On Tuesday, America and the world’s largest retail chain said that it would add thousands of new associates to the company, globally. Walmart also said these workers will be hired in the fiscal year. Some of the positions would be at their new global hubs.

According to a company release, Suresh Kumar, EVP, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer of Walmart Inc. shared the news that they were “doubling down” on their “greatest asset” which was “our people.” He added that they would hire over 50,000 associates around the world in the global fiscal year.

He added that they would create two new global hubs–one in Toronto, Canada and other in Atlanta, Georgia. This would take the number of hubs to 17. He said that both the cities had “formidable tech talent” as well as had “strong ties to Walmart.”

Walmart has been a leader in the nation and has adopted the latest technologies to increase customer satisfaction across the globe. Walmart Global Tech has more than 20,000 associates who work in countries across the world and the division grew by 26 percent, according to the report.

The report also mentioned the skills of the new hires and includes
cybersecurity professionals
architects
software engineers
data engineers
developers
data scientists and more.

They would be hired across locations as the big box retailer wished to expand its presence in communities that it referred to as home.

The report said that Toronto had 26 percent of the tech workforce in Canada. The company would create hundreds of jobs in the new hub by hiring local talent. Walmart Canada would invest $1 billion in technology as well as refurbishing stores located in the country.

It also noted that Atlanta was not only a major location for Walmart but was also a strong location for cyber security activities. The hub would be opened there to harness the talent of its software engineers as well as other talent pool.

Switching from gas to electricity has never been more popular. According to Edmunds, the car shopping site, the number of persons looking for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicles, increased by 39% from February to March, and by 18% in the last week.

With petrol costs approaching $4 per gallon, electric vehicles are becoming increasingly appealing to automobile consumers. However, a combination of supply chain bottlenecks, a global chip scarcity, higher-than-average pricing, and insufficient dealership inventory will keep EVs out of reach for the majority of people.

Given the shortage of new electric vehicles on the market, most customers will find it difficult to follow through on their purchases, reports say. The available EVs are more expensive than their gas-powered counterparts, and inventory is highly limited.

The same may be said for hybrids and small to medium cars, which are often in short supply. So, if anyone is looking for a way to save money on gas, the advice would be either wait, as more EVs are on the way, or drive less.

When petrol costs reached $4 per gallon during the 2008 financial crisis, demand for large automobiles plummeted. More people opted for fuel-efficient vehicles, and some have stopped looking for a car entirely.
This time, the dynamics seem different. The combination of high petrol prices, vehicle shortages, supply chain bottlenecks, and a global semiconductor shortage has created a perfect storm of misery for automobile consumers.

Small, fuel-efficient, or even electric cars would have been their first choice, but they are not accessible. Huge trucks and SUVs, such as the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, are available, according to Cox Automotive, and are the most commonly available new vehicles right now. To make matters worse, most new EVs are being sold at exorbitant prices.

On top of that, the cost of raw materials is rising. Steel, nickel, and palladium, used in body panels, exhaust-purifying catalytic converters, and electric vehicle batteries, are all rising in price as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, President Joe Biden imposed a restriction on imported Russian oil earlier this week, conceding that it will likely raise petrol prices much further. Biden stated that he was dedicated to alleviating the burden on car owners by releasing more oil from emergency stocks to assist offset the expense.

Carpooling may become more popular in the future. A simple change in driving behavior may sometimes assist to alleviate the discomfort. Among the “standard gas-saving measures,” auto market expert Michelle Krebs has suggested decreasing one’s driving speeds and condensing errands into fewer trips. Traveling by bus should also be considered.

As the Web3 or the metaverse keeps growing, several companies from food, to clothing to footwear have opened their virtual stores. Entertainment channel Disney under CEO Chapek is also exploring the virtual world and its former chair Bob Iger, has invested in a startup Genies Inc. and has also joined its board. Iger stepped down from Disney at the end of last year and his future moves were being watched closely, after his retirement.

Although the amount of the investment by Iger in the startup is not known, it has been confirmed that he is joining the board of the Los Angeles startup. He also shared his Genies avatar on social media. Other members include 29-year old co-founder and CEO Akash Nigam, co-founder Evan Rosenbaum. Two other members include Mary Meeker, who is a general partner and founder of Bond, a venture capital firm, who has invested in Genies and Rick Yang who is a general partner at NEA.

In a statement, Iger said that he had always been attracted by the intersection of art and technology. He added that Genies provided both “unique and compelling opportunities” and had used the combination to “enable new forms of creativity, expression and communication.”

The metaverse has also attracted a host of Hollywood celebrities and personalities. Genies said that it has partnered with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The company officially provides avatars and non fungible tokens NFTs for both the groups. It has already created digital images of the following stars
Justin Bieber
Migos
Cardi B.

The startup also has a market place for NFTs. It is called The Warehouse. Talent and creators can design as well as sell their avatars in this marketplace.

In a press release, the 5-year young startup said that Iger would help the company grow and that they would ultimately build “avatar ecosystems.” These systems would include digital fashion lines and more on online worlds where these avatars can interact and move beyond their current 3D avatars.