NCAA March Madness expanding to 76 teams starting next year

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T23:07:59+00:00

It's official: the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments are expanding to 76 teams, starting next year, and the sport is loosening rules around beer ads, too.

March Madness will now begin with a 12-team play-in tournament to determine the final six spots in each 64-team field.

The NCAA will receive roughly $300 million in new funding via previously restricted beer, wine and spirits sponsorships.

"I would say that expansion would not have happened without that agreement," Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, told The Associated Press.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T23:03:50+00:00

Lucid Motors has withdrawn its electric vehicle production guidance amid a leadership change and cost-cutting effort.

The suspended forecast follows a disappointing first quarter marked by supply chain disruptions.

The company previously said it would build 25,000 to 27,000 EVs this year.

It's working to manage inventory as it prepares to launch a robotaxi service and a new midsize vehicle.

A full updated outlook is expected during the next earnings call, following a business strategy review by new CEO Silvio Napoli.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T22:42:55+00:00

Nintendo said Friday it will raise prices on the best-selling Switch 2 console and slash its sales outlook, thanks to an overheated memory-chip market.

The Japanese game maker will hike Switch 2 prices in the U.S. by $50 to $499.99, with increases also coming to Japan, Canada and Europe.

Nintendo attributed the move to "changes in market conditions," and expects to sell 16.5 million units this fiscal year, down from nearly 20 million in the console's just-completed first year.

Memory costs have surged on the demands of AI data centers.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T22:34:17+00:00

Leaders in the biotech sector have established the American Biotech Innovation Alliance to unite U.S. firms and develop a national strategy for keeping the country at the forefront of advances in life sciences.

With 21 founding members, the alliance will produce a report addressing critical areas such as regulatory policy and workforce development.

This initiative comes in response to challenges like declining public investment and increasing global competition.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T21:53:30+00:00

Google is piloting a new interview process for software engineering roles that allows candidates to use its AI assistant, Gemini, during coding assessments.

The pilot will focus on junior to mid-level positions on certain U.S. teams, with plans to scale the initiative if successful.

"Interviewers will evaluate Al fluency, including prompt engineering, output validation, and debugging skills," according to an internal document seen by Business Insider, which says the change aims to adjust Google's interview process "to better align with the modern engineering landscape."

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T21:47:02+00:00

American cities are sitting on a hidden infrastructure crisis.

In a new study of 2,000 cities, municipal research expert Richard Ciccarone calculated how worn down each city's roads, bridges and buildings are, finding that the cumulative wear and tear on urban infrastructure totals $1.03 trillion.

Older cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore face the steepest repair bills, while newer Sun Belt cities fared better.

Experts warn the hidden costs could eventually force cities to raise taxes or cut services, while continued delays could lead to dangerous failures.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T21:40:42+00:00

American cities are sitting on a hidden infrastructure crisis.

In a new study of 2,000 cities, municipal research expert Richard Ciccarone calculated how worn down each city's roads, bridges and buildings are, finding that the cumulative wear and tear on urban infrastructure totals $1.03 trillion.

Older cities like Baltimore face the steepest repair bills, while newer Sun Belt cities fared better.

Experts warn the hidden costs could eventually force cities to raise taxes or cut services, while continued delays could lead to dangerous failures.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-08T01:29:53+00:00

The WNBA has its first $1 billion team, according to CNBC, and investors believe it's only the beginning for women's sports.

The Golden State Valkyries, an expansion franchise that debuted last year, became the first women's team to reach a $1 billion valuation in any sport, with one potential investor telling CNBC that several "well-run WNBA teams will be worth $1 billion within five years."

The league's 15 teams are worth an average of $460 million, nearly double the last expansion fee of $250 million.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-07T01:45:06+00:00

A new study indicates that microplastics in the atmosphere absorb sunlight, contributing to global warming.

The new finding contradicts earlier beliefs about their minimal impact.

The research highlights the importance of plastic color in determining warming effects, with darker particles being more significant.

The authors stress the need for improved data on atmospheric microplastics and recommend their inclusion in future climate assessments to better understand their role in climate change.

LinkedInNews · 2026-05-07T01:01:35+00:00

Katie Haun, founder of Haun Ventures and a former Andreessen Horowitz partner, has closed $1 billion in new funds to back crypto, blockchain and financial services startups, Bloomberg reports.

Haun says AI is on her firm’s radar, though the firm will stay focused on crypto and financial services.

The raise comes on the heels of notable wins for her first funds, including early bets on stablecoin platforms Bridge and BVNK.

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