Google is taking a bold step to reshape online shopping in the US, unveiling a suite of AI-powered tools designed to guide consumers from product discovery to purchase, effectively functioning as a built-in personal shopper.

Launching just ahead of the holiday season, these features integrate conversational search, agentic AI calling, and automated checkout, signaling a profound shift in how consumers interact with e-commerce platforms.

Conversational AI: A Smarter Way to Search

At the heart of Google’s new shopping experience is conversational AI within Search’s AI Mode. Users can now refine their searches with natural language instead of navigating cumbersome filters or manually entering keywords. For example, a shopper looking for “women’s sweaters that can be worn with pants or dresses” can follow up with “more options in gray colors,” and the AI adjusts recommendations accordingly.

Google’s system draws from a vast database of 50 billion product listings, presenting results as side-by-side comparison charts for specific queries or streams of product images for broader exploration. Beyond recommendations, AI Mode allows users to track historical pricing, monitor price changes, and access sponsored listings, all within Google’s ecosystem. The features are also integrated into the Gemini app, further extending accessibility.

By consolidating search, comparison, and price tracking, Google is positioning AI Mode as a one-stop shopping hub, reducing the need for consumers to hop between marketplaces, review sites, or influencer channels.

Agentic AI: Automating the Mundane

Google is also rolling out an agentic AI feature called “Let Google Call,” which can contact local stores on a shopper’s behalf to check product availability, confirm stock, and inquire about promotions. Importantly, the AI identifies itself to the merchant, and stores can opt out if they prefer not to receive AI inquiries. The results of the call are delivered to users via text or email.

Initially, this functionality will cover categories such as toys, health and beauty, and electronics, automating tasks that were previously time-consuming and often repetitive for consumers. Google is thus removing friction from offline-to-online shopping transitions, bridging the gap between digital research and real-world retail availability.

AI Checkout: Automating Purchases with User Control

Perhaps the most transformative feature is AI-assisted purchasing. Shoppers can set item specifications, color or size preferences, and a target price. If an item falls below that price, the AI alerts the user, confirms intent, and completes the purchase using Google Pay. Early partners include Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify merchants, demonstrating Google’s ability to integrate with both major and niche retailers.

This feature brings a new level of automation to online shopping while maintaining user oversight on pricing and specifications. It represents a shift from passive browsing to dynamic, AI-managed transactions, which could fundamentally alter consumer behavior.

Broader Implications for E-Commerce and Influencers

The implications of Google’s AI shopping ecosystem are said to be far-reaching. By centralizing discovery, comparison, and purchase, Google is expected to disrupt existing channels, including review sites, social media recommendations, and influencer-driven commerce. For instance, a search for “moisturizers for dry winter skin” that previously relied on TikTok influencers or review platforms can now yield AI-curated suggestions with integrated price tracking and purchase options, all within Google.

Influencers and content creators may face increased competition, as their curated recommendations could be incorporated into AI-generated results, potentially diluting direct consumer influence. Consumers, meanwhile, gain efficiency, as AI tools can synthesize large amounts of information quickly, reducing the need for prolonged research or manual comparison.

Google frames these features as enhancements to convenience, but they could also reshape the fundamental habits of online shoppers. The ability to automate calls, track prices, and initiate purchases through AI may reduce reliance on browsing platforms or social recommendations, while increasing trust in AI-driven decision-making.

Ultimately, Google is not just offering tools for shopping—it is reengineering the consumer journey, from awareness to acquisition, within a single, AI-optimized ecosystem.

Cursor, the fast-growing AI coding platform developed by Anysphere, just pulled off one of the most astonishing fundraising leaps in the tech industry this year.

The company has raised $2.3 billion, catapulting its valuation to $29.3 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The figure marks a near-tripling from its $9.9 billion valuation in June, underscoring the swelling investor appetite for AI-powered developer tools and the belief that software engineering, one of the most expensive functions in tech, is primed for sweeping transformation.

The round was co-led by Accel and Coatue, both of which have backed high-growth early-stage companies before, with strategic capital also flowing in from Nvidia and Google. Nvidia is one of Cursor’s corporate customers. Google supplies AI models that power parts of the product. Cursor now joins the small circle of AI startups attracting multi-billion-dollar checks within months of each other.

Reuters reported that the company has crossed the $1 billion annualized revenue threshold in 2025, driven by what its founders describe as explosive expansion across enterprise clients and professional developers. The company also told the news agency that its year-to-date sales have grown roughly one hundredfold since early 2025. Investors are responding to that growth pattern with the type of urgency usually reserved for a once-in-a-decade market shift.

Cursor operates as an AI-driven code editor that enables developers to write and manage code using natural-language instructions, high-accuracy suggestions, and automated completion features. Its appeal comes from the way it blends the workflow of a traditional integrated development environment with the intelligence of top-tier AI models. The tool currently relies on large language models built by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, though Anysphere is building its own model called Composer, which launched in October. Composer is intended to reduce the company’s reliance on third-party models and cut costs associated with licensing and computing.

The competitive landscape is tightening quickly. TechCrunch noted that major AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are sharpening their offerings for the developer market. That includes more sophisticated coding assistants and agent-style tools that can write, review, and deploy code in complex environments. The rush into this market means Cursor will have to defend its early lead from much bigger players with deeper compute resources and global customer pipelines.

The valuation jump has drawn attention, particularly because it arrived at a moment when analysts are debating whether AI valuations are beginning to stretch ahead of fundamentals. Reuters reported that investors remain enthusiastic but are increasingly watchful about companies whose valuations scale faster than their core economics. Cursor’s dramatic rise, while anchored in strong revenue growth, still places pressure on the company to deliver sustained performance.

Cursor’s long-term strategy hinges on two big goals: maintaining the adoption momentum that has carried it through 2025 and proving that Composer can give the company meaningful autonomy over its AI stack. If the new model delivers cost and performance advantages, it could become the engine that allows Cursor to scale profitably. But building proprietary models at the level needed to compete with the likes of OpenAI and Google is a capital-heavy undertaking, and execution risk remains high.

The broader industry implications are substantial. Cursor’s raise is a signal that investors now see developer-facing AI as one of the most commercially viable parts of the AI ecosystem. A shift is underway from foundational model hype to application-layer tools that directly influence how human work gets done. Software engineering is one of the clearest candidates for that shift, and Cursor’s rise shows how quickly the market is reorganizing.

It is believed that the next phase will depend on whether AI coding tools can consistently boost productivity at scale. If they do, software teams may evolve into smaller, more design-focused units that rely on AI tools for the heavy lifting. That outcome would ripple across hiring, training, salary structures, and enterprise tech budgets.

Cursor’s momentum places it squarely in the center of that conversation. With billions in fresh capital, a soaring revenue curve, and two of the world’s most powerful tech companies plugged into its ecosystem, the company now carries expectations that reach far beyond coding suggestions. Its next moves will help determine whether the current frenzy around AI developer tools marks a lasting shift or just the exuberant peak of a fast-moving cycle.

Nigeria’s push to overhaul its tax system entered a new and far more assertive phase this week, with the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, revealing that the country has now signed data-sharing agreements with more than 100 nations to track income earned by Nigerians at home and abroad — including remote workers, digital freelancers and online service providers.

Oyedele, speaking during a webinar hosted by the National Orientation Agency on Wednesday, said the federal government is strengthening its ability to monitor earnings across global digital platforms, foreign employers, and online marketplaces. The session, titled “Simplifying Nigeria’s Tax System,” touched on long-standing confusion about how the country intends to tax the growing number of citizens who work remotely or generate income fully online.

He made the government’s position clear that remote workers in Nigeria, whether paid by Google, a foreign contractor, or a small company in the Caribbean, are responsible for declaring their income themselves.

He explained it this way: “For the other categories of people who work online, the kind of people you spoke about, where companies just outsource something to them… you might have five stars, another person has 50. The requirement under this new law is that everybody, whether you earn your money from Google or whether you earn it from XYZ Limited in the Bahamas, you have to declare your income yourself. If you fail to do it, the system will then gather intelligence, which is when the money hits your bank account.”

A New Phase of Data Gathering

Oyedele went further, confirming that Nigeria now receives automatic information on financial movements involving its citizens across multiple jurisdictions.

“We see this money coming to your Dollar Bank account. If you put the money abroad, Nigeria has signed an agreement with over 100 countries under what is called the Common Reporting Standards. They are already sending us data about Nigerians who have money abroad, property abroad, whether it’s Dubai to the US to Canada to the UK. We have all that information already.”

He warned that individuals who fail to voluntarily disclose income may face presumptive assessments based on the data the government already possesses. His advice was that Nigerians should “do the right thing” before enforcement begins.

“Essentially, my point is, if it’s about data, the government can get the data. The primary obligation is to do the right thing yourself. If you fail to do it, the government will then come back to you and say, ‘We know this about you, you haven’t been honest, here’s your presumptive assessment.’ And at that point, you have to deal with it.”

Talks with Big Tech and VAT Enforcement

Oyedele also revisited Nigeria’s earlier engagements with global tech giants, explaining that around three to four years ago, the government approached these companies to resolve the uneven application of Value Added Tax. Traditional businesses were required to charge VAT on goods, while many online companies operating from overseas were not.

“If you are doing your business, brick and mortar, pop and mom shop, and you sell a phone and you charge VAT, why should the person that is selling it online not charge VAT? We went to these guys and said the services you render is liable to VAT. You are getting an undue advantage by doing it from abroad.”

He said the committee avoided a combative path and instead opted for negotiation.

“We spoke to them, what are your concerns, how can we make it work, and we landed on an agreement. Today I can tell you Nigeria is making billions of dollars from those taxes, from those digital giants without fighting.”

Errors in the New Legislation

Oyedele acknowledged that the newly signed tax laws contain errors, including conflicting turnover thresholds. One section of the Nigerian Tax Administration Act lists a threshold of N100 million, while another part of the Nigerian Tax Act lists N50 million.

He attributed this discrepancy to mistakes during gazetting. After President Bola Tinubu signed the bills into law on June 26, 2025, the department responsible for publishing the document struggled with a process they admitted they had never handled before. Errors were introduced during editing and typesetting, including the switch from 100 million to 50 million in one of the laws.

He said the committee spent three months attempting to correct the gazette, but eventually decided to proceed while preparing a list of amendments for next year.

“The minimum threshold for exemption is 100 million. That’s what you’ll find when the regulations are out,” he confirmed. “Let’s move forward so our good becomes better than wait until it is best.”

Capital Gains Tax: No Retroactive Penalties

Oyedele also addressed concerns surrounding the upcoming Capital Gains Tax reforms under the proposed Nigeria Tax Act 2025. The new CGT regime, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, includes a cost basis reset and a grandfathering clause. The committee stated that gains made before 2026 will not be taxed retroactively. Only profits earned after the reform takes effect will attract CGT.

This clarification was published in a statement explaining the new framework, aimed at easing fears among investors and asset holders who worried that past gains might suddenly become taxable.

However, the broader message from Oyedele’s webinar is that Nigeria is transitioning into a far more data-driven tax environment. With global information-exchange agreements, cooperation from big tech platforms, and a new legal framework, the government is positioning itself to close gaps that previously made digital taxation difficult to enforce.

Michael Bury the legendary investor immortalized in The Big Short for his prescient bet against the 2008 housing bubble confirmed the closure of his hedge fund, Scion Asset Management, citing a fundamental disconnect between his valuation models and current market conditions.

In a letter to investors dated October 27, 2025, Bury wrote: “With a heavy heart, I will liquidate the funds and return capital but for a small audit/tax holdback by year’s end. My estimation of value in securities is not now, and has not been for some time, in sync with the markets.”

This echoes his 2008 decision to shut down his original fund, Scion Capital, amid similar frustrations with market irrationality. Scion, which managed about $155 million in assets as of March 2025, has been deregistered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

This relieves Bury of public disclosure requirements for trades, potentially shifting the firm to a family office model focused on personal investments. Burry’s third-quarter 13F filing submitted early on November 3 revealed bearish put options on AI stocks Nvidia (NVDA) and Palantir (PLTR), with a notional value of ~$1.1 billion.

He later clarified on X that his actual exposure on Palantir was only $9.2 million. These positions, combined with his warnings of “bubbles” in markets, underscore his out-of-sync view. Bury relaunched Scion as Scion Asset Management in 2013 after closing his original fund.

The new entity focused on value investing in areas like water rights, farmland, gold, and select equities. His track record includes massive gains from the 2008 crisis, but recent performance struggles—amid a bull market driven by tech optimism—appear to have prompted the wind-down.

Bury hinted at “much better things” with a tease for November 25, 2025—possibly a new venture, but details are unclear. He suggested investors contact his associate PM Phil for “coming endeavors.”

Bury’s exit highlights growing bearish sentiment among contrarian investors in a market buoyant on AI hype and retail enthusiasm. Similar moves include John Paulson converting his fund to a family office in 2020.

Analysts see this as Bury “stepping away from a rigged game,” potentially freeing him for bolder personal plays without regulatory scrutiny. Speculation swirls around shifts to alternatives like crypto or private assets, given Bitcoin’s consolidation near $103,000.

This isn’t Bury’s first “rage quit”—it’s a pattern for the self-described “Cassandra Unchained” a nod to the ignored prophet in Greek myth. While he returns capital to investors, his influence via X posts and personal portfolio could still rattle markets.

As a “Big Short” icon who’s historically timed tops via his 2008 fund closure after housing profits, or his 2021 Tesla capitulation marking the pandemic peak, this move underscores a deepening disconnect between contrarian value investing and the speculative frenzy driving AI and related sectors.

For venture capitalists (VCs) and crypto infrastructure (e.g., DeFi protocols, layer-1/2 chains, stablecoin rails, and tokenized assets), the read-through is mixed but leans bearish short-term: a potential liquidity crunch and valuation reset, with upside for resilient builders in a post-bubble shakeout.

VCs, particularly those betting on AI startups, cloud computing, and hardware-adjacent plays, face amplified risks as Bury’s exit amplifies skepticism about “aggressive accounting” in tech infrastructure.

His critiques—e.g., tech giants understating depreciation on AI hardware to inflate earnings—mirror dot-com era excesses, where capex masked weak fundamentals. With global VC dry powder at ~$300B per PitchBook data as of Q3 2025 but deployment slowing amid high interest rates, Bury’s “not in sync” letter could catalyze.

LPs (limited partners) may pull back from late-stage AI rounds, favoring proven moats over hype. Bury’s short on Palantir a data/AI darling with VC roots via Peter Thiel highlights scrutiny on ontology-driven firms.

AI startups raised $50B+ in 2025 but Bury’s bubble call echoes 1999-2000, when VC-backed tech valuations halved. Expect down rounds for 20-30% of portfolios, per VC sentiment on X. Contrarians like Bury historically thrive post-crash; VCs could scoop undervalued assets if equities unwind 15-20%.