AI's little-known gatekeeper
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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A little-known federal agency will decide how data centers get their electricity
The five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, is drafting a new proposal that would expand its authority to manage the country's surging demand for electricity. Experts have long said the antiquated power grid is in dire need of upgrades, given its original aim of generating electricity for American homes from coal and gas plants.
The little-known FERC now sits in the middle of the AI maelstrom. Hyperscalers are pushing for more access to a grid under strain while the FERC tries to shield ratepayers from painful price hikes.
"FERC is doing its best to be proactive and anticipate these changes," Daniel Palken, the director for infrastructure energy and permitting at Arnold Ventures, told Quartz. "They're trying to make it so that new power can come online as quickly as reasonably possible, while making sure that costs aren't being unfairly shifted."
The rapid velocity of the AI boom, though, is outpacing regulators' ability to draw up fresh rules on power generation. The scale of their challenge is enormous. Some data centers devour enough electricity to power cities or small states like Vermont. Currently, data centers consume 4% of the U.S.’s electricity, and projections show that figure could triple to 12% by 2028.
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SpaceX posted its first quarterly profit as a public company. SpaceX earned $4.4 billion after a $1.1 billion loss in last year's third quarter, while revenue more than doubled to $14.6 billion. Its AI business brought in $7.6 billion, up from $813 million a year earlier, and now outsells Starlink.
OpenAI wants to raise $30 billion before Anthropic goes public. Some investors reportedly see the push as a way to lock up money that might otherwise go into Anthropic's upcoming stock market debut. The round could value OpenAI at more than $1.4 trillion, up from $852 billion in March.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt owns about 1% of Anthropic. The stake, which he bought for tens of millions of dollars in 2021, could push his net worth to nearly $80 billion if Anthropic goes public at $2 trillion. Anthropic was valued at just $461 million when Schmidt made his first investment.
Amazon plans to hire a record 300,000-plus holiday workers. That's 20% more than last year and the first increase in the company's holiday hiring goal in three years. Starting in January, seasonal workers putting in at least 30 hours a week will get health coverage from their first day.
The latest AI wearables could break some state wiretap laws. Apple's newest Watch and Amazon's Bee devices summarize conversations with or without people's consent, potentially falling afoul of state laws. The companies say they don't save the audio, but some lawyers say that may not matter.
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A family cheese importer is suing to stop Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods
Gellert Global Group, a family-run U.S. food business, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in the U.S. Court of International Trade to block the Trump administration's 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, arguing it exceeded its authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The complaint seeks a court ruling that the tariffs are unlawful, an order halting their collection, and interest-bearing refunds for importers who paid them.
President Donald Trump used Section 338 in July to impose the tariffs on products including hockey sticks, wine, honey, and wigs. The law is part of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, and no president had used it to impose a tariff until this year. The administration justified the duties by citing Canadian policies on dairy, alcohol, and American-made automobiles.
The suit argues Section 338 allows tariffs only to offset foreign discrimination against U.S. commerce, and that the Canadian policies the administration cited do not justify the duties. Two of the measures arose in response to Trump's own tariffs, while the third involves dairy policies governed by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the group said.
Thomas Gellert, co-chief executive officer of Gellert Global Group, said the tariffs disrupt long-built supplier and customer relationships and create costs and uncertainty across the supply chain.
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Language learning doesn’t have to be scary — and during Babbel’s Halloween Sale, it doesn’t have to be expensive either. Use code BOO20 to get 20% off Lifetime and invest in the one skill that pays off on both sides of the table.
In a global economy, the ability to communicate across cultures isn’t just a soft skill — it’s a strategic advantage. Understanding how people think in their own language changes how you read a room, negotiate a deal, and build relationships that actually last. Built by 200+ experts, Babbel gives you everything you need to make progress — bite-sized lessons that fit into your day, interactive speaking practice to build real confidence, and easy grammar guides that make the rules behind the words click. In any language, for life.
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