Business

Starbucks is reportedly exploring a takeover of Chipotle, people familiar with the matter told the FT. Corporate America loves a boomerang CEO. Think Bob Iger's return to Disney, or Elliott Hill coming out of retirement for Nike. But what Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is apparently considering is in a category of its own. The FT reported last week that Starbucks has explored acquiring Chipotle in what would be the restaurant industry's biggest deal ever. Here's the twist: Niccol was CEO of Chipotle before jumping to Starbucks. He could now end up buying his old company. On Monday, Starbucks denied the reports. "We are not buying Chipotle," a Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider. "Our team is laser focused on executing our Back to Starbucks strategy. We have strong momentum and confidence in our long-term growth potential. "Still, the idea of a Starbucks/Chipotle combo is a good excuse to look at how far both companies' stock prices have diverged since Niccol's move to Starbucks was announced in August 2024. Starbucks became a turnaround story, while Chipotle struggled to replace the man who helped make it one.

The annoying scam that may be hiding in your work calendar That meeting on your calendar might not be what it seems.

Bird's CEO Robert Vis says AI is making high-agency generalists more valuable at work. Being a specialist may be getting harder at some AI-powered companies. "The profile that we were very focused on was people with high agency," Robert Vis, the CEO of communications infrastructure company Bird, told Business Insider. "If you're high agency and you're full stack, then AI leverages you to basically be your best self. "Vis made the comments in late September after Bird announced that it had completed $450 million in debt financing led by JPMorgan, Capital One, and Citi. The company also said its head count fell from more than 1,000 people to 120 over roughly three years as it automated more of its operations and favored employees with high agency and multidisciplinary skills. Vis said AI is helping employees work across tasks that companies have historically treated as distinct roles. In engineering, for example, he said the technology favors people who understand not just how to write code but also how a product should work. "If you're an engineer and you're extremely good at just code but you have no product sense, that wouldn't work at Bird," he said.

South Korea's once-red-hot stock market has lost momentum. South Korea's stock market has gone from the world's hottest to its coldest in just a few months. The Kospi, the world's best-performing major stock benchmark in the first half of 2026, has since fallen about 24%, making it the worst-performing major market in the second half. It's still more than 50% higher this year. The AI trade isn't losing its appeal. But investors are increasingly looking beyond South Korea's memory-chip giants to companies with broader exposure to the AI hardware boom. In July, analysts at GlobalData. TS Lombard pointed out that much of the earnings growth at Korean memory-chip makers came from higher memory-chip prices. By contrast, TSMC and Japanese chip-equipment makers relied more on advanced manufacturing and process expertise, giving them more durable growth prospects, they added. Taiwan's Taiex has climbed about 7% in the second half of the year, taking its year-to-date gains to about 70% as investors broaden their bets across the AI hardware supply chain.

America's dental hygienists call it quits So many teeth, no one to clean them: America's dental hygienist shortage is a headache for patients

More than 82,000 rechargeable hand warmers, including products sold at Target, The Home Depot and Amazon, have been recalled over fire and burn hazards, according to federal regulators. The recall affects about 77,000 Kobayashi’s HotHands-branded rechargeable hand warmers sold in the U. S., along with approximately 77 sold in Canada. It also covers about 5,500 Gobi Heat-branded rechargeable hand warmers sold in the U. S. and about 47 sold in Canada. "The lithium-ion battery and electrical components in the recalled hand warmers can overheat and ignite, posing a risk of serious injury from fire and burn hazards," the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in the recall notices. No injuries have been reported in connection with either brand's hand warmers. BABY BATH SEATS SOLD ON AMAZON RECALLED OVER DEADLY DROWNING HAZARD More than 82,000 rechargeable hand warmers across two brands have been recalled over fire and burn hazards. (U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately and contact the respective companies for a full refund, according to the commission.

by Lynnanne Nguyen, KOMONewsReporterMon, October 12, 2026 at 6:29 PMUpdated Wed, October 14, 2026 at 5:40 PMFILE - Commercial trucks cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing into the United States on February 04, 2025, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BLAINE, Wash. (KOMO) — A Canadian small business owner is sounding the alarm over the cost of doing business across the border amid trade tensions between the U. S. and Canada. Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique, says she weathered the pandemic and other difficulties, but recent tensions between the two countries were the final nail in the coffin. After 14 years in business, she was forced to close the last of her U. S. shops earlier this year, shutting down all three of her stores. “It’s a really sad thing to see a dream of yours die due to really no fault of your own,” Smith said. “I did everything I could to pivot and survive this, and here we are.”“To be honest, I’ve never been more affected by the news as a small business owner,” she added.

by Lynnanne Nguyen, KOMONewsReporterMon, October 12, 2026 at 7:29 PMUpdated Wed, October 14, 2026 at 6:40 PMFILE - Commercial trucks cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing into the United States on February 04, 2025, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BLAINE, Wash. (KOMO) — A Canadian small business owner is sounding the alarm over the cost of doing business across the border amid trade tensions between the U. S. and Canada. Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique, says she weathered the pandemic and other difficulties, but recent tensions between the two countries were the final nail in the coffin. After 14 years in business, she was forced to close the last of her U. S. shops earlier this year, shutting down all three of her stores. “It’s a really sad thing to see a dream of yours die due to really no fault of your own,” Smith said. “I did everything I could to pivot and survive this, and here we are.”“To be honest, I’ve never been more affected by the news as a small business owner,” she added.

Amazon's 2015 acquisition of Israeli chipmaker Annapurna Labs helped lay the foundations for its in-house silicon business. Now, the tech giant is reportedly pursuing Decart, an Israeli AI startup whose technology can help AI models run more efficiently on chips, including Amazon's own Trainium processors.10:00, 12.10.26 Amazon’s reported pursuit of Israeli AI startup Decart for approximately $7 billion would mark another major bet on Israeli technology, and potentially a new chapter in a strategy that began with a $350 million acquisition more than a decade ago. In January 2015, Amazon acquired Annapurna Labs, an Israeli chip designer founded in Yokneam in 2011. The deal helped establish the foundation for Amazon Web Services’ in-house silicon business, giving the cloud giant greater control over the hardware powering its data centers. Today, Amazon’s custom chips are central to its efforts to compete with Nvidia and other technology companies in the rapidly expanding market for AI computing. Decart offers a different approach to the same strategic challenge.

by Lynnanne Nguyen, KOMONewsReporterMon, October 12, 2026 at 7:29 PMUpdated Wed, October 14, 2026 at 6:40 PMFILE - Commercial trucks cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing into the United States on February 04, 2025, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BLAINE, Wash. (KOMO) — A Canadian small business owner is sounding the alarm over the cost of doing business across the border amid trade tensions between the U. S. and Canada. Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique, says she weathered the pandemic and other difficulties, but recent tensions between the two countries were the final nail in the coffin. After 14 years in business, she was forced to close the last of her U. S. shops earlier this year, shutting down all three of her stores. “It’s a really sad thing to see a dream of yours die due to really no fault of your own,” Smith said. “I did everything I could to pivot and survive this, and here we are.”“To be honest, I’ve never been more affected by the news as a small business owner,” she added.

The Problem: Madagascar’s entrepreneurs have been hindered by poverty and political instability. The Solution: Business education, a peer network, and ongoing support help established enterprises scale.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wanye Brown. Hi Wanye, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. My story really started with simply wanting to help people in my city. Being born and raised in West Baltimore, homelessness was never something that felt far away. We saw people struggling and always believed helping didn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it starts with a hot meal, fresh clothes, a conversation, or simply treating someone like a person.

A family friend threatened him, then showed up at the bar. It got worse from there What happened: Society Insurance alleges its policies do not cover an Illinois bar where a patron was shot outside after an altercation

by Lynnanne Nguyen, KOMONewsReporterMon, October 12, 2026 at 6:29 PMUpdated Wed, October 14, 2026 at 5:40 PMFILE - Commercial trucks cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing into the United States on February 04, 2025, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BLAINE, Wash. (KOMO) — A Canadian small business owner is sounding the alarm over the cost of doing business across the border amid trade tensions between the U. S. and Canada. Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique, says she weathered the pandemic and other difficulties, but recent tensions between the two countries were the final nail in the coffin. After 14 years in business, she was forced to close the last of her U. S. shops earlier this year, shutting down all three of her stores. “It’s a really sad thing to see a dream of yours die due to really no fault of your own,” Smith said. “I did everything I could to pivot and survive this, and here we are.”“To be honest, I’ve never been more affected by the news as a small business owner,” she added.

by Lynnanne Nguyen, KOMONewsReporterMon, October 12, 2026 at 7:29 PMUpdated Wed, October 14, 2026 at 6:40 PMFILE - Commercial trucks cross the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge border crossing into the United States on February 04, 2025, in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)BLAINE, Wash. (KOMO) — A Canadian small business owner is sounding the alarm over the cost of doing business across the border amid trade tensions between the U. S. and Canada. Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique, says she weathered the pandemic and other difficulties, but recent tensions between the two countries were the final nail in the coffin. After 14 years in business, she was forced to close the last of her U. S. shops earlier this year, shutting down all three of her stores. “It’s a really sad thing to see a dream of yours die due to really no fault of your own,” Smith said. “I did everything I could to pivot and survive this, and here we are.”“To be honest, I’ve never been more affected by the news as a small business owner,” she added.