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AI is testing the oldest debate in business: Who’s the customer?
View / Oil approaches a scary new deadline: Nonlinear pricing
The World at a Glance
Updated 8:34am EDT
1
Both the US and Iran rejected a proposed ceasefire, with Trump’s latest deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz looming.
2Global stocks edged higher, while oil prices ticked up as well, as the US and Iran rejected a peace proposal.
3US allies remain reliant on the superpower, even as distrust grows with Washington over the Iran war.
4The US vice president is in Hungary to support President Viktor Orbán, who is trailing in polls ahead of key elections.
5The Artemis II crew headed back to Earth after flying past the far side of the moon on a record-breaking journey.
6The Iran war risks pushing US inflation and interest rates up, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned in his annual letter to shareholders.
Why Oura is running toward Washington oversight
“We’re already in the health care business,” Oura CEO Tom Hale said in the latest episode of Semafor’s Compound Interest show.
US, Iran reject proposed ceasefire as deadline looms
US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to devastate Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday night.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA/ReutersGulf conferences at risk from Iran war
While Gulf states have been building tentpole conferences to draw global money, the war in Iran is threatening those gatherings.
The 2024 Qatar Economic Forum. Qatar News Agency/Handout via Reuters.BNY, Robinhood to launch Trump Accounts
BNY will manage the accounts and develop a Treasury-branded app while partnering with Robinhood, which will serve as brokerage.
Jeenah Moon/ReutersIran war boosts US plastics
Prices of Persian Gulf oil, the key raw material for many plastics, have surged, forcing plastic makers in Asia and Europe to cut output.
Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters Riyadh evacuates main business hub over Iran threat
Businesses have been told not to send employees into work at King Abdullah Financial Center.
Isabel Infantes/ReutersWhy Vance is headed to Hungary
He’s hoping to boost Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the country’s looming election.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters AD
Politics
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney. Brook Mitchell/Pool via Reuters.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
‘Where are we going?’: Trump’s Iran threat rattles allies and the world
The president’s Tuesday night deadline for a deal is causing some worries within his party as the prospect of a significantly escalated war gets more real.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersAllies remain reliant on the US, even is distrust is growing
Efforts from so-called middle powers to develop a new world order could take years.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney. Brook Mitchell/Pool via Reuters.Republicans weigh how big to go on immigration funding
Some Republican senators want to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for three years to avoid another shutdown.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters Iran rejects US ceasefire proposal as Trump renews threats
Trump said the “entire country can be taken out in one night” if the Islamic Republic doesn’t agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening.
Iran war boosts US plastics
Prices of Persian Gulf oil, the key raw material for many plastics, have surged, forcing plastic makers in Asia and Europe to cut output.
BNY, Robinhood to launch Trump Accounts
BNY will manage the accounts and develop a Treasury-branded app while partnering with Robinhood, which will serve as brokerage.
Democratic Party faces its internal demons on US-Israel policy — again
DNC Chair Ken Martin’s proposed working group on Gaza hasn’t gotten very far ahead of this week’s New Orleans confab.
Why Vance is headed to Hungary
He’s hoping to boost Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the country’s looming election.
Larry Summers’ new chart sounds the inflation alarm
The economist has shared with associates his view that the American fiscal and economic situations would be worryingly fragile even without a war.
Trump issues expletive-laden threat against Iran
US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and destroy its bridges if Tehran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in first Easter address
Pope Leo XIV warned the world is becoming “accustomed to violence,” urging leaders in his first Easter address to end conflict and prioritize dialogue.
Business
Kylie Cooper/File Photo/Reuters
AI is testing the oldest debate in business: Who’s the customer?
The oldest question in business — who is your customer — turns out to be the one OpenAI still can’t answer.
Kylie Cooper/File Photo/ReutersBill Ackman tries again with $60B Universal Music Group bid
This is Ackman’s second run at Universal after the company rebuffed his 2021 bid.
Gulf conferences at risk from Iran war
While Gulf states have been building tentpole conferences to draw global money, the war in Iran is threatening those gatherings.
Why Oura is running toward Washington oversight
“We’re already in the health care business,” Oura CEO Tom Hale said in the latest episode of Semafor’s Compound Interest show.
US plastics industry is rare winner of Iran war
Oil is the key raw material for plastics, and production has been scaled back in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, sending prices soaring.
Technology
Toby Melville/Reuters
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Expert survey sees higher GDP growth, job losses from AI
US economists predict substantial economic gains, but also significant job losses, as AI takes off.
Toby Melville/ReutersNew Yorker investigation raises questions over Sam Altman’s trustworthiness
People close to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman privately questioned whether he could be trusted not only with running the powerful AI company, but as a leader of the transformative technology.
Kylie Cooper/ReutersAnthropic eyes its own version of OpenClaw
The popularity of OpenClaw, the agent platform that OpenAI acquired, has crystallized another big AI race.
Sycophantic AI might make us meaner, research suggests
A study found that AIs fed interpersonal dilemmas from the subreddit r/amItheasshole were twice as likely as humans to endorse the user’s behavior.
The next generation of Silicon Valley garage startups is here
This time around, it’s the bedroom coders, some of whom are still in their teens.
Pentagon taps humanoid robot startups
Gun-shooting humanoid robots fighting on the front lines are becoming less of a dystopian fantasy.
Energy
Simon Johnson/Reuters
Fayaz Aziz/Reuters
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation/Handout via Reuters
Iran war strengthens case for green hydrogen
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has boosted interest in green hydrogen, as fossil fuel prices soar.
Simon Johnson/ReutersParis Agreement target off the table, report says
Rising electricity demand and strong oil markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are making it harder for emissions to decrease.
Fayaz Aziz/ReutersOil climbs again as Trump reiterates Iran threats
Both Tehran and Washington rejected a 10-point peace plan put forward by Pakistan and other meditators, sending oil to more than $110 a barrel.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation/Handout via ReutersGulf
thetrooperbox/Instagram
Dubai emergency kit sales soar on war fears
The startup Trooper sells a 75-item box equipped with water pouches, meal bars, and a hand-crank radio, designed to sustain a family of four for 72 hours.
thetrooperbox/InstagramBahrain cracks down on dissent as war grinds on
On Monday, several people were arrested on charges of spying for Iran, adding to more than 200 detained since the conflict began.
Iran ramps up attacks on Gulf nations
In addition to being more frequent, the strikes “are increasingly precise and lethal, and able to avoid interception,” according to The Soufan Center.
Gulf braces for Trump deadline to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Trump threatened strikes that would cripple Iran’s infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, if Tehran didn’t open the strait by Tuesday night.
Dubai’s property market starts to crack
Property sales slowed and hotel occupancy collapsed as the war stalls Dubai’s real estate boom.
Africa
Steve Nesius/File Photo/Reuters
Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
Somalia’s first offshore drilling project underway
Mogadishu hopes the project will unlock a major new income stream and make Somalia a regional energy player.
Steve Nesius/File Photo/ReutersShipping disruptions alter African fortunes
The disruptions to global shipping routes have taken a huge toll on Kenya’s economy, though other African nations stand to benefit from the upheaval.
Thomas Mukoya/ReutersSouth Africa mulls migration overhaul to boost economic growth
The rewrite seeks to attract so-called “designer migrants,” in order to address labor shortages in health care, engineering, and technology.
DR Congo strikes deal to accept US deportees
The agreements are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Senegal bans non-essential government travel due to fuel price surge
The West African country, which depends heavily on imported energy, has been hit by the growing cost of oil.
World Bank agrees $540M Uganda urbanization financing package
The funding aims to enhance all-weather roads, stormwater drainage, street lighting, and public markets.
Security
Ann Wang/Reuters
David Dee Delgado/Reuters
NATO chief Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Taiwan faces tenuous defense future, ex-official warns
The island, which China claims as a regengade province, faces a political deadlock over a military spending bill.
Ann Wang/ReutersTrump fails to reassure investors on Iran war
Oil prices jumped and stocks fell after Trump’s address to the nation, in which he vowed to continue Iran attacks.
David Dee Delgado/ReutersTrump threatens to pull US out of NATO
The US president called the military alliance a ‘paper tiger’ for its refusal to back his war with Iran.
NATO chief Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst/ReutersMedia
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Maryland’s biggest newspaper is going after the governor’s 2028 campaign
The owner of Maryland’s biggest paper and TV stations is keeping close tabs on his outlet’s investigation of Gov. Wes Moore.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Joanna Stern on how AI told her to quit The Wall Street Journal
“It felt like the one big decision where I actually did trust AI,” she told Semafor’s “Mixed Signals” podcast.
Biden vet launches biweekly streaming show
Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich will launch Nobody Knows Anything, a 90-minute biweekly show, later this month.
Axel Springer’s Döpfner courts UK conservative elites
The German mogul is courting regulators and the country’s influential conservative political figures as he attempts to get his bid to buy the Telegraph approved.
Substack rival Beehiiv makes a push into podcasting
Beehiiv has privately been reaching out to independent podcasters on Substack and other platforms.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of GSK/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Okta/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of JLL/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Emma Walmsley on leading and leaving GSK
What does it take to hand over a company after years at the helm?
Courtesy of GSK/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforThe three questions a CEO should ask about their AI agents
Okta’s Todd McKinnon sees a digital workforce creating new vulnerabilities.
Courtesy of Okta/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy JLL is betting its biggest clients will drive growth in ‘crazy’ times
Christian Ulbrich says companies succeed by reducing complexity for their clients.
Courtesy of JLL/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD