Articles written by Hayden Buckfire - Benzinga

Perplexity's $14 Billion Valuation Ignites Google Search Engine Shakeup

| Artificial intelligence captures tech world's imagination as startups like Perplexity gain valuation of $14 billion in latest funding round.

Who Is New Pope Leo XIV? Francis Appointee, First American Pope Has Supported Workers' Rights

|Pope Francis' death on April 22 sent the Catholic Church into mourning. Cardinals chose Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, as the first American pope.

Jeff Bezos To Unload Almost $5 Billion In Amazon Stock: Filing

|Bezos plans to sell 25M shares of Amazon stock by 2026, reducing his ownership to under 9%. Similar to Gates, who sold most of his Microsoft shares.

Elon Musk Replacement Rumors: Billionaire Also Had Unceremonious Exits From PayPal, OpenAI

|Musk's drive to shape the future, whether in finance, AI, or electric vehicles, often brings him into conflict with collaborators and boards.

Tax Collections Tick Up As Treasury Ledgers Elevate Cash Balance

|Tax season 2025 saw a sharp increase in Treasury's cash balance, with $185 billion added on deadline day. This gives more flexibility to manage funding needs and reduce borrowing.

Sam Altman's OpenAI Explores Creating Social Media Competitor To Elon Musk's X

|OpenAI and X feud over social media dominance as Altman and Musk's disagreements continue. X remains popular despite competition.

Americans Should Cut Spending 'To The Bone' Amid Trump Tariffs, Says Personal Finance Expert

|Trump's tariff plan has caused high market volatility and concerns about U.S. economy in 2025. Expert urges caution and proactive measures for potential hardships.

Trump Averts Financial Crisis With Tariff Pause, But Not A Recession: Josh Brown

|Trump paused the reciprocal tariff plan, but CNBC's Josh Brown believes gains were a blip and a recession could still occur.

Small-Caps Explode Higher As Tariff Fears Ease: Humacyte, Forward Air, FormFactor Top Russell 2000

|Trump's tariff delay caused the small-cap stocks in iShares Russell 2000 ETF to rise significantly. Semiconductor components were also top performers.

San Francisco Fed's Mary Daly Says Central Bank Should 'Tread Slowly And Tread Carefully'

|President Trump's tariff plan may cause inflation, but Fed President Daly says current rates are good for now. Powell rebukes Trump's call for cuts.

CEOs, Wall Street Titans Brace For Sustained Market Downturn: 'There's Too Much Confidence In The System'

|Trump's reciprocal tariff announcement on 4/2 shook markets, while two CEOs warn of potential recession and inflation due to tariffs.

Sam Altman Backtracks On o3 Cancellation, Plans To Release Model In Anticipation Of GPT-5: 'People Will Be Happy'

|OpenAI reverses course, plans to release o3 and o4 models in weeks before unveiling GPT-5 in 2025, competing with Google, Anthropic, DeepSeek and xAI.

Altimeter's Brad Gerstner Builds Up Nvidia Stake After Trump Tariffs, Applauds Semiconductor Exception

|Altimeter Capital's Gerstner buying NVIDIA stock despite market volatility due to Trump's tariffs and potential recession concerns.

Tesla Closes In Green, Dips After Hours As Musk Denies Ouster From Trump Administration

|Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly plans to step back from his role in Trump administration. But the DOGE head has denied the rumors.

Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers The Top ETF Themes In 2025 Says Global X ETFs

|Arelis Agosto, director of Product Research at Global X ETFs, discusses current trends in ETFs like AI and infrastructure with Benzinga's Dan Leach.

Brightwave Founder Mike Conover Says AI Will Replace Tedious Work: 'We Have Systems That Can Get You To The 50-Yard Line'

|Brightwave Founder and CEO Mike Conover discussed his company's unique approach to artificial intelligence at Future Proof CityWide Miami in March.

Oil And Gas Executives Rebuke Trump's 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Agenda: 'We Want More Stability'

|Trump's 2024 presidential campaign focused on lowering prices, but now energy executives are frustrated with his chaotic tariff policy and lack of stability.

What Is Signal? Trump Admin Uses Messaging App Similar To Meta's WhatsApp To Discuss War Plans

|Trump officials accidentally added journalist to Signal group chat discussing war plans. Signal is an encrypted messaging app, but still has risks.

Ray Dalio, Jeffrey Sachs Tapped To Advise Indonesian Sovereign Wealth Fund During Economic Fallout

|Indonesia's wealth fund Danantara appointed Ray Dalio and Jeffrey Sachs as advisors. Concerns about governance and transparency have led to market decline.

Employee Confidence Hits New Low As Economic Anxiety Grows

|US Employee Confidence Index at record low of 44.4%, driven by fear of layoffs, inflation, and recession. Uncertainty about Fed policy and earnings also weigh on sentiment.