The comeback is always greater than the setback, even for a retail giant like Walmart, which was once late to the world of e-commerce—and is now making strides in the retail industry with AI.

Gone are the days when Walmart was only known for its low-price inventory and vast selection of products under one roof. Today, Walmart has been driving conversations around AI and how it can be deployed within the retail industry. The scale of Walmart’s tech ambition is significant, with Walmart Global Chief Technology Officer and Chief Development Officer Suresh Kumar saying this is “just the beginning” for the legacy retailer.

Walmart earned an advantage by being early to the AI race, Scot Wingo, CEO of ReFiBuy, an AI startup focused on solving problems for retailers using advanced AI frameworks, told Retail Brew.

Introducing Sparky and friends!—BM, VC

Like a Pokémon with just the right number of experience points, the ransomware industry is expected to evolve in 2026.

That’s according to NetNordic Threat Intelligence Lead Analyst Santeri Anttila, who told IT Brew on the sidelines of the Live! 360 Tech Con in Orlando that the threat is growing more sophisticated as malicious actors gain access to tools like ransomware-as-a-service and initial access brokers, who are threat actors selling unauthorized access to corporate networks.

“Previously, there was only one group, and now there’s maybe more than 10 different specialized types of predators,” Anttila said.

Sami Laiho, chief research officer at IT company Adminize and speaker alongside Anttila at a Nov. 18 keynote on the state of ransomware, added attackers are hurling more double extortion attacks, which is when they encrypt stolen data and threaten to sell it.

“You basically extort it for two different types of attacks now, and usually both are done at the same time,” Laiho said.

The biggest misconceptions on the ransomware industry.—BM

Big month, big moves—let’s look at November in the tech C-suite.

An Apple shuffle redefines company’s approach to AI

Yes, this technically happened December 1, but we’re including it anyway. Apple announced a big shakeup in the company’s AI business, as SVP of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence John Giannandrea stepped down. Amar Subramanya will take over.

Apple’s AI efforts haven’t been as successful as its peers, CNBC reported, noting that the company’s Apple Intelligence platform has failed to gain traction among users. That’s due in part to less investment in the technology and Apple having its AI run on its own devices, rather than relying on the cloud to process workloads.

In leaving—he will serve as an advisor at the company until the spring—Giannandrea ends an almost eight-year stint at Apple. Before joining Apple, he spent comparable time at Google as SVP of engineering as well as stints as CTO at Metaweb Technologies and as chief technologist for Netscape, as well as other companies.

Wait, OpenAI and Google DeepMind hired who?—EH

Who said desk calendars have to be boring? Introducing the Morning Brew 2026 Daily Games Desk Calendar. It’s perfect for desks, nightstands, and kitchen counters, so give yourself (or others) the gift of entertaining coffee breaks.