DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ These are the 10 best-led companies in the country, according to Glassdoor—they have more than just 'a great CEO'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The company with the best leadership in the U.S. isn't a tech titan or hospitality giant: It's management consulting firm Bain & Company. That's according to Glassdoor, which released on Tuesday its inaugural 50 Best-Led Companies ranking. The list measures how effectively bosses communicate and foster healthy company cultures, based on the workplace review website's anonymous employee ratings. Beyond Bain, the tech industry does occupy much of the list — 12 companies, more than any other sector. Consulting, finance and retail are the next-most represented industries, with six companies appearing from each.

Persons: Bain, Glassdoor, Daniel Zhao, Zhao, Nvidia Raymond James Organizations: Bain & Company, Consulting, CNBC, Equitable, Autodesk Bain & Company Locations: U.S

☆ 81% of young people say a 4-day workweek would boost productivity, new CNBC/Generation Lab survey reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Young adults are throwing their support behind calls for a four-day workweek. A new national survey from CNBC/Generation Lab of 1,033 people aged 18 to 34 found that an overwhelming 81% of respondents believe a four-day workweek would boost their company's productivity, while 19% said productivity would decline. Exos, a U.S. coaching company that trains top athletes and leads corporate wellness programs, recently reported results from the first six months of an ongoing four-day workweek experiment. Other four-day workweek trials have shown similar gains. Although respondents to the CNBC/Generation Lab survey largely agreed on workweek length, they were less unified when asked about work setting.

Persons: Sen, Bernie Sanders, Mark Takano, Barry Diller, Steven Cohen, Cohen Organizations: CNBC, Representatives, IAC, New York Mets Locations: USA, U.S

☆ Apple on pace for best day since 2022 after earnings beat, $110 billion stock buyback
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple shares popped more than 6% on Friday morning after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and the largest-ever stock buyback program. If the gains hold until the market closes, it will be the best day for Apple shares since Nov. 30, 2022. The iPhone maker announced on Thursday it would repurchase $110 billion of its shares, the biggest buyback in U.S. history, surpassing Apple's prior repurchases. But overall sales decreased 4% and iPhone sales dropped 10% year over year during the quarter, indicating flagging demand for the smartphone's latest generation. Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that quarterly sales suffered from a difficult comparison to the year-earlier period.

Persons: Tim Cook, Morgan Stanley, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, CNBC, Bank of America, JPMorgan Locations: Mainland China, iPads, China

☆ Super Micro plummets 15% after posting revenue miss
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Super Micro Computer logo is seen on a smartphone screen. Super Micro Computer shares plunged 15% on Wednesday after the server company upped its top-line guidance but reported third-quarter revenue that slightly missed estimates. Super Micro hiked its fiscal 2024 revenue forecast to between $14.7 billion and $15.1 billion, exceeding the $14.6 billion expected, per LSEG. Super Micro joined the S&P 500 in March. Also on Tuesday, Wells Fargo analysts, maintaining an equal weight rating on Super Micro stock, dropped their price target from $960 to $890.

Persons: Wells, SMCI, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Micro Computer, LSEG, Micro, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Nvidia, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Barclays

Following a long period of waiting, "the IPO market's back." That's according to Colin Stewart, Morgan Stanley's global head of technology equity capital markets. In an interview with CNBC's "TechCheck" on Monday, Stewart said 10 to 15 more tech companies could go public before the end of 2024, with an even "better year" in store for 2025. Morgan Stanley was the lead banker on the Reddit and Astera IPOs, positioning itself to collect roughly $37 million in total fees. Wall Street rival Goldman Sachs led the latest venture-backed tech IPO last week.

Persons: Colin Stewart, Morgan, CNBC's, Stewart, It's, we've, Reddit, Morgan Stanley, Astera, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange

☆ Alphabet soars 10% on strong earnings, first-ever dividend, $70 billion buyback
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai during the Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, on May 10, 2023. Alphabet shares shot up 10% Friday morning after the company posted better-than-expected first-quarter results and greenlit its first-ever dividend and a $70 billion buyback. Earnings of $1.89 per share eclipsed the $1.51 in earnings per share expected by Wall Street. The company said the board also approved the repurchase of an additional $70 billion in stock. Among other price target boosts for the stock following Alphabet's earnings, JPMorgan increased its price target to $200 from $165, while Evercore ISI upped its target to $200 from $160.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley, durably, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Google, LSEG, Wall, YouTube, Barclays, —, JPMorgan Locations: Mountain View , California

☆ Meta tumbles 12% on weak revenue forecast and Zuckerberg's comments on spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta shares tumbled 12% Thursday morning after the company issued weak revenue guidance that overshadowed its first-quarter earnings beat. ET, wiping out roughly $161 billion in market cap from its $493.5 closing price before earnings on Wednesday. Meta expects second-quarter revenue of $36.5 billion to $39 billion. Barclays analysts maintained an overweight rating of Meta stock and lowered their price target to $520 from $550 in an investor note Wednesday. "If there is anything META has proven over the years, it's extremely good at executing during big platform shifts in tech, arguably the best," the Barclays analysts wrote.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Bernstein, Zuckerberg, Michael Bloom Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Meta, JPMorgan, Barclays Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Meta's Reality Labs posts $3.85 billion loss in first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Facebook co-founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, speaks at an Oculus developers conference while wearing a virtual reality headset in San Jose, California. Meta shows no signs of substantially trimming its losses from investing in the metaverse, as competition heightens between the Facebook parent and Apple in the virtual reality market. In its first-quarter earnings report Wednesday, Meta disclosed that its Reality Labs unit recorded a $3.85 billion operating loss. Analysts were expecting a $4.31 billion operating loss and sales of $512.5 million for the quarter, according to StreetAccount. Reality Labs has now lost more than $45 billion since the end of 2020, when Meta first began reporting the business segment separately.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Organizations: Facebook, Apple, Reality Labs, Revenue, Meta Locations: San Jose , California

☆ Tesla surges after Elon Musk says new affordable EV models coming
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Nov. 29, 2023. Tesla shares surged 15% on Wednesday morning after CEO Elon Musk said the electric-vehicle company plans to begin production of new affordable EV models by early 2025. Musk's comments came during Tesla's earnings call on Tuesday after the company reported disappointing first-quarter numbers. The company previously expected to start production of the new EV models in the second half of 2025. UBS analysts on Tuesday reiterated their neutral rating of Tesla stock and lowered their price target to $147 from $160, saying they remain skeptical of the company's talk.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk's, Tesla's, Michael Bloom Organizations: New York Times, Jazz, Lincoln Center, Revenue, Bank of America, UBS Locations: New York City

☆ Super Micro plunges as investors rotate out of red-hot AI stock ahead of earnings later this month
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Super Micro Computer shares plunged 18% on Friday as investors scaled back their holdings of one of the market's hottest stocks ahead of earnings later this month. Shares of Super Micro, which joined the S&P 500 in March, are still up about 168% this year after climbing 246% in 2023. The server and computer infrastructure company is a primary vendor for Nvidia , whose technology is the backbone for most of today's powerful artificial intelligence models. Super Micro said in a brief press release on Friday that it will report fiscal third-quarter results on April 30. In January, Super Micro increased its sales and earnings guidance 11 days before announcing second-quarter financials.

Organizations: Micro Computer, Nvidia, Micro, Super Micro, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Blackwell

☆ Adobe releases Acrobat AI assistant starting at $4.99 a month
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen speaks during an interview with CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 20, 2024. Adobe on Monday released its artificial intelligence assistant, which helps users understand the contents of digital documents. Monthly subscriptions start at $4.99. As part of the release, Adobe is also launching a free mobile version of the tool in beta that can respond to voice commands, and is bringing the service to extensions on Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. Adobe said subscription pricing for the feature is an "early access" rate and will change in the future.

Persons: Shantanu Narayen Organizations: CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Adobe, Microsoft Edge, Google

☆ Salesforce drops after reports it is in talks to acquire Informatica
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People pass by the Salesforce Tower and Salesforce.com offices in New York City on March 7, 2019. Salesforce stock fell 5% Monday after reports over the weekend that the cloud software company is in advanced talks to buy data-management firm Informatica. The price being weighed is below Informatica's closing stock price on Friday of $38.48, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the talks on Friday. It would also be its largest deal since purchasing workplace chat developer Slack for nearly $28 billion in 2021, Salesforce's largest acquisition to date. Before paying for Slack, Salesforce bought data visualization company Tableau for $15.3 billion in 2019, and MuleSoft for $6.5 billion in 2018.

Persons: Slack, Salesforce Organizations: Informatica, Wall Street, Reuters Locations: New York City, Redwood City , California

☆ AMD and Intel dip on report China told telecoms to remove foreign chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices and Intel dipped on Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported that China is ordering the country's largest telecommunications carriers to cease use of foreign chips. Chinese officials issued the directive earlier this year for the telecom systems to replace non-Chinese core processors by 2027, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said the mandate would impact AMD and Intel. China set new guidelines in December to remove U.S. chips from government computers and servers, blocking processors from AMD and Intel, the Financial Times reported last month. Intel has reportedly survived a push by AMD to end its sale of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of laptop chips to the U.S.-sanctioned Chinese telecom company Huawei.

Persons: Hong Kong Organizations: U.S, Devices, Intel, Street Journal, AMD, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Huawei Locations: China, Hong, U.S

☆ Google removing links to California news websites as part of test in response to pending legislation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Google headquarters is seen in Mountain View, California, United States on May 15, 2023. Google will begin removing links to California news websites from search results for some Californians in response to a bill that would require online ad companies to pay a fee for connecting state residents to news sources. The recent developments have upended many online publishers that count on Facebook and Google for traffic and are particularly painful for publications that rely on advertising revenue. "If passed, CJPA may result in significant changes to the services we can offer Californians and the traffic we can provide to California publishers," Zaidi wrote. Supporters of the California bill say it will help news publishers receive a fair chunk of the ad profits reaped by tech juggernauts like Apple , Google and Meta.

Persons: Jaffer Zaidi, Zaidi Organizations: Google, California Journalism, Facebook, Meta, Google News, Apple Locations: View , California, United States, California, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand

☆ Google launching AI photo eraser for iPhone and Android phones in May
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president, Devices & Services, speaks during a product launch event for the Google Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 pro phones, Pixel Watch 2, and Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, in New York on October 4, 2023. Google announced Wednesday that it will make several of its photo-editing tools powered by generative artificial intelligence free to all users of Google Photos. The Google Photos AI features include Magic Eraser, which removes unwanted objects from photos; Photo Unblur, which sharpens out-of-focus images; and Portrait Light, which can rebalance a photo's lighting. As part of next month's roll-out, Google is also broadening access to its Magic Editor feature to all Pixel devices. All Google Photos users on Android and iOS will receive 10 Magic Editor photo saves per month, according to the announcement.

Persons: Rick Osterloh, Google's Organizations: Devices & Services, Google Locations: New York

☆ Elon Musk says AI will be smarter than humans in 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In March, Musk wrote on X that AI will be smarter than "all humans combined" by 2029. (Coincidentally, Musk says OpenAI has poached some of Tesla's AI engineers.) Related stories"We're seeing a lot of the best talents going into AI," Musk says in the interview. Last year's constraint, Musk says, was the dwindling supply of chips needed to power AI training efforts. AdvertisementMusk expects to encounter these challenges in making Grok, an AI chatbot backed by his startup xAI, smarter than its rivals.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Musk, Nicolai Tangen, OpenAI, Grok, OpenAI's ChatGPT, it's, Daphne Koller, MacArthur, " Koller Organizations: Service, Norges Bank, Business, Google, Microsoft, Wall Street, Reddit, Stanford

☆ Alphabet reportedly weighing offer for HubSpot, sending shares in the $32 billion marketing company up 7%
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Shares of HubSpot popped 7% on Thursday morning after Reuters reported that Alphabet is in talks with its advisers to make an offer for the marketing software company. Alphabet has in recent days discussed how much it should offer and whether antitrust officials would greenlight the deal, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter. HubSpot, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had a market cap of around $32 billion before Reuters reported on Alphabet's interest. The company provides businesses with marketing, sales and customer service software. Alphabet has yet to submit an offer for HubSpot and it's uncertain if it will, according to the report.

Persons: Read Organizations: Reuters Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts

☆ Intel drops 8% after chipmaker reports hefty loss in foundry business
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Intel shares closed down 8% on Wednesday after the company disclosed long-awaited financials for its semiconductor manufacturing, or foundry, business, revealing an operating loss of $7 billion in 2023. It was the first time Intel had reported revenue totals for its foundry arm alone, separating it from the products business, which reported $11.3 billion in operating income in 2023. Intel said Tuesday that it expects its foundry losses to peak in 2024 and break even halfway between the current quarter and the end of 2030. "NOW is when the real work begins," the analysts wrote in a Tuesday investor note. "With a multi-year execution cycle still ahead, we continue to prefer nearer-term AI beneficiaries, NVDA and AMD," the analysts wrote.

Persons: Cantor Fitzgerald, Intel's, —, Kif Leswing Organizations: Intel, AMD

☆ Jim Cramer says the AI buzz is far from a bubble — the game has yet to start
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"It's clear that lots of investors have no idea what AI is," Cramer said on "Mad Money." "In fairness, the reason they have no idea is because we really haven't even seen anything transformative from the AI camp just yet." Cramer cautioned that it isn't prudent to so quickly dismiss AI bellwethers like chipmaker Nvidia in favor of high-performing refinery and dollar store stocks. "In terms of innings, I don't think the AI game has even started yet," Cramer said. Expanding his baseball metaphor, Cramer said AI is in its batting practice stage but may eventually replace many "undesirable" jobs involving physical labor.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Cramer, Jensen Huang Organizations: Nvidia

☆ Spotify jumps 8% on report it plans to raise prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spotify stock closed up 8% on Wednesday after a Bloomberg report said the company will increase prices for its premium subscription service in several markets, including the U.S., for the second time in a year. The Swedish music-streaming company will hike prices in the U.S. later this year, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Spotify will raise monthly prices by the end of April by about $1 to $2 in five markets including the United Kingdom, Australia and Pakistan, according to Bloomberg. Spotify will also launch a new basic subscription tier for $11 per month, the same price as the premium plan currently costs, Bloomberg reported. Last year, the audio company raised prices by as much as $2 for its premium subscription in the United States and several other countries.

Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Spotify, Bloomberg, Apple, YouTube Locations: New York City, U.S, Swedish, United Kingdom, Australia, Pakistan, United States

☆ Waymo self-driving cars are delivering Uber Eats orders for first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two Waymo autonomous vehicles drive themselves down Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., March 18, 2024. For Uber Eats, Phoenix is the seventh site with autonomous deliveries, but the first location where the delivery app will use Waymo's vehicles. Uber Eats has already teamed up with robotics companies Cartken, Motional, Nuro and Serve Robotics to pilot autonomous deliveries in other markets . Uber Eats customers may start receiving orders delivered by a Waymo self-driving car for the first time in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Uber Eats users in areas serviced by Waymo can opt to have their items delivered by a courier.

Persons: Uber Organizations: Robotics, Waymo, CNBC, PACE Locations: Phoenix , Arizona, U.S, Phoenix, Arizona, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Los Angeles, San Francisco

☆ SEC settles insider trading charges against Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Arista, Sun Microsystems
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Andreas "Andy" Von Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Arista Networks Inc., speaks during a Bloomberg West television interview in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, May 2, 2013. Andy Bechtolsheim, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Arista Networks , has reached a settlement with the SEC on insider trading charges that will cost him close to $1 million and bars him from serving as a public company officer or director for five years. Cisco announced its agreement to buy networking company Acacia for $70 per share in a $2.6 billion deal, driving Acacia's stock up 35%. "While the SEC announcement did not involve any trading in Arista securities, Arista takes compliance to the company's code of conduct and insider trading policy seriously," an Arista spokesperson told CNBC in an email. Bechtolsheim, who lives in Incline Village, Nevada, co-founded Arista in 2004 and took the company public a decade later.

Persons: Andreas, Andy, Von Bechtolsheim, Andy Bechtolsheim, Bechtolsheim, Bechtolsheim confidentially, didn't, Scott McNealy, Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy Organizations: Arista Networks Inc, Bloomberg West, Sun Microsystems, Arista Networks, SEC, Acacia Communications, Cisco, Arista, Acacia, Bechtolsheim, CNBC, Oracle, Sun Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, San Jose , California, Incline Village , Nevada

☆ Ericsson will cut 1,200 jobs in Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ericsson recently announced it is planning to cut 8,500 jobs as part of its cost-cutting measures. Ericsson announced on Monday that it will lay off around 1,200 employees in Sweden as the telecom company faces slowed demand for its 5G equipment. Last year, the company laid off 8,500 staffers, or about 8% of its workforce, to cut costs. Ericsson had 99,950 employees, including 10,744 workers in North America, at the end of last year, according to an SEC filing. In 2023, more than 260,000 workers were let go from almost 1,200 tech companies.

Persons: Ericsson Organizations: Ericsson, SEC, Industry, Meta, Microsoft, Cisco Locations: Sweden, North America

☆ Nvidia stock dips after company unveils latest AI chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nvidia shares dipped 3% on Tuesday morning after the company unveiled its new generation of artificial intelligence chips, called Blackwell. The company also announced a new enterprise software product known as Nvidia Inference Microservice, which makes it easier to run older generations of Nvidia GPUs. Still, the Wells Fargo analysts wrote the news reinforced their "long-standing positive thesis" on Nvidia's technology and monetization opportunities. "Based on our recent industry conversations, we expect Blackwell to be the fastest ramping product in Nvidia's history," the analysts wrote in a note to investors. "Nvidia has played (and will continue to play) an instrumental role in democratizing AI across many industry verticals."

Persons: Jensen Huang, Blackwell, Taylor Swift, Jensen, Bernstein, NVDA, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Nvidia, Intelligence, SAP Center, Monday, Wells, Goldman Locations: San Jose , California, San Jose

☆ Laid-off techies face 'sense of impending doom' with job cuts at highest since dot-com crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Last month's job cut count was the highest of any February since 2009, when the financial crisis forced companies into cash preservation mode. CNBC spoke to a dozen people who have been laid off from tech jobs in the past year or so about their experiences navigating the labor market. Additionally, some listings required applicants to have advanced degrees or professional experience in machine learning and artificial intelligence, a new development in Croisant's experience on the job market. "It is a combination of how well you brand yourself, about your access through networking to any given position — to the hidden job market." Still, Powers said she's trying to stay optimistic, "because giving up is not going to get me a job."

Persons: Ed Jones, Allison Croisant, Croisant, Roger Lee, Layoffs.fyi, Lee, I'm, Powers, who's, Tayfun, Christopher Fong, Fong, Michael Kascsak, Kascsak, It's, Lee of Layoffs.fyi, Amit Mittal, Amit Mittal Amit Mittal, Mittal, he's, Bill Vezey, —, Vezey, She's, would've, she's, Jennifer Elias Organizations: Afp, Getty, PayPal, Meta, Microsoft, eBay, Unity Software, SAP, Cisco, Wall, CNBC, Google, Anadolu Agency, Nationwide Locations: New York, Omaha , Nebraska, Comprehensive.io, Natchez , Mississippi, View , California, United States, Austin , Texas, U.S, who's, India, Chicago, Santa Cruz , California

Search resuls for: "" Koller"

25 mentions found