Simon Hodgkins

Shein picks France to open its first permanent outlets The Asian fast-fashion giant will open concessions in six department stores in the country.

Asian fast-fashion giant Shein has chosen France as the location to open its first permanent physical outlets. It will occupy concessions in department stores in Paris, followed by five others in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

#Retail #Fashion #Shein

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AI & L10N Global Brief
www.vistatec.com/vistatec-ai/...

AI startup Modular raises $250 million, seeks to challenge Nvidia dominance AI startup Modular said on Wednesday it raised $250 million in a funding round valuing it at $1.6 billion, as it aims to challenge Nvidia's software stranglehold on the AI computing market.

“AI is powerful - but expensive, fragmented, and locked into a few hardware ecosystems. We believe everyone should have the freedom to build and run AI anywhere, without limits.”
- Chris Lattner, Modular

www.reuters.com/business/ai-...

“AI isn’t about prompts. It’s about scaffolding your thinking so you make sharper decisions, faster.” Join the Think Global Forum Roundtable discussion event to find out more.

Register today! www.thinkglobalforum.org/tgf-roundtab...

Date: September 24, 2025
Location: Online

Join the business event! www.thinkglobalforum.org/tgf-roundtab... Growing a business requires information. However, “Executives don’t need more dashboards. They need better signals. Data without action is dead weight.” Free to attend panel discussion, register today!

Google DeepMind claims ‘historic’ AI breakthrough in problem solving Version of company’s Gemini 2.5 AI model solved complex real-world problem that stumped human programmers

Google DeepMind claims ‘historic’ AI breakthrough in problem solving. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Fresh air and sunshine. Nature’s human charger. No USB-C required.

No one remembers the first lap. They remember how you crossed the finish line.

Beginnings are rarely smooth.

It’s the resilience and progress that shape the story.

What lasts isn’t where you started. It’s how far you’ve grown.

They remember how you showed up when it mattered most.

OpenAI names veteran ad leader as first global VP of creative Michael Tabtabai, a Wieden+Kennedy veteran, joins OpenAI after three years at Coinbase.

OpenAI has hired veteran advertising and brand leader Michael Tabtabai as its first global creative chief, a newly created role that reflects the company’s growing investment in marketing and storytelling.

adage.com/creativity/a...

At least 15 dead and 18 injured as funicular derails in Lisbon An electric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s landmarks and a big draw for tourists derailed Wednesday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services said.

Lisbon is known to many. A tragic day. At least 15 dead and 18 injured as funicular derails in Lisbon. m.independent.ie/world-news/e...

Will drones deliver your next hot food order? A Swedish firm hopes that drones will open up a new market for hot food delivery.

Will drones deliver your next hot food order? www.bbc.com/news/article...

“Each moment of joy is small, but over time, they add up to more than the sum of their parts. What we should be doing is embracing joy and finding ways to put ourselves in the path of it more often.”

Ingrid Fetell Lee, Designer, Founder, and Author, The Aesthetics of Joy.

#Design #Creative #Joy

Australia Post pauses US-bound parcel shipments Australia's postal service said on Tuesday it had temporarily suspended parcel shipments to the United States after President Donald Trump's administration decided to scrap a customs tax rule that allowed low-value packages to enter duty free.

The Australian government-owned Australia Post's move comes after several European and Asian carriers, including Swiss Post and DHL, which runs Germany's postal service Deutsche Post, Japan Post and Korea Post paused shipments to the US because of the new rules.

www.reuters.com/world/us/aus...

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

Nvidia's market capitalization has crossed $4 trillion, leading the world's 50 most valuable companies.
• There are 34 American companies in the top 50.
• Saudi Aramco is the largest company outside the U.S., with a market cap of $1.6 trillion.

#AI #Data

The Top Domains Cited by Artificial Intelligence | Key Takeaways
• According to an analysis by Semrush, LLMs like ChatGPT reference Reddit and Wikipedia the most for facts
• For geographical data, LLMs frequently cite Mapbox and OpenStreetMap

#AI #Data

Keep punching. 🥊

An analogue evening sitting in the sun, making a few notes, with some light reading, following a busy digital week. #Summer #Brand #CMO

Confidentiality in the Age of AI Your NDAs Probably Require an Upgrade

Confidentiality in the Age of AI
Why Your NDAs Probably Require an Upgrade simonhodgkins.medium.com/confidential...

#AI #NDA #Business

Catch ’em all but dump the fries. Pokémon fans leave McDonald’s Japan in massive food waste drama | CNN Piles of untouched Happy Meals littered sidewalks outside McDonald’s restaurants in Japan over the weekend, as frenzied customers scrambled to buy limited-edition sets with Pokémon cards.

Article link: ⬇️
edition.cnn.com/2025/08/13/a...

Japan is the birthplace of Pokémon. A McDonald’s promo in Japan sold out within hours as fans rushed to grab exclusive Pokémon cards.

It is a reminder of how a local 90s game became a global brand powerhouse.

Article link in the comments.

#GlobalBrand #Pokemon #McDonalds #BrandSuccess

Úna Herlihy — The Global Discussion Being a Freelancer Isn't Easy, Explore The Truth with Úna Herlihy Ep 258 – The Global Discussion Úna Herlihy, Founder & CEO and Chief Matchmaker at The Indie List, speaks with Host Simon Hodgkins...

Being a Freelancer Isn't Easy. Explore The Truth! theglobaldiscussion.com/tgd/una-herl... with Úna Herlihy Ep 258 - The Global Discussion

#Freelance #TheIndieList
@unaherlihy.bsky.social

‘As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.’ Did you ever take a stroll along 53 Festive Road?

a group of people are standing around a computer screen with the word branding written on it . ALT: a group of people are standing around a computer screen with the word branding written on it .

Great brands are built on commitment. ⬇️

✴️ To an idea.
✴️ To a belief.
✴️ To the work.

- Sir John Hegarty

What if your creative genius lives on the other side of rest?

- Pia Mailhot-Leichter
Welcome to the Creative Club

#Creative #Marketing

Andie Cooper — The Global Discussion What Makes a Story Worth Telling? Speed, Strategy, and the Power of PR with Andie Cooper Ep 257 When it comes to turning complex technologies into compelling stories, few do it with the clarity, warm...

New Episode: What Makes a Story Worth Telling? theglobaldiscussion.com/tgd/andie-co... Speed, Strategy, and the Power of PR with Andie Cooper Ep 257

🗿

Recharging.

'It becomes more about status signalling': Is £7m for a handbag absurd or justified? As a pop-up handbag auction opens in London, a fashion frenzy is gripping venerable auction houses – and sending prices sky high. Can fashion ever be on a par with a Picasso?

£7 Million for a handbag.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

With 122 votes it seems that em dashes are too much of an AI tell. Thoughts? #Emdashes #ChatGPT