Human Times

North American Edition

20th July 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Over 700 Samsung roles in New Jersey affected by HQ shift to Texas

Samsung has said that 739 roles in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, have been affected by plans by Samsung Electronics America (SEA) - the South Korean tech giant's U.S. display, phone and other consumer electronics unit which does not include semiconductors - to move its headquarters to Texas. At SEA's office in Plano, Texas, around 100 workers, including in its mobile division, have been let go. Reuters says that the decision to shift SEA's headquarters is notable because staff in New Jersey only moved to new offices with much fanfare less than a year ago. Most people affected have received relocation offers, but others were let go, SEA said.

CNBC

Reuters

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LEGAL

Judge won't block Meta from laying off workers who filed AI bias lawsuit

A judge has dismissed a bid by 26 Meta Platforms employees to block being laid off while they pursue claims that they were targeted for job cuts by the tech giant's AI-powered tools because they have disabilities or took medical leave. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in Oakland, ‌California, said the workers could not show that losing their jobs amounted to the "irreparable harm" required for him to issue an emergency order blocking the layoffs. Meta has said that decisions involving the layoffs were made by humans.

Reuters

JPMorgan sexual harassment lawsuit dismissed, but refiling is expected

A lawsuit by former JPMorgan Chase banker Chirayu Rana, who in graphic terms said his former supervisor Lorna Hajdini coerced him into sex, has been dismissed at Rana's request by a New York state judge, though it is expected to be refiled in federal court. Rana will pay some legal fees of JPMorgan and Hajdini as a condition of the dismissal, Justice Dakota Ramseur wrote. The dismissal does not affect Hajdini's defamation countersuit against Rana, which remains in the state court in Manhattan.

Reuters

Apple targets dozens of OpenAI employees with legal letters

Apple has targeted OpenAI employees who once worked for the company with personal legal warnings as it seeks evidence to support claims that the ChatGPT maker stole trade secrets.

Financial Times

ECONOMY

U.S. consumer sentiment hits five-month high

U.S. consumer sentiment rose to a five-month high in July, with the University of Michigan’s preliminary consumer sentiment index increasing to 54.4 from 49.5 in June, beating all economist forecasts in a Bloomberg survey. The improvement was driven largely by lower gas prices, which eased pressure on household budgets during June and early July. Sentiment strengthened across all age groups, income levels, and political affiliations, although more than 70% of survey responses were collected before the recent escalation of the Iran conflict. Inflation expectations also moderated, with consumers now expecting prices to rise by 4.2% over the next year, down from 4.6% in June, while longer-term inflation expectations remained unchanged at 3.3%.

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

LEADERSHIP

Walmart reshuffles leadership as U.S. COO departs

Walmart is making further changes to its senior leadership team, with Walmart U.S. chief operating officer Kieran Shanahan set to leave the role this week after nearly three decades with the company. He will be succeeded by Kyle Kinnard, currently chief operating officer of Walmart International, while Shanahan will remain as an advisor through the end of the company’s fiscal year in January 2027. The move is the latest in a series of executive changes following John Furner’s appointment as Walmart’s companywide chief executive earlier this year, with several other senior leaders departing in recent months as the retailer reshapes its leadership across its U.S., International, and Sam’s Club businesses. The leadership overhaul comes as Walmart continues to post strong sales, but faces growing investor concerns over an intensifying grocery price war, after announcing price cuts on thousands of products earlier this month.

Wall Street Journal

TAX

Ohio data centers receive millions in tax breaks as scrutiny grows

Amazon, Meta, Google, and other data center operators have secured millions of dollars in local property tax abatements in Ohio, with Amazon Web Services avoiding $5.4m in property taxes on two Hilliard facilities in 2024, while Meta's Prometheus campus and Google's Lancaster data center also received significant tax relief. The incentives, which can last up to 30 years, are intended to attract investment and jobs, but are facing growing scrutiny over their impact on funding for schools and other local services. Supporters argue the tax agreements help Ohio compete for large-scale technology investments and often include payments to municipalities and school districts to offset lost revenue. However, critics say the incentives are overly generous, particularly as many projects also qualify for state sales tax exemptions, prompting calls from some lawmakers to limit future property tax breaks for data centers while preserving local control over economic development decisions.

The Columbus Dispatch

INTERNATIONAL

U.K. financial firms tighten employee scrutiny

U.K. financial firms are sharpening their scrutiny of employee conduct ahead of new rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that are set to take effect on September 1. The changes, which will amend conduct rules and fitness-for-office tests to add serious, work-related bullying, harassment and violence against colleagues, clarify how firms should take non-financial misconduct into account when assessing employees' fitness and propriety. The new regime puts the onus on managers, rather than human resources departments, to identify, investigate and report potentially serious cases. Lawyers report that some companies are dismissing staff suspected of misconduct before the rules increase accountability. Wendy Saunders, a partner at law firm Lewis Silkin, says she has seen two or three instances where firms appeared to "dress up a minor conduct issue as non-financial misconduct" to dismiss an underperformer.

Reuters

Luxury brands' offices searched in labor abuse probe

Chanel says it is co-operating with Italian authorities after its offices were searched by investigators probing allegations of labor exploitation in the luxury industry’s supply chain. Italian police on Thursday visited the headquarters of nine luxury brands, including Chanel, Moncler and Brunello Cucinelli, seeking documents related to ⁠governance and supply chain controls as part of an investigation into alleged worker exploitation at subcontractors. Italy's government has previously come to the defence of the country's luxury brands. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said last year that the reputation of Italian brands was "under attack".

Euronews

Financial Times

Reuters

Japanese Mayor makes history with maternity leave

Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, Japan, has made history by becoming the country's first sitting mayor to take maternity leave. Kawata, who is six weeks pregnant, announced her decision in a move that has highlighted the lack of established protocols for mayors regarding maternity leave. "I was very surprised myself to learn that I am the first mayor to (take maternity leave)," Kawata said, as she emphasized the need for societal reform to encourage women in leadership roles to have children. "People talk about gender equality and work-style reform, but we ⁠need to build a society in which people, across all professions, including among those in leadership roles, do not hesitate to have children. Otherwise, I believe continual population decline resulting from falling birth rates, and the resulting economic deterioration are inevitable," Kawata said.

U.S. News

OTHER

FDA retracts positive cyclospora finding in Taylor Farms lettuce investigation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn an earlier statement that cyclospora had been detected in a sample of Taylor Farms lettuce, concluding the result was a false positive following further laboratory review. The agency says it has not yet identified the parasite in any lettuce samples linked to the company. Taylor Farms, a major supplier to U.S. retailers and restaurants, said the FDA had apologized for the error. The company has nevertheless recalled iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico "out of an abundance of caution" after shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell locations was linked by authorities to foodborne illness reports across five states. The FDA and state health agencies are continuing to investigate the outbreak and analyze additional samples to identify the source of the cyclospora parasite. While future testing could still detect contamination, the revised finding eases some immediate pressure on Taylor Farms as the investigation continues.

Wall Street Journal

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