May 2026

The names we kept coming back to

Gucci 10Google 7Spotify 6Swatch 6Audemars Piguet 6Meta 5Amazon 5Dior 5Sephora 5Nike 4Chanel 4Kering 3

Rising in May

Names we covered more in May 2026 than in April 2026, each with its latest story.

• Audemars Piguet6 episodes, new in MaySwatch and Audemars Piguet's $400 plastic pocket watch sparks queues and resale flipping
• Swatch6 episodes, new in MaySwatch and Audemars Piguet's $400 plastic pocket watch sparks queues and resale flipping
• Gucci10 episodes, up from 6Kering reports encouraging early sales from Demna's Gucci revival
• Spotify6 episodes, up from 2Spotify moves beyond music to become an audio layer for print publishing
• Sephora5 episodes, up from 1Amazon is betting a sale event can buy prestige beauty credibility

See the Rising index

The month in three threads

Its first, middle and last episodes.

1. First · Fri 1 MayCultural saturation kills edge. Every category faces this nowGoogleAmazonPrada
2. Middle · Sat 16 MayWithout the human, only the floor remainsSwatchAudemars PiguetDior
3. Last · Sun 31 MayBundles beat brands. The single-product era is closingBurberryDisney

Where the stories came from

• Fashion and Style 35
• Design and Architecture 30
• Brand and Business 29
• Tech and Digital 23
• Music and Entertainment 22
• Culture and Ideas 19
• Art and Photography 15
• Lifestyle and Taste 9

Every episode

• Sun 31 May · Ep 96Bundles make up a third of new US streaming subscriptions, says Antenna
• Sat 30 May · Ep 95LoveFrom designs Ferrari's first electric car, the Luce
• Fri 29 May · Ep 94FOG Architecture builds the MSLAN flagship in Quanzhou around gardens
• Thu 28 May · Ep 93Google puts AI answers at the top of search
• Wed 27 May · Ep 92Liu Ziyu's 3,000-yuan AI film earns him a Hollywood job offer
• Tue 26 May · Ep 91Palace and Nike cast Wayne Rooney and Jill Scott for England
• Mon 25 May · Ep 90Meta, Google and Amazon brief Vatican officials ahead of the AI encyclical
• Sun 24 May · Ep 89Shein buys Everlane as a report finds pressure on suppliers still rising
• Sat 23 May · Ep 88Chanel's Leena Nair and Matthieu Blazy both make the case for craft
• Fri 22 May · Ep 87Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton build Resort 2027 around fine art
• Thu 21 May · Ep 86Swatch and Audemars Piguet's $400 pocket watch draws queues worldwide
• Wed 20 May · Ep 85Google and Samsung team with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster on glasses
• Tue 19 May · Ep 84LVMH sells Marc Jacobs to WHP Global
• Mon 18 May · Ep 83Swatch and Audemars Piguet's Royal Pop draws crowds from Paris to Singapore
• Sun 17 May · Ep 82Demna shows his first Gucci resort collection in Times Square
• Sat 16 May · Ep 81Swatch's share price rises on its Royal Pop with Audemars Piguet
• Fri 15 May · Ep 80Swatch and Audemars Piguet's Royal Pop draws overnight queues in Hong Kong
• Thu 14 May · Ep 79TikTok GO launches in the US with Booking.com and Expedia
• Wed 13 May · Ep 78Dior and Gucci put their money into fewer, bigger flagship stores
• Tue 12 May · Ep 77Discord bundles Xbox Game Pass into Nitro
• Mon 11 May · Ep 76The WNBA unveils city-specific Rebel Edition uniforms made with athletes
• Sun 10 May · Ep 75Fujifilm's Instax Wide 400 makes prints you cannot edit
• Sat 9 May · Ep 74Issey Miyake opens a Madison Avenue flagship in a neo-gothic landmark
• Fri 8 May · Ep 73Chinese shoppers turn to local platforms and creators over Sephora
• Thu 7 May · Ep 72TikTok Shop's health and beauty sales rise 84% year on year
• Wed 6 May · Ep 71LVMH weighs selling Marc Jacobs and its Fenty Beauty stake
• Tue 5 May · Ep 70Jonathan Glazer directs a Gucci film set to Slipknot
• Mon 4 May · Ep 69Suno reaches $300 million in annualised revenue and two million paying users
• Sun 3 May · Ep 68Spotify puts Olivia Rodrigo on FC Barcelona's El Clásico shirt
• Sat 2 May · Ep 67Dries Van Noten opens a craft foundation in Venice
• Fri 1 May · Ep 66Prada Group grows 3% in the first quarter