Business
Google Nest and Home Devices Down? Widespread Global Outage as Voice Commands and Displays Fail Worldwide
Google Home and Nest devices experienced a widespread, server-side outage Monday into Tuesday, leaving users across multiple continents unable to control smart speakers, displays and connected home devices, according to outage-tracking services and reports from affected users worldwide.
Downdetector posted on its official account on the social platform X that “user reports indicate problems with Google Nest since 9:20 AM EDT,” tagging the post with the hashtag #GoogleNestDown and directing users to its outage-tracking page for further updates. The post had drawn nearly 1,900 views shortly after being published.
According to Android Authority, the disruption first became apparent much earlier, with Downdetector showing a massive spike in outage reports around 6 a.m. local time in the United Kingdom, corresponding to roughly 1 a.m. Eastern time and 10 p.m. Pacific time in the United States on Sunday night. Reports of the outage continued building throughout the overnight hours and into Monday and Tuesday, with more than 300 users reporting server problems on Downdetector when the issue was first identified, according to Sportskeeda’s coverage of the disruption. Users shared reports of the outage from locations across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.
The scope of reported symptoms has been broad, spanning multiple Google smart home products. Users have reported that the Google Home app has been unable to control connected devices or receive normal responses in some cases. Nest speakers, including the Google Nest Mini, have failed to respond to voice commands, while Nest Hub displays have become stuck on loading screens or otherwise failed to process user requests. Google Assistant itself has also been affected, with voice commands requesting information or attempting to control smart home devices returning errors rather than completing the requested action. Additionally, some users have reported that scheduled routines and manually triggered automations tied to their smart home setups have failed to execute properly during the outage.
Android Authority reported that standard troubleshooting steps commonly used to resolve smart home device issues, including rebooting affected devices or performing a full factory reset, have not resolved the problem for users experiencing the outage, indicating the disruption stems from Google’s server-side infrastructure rather than any fault with individual devices themselves. As a result, affected users have had little recourse beyond waiting for Google to implement a fix on its end.
The Sunday Guardian reported that users in the United Kingdom have been among those affected by the ongoing disruption, describing a range of complaints including unresponsive speakers, failed voice commands, and Nest Hub devices stuck on blank or loading screens. Users have also reported continued difficulty controlling connected devices and running previously configured automated routines as the outage has persisted.
According to reporting on the incident, the disruption appears to be affecting Google’s cloud-side services that support Nest and Google Home products, rather than the individual hardware devices themselves, though Google had not officially confirmed the precise technical cause of the outage as of the most recent available reporting. Some users have reported that their devices intermittently began working again during the outage window, suggesting the disruption may not be uniformly affecting all users or regions at all times, and that the situation has continued to evolve as Google works toward a resolution.
The outage arrives roughly two and a half weeks after Google rolled out a broader Google Home software update at the start of August that introduced new features for the company’s smart home ecosystem. That earlier update was not without its own complications; iOS users experienced a separate, unrelated bug at the time in which some smart lights were automatically and unexpectedly turned on, an issue Google addressed relatively quickly following user reports.
Nest, which Google acquired in 2014, has experienced periodic connectivity and service disruptions throughout its history as a cloud-connected smart home platform. According to outage-tracking service StatusGator, which has monitored Nest’s service status since September 2016, the platform has experienced more than 168 documented outages over roughly the past decade, reflecting the broader technical challenges inherent to maintaining reliable, always-connected smart home infrastructure at global scale. Historical outages affecting Nest devices have periodically drawn attention to broader concerns among users regarding the reliability of internet-dependent smart home products, particularly for use cases such as home security monitoring or, in some past instances, using connected cameras as baby monitors, where a service disruption can leave users temporarily unable to access functions they may consider essential.
Google has faced broader service disruptions affecting products well beyond its Nest and Home lineup in the past, including outages that have simultaneously affected services such as Google Search, Google Meet, Gmail and Google Cloud infrastructure more broadly. In at least one previous large-scale incident, a Google Cloud spokesperson confirmed to media outlets that the company was “currently investigating a service disruption to some Google Cloud services,” directing affected users and businesses to the company’s public status dashboard for ongoing updates, a communication pattern Google has generally followed during significant platform-wide technical incidents.
As of this report, Google had not issued a detailed public statement specifically addressing the scope, cause or expected resolution timeline for the current Nest and Google Home outage, though the company’s status dashboard for Google Workspace and related cloud services typically serves as the primary official channel through which the company communicates updates during confirmed service disruptions.
Given the global scope of the reported outage, spanning users across North America, Europe and Australia, and the consistency of symptoms described across multiple independent reports, the disruption appears to reflect a genuine, widespread technical failure within Google’s smart home infrastructure rather than a series of isolated, unrelated regional issues. Users experiencing continued problems with their Google Nest or Google Home devices were generally advised to continue monitoring official Google channels and outage-tracking services such as Downdetector for updates, since the underlying server-side nature of the disruption means individual troubleshooting steps are unlikely to resolve the issue until Google implements a fix on its end.
Business
QXO: Cheaper, But The Per-Share Drag Just Moved From Valuation To Earnings (NYSE:QXO)
I am a stock analyst with over 20 years of experience in quantitative research, financial modeling, and risk management. My focus is on equity valuation, market trends, and portfolio optimization to uncover high-growth investment opportunities. As a former Vice President at Barclays, I led teams in model validation, stress testing, and regulatory finance, developing a deep expertise in both fundamental and technical analysis. Alongside my research partner (also my wife), I co-author investment research, combining our complementary strengths to deliver high-quality, data-driven insights. Our approach blends rigorous risk management with a long-term perspective on value creation. We have a particular interest in macroeconomic trends, corporate earnings, and financial statement analysis, aiming to provide actionable ideas for investors seeking to outperform the market.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Business
What Makes a Job Portal Work Well? Key Features to Know
Building a job portal today means more than just posting job listings and adding an application form. Recruiters want tools to manage candidates, and job seekers look for quick searches, helpful recommendations, easy applications, and a smooth mobile experience.
If you are planning a recruitment platform, the main question is not just what features to add. Instead, focus on which features will actually help each type of user.
Choose the right type of recruitment platform
A general job board connects employers with candidates from many industries, while a niche portal focuses on a specific area, like healthcare, technology, or construction. Recruitment agencies may also need a multi-client platform where recruiters manage candidates and vacancies for several employers.
You can also build an internal recruitment portal for a company, a freelance marketplace, or a platform that combines job listings with applicant tracking.
It’s important because the type of platform you choose affects user roles, workflows, data structure, payment options, and search features. Deciding on these early can help you avoid costly changes later.
Give employers and candidates separate dashboards
Employers and candidates have different needs, so they should each have their own interface.
An employer dashboard might include job creation and editing, applicant tracking, candidate profiles, interview scheduling, hiring analytics, etc.
A candidate dashboard should focus on profile and resume management, saved jobs, application history, job alerts, and communication with recruiters.
For recruitment agencies, you may also need an admin dashboard with client accounts, recruiter permissions, candidate pools, job assignments, and activity logs.
More than simple file storage for resume management
Candidates should be able to upload resumes in common formats and keep their profiles updated without having to enter the same details over and over.
A strong resume module can parse uploaded documents and extract details such as name and contact information, employment history, skills, education, certifications, and job titles.
This process turns an unstructured document into searchable candidate data.
Use AI-enabled candidate matching with care
AI tools can help recruiters compare job requirements with candidate profiles and rank potentially relevant applicants. A more advanced system can look at skills, experience, location, salary expectations, qualifications, and related terms.
The scoring system should be easy to understand. Recruiters need to know why a candidate got a high match score, rather than just accepting the score without question.
Build search and filtering around real recruiter needs
Search is one of the features recruiters use most often on a recruitment platform.
Basic filters like job title and location are helpful, but recruiters usually need more options like skills, education, salary range, language, years of experience, employment type, and so on.
For large candidate databases, semantic search can work alongside traditional keyword search. This helps recruiters find good matches even if candidates and job descriptions use different words.
Consider the search experience from the recruiter’s point of view. If it takes 30 minutes to find 20 good candidates, the platform is still causing too much manual work.
Support payments and different business models
If employers pay to post jobs, candidates pay for premium features, or recruiters buy subscriptions, payment features become a core part of your product.
Depending on your model, you may need one-time job posting payments, recurring subscriptions, featured job listings, coupons, invoices, etc.
You should also keep payment features separate from the rest of the application. This makes it easier to adjust pricing or switch payment providers in the future.
Treat mobile as a primary experience
Many candidates search for jobs on their phones. If your platform only works well on desktop, it can make the hiring process harder right from the start.
The mobile experience should make it simple to search, filter, save, and apply for jobs. Resume uploads should be smooth, and forms should only ask for what is needed.
Recruiters also need to use the platform on mobile. They might want to review applicants, reply to messages, or move candidates through hiring stages while away from their desk.
You do not have to build separate native apps right away. A responsive web platform can be a good starting point, depending on your product and users.
Plan for growth, security, and integrations
A small job board may start with a few hundred listings and candidates, but a successful platform can eventually handle millions of records, automated notifications, and many users simultaneously. Your technical setup should be ready to handle that kind of growth.
Security is also very important because recruitment platforms store resumes, contact details, work histories, and other sensitive data. Access controls, encryption, secure logins, audit logs, backups, and good data retention policies should all be part of your initial setup.
You should also plan to connect with tools like CRMs, applicant tracking systems, calendars, email services, payment providers, and identity platforms.
Security and resilience should cover the application, infrastructure, data, and any AI services connected to the system.
When is it time to work with a development company?
A simple niche job board may be possible with an existing platform or low-code tools.
Things get more complex when you need custom workflows, multiple user roles, AI matching, advanced search, payments, third-party integrations, or a large candidate database.
At that stage, a specialized job portal development company can help you plan the technical setup, choose the right technologies, and build the platform to fit your recruitment needs.
The key is to bring developers in early, so they can question assumptions before they turn into costly technical decisions.
Before you start development, figure out who will use the portal, what each user needs to do, how payments will work, and what data the system needs to handle. Then decide which features should be in the first release and which ones can come later.
This approach gives you a much clearer path from a job portal idea to a product people will actually use.
Business
Chinese robotics giant Unitree soars in stock market debut
Founded in 2016, Unitree has become a robotics industry leader, selling a wide range of devices from sensors and automated arms to four-legged and human-like machines.
For several years, it has been a fierce rival to developers in the US as it rolled out robots with similar features but at lower prices.
The company – which plays a key role in Beijing’s ambitions to be a global leader in cutting-edge technologies – is based in Hangzhou, in eastern China.
The region is home to a so-called golden cluster zone of robotics firms, which have been boosted by huge government investments.
That support helped drive a more than threefold increase in the number of Chinese robotics firms between 2020 and 2024, according to state-run China Daily.
Robots are also seen as a potential solution to challenges posed by China’s ageing population, which is expected to lead to a shortage of workers to support the economy’s physically demanding manufacturing base, according to Fei Qin, an associate professor at the University of Bath.
Beijing considers the robotics sector a “strategic priority” in its pursuit of leadership in advanced technology, she said.
“Robots are where AI leaves the screen and enters the economy” in factories, hospitals and, potentially, the home, Qin added.
Business
SoundHound: Agentic Platform And Healthcare Wins Are Driving A Rebound
SoundHound: Agentic Platform And Healthcare Wins Are Driving A Rebound
Business
3 Ways to Protect Your Retirement Savings Ahead of the Stock Market’s Most Volatile Months
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Business
Rabobank finds strong case for WA canola crushing industry
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Business
Can Gaja Alternative Asset Management IPO deliver long-term growth for high-risk investors?
Business
Incorporated in 1999, the company invests in sectors including education, energy and environment, financial services, consumer and digital technology. Its investment approach is focused on the mid-market segment, comprising deal size of ₹50-250 crore. The Limited Partners (or investors) of Gaja Capital funds are spread across 20 countries including India, the US, Europe and the Middle East. It derives income from management fee, carried interest, which refers to share of profits from successful investments, and income from sponsor commitment. Income from sponsor commitments represents gains on the company’s own capital invested in the funds. As of March 31, 2026, it has committed about ₹274 crore, or 6.4% of the total size of the Gaja Capital Funds. The carried interest accounted for nearly 48% of total income in FY26. Any weak investment performance will affect the carried interest and sponsor related income. According to Crisil, the assets under management for alternative investments in India are expected to grow at 25-27% to reach ₹41 lakh crore-44 lakh crore by March 2030.
ET BureauThe firm’s past success and a fast-growing market provide comfort while the nature of its revenue mix calls for a measured approach
Financials
Revenue increased to ₹158 crore in FY26 from ₹104 crore in FY24. Net profit grew to ₹82 crore in FY26 from ₹45 crore in FY24. Net margin rose to 52% from 43% during the period, reflecting operating leverage as cost-to-income ratio fell to 44.6% in FY26 from 52.3% in FY25. Across its three funds, MOIC has ranged from 1.7 times to 3.8 times. MOIC shows how much an investment has grown compared with the amount originally invested. The return on equity increased to 16.5% in FY26 from 14.5% in FY24.Read more: Anthropic pre-IPO credit facility set to climb past $10 billion
Valuation
As the first standalone private equity firm to list on the exchanges, Gaja Alternative Asset Management has no direct listed peers. The IPO is priced at a P/E multiple of 27.5 times, compared with P/E multiples of around 25-40 times for listed asset management companies (AMCs).
Business
Milky Mist Dairy Foods lists at 18% premium to issue price
Read more: Augmont Enterprises IPO: Rs 825 crore issue price band set at Rs 750-788
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Business
Mobile payments on the rise but cash decline slows
The UK Payments Market report, released once a year, shows that debit cards – included those loaded onto phones – were the predominant way to pay last year.
They accounted for 54% of all payments in made in 2025. Some 39% of payments were contactless.
Cheques had been due to be phased out by 2018, until MPs forced a change of heart by the industry years ago.
Instead, they have withered to just 0.2% of payments made in the UK – with a total of 77 million written last year.
Cash is unlikely to go the same way, according to forecasts by UK Finance.
Notes and coins were used in 3.9 billion, or 8%, of all payments last year. This is expected to halve to 4% of all payments in the UK in 2035, or two billion transactions.
However, some people still had a strong preference for using cash.
“Rather than the UK becoming a cash-free society over the next decade, the UK will transition to an economy where cash is less important than it once was but remains widely valued and still preferred by some,” the report said.
Nearly 50 million people used a cash machines last year.
Nick Quin, from Link, which oversees the UK’s ATM network, said: “Cash withdrawals are falling across every part of the country. More people find it convenient and prefer to pay using contactless cards and digital wallets on smartphones, but millions still rely on cash day in, day out.
“People on lower incomes rely more heavily or entirely on cash to budget, which is why our job is to protect access to cash for as long as people need it.”
Business
Finfluencers Build Trust With Relatability, Rage Bait and GRWM Routines
Good morning. Financial influencers are reshaping how consumers manage their money—and how brands win their trust, Elyse Goncalves reports for The Wall Street Journal.
Less regulated and more widely accessible than the traditional financial services industry, these “finfluencers” use battle-tested growth tactics to capture attention. Stock picker Timothy James, 38, says he’s used rage-baiting lines to drive views, while U.K. creator Leo Gibson relies on radical relatability. Gibson’s financial advice video reached nearly 500,000 views by ditching institutional polish for a casual bedroom setup.
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