? Yes. Was it necessary at that exact moment in time? No. I put other things aside to tinker with the website. In hindsight, it wouldnt have passed the urgency question, and I should have stayed focused on other projects. Tactics to stay focused (when everything looks interesting!) As a solopreneur, you have to create your own guardrails. You don’t have a boss or a team to push back when you want to overhaul your entire tech stack or change your business model. If you follow a few constraints, you can stay focused. Set boundaries for yourself. Try a “no new tools” or “no new strategies” rule for a specific period of time (like 90 days) unless something is truly broken. This prevents you from making snap decisions. Keep a running list of things to try. When something catches your eye, write it down so you don’t lose the idea. I have a list in my project management tool called Ideas. I include a few notes to myself about why I think the idea might be good for my business. Review your list quarterly. When you sit down and look at your ideas list a few weeks or months later, some things will have lost their appeal. The ones that still seem worthwhile? Now you can formulate a plan and set aside time to work on them. If the answer is still, Not yet, but maybe someday, the idea stays on your list until the next time you review it. Develop the discipline to say “no” The solopreneurs who build sustainable businesses are the ones who learn to distinguish between opportunities and distractions. They know that changing directions too often holds them back. If you chase every shiny object, you sacrifice time you can spend on client work (or your personal time). You need to have the discipline to say “not right now” to most things that cross your path. Dont be like mevibe-coding on a whim because an idea popped into my head. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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E-Commerce
Alphabet said on Wednesday it was targeting capital expenditure of $175 billion to $185 billion this year, in yet another aggressive ramp-up in spending from the Google parent as it deepens its investments to push ahead in the AI race. Analysts on average had expected Alphabet to spend about $115.26 billion this year, according to data compiled by LSEG. Shares of the company fell more than 6% in extended trading. Revenue at Google Cloud grew 48%, to $17.7 billion, in the fourth quarter ended December, compared with analysts’ average estimate of a 35.2% jump, according to data compiled by LSEG. Cloud computing majors have poured hundreds of billions of dollars to grow their AI infrastructure, both to meet the growing enterprise demand for their cloud services and to fuel their own development of AI technologies and products. Like larger rivals Amazon Web Services and Microsofts Azure, Google Cloud has been grappling with capacity constraints that have dented its ability to fully cash in on AI demand from its customers. Along with Meta, the three cloud companies are expected to collectively shell out more than $500 billion on AI this year. Meta last week hiked its capital investment for AI development this year by 73%, targeting spending between $115 billion and $135 billion, while Microsoft also reported record quarterly capital expenditure. The aggressive expansion in outlay comes at a time when investors have increasingly grown concerned about payoffs from AI investments. However, Google has been able to show strong progress in its AI efforts. The launch of its latest Gemini 3 model in November saw strong reception and propelled the company forward in the AI arms race. Following the launch, Sam Altman, CEO of AI frontrunner and ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, reportedly issued an internal “code red” to push teams to accelerate development. Google’s Gemini AI assistant app exceeded 650 million users per month in November, while the company’s AI Overviews feature in search also reached more than 2 billion monthly users. Last month, Google struck a deal to power Apples revamped Siri voice assistant with its Gemini models, a partnership that unlocks a huge market for Google, with Apple’s installed base of over 2.5 billion devices. By Deborah Sophia, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Pizza Hut is closing hundreds of “underperforming” locations nationwide, according to parent company Yum! Brands, which reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings on Wednesday. The company said it will shutter about 3% of Pizza Hut’s U.S. locations, or some 250 locations in the first six months of 2026, as the fast-causal chain struggles amid competition from Dominos Pizza and an overall decline in store sales and consumer demand. Fast Company has reached out to Pizza Hut for a list of locations that will be closing. Globally, Pizza Hut opened over 440 new restaurants in the fourth quarter of 2025 and nearly 1,200 restaurants in 2025, in 65 countries. Taco Bell sales soar Yum! Brands reported mixed fourth-quarter results for 2025, with revenue coming in at $2.51 billion, beating expectations of $2.45 billion. It missed on earnings per share (EPS), which came in at $1.73 adjusted, compared to an expected $1.77. Unlike Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC showed strong sales growth, with Taco Bell’s same-store sales up 7% for the quarter. Meanwhile, KFC’s same-store sales were up about 1%, and it hit “an incredible milestone in opening its 30,000th international restaurant,” according to the company’s earnings call. Yum! delivered another year of outstanding results at KFC and Taco Bell with our fundamentals stronger than ever at both brands,” CEO Chris Turner said in an earnings release. “We enter 2026 with a clear strategic focus on accelerating long-term growth, embodied in our multi-year ‘Raise the Bar’ priorities.” Shares of Yum! Brands (YUM) were trading down less than 1% on Wednesday in afternoon trading, and have jumped 6% so far this year.
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E-Commerce
February is always difficult in Minneapolis. Its when the nerve-flaying cold of December and January starts to seem like a dress rehearsal. But this February has proven brutal for other reasons. As thousands of ICE agents storm the city with lethal force, many residents have larger troubles than the arctic weather. Some are terrified of getting detained or deported; others are worried about getting attacked for documenting the chaos or for helping their neighbors. A Minneapolis food scene staple for the past 15 years, Modern Times and its customers have been front row for unrest before. Just six blocks from where George Floyd was murdered six years ago, the Powderhorn Park restaurant also sits three blocks from where Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. Owner Dylan Alverson has long celebrated the areas diversity with his eclectic menu, but nowamid ICEs occupation of the cityhes found a way to use his food to support people in the community, many of whom are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being stopped by federal agents and asked to prove citizenship. I was like, let’s figure out how to provide restaurant-quality meals for people for free if they’re hiding or even just dealing with this conflict in all the ways people in South Minneapolis are dealing with it, Alverson says. I wanted to break down that price barrier so people could just enjoy being in a space and not worry about money. Initially, he instituted what he called The Peoples Pricefree food for anyone who asked for it at checkout. Word about the program got around quickly. Going by point-of-sale transactions, Alverson estimates around 25% of customers started eating for free during the first week. But people who could comfortably afford their meals seemed to appreciate the offer as well. We were getting a ton of people coming in to pay for more than they were ordering, the owner says. It was like, Oh, yeah, I forgot: We’re in Minnesota. And Minnesotans, if they don’t need something, for the most part, they will never take it. By adding this new option, Modern Times was providing sustenance for everyone other than ICEfood for those who couldnt afford it, and a sense of solidarity for anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the ongoing crisis. Staff members started making deliveries whenever possible, to people who couldnt leave their homes to go to work and who were having difficulty paying rent as a result. When the team became overwhelmed balancing these trips with their usual restaurant duties, Alverson blasted out emails asking others to come in and gather free meals to bring to their neighbors. Volunteers showed up in droves, including several former employees. As ICEs hold on Minneapolis remained firm, though, Alverson became further entrenched in a community-minded approach to running a restaurantmoving from a free-food option to making the entire menu free for everyone. (ICE against still excluded.) Post Modern Times Less than a week after Modern Times instituted The Peoples Price, on Alversons first morning off in weeks, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti. Alverson heard the news at home and immediately rushed over to the scene, about a mile and a half away from the restaurant, where his wife soon joined him. They could do little more than watch as they say agents responded to witnesses and passersby with violence and aggression. A feeling of horror washed over them. I realized then that the government’s going to keep killing us until they get whatever it is they’re trying to get out of us, Alverson says. And it shook me. I was just, like, Fuck it, all bets are off. And that’s when I decided I wanted to take this as far as I can. On Jan. 26, Alverson announced on the restaurants Instagram that Modern Times would switch to a free and donations-based model until ICE no longer occupied the city. He also re-dubbed the eatery Post Modern Timesadding a frisson of before-and-after demarcation, while also enabling Alverson to incorporate the new name as a nonprofit arm of the restaurant. Before implementing these changes, though, the owner first had to make sure his staff was on board. On the day after Pretti was killed, Alverson closed down the restaurant and asked his staff to come in for a meeting. It began with a short speech denouncing the occupation. The owner was sick of generating money for the soldiers in our streets, and for a government that won’t protect us, he said, and he would no longer continue doing so. We refuse to generate taxes under the guise of a functioning for-profit capitalist business aligned with government strategy, he later wrote inthe Instagram announcement, which was virtually identical to the speech he gave his staff that Sunday. Modern Times had barely been scraping by since 2020, anyway; now, it would operate as a free and donation-based restaurant. Any employees interested in helping out were welcome to volunteer, but everyone else could instead use their earned sick-and-safe timea Minnesotan paid-leave benefit. Either way, everyone would still get paid. The staff was emphatic in their support. Many of them had been burning to do more for their community throughout the occupation. Now, theyd be contributing just by going to work. Never going back Based on how The Peoples Price went over, Alverson expected a positive reaction to his announcement. He had not imagined it would be quite as staggering. So many texts, emails and social media messages poured in from around the world, Alverson had to put his kids to work sorting through it all. Scrolling the restaurants Venmo account at any time now inevitably leads to donations from people in cities like Seattle, Chicago, and Buffalo, along with raised-fist emojis, prayer hands, and the occasional middle finger next to an ice cube. And then theres the diner turnout, which has made Post Modern Times jam-packed every day. Despite streamlining the menu for maximum kitchen efficiency, the volume of incoming orders has been so heavy, guests can now expect to spend two hours at the restaurant, from the moment they join the line until they pay their check. (Or dont pay.) The magnitude has been surprising, Alverson says. Were now under the weight of, like, its our busiest day of the year, every day. Fortunately, although plenty of diners are coming in for the free food, Alverson says the restaurant is still at a point where more people are coming to donate and just be supportive. Although the owner sees his restaurant as an example for eateries in other cities that might come under occupation soon, he stresses that the model might not work for everyone. In the same way Radioheads pay-what-you-want album, In Rainbows, generated millions of dollars upon its 2007 release because it was, in fact, a Radiohead album, the Post Modern Times experiment owes its initial success to having spent 15 years as a pillar of the community. As for the restaurants future, Alverson wants the spirit of this project to live on well after the siege of Minneapolis has ended. He imagines Post Modern Times evolving into a nonprofit wing of the restauant, subsidizing not only wages and benefits for the staff, but some form of free food for guests in needwhether its the Peoples Price or something else. When it comes to doing business as usual at Modern Times, well, those times may have passed. The old system wasn’t working for anyone, Alverson says. There’s not a single restaurant I know of that was thriving or even making money off of this stage of capitalism. So, no, I will never go back to that.
Category:
E-Commerce
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