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Articles, videos, and related content associated with all aspects of Business and the culture surrounding business.

Alice in Chains
Seattle gets remembered as a uniform. Flannel. Quiet verse, loud chorus. A generation suddenly famous for being tired of being famous. That story is too small for Alice in Chains. They came from the same city and the same moment, but they brought a heavier bloodline. Sabbath in the riffs. Hair metal residue in the twin vocals. Something colder in the lyrics. Facelift in 1990 and Dirt in 1992 are the two records that made that difference impossible to miss. Together they are one of the most complete statements Gen X ever got about sickness, loyalty, and the cost of staying alive long enough to hear the chorus.
By Overdrive Records2 months ago in Journal
The Post Grunge Bands We Actually Grew Up With
There is a polite version of the late 90s and early 2000s rock story. In that version the serious people finished with Nirvana and Soundgarden, smirked at everything that came after, and moved on to whatever indie record made them feel selective. That story leaves out the music that actually lived in the truck, the shop radio, the night shift, and the first apartment with a cheap stereo. Staind and Puddle of Mudd belong to that second story. So do a handful of their neighbors. Call it post grunge if you need a filing cabinet. Just do not pretend the filing cabinet was empty.
By Overdrive Records2 months ago in Journal
Metallica Black Album
If you grew up with a tape deck in the dash and a boom box that could rattle the windows, you already know what happened in August 1991. Metallica did not just drop an album. They changed the address of heavy music. They took a sound that lived in clubs, tape trading circles, and late night college radio and parked it in the driveway of every kid who had never set foot in a pit. That record is Metallica , the self titled one everyone still calls the Black Album. Thirty five years later it is still the record Gen X reaches for when they want to prove a point about what metal can be when it is written like a hit and mixed like a weapon.
By Overdrive Records2 months ago in Journal
AI Investment Drives Surprise UK Growth, but Geopolitical Storm Clouds Gather
The UK economy delivered a surprise performance boost in July, expanding by 0.4% according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The growth, which exceeded economists' predictions of stagnation, was primarily driven by significant investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technology sectors. This positive data point follows a 0.3% expansion in June and zero growth in May, suggesting a degree of underlying resilience in the face of mounting external pressures. However, experts caution that this optimism may be short-lived as the economic fallout from geopolitical instability begins to bite.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
Mark Ryan Winery to Close Walla Walla Tasting Room, Shift Focus to Woodinville
The announcement, made on September 10 via the winery’s social media channels, was described by the brand as "bittersweet." In the statement, Mark Ryan explained that the decision was driven by a desire to concentrate resources and energy on its established presence in Woodinville, a hub that has become increasingly central to the Washington wine industry’s identity. "After 14 wonderful years, it is bittersweet to announce that we will be closing the downtown Walla Walla tasting room at the end of September in order to pour more of our efforts into what we’ve built at our Mark Ryan Winery Woodinville tasting room," the post read.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
How Matt Mullenweg Reclaimed Automattic in 72 Hours
The drama surrounding Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com , has taken a surreal turn. Just days after the company’s board voted to place founder Matt Mullenweg on paid leave and appoint CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO, an official statement has confirmed that Mullenweg is back in charge. The announcement, issued late Saturday evening, marks the end of a chaotic 72-hour period that blurred the lines between corporate procedure, digital security, and public relations warfare.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
CGS Sees a Major Re-Rating Opportunity in Gamuda Bhd
Gamuda Bhd, one of Malaysia’s premier engineering and construction groups, has found itself in a paradoxical position over the past year. While the company has secured a series of high-profile contract wins, including major data center projects that have captured market imagination, its share price has lagged, closing at RM4.82 on Friday, down 13% from a year ago. However, research house CGS International believes this disconnect between performance and valuation presents a compelling buying opportunity. Reiterating its "ADD" call, CGS has raised its target price for Gamuda to RM6.05, citing a record order book of RM61.6 billion, improved earnings visibility, and a diversified exposure that shields the group from single-market volatility.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
Netflix Raises Prices in Malaysia Amid Content Push
Netflix has officially implemented a price increase for its Malaysian subscribers, marking a significant shift in the cost structure of the country’s most popular streaming service. The hike, which ranges from RM1 to RM7 per month depending on the plan, affects every tier of service, from the entry-level Mobile plan to the flagship Premium offering. This adjustment is not merely a routine inflationary correction but a calculated strategic move by the streaming giant to bolster its revenue streams amid intensifying global competition and a maturing market. For Malaysian users, the era of cheap, unlimited access to premium content is gradually giving way to a more nuanced valuation of digital entertainment, where quality and exclusivity come at a steeper price.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
Malaysia’s RM4.2 Billion Claim Against DBS and the Quest for Institutional Redemption
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has formally acknowledged a significant legal development in the ongoing aftermath of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal: a compensation claim amounting to approximately RM4.2 billion filed by four companies against DBS Bank Ltd at the Singapore High Court. The four companies, which are currently undergoing liquidation under court-appointed liquidators, are seeking damages related to funds allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB and its subsidiary, SRC International Sdn Bhd. This latest legal maneuver underscores the long arm of justice that continues to reach across borders, targeting not just the individuals who orchestrated the fraud, but the financial institutions that facilitated it.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal
We’ll Forget Her Soon
Buckingham Palace rarely comments on books about the royal family. It commented on this one. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, was serialized before publication. By the time the hardcover reached shelves, the Palace had already issued a denial.
By Jin2 months ago in Journal
I Have a Free, Flexible Startup Job and a Higher-Paying Corporate Offer. I Don’t Know What to Do.
A Free Startup vs. an Established Old Company: How Would You Choose? Monday morning, ten o’clock. You sit at the dining table in pajamas. An Americano has gone cold next to your laptop. Slack pops up. A coworker asks if you can look at the spec at two. You type OK. Your phone lights up at the same time. It is an email from HR at the old, established company: “About the signing bonus, we would like to lock you in for two years.”
By Jin2 months ago in Journal
Factory Floor to Fitness Center China Remains the World’s Ultimate Business Gymnasium
For decades, the narrative surrounding foreign investment in China was dominated by a single, compelling metric: cost. Multinational corporations flocked to the Middle Kingdom to capitalize on low labor wages, affordable land, and favorable tax incentives, treating the country primarily as a vast factory floor for the world. However, as Vice-Minister of Commerce Ling Ji recently noted, that calculus has fundamentally changed. Today, foreign companies are no longer looking at China merely through the lens of input costs; they are valuing its infrastructure, comprehensive supply chains, innovation drive, and deep talent pool. This shift is not a temporary adjustment but a structural realignment driven by the maturation of the Chinese market itself. As Pan Yuanyuan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explains, China has transformed from a destination of convenience into a "gymnasium" for global competitiveness, where the intensity of the local market serves as a training ground for innovation and resilience.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Journal