Rob Walker
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Articles by Rob Walker
How the Cheesecake Factory won a political food fight
In the thick of a heated midterm electoral season, the Cheesecake Factory, of all things, became the latest brand to get sucked into a political food fight against its will. This week, Democrats and Republicans converted the familiar restaurant into a symbol for who is and isn’t out of touch with mainstream America. But largely because the chain has remained stoically above the fray, the incident has worked out rather sweetly for the restaurant.
How the Cheesecake Factory won a political food fight
2 hours ago The first strike on a Russian oil refinery since Oct. 15 comes after tensions with the U.S. and disruption to Ukraine’s military Starlink Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region early on Friday, ending a two-week pause in refinery attacks that came amid heavy pressure from the Trump …
What’s really fueling the recent generosity boom
Generosity is in the air, or so it would seem. The Trump administration recently mailed a round of $500 checks to almost a million users of Healthcare.gov. The AI rivals OpenAI and Anthropic have promised to share their (eventual) wealth with the public beyond investors, and Anthropic this week got a bit more specific, proposing a Public Benefit Fund pegged at 5% of the company’s overall value. And never to be outdone, Elon Musk promptly pledged to give “every kid in America” a share in SpaceX.
To Shape AI, Use AI
Illustration: Sebastian Cestaro for Bloomberg Businessweek October 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC The best way to understand artificial intelligence isn’t to read about it but to use it.
Why we couldn’t look away from Zuck’s Guinness wince
Mark Zuckerberg took a sip of Guinness the other day, and the internet noticed. Specifically, a clip from the Meta founder’s appearance on a podcast called The Cheeky Pint—which involves talking tech over a beer with host (and Stripe cofounder) John Collison—caught his notably unenthusiastic facial expression in response to the Irish stout.
Why we couldn’t look away from Zuck’s Guinness wince
2 days ago There’s a video going around of Mark Zuckerberg trying to drink a pint of Guinness. Specifically, he’s trying to look like he enjoys drinking a pint of Guinness on a semi-regular basis. Which maybe he does. But the problem is, he desperately needs us to know that. The fate of his almost $2 trillion …
The world is a mess. Let’s book a cruise!
Consumer confidence is feeble, gas prices remain high, the labor market has the jitters, there’s war in the Middle East, and AI doomerism has become part of pop culture. So . . . time to book a cruise? Apparently so. This week Carnival, the largest cruise line, reported record results—third quarter revenue of $8.4 billion, well ahead of expectations—and, more intriguingly, all-time high bookings for 2027.
We have a love-hate relationship with technology, and that’s never going to change
Well over a decade after first teasing the idea of making home deliveries via drone, Amazon is now actively testing the concept in a Dallas suburb and elsewhere. Reports suggest the reaction is, well, mixed. Yes, some customers seem delighted. But other residents complain the drones are loud, annoying, and creepy. “Having all these drones flying around is actually a big, big problem,” the president of a homeowners association in an affected neighborhood told The New York Times.
Childcare is still a problem. It gets worse Oct. 1.
The other day a neighbor told me: “Congrats, you solved childcare!” No, not even close. To be clear, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished at Moab Community Childcare (MCC). We serve over 50 kids each week, and 40% have their tuition mostly paid for by federal child care subsidies. Still, we turn away more families than we can enroll. On Oct. 1, it will become much harder to qualify for (and stay on) federal child care subsidies.
Program: South Sudan: a failure to act
When local and international aid workers came under attack in South Sudan's capital, why did UN peacekeepers just over a kilometre away fail to respond? The BBC's Tomi Oladipo reconstructs what happened in Juba on the 11th of July last year. Click here to go to the original BBC Radio 4 program.
In the battle between AI optimists and doomsayers, no one is the winner
It could be the end of the world as we know it. Or maybe it’s all just a marketing stunt. Somehow, these have become the two poles of the debate about the future of artificial intelligence and its potential perils.
The Elizabeth Holmes documentary grabbed our attention. Now it has to keep it
Sometimes the secret to promoting a new movie is an actual secret. The latest example, You Can See Everything, is taking that strategy to an extreme. And it’s no spoiler to say that it’s working, at least so far. After all, few would have predicted that arguably the buzziest property to emerge from the Telluride Film Festival would be a three-hour documentary about Elizabeth Holmes.
The U.S. Open has a new off-court champion
As the U.S. Open heats up, the women’s bracket is looking particularly thrilling, with contenders like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Świątek, and crowd favorites like Naomi Osaka and a returning Serena Williams. But whoever comes out on top, the real winner this year may be the 17th-seeded Alex Eala of the Philippines. Snagging the tournament’s iconic trophy would be a long shot for the 21-year-old.
The U.S. Open has a new off-court champion
English Premier League 2 hours ago Liverpool Complete £4.3m Transfer After Deadline Day givemesport - Toby Bryant • 2h Liverpool have completed another piece of transfer business after deadline day, with the signing of Saint-Etienne youngster Djylian N'Guessan … Auto Racing 1 hour ago F1 races set to be shortened to 290km in 2027 autosport.com - Stuart Codling • 1h Formula 1 grands prix are set to become shorter in 2027 as the series changes the balance between electrical and...
Flock’s big, bad brand moment
Mere months ago, Flock, an Atlanta-based security camera startup, was known mostly by its target customer base: police departments, cities and towns, with a smattering of colleges, neighborhood associations, and businesses. Today, Flock’s license-plate-reading, AI-driven cameras are widely familiar, and the company is practically a household name. In fact, it’s arguably the breakthrough brand of the year—for all the wrong reasons.
OpenAI wants to be the underdog against Apple. That won’t be easy
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence pioneer, is trying on a new public image: the scrappy underdog David defending itself from Apple’s creaky Goliath. It’s an understandable strategy, but making that image stick won’t be easy. The root of the dispute is OpenAI’s plan to develop its own AI-centric devices. Last month Apple sued OpenAI, alleging that it has stolen trade secrets.
The Bulwark Built a Profitable $20 Million Business by Breaking the Old Media Rules
Subscriber Exclusive What began as a Never Trump passion project has become a fast-growing media company with more than 140,000 paid subscribers. BY ROB WALKER Aug 6, 2026 (From left) TIm Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Sam Stein.
Los verdaderos ganadores y perdedores de la Copa Mundial de 2026
Felicitaciones por adelantado a Argentina y España, pero seamos honestos: incluso antes del pitido inicial de la final, el Mundial de 2026 ya ha dejado claros ganadores y perdedores. Y no solo en el terreno de juego, sino también en la cultura y los negocios, desde la Casa Blanca hasta Waffle House. Aquí, pues, presentamos nuestra valoración sobre quiénes y qué surgieron, para bien o para mal, de uno de los eventos socioeconómicos más importantes del mundo.
The real winners and losers of the 2026 World Cup
Congratulations in advance to Argentina or Spain, but let’s be honest: Even before the opening whistle of the final, the 2026 World Cup has already produced undeniable winners and losers. And not just on the pitch, but in culture and business from the White House to Waffle House. Here, then, are our judgments on who and what emerged for better or worse from one of the world’s most significant socioeconomic events.
Making data-sharing work for a joined-up policing ecosystem
Yet, like many complex public services, policing’s data landscape has evolved organically over decades. The result is familiar to many officers and staff: varying local practices, fragmented systems, poor data quality, and information that can be difficult to access or use. The government’s latest policing white paper rightly places data at the heart of modernising law enforcement.
Lo ostentoso de la boda de Taylor Swift parece estar fuera de lugar
Si alguien lo tiene todo, esa es Taylor Swift. Y aunque ya lo sabías, prepárate para un recordatorio insistente este fin de semana festivo, porque la culminación de su romance de cuento de hadas con el proverbial capitán del equipo de fútbol americano, Travis Kelce, será, al parecer, una boda ostentosa de varios días en la capital mundial de la atención: el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York.
The Taylor Swift wedding flex sure seems out of touch
If anybody has it all, Taylor Swift does. And while you knew that already, brace yourself for a pushy reminder this holiday weekend, because the culmination of Swift’s storybook romance with proverbial captain of the football team Travis Kelce will apparently be a multi-day wedding flex, set in the world capital of attention: New York City’s Madison Square Garden. In addition to being recognized as one of the great American songwriters, Swift is an absolute master of publicity and brand image.
Waffle House is winning the World Cup
On the eve of its 250th birthday, the United States isn’t exactly at peak popularity, globally speaking. One poll this past spring found that despite its past most-admired status, the U.S. is now viewed less favorably than China in much of the world. Cohosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup amid inflation and various travel restrictions isn’t helping.
How the IPO announcement became a publicity ritual
An initial public offering has its official functions—raising money, providing liquidity for equity-holding employees and early investors—but it has unofficial ones, too. The record-setting $1.77 trillion SpaceX IPO, whose valuation was partly pumped up by its artificial intelligence ambitions, just reminded us all of a big one: a blockbuster IPO can be a blockbuster branding event.
¿Las marcas están perdiendo autenticidad por culpa de la IA?
Fue una mala semana para la imagen pública de la IA. El concepto fue abucheado al mencionarse en varios discursos de graduación en Estados Unidos, empañó un premio literario, provocó más despidos y enredó la política local en varias disputas sobre centros de datos. Un nuevo libro muy promocionado sobre el impacto de la inteligencia artificial en la “verdad” fue criticado por incluir citas falsas inventadas por esa misma tecnología.
A rejeição à IA virou um problema para as marcas
Foi uma semana ruim para a imagem pública da IA. O conceito foi vaiado ao ser mencionado em vários discursos de formatura, manchou um prêmio literário, impulsionou mais demissões e embaralhou a política local em uma série de disputas envolvendo data centers. Um novo livro badalado sobre o impacto da IA na “verdade” foi massacrado por incluir citações falsas inventadas por inteligência artificial.
The AI backlash is a danger for every brand now
It was a bad week for AI’s public image. The concept was booed on mention at several commencement speeches, tarnished a literary prize, drove more layoffs, and tangled local politics in a number of data-center squabbles. A hyped new book about AI’s impact on “truth” was dragged for including fake quotes made up by AI. Pope Leo XIV’s forthcoming encyclical will concern “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence,” Vatican News reported.
The AI backlash is a danger for every brand now
Brands are particularly vulnerable to charges of inauthenticity, and AI is currently an inauthenticity force multiplier. [Source Images: FC (Illustration), Lipi/Adobe Stock] Listen to this ArticleMore info It was a bad week for AI’s public image. The concept was booed on mention at several commencement speeches, tarnished a literary prize, drove more layoffs, and tangled local politics in a number of data-center squabbles.
AI’s got a brand problem. The CEOs aren’t helping
Artificial intelligence—surely the most hyped technological development to seize the spotlight in a generation—does not appear to be very popular with the American public. A clear majority recognize AI is a big deal, but recent Pew Research Center polling found more concern than excitement, particularly in its impact on creativity and relationships. Quinnipiac surveys find opinions souring even as usage rises.
AI’s got a brand problem. The CEOs aren’t helping
Listen to this ArticleMore info Artificial intelligence—surely the most hyped technological development to seize the spotlight in a generation—does not appear to be very popular with the American public. A clear majority recognize AI is a big deal, but recent Pew Research Center polling found more concern than excitement, particularly in its impact on creativity and relationships. Quinnipiac surveys find opinions souring even as usage rises.
Why brands should ignore Trump’s latest loyalty test
Earlier this week, in a live interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, President Donald Trump was asked for his reaction to reports that Apple, Amazon, and some other companies had not filed refund requests for tariffs they paid over the past year—tariffs the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. “I think it’s brilliant if they don’t do that,” Trump replied. “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them.” To be clear, this wasn’t negotiation posturing.
The bigger point the DoorDash Grandma squabble missed
It must have seemed like a slam dunk PR opportunity for all concerned: A “DoorDash Grandma” making a (staged) delivery to the White House, affording President Trump a chance to tout his “No Tax on Tips” policy, and DoorDash a prompt to praise that policy for letting “workers keep more of what they earn, including hundreds of millions of dollars for Dashers.” As press looked on and cameras rolled, Sharon Simmons, sporting a “DoorDash Grandma” T-shirt and handing a couple of McDonald’s bags to...
Why Buc-ee’s is protecting its logo at all costs
The gas station convenience chain Buc-ee’s is known for selling a slew of logo-ed merch to its devoted brand fans. And increasingly, it’s also known for aggressive trademark enforcement, suing competitors, apparel brands, and small businesses over logos, mascots, and even names it argues are too close to its signature smiling beaver.
Marca de sapatos de Trump vira meme nas redes
Numa época em que as marcas tradicionais temem ser arrastadas para um cenário político contencioso, há algo curiosamente benigno, quase reconfortante, no “Florsheimgate”.
How ‘Florsheimgate’ became the meme we needed
At a time when mainstream brands live in fear of getting dragged into a contentious political landscape, there’s something curiously benign, almost feel-good, about “Florsheimgate.” If you’ve somehow missed it, this particular instance of an involuntary pop-culture brand cameo came about following press reports this week that President Donald Trump has become an enthusiast—and de facto brand ambassador—for Florsheim dress shoes, gifting pairs to cabinet members and media allies.
OpenAI dañó su marca por contrato con Departamento de Guerra
Parece un logro empresarial digno de presumir. No fue solo conseguir un cliente de alto perfil, sino hacerlo justo después de que el acuerdo de su principal rival con ese mismo cliente se desmoronara de manera brutalmente pública. Sin embargo, el acuerdo con el Pentágono de OpenAI, pionero en inteligencia artificial (IA), no terminó siendo un evento que vislumbrara la marca. Al contrario, «simplemente pareció oportunista y descuidado», según la opinión del director ejecutivo de OpenAI, Sam Altman.
OpenAI just dragged its own brand
It sounds like a brag-worthy business coup: not just snagging a high-profile client, but doing so just after your chief rival’s deal with that same client unraveled in a brutally public way. But artificial intelligence pioneer OpenAI’s Pentagon deal didn’t end up being a brand-halo event. To the contrary, “it just looked opportunistic and sloppy”—and that’s the judgment of OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman.
¿puede ser su mejor estrategia?
¿Puede una disputa con un cliente que genera titulares ser realmente beneficiosa para una marca? La disputa de esta semana entre el Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos y Anthropic, una empresa de alto perfil en el competitivo campo de la inteligencia artificial (IA), podría ser precisamente eso. La disputa gira en torno a si el Pentágono, que tiene un acuerdo para usar la tecnología de Anthropic, puede aplicarla en una gama más amplia de escenarios: todos los casos de “uso legal”.
Anthropic is fighting with a big client, and it’s actually good for its brand
Can a headline-making squabble with a client actually be good for a brand? This week’s dispute between the Department of Defense and Anthropic, a high-profile player in the super-competitive field of artificial intelligence, may be just that. The dispute involves whether the Pentagon, which has an agreement to use Anthropic technology, can apply it in a wider range of scenarios: all “lawful use” cases.
Can MAGA’s spite show outperform Bad Bunny? (Or at least the Puppy Bowl)?
The MAGA movement has always been partly about culture, but lately conservative politics have fully ventured into the entertainment realm. Between the theatrical release of the Melania documentary, the drastic and ongoing reshuffling of the offerings at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Kid Rock-headlined alternative to Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, the cultural MAGA-verse has shifted from backlashes and boycotts to counterprogramming.
Why the Minnesota National Guard is being forced to dress like crossing guards
The announcement earlier this week that the Minnesota National Guard was standing by to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies in and around Minneapolis-St. Paul included a surprising detail. “If our members are activated,” it read, “they will be wearing reflective vests … to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.” From a design perspective, the whole point of uniforms is to provide an instant visual signal.
Navigating the challenges of newsjacking: The Maduro Nike tracksuit case
Rob Walker|Published 35 minutes ago . Image: White House, Nike Brands love to insert themselves into cultural conversations or piggyback on buzzy current events, a strategy sometimes callednewsjacking. But it can happen without seeking, or even wanting, the attention. The borderlineabsurd viralityof a Nike tracksuit evidently worn by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he was taken into the custody of American captors is the most high-profile recent example—but it definitely won’t be the last.
Every brand needs to be ready for its Maduro Nike tracksuit moment
Brands love to insert themselves into cultural conversations or piggyback on buzzy current events, a strategy sometimes called newsjacking. But it can happen without seeking, or even wanting, the attention. The borderline absurd virality of a Nike tracksuit evidently worn by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he was taken into the custody of American captors is the most high-profile recent example—but it definitely won’t be the last.
Chuck E. Cheese’s next act: ‘I won’t stop until we have a movie,’ CEO says
You hear the blurps and bloops after you pass the food court in the Mall of Georgia on a fall Sunday afternoon, the unmistakable sound of points being scored and players eliminated. Then you see him: Standing in an oversize vitrine is a 6-foot-tall animatronic rodent. He’s grinning and waving, but frozen in place, preserved like a museum piece. This isn’t an outpost of Chuck E. Cheese, the 48-year-old family pizza chain with more than 460 restaurants in 45 states and another 88 abroad.
Chuck E. Cheese's next act: 'I won't stop until we have a movie,' CEO says
3 hours ago A new year always brings fresh possibilities, but 2026 feels especially rich with new opportunities for family vacations. Brand-new cruise ships are launching, long-anticipated attractions are opening, and popular destinations at home and abroad are unveiling fresh ways to welcome families. Whether …
The 12 most impactful objects of 2025: What they reveal about our times
Rob Walker|Published 20 minutes ago Every year the world gets a little more digital—and every year we still find surprise, delight, and meaning in the physical and the material. Like books or movies, the objects we obsessed over tell a story about the year gone by. So to continue a tradition that goesbackseveralyearsnow, here’s my look at the objects that tell the story of 2025: the joys, the absurdities, and the difficult-to-explain. . Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 1.
12 objetos que definieron el 2025 (para bien y para mal)
Cada año, el mundo se vuelve un poco más digital, y cada año, como en 2025, seguimos encontrando sorpresa, deleite y significado en los objetos y lo material. Como los libros o las películas, las cosas que nos obsesionan cuentan una historia sobre el año que termina. Así que, para continuar una tradición que se remonta a varios años atrás, aquí les presento mi análisis de los objetos que cuentan la historia de 2025: las alegrías, los absurdos y lo difícil de explicar.
The 12 objects that defined 2025, for better or for worse
Every year the world gets a little more digital—and every year we still find surprise, delight, and meaning in the physical and the material. Like books or movies, the objects we obsessed over tell a story about the year gone by. So to continue a tradition that goes back several years now, here’s my look at the objects that tell the story of 2025: the joys, the absurdities, and the difficult-to-explain. [Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images] 1.
PERFECTING THE RECIPE
Todd Graves, the founder and owner of Raising Cane's, is seeing just how far the company can go by doing one thing well. This year, it's on track to exceed $5 billion in sales—and he's just getting started. Raising Cane's was already having a banner 2025 when founder Todd Graves got some surprising news: The chicken finger chain had surpassed KFC in annual U.S. sales, making it the number-three quick-serve chicken chain, behind Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the perfect event for our attention-addled age
In an age of high-turnover trends, ubiquitous screens, and fractured attention spans, a lengthy televised parade organized by a venerable department store sounds like a relic of a bygone era. But somehow, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has in recent years proved itself to be startlingly popular and relevant. In 2024, the parade drew an estimated 31.7 million viewers on NBC’s broadcast and Peacock stream—an all-time record, and a bigger audience than the Oscars or any entertainment broadcast.
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