Shopify shares surged after a strong second quarter, with the e-commerce giant pointing to AI-driven shopping traffic and orders as a major growth driver while it races to make its merchants more visible in chatbot and AI search results. Plus, Disney is considering a free ad-supported tier for Disney+, joining Netflix and Paramount+ in exploring free streaming options as audiences spend more time on YouTube and FAST platforms.
And in The Big Picture: Canada and the U.S. discuss a possible steel and aluminum quota deal, Google overhauls its AI leadership, Ottawa pledges $2.7 billion for Toronto rental housing, Uber commits US$10 billion to robotaxis, Toronto police crack down on organized retail crime, and Ryan Beedie backs Vistara Capital.