Bloomberg Businessweek

Chipmakers Extend Skid as AI Jitters Persist

Oct 16, 2026
Max Chafkin, a Bloomberg Businessweek senior reporter covering technology and power, examines Tesla’s flying Roadster, automation ambitions, and Elon Musk’s political exposure. Patrick McGee, author and former Financial Times journalist, explores how Apple’s supply chain helped transform China’s manufacturing base and empowered future competitors. Jason Leopold reveals records about allegedly destroyed presidential documents.
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INSIGHT

Energy Costs Spread Beyond The Gas Pump

  • Higher energy prices may not immediately raise inflation if prices stabilize, but they still spread through diesel, fertilizer, transport, and services.
  • The bigger concern is secondary cost pressure appearing across CPI and PPI categories.
INSIGHT

Inflation Could Define The Midterms

  • Voters’ frustration reflects the cumulative weight of inflation, political tension, and uncertainty rather than unemployment alone.
  • Mike McKee says high gasoline and food prices create especially bad conditions for the party holding the White House.
ANECDOTE

Tesla’s Flying Roadster Was Mostly A Marketing Flex

  • Tesla’s Roadster demonstration used rocket thrusters for aerial stunts, creating a memorable marketing event rather than a practical mass-market vehicle.
  • Max Chafkin argues the event mainly promoted a future Tesla-SpaceX combination because the car is not street legal or likely to sell at scale.
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