The race is on to build the world’s first meaningful quantum computer—one that can deliver the technology’s long-promised ability to help scientists do things like develop miraculous new materials, encrypt data with near-perfect security and accurately predict how Earth’s climate will change. Such a machine is likely more than a decade away, but IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel and other tech heavyweights breathlessly tout each tiny, incremental step along the way. Most of these milestones involve packing ever more quantum bits, or qubits—the basic unit of information in a quantum computer—onto a processor chip. But the path to quantum computing involves far more than wrangling subatomic particles. READ MORE
Life Without Amazon (Well, Almost)
Blaze Cromwell, a 24-year-old cashier living in Washington, D.C., doesn’t order from Amazon.com or shop at Whole Foods. He doesn’t watch movies or shows on Prime Video. He doesn’t own a Ring or a Kindle. And he doesn’t use Audible, Twitch or Zappos. He’s about as close as one can get to abstaining from Amazon entirely. READ MORE
These businesses were the surprise winners of 2020
In a year of widespread and often devastating hardships, no business or industry came through 2020 untouched by the Covid-19 pandemic. But for some key sectors, the news wasn't all bad.
Here's a look at the biggest winners and losers in 2020 and a preview of what the year ahead might bring. READ MORE
Post-pandemic, office life may never be the same, CIOs say
After working remotely for the better part of a year, employees have proven they can do it, and do it despite the difficulties being at home may have presented. Going forward, that means that where people work may have changed permanently, according to chief information officers. READ MORE
CEO of BrewDog offering bars as COVID-19 vaccination venues
It is the season of giving, even for businesses.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many bars and restaurants in Scotland and other European countries have been forced to close down. While this has been devastating for businesses, one chain is offering to use its closed locations to help with the vaccine rollout. READ MORE
These are the hot digital trends for 2021
Did you know 2020 was a leap year? That’s right, this year was literally longer than any other (well at least since 2016) – and you thought you were imagining it! To some, it felt like an extra decade!
No matter how you’re feeling about 2020, we can all agree that just about everything changed – from how we celebrated holidays and birthdays (seriously… drive-by parties!) to how we shopped. READ MORE
Salon owner accuses Oregon governor of retaliating for resisting lockdown orders: 'She terrorized my family'
An Oregon salon owner who opened her business in defiance of the state's lockdown orders accused Gov. Kate Brown of "retaliating" against her family in a $100,000 lawsuit, which details the damages she sustained due to extended closures and exorbitant fines issued against her. READ MORE
The real cost of being the ultimate Apple fan: Nearly $80,000
Picture this: You are the ultimate Apple fan. You've got an unlimited budget. And you want all of the things: top-of-the-line devices, fancy accessories and services.
You may not need that high-end graphics chip or added storage, but they're there, right? READ MORE
FAA brings commercial drone deliveries one step closer with new rules
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that it will issue a long-awaited rule to allow for small drones to fly over people and at night, bringing the technology's use for widespread commercial deliveries one step closer to becoming a reality.
In addition, the FAA is also requiring remote identification for most drones in order to address security concerns. READ MORE
Here Are The Biggest Billionaire Scandals Of 2020
As a year unlike any other draws to a close, Forbes takes a look at the biggest scandals billionaires found themselves facing, from tax evasion to alleged financial fraud to a billionaire spat between neighbors featuring the Gilligan’s Island TV show theme song. READ MORE
SpaceX's Starlink satellite-internet service provides rapid speeds of 175 Mbps in freezing temperatures, high winds, and deep snow, users report
Elon Musk's aerospace company sent an update email to beta testers Tuesday saying its made upgrades to the service, including a "Snow Melt Mode" for the Starlink dishes.
Users of SpaceX's "Better Than Nothing Beta" test have posted pictures and videos on the Reddit Starlink community proving that the Starlink terminal still works in extreme weather conditions - and in some cases, it's even faster. READ MORE
Elon Musk says taking Tesla private would be an 'impossible' task
It is “impossible” for Elon Musk to turn Tesla private — despite the CEO’s belief that ridding the electric carmaker of its duties as a public company would help accelerate innovation, he said Christmas Eve.
“Engineering, design & general company operations absorb vast majority of my mind & are the fundamental limitation on doing more,” Musk tweeted in response to a user who was speculating on how the tech tycoon could best allocate his time. “Tesla public company duties are a much bigger factor, but going private is impossible now (sigh).” READ MORE
‘Startup city’: Accelerated growth strains Austin
AUSTIN, Texas—A few years ago, some blocks of Austin’s South Congress Avenue featured a castle-themed wax museum and comic book shop, a neighborhood bar with $1 taco deals, an auto shop and, in season, a Santa Claus on horseback.
Then, as at so many other places in Austin, the construction cranes came. READ MORE
How the real estate market has been changed in 2020 by multigenerational living
There is no place like home for the holidays, but for a steadily increasing number of Americans, there is no place like moving back home, permanently.
As the coronavirus pandemic celebrates its anniversary, the newest trend taking over the market is the growing number of people moving out of their high-rise lifestyle in places like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. READ MORE
A New Satellite Can Peer Inside Buildings, Day or Night
A few months ago, a company called Capella Space launched a satellite capable of taking clear radar images of anywhere in the world, with incredible resolution — even through the walls of some buildings. READ MORE
Amazon warehouse employees depend on food stamps in 9 states
More than 4,000 warehouse workers at Amazon, the e-commerce giant founded by the world's richest man, depend on food stamps to make ends meet in nine states, according to new U.S. Government Accountability Office data this week. READ MORE
We will never look at KFC's logo the same again, thanks to viral tweet
This probably isn't what people mean when they talk about "chicken legs."
On Tuesday, Freddie Campion, content director at Headspace, reignited an old meme about KFC’s Colonel Sanders in a tweet where he wrote that his wife was convinced his bow tie was actually a tiny stick figure underneath a large head. READ MORE
Major CEOs signal Covid vaccine mandates could be on the way
Some business leaders are in favor of requiring their employees take Covid-19 vaccines.
Seventy-two percent of current and recent CEOs of major companies signaled an openness to vaccine mandates, according to a poll held Tuesday at a virtual summit by the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. READ MORE
Sales Planning Has Long Needed To Change — And There's No Going Back
Business in 2020 has been defined almost entirely by Covid-19, and its impacts are certain to extend well beyond this year. Organizations have undergone a permanent paradigm shift, and the way we work will never be quite the same. While this presents undeniable new challenges in some spaces, in others — especially sales — it catalyzes a much-needed transformation. READ MORE
'Fatal for small businesses': Big firms delay payments to smaller suppliers during COVID-19
Wayne Labush’s corporate events company is struggling to survive, with sales down as much as 90% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
So it doesn’t help that a significant share of the few Fortune 500 clients of his that are still holding conventions, trade shows and conferences are taking two to three months — or even longer — to pay what they owe him. READ MORE