A month after a brief truce, Epic Games and Google returned to court where Judge James Donato mandated Google to simplify the process for installing competing app stores on Android devices. This follows a landmark jury ruling nearly three years ago that found Google maintained an illegal monopoly on Android app distribution. Judge Donato has ruled that Google must allow rival app stores to be accessed through the Google Play Store and provide comprehensive support to these competitors, aiming to dismantle Google's stronghold on Android app distribution.
Most organizations struggle to successfully implement customer experience transformation due to common hurdles and misunderstandings that prevent meaningful progress.
Confidence among Gen Z employees in the workplace has declined by 20 points over the past year. However, many employers mistakenly believe they have already addressed the underlying issues contributing to this drop. The reality is that more proactive strategies are needed to rebuild confidence and engage this generation effectively.
Inc. 5000 CEOs share insights on the critical people-related challenge underlying rapid business growth.
Leading companies featured on this year’s Best Workplaces list empower their employees to take charge. Discover how this employee-driven approach fosters success and drives business growth.
In his exploration of leadership traits, Jim Collins, author of 'Good to Great,' uncovered a transformative philosophy. Rather than imitating others, Collins emphasizes the power of authentic leadership—leading in a way that is true to oneself for lasting success.
The rising demands of consumers have made warehouse automation indispensable in today's economy. According to Accenture, autonomy maturity in supply chain activities is expected to grow significantly in the next five to ten years. However, implementing automation smoothly is challenging. Many companies face organizational, cultural, and operational disruptions, and Gartner reports that 76% of logistics initiatives fail to meet key performance goals, often due to improper solutions or lack of employee buy-in.
Challenges are amplified in multi-site automation projects, where issues in one facility can affect the entire rollout. Therefore, adopting the right mindset and proactively managing disruptions from the start is crucial.
Automation reduces risk by boosting speed and accuracy through repetitive processes, but it can also reveal existing operational flaws that need attention. Companies must be prepared to invest in learning, adapting, and fostering a culture that embraces new technology to truly benefit from automation productivity gains.
Here are five critical steps for executives to consider when scaling automation across multiple sites:
- Agree on non-negotiable priorities before starting, balancing speed, cost, quality, and risk.
- Commit dedicated teams and timelines, recognizing go-live is only the beginning and ongoing involvement is essential.
- Establish test environments and document every outcome to ensure systems fit each facility's unique needs, potentially using digital twins.
- Standardize procedures and software across sites to simplify maintenance and improve security, even if it means slight performance compromises.
- Select a rollout approach that fits organizational goals, whether rapid deployment, phased scaling, or incremental implementation.
Successful automation requires viewing warehouses as interconnected networks rather than isolated buildings. Companies must align strategies early, invest time in fine-tuning operations and technology, and commit fully to the chosen rollout model. This approach helps unlock the full potential of automation across all facilities.
Sean Wallingford, president of Kenco MHE Solutions, emphasizes the importance of thoughtful planning and steady execution for transformative results in warehouse automation.
Google has introduced Gemini 3.7 Flash, its latest AI model upgrade focused on coding, agentic workflows, and improving knowledge work, while offering a significant 50% price reduction on API usage until the end of 2026. This rapid update, arriving just three weeks after Gemini 3.6 Flash, emphasizes better adaptability, clearer intent understanding, and improved instruction fidelity. The new model excels in multi-step planning and tool use, promising fewer retries and less manual oversight for enterprise developers. Benchmark results show notable gains in software engineering and web development, although the model faces strong competition in some areas. Enterprise workflow automation and document comprehension also see substantial improvements, making Gemini 3.7 Flash valuable for complex business agent tasks. Pricing is set at $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens until Dec 31, 2026, before increasing in 2027. This aggressive pricing combined with performance improvements aims to lower operating costs for high-volume AI deployments. The release comes amid internal restructuring and delays of Google's flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro model, highlighting Google's focus on iterative, efficient Flash model development. Developers can access Gemini 3.7 Flash through Google AI Studio, Android Studio, and enterprise platforms, with added safeguards for safety and security risks. This update encourages enterprises to evaluate real-world task completion costs over leaderboard rankings in deciding AI model investments.
Writer, a leading enterprise AI agent platform trusted by major firms like Accenture and Uber, introduced its latest model, Palmyra X6, which promises to reduce AI agent operational costs by 52%. This new model also offers a 48% boost in speed and a 10% quality improvement. Rather than building a model from scratch, Writer enhanced the open-weight GLM-5.2 from Beijing-based Z.ai, refining it through a unique post-training method with just 626 synthetic training examples. The company emphasizes that all training and data handling occur on U.S. infrastructure, addressing security and trust concerns related to the Chinese model origins. Beyond the model itself, Writer’s improved orchestration layer, the Writer Agent harness, cuts costs by 41% and speeds up tasks by 44% across various AI models, highlighting the importance of efficient workflow management. New governance tools also offer enterprises better visibility and control over AI token spending, a critical need as token consumption is expected to skyrocket. Writer’s approach reflects a shift in enterprise AI prioritizing cost-efficiency and practical deployment over raw model innovation.
We live on a planet covered mostly by water, yet only a tiny fraction of it is usable fresh water—about 0.5%. Growing global demand, population increases, pollution, and climate change are straining this vital resource, making water scarcity and quality urgent concerns for companies and communities alike.
Many businesses currently treat water as a basic utility rather than a strategic asset. This mindset is increasingly risky as droughts, pollution, and regulatory pressures mount globally. Water-intensive industries such as AI data centers, green hydrogen production, mining for critical minerals, food and beverage, and textiles are facing growing challenges. Even smaller businesses and sectors like construction, healthcare, and tourism cannot afford to ignore water risks.
Effective water management requires understanding complex local water cycles and dependencies along supply chains. Uniform policies are insufficient; companies must empower site managers with localized risk assessments and stakeholder engagement.
Strategic responses include shifting water from a utility expense to a priority managed cross-functionally, leveraging tools and standards like the CEO Water Mandate and Aqueduct, investing in efficiency and recycling technologies, and contributing to water source replenishment efforts. Ignoring water’s strategic importance heightens risks to health, economic stability, and corporate resilience.
