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Elon Musk launches Grokipedia to compete with online encyclopedia Wikipedia

Elon Musk launches Grokipedia to compete with online encyclopedia Wikipedia

Elon Musk has launched Grokipedia, a crowdsourced online encyclopedia that the billionaire seeks to position as a rival to Wikipedia.

Writing on social media, Musk said that Grokipedia.com is “now live” and its goal is the “truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Musk has previously criticized Wikipedia for being filled with “propaganda” and called for people to stop donating to the site, which is run by a nonprofit. In September he announced that his artificial intelligence company xAI was working on Grokipedia.

The Grokipedia site has a minimalist appearance with little beyond a search bar where users can type in queries. It states that it has 885,279 articles. Wikipedia, meanwhile, says it has more than 7 million articles in English.

Like Wikipedia, users can search for articles on various topics such as Taylor Swift, the baseball World Series, or Buckingham Palace.

While Wikipedia is written and edited by volunteers, it’s unclear how exactly Grokipedia articles are put together. Reports suggest the site is powered by the same xAI model that underpins Musk’s Grok chatbot, but some articles are seemingly adapted from Wikipedia. read more

Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently

Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a tough time for the job market.

Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill. That’s caused many to limit new work to only a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, some sizeable layoffs have continued to pile up — raising worker anxieties across sectors.

Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs spanning from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly — or, as seen with big names like Amazon, are redirecting money to investments like artificial intelligence.

In such cases, “it’s not so much AI directly taking jobs, but AI’s appetite for cash that might be taking jobs,” said Jason Schloetzer, professor business administration at Georgetown University’s McDonough School. He pointed to wider “trade offs” from employment to infrastructure investment seen across companies today. read more

A $20,000 football suite with luxe food is latest money machine for colleges

A $20,000 football suite with luxe food is latest money machine for colleges

By Rachel Phua and Maggie Shiltagh, Bloomberg News

Hours before kickoff in a game pitting Arizona State University against Texas Christian University, the atmosphere feels more fine-dining than college football. A chef is carving chili-rubbed prime rib. Nearby, a bartender shakes up this week’s featured cocktail, a tangerine-hued, mango-flavored Spicy Rita.

Those premium offerings at the football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, are free for fans in the most expensive seats, like four-person field boxes that cost $20,000 a year. Upstairs, concession stands are prepping for the proletariat, but even there choices go beyond traditional fare to get a little luxe: $18 pulled-pork sandwiches, $15 birria tacos and a $10 Texas-themed hot dog with cowboy caviar and barbecue sauce — a nod to ASU’s opponent.

Fancy food, bespoke sips and a deluge of alcohol are taking over university stadiums and arenas across the country, becoming a critical source of revenue amid the explosion in money tied to college sports and shift to paying high-profile student athletes. Athletic-department revenue at colleges with top-tier football programs surged to almost $12 billion in 2024, up 32% from a decade earlier even after adjusting for inflation. Schools will pay out some $1.5 billion to athletes this year, marking the first time they’re allowed to directly compensate players, according to Opendorse, a company that helps connect players with sponsorship deals. read more

Officials show little proof that new tech will help Medicaid enrollees meet work rules

Officials show little proof that new tech will help Medicaid enrollees meet work rules

By Rae Ellen Bichell and Sam Whitehead, KFF Health News

This summer, the state of Louisiana texted just over 13,000 people enrolled in its Medicaid program with a link to a website where they could confirm their incomes.

The texts were part of a pilot run to test technology the Trump administration says will make it easier for some Medicaid enrollees to prove they meet new requirements — working, studying, job training, or volunteering at least 80 hours a month — set to take effect in just over a year.

But only 894 people completed the quarterly wage check, or just under 7% of enrollees who got the text, according to Drew Maranto, undersecretary for the Louisiana Department of Health.

“We’re hoping to get more to opt in,” Maranto said. “We plan to raise awareness.”

The clock is ticking for officials in 42 states — excluding those that did not expand Medicaid at all — and Washington, D.C., to figure out how to verify that an estimated 18.5 million Medicaid enrollees meet rules included in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law. They have until the end of next year, and federal officials are giving those jurisdictions a total of $200 million to do so. read more

Average price for a new car surpasses $50,000 for first time

Average price for a new car surpasses $50,000 for first time

If you’ve dropped by a car lot lately and received a severe dose of sticker shock, you’re not just imagining things.

The average transaction price for a new vehicle in the U.S. surpassed $50,000 for the first time, according to a new estimate by Kelley Blue Book.

The price climb has even alarmed car dealers in California, the state with the most drivers in the nation and the place that has long defined car culture in the U.S.

“That’s really concerning because what that means is that only wealthier Californians are going to be able to enter the new car market,” said Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association.

“And that’s not good for the industry, it’s not good for consumers, it’s not good for dealers, it’s not good for the automakers. We need a broad range of consumers to be in the new car market and if only wealthy folks are buying those cars, that’s a concern.”

The average price has been on a steady rise for years and analysts with Cox Automotive, which owns Kelley Blue Book, attribute the most recent increase to a combination of factors. read more