Category: 3. Business

Google has appealed a US district judge’s landmark antitrust ruling that found the company illegally held a monopoly in online search.

“As we have long said, the Court’s August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to,” Google’s vice president for regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said.

In its announcement on Friday, Google said the ruling by Judge Amit Mehta didn’t account for the pace of innovation and intense competition the company faces.

The company is requesting a pause on implementing a series of fixes – viewed by some observers as too lenient – aimed at limiting its monopoly power.

Judge Mehta acknowledged the rapid changes to the Google’s business when he issued his remedies in September, writing that the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) had changed the course of the case.

He refused to grant government lawyers their request for a Google breakup that would include a spin-off of Chrome, the world’s most popular browser.

Instead, he pushed less rigorous remedies, including a requirement that Google share certain data with “qualified competitors” as deemed by the court.

That data was due to include portions of its search index, Google’s massive inventory of web content that functions like a map of the internet.

The judge also called for Google to allow certain competitors to display the tech giant’s search results as their own in a bid to give upstarts the time and resources they need to innovate.

On Friday, Mulholland balked at being forced to share search data and syndication services with rivals as she justified the request for a halt to implementing the orders.

“These mandates would risk Americans’ privacy and discourage competitors from building their own products — ultimately stifling the innovation that keeps the U.S. at the forefront of global technology,” Mulholland wrote.

While the company has investigated growing sums of cash into AI, those ambitions have come under scrutiny.

Last month, the EU opened an investigation into Google over its AI summaries which appear above search results.

The European Commission said it would probe whether Google used data from websites to provide the service and failed to offer appropriate compensation to publishers.

Google said the investigation risked stifling innovation in a competitive market.

This week, Google parent Alphabet became the fourth company ever to reach a market capitalisation of $4tn.

Trends

Part of a series  |  2026 HR Trends Series

Discover the HR trends transforming health care, including rapid change driven by artificial intelligence (AI), evolving care models and rising employee expectations.

Health care is changing at an unprecedented speed. Work has become more technology-enabled with AI, while employee expectations around fairness, well-being and trust continue to rise. For HR leaders, the challenge is navigating these changes in a way that strengthens care teams, without losing human judgment or accountability.

Against this backdrop, here are the HR trends that will matter most for health care in 2026. Use them to guide your HR strategy as you respond to related developments throughout the year.

Skills-focused workforce planning

Persistent staffing shortages and evolving care models are pushing HR teams in the health-care sector to rethink how roles are defined and filled. In 2026, job titles alone often fail to reflect how work gets done as telehealth, team-based care and AI-assisted tools impact responsibilities.

As a result, some organizations are shifting toward skills-focused workforce planning, prioritizing specific competencies in hiring and development over rigid job titles. This approach provides greater talent flexibility and better aligns workforce capabilities with patient demand.

This adjustment is not without its challenges, however. ADP’s 2025 HR trends study found that about 65% of midsized and large employers report difficulty providing meaningful skills development, even as 84% expect AI to streamline work without replacing people.

Responsible AI adoption

AI continues to play a large role in the health-care industry, particularly in scheduling, recruiting and workforce analytics. When used well, these tools can help teams respond more quickly to staffing needs and reduce administrative burden. In a regulated industry like health care, however, responsible adoption is essential.

AI-generated recommendations must be reviewed in context, with human oversight, to ensure decisions reflect clinical realities, patient safety and fair employment practices. Efficiency matters, but not at the expense of trust or care quality.

Workforce well-being

Burnout continues to affect health-care workers, driving turnover and compounding staffing pressures. As a result, HR leaders are increasingly focused on holistic well-being strategies that address mental, physical and financial stressors. That includes providing access to meaningful workplace benefits.

Providing holistic well-being support is easier said than done, however. ADP’s 2025 HR trends study found that roughly 90% of organizations say they feel responsible for employee well-being, yet many lack confidence in delivering the right support.

AI in employment decisions

The growing use of AI in HR is raising new compliance questions around hiring, promotions and workforce analytics. Emerging regulations are placing greater emphasis on transparency, accountability and fairness, including new state requirements that limit certain AI uses in employment decisions — for example, those that could result in employment discrimination under state civil rights law.

When HR teams use AI in health-care contexts, each use must align with regulatory expectations and ethical standards. Examples include providing safeguards to prevent unintended bias against protected characteristics, such as race, gender, age or disability, while practices such as bias audits and human review are essential when AI influences employment decisions.

Pay transparency and benefits compliance

Pay transparency and benefits requirements continue to expand across jurisdictions, including new European Union (EU) rules taking effect in mid-2026 that require salary-range disclosures and gender-neutral pay criteria, as well as new pay transparency laws emerging in states such as Massachusetts and Delaware.

For health-care employers operating across multiple regions, these changes add complexity around pay equity, protected leave and the taxation of wages and benefits.

To adapt, health-care teams need consistent pay practices, accurate records and close coordination across HR, payroll and legal. These efforts not only reduce compliance risk but also reinforce employee trust by supporting fairness and transparency in compensation and benefits practices.

AI governance

AI governance has become a core responsibility for HR leaders working in health care. It’s not enough to deploy tools within an organization and assume they will perform as intended. HR teams must monitor how AI is used, review outcomes for fairness and accuracy and ensure decisions remain compliant with changing regulations. Clear governance frameworks can help ensure HR technology supports ethical, consistent workforce decisions rather than introducing new risk.

HR technology integration

HR technology integration remains a persistent challenge in the health-care field. Systems supporting credentialing, payroll scheduling and employee access often span HR, IT and operations. When these systems are aligned, organizations can reduce errors and create a smoother employee experience. When they are not, inefficiencies and compliance gaps quickly emerge. As technology ecosystems grow more complex, coordination across teams becomes essential.

Automation with oversight

Automation can reduce administrative burden across HR functions, from onboarding workflows to timekeeping and benefits administration. In health care, however, automation must be applied carefully.

Repetitive tasks can be streamlined, but decisions that affect patient care or clinical staffing require human judgment. The most effective approaches use automation to support HR teams, without replacing accountability.

Balancing innovation and judgment

One theme cuts across every major HR trend in health care: balance. New tools and technologies are reshaping how work gets done, but human judgment remains essential. In 2026, the most effective organizations will combine innovation with a clear understanding of workforce realities and regulatory expectations.

For more insights on the HR trends shaping 2026, download ADP’s 2026 HR trends guidebook.

Train passengers on the East Coast rail line, which runs between London and Aberdeen, are being warned part of the route is shut for the next nine days.

Network Rail says electrification work requires complete closure of the line west of Edinburgh from Saturday until 25 January.

Engineering work between Haymarket and Dalmeny is part of a £340m electrification project which Network Rail says is designed to deliver greener, more reliable services in future.

Some bridges are being rebuilt and raised, or tracks lowered to make room for overhead line installation.

ScotRail says thousands of passengers a day will be affected and they should check on services before travelling.

Some trains are being diverted through Stirling and Perth, whilst others are replaced by buses.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail’s service delivery director, described the works as “significant”.

“Network Rail’s upcoming work is a vital stage in the Fife electrification project, paving the way for long-term improvements that will benefit customers for years to come,” he said.

“We’ve put alternative travel plans in place to help keep people moving, and we encourage customers to take a moment to check their options before travelling.

“Some journeys may take longer than usual, so planning ahead will make things easier.

“Our website and the ScotRail app have the latest information, and we’ll continue to provide clear updates and support throughout the works.”

“Today the Trump Administration announced a plan to build a more reliable and affordable electricity supply for Americans in the mid-Atlantic. We share the goal of ensuring affordable, reliable energy for American families and our economy, and we applaud the bipartisanship emerging to tackle America’s outdated grid challenges. Amazon is paying our full energy costs and is committed to ensuring our data centers don’t increase consumers’ electricity bills, and we’ve been clear that every major energy user should do the same. We’re working with grid operators, utilities, and other partners to ensure the grid is prepared to meet future demand and that costs are not passed on to ratepayers.”

Story Continues

Combination therapy of botensilimab (BOT) plus balstilimab (BAL) was approved Monday as an updated national treatment protocol for patients with certain ovarian cancers and soft tissue sarcomas (STS) by France’s National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM).¹

BOT plus BAL was originally approved to treat microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer without active liver metastases. The extension, now approved for STS, will help address unmet medical needs in the disease space and allow more patients with advanced solid tumors access to the dual therapy.

What Is Botensilimab Plus Balstilimab? Mechanism and Clinical Use

The inclusion of BOT plus Bal, a chemotherapy- and radiation-free immunotherapy, was based on findings from a phase 1b multicenter clinical trial (NCT03860272). While it is still being evaluated in clinical studies, it is available in a compassionate access setting authorized by ANSM. These settings refer to expanded access to investigational medical product treatments outside of clinical trials for patients with a serious or immediately life-threatening disease or condition.² BOT is a human Fc-enhanced multifunctional anti-CTLA-4 antibody designed to boost both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. It augments immune responses across a wide variety of tumor types by priming and activating T cells, downregulating intratumoral regulatory T cells, activating myeloid cells, and inducing long-term memory responses.¹

BAL is a novel, fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin G4 designed to block programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) from interacting with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. Numerous research studies observed antitumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with BOT plus BAL therapy. These results show promise for targeting tumors that have historically demonstrated limited responsiveness to standard immunotherapy treatments.

France Expands National Access to BOT–BAL Through Early Access and Global Partnerships

Under Frances’s Autorisation d’Accès Compassionnel (AAC) framework, BOT plus BAL therapy is fully reimbursed. The AAC pathways allow patients with serious or life-threatening diseases who lack appropriate therapeutic alternatives to access hospital-based treatments. Aside from advanced or metastatic STS, the AAC reimburses BOT plus BAL therapy for MSS metastatic colorectal cancer without active liver metastases and platinum-refractory or platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

The implementation of a multi-tumor early access framework under one nationally standardized protocol represents an unusual level of national early access. However, this expansion of AAC reimbursement for colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, and STS allows equitable access for patients to receive consistent hospital-based care for an investigational treatment.

In addition to expanding access across France, Agenus, a clinical-stage biotechnology company and biologic manufacturer of BOL plus BAL, recently announced its partnership with Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, an Indian pharmaceutical company, to accelerate global development.³

The $141 million collaboration has granted Zydus exclusive rights to develop and commercialize BOT plus BAL in India and Sri Lanka. The collaboration announced in June 2025 will include an upfront consideration of $75 million cash for transferring biologics manufacturing facilities; an equity investment purchased by Zydus of Agenus of $16 million; a contingent milestone payment of up to $50 million to Agenus for BOT plus Bal production orders; and an exclusive license by Zydus with the rights to develop, for which Agenus is eligible to receive a 5% royalty on net sales.

“With these foundations in place, our focus in 2026 is disciplined execution—advancing our Phase 3 program, broadening paid patient access through authorized pathways, and progressing toward regulatory submission,” Garo Armen, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer of Agenus, said in a press release.

References

1. France expands national AAC access for Agenus’ Botensilimab + Balstilimab for ovarian cancer and soft-tissue sarcomas. News release. BioSpace. January 12, 2026. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/france-expands-national-aac-access-for-agenus-botensilimab-balstilimab-for-ovarian-cancer-and-soft-tissue-sarcomas

2. Expanded access. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. August 9, 2025. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/expanded-access

3. Agenus announces closing of $141M strategic collaboration with Zydus Lifesciences to advance BOT+BAL and strengthen U.S. Manufacturing Readiness. Agenus. News release. January 15, 2026. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://investor.agenusbio.com/news/news-details/2026/Agenus-Announces-Closing-of-141M-Strategic-Collaboration-with-Zydus-Lifesciences-to-Advance-BOTBAL-and-Strengthen-U-S–Manufacturing-Readiness/default.aspx

Professor Geert Rouwenhorst recently spoke with Rob Young at BBC – Business Daily. In the episode “Bonds: Heroes or villains” he discussed Yale University’s 378 year-old Dutch bond, housed in the Beinecke Library. The 1648 document, issued by Hoogheemraadschap Lekdijk Bovendams, a water authority, incredibly, continues to collect interest every year.

Podcast transcript (04:58 – 09:01):

RY: That mention of the Netherlands is a great opportunity to talk about a piece of living bond history from there. Let me take you back to 1648. Picture this, a water company in the famously wet Netherlands needs cash to build a levee. It doesn’t raise taxes, it borrows money by issuing bonds. The IOU isn’t written on paper but on vellum, goat skin, almost four centuries old, and one of those original bonds survives and it’s still collecting interest. The bond holder is Yale University in the United States.

RY: Hi Geert. How are you doing?

GR: Very well, thank you.

RY: Geert Rouwenhorst, the Dutch Professor of Finance at Yale showed me his prized possession over a video link. It’s history you can hold in your hands and proof that bonds aren’t just about money. They contain stories that stretch across centuries.

GR: It’s a manuscript bond, which means it’s sort of written on vellum, actually, at that time and what’s unusual about this bond is that it still pays interest.

RY: Can you read what it says? The writing looks incredibly old.

GR: It is old and if you just look at it first it just looks like an old manuscript. Although I’m Dutch myself, it wouldn’t occur to me at a first look that this is actually a Dutch bond. The language itself was quite different from the way we sort of write and construct sentences today. So it is actually hard to read. When we acquired the bond, I actually contacted somebody with the knowledge of Medieval Dutch to kind of decipher what the bond was really about. It’s an obligation to pay interest over the equivalent of 1000 Carolus guilders which was the currency in the mid-seventeenth century in the Netherlands.

RY: And what was the original loan for? Why were these bonds issued?

GR: The organization that issued it is a water board or water authority. Their objective was to help defend the country against the water. If there weren’t any system of levees in the Netherlands half of it would be, you know, underwater and a big flood plain. So, these water authorities were these semi-governmental organizations that were set up to kind of organize people to join forces to combat the waters.

RY: And so you are still collecting interest on this almost 400 years after it was first issued, which is incredible, isn’t it given that presumably most bonds aren’t around for anything near that length of time.

GR: So there’s a number of reasons why it’s incredible and the first is that the instrument has survived. If we would have lost this bond, the physical document, there’d be nothing to present to collect the interest. So in some sense that’s a miracle. The second thing is that many of the perpetual bonds that were issued have call provisions which means that the issuer could at some point raise their hand and says, you know, enough already I’m going to just repay my obligations. Although they were issued to remain in perpetuity, I have the right to basically, you know, to repay these bonds early, but this one actually is not callable. That’s unusual about this.

RY: So your university then will continue to be entitled to annual interest payments forever.

GR: Forever. Now it’s not going to be, you know, a huge amount. As we said, it was 50 Carolus guilders. Carolus guilders don’t exist anymore. We collect the equivalent of about 11 euros and, uh I have it here in front of me. It’s eleven euros and thirty-five cents on this bond, about thirteen dollars. So every so many years we collect annual interest on this bond.

RY: I imagine the flight cost is considerably more than the interest payment you collected.

GR: I was actually visiting family so it kind of all worked out.

RY: And how long do you think you’ll be able to store it for before it disintegrates in some way.

GR: Vellum is incredibly sturdy. This could live for another thousand years, no problem.

Related articles: “Infinity has a price” Goetzmann, W., & Rouwenhorst, R. G. (2023, March/April). Infinity has a price: A 375-year-old Dutch bond that still pays interest to Yale. Yale Alumni Magazine.

 

NASA and DOE planning nuclear reactor on the moon in 4 years

NASA and the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced an agreement on Jan. 13 to establish a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon by 2030. The agencies plan to partner on research and development of a fission power system that would provide continuous power for lunar bases for years and support future missions to Mars.

The agreement follows an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump in December to ensure US leadership in space by returning to the moon by 2028, establishing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, and laying the foundation for Mars exploration.

“Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power,” said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a press release. Lunar-surface reactors could operate continuously for years without the need to refuel and without being affected by weather or sunlight conditions.

NASA and the DOE have a decades-long history of partnership developing power sources and propulsion technologies for space exploration. The agencies did not share any details on a budget for the project, choice of reactor technology, or how the reactor would be transported or built.

Russia and China, meanwhile, have also announced plans to collaborate on building a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface.

—Prachi Patel

EPA to reassess paraquat safety

Lee Zeldin, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, took to the social media platform X on Jan. 9 to announce that his agency will be reassessing the safety of paraquat dichloride.

“When new science raises questions, the Trump EPA will not look the other way,” Zeldin wrote. “EPA is requiring paraquat manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe in real-world conditions.”

The EPA issued an interim registration-review decision for the pesticide, commonly called just paraquat, in 2021. In November, the agency released an updated review—based on a new study from the manufacturer Syngenta—finding that paraquat’s potential to evaporate from treated fields is more uncertain than previously thought.

The EPA is now requiring manufacturers to conduct new studies to show how much paraquat evaporates into the air, and the agency will update its analysis of how the pesticide affects people’s health through breathing exposure, according to a statement from press officer Jeffrey Landis. “The EPA will publish all their findings and if these new studies reveal additional risk, EPA is prepared to tighten protections, require tougher rules, or limit or revoke uses, including where that may be disruptive, because safety must come first,” he wrote.

Paraquat is sprayed on corn, cotton, soy, and other crops. Studies have linked exposure to the pesticide to Parkinson’s disease, although some scientists believe the evidence is inconclusive.

Syngenta says it “rejects the claims of a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease because it is not supported by scientific evidence,” citing a 2024 preliminary report (PDF) by California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation that determined that existing findings “do not demonstrate a direct causal association with exposure to paraquat and the increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.” The report did find, however, “a possible role for paraquat exposure when considered in tandem with other exposures or predisposing factors.”

Paraquat is currently banned in more than 70 countries, including Brazil, China, and the European Union.

—Delger Erdenesanaa

New Jersey bans PFAS in cosmetics, food packaging, and more

New Jersey is the latest state to enact legislation phasing out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from many consumer products. On Jan. 12, Governor Phil Murphy signed the Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act, which requires manufacturers to stop adding PFAS to cosmetics, carpet and fabric treatments, and food packaging sold in the state by January 2028. The legislation also requires cookware manufacturers to label any products containing intentionally added PFAS by then.

A dozen other states already have laws restricting PFAS in food packaging, according to tracking by the Safer States alliance, and several also have laws restricting PFAS in carpets, fabric treatments, and personal care products.

“We know the damaging effect these substances have on the human body and our environment, so we are acting to remove them from consumer products that pose the greatest risk of direct exposure,” state senator Linda Greenstein, one of the sponsors of the bill, said in a statement on Monday.

The Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act also appropriates an initial $5 million for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop a program focused on reducing sources of PFAS contamination. The program will include research as well as ongoing monitoring and testing of PFAS in the air, water, soil, and wildlife.

—Delger Erdenesanaa

US strikes on Venezuela damage the country’s key research institute

Venezuelan minister for science and technology Gabriela Jiménez Ramírez said that the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC) was struck by two US missiles during a Jan. 3 military operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

In her statement, published on the social media site Telegram, Jiménez Ramírez said that five of the major research institute’s 24 centers were damaged in the attack: the centers of chemistry, ecology, mathematics, nuclear technology, and physics.

Of those, the mathematics center—which housed servers and other essential equipment—was “completely destroyed,” Jiménez Ramírez said. She did not specify how much damage the other four centers sustained.

Jiménez Ramírez condemned the attacks, calling them an “act of imperial aggression without precedent.” She added that there is no justification for attacking “a sanctuary of science,” which she says is vital for training professionals who will go on to help sustain the health and oil sovereignty of the country.

Following the capture of Maduro, US president Donald J. Trump discussed the US military operation in Venezuela in a press conference but did not mention the missiles that hit the IVIC. The US Department of Defense declined to comment on the situation.

Since the incident, the former vice president and current acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez has ordered that the reconstruction of the five IVIC centers begin immediately.

—Krystal Vasquez

When this fall’s cohort of UNLV’s Rebels on Wall Street program stepped onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, the shift in the industry was immediately apparent. 

The noise and chaos long associated with Wall Street— shouting traders, flashing paper tickets, and crowded floors — have largely disappeared. In their place are algorithms, data models, and screens executing transactions at speeds no human can match.

What students encountered was not the Wall Street seen in movies, but a quieter, faster, and far more technology-driven financial ecosystem where artificial intelligence and automation power decision-making. 

That theme echoed throughout the week as students visited JPMorgan, Blackstone, Bank of America, Caption Partners, and Barclays. Across firms, professionals emphasized how deeply AI and data analytics are embedded in everything from trading and research to risk management and investment strategy. Students learned that in today’s financial landscape, technical and analytical fluency are foundational.

Three participants reflect on the experience and share their perspectives on how fintech is scripting the future of the industry:

• Carlos Gomez Sanchez, who is earning dual undergraduate degrees in accounting and finance and is an active member of the Financial Management Association.
• Nicole Castillo, who is pursuing her undergraduate degree in finance with a minor in accounting and participates in the Financial Management Association.
• Josemaria Ladao, who is completing dual undergraduate degrees in finance and economics and is also an active member of the Financial Management Association. 

A New Wall Street Comes Into Focus

While students had studied AI and data-driven finance in the classroom, seeing its dominance in practice made the shift feel real in a new way. 

For Sanchez, looking out over the NYSE floor was a defining moment.

“Seeing how much space was taken up by computers instead of jam-packed traders really showed how much the industry has evolved,” he said. “It was one thing to learn about it in class but another to see it happening at that scale.”

Others were surprised by how calm and controlled the trading environment felt even during major events like IPOs (initial public offering), when companies first offer shares to the public. Castillo expected far more noise, urgency, and chaos.

 “I thought it would be hectic,” she said. “Instead, it was surprisingly quiet. Technology is doing a lot of the work now.” 

Fintech & AI: Not Just Tools for the Future 

Across firms, students learned that AI is already deeply embedded in daily operations. Tools scan real-time market data, analyze earnings calls, track news and social sentiment, support risk modeling, and assist with decision-making. Tasks that once took junior analysts hours to do manually can now be completed in minutes.

Castillo noted how advanced these systems have become: “AI tools can process information from so many sources all at once. It can scan news, earnings calls, and even market sentiment and turn it into insights in real time,” she said.

While none of this technology was entirely new to students, seeing how universally it was expected in professional settings reinforced the importance of mastering these tools before entering the workforce. Employers were clear that graduates are no longer simply asked whether they have exposure to data analytics and AI, but how fluent they can use them.

As the week went on, students began rethinking the skills they want to strengthen, especially in areas that employers repeatedly emphasized as critical, such as financial modeling, derivatives, and data-driven analytics.

When Classroom Concepts Come to Life

At Caption Partners, a firm specializing in derivatives, students recognized familiar concepts from their coursework. Derivatives — financial tools that get their value from other assets, like stocks, interest rates, or commodities— were no longer abstract equations, but tools actively used to manage risk and execute strategy.

Ladao said seeing theory applied in practice reinforced the value of his coursework. “Having learned derivatives this semester, seeing how they’re actually used in a firm’s business model felt like a full-circle moment,” he said.

It also demonstrates the relevance of UNLV’s emphasis on analytics, modeling, and emerging technologies. Students also noted that mentorship through the Financial Management Association helped them engage more confidently with industry professionals.

Sanchez said preparation before the trip made a tangible difference.

“Mentorship gave me the knowledge to ask better questions and contribute meaningfully during firm meetings.”

What the Future of Finance Looks Like

From student reflections, three themes emerged about the future of the field:

1. AI fluency is essential: Understanding how AI tools work, and where human judgment remains critical, is now a baseline expectation.
2. Human skills matter more, not less: As Castillo noted, interpersonal skills, collaboration, and emotional intelligence are becoming key differentiators in an increasingly automated field.
3. The pace of change is accelerating: Sanchez summarized this urgency succinctly: “The future of finance is moving faster than ever. You have to keep learning at the same pace.”