OpenAI projected to bring in $20bn less in revenue than expected 09. October 2026 (10:06) Questions raised over AI growth as ChatGPT maker forecasts this year’s revenue at $50bn, way below the $70bn signalled beforeBusiness live – latest updatesOpenAI has revealed that it is making about $20bn less in projected revenue than it had recently indicated to investors, raising questions about the break-neck growth rate in demand for AI.The ChatGPT-maker company has told investors that its revenues for this year would reach $50bn (£37bn), a projection based on sales up to the end of September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palantir’s Tom Watson says ‘mob rule’ must not dictate awarding of government contracts 09. October 2026 (09:20) Former Labour deputy leader says tech firm would work with a Reform UK government on immigration crackdownsTom Watson, the former Labour deputy leader who recently joined Palantir, has warned against “mob rule” when it comes to awarding public contracts.Lord Watson, now a senior vice-president at the US tech corporation, said UK ministers could get themselves “in a lot of trouble” as he was questioned about concerns raised about the government working with his new employer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Please, sir, can I have a walk? Dickens biographer finds likely inspiration for Oliver Twist 09. October 2026 (09:00) Exclusive: Theresa Musgrove unearths newspaper archives showing one Alice Shepherd was severely punished in 1836 for similarly innocent requestCould a consumptive young woman called Alice Shepherd have been the inspiration for Oliver Twist? That is a question now being posed by a historian, who has discovered parallels between the brutality suffered by a real-life pauper incarcerated in one of Victorian London’s notorious workhouses and Charles Dickens’s fictional orphan.In researching a new book on Dickens, Theresa Musgrove unearthed 1836 newspaper reports on Alice Shepherd, who endured starvation and solitary confinement within a workhouse in Hendon, after a magistrate ruled she was to be punished for daring to ask for permission to take a walk. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Holborn and St Pancras byelection loss will disappoint Greens – but there may also be relief 09. October 2026 (08:40) It may sound odd to think Zack Polanski would be happy with second place, but after the most challenging week of his political life it could have been worseHolborn and St Pancras byelection – live updatesLabour’s Abdi-Wali fends off Polanski and Green party to win byelectionParliamentary byelections can generate all sorts of emotional responses, often very strong ones. But for the main contenders in Holborn and St Pancras, the feeling this morning might be more prosaic: relief.For Labour, Sagal Abdi-Wali’s victory with just over 45% of the total vote was widely expected, but it allows the party to credibly claim Andy Burnham as a politician able to reach people in both Reform-leaning areas such as Makerfield, and in Green-friendly inner cities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
