Ben Slayton
@benslayton.bsky.social
Tech entrepreneur. Recommerce & reverse logistics specialist.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Following industry trends toward agent-led commerce, this partnership could create a powerful new e-commerce channel where shopping is as simple as asking for “best wireless earbuds under $200” and getting a direct checkout link with zero friction.
Link: www.testingcatalog.com/openai-and-s...
Link: www.testingcatalog.com/openai-and-s...
OpenAI and Shopify poise partnership on ChatGPT shopping
Discover ChatGPT's upcoming native purchase flow with Shopify integration, enabling seamless in-chat shopping. Stay ahead with the latest AI-driven e-commerce features.
www.testingcatalog.com
April 28, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Following industry trends toward agent-led commerce, this partnership could create a powerful new e-commerce channel where shopping is as simple as asking for “best wireless earbuds under $200” and getting a direct checkout link with zero friction.
Link: www.testingcatalog.com/openai-and-s...
Link: www.testingcatalog.com/openai-and-s...
Reposted by Ben Slayton
OpenAI is launching a shopping experience inside of ChatGPT, complete with product picks and buy buttons. WIRED spoke with Adam Fry, the company's search product lead, to ask how it all works.
OpenAI Adds Shopping to ChatGPT in a Challenge to Google
OpenAI is launching a shopping experience inside of ChatGPT, complete with product picks and buy buttons. WIRED spoke with Adam Fry, the company's search product lead, to ask how it all works.
www.wired.com
April 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
OpenAI is launching a shopping experience inside of ChatGPT, complete with product picks and buy buttons. WIRED spoke with Adam Fry, the company's search product lead, to ask how it all works.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
One product that got a tariff exemption is PET resin, used for plastic bottles.
Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler owned by two politically connected brothers, recently hired lobbyists with close ties to the Trump White House to advocate on tariffs.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social
Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler owned by two politically connected brothers, recently hired lobbyists with close ties to the Trump White House to advocate on tariffs.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social
Politically Connected Firms Benefit From Trump Tariff Exemptions Amid Secrecy, Confusion
The administration’s lack of transparency about tariff exemptions has experts concerned that some firms might be winning narrow carve-outs behind closed doors. “It could be corruption, but it could…
www.propublica.org
April 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
One product that got a tariff exemption is PET resin, used for plastic bottles.
Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler owned by two politically connected brothers, recently hired lobbyists with close ties to the Trump White House to advocate on tariffs.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social
Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler owned by two politically connected brothers, recently hired lobbyists with close ties to the Trump White House to advocate on tariffs.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Slayton
There are now over 1000 author profiles on RePEc with valid BlueSky handles. In fact, we have reached 1/3 of those with Xwitter handles.
ideas.repec.org/i/ebluesky.h...
#dailyRePEc #EconSky
ideas.repec.org/i/ebluesky.h...
#dailyRePEc #EconSky
RePEc-registered Economists on Bluesky
ideas.repec.org
March 17, 2025 at 1:06 PM
There are now over 1000 author profiles on RePEc with valid BlueSky handles. In fact, we have reached 1/3 of those with Xwitter handles.
ideas.repec.org/i/ebluesky.h...
#dailyRePEc #EconSky
ideas.repec.org/i/ebluesky.h...
#dailyRePEc #EconSky
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Graber’s shirt — which directly copies the style of a shirt that Zuckerberg wore onstage recently — says Mundus sine caesaribus. Or, “a world without Caesars.”
At SXSW, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber pokes fun at Mark Zuckerberg with Latin phrase T-shirt | TechCrunch
When Bluesky CEO Jay Graber walked on stage at SXSW 2025 for her keynote discussion, she wore a large black T-shirt with her hair pulled back into a bun.
techcrunch.com
March 10, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Graber’s shirt — which directly copies the style of a shirt that Zuckerberg wore onstage recently — says Mundus sine caesaribus. Or, “a world without Caesars.”
Reposted by Ben Slayton
One of my companies informed me they cancelled a $2m conference in Florida. Why ?
They didn’t feel they could pass on the incremental cost of tariffs. So they are cutting expenses.
That’s a city that lost a ton of tourism revenue.
The cost of tariffs isn’t just the cost of the tariff
They didn’t feel they could pass on the incremental cost of tariffs. So they are cutting expenses.
That’s a city that lost a ton of tourism revenue.
The cost of tariffs isn’t just the cost of the tariff
March 10, 2025 at 9:38 PM
One of my companies informed me they cancelled a $2m conference in Florida. Why ?
They didn’t feel they could pass on the incremental cost of tariffs. So they are cutting expenses.
That’s a city that lost a ton of tourism revenue.
The cost of tariffs isn’t just the cost of the tariff
They didn’t feel they could pass on the incremental cost of tariffs. So they are cutting expenses.
That’s a city that lost a ton of tourism revenue.
The cost of tariffs isn’t just the cost of the tariff
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Don't you find it a net positive for humanity that those without access to an education, now have a tool that gives them a chance to learn and compete ?
Isn't encouraging self learning a positive ?
Isn't encouraging self learning a positive ?
February 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Don't you find it a net positive for humanity that those without access to an education, now have a tool that gives them a chance to learn and compete ?
Isn't encouraging self learning a positive ?
Isn't encouraging self learning a positive ?
Reposted by Ben Slayton
*without. Sorry for the typo.
February 20, 2025 at 4:28 AM
*without. Sorry for the typo.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
It’s amazing to me that politicians don’t commit to post first on @bsky.app and to engage with constituents here
THIS is more powerful than CNN , MSNBC, The Post will ever be.
You can broadcast for 9 mins on a declining medium, or engage here and start a real discussion.
Which is more powerful?
THIS is more powerful than CNN , MSNBC, The Post will ever be.
You can broadcast for 9 mins on a declining medium, or engage here and start a real discussion.
Which is more powerful?
January 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
It’s amazing to me that politicians don’t commit to post first on @bsky.app and to engage with constituents here
THIS is more powerful than CNN , MSNBC, The Post will ever be.
You can broadcast for 9 mins on a declining medium, or engage here and start a real discussion.
Which is more powerful?
THIS is more powerful than CNN , MSNBC, The Post will ever be.
You can broadcast for 9 mins on a declining medium, or engage here and start a real discussion.
Which is more powerful?
I wonder why the Tiktok ban bill excludes product and travel review apps? What review based app in America has 20% ownership from a foreign adversary: China, Russia or Iran? #tiktok #bytedance #politics
Source: www.congress.gov/bill/118th-c...
Source: www.congress.gov/bill/118th-c...
January 14, 2025 at 4:26 AM
I wonder why the Tiktok ban bill excludes product and travel review apps? What review based app in America has 20% ownership from a foreign adversary: China, Russia or Iran? #tiktok #bytedance #politics
Source: www.congress.gov/bill/118th-c...
Source: www.congress.gov/bill/118th-c...
Sure, 30% fees seem high.
What Zuck doesn’t mention is that Meta takes the same 30% on the Quest Store AND on top of that, an additional 25% fee in Horizon Worlds from developers.
www.pymnts.com/meta/2025/zu...
What Zuck doesn’t mention is that Meta takes the same 30% on the Quest Store AND on top of that, an additional 25% fee in Horizon Worlds from developers.
www.pymnts.com/meta/2025/zu...
Zuckerberg: Apple's 'Random Rules' Hampering Meta's Profits | PYMNTS.com
Meta’s CEO criticized Apple for a lack of innovation and “random rules,” on a recent podcast. And those rules, Mark Zuckerberg argued, hinder Meta’s
www.pymnts.com
January 13, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Sure, 30% fees seem high.
What Zuck doesn’t mention is that Meta takes the same 30% on the Quest Store AND on top of that, an additional 25% fee in Horizon Worlds from developers.
www.pymnts.com/meta/2025/zu...
What Zuck doesn’t mention is that Meta takes the same 30% on the Quest Store AND on top of that, an additional 25% fee in Horizon Worlds from developers.
www.pymnts.com/meta/2025/zu...
Reposted by Ben Slayton
YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOUR FEED BY MAKING LISTS IT TRULY SHARPENS WHAT YOU SEE YOU ARE WELCOME
December 20, 2024 at 11:11 PM
YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOUR FEED BY MAKING LISTS IT TRULY SHARPENS WHAT YOU SEE YOU ARE WELCOME
So many more industries where the public could benefit from this type of regulation: medical, telecom, banking, airlines, streaming, subscriptions, etc.
The FTC has banned "junk fees" on hotels and live event tickets.
It requires businesses to display the total price, including all additional fees, more prominently than other pricing information.
It requires businesses to display the total price, including all additional fees, more prominently than other pricing information.
December 19, 2024 at 3:25 PM
So many more industries where the public could benefit from this type of regulation: medical, telecom, banking, airlines, streaming, subscriptions, etc.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Apple Pay’s first competitor on the iPhone has arrived in Norway
Apple Pay’s first competitor on the iPhone has arrived in Norway
Hei look, tap to pay in a third party iPhone app!
buff.ly
December 9, 2024 at 8:50 PM
Apple Pay’s first competitor on the iPhone has arrived in Norway
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Woah, look at this.
Google, $GOOGL, has just showcased Genie 2, a model that can create 3D playable worlds from 2D images, without a game engine:
Google, $GOOGL, has just showcased Genie 2, a model that can create 3D playable worlds from 2D images, without a game engine:
December 8, 2024 at 2:35 AM
Woah, look at this.
Google, $GOOGL, has just showcased Genie 2, a model that can create 3D playable worlds from 2D images, without a game engine:
Google, $GOOGL, has just showcased Genie 2, a model that can create 3D playable worlds from 2D images, without a game engine:
Reposted by Ben Slayton
This week the NRF Center for Digital Risk & Innovation released v1.0 of the NRF Retail Fraud Taxonomy, developed in coordination with Target, the RH-ISAC and The Chertoff Group: nrf.com/research/ret... #retailfraud
Retail Fraud Taxonomy
The NRF Retail Fraud Taxonomy is a knowledge base of retail fraud and abuse techniques from real-world observations.
nrf.com
December 3, 2024 at 5:13 PM
This week the NRF Center for Digital Risk & Innovation released v1.0 of the NRF Retail Fraud Taxonomy, developed in coordination with Target, the RH-ISAC and The Chertoff Group: nrf.com/research/ret... #retailfraud
Reposted by Ben Slayton
The backbone of the #circular economy is #reverse #logistics, which includes managing #retail #returns. The latest National Retail Federation returns report highlights the size of the opportunity. Thank you, Happy Returns for sharing your expertise.
#reverselogistics #rla
nrf.com/media-center...
#reverselogistics #rla
nrf.com/media-center...
NRF and Happy Returns Report: 2024 Retail Returns to Total $890 Billion
Total returns are projected to reach $890 billion in 2024 according to a report by NRF and Happy Returns
nrf.com
December 6, 2024 at 9:31 PM
The backbone of the #circular economy is #reverse #logistics, which includes managing #retail #returns. The latest National Retail Federation returns report highlights the size of the opportunity. Thank you, Happy Returns for sharing your expertise.
#reverselogistics #rla
nrf.com/media-center...
#reverselogistics #rla
nrf.com/media-center...
Reposted by Ben Slayton
That couch you paid $3,000 for? It might be garbage in three years. wsj.com/lifestyle/co... via
@WSJ
Once a couch becomes 'garbage' and is tossed, it enters the reverse logistics cycle to be resold, donated, landfill (😱) or shipped overseas (😱).
Manage smart & responsibly.
@WSJ
Once a couch becomes 'garbage' and is tossed, it enters the reverse logistics cycle to be resold, donated, landfill (😱) or shipped overseas (😱).
Manage smart & responsibly.
Your New $3,000 Couch Might Be Garbage in Three Years. This Is Why.
Furnishings that used to last for a decade or more fall apart much sooner now. Think fast fashion for furniture.
wsj.com
November 24, 2024 at 1:26 PM
That couch you paid $3,000 for? It might be garbage in three years. wsj.com/lifestyle/co... via
@WSJ
Once a couch becomes 'garbage' and is tossed, it enters the reverse logistics cycle to be resold, donated, landfill (😱) or shipped overseas (😱).
Manage smart & responsibly.
@WSJ
Once a couch becomes 'garbage' and is tossed, it enters the reverse logistics cycle to be resold, donated, landfill (😱) or shipped overseas (😱).
Manage smart & responsibly.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
You may not understand why, but the healthcare insurance and PBM contracts YOU have signed for Tesla, SpaceX , @X, along with CEOs of other big companies , have more impact on healthcare costs and quality of care in this country, than anything you can do with DOGE
December 5, 2024 at 9:59 PM
You may not understand why, but the healthcare insurance and PBM contracts YOU have signed for Tesla, SpaceX , @X, along with CEOs of other big companies , have more impact on healthcare costs and quality of care in this country, than anything you can do with DOGE
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Help us welcome @davidmcswane.bsky.social to Bluesky!
He and reporter Ryan Gabrielson are behind this ProPublica classic about how a Christian health nonprofit saddled thousands with debt as it built a family empire — including a pot farm, a bank and an airline. It's worth your time ⤵️
He and reporter Ryan Gabrielson are behind this ProPublica classic about how a Christian health nonprofit saddled thousands with debt as it built a family empire — including a pot farm, a bank and an airline. It's worth your time ⤵️
A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline
Despite a history of fraud, one family has thrived in the regulatory no man’s land of health care sharing ministries, where insurance commissioners can’t investigate, federal agencies turn a blind eye...
propub.li
December 3, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Help us welcome @davidmcswane.bsky.social to Bluesky!
He and reporter Ryan Gabrielson are behind this ProPublica classic about how a Christian health nonprofit saddled thousands with debt as it built a family empire — including a pot farm, a bank and an airline. It's worth your time ⤵️
He and reporter Ryan Gabrielson are behind this ProPublica classic about how a Christian health nonprofit saddled thousands with debt as it built a family empire — including a pot farm, a bank and an airline. It's worth your time ⤵️
Reposted by Ben Slayton
This is all the Russians have been able to take in almost a year, at the cost of about 1500 men A DAY.
You heard that right, 1500 PER DAY
You heard that right, 1500 PER DAY
December 1, 2024 at 11:53 PM
This is all the Russians have been able to take in almost a year, at the cost of about 1500 men A DAY.
You heard that right, 1500 PER DAY
You heard that right, 1500 PER DAY
Reposted by Ben Slayton
We were today years old when we learned the founder of @CoreCivic/private prisons was a chair of the Tennessee Republican Party.
Boy does that make sense.
They run 4 prisons here even though state law allows for just 1. Now their CEO Damon Hininger now wants to be governor.
Boy does that make sense.
They run 4 prisons here even though state law allows for just 1. Now their CEO Damon Hininger now wants to be governor.
November 30, 2024 at 8:23 PM
We were today years old when we learned the founder of @CoreCivic/private prisons was a chair of the Tennessee Republican Party.
Boy does that make sense.
They run 4 prisons here even though state law allows for just 1. Now their CEO Damon Hininger now wants to be governor.
Boy does that make sense.
They run 4 prisons here even though state law allows for just 1. Now their CEO Damon Hininger now wants to be governor.
Reposted by Ben Slayton
New paper: Do social media algorithms shape affective polarization?
We ran a field experiment on X/Twitter (N=1,256) using LLMs to rerank content in real-time, adjusting exposure to polarizing posts. Result: Algorithmic ranking impacts feelings toward the political outgroup! 🧵⬇️
We ran a field experiment on X/Twitter (N=1,256) using LLMs to rerank content in real-time, adjusting exposure to polarizing posts. Result: Algorithmic ranking impacts feelings toward the political outgroup! 🧵⬇️
November 25, 2024 at 8:32 PM
New paper: Do social media algorithms shape affective polarization?
We ran a field experiment on X/Twitter (N=1,256) using LLMs to rerank content in real-time, adjusting exposure to polarizing posts. Result: Algorithmic ranking impacts feelings toward the political outgroup! 🧵⬇️
We ran a field experiment on X/Twitter (N=1,256) using LLMs to rerank content in real-time, adjusting exposure to polarizing posts. Result: Algorithmic ranking impacts feelings toward the political outgroup! 🧵⬇️
Surely this is money laundering, right?
The Observer view: Selling a piece of fruit for £4m isn’t bananas, it’s decadent. Art is better than this
The Observer view: Selling a piece of fruit for £4m isn’t bananas, it’s decadent. Art is better than this
The sale of Maurizio Cattelan’s work, Comedian, to a crypto entrepreneur is a grim concept that has little to do with disruption
Paulina Brandberg, the Swedish minister for gender equality and work life, has a phobia of bananas so severe, her aides check…
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2024 at 9:35 PM
Surely this is money laundering, right?
Reposted by Ben Slayton
Steam Controller 2 is apparently a thing and being 'tooled for a mass production' plus a new VR controller
Steam Controller 2 is apparently a thing and being 'tooled for a mass production' plus a new VR controller
Take this with a pinch of salt as you always do with leaks, but it appears Valve may be prepping a Steam Controller 2, along with a new controller for their Deckard VR kit as well.
www.gamingonlinux.com
November 20, 2024 at 9:18 AM
Steam Controller 2 is apparently a thing and being 'tooled for a mass production' plus a new VR controller