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In the 1980s, Payam Zamani was growing up in Iran as a member of the Baha’i Faith — a group persecuted by the Iranian government, which killed hundreds of Baha’is in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Life for Baha’is in the country had been tough even before the uprising, but it became increasingly so after the fact, Zamani tells Entrepreneur.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of One Planet Group. Founder, chairman and CEO of One Planet Group Payam Zamani.}

When Zamani was 10, a mob incited by school officials chased him off campus and attempted to kill him. He survived, and by age 16, was finally able to flee the country. Zamani recounts the 1987 escape in his book Crossing the Desert: The Power of Embracing Life’s Difficult Journeys, which was published earlier this year. Ultimately, Zamani would make a life for himself in the U.S., but his first stop was Pakistan, where he became a stateless refugee.

“I remember the day that I was admitted to enter the U. S. Embassy in Pakistan because the U.S. knew what [I was] dealing with as a Baha’i from Iran,” Zamani says. “That was the first time in my life, at the age of 16, I experienced human rights. There was a country halfway around the world that valued my life more than my own country did. And that is something that always stuck with me.”

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of One Planet Group}

Related: How to Start Your Own Business as an Immigrant in the United States

Zamani stayed in Pakistan for a year before he and his brother Frank Zamani arrived in San Francisco, California in 1988. The brothers had $75 between them and worked whatever jobs they could to make ends meet. Zamani finished his last year of high school and attended UC Davis while his brother enrolled at Chico State. Zamani studied environmental toxicology with the idea of going into medicine; his brother majored in computer science.

However, by the time he graduated, Zamani had a different professional goal: He wanted to start a business in the environmental space. “I knew very little,” Zamani says. “I was only 23 years old. I had just come to the U.S. I had just learned English. I was speaking the language with a thick accent.”

“I had owned 16 cars already, cheap cars. I would buy and sell them to experience different cars.”

But Zamani would realize another entrepreneurial opportunity. In 1994, his brother landed a job at Microsoft and was on the market for a new Honda. He called Zamani to inform him of a discovery: Honda didn’t have a website. Zamani didn’t know much about the internet at the time (few people did), so he wasn’t necessarily surprised that the car manufacturer didn’t have an online presence.

Still, when his brother suggested they start a website devoted to cars, Zamani was intrigued — because cars were his passion. “I had no money,” Zamani says, “but I had owned 16 cars already, cheap cars. I would buy and sell them to experience different cars. And I loved the idea of arming consumers with more information than the car dealers and salesmen had.”

Related: Immigrant Business Owners Are the Key to Supercharging America’s Economy

Zamani describes a common scenario: You negotiate the price of a car, purchase it, then come home, and a friend or family member who knows cars tells you it was a bad deal. Zamani wanted to take all of the guesswork and regret out of the equation; he wanted people to have the details they needed to navigate the transaction effectively. They would call their business AutoWeb.

“We were the first company ever to provide invoice prices of cars to consumers,” Zamani says. “Dealers did not like it, but our view was, ‘Look, if the consumers show up, the industry will inevitably show up. So, it is our job to make it attractive to consumers, and then the dealers will compete for the consumers’ transactions. And that turned out to be the case.”

“It was against all odds that we were able to build that business and grow it to what it became.”

In the 1990s, Zamani says he and his brother were “the oddballs in Silicon Valley.” They knew nothing about starting a business. They had no network in the U.S., so they had no mentors. They didn’t know the term “venture capital” until a VC reached out to them. Yet no challenge seemed insurmountable after what they’d already overcome, Zamani recalls.

“It was perseverance and being at the right place at the right time and meeting some phenomenal people along the way that ended up helping us,” Zamani explains. “But it was against all odds that we were able to build that business and grow it to what it became.”

Fundraising proved a significant hurdle. In those days, if you weren’t a white man from an Ivy League university, you wouldn’t get funded, Zamani says. So, even though AutoWeb continued to grow and see success, it wasn’t attracting investors. “Today we see that that’s commonplace, of course, for women in Silicon Valley, that they have a very hard time getting funding,” Zamani notes. “And back then, that challenge was extended to even men if they did not fit the mold.”

Related: The 5 Advantages You Have If You’re an Immigrant Entrepreneur

The Zamani brothers had to go all the way to Fort Lee, New Jersey to raise money — and “at a much lower valuation than any company in our situation would have raised.” What’s more, it wasn’t until the round before AutoWeb’s IPO that venture capital in Silicon Valley was willing to back it, albeit still at a significantly lower valuation than peer companies would receive, according to Zamani.

AutoWeb went public in 1999 and reached a $1.2 billion valuation, with shares peaking at $50.

“Our pockets are full, but we feel empty. There’s something fundamentally missing.”

Zamani was in New York on the day of the IPO. “I’m embarrassed to say this today, but what went through my mind at that moment when the company was going public for $1.2 billion was, Now I’ve got to do something bigger,” Zamani recalls. At just 28 years old, Zamani wasn’t prepared for that level of financial success, he admits.

The company also wanted a new CEO. “Silicon Valley loved hiring gray-haired people for CEO roles, and I did not get that mold either,” Zamani says. “So we hired a CEO who I did not think was the right guy for the job, and he proved that very soon after. So I decided it was time to move on and do something else in my life.”

Related: An (Imagined) Interview with Gordon Gekko

Zamani was disappointed with his experience on Wall Street. He says that while founders strive to build companies, VCs and Wall Street want to maximize the share price, even if it means manipulating it before they’re “able to dump it at the right time and move on.”

“That form of capitalism is what has left us all, even the entrepreneurs, founders and executives, feeling that we’re empty at the end of it: Our pockets are full, but we feel empty,” Zamani says. “There’s something fundamentally missing.”

“I wanted to make sure that whatever I build considers the true essence of who we are as humans.”

So Zamani decided to lean into his spiritual upbringing for his future business endeavors. In 2015, he founded One Planet Group, a private equity firm that invests in early-stage companies focusing on the future of mobility, education improvements, health technology and environmental solutions.

Zamani says the group’s name evokes the idea that we’re all citizens of one country: Planet Earth.

“I wanted that concept of unity to be an important part of whatever I was building,” he explains, “and I wanted to make sure that whatever I build considers the true essence of who we are as humans, as the spiritual beings that we are. I don’t want to look at you or anyone else I’m going to work with as a consumer, as a competitor, as an employee, as a token of economic value, but rather something much greater than that.”

Related: It Worked for Steve Jobs: Here’s Why Spirituality is Critical for Entrepreneurial Success

“If you’re making that journey something that’s worth living, you will always feel fulfilled.”

Zamani says he couldn’t understand why nonprofit organizations had to stand for the people and businesses for greed, so he’s doing what he can to bridge the gap.

In 2022, Zamani and One Planet Group experienced a full circle moment: the acquisiton of AutoWeb. The deal, valued at just under $5.5 million, was not only a compelling financial opportunity, but also one with personal significance, Zamani says. “It was a chance to bring closure to a chapter that had remained unwritten for years,” he explains. “Returning to where it all began and guiding it forward was both meaningful and fulfilling.”

According to Zamani, aspiring entrepreneurs who want to make an impact with a business of their own should find a mentor, first and foremost — not a family member, but someone who will tell you the truth.

Related: You Need a Mentor. Here’s Where to Find One for Free.

Then ground yourself in values that fulfill your needs as a human and elevate your business to help other people.

“At the end of the day, that will make your journey far more fulfilling,” Zamani says. “The fact is the overwhelming majority of businesses don’t survive. So you want to make that journey worth experiencing, and not just seeking an exit, seeking an IPO that may never happen. Then you feel like, ‘Ah, that was a failure.’ But if you’re making that journey something that’s worth living, you will always feel fulfilled whether or not that climax comes about in your business.”

If you bought even just a bar of bath soap last year, you contributed to the wellness industry—and a new report released Tuesday from the Global Wellness Institute showed you helped it reach a record-high of $6.32 trillion in 2023.

That’s bigger than the pharmaceutical and sports categories.

The wellness industry overall grew 25% from 2019 to 2023. The report predicts that by the end of 2024, it will reach another all-time high of $6.8 trillion.

Related: Why Selena Gomez Is Cofounding a Mental Health Media Company

The wellness market is so large because it includes the massive personal care and beauty industries, which are worth $1.21 trillion on their own. So every trip to the hair salon counts as “wellness” — the study’s authors say that personal care and beauty products are marketed as “self-care” to consumers.

Other enormous industries fall under wellness too, like the $1.09 trillion weight loss, health, and nutrition category, and the $1.06 trillion physical fitness market. Wellness real estate encompasses everything from gyms to office buildings designed with the health of occupants in mind — think air filter systems in an office space. It’s a $438.2 billion industry and is part of the broader wellness category too.

The study attributes record sales to consumers emphasizing health—and spending accordingly—following the pandemic. The global wellness industry dipped during the pandemic, falling from $5 trillion in 2019 to $4.6 trillion in 2020.

Since then, however, it has continued to creep higher, reaching $5.8 trillion in 2022 before hitting $6.32 trillion in 2023.

Related: Serena Williams Launches a New Company That She’s Been Working on for 6 Years

The report showed that people in North America put the most cash behind wellness, with each person spending about $5,768 per year. For context, the next biggest market is Europe, where residents spend an average of $1,794 per person.

Another report published last month from SNS Insider narrowed in on the global corporate wellness market, which includes mental and physical wellness programs for employees. The report estimated that the size of the market would almost double from $64.11 billion in 2023 to an estimated $123.35 billion by 2032.

The election promises to bring more tax ramifications than any other election in recent history.

It presents an opportunity to rethink the tax code, potentially making it more pro-growth by moving away from income-based taxes towards consumption-based models. Such reforms could increase savings and capital investment, fostering a more robust economy.

Yet, some politicians appear to be weaponizing tax policies against entrepreneurs and the wealthy, reflecting a growing populism that views inequality and success as problems to be solved through higher taxes.

The stakes are incredibly high for small business owners. The outcome of this election will shape tax policies for years to come, and it’s imperative for entrepreneurs to stay informed and engaged in the political discourse surrounding tax policy.

But first, let’s take a step back to understand how we came to this point in time.

Related: Finally, Tax Season is Over. Or Is It? Here are 5 Things You Need to Do All Year to Reduce Tax-Season Stress.

A brief history of income tax in the U.S

In 1913, the United States introduced the income tax, initially targeting only a very small portion of the population. It was truly a tax on the wealthy elite. It wasn’t until 1944 that the U.S. expanded the income tax to wages more broadly, but even then, it was largely on income that exceeded normal living expenses.

Fast forward to today, and income tax has become a routine part of American life. While income taxes were rising, so were corporate taxes. In fact, less than a decade ago, the U.S. had the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act had a significant impact on both sets of taxes, cutting many individual taxes and reducing the corporate rate to 21%. Many of those cuts are set to expire at the end of 2025, giving the next White House and Congress an enormous impact on future tax policy.

Key points to watch

Given what’s at stake, small business owners need to be prepared to engage in a rigorous discussion about the future of the tax system.

Here are six key areas to understand:

1. Corporate taxes

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a signature piece of legislation under former President Donald Trump. While there is some discussion among Republicans about how to reduce the budget deficit while extending tax cuts, it seems likely that a second Trump term coupled with sufficient Republican support in Congress would not increase the corporate tax rate. In fact, Trump reportedly said in June that he’d like to reduce the corporate tax rate to 20%.

While Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t shared a detailed tax policy since becoming the Democratic nominee, based on how she is running her campaign so far, it seems likely she will continue most of the proposals of the Biden/Harris ticket. On the corporate tax front, the Biden/Harris administration has proposed raising the corporate tax rate back up to 28%. When combined with state taxes, this would again position the U.S. as having one of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world.

2. Incentives

Every presidential administration uses tax incentives as a lever to drive their policy goals. Tax credits for having children, using daycare and caring for elderly relatives incentivize growing and caring for families. Tax deductions for home mortgage interest encourage home ownership. And deductions for investing in a 401(k) promotes retirement savings.

The Biden/Harris administration has created substantial tax incentives for purchasing electric cars and other green energy investments, shifting the direction of entire industries. We’re likely to see these types of incentives continue under a Harris/Walz administration. In addition, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is known to be a big supporter of child tax credits, helping create the nation’s largest such credit for low earners in 2023 — a $1,750 per child credit that began phasing out at $29,500 for single filers and $35,000 for married couples filing jointly.

Former President Trump has indicated that he would like to abandon the green energy initiative. Instead, we can expect that he and a Republican Congress would support a return of 100% bonus depreciation, which incentivizes businesses to invest in machinery, equipment and other assets.

3. Capital gains taxes

On the individual side, the Biden/Harris administration has said it aims to raise the top individual tax rate from 37% to 39.6%, increase the net investment tax from 3.8% to 5% and tax capital gains at ordinary income rates for income over $1,000,000. This would mean capital gains could be taxed at rates exceeding 50% when state taxes are included. Such changes could significantly impact entrepreneurs and investors who rely on capital gains for their income and would severely impact the tax consequences of selling a business.

4. Social security

The Biden/Harris administration has proposed increasing the social security taxes on business income, especially business income earned through pass-through entities such as limited partnerships and S corporations. All business income would be subject to social security taxes, not just employment income.

5. Wealth tax

There has been much discussion by the Biden/Harris administration about passing a wealth tax in the form of a new alternative minimum tax. While ostensibly this is only currently intended to affect individuals with greater than $100 million of net worth — and Vice President Harris already has adopted Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 a year — recall that the income tax initially only affected the most wealthy. This tax, if passed and upheld by the courts, would likely affect many more Americans in the future, just as the income tax did and the original alternative minimum tax crept into the lives of everyday people.

6. Tariffs

Former President Trump has campaigned heavily on using tariffs as a revenue source and policy lever. Some of his ideas have included a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on imports from China. Such moves would increase costs for any small business that imports materials while potentially helping those that compete with overseas products.

Related: Could the 2024 Election Let Employees Take Your Trade Secrets? Here’s What You Need to Know.

Navigating uncertainty

Small business owners and entrepreneurs must pay close attention as this election season unfolds. Understanding the nuances of each candidate’s proposed tax policies is essential for making informed decisions that could impact your business and personal finances.

The evolving tax code reflects broader societal values and priorities. As debates intensify, stay informed so that you can navigate this shifting terrain. Engage with the discourse, understand the implications and exercise your vote.

The future of tax policy is in your hands.

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been named one of Oprah’s favorite things and are gaining traction: At one point in July, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “Demand is still outpacing our ability to build them.”

While Meta basks in demand, with more than 700,000 pairs of Ray Ban Metas sold, an industry competitor is eyeing the same space.

Related: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Goes From Big Tech to Nail Tech in New Video: ‘Leveling Up’

According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple is internally exploring entering the smart glasses field with products of its own. The effort, internally named Atlas, began last week when Apple’s Product Systems Quality Team asked select Apple employees to join “an upcoming user study with current market smart glasses.” The effort is part of “testing and developing products,” Apple wrote in the email.

Apple is planning more focus groups in “the near future” to identify what its employees like about smart glasses already on the market, according to Bloomberg. Apple intended to keep the project secret.

This wouldn’t be the first category where Meta and Apple’s offerings overlap. Apple released its $3,500 Vision Pro in February; the product is in the same virtual and augmented reality headset category as Meta’s much cheaper $500 Quest 3. A comparison on CNET between the Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro shows that the Quest 3 is a stronger gaming and fitness system while the Vision Pro comes out on top for work tasks.

Related: She Sent a Cold Email to Meta Judging Its Ray-Bans. Now She Runs the Wearables Division.

The $299 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses come equipped with a camera to take pictures and videos, an Ask Meta AI assistant to respond to queries starting “Hey Meta,” and audio to make calls, listen to music, and send voice-to-text texts.

^{Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Meta wants to go beyond the glasses one day as well. At Meta Connect in September, Zuckerberg unveiled the first prototype of Orion, smart glasses that bring holograms or 3D avatars to your field of vision. The Orion glasses, complete with an accompanying neural interface wristband that detects thoughts by sensing impulses on your skin, left early testers “giddy” Zuckerberg said.

“These are the first glasses to be controlled by a wristband that picks up on thoughts,” Zuckerberg said at the time.

It remains to be seen how Apple intends to compete with Meta on the smart glasses front — but Monday’s Bloomberg report shows that Apple is keeping its eye on the products.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg Revealed His Vision for Smart Glasses at Meta Connect — and It Involves Holograms: ‘Beginning of a Big Thing’

If you’re old enough to know what a floppy disk is, you’re old enough to know how bonkers this is: San Francisco’s Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) runs on data that is stored on floppy disks.

Floppy disks were first put into widespread commercial use by IBM in the 1970s and were the go-to way to store data through the 1990s. Apple dropped the floppy drive in 1998 with the release of the iMac, and five years later, Dell did the same with its Dell Dimension range. Sony was the last company to manufacture the disks, halting operations in 2011.

Related: This Will Be the Busiest Travel Day During the 2024 Holiday Season

In other words, floppy disks are an insanely old and outdated way to manage data.

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency board, which oversees the Muni Metro light rail network in the city, announced the approval of a $212 million overhaul, which will eliminate the need to load the data stored on these floppy disks each morning, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The system communicates the data using wire loops that are “easily disrupted” and move more slowly than a wireless modem. (In a city built in an area that experiences lots and lots of earthquakes each year, what could go wrong?)

The new Hitachi system will be “five generations ahead” of the floppy disk system, according to Muni Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum. Let’s hope “five generations” puts it beyond CD-ROMs at least.

Related: 21 Productive Things to Do on Your Commute

Last week, AI startup Physical Intelligence unveiled its first general robot model, π₀ (pi-zero), which can do everything from clearing the table after dinner to folding the laundry. Earlier this year, the company was valued at $400 million.

Now, a Monday report shows that the startup has reached unicorn status, surpassing a $1 billion valuation after raising $400 million, at a valuation of $2.4 billion, from investors like Jeff Bezos, OpenAI, and Thrive Capital.

Physical Intelligence’s goal is to bring general-purpose AI into the real world with robotics, according to its website. It only took them eight months to develop the robot model π₀, which the startup says is the “first step” towards a future in which robots process and perform tasks with as much ease as AI chatbots answering prompts.

“Our mission at Physical Intelligence is to develop foundation models that can control any robot to perform any task,” the startup wrote in a blog post. “Our experiments so far show that such models can control a variety of robots and perform tasks that no prior robot learning system has done successfully.”

Related: Meet Figure 02, the ‘Most Advanced Humanoid Robot on the Market’ Backed By Jeff Bezos, OpenAI

What Can the Robots Do?

A video released last week shows a π₀ robot taking clothes out of a dryer, putting them in a basket, placing the basket next to a table, and then taking the clothes out one by one and folding them into a neat stack.

Two π₀ robots also work together to load coffee into a coffee grinder: One robot holds the bag of coffee beans open while the other scoops the beans out. The same two robots assemble a cardboard box.

Yet another π₀ robot clears up after dinner by picking up delicate wineglasses, utensils, and plates and placing them into a bin. The robot recognizes the difference between what needs to go in the trash, like food scraps, and what needs to be washed, like a plate, and places each into its appropriate container.

At Physical Intelligence (π) our mission is to bring general-purpose AI into the physical world.

We’re excited to show the first step towards this mission – our first generalist model π₀ ? ?

Paper, blog, uncut videos: https://t.co/XZ4Luk8Dci pic.twitter.com/XHCu1xZJdq

— Physical Intelligence (@physical_int) October 31, 2024

Though these initial results show the robots “in their infancy,” they “paint a promising picture” of the future of AI robotics, according to Physical Intelligence.

Other robotics startups in the space include Figure AI, a $2.6 billion company backed by Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, and OpenAI that develops humanoid robots.

Related: This Company Built a New Kind of Robot: ‘It Moves the Way People Move’

As a seasoned entrepreneur and tech enthusiast, I’ve been closely watching the intersection of artificial intelligence and politics, particularly as we approach the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The impact of AI on our democratic process is not just a matter for policy wonks and tech giants — it’s something that should be on every business owner’s radar.

AI is transforming voter engagement through targeted messaging while also raising concerns about misinformation and consumer trust. This article explores how potential regulatory changes driven by election outcomes could reshape the business landscape, affecting everything from economic policies to brand loyalty. Entrepreneurs must be proactive in developing AI ethics policies, investing in AI literacy and preparing for various scenarios to navigate this evolving environment effectively. By understanding these dynamics, business owners can position themselves to thrive amidst the challenges and opportunities presented by the intersection of AI and politics.

It’s more than just campaign ads

We’ve all seen how AI is transforming industries from healthcare to finance, but its role in shaping political outcomes is perhaps one of the most significant — and potentially concerning — developments of our time. AI is not just creating more targeted campaign ads (though it’s certainly doing that). It’s fundamentally altering how information is created, disseminated and consumed by voters. This shift has profound implications for businesses of all sizes.

Related: A Survey Asked Small Business Owners What They Really Care About in the 2024 Election — The Results Were Surprising

The double-edged sword of AI in elections

On one hand, AI offers incredible opportunities for voter engagement and education. Campaigns can use AI to craft personalized messages that resonate with individual voters, potentially increasing political participation. AI-powered chatbots can answer voter questions 24/7, making information more accessible than ever before.

However, the same technology that can inform can also misinform. We’re seeing an unprecedented surge in AI-generated deepfakes, misleading content and highly convincing disinformation campaigns. As a business owner, you might be thinking, “So what? How does this affect my bottom line?”

The answer: in more ways than you might realize.

Why business owners should care about AI in elections

1. Regulatory whiplash

The outcome of the 2024 election could lead to dramatic shifts in AI regulation. Depending on who takes office, we could see anything from a hands-off approach to stringent new rules governing AI development and deployment.

If you’re using AI in your business — and let’s face it, most of us are in some capacity — these potential regulatory changes could have a significant impact on your operations. From data privacy concerns to algorithmic bias, the legal landscape around AI is likely to evolve rapidly in the coming years.

2. Consumer trust and brand loyalty

As AI-driven misinformation becomes more sophisticated, consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of the information they encounter online. This erosion of trust doesn’t just affect political discourse — it spills over into how consumers view brands and make purchasing decisions.

If your customers can’t trust what they see and read online, how can they trust your marketing messages? This growing skepticism could make it harder for businesses to build and maintain brand loyalty.

3. Economic policy shifts

AI’s influence on voter behavior could lead to significant shifts in economic policy. Whether it’s tax policy, labor laws or international trade agreements, the outcome of AI-influenced elections could reshape the business environment in ways that directly impact your bottom line.

If your customers are influenced by AI-driven political messaging, it could change their expectations and demands from businesses. For instance, if AI-powered campaigns successfully push for stronger environmental regulations, your customers might start expecting more eco-friendly practices from your company. Similarly, if AI helps spread ideas about worker rights, you might face pressure to change your labor practices.

Proactive steps for forward-thinking entrepreneurs

So, what can you do to prepare your business for this AI-driven political landscape? Here are some actionable steps:

1. Develop an AI ethics policy: Don’t wait for regulations to force your hand. Create a comprehensive AI ethics policy for your company now. This should cover how you use AI, how you protect customer data and how you ensure fairness and transparency in your AI-driven processes.
2. Invest in AI literacy: Make sure you and your leadership team understand the basics of AI. This knowledge will be crucial for making informed decisions about using AI in your business and anticipating potential regulatory changes.
3. Scenario planning: Conduct thorough scenario planning exercises. Consider how different election outcomes and subsequent policy changes could affect your industry. This foresight could give you a significant competitive advantage.
4. Engage in advocacy: Join industry associations or advocacy groups that are working to shape AI policy. Your voice as a business owner matters in these discussions.
5. Strengthen data security: Implement robust data privacy and security measures now. This will not only protect you from potential breaches but also position you well for compliance with future regulations.
6. Build trust through transparency: Be open with your customers about how you use AI. Transparency can help build trust in an era of increasing skepticism.

The bottom line

The intersection of AI and politics is not just a fascinating technological development — it’s a business issue that demands our attention. By staying informed and taking proactive steps, we can not only protect our businesses from potential disruptions but also contribute to a more responsible and ethical AI-driven future.

As entrepreneurs, we’re no strangers to adapting to change. The AI revolution in politics is just another challenge for us to meet head-on. By embracing this change and preparing for its implications, we can ensure our businesses don’t just survive but thrive in this new landscape.

Remember, the future belongs to those who prepare for it today. Let’s make sure we’re ready for whatever the AI-influenced political landscape of tomorrow brings.

New York resident Mark Longo, 34, had his rural home raided by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday. Their target? Peanut, a social media star who also happens to be a squirrel. Officers also confiscated a raccoon named Fred from Longo’s home.

On Friday, officials reported that Peanut and the raccoon were euthanized.

Related: The Internet Can’t Get Enough of This Real Life Snoopy Dog: ‘My Childhood Dream Come True’

“On Oct. 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized,” the agencies said in a statement. “The animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contact with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician.”

A spokesperson for the DEC said in a statement that the raid came after the agency received “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”

Seven years ago, Longo says he saw a squirrel get hit by a car in New York City and noticed Peanut, whom he presumed was now an orphan. Longo says he took Peanut home, nursed him for eight months, and then released him to the wild.

Related: Your Coworker Probably Wants to Be an Influencer

“A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out,” Longo told AP News.

He took the squirrel back in and started an Instagram account that had amassed 534K followers.

“The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” Longo told AP News. “I was treated as if I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns.”

Longo addressed the incident on Instagram.

“Everyone with a pet is in shock right now that this could happen to them,” he reposted from the Animal Rescue Mission.

Related: The B2B Creator Economy Is the Next Big Thing. Here’s the Company Making It Happen.