The Forbes Daily Briefing shares the best of Forbes reporting on wealth, business, entrepreneurship, leadership and more. Tune in every day, seven days a week, to hear a new story. The Daily Briefing is edited, produced and hosted by Kieran Meadows.
Donald Trump lost money during his first term. Out of office, he found a formula for profiting off politics—now he's piling up billions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mercor, debuting on the Forbes Cloud 100 list, built an AI recruiter to interview job candidates. Along the way, it discovered a more immediate cash cow: finding humans to train AI models. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dick Portillo opened a hot dog stand in Chicago with $1,100 and built it into a billion-dollar regional chain, Portillo's. After cashing out in 2014, he bought back some stores and built a new real estate and restaurant empire—now, he sits back and collects the rent. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
With more than 80,000 AI-powered cameras across the U.S., Flock Safety has become one of cops' go-to surveillance tools and a $7.5 billion business. Now CEO Garrett Langley has both police tech giant Axon and Chinese drone maker DJI in his sights on the way to his noble (if Sisyphean) goal: Preventing all crime in the U.S. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nathan Xu's bootstrapped company has sold more than 1 million AI recording devices that transcribe and summarize the busy days of doctors, lawyers and business people — and he's just getting started. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When it comes to selling coconut water to the health obsessed, New York's Vita Coco has served up a master class, schooling even giant rivals like Coke and Pepsi. Its next test will be withstanding Trump's tariff shocks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
For most of the last 50 years, new homes have cost more than existing ones, nationally. Thanks to builder strategies, shifting home designs and a new construction glut, the trend has flipped. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Football's 32 clubs are worth $7.1 billion on average, a 25% year-over-year jump, but the Dallas Cowboys sit tall in the saddle with a record valuation for any sports franchise. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In 2000, internet darling Cisco was the world's most valuable company. Today it's worth half as much. AI juggernauts like Nvidia and Palantir are driving the tech-bloated S&P 500 today. Buyer beware. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The U.S. government will take a 10% stake in the company, whose technology has been used by sanctioned Chinese surveillance and facial recognition firms including Uniview and Hikvision. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Congress and the FDA are pushing pharmaceutical companies to replace animals with technology for drug research. That's a long way off, but startups and industry stalwarts are working to make it happen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The billionaire pop star and three-time Super Bowl champion are now engaged but no “gym teacher” could afford to propose to an “English teacher” with a $650,000 diamond ring. Here's how much he brings to their love story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Why NASA administrator Sean Duffy's atomic directives are not that outlandish. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Five of America's top philanthropists are teaming up for a new venture aimed at helping low-income Americans rise from poverty. An AI giant has signed on to help. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A string of big deals gives Scott Boras up to $244 million in commissions, but the entire top 20 is swinging for the fences, with a combined $32 billion in contracts under management. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Daniella Pierson has cozied up to everyone from Diane von Furstenberg to Selena Gomez, burnishing her image as her businesses unraveled. A case study in how hubris is bad for business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Gerry Cardinale's firm RedBird Capital Partners is investing $1.8 billion toward Skydance's $8 billion deal. Here's how the tycoon became a billionaire—and how he may wield his influence at the new-look Paramount. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
First Vlad Tenev blew up the brokerage industry's fee model. Now, thanks in part to his full-on crypto embrace, he has increased his fortune sixfold to $6 billion as he embarks on a global financial services takeover with tokenized stocks, AI-powered investing and a bid to own the rails of the looming $124 trillion generational wealth transfer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Where does the president go when he travels? Usually to the places where the Trump Organization makes money. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After signing a new $1.5 billion deal with Paramount, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are part of Hollywood's most elite club. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“I like controlling my own future,” says the former Florida state legislator turned homebuilding mogul. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Donald Trump wasn't making much from foreign deals. Then he regained power—and set aside the pretense that he cared about ethics. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The convicted sex offender was worth nearly $600 million at his death, thanks mostly to two wealthy billionaire clients—plus generous tax breaks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Daniel Nadler started OpenEvidence to help physicians sort through a deluge of medical research. Now, he's raised $210 million at a $3.5 billion valuation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A record 125 foreign-born U.S. citizens are billionaires living in the United States. They hail from 41 countries but became rich in America. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The months since President Donald Trump's April “Liberation Day” tariff announcement have been defined by constant reversals, with Trump's decision to extend his tariff pause until August just the latest in a long string of about-faces. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Here's what's been proposed—and why it never happens. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The company has avoided major legal problems for fatal accidents involving its partially automated Autopilot and FSD features. A fully autonomous ride service changes that.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Gail Federici sold her first company, John Frieda Hair Care, in 2002. She's more than doubled her fortune building a second brand, Color Wow, which is now eyeing a $1 billion sale. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
New drugs take too long to get to market because of clinical trial bottlenecks. Two cancer doctors built AI-enabled tech to speed up the process. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The lavish, celebrity-packed affair in Venice, replete with private water-taxis, three-Michelin-star catering and Murano glass gifts for guests, was over the top, but far from the most expensive billionaire wedding on record. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Zohran Mamdani won over New York City voters by promising to make the city more affordable with a rent freeze and free services funded in part with an added tax on the rich. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The FAA is a mess. Annexing our neighbors to the north, as Trump favors, looks like a longshot. But we could adopt its privatized air traffic control system. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Duke's freshman phenom went No. 1 and can earn nearly $14 million next season—not including endorsements. It could be the beginning of a billion-dollar career for the 18-year-old. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Alphabet Inc. unit entered its fifth major city on Tuesday, operating robotaxis in a partnership with Uber in a 65-square-mile portion of the Georgia capital. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The borders between Creators and showbiz are blurring. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Four formerly broke, high school dropouts including a onetime standup comedian and line cook, rapper Drake and the son of an oil billionaire are all winners in Dave's sale to Roark Capital. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
At age 33, Liu Jingkang has earned a fortune of $2.7 billion by selling 360-degree action cameras. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Over nearly 50 years, Donald Trump expanded his father's real-estate empire into a $2.5 billion fortune. Then, in less than five years, he created a crypto kingdom worth even more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The 76-year-old Christy Walton has aligned herself with “No Kings,” an organization planning mass protests across the country this Saturday. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On top of tariffs and the likely loss of electric vehicle tax credits, Musk's war with the once-friendly Trump Administration could create big problems for Tesla. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After more than a decade as an actor, the 31-year-old White Lotus star is finally having his day in the Hollywood sun. But acting isn't the only thing on his mind—lucrative investments and a growing protein bar company are keeping his plate plenty full. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Michigan is sitting on a motherlode of potash and Ted Pagano is using $1.3 billion in government funds to mine it and grab market share away from Canada and Russia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After years of booming entrepreneurship, the market is softening for celebrity-backed companies. But eye-watering earnings continue to roll in for the biggest female movie, TV and pop stars in the country. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Streamers want him. But Steven Bartlett says he can grow his media empire better than anyone. Now he's taking on the U.S. market to prove it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Meanwhile, a new consumer sentiment survey finds most people want someone else to run the EV company. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After a volatile April for U.S. stocks, a guide to which of the world's top ten richest came out ahead–and whose fortunes fell. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Elissa Butterfield spent years of her life responding to Elon Musk's ever-shifting demands. Now she's investing in his companies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Surrounded by loyalists, Donald Trump knows the old rules no longer apply to him. He's taking full advantage, implementing ideas he has held for decades. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
These small businesses were lucky enough to snag deals on Shark Tank. Tariffs will upend their businesses and suddenly they're scrambling to survive. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Hamdi Ulukaya has also committed another $500 million to expanding his operation in Idaho—and says he is just getting started. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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