Lana

More on the way, but first, a word from Guy at Finimize HQ.

Fintech firm Block said it'll cut costs by replacing nearly half of its workforce with AI, and investors rewarded the company for swinging the axe.

Block is the payments giant behind Cash App, Square, and Afterpay, so it knows a thing or two about watching your outgoings.

And as it turns out, it's been casting a pretty critical eye over its own lately.

On Thursday, the firm announced 4,000 job cuts, trusting AI to pick up the workload instead.

Block says it'll be a more nimble operation that way, even lifting this year's profit outlook by $200 million, despite the restructuring costing it some $500 million.

Block's CEO believes he's a bit of a trendsetter, saying more firms will start swapping humans out for bots this year.

You can see why they would — leaner teams mean lower costs.

Robots don't need benefits or bathroom breaks, after all.

And if Block's announcement is anything to go by, companies will have another incentive to bring out the pink slips.

Investors rewarded the fintech firm's decision by pushing its stock up around 13 percent, expecting more productivity and, therefore, more profit.

Goldman Sachs seems to see the case for welcoming AI into the workforce.

The big bank believes the tech will help companies make more with less, which it says could make the global economy about 7 percent, or $7 trillion, bigger over the next decade.

But there's a reason why so many of today's dystopias put AI in the villain role.

Everyday spending on goods and services drives around two-thirds of the U.S.

economy.

So if a lot of Americans lose their jobs and need to shut their wallets, the whole economy could start to slow.

Before we dive into the next story, it's time for our daily check-in with Carl.

You've got questions, he's got answers.

Carl, what have you got for us?