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• President Donald Trump's first year of his second term has shown mixed results for the business world.
• The AI industry surged, while the retail sector struggled under tariffs.
• Some industries, like manufacturing, have fallen short of expectations.

President Donald Trump's year in office was a mixed bag of blessings and woes for the business world.

Last year began with a lineup of

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I fumbled my vacation

As you may have noticed, I wasn't at work last week. (Thanks, Paige, for filling in!) I decided to ease into the year sans meetings, emails, or circling back.

My intention for taking the first full week of the year off was simple: to be

• Michael Burry laid out in a Substack debate why he expects the AI boom to end badly.
• The "Big Short" investor retold a Warren Buffett story to warn of wasteful tech spending.
• Burry took aim at Nvidia and Palantir, and said he was surprised Alphabet lost the lead in AI.

Michael Burry r

• Business Insider took a deep-dive look at the bankruptcy auction of an armor-plated Mercedes.
• The auction was entirely online, and people placed 115 bids without kicking the tires in person.
• Here's what happened in real life — a four-year process ending when the "gavel" fell on Thursday.

How do you auction off a former billionaire's armor-plated Mercedes?

As with virtually every

• The military's independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, is facing new pressure from the Pentagon.
• Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the outlet must "refocus its content away from woke distractions."
• Current and former staffers are worried about the newspaper's ability to hold the military accountable.

Staffers at Stars and Stripes — a

• Given the tight labor market, building skills and networking can help foster career security.
• Adding to your abilities is important because employers often expect more from the people they hire.
• Focusing on in-demand skills like AI can help you stand out from other

• Costco sells a lot of brand-name goods at a lower unit price than typical retailers charge.
• But the warehouse chain's Kirkland Signature brand is where the cost savings can really add up.
• We compared shopping carts filled exclusively with Kirkland products against national brands

• Selkirk is a leading pickleball equipment brand founded by two brothers and their dad in 2014.
• As the sport has exploded, so has the competition. The brothers stay ahead by investing heavily in R&D.
• I toured Selkirk's million-dollar innovation lab, which features a CT scanner