The Fed's first rate hike in three years, defying Trump's demands, signals a hawkish turn to combat inflation. Expect more hikes, which could cool the economy and hit consumer spending.
businessThursday, September 17, 2026
Fed hikes rates, DOGE leave costs soar, Nvidia buys Hugging Face
Today's business news is a mixed bag of rate hikes, government spending, and big tech moves. The Fed's first rate increase in three years is the headline, but the surge in federal leave costs and Nvidia's acquisition of Hugging Face are equally significant. It's a day of big numbers and strategic shifts.
Macro moves
The Federal Reserve's rate hike and the government's leave spending are two sides of the same coin: economic pressure and fiscal reckoning.
The $9.5 billion spent on paid leave for federal workers, a 435% jump, undercuts the DOGE's cost-cutting narrative. It's a stark example of how efficiency drives can backfire financially.
Big tech bets
Nvidia's acquisition of Hugging Face and Meta's smart glasses pivot show how tech giants are doubling down on AI and hardware, with different strategies for the same end.
Nvidia's $12.9 billion acquisition of Hugging Face is a bet on open-source AI, not just hardware. This could reshape how AI models are developed and deployed, giving Nvidia a front-row seat in the software ecosystem.
Meta's camera-free Ray-Ban glasses are a direct response to Google Glass's privacy backlash. By removing the camera, Meta is betting on audio and display features to make smart glasses socially acceptable, though it remains to be seen if that's enough.
Industry pushback
From solar to beef, industries are pushing back against regulations and rate hikes that threaten their bottom lines.

The anti-dumping ruling on steel tubing is a textbook case of trade policy clashing with renewable energy goals. The 48% duty could stall solar projects, raising costs and delaying Australia's transition.
Also today15
The Ohio Republican Begging the Senate to Help Him Get Out of the Data Center Mess He Helped Createtalkingpointsmemo.com
Your startup’s next teammate might be an AI agent: Gusto, Insight Partners, and Leland explain what that changes at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026techcrunch.com
CyCognitoopsmtrs.com
The iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gainswww.theverge.com
Executive interview: Reckitt has no fear of missing out on the AI frenzywww.computerweekly.comReject Duke Energy’s rate hikes. NC restaurants are carrying enough | Opinionbit.ly
Snap tries to make the case again for its $2,200 smart glassestechcrunch.com
Snap is attempting to rehabilitate the public perception of its $2,200 smart glasses, Specs, following a disastrous debut that led to online ridicule and a stock drop. The company is now seeking opportunities to justify the existence of this expensive, heavy hardware aimed at a n
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly rejected calls from AI safety advocates, such as Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, for an industry-wide slowdown in AI development. Instead, Zuckerberg argues that market forces and competition are sufficient incentives for companies to ensure their
Northwest Bancshares puts oversight at the center of AI spendingsiliconangle.com
Northwest Bancshares is applying AI governance frameworks derived from KeyBank National Association to manage its artificial intelligence investments. CFO Doug Schosser leverages his experience at KeyBank to establish a disciplined approach for evaluating AI projects, focusing sp
New dad quit his job, spent $3,000 in savings to start a business—it brought in $850,000 in 9 monthswww.cnbc.com
Tavis Malcolm, a former marketing employee and Eagle Scout, quit his job in June 2018 to launch Morrison Outdoors after an "aha" moment during a family camping trip where he struggled to keep his newborn warm. Starting with $3,000 in savings, the company now sells sleeping bags f
World Summit AI Amsterdam 2026 Puts AI Power and Governance Center Stagehackernoon.com
World Summit AI Amsterdam 2026 is positioning itself as the premier European venue for shaping global AI policy and governance, moving beyond technical discussions to focus on the intersection of AI capability and geopolitical power. The 10th-anniversary event convenes key stakeh
DOJ expands beef price investigation to eight major grocery retailerswww.fox29.com
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has expanded its investigation into beef affordability to include eight major U.S. grocery retailers. This move follows an earlier inquiry in May targeting the "Big Four" meatpackers—JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef—which
Build data centres here or ‘rent’ from neighbours, AI minister sayswww.bnnbloomberg.ca
At the Canada Investment Summit, AI leaders emphasized digital sovereignty and the need for homegrown data center infrastructure to avoid dependence on foreign entities. Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon warned that failing to build domestic capacity would force Canad
David-King Adeduntan: The Data Scientist Reshaping How Enterprises Harness Artificial Intelligencehackernoon.com
David-King Adeduntan, a UK-based data scientist and AI engineer, addresses the challenge of unstructured enterprise data by developing production-ready pipelines, predictive models, and intelligent automation. His work focuses on transforming disorganized data into actionable int
NTT's IOWN AI Fund Makes First Investment in iPronics for AI Infrastructurewww.thefastmode.com
NTT's IOWN AI Fund has made its first investment in iPronics, a developer of programmable optical networking technology for AI data centers. The fund participated in iPronics' $125 million Series B funding round, which also included NVIDIA and other investors. iPronics plans to u
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