Recently, I joined The Reeder’s Devin Reed and DemandJen’s Jen Allen-Knuth for a no-fluff webinar on a pressing reality for B2B revenue teams: AI search is changing how buyers discover, trust, and choose vendors. The new LLM-first environment continues to challenge traditional go-to-market (GTM) motions.
Rivian Automotive RIVN shares declined on Wednesday after the electric vehicle manufacturer posted mixed second-quarter results and issued a downbeat outlook, prompting a round of price target cuts from Wall Street analysts.
The company reported second-quarter revenue of $1.303 billion, a 5.1% year-over-year increase that slightly surpassed the Street consensus estimate of $1.29 billion, according to Benzinga Pro.
However, the adjusted loss of 97 cents per share came in wider than the expected 76 cents per share loss, underscoring continued profitability challenges.
Also Read: Rivian Gains On Tesla’s Robotaxi Hype, But Challenges Loom
In response to the earnings, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives maintained Rivian with an Outperform rating and lowered the price forecast from $18 to $16.
While revenues modestly exceeded expectations, driven by higher average selling prices and growth in the software and services segment, profitability deteriorated.
Software and services revenue rose to $376 million, up from $318 million in the prior quarter, with approximately $182 million stemming from Rivian’s joint venture with Volkswagen VWAGY.
However, adjusted gross margin fell steeply to 4.9%, down from 26.5% in the previous quarter, primarily due to lower production volumes and roughly $137 million in fixed cost impacts. Tariffs had only a minor impact during the period.
Adjusted EBITDA came in at a loss of $667 million, significantly wider than the Street’s anticipated $492.7 million loss, as the company ramped up investment in its R2 product line and service infrastructure.
Rivian reaffirmed its full-year delivery guidance of 40,000 to 46,000 vehicles but downgraded its profitability outlook. The company now expects gross profit to be roughly breakeven, down from a prior forecast of $300 million.
This change is primarily due to recent regulatory changes that have created a net negative impact of a couple thousand dollars per unit.
A major part of this loss comes from the elimination of a high-margin revenue stream: $160.0 million in regulatory credits that the company was previously expecting to earn. Adjusted EBITDA guidance was revised to a range of negative $2.25 billion to $2.0 billion, well below the consensus estimate of negative $1.88 billion.
Despite short-term challenges, Ives maintained an Outperform rating, while lowering the price forecast, citing regulatory uncertainty, tariffs, and macro headwinds as near-term hurdles in Rivian’s broader transformation.
JP Morgan analyst Ryan Brinkman took a more pessimistic view, reaffirming an Underweight rating and cutting his price forecast from $10 to $9. Brinkman lowered his estimates and price forecast on Rivian following a wider-than-expected second-quarter EBITDA loss and a deeper full-year guide-down.
While revenue of $1.303 billion beat JPMorgan’s $1.211 billion estimate and the Street’s $1.283 billion, nearly all other metrics disappointed. Regulatory credit revenue came in at just $3 million, well below Brinkman’s $107 million forecast, due to legislative changes that reduced demand for EPA and CAFE credits.
Core automotive gross margin excluding credits fell sharply to -36%, compared to JPMorgan’s -11% estimate, leading to a combined gross profit loss of $335 million versus the firm’s projected $90 million loss.
Software and services showed relative strength, posting a gross profit of $129 million versus the expected $75 million, while operating expenses were lower than anticipated at $908 million.
Despite these positives, the second-quarter EBITDA loss of $667 million fell far short of JPMorgan’s forecast of $535 million and consensus of $493 million.
Brinkman sees Rivian’s updated full-year outlook, now forecasting an adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.125 billion at the midpoint (down from $1.8 billion prior) and regulatory credit revenue of $160 million (cut from $300 million), as indicative of both a more challenging regulatory environment and weaker internal execution.
He projects a $2.8 billion free cash outflow for 2025, up from $2.5 billion, equating to over 50% of estimated revenue and 20% of Rivian’s market cap.
While liquidity remains sufficient with $7.5 billion in cash and expected inflows from Volkswagen and DOE loans, Brinkman reaffirmed an Underweight rating and cut his price forecast.
Price Action: Rivian shares are trading lower by 3.16% at $11.79 at last check on Wednesday.
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In the world of small and mid-sized businesses, every dollar counts. Leaders are constantly faced with difficult decisions about where to allocate limited resources to drive the greatest impact. With HR often viewed as a cost center for businesses, it comes as little surprise that a recent study found 64% of small to mid-sized businesses allocate less than 1% of their annual revenue to HR technology investments, and 36% are using virtually no HR technology.
Not only does this make HR teams’ jobs more difficult, requiring them to spend hours prioritizing labor-intensive back-office tasks, but it also reduces their ability to spend time on supporting employee needs and engagement initiatives that can have a real impact on a business’s bottom line.
To shift the tide, HR managers looking to make the case to leadership for technology investment in the coming year must advocate not only for the people side of the business but also do so in a way that speaks the language of bottom-line impact, operational efficiency and strategic growth.
As we approach the end of the fiscal year, now is the time to prepare a business case that resonates with executive decision-makers. Here’s how HR leaders can frame their proposals around real pain points and offer grounded, practical solutions that deliver measurable value.
Related: These HR Techs Are Making Employee Management Easier
Small and mid-sized business owners often face a barrage of competing priorities. With limited funds, it’s not always clear which investments will stretch furthest or deliver the most meaningful results. HR, workforce management and payroll solutions can seem like overhead — until their impact is clearly articulated.
The solution:
To overcome the misconception around workforce investments, HR leaders should start by reframing HR technology as a strategic enabler rather than a cost center. By demonstrating how a unified workforce platform reduces administrative burden, alleviates compliance risk and frees up time for employees to focus on high-value work, leadership can more easily understand the business case for investing.
For example, automating time tracking and payroll reduces errors and ensures accurate compensation, which in turn boosts morale and retention. These are not abstract benefits — they translate directly into fewer costly mistakes, lower turnover and more productive teams.
In many small businesses, HR is either a one-person team or a shared responsibility across multiple departments. This makes it challenging to connect people-related initiatives to broader business goals like profitability, customer satisfaction or growth.
The solution:
Use data to bridge the gap. Even basic workforce analytics can reveal patterns in absenteeism, turnover and productivity that correlate with business performance. For instance, if your busiest sales periods coincide with spikes in employee fatigue or scheduling conflicts, that’s a clear operational risk. By investing in tools that provide visibility into workforce trends, HR personnel can offer insights that help leadership make smarter, more strategic decisions.
Moreover, when employees are supported with intuitive, mobile-friendly tools that make their jobs easier, they’re more likely to go the extra mile. This often-overlooked discretionary effort is a key driver of profitability in small and mid-sized businesses.
Related: 4 Ways Technology Improves the Human Resources (and Human) Experience
Many small businesses rely on spreadsheets, manual processes or disconnected systems that don’t provide a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not. This makes it difficult to justify investments or identify areas for improvement.
The solution:
Advocate for a single source of truth. A consistent, integrated platform for HR, payroll and workforce management removes operational silos and ensures that decision-makers have access to real-time, reliable data. This enables proactive planning, whether it’s forecasting staffing needs, managing compliance risks or identifying opportunities to improve employee engagement.
With built-in reporting and AI-driven insights, even small HR teams can deliver executive-level intelligence that not only builds credibility but positions HR as a strategic partner in driving business outcomes.
To make a compelling case for investment, HR leaders must speak in terms that resonate with executives: cost savings, risk reduction and revenue impact. Here are a few data points to consider:
According to a recent McKinsey report, organizations that make data-driven decisions are 63% more likely to adapt to changing business environments.
A study conducted by UKG in partnership with HR.com found that HR teams equipped with the right data are five times more likely to make strategic recommendations.
A Great Place to Work report found that prioritizing employee experience can lead to 50% less turnover and 36% higher levels of discretionary effort, while a recent Gallup report found it can lead to a 34% reduction in absenteeism and 41% fewer safety incidents.
Addressing disengagement can yield up to $56 million in annual savings, even for mid-sized organizations, according to McKinsey.
While your business may not operate at that scale, the principles hold true. Every hour saved, every employee retained and every process improved contributes to a stronger bottom line.
Related: How Technology Will Shape The Way Startups Manage Their HR
The right investments in people and processes can transform an organization. For HR managers at small and mid-sized businesses, the key is to align your proposals with the strategic priorities of the business. Focus on outcomes, not features. Show how your recommendations will reduce friction, improve performance and support growth.
In uncertain times, there is temptation to cut back. But the businesses that thrive are those that invest wisely — especially in their people. By presenting a clear, data-backed case for HR, workforce management and payroll solutions, you’re not just asking for budget. You’re offering a roadmap to a more resilient, efficient and profitable future.
In the world of small and mid-sized businesses, every dollar counts. Leaders are constantly faced with difficult decisions about where to allocate limited resources to drive the greatest impact. With HR often viewed as a cost center for businesses, it comes as little surprise that a recent study found 64% of small to mid-sized businesses allocate less than 1% of their annual revenue to HR technology investments, and 36% are using virtually no HR technology.
Not only does this make HR teams’ jobs more difficult, requiring them to spend hours prioritizing labor-intensive back-office tasks, but it also reduces their ability to spend time on supporting employee needs and engagement initiatives that can have a real impact on a business’s bottom line.
To shift the tide, HR managers looking to make the case to leadership for technology investment in the coming year must advocate not only for the people side of the business but also do so in a way that speaks the language of bottom-line impact, operational efficiency and strategic growth.
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If you’re still relying on Google Alerts, manual searches, or disconnected spreadsheets to monitor your brand, you’re wasting time and risking your reputation.
When your brand is mentioned online, on TV, or across social channels, every minute counts. Miss a key conversation, and you lose ground, whether it’s because a competitor jumped on a trending story faster or a negative narrative started spiraling before you had the chance to respond.
From fake password resets to convincing emails impersonating the CEO, phishing attacks have become cybercriminals’ go-to weapon, and they are working. In fact, over 90% of cyberattacks start with phishing.
Powered by generative AI, attackers craft hyper-personalised, error-free messages at scale. As a result, businesses are not just dealing with junk mail; they face financial losses, reputational damage, and social engineering attacks that bypass tools and go straight for people. To combat these next-gen threats, companies are turning to advanced cloud email security solutions built to detect and defuse sophisticated phishing attacks.
This article will break down the most common phishing attack types, backed by real-world examples targeting some of the largest brands.
Figma Inc. FIG shares traded higher Friday, continuing to draw investor attention after a volatile debut session on Thursday that saw the stock surge over 250% following its initial public offering.
What To Know: The stock briefly reached $143.45 in after-hours trading before pulling back.
Figma priced its IPO at $33 per share, raising approximately $1.2 billion and valuing the company at over $19 billion. The offering consisted of nearly 37 million shares and was priced above an already upwardly revised range. Despite sharp gains on day one, Friday’s trading showed signs of cooling momentum as shares gave up part of their early advance.
Investor interest in Figma is being fueled by strong revenue growth and widespread enterprise adoption. The company reported $749 million in revenue for 2024, up 48% year-over-year and $228.2 million in first-quarter 2025, representing 46% growth from the year prior. Figma counts 95% of Fortune 500 companies and major tech clients such as Microsoft, Alphabet and Salesforce among its customers. It ended 2024 with a net dollar retention rate of 134%.
Still, not everyone is convinced by the valuation.
CNBC host Jim Cramer repeatedly warned on social media that Figma was “way too expensive,” trading at nearly 54 times sales based on a 40% growth rate. He advised investors to avoid placing market orders and predicted a pullback, calling it one of the most expensive stocks in the market.
Trending Investment Opportunities
Despite those warnings, the IPO defied expectations, reinforcing investor appetite for high-growth tech names amid renewed optimism in the broader tech sector.
Figma’s debut follows the collapse of a $20 billion acquisition deal by Adobe, which was scrapped due to regulatory pressure. Now trading independently, Figma has quickly become one of the most closely watched post-IPO stocks, with some market watchers suggesting it could take on meme stock status in the coming weeks.
Friday afternoon, the stock appeared to be stabilizing after its initial surge, trading modestly higher but far below its first-day peak.
FIG Price Action: Figma shares closed Friday up 5.63% at $122, according to Benzinga Pro.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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July 30, 2025
Fateh, 35, was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 2020, becoming the first Somali American and the first Muslim to serve.
The Minneapolis DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) Party has endorsed State Senator Omar Fateh to be the next mayor of Minneapolis.
On X, Fateh said he is “incredibly honored to be the DFL-endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us.”
Fateh, 35, was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 2020, becoming the first Somali American and the first Muslim to serve there. He is a first-generation American and husband who is running for mayor to “achieve the vibrant, loving city we know Minneapolis can be.”
“For working people, it’s getting harder to build our lives in Minneapolis,” he said on his campaign website. “With Donald Trump stepping back into the Oval Office, everything we’ve worked so hard to create is in jeopardy. It’s not enough to just stand up to Donald Trump. It’s time to push back with forward-thinking leadership.”
Fateh said current mayor Jacob Frey has failed to deliver on his promises to end homelessness by 2022. He added that Frey has failed in delivering a vision for public safety since the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.
“He vetoes every solution that comes to his desk,” Fateh said on his site. “It’s time for a Mayor who has real solutions that put Minneapolis residents first.”
Fateh won the Minnesota DFL’s endorsement at the party’s convention, beating four other candidates, including Frey. The convention was supposed to take place at North High School, but was moved to Target Center, where the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves play, to accommodate the 800 delegates and 800 alternates.
Frey’s campaign intends to appeal the results with the state-level DFL Party, a spokesperson told Axios.
“This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention,” Frey said in a statement. “Voters will now have a clear choice between the records and leadership of Sen. Fateh and Mayor Frey. We look forward to taking our vision to the voters in November.”
Fateh is the second Democratic socialist to make a splash. Zohran Mamdani, the Ugandan-born state assemblyman from New York City, in won the Democratic Party mayoral nomination this summer.
RELATED CONTENT: Minneapolis Settles With George Floyd Witness For $150,000
Starbucks has constructed a 4,624-square-foot office in Newport Beach, California, which is a five-minute drive from CEO Brian Niccol’s Orange County home.
According to documents and photos reviewed by Business Insider, the 13th-floor office was completed on July 2 and designed by Gensler, a leading architectural company that also designed the Chase Center in San Francisco and Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building.
Related: Starbucks Pins Its Turnaround Hopes on ‘Green Apron Service.’ What Is It, Exactly?
A floor plan for the office, seen by BI, instructs Gensler and the contracting team, Pacific Tusk Builders, to build a space with “luxury” accents, including “white oak” floors and custom countertops. It also asks for “elegant lighting.”
Plans for the office were first disclosed in an August 2024 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing outlining Niccol’s compensation package. The filing stated that Starbucks would begin planning to establish a “small remote office” in Newport Beach and “employ an assistant” for Niccol of his choosing.
“This office location will be maintained at the expense of the company,” the filing reads.
Starbucks told BI that other employees can use the new office, though it’s unclear how many other employees will be working from the office, how long the space took to construct, and how much it cost Starbucks to build.
Related: Here’s How Much 8 CEOs Made, From JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon to Disney’s Bob Iger
Starbucks also awarded Niccol a $1.6 million base salary, a $10 million signing bonus, and a $75 million equity grant over the next three years in his compensation package.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol. Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images
Niccol had previously been commuting at the company’s expense, flying 995 miles on the company’s private jet from his home in California to company headquarters in Seattle, Washington, to work from the office at least three times a week as part of the company’s return-to-office mandate.
Related: Starbucks Is Hiring a ‘Global Content Creator’ to Travel, Drink Coffee, and Get Paid Six Figures
Earlier this month, Niccol sent a letter to employees stating that corporate staff will be required to return to the office four days a week starting in October, an increase from the three-day schedule set in 2023. He wrote that employees do their “best work” when they are together.
Employees can choose to receive a cash buyout of an undisclosed amount if they prefer to leave the company instead of working in the office.
“The default for support partners should be working in person, in a Starbucks office,” Niccol wrote in the letter. “We understand not everyone will agree with this approach.”
Related: Starbucks Is Offering Executives $6 Million Performance-Based Stock Grants
Niccol became Starbucks CEO in September after leading Chipotle for six years as CEO. Under his leadership, Starbucks has tried to turn around slumping sales with a “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan that has resulted in cuts to its menu, less wait time for coffee, and customers’ names written on cups in Sharpie.
On Tuesday, Starbucks also reported financial results for its 13-week fiscal quarter ending June 29. Global store sales dropped 2%, with North American store sales also falling by 2%, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of declining sales. Net revenue, however, increased 4% to $9.5 billion when compared to the same time last year.
The earnings report also mentioned that Starbucks opened 308 net stores in the quarter, for a total of 41,097 global stores.
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Starbucks has constructed a 4,624-square-foot office in Newport Beach, California, which is a five-minute drive from CEO Brian Niccol’s Orange County home.
According to documents and photos reviewed by Business Insider, the 13th-floor office was completed on July 2 and designed by Gensler, a leading architectural company that also designed the Chase Center in San Francisco and Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building.
Related: Starbucks Pins Its Turnaround Hopes on ‘Green Apron Service.’ What Is It, Exactly?
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Hundreds of hours of research and 73 pages of notes—that’s what it took for Aprilynne Alter to multiply her YouTube subscriber count by 12 times in 30 days!
By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll know how she did it, too. More importantly, you’ll have actionable steps that you can use to boost your subscribers and grow your channel on YouTube.
To understand this in context, let’s look at some facts first. YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. It’s also the top streaming platform. Hundreds of millions of creators jump onto the YouTube bandwagon yearly—but only a tiny percentage succeed.
Absolutely—and the numbers confirm my thinking, too. YouTube’s 4.95 billion monthly active users eclipses Netflix’s 40 million. And according to SocialBlade, YouTube has over 61 million creators. The platform has one of the best creator programs in the world, and it has a growing collection of high-quality, free resources. If you put in the time and energy, I believe YouTube can open up incredible opportunities for you and your business.
As a YouTube Creator, I always leap at the opportunity to learn from others in this space. In the past, we’ve gained wisdom on The Smart Passive Income Podcast from more prominent YouTube creators like MKBHD and Sean Cannell. But this time, I wanted to speak to an up-and-rising YouTube creator. We liked what Aprilynne was doing with her YouTube channel, so we invited her to the show.
Listen to Aprilynne on The Smart Passive Income Podcast:
Aprilynne grew her YouTube channel from 1,000 to over 12,000 subscribers in four straight weeks.
And yep—those are real numbers. As I write this post, I see that her channel has over 52,047 subscribers. But that’s not why I’m sharing Aprilynne’s lessons with you. Here’s why I think her approach is worth examining:
Like most internet-based platforms or social media, YouTube is rapidly evolving too. And that’s why Aprilynne’s learnings are very relevant—because everything you’re about to learn is based on what she discovered by doing in the last six months.
Adding tens of thousands of new subscribers to a brand-new YouTube channel isn’t easy. Aprilynne doesn’t have a background in media or video either—in fact, she previously quit a career in finance! She also had a challenging experience with her first YouTube channel.
She’s also achieved this without creating too many videos—her channel has just twenty-four videos as I write this. It’s evident that Aprilynne’s success comes from careful research—she’s been studying the best YouTube creators. Take a closer look, and you’ll see the results of her study: four out of the twenty-four videos have over 200K views. And one of the four videos has over 800K views!
When I spoke to her on the podcast, it all started to come together. So, without further ado, let’s get into Aprilynne’s four-step process for YouTube subscriber growth. Implementing these four steps will definitely help you grow your YouTube channel fast. So get ready to take notes because this one is super actionable!
The All-Access Pass community has the courses (like YouTube From Scratch!), resources, support, and accountability you need.
What you’re about to learn is simple to understand, but it can be hard to implement if you miss the details, so pay close attention. Here are Aprilynne’s four steps:
These steps may appear self-explanatory, but let me walk you through each one of them step-by-step.
“If you think about what goes into the success of a video, it’s around 50 percent the packaging,” says Aprilynne.
Packaging is about the three critical elements of a YouTube video:
Aprilynne realized she spent 99 percent of the time creating the video and just one percent on the packaging. I like the word packaging because it is something we experience every time we buy physical products at a store—packaging is what you see before you experience a product.
It’s the same with videos, too—people experience the above three elements before they watch the actual video. And if they aren’t clicking on your video, then the video might as well not even exist.
Start with the idea—what do you want to communicate to your audience? How would you describe your video in one line?
Once you’ve nailed your packaging, it’s time to move on to step number two.
Aprilynne spoke about this on the show, but I learned everything else from this step in this video on her channel. Here are four specific tips from Aprilynne on this:
The first five seconds play a massive role in deciding the success of your video. That’s because YouTube looks for a match between your packaging and what you say in the first five seconds. For example, if your video is about “how to create killer thumbnails,” make it clear in the first five seconds.
Second, it also helps the viewer decide whether to continue watching. Promising “killer thumbnails” and discussing your new backyard vegetable garden in the first five seconds is not a good idea.
The intro is the time you spend at the beginning of the video, including the first five seconds. Keep the intro to anywhere from ten to about forty-five seconds—not more than a minute.
“Setup” refers to three essential elements: curiosity gap, context, and input bias. Here’s what you want to do to nail your setup:
Keep changing the visuals fast in the first few twenty-odd seconds. According to Aprilynne, MrBeast changes visuals at the beginning of his videos every 1.4 seconds. Mark Rober does it every 1.6 seconds.
This post is about YouTube subscriber growth. Everything I’m sharing in this article is based on what Aprilynne uses to create what she calls “banger videos.”
These videos help you reach new audiences, and they do that without ignoring your audience—casual and core viewers included.
In other words, make your videos appealing to your subscribers, but don’t ignore folks who aren’t subscribed. Design your videos also to pull in casual YouTube viewers who don’t (yet) know who you are.
Most folks script and then shoot. There are two problems with this.
First, this can put a lot of pressure on the editing process. You might realize while editing that you needed product footage or a second camera angle.
Second, the jump from scripting to filming can clip your creativity. In other words, you may now stick to the script and ignore other perspectives.
That’s why Aprilynne annotates her videos after scripting. She lays it all out before the camera starts to roll, mapping every scene, every shot. Here’s how she breaks it down:
“I used to film everything and then edit. Now, I script it, go through it line by line, and annotate what I want on screen. So I separate it into talking head footage, B roll that I film, screen shares, and visuals I make. And so I plan all of that out beforehand. It makes filming a lot easier because I know for my talking head portion, which [lines] I need to say to the camera, what I can just read—which is a lot easier.”
If you want to start a YouTube channel, my YouTube From Scratch course—which I created with my friend and videographer Caleb Wojcik—is the perfect place to start. Two of my YouTube channels have collectively clocked over 200 million views and over a million subscribers—I put everything I learned from growing these two channels into the course.
YouTube From Scratch—and our entire course library—are exclusively available in the All-Access Pass and Pro communities. My team and I created them to help you find like-minded creators and establish accountability on your entrepreneurial journey. It’s the best way to grow as an entrepreneur online, so check it out today!
