They were really shouting "Boon, Boon," as in AI will be a boon for the economy, I mean sure there will be some disruption, but when everything works out there'll be more work and money than ever. After all, this was an educated crowd. nytimes.com/2026/05/14/styleā¦
"Of the $110 trillion in global GDP, AI capital expenditure represents $1 trillion this year, with another $7 trillion to $8 trillion more capex added in the next five years"
on.mktw.net/4d4nRsK
"American manufacturers grew in April for the fourth month in a row ā the longest streak in four years ā but an embryonic recovery faces fresh hurdles from rising oil prices and higher inflation tied to the Iran war" marketwatch.com/story/embatt⦠via @MarketWatch
"BarclaysĀ finalized the $800 million acquisition ofĀ Best EggĀ on Friday, bringing the Delaware-based personal loan origination company into the fold of the multinational bank and financial services company"
linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=ā¦
1/ New issue of First State Economic Development News Notes is out.
Delaware's port expansion, rail freight revival, EV grid tech, startup ecosystem ā and the national stories connecting to all of it.
open.substack.com/pub/firstsā¦
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7/ And a must-read: how Loudoun County, VA went all-in on data centers.
The U.S. spent ~$425B on data centers in 2025. In Loudoun, they now fund 45% of county tax revenue ā paying for schools, roads, and parks while cutting homeowner tax rates 40%.
8/ Plus: the Carper Collaborative on Climate and Jobs launched at UD with nearly 200 attendees and the full Delaware Congressional delegation.
Full roundup in the newsletter š
open.substack.com/pub/firstsā¦#EconDev#NetDE
Calling all undergrads: For future reference, I'm likely to hire you if you mention the Belt and Road initiative in your personal statement. Well played.
Every time someone posts about the Boss, I think about the episode of Growing Pains when Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron go to a Bruce Springsteen concert.