M&A deals are up, both in terms of numbers and valuations. Deals with a value of more than $100 million were up 15% February through April of this year compared to the same period in 2025, according to a report from EY Parthenon. And while easier access to capital and shifting economic conditions can make this a good time to strike a deal, there’s another factor that makes dealmaking smoother: AI. The technology can help with due diligence and integration, compressing what was once a long process into one that customers might not notice.

Scott Brighton, CEO of software-for-good platform Bonterra, has worked on several acquisitions throughout his career—and he said AI is changing them for the better. Bonterra has been able to more quickly integrate its two most recent acquisitions: digital fundraising solution provider OneCause last October and workplace giving platform Deed in March. I talked to him about how AI has helped in this process, and an excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.

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Looking at corporate profits alone, these are boom times. In the last quarter, corporate profit hit a new record of $4.39 trillion, writes Forbes senior contributor Erik Sherman. Corporate profits have skyrocketed—especially since the Covid-19 pandemic—and keep on increasing. And it isn’t just the tech sector—retail trade, construction, wholesale trades, durable goods manufacturing and healthcare are responsible for 73% of the post-pandemic corporate profit surge. Most of that money—76%—has gone toward shareholder dividends, but 15% represented retained profits.

Companies can increase their profits by passing along higher costs to consumers, and today’s consumers are feeling more and more strain. Forbes senior contributor Mayra Rodriguez Valladares writes overall, Americans are spending more to buy less, and getting into more precarious financial positions. Credit card balances stand at $1.25 trillion—up 63% from five years ago—and nearly three out of 10 buy now, pay later users say they’re using that financing to buy groceries. The personal saving rate is down to 2.6%—down from close to 5% in January.

As AI use expands, the way we measure business success could hide consumer pain. Forbes’ Brandon Kochkodin writes as AI allows companies to potentially do the same work with fewer people, unemployment could increase—and businesses do even better. Economists say that at the very least, this means people need to stop thinking about economic conditions through textbook-era models. And yes, AI could bring both high corporate profits and high unemployment—but it could also have a similar type........

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