UPS is cutting up to 30,000 jobs and closing 24 facilities in 2026 as it accelerates its pullback from low-margin Amazon deliveries. The move is part of a broader shift toward higher-profit shipping, even as demand stays soft. Investors liked the trade-off: UPS beat Q4 earnings expectations and forecast higher-than-expected 2026 revenue. Shares jumped 4% as Wall Street bet that fewer packages could mean better margins. (Reuters)

Anduril is turning recruiting into a sport. The defense tech startup just launched the AI Grand Prix, an autonomous drone racing competition where the real prize is a job. Teams will write software to make drones fly themselves, with top performers earning a fast track into Anduril roles. Founder Palmer Luckey says it’s about proving autonomy works without human micromanagement, and finding the engineers who can make it happen. (TechCrunch)

The dollar had a rough Tuesday. The U.S. currency slid about 1.3%, its worst one-day drop since April, after President Trump shrugged off concerns about its decline, saying a weaker dollar is “great” for business. The move pushed the dollar to its lowest level since early 2022, rattling markets already on edge about trade policy and growth. When the White House sounds relaxed about a softer dollar, traders tend to take it seriously. (CNBC)

Amazon is shutting down its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores, closing roughly 70 locations nationwide and folding its physical grocery strategy into Whole Foods. The company said the formats failed to deliver a distinctive experience or scalable economics. Some locations will convert to Whole Foods, with 100+ new stores planned, including smaller “Daily Shop” formats. Amazon will keep testing new retail concepts, even as analysts say Fresh and Go never gave shoppers a clear reason to visit. (CNN)

Anthropic has closed a funding round above its initial $10B target, valuing the AI startup at roughly $350B. Sources say the round totals between $10B and $15B and could still grow if Microsoft or Nvidia participates. Coatue and Singapore’s GIC are leading the raise, with Sequoia also involved. Founded by former OpenAI executives, Anthropic has seen rapid growth as its Claude models and coding tools gain traction across enterprises. (CNBC)

Most headlines show Davos as a parade of panels and celebrity keynotes. The part worth paying attention to happened in the private hallways and investor dinners: CEOs, policymakers, and governments aligning on how the next 24 months will unfold.

This year’s official theme was “A Spirit of Dialogue,” focused on cooperation amid rising global risks, changing economic dynamics, and technological disruption.

Here’s what founders actually need to know.

A: Officially, it was about “dialogue” — bringing rivals and allies into rooms together. But beneath the public tagline was a much clearer set of priorities:

Governments want regulation because they’re already behind. Large companies want defensibility because margins are at risk. Investors want predictability because uncertainty kills returns.

For founders, this matters because the old mindset of “move fast and deal with consequences later” is fading.

A: One thing leaders kept repeating — growth isn’t out of the picture, but it’s cautious and strategic.

The narrative wasn’t about reckless spending. It was about deliberate allocation:

The underlying message was simple: the free-money era is over, and capital now wants proof, not promises.

If you’re a founder, this shifts things. A business with clean operations, real customers, and predictable margins is suddenly far more attractive than a flashy story that still needs to be figured out.

A: Across sessions and discussions, three clear pockets of interest stood out:

A: It was system disruption on multiple fronts:

AI specifically came up everywhere as a systemic force. Leaders from big tech to public policy circles debated how to deploy AI in ways that amplify productivity and safeguard society.

Law, marketing, finance, operations, and customer support are all being redesigned in real time. However, there is a lingering fear that workflows, accountability, and decision-making break in subtle ways when humans are removed from the loop.

A: Regulation was central. On the table were:

This wasn’t about whether regulation will happen but rather what form it will take.

If your systems depend on data flows, model training, or cross-border usage, you need to be proactive when it comes to regulation, as it WILL show up in procurement, compliance reviews, and enterprise sales long before it shows up as a headline.

A: The consensus wasn’t doom, but cautious, selective growth.

No one was touting a new gold rush, but there was agreement that opportunities exist, just not for unfocused or complacent teams.

Businesses that know who they serve, how they make money, and how they adapt to macro forces are positioned for success in the next 24 months.

Whether you think the World Economic Forum is all talk and no action or a real signal of where things are headed, there were a few things this year that are actually worth paying attention to: