All articles tagged with #snap
Snap is reportedly launching its first consumer AR glasses, the Specs, this fall as a standalone device priced around $2,500 for an initial 100,000 units; the glasses are expected to be bulkier than typical sunglasses and may lack the full developer ecosystem of Apple's Vision Pro, with a June unveiling possibly at AWE 2026 and comparisons to other premium XR glasses.
Snap plans to release its standalone true AR glasses, called Specs, this fall at about $2,500, aiming at wealthy early adopters similar to the Apple Vision Pro. Specs run Snap OS with no APK support and use Lens Studio for app development, and Snap has spun them into a dedicated subsidiary with a production target around 100,000 units.
Prosecutors say Abdid-Wahid Mohamed, owner of Minnesota Food Grocery LLC in Minneapolis, used other people’s EBT cards to collect more than $1 million in SNAP benefits, buying items at wholesale and reselling them at his store. A woman identified as F.F. allegedly allowed him to use her card for over 1.5 years, with $1,141,082 in EBT payments between March 2021 and August 2021. If convicted, Mohamed faces up to 20 years in prison; charges were filed in May 2026 and his first court appearance is May 27.
Arizona is enforcing tighter SNAP rules under a Trump-era law, causing hundreds of thousands to lose benefits nationwide and about 200,000 children in Arizona to be cut off; hunger and food-bank demand are rising as processing delays and more documentation slow benefits, while experts warn the changes will worsen inequality and health costs.
Up to 120,000 Illinois residents could lose SNAP benefits starting May 1 due to new federal work requirements for able-bodied adults 18–64 without dependent children, who must work, volunteer, or participate in approved programs for at least 80 hours per month. If they don’t meet the rule, SNAP benefits can be limited to three months in a three-year period. Thousands of immigrants are affected; exemptions exist for some. IDHS says those who can meet the 80 hours in May should reapply to restore benefits in June, and food pantries expect higher demand as lines grow.
Baltimore Banner reporters test the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan—the budget used for SNAP and other programs—by shopping four times to see if a single person can live on $69 per trip (about $299/month) and a family on $272.46 per week (about $1,180/month) across Baltimore-area stores. Despite using coupons and sales at Aldi, Giant, Weis, Harris Teeter and more, they repeatedly exceeded the solo-budget targets and found the family budget far from affordable, underscoring that the plan—based on 2021 data—hasn’t kept pace with inflation or local prices and that SNAP benefits won’t automatically rise with costs. The piece concludes the federal minimum budget does not reflect current prices in Baltimore, though the plan may still serve as a rough budgeting guide.
Snap laid off about 1,000 employees (roughly 16% of its workforce) and will shutter more than 300 open roles, with four months of severance and extended benefits; CEO Evan Spiegel says the cuts are to unlock AI‑enabled efficiency and accelerate a path to profitability, with the company projecting over $500 million in savings by the second half of 2026 as it uses AI to boost Snapchat+, ads, and infrastructure. The moves follow broader tech layoff trends.
Snap Inc. is cutting about 1,000 roles (roughly 16% of its workforce) to reduce annual costs by more than $500 million and cover $95–$130 million in restructuring charges, in a bid to reach profitability. CEO Evan Spiegel calls it a crucible moment and says AI will accelerate work, reduce repetitive tasks, and enable a new jobs-to-be-done structure, noting that 65% of new code is AI-generated. The company is prioritizing monetizable markets, Snapchat+ subscriptions, and higher-margin ads, with Q1 revenue guided to about $1.529 billion and adjusted EBITDA of around $233 million. Departing U.S. employees will receive severance and benefits, with transitions support provided.
Snap is cutting about 1,000 jobs (roughly 16% of its staff) and closing 300 open roles to cut costs and lift profitability, saying AI will reduce repetitive work and speed key initiatives like Snapchat+, its ad platform, and Snap Lite. The company aims to save more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, following a workforce of about 5,261 as of December 2025.
Snap is cutting about 1,000 jobs (roughly 16% of its global workforce) and closing more than 300 open roles, saying rapid advances in AI will reduce repetitive work and boost efficiency. The move is expected to save over $500 million in annualized costs by late 2026 as Snap pivots to profitable growth, expanding its subscription business and higher-margin ads while leveraging AI-enabled processes. U.S. employees will receive four months of severance, healthcare, and equity vesting, with North America staff working from home today; non-U.S. locations will follow local guidance.
House Republicans plan a late-April floor vote on the farm bill after committee approval, but timing is fluid amid other priorities (immigration enforcement funding and a potential second reconciliation) and intra-party divisions over pesticide labeling and state livestock laws. Some Democrats may back the bill due to bipartisan provisions, while conservatives worry about certain “poison pills”; Senate leadership is moving ahead with timing discussions as they prepare for potential negotiations to secure 60 votes.
States are paying Deloitte, Accenture, and Optum millions to overhaul Medicaid and SNAP eligibility systems to enforce work requirements under the Trump-era One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The changes are expected to shrink safety-net coverage, with the CBO projecting 7.5 million uninsured under Medicaid by 2034 and about 2.4 million SNAP recipients cut off; five states alone estimate at least $45.6 million in upfront costs for the modifications. Federal funding covers most ongoing costs and CMS has touted discounts, but audits note systemic errors that could worsen eligibility mistakes for the poorest Americans.
Snap Inc. has acquired select assets from Rec Room ahead of the social gaming platform’s June 1 shutdown, with some Rec Room staff joining Snap’s Specs Inc. to support AR eyewear initiatives. Terms weren’t disclosed, and there’s no indication Rec Room will be revived. Rec Room had over 150 million players, raised $294 million, and was valued at about $3.5 billion in 2021, but profitability proved elusive amid VR market headwinds.
States are paying Deloitte, Accenture, Optum and other contractors millions to update Medicaid and SNAP eligibility systems to implement Trump’s work requirements, a move likely to drive up upfront costs while analysts project about 7.5 million fewer people could be uninsured by 2034 and roughly 2.4 million losing food assistance; Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Illinois and Vermont are among states lining up multi-million-dollar contracts as the federal government foots most of the bill.
Republican-led states facing growing budget shortfalls in 2026 are contending with the fiscal hit from Donald Trump’s megabill, which adds Medicaid and SNAP costs while letting federal tax cuts shrink state revenues; governors and legislatures are weighing cuts and new taxes to cover gaps, with examples from Idaho, Arizona, Missouri and Iowa illustrating across-the-board agency reductions, cuts to child care and disability services, and selective adoption of federal tax changes as budgets tighten.