In the past month, Canadians have broken Guinness World Records for the deepest underwater model photoshoot (6.4 metres), most pancakes served in eight hours (17,182 flapjacks) and, most impressively, the largest dinosaur costume dance party (1,187 costumed dinos). 

These achievements have led us to wonder, “How on Earth does Guinness make money?” 

Good luck, indeed. As we enter the final day of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Toronto, we wish luck to anyone trying to snag a ticket… but also caution you not to get your hopes up.  

Catch-up: For the few of you reading who don’t already have your calendar circled, Swift is coming to Toronto for six shows at Roger’s Centre at the end of November 2024. 

Driving the news: An estimated 31 million people (about ¾ of Canada’s population, to give you some perspective) registered on Ticketmaster to receive a presale waitlist code. Per one estimate, that gave hopeful Swifties about a 1-in-413 chance of snagging a ticket. 

Thinking of extending the long weekend without taking time off work? You’re not alone.  

Driving the news: ‘Workcations’—or working vacations—are a new phenomenon gaining traction in an open world of work options, per the Financial Times. One study found over a quarter of working Canadians and 38% of Gen Z’ers planned to take a workcation last year. 

Many contests have been dubbed the “Fight of the Century,” but Walmart vs. Amazon might live up to that hyperbole, at least on the e-commerce front.

Driving the news: Amazon is opening a robotics-backed fulfilment centre in Ontario this fall, with the capacity to pick, pack, and ship ~750,000 items daily.

Talks to recruit soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé may have fallen flat, but at least Saudi Arabia's foray into golf, gaming, and now, critical minerals mining is taking off.

What happened: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF, and state-owned mining company Ma’aden struck a US$2.6 billion deal with Brazilian mining giant Vale for a 10% stake in its base metals business—one of the world’s top suppliers of copper and nickel. 

The Associated Press might’ve been the first news outlet to cut an AI licensing deal, but they made sure they weren’t giving OpenAI an early-bird discount. 

What’s happening: Associated Press (AP)—the first news publisher to strike a content licensing deal with OpenAI—has built-in safeguards to the agreement that reflect the uncertainty of news content’s value in a future with powerful AI platforms, per the Wall Street Journal. 

On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Jay Rosenthal to discuss the challenges facing major cannabis players, and what’s next for the industry.

Aliens: Terrifying threat from beyond the stars… or untapped economic opportunity? 

Driving the news: This week, a former US intelligence officer told Congress while under oath that the US government has been hiding UFOs from the public view for decades, including a wreckage that included "non-human" biologics (an alien, he means an alien). 

Like a friend trying to get you to the wildest party when it’s well after midnight, Tesla is facing accusations of over-exaggeration. 

Driving the news: A new bombshell exposé from Reuters alleges that Tesla had rigged its dashboards to show more optimistic driving ranges, starting about a decade ago. 

Canada’s top high-end winterwear brand (named after an aggressive northern waterfowl) is tapping into the growing consumer desire to get thrifty.

What happened: Canada Goose (CG) has launched a resale platform in Canada that lets people exchange their used apparel for gift cards worth up to 60% of the item’s retail price.