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Oracle just came out of nowhere in AI moneymaking

The software company that you may only recognize from “your session timed out” screens has suddenly emerged as a major winner of the AI boom. This week, Oracle announced hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of contracted revenue from cloud deals with AI giants.

Best day ever (almost)! Oracle’s stock skyrocketed as much as 43% yesterday morning before pulling back to close up 36%. That still represented its biggest single-day gain in more than 30 years, after its dispatch that left analysts “in shock,” per CNBC.

Oracle is expecting to rake in $455 billion over the next few years for contracts booked last quarter—a fourfold increase from the same time last year.
That’ll skyrocket its cloud infrastructure revenue from $10 billion last fiscal year to $144 billion by 2030, Oracle projected.
Most of the payday will come from OpenAI, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The ChatGPT maker will pay $300 billion over the next five years for Oracle’s cloud computing services.

…as long as AI isn’t a bubble. OpenAI’s revenue is currently less than one-fifth of the amount that it would owe Oracle on average each year, the WSJ noted. Oracle’s future collections mostly depend on ChatGPT ~~taking over the world~~ continuing its exponential growth. Oracle also has contracts with other AI leaders, including xAI and Meta.

Oracle’s co-founder one-upped Elon

The jackpot-like outlook briefly made co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison our planet’s richest person for the first time, Bloomberg reported.

Since Ellison owns 41% of Oracle shares, yesterday’s morning jump added over $100 billion to his net worth, pushing it a few yards past Elon Musk’s to $393 billion.
It was the largest single-day wealth increase Bloomberg has ever recorded.

Meet our potential future overlord: In 2012, Ellison bought the sixth-largest island in Hawaii for $300 million to make it more of a playground for the super-rich, which included building a Nobu almost immediately, according to Bloomberg. He’s also dropped millions on Republican political candidates, the University of Michigan’s football program, and a historic Oxford pub.—ML

Brides-to-be are pestering businesses for bachelorette swag

We’ve all heard stories about entitled influencers demanding free food and products in exchange for posts, but there’s apparently a new mooch in town: brides-to-be.

Brides are flooding companies with requests for free swag for bachelorette gift bags, per The Wall Street Journal. It’s even become a TikTok trend, with brides sharing their best grifting tips.

Bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and weddings are already opportunities for brides to be lavished with gifts, so when did some also start expecting strangers to also give them free shit?

Last year…

… Kayla King, a bride who works in social media, noticed influencers detailing their free swag and decided to try it herself, per The Guardian.

She documented her quest on TikTok and received products from nail company Olive & June, jewelry company Joey Baby, and more, leading other brides, who, like King, were not influencers with big followings, to do the same.

Some brands saw an opportunity to get in front of potential new customers. Bone broth and collagen-infused drink mix company Bare Bones told WSJ it’s approved 300+ requests, or $2.6k in product, this year so far.

Now, wedding publication The Knot even has a guide to asking for free stuff, including a list of 41 companies known to have given away swag before and email templates to use.

But for smaller brands, the influx of requests are a lot, especially when brides are using spreadsheets and AI to automate requests — and they don’t always convert.

Why not?

We’d bet there are few brands that would decline a product placement at Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s wedding, given that Swift’s economic impact is so profound it’s called “The Swift Effect.” But few brides can lead to explosive sales like the world’s biggest pop star.

Some brides don’t have a large enough following to reach any new customers, and other brides have solicited so many free items that none of the brands stand out.
Some requests are just too much. Clothing brand Weber’s Resupply commented on the “audacity” of a bride who could afford an Aspen bachelorette trip, but wanted $1.4k+ in free ski sweaters for 15 friends.

Brands that want to be involved in this or any similar trend might take a tip from razor brand Flamingo. It decided it wouldn’t respond to every request, but would award kits to 25 brides, leading to “record-breaking” engagement.

Inflation is heating up. What now?

The economic picture is starting to look like someone took a Polaroid of a Jackson Pollock painting. It’s still developing, but you can already tell it’s going to be a bit jumbled.

Annual inflation hit 2.9% last month, marking the fastest increase since January. Jobless claims are ticking up, too—the latest sign of a softening labor market. That puts the Fed in a tough spot headed into next week’s meeting, where it’ll decide on an interest rate cut.

Prices were a mixed bag

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday that the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.4% from July to August. Airfare jumped 5.9% and car repairs spiked 2.4% month over month, while dairy and bakery products only rose 0.1%.

But no one got hit harder than Ron Swanson. Year over year:

Roasted coffee was up 21.7%.
Uncooked beef steaks were up 16.6%.
Eggs were up 10.9%.
Bacon was up 7.2%.

There was some good news: Hospital services and car insurance rates were flat, and shelter prices are slowing down.

The impact of tariffs. Some major retailers—including Walmart, Best Buy, and Target—have flat-out said they raised prices because of tariffs. Broken down by category, tariffs are having the biggest effect on household furnishings, appliances, recreational goods, and apparel, CNBC reported.

Labor pains: Normally, when the Fed sees higher inflation, it raises interest rates, or holds them steady, to cool down the economy. But since the labor market is also wobbling, the Fed’s decision is more complicated:

Initial jobless claims hit their highest level in nearly four years.
The BLS announced earlier this week that the US created 911,000 fewer jobs than originally thought for the year ending in March 2025.

Ball’s in your court, JPow: Even with the conflicting data, the Fed is expected to cut rates a quarter percentage point at next week’s meeting.—BC

Auto Draft

In 2018, LaRussell, an independent artist from the Bay Area, was working at an aerospace manufacturing plant before he decided to pursue music full time.

Today, he’s become a global celebrity who’s collabed with hip-hop legends like Snoop Dogg and grown both his fanbase and net worth into the millions — all by doing things a little differently.

What that looks like: backyard concerts and a community-focused business model that lets fans set their own prices, per NBC.

How it works

He uses a sliding scale and offer-based model that lets fans bid on everything from concert tickets and tour merch, to song royalties and even opportunities to hang out with him.

He’s known for the backyard concerts he hosts in his hometown of Vallejo that draw international, multigenerational audiences.

Bidding for show tickets typically starts at just $1, though $100 donations are encouraged to help subsidize costs for others.

Unlike signed artists…

… LaRussell owns his own label, the Good Compenny, as well as the rights to his music and IP. That means 100% of revenue from sales and streams goes straight to his pockets.

It also gives him the freedom to take the creative and financial risks that he has, which he told NBC has been paying off.

Hopeful collaborators can submit offers for song features, starting at $500 — a low price point that can still generate huge profits, considering the rapper, who’s released ~40 albums since 2018, doesn’t spend more than 15 minutes to write a track.
Last month, he launched the Proud 2 Pay initiative, which offers fans a host of perks, including lifetime access to shows and a tour of his childhood home — all for $1k (the average cost of a single Eras Tour ticket). He sold 67 in under 24 hours.

For consumers…

… LaRussell’s community-over-profits approach is refreshing, not just in its novelty, but amid a growing demand for live music and a larger music scene plagued by exorbitantly high ticket prices that lock fans out.

In 2024, the average concert ticket cost $135.92, up 41% compared to 2019.
Some fans have even taken on debt to see their favorite artists perform live.

Other keys to his success: his talent, charm, and authenticity — all important things to consider before you quit your own day job to pursue a rap career.