James R. Hennessy

1 week ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

Today’s announcement that Canva has acquired yet another Sydney-based startup in MagicBrief is a further marker on the design platform’s journey to evolve beyond its consumer roots. As Daniel Van Boom reported, the deal came together in a matter of hours after MagicBrief co-founder George Howes received an unexpected WhatsApp message from Canva’s Cliff Obrecht while at the airport en route to the UK where the startup was planning to expand.

2 weeks ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

IdeasOnce a cornerstone of the national political conversation, Q+A ultimately couldn’t survive an increasingly fractured media landscape. After nearly two decades and 17 seasons, the ABC’s Q+A is dead. As first reported by Capital Brief’s John Buckley, the program that once defined Monday night television, helped set the national political discussion, and turned Twitter into a Thunderdome is set to be axed.

3 weeks ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

For a brief, shining moment, it looked like the whirlwind political bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk had ended with a whimper, not a bang. Despite varyingly public disagreements over everything from a massive Republican spending bill to Trump’s tariff policy, Musk ended his formal role in the White House last week without a great deal of noise, outside of some grumbling on the sidelines. Get The Edition in your inboxSigned up to The EditionA must-read afternoon newsletter.

3 weeks ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

Finally, we have a solution for Australia’s seemingly interminable, decades-long productivity funk. And it’s AI, of course. That’s the argument of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), the high priesthood of Australian commerce, which dropped a meaty report today arguing Australia can reignite growth and revolutionise its workforce by becoming “an AI leader by 2028”. Get The Edition in your inboxSigned up to The EditionA must-read afternoon newsletter.

1 month ago | capitalbrief.com | James R. Hennessy

In the end, the relationship that many predicted would end with a bang did so with a whimper. Elon Musk is formally stepping down from his role in Donald Trump’s administration and returning to his commitments in the private sector. “I would like to thank Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote on X.