Benzinga

01/08/2026

GameStop is back in the spotlight to start 2026, but this time it is not driven by meme stock frenzy. The focus is on a new compensation plan that could dramatically reshape how CEO Ryan Cohen is paid if the company’s turnaround continues.

The board of GameStop approved a stock option package that ties Cohen’s pay entirely to performance. He will receive no salary, cash bonus, or time based stock awards, meaning his compensation is fully at risk.

Under the plan, Cohen could earn options to buy more than 171 million shares at $20.66 per share. The options vest only if GameStop hits aggressive market value and cumulative EBITDA targets over time.

If all nine performance tranches are achieved, GameStop would need to reach a $100 billion market cap and generate $10 billion in cumulative EBITDA. If that happens, the value of Cohen’s compensation could approach $35 billion, according to Reuters.

The company says the structure aligns leadership incentives directly with long term shareholder value. The plan still requires shareholder approval, with a special meeting expected in spring 2026. Cohen will not vote on the proposal.

The compensation news comes alongside continued restructuring. GameStop is closing hundreds of stores as part of its portfolio optimization strategy, adding to nearly 600 U.S. closures reported last fiscal year.

Since Cohen joined the board, GameStop’s market value has risen sharply and the company has returned to profitability. The new plan signals that management is betting big on sustaining that momentum.

01/08/2026

Bernie Sanders is sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence and robotics. He argues that the technology boom will not automatically make life better for workers. Instead, he believes it threatens to wipe out millions of jobs across both blue collar and white collar fields.

Sanders points to tech leaders investing heavily in AI as a warning sign. In his view, the real goal is profit and power, not public benefit. He envisions new factories, warehouses, and transportation systems that operate with robots instead of people.

He also raises environmental concerns. Massive data centers require huge amounts of electricity and water, putting stress on local communities and power grids. Sanders argues that the social and environmental costs are rarely discussed with the same enthusiasm as innovation.

At the same time, companies across the industry continue to scale AI efforts. From supercomputers to robotics programs, the momentum toward automation is accelerating. Supporters see efficiency and progress. Critics see displacement and inequality.

Sanders says the challenge is not stopping technology. It is making sure the gains do not flow only to billionaires. He calls for policies that protect workers, share the benefits more fairly, and ensure AI serves the public rather than replacing it.

01/08/2026

Defense Stocks Rally As Trump Pledges $1.5T Military Budget: What's Moving Markets Thursday?

Defense stocks surged Thursday, erasing the prior session's losses, after President Donald Trump floated a sharp increase in U.S. military spending that caught Wall Street's attention. Trump said the federal military budget could rise from the Congress-approved $900 billion to $1.5 trillion by 2027.

01/08/2026

Elon Musk says the future everyone has been debating is no longer theoretical. In two separate posts, he declared that we have already entered the Singularity and called 2026 the year it becomes undeniable.

The Singularity is the idea that artificial intelligence becomes smarter than humans and starts improving itself. Once that happens, progress accelerates so quickly that society shifts in ways we can barely predict. Musk is not saying this is close. He is saying it has arrived.

His comments came as engineers described AI tools completing years of technical work in weeks. Former OpenAI and DeepMind researchers said today’s systems feel insanely powerful. Musk’s replies read more like timestamps than warnings.

Musk has repeatedly hinted at this future. He has said AI and robotics could make work optional. He has predicted a world with abundant production, universal income, and fewer traditional jobs. In a best case scenario, people work only for meaning and enjoyment.

But he has also admitted the risks. He believes AI should slow down, yet doubts it will. Competition keeps pushing development forward whether anyone feels comfortable with it or not.

For startups, investors, and entire industries, Musk’s point is simple. The speed of building is changing. Robots, software, and autonomous systems are moving faster than human systems ever have.

In Musk’s view, the Singularity is not coming. It is already here.

01/08/2026

Ford is positioning itself for a deeper push into advanced driver assistance, announcing plans to offer eyes off driving technology by 2028. The system will debut on the company’s Universal EV Platform and is expected to power a $30,000 electric vehicle aimed at affordability.

The automaker said the platform will support Level 3 autonomy, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road in certain conditions. Ford plans to develop the technology in house, arguing that vertical integration will help keep costs down for consumers.

A broader software rollout starts sooner. Ford said its AI assistant will begin reaching customers in early 2026 through its apps, expanding to millions of users before becoming a native in vehicle experience in 2027. The system is designed to analyze images and vehicle specific data to support real world driving needs.

At the hardware level, Ford is consolidating systems around a central vehicle brain. This single chip architecture is meant to unify infotainment, advanced driver assistance, audio, and networking into one core module, simplifying updates and future autonomy features.

The announcement comes during a strategic shift for the company’s EV business. While the Mustang Mach E and F 150 Lightning ranked among the top selling EVs last year, Ford has scaled back some electric plans due to profitability concerns and softer demand.

Instead, the company is leaning into hybrids globally and lower cost EVs in the U.S. through the Universal EV Platform. The move also arrives as autonomy heats up across the industry, with rivals like Tesla and General Motors pursuing similar goals and Nvidia accelerating development with its new Alpamayo platform.

Ford’s timeline suggests it sees autonomy as a long game, but one that must be paired with affordability to scale.

01/08/2026

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health

OpenAI on Wednesday launched ChatGPT Health, a new feature that lets users securely connect medical records and wellness apps to its AI chatbot, marking a deeper move into digital health. Images via IMAGN and Shutterstock

01/08/2026

Silver's Extreme Price Swings Are Here To Stay, Goldman Warns

After a historic 2025 rally, silver is swinging wildly. Goldman Sachs says thin London inventories, tariffs and ETF demand could keep volatility elevated.

01/08/2026

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang loves this AI company

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted Serve Robotics during his keynote at the CES 2026 conference on Monday, pointing to an image of the company's food delivery robot and saying, "I love those guys," putting the autonomous delivery firm in focus for investors. Images via IMAGN and Shutterstock

01/08/2026

Mark Zuckerberg's family saw this coming

Mark Zuckerberg’s exit from Harvard University in 2004 has become one of the most famous college dropouts in tech history, but according to the Meta Platforms, Inc. CEO, it was hardly a surprise at home.

01/08/2026

OpenAI has reportedly earmarked a significant employee stock grant pool of about $50 billion, or 10% of the company’s value, which stood at $500 billion as of October.

The Sam Altman-led company has already awarded $80 billion in vested equity, which, together with its employee stock grant pool, accounts for roughly 26% of the company, reported The Information on Wednesday.

The news comes after the company was rumored to be considering a $100 billion fundraise at a $750 billion valuation. This was seen as a significant step in the company’s potential path to a $1 trillion IPO.

A previous report by Reuters revealed that OpenAI is weighing an IPO as early as late 2026 at a valuation starting around $60 billion, though discussions are preliminary and timing could shift. Some insiders point to a 2027 target, while the company says an IPO is not its current focus.

Read more: https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/01/49775690/openai-sets-aside-employee-stock-pool-worth-50-billion-report

01/08/2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he will meet Danish leaders next week as the Trump administration presses ahead with its goal of acquiring Greenland, signaling no retreat from President Donald Trump's ambitions despite alarm among NATO allies.

According to a Reuters report, Rubio told reporters Trump still keeps military options on the table even after a US raid in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on drug-trafficking charges, a move that already rattled Europe.

He said that "as a diplomat, which is what I am now, and what we work on, we always prefer to settle it in different ways – that included in Venezuela," but declined to rule out force over Greenland.

The White House has confirmed that a Greenland purchase remains "an active discussion." Press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said Trump views the Arctic island as key to countering Russia and China and that "all options are always on the table for President Trump … the president's first option always has been diplomacy."

Greenland, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits between North America and Europe and hosts critical US missile defense assets at Thule Air Base. A Reuters report from January 2025 states that 1951 and 2023 defense agreements already give American forces broad access, while surveys show the island holds many minerals labeled "critical raw materials" by European authorities.

In Congress, senators from both parties say they expect legislation aimed at curbing Trump's ability to seize Greenland by force. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in a statement on Wednesday, warned that "threats and intimidation by US officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive" and called any forcible takeover "an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm."

Meanwhile, European governments and Canada have rallied behind Denmark and Greenland, insisting the island's future belongs to its people and vowing to oppose any annexation that violates international law. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have recently repeatedly rejected Trump's push, stressing that "Greenland has never been for sale and never will be for sale."

01/08/2026

📊 PreMarket Movers – January 8, 2026

📈 Gainers:
⬆️ $ACON +51.13%
⬆️ $NVVE +21.36%
⬆️ $ONDS +11.08%

📉 Losers:
⬇️ $SHCO -10.82%
⬇️ $CRML -5.90%
⬇️ $STLA -1.67%

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