Originally posted by MCO Group on August 28, 2026

01. Georgia Attorney General Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. Meta must also implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook. The agreement resolves claims by 47 States and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other allegations. Under the settlement, the State of Georgia will receive close to $100 million and could receive almost $135 million.

02. Walmart Plans $1.3B Investment in Franklin County

Governor Kemp today announced that Walmart, Inc. plans to build a high-tech, next-generation fulfillment center in Carnesville, creating 1,000 new jobs and bringing $1.3 billion in investment to Franklin County. Walmart’s presence in Georgia includes 209 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, as well as 11 supply chain facilities, employing more than 65,300 associates statewide. The retailer spends more than $26.2 billion with state suppliers, supporting more than 167,600 supplier jobs in fiscal year 2025.

03. Georgia Chamber Launches Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance

The Georgia Chamber launched the Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance and plans to brief policymakers beginning in September. The industry is responding to growing concerns about electricity rates, water consumption, transparency and local land use. Expect data-center cost allocation, tax incentives and local permitting authority to be major issues during the 2027 legislative session.

04. Everton Blair Wins Race for Georgia’s 13th Congressional District

Everton Blair, a former Gwinnett County Board of Education chair, is headed to Washington to finish out the late Congressman David Scott's term representing Georgia's 13th Congressional District after defeating Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late congressman, in a special election. Blair, a 34-year-old with a doctorate in education from Harvard University, is the third Black, openly gay man elected to Congress and the first to represent a Southern state. He ran a progressive campaign by advocating for Medicare for all, speaking out against Israel's reliance on U.S. tax dollars and its influence in U.S. politics, and pledging to voters that he would be a voice in Washington against President Donald Trump's policies.

05. Hyundai Weighs Expanding Georgia Manufacturing Complex

Hyundai is considering a major expansion of its Georgia manufacturing complex near Savannah as US tariffs increase the cost of importing vehicles from South Korea. The automaker could raise the planned annual capacity of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America from 500,000 vehicles to between 700,000 and 800,000 by 2028, surpassing Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant as America’s busiest car factory.