First Pass

37 stories from 14 sources

AI investment collides with costs, margins, and execution

Day’s Recap

Supporting Articles

Apple reported fourth-quarter revenue of $114.48 billion and earnings of $2.10 per share, exceeding expectations on strong iPhone 18 Pro demand and Mac sales. Higher prices helped offset rising memory-chip costs, while the company continues expanding its AI offerings and managing supply constraints for its first foldable iPhone.

11:25 PMEconomic Times

Apple's quarterly earnings update will cover revenue, earnings per share, iPhone sales, China performance, artificial intelligence developments, holiday guidance and the stock's market reaction. The release is also the first major Wall Street test for new CEO John Ternus.

8:50 PMCNBC

Strong iPhone demand is supporting Apple’s results, but investors are looking past the hardware gains to pressure on memory supplies and slower services growth. Those concerns threaten margins and raise doubts about the company’s broader growth trajectory.

7:52 PMMarketWatch

Apple CEO John Ternus said the company cannot predict when supply of the iPhone Duo will catch up with demand. Apple is working to increase availability but offered no timetable for easing the constraint.

5:56 PMThe Verge

Apple reported record quarterly iPhone revenue of $57.58 billion, up 17% from a year earlier, despite not releasing a standard iPhone in its latest refresh. The increase followed the launch of other new iPhone models.

5:02 PMThe Verge

Meta is considering raising at least $20 billion through a cross-border bond offering to finance its expanding AI infrastructure. The potential debt sale would follow a planned $97.5 billion equity fundraising effort, underscoring the scale of its investment program.

1:58 PMEconomic Times

Other Developments

A curated list of other prominent stories from this day.

New York Fed research finds that many employees describe their jobs as remote even when they work in an office. The finding points to weak workplace interaction rather than physical distance alone.

9:31 PMCNBC

Apple expects services growth to slow during the holiday quarter as it absorbs higher cloud-computing costs for Siri and other AI features. The company is also considering paid access to expanded AI capabilities.

9:09 PMPYMNTS

Apple hinted that it is exploring new opportunities involving third-party AI applications to generate additional revenue. The company did not specify whether that would involve distribution, partnerships, subscriptions, or other forms of monetization.

8:49 PMTechCrunch

Upwork is embedding access to its freelance marketplace inside leading AI tools as clients increasingly use artificial intelligence to manage work. Spending on AI-skilled talent rose 55% year over year to $112 million in the third quarter.

8:01 PMPYMNTS

Sweetgreen plans to raise base pay by as much as 45% at higher-volume stores starting in 2027. Managers will also receive a share of revenue when their restaurants exceed sales targets, potentially pushing annual compensation above $200,000.

5:12 PMFortune

In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder said the chain could next expand into three states along its Texas-to-Tennessee supply route. The company is evaluating those markets as it extends its footprint eastward.

4:59 PMFortune

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