This week in business: Shutdown chaos, AI jitters, and a penny farewell.

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

The United States government finally lurched back to operational status this week, but the resolution came at a significant cost, embedding provisions that could cripple the burgeoning hemp industry and set the stage for a severe health insurance premium shock for millions by 2026. In a stunning corporate collapse, Marriott's abrupt termination of its licensing deal with short-term rental operator Sonder triggered immediate Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, stranding guests mid-stay and throwing 1,400 employees into chaos across more than 35 cities—a stark reminder of the fragility embedded in modern corporate partnerships.Simultaneously, the service sector faced internal turmoil as unionized Starbucks baristas at over 65 locations turned the company's hallmark Red Cup Day into a coordinated strike, a dramatic escalation in their ongoing battle over pay, hours, and alleged unfair labor practices, with the union threatening to launch the largest walkout in company history if demands are not met. On the technological front, the volatile nature of the AI investment landscape was laid bare when infrastructure titan CoreWeave saw its stock tumble nearly 10% despite reporting blockbuster revenue growth and a $55.6 billion backlog, the sell-off triggered solely by a single data center delay that shaved $200 million off its 2025 forecast, demonstrating the market's hair-trigger sensitivity to any execution misstep in hyper-growth narratives. Not to be outdone, IBM mounted a forceful counter-offensive in the intensifying quantum computing arms race, unveiling two new processors—Nighthawk and Loon—and accelerating its manufacturing pipeline to counter rivals like Quantinuum and reassure a skittish market of its continued viability.In a significant legal maneuver, Google filed a federal lawsuit leveraging RICO and computer fraud statutes against 25 unnamed individuals tied to the 'Lighthouse' phishing-as-a-service operation, an entity accused of pilfering up to a billion dollars by deploying fraudulent USPS and toll road text scams, a bold attempt to dismantle a global criminal network operating beyond easy reach of conventional law enforcement. Meanwhile, retail giant Target initiated a back-to-basics '10-4' customer service policy, mandating smiles and greetings in a bid to reverse traffic declines and rehabilitate its brand ahead of the critical holiday season, a strategy juxtaposed against recent corporate layoffs and DEI-related boycotts.And in a uniquely American coda, as the U. S. Mint ceased penny production, the regional Market 32 and Price Chopper grocery chain executed a marketing masterstroke, offering a 'Double Exchange Day' to convert customer pennies into double-value gift cards, a tactical move to secure coin inventory ahead of a looming shortage while generating a wave of positive PR and driving crucial foot traffic.

#weeks picks news

#government shutdown

#AI infrastructure

#CoreWeave

#IBM quantum

#Starbucks strike

#hemp industry

#health insurance

#Target policy

#Google lawsuit

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