We’re moving into “uncharted territory” as OpenAI joins its peers in looking to raise unprecedented amounts of capital from sharemarket investors.
John McDuling
John McDuling
Editor-in-chief
John McDuling is the editor-in-chief of Capital Brief. He was previously the national business editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and has also worked for the Financial Review and US publication Quartz.
Contact John via email.
Dashdot’s collapse raises a bigger question for Australia’s gravity-defying property market: is this an isolated failure or a sign of a deeper reckoning?
Two Capital Brief stories capture a turning point in Australia’s economy, with housing losing steam and AI infrastructure beginning its surge.
Startups and VC were clearly meant to play a starring role in this week’s budget. Now, anger over capital gains tax is overshadowing the innovation pitch.
Fewer than half of Australians now trust our public institutions, according to new DemosAU polling that shows politics and media under pressure.
Australia’s largest media organisations, often rivals, are furiously agreeing on the Albanese government’s plan to compel tech giants to pay for journalism.
With peace talks on ice and Donald Trump announcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, oil has surged back above USD100. Once again, the only certainty is uncertainty.
Artificial intelligence, an oil crisis and political turmoil are colliding across markets and business. Some cashed-up investors see opportunity in the chaos.
As global turmoil collides with a chaotic information ecosystem, One Nation is emerging as the biggest political beneficiary, according to today’s Capital Brief/DemosAU poll.
Koala’s long-awaited ASX debut is notable not just for its timing, but for what it says about changing investor views on founders who have failed before.
AI anxiety is spreading through white-collar work as markets wobble, geopolitical risks rise and Australia debates how — or whether — to regulate big tech.
AI loomed large over this earning season, as disruption fears smashed global software names but left Australia’s market looking oddly sheltered by its lack of exposure.
Eucalyptus’ $1.6 billion sale to Hims & Hers is a massive win for the company and Australian VC. But it’s another example of a homegrown startup story cashing out offshore.
New polling has Pauline Hanson ahead of Sussan Ley as preferred prime minister, as One Nation surges and the Liberal leader works the phones to lock down support.
Fund manager GQG is paying the price for its contrarian bet against the AI boom, as analysts split on whether the rally fades, morphs or powers on.
Employment Hero and Seek have quietly settled their legal stoush, avoiding a high-stakes court fight and removing a major distraction for both companies.
A $13 billion takeover bid for BlueScope by Indiana-based Steel Dynamics and billionaire Ryan Stokes is the talk of the ASX and will be watched closely in Canberra.
The Bondi massacre has shocked Australia and reframed how 2025 will be remembered.
As we barrel towards the the end of the year, this week's lively happenings — from an expenses scandal to a Big Law breakup — showed that 2025 has some life in it yet.
As Australia’s child social media ban takes effect, a ministerial scandal and tech pushback threaten to overshadow one of the nation’s boldest digital reforms.
Today's stories on ANZ and Culture Amp show how the mood is shifting in the corporate world as companies pull back on purpose-led agendas.
Macquarie’s lending pullback shows how property influencers and buyers’ agents are driving risky, leveraged investment strategies in Australia’s hot market.
With Anthony Albanese abroad, Canberra chatter turns to tech policy at home — including how the prime minister's rapport with Trump will shape Australian regulation.
Donald Trump’s return was meant to spell trouble for Labor, but it’s left Anthony Albanese looking stronger — and his rivals more divided than ever.
The Nuno Matos turnaround story at ANZ is beginning to unfold. The question is whether investors will believe it.
The US government may have ground to a halt, but global markets are still moving upward. It's a reminder investors now see the shutdowns as politics, not an economic threat.
After a bitter winter of flat valuations, Blackbird’s soaring portfolio is a sign of optimism returning to the VC ecosystem — as long as you have a nice AI angle, of course.
A stray Reddit post led Capital Brief to an ANZ scoop that grew much bigger. It's a reminder of how and where stories can snowball in today’s jittery job market.
Unfazed and rehearsed, new ANZ boss Nuno Matos faced tough questions in Sydney after the bank confirmed 3,500 permanent job cuts, a decision that has sparked backlash.
Macquarie has stuck its neck out on surcharging in a move that pits it against the big four banks, and CBA in particular.
Recent economic data and commentary during earnings season both suggest the Australian consumer is bouncing back. That has big implications for the economy, and financial markets.
The political battle over AI is beginning to take shape, but it's far from certain whether it will be fought along the lines we've grown accustomed to.
A photo of BHP and Rio Tinto bosses with Donald Trump in the Oval Office captures the broader shift in business culture from ESG ideals to raw industrial power.
CBA’s record profit, the AI talent race and battles over copyright dominated this week's coverage. We discussed them all, and more, during On The Call, our new weekly live event.
CBA's share price has bewildered many in the market over the past two years, and Wednesday's performance was a case in point. But the bank's CEO is not getting caught up in it.
Trump’s lawsuit may be looming, but for News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, AI copyright battles and licensing deals are the real fight.
Capital Brief has launched its fifth specialist newsletter, The Signal, covering the media and where it meets power, politics, policy and technology. Here's why the media still matters.
Parliament returned this week with ceremony, protest and posturing as Labor flexed its majority and early signs of its policy agenda for the new term began to emerge.
Anthony Albanese’s China trip — with Australia’s business elite in tow — underscores the tricky balance between trade and strategic loyalties.
News Corp boss Robert Thomson has had his contract renewed, cementing his role after a decade transforming the company into a digital media powerhouse.
