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Who could buy TikTok?
  + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +6 min
Still, the company is under such close scrutiny that it would be a poor candidate to buy TikTok, experts say. If you were to tell me it’s Verizon, or AT&T, maybe it’s not as big of a problem.”Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, highlighted a paradox: Only the largest, most dominant tech giants may have the resources to buy TikTok. Microsoft had been one of the handful of contenders to buy TikTok in 2020 when President Donald Trump first pushed for a sale. A former Trump Cabinet official enters the frayIn a move that caught many by surprise, former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that he is putting together a team of investors to buy TikTok. As with Mnuchin, O’Leary has said a potential acquisition of TikTok may have to exclude TikTok’s algorithm.
Persons: Joe Biden, There’s, , Gene Kimmelman, Jasmine Enberg, ” Enberg, TikTok’s, Donald Trump, TikTok, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, ” Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Trump, who’ve, Kevin O’Leary, O’Leary Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Google, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Department, YouTube, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Verizon, Emarketer, Activision Blizzard, Walmart, Oracle, Project Texas, Texas, Trump Cabinet, Trump Treasury, Trump, ” Oregon Democratic, Washington Post, O’Leary Ventures Locations: United States, TikTok, ” Oregon
E-Commerce and the Influencer Economy
  + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Annemarie Conte | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
Wirecutter, The Times’s product recommendation service, tests many of the wares that clog Americans’ social media feeds. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain how e-commerce, a $6 trillion global industry, became choked with junk. Paid to sellOnline shopping can expose people to a greasy influencer economy. When an influencer’s follower clicks a link and buys something, the influencer makes money. That’s why people on your social media feed are crowing about their 10 favorite Amazon finds or talking about how an expensive gizmo has changed their life.
Organizations: Brands
Juliette Pavy/Sony World Photography AwardsNow in its 17th year, the Sony World Photography Awards celebrates powerful images that resonate with audiences around the world. Mahé Elipe/Sony World Photography Awards “The Sacrifice Zone," taken in a remote part of Kazakhstan, won Eddo Hartmann the Landscape category. Eddo Hartmann/Sony World Photography Awards Ireland’s Siobhán Doran took the prize for the Architecture and Design category for "Sala Mayor (Living Room)." Siobhán Doran/Sony World Photography Awards Jorge Mónaco of Argentina won the Portfolio category for his submission “Portraits and Landscapes.” Jorge Mónaco/Sony World Photography Awards The Still Life prize went to Federico Scarchilli from Italy. Sujata Setia/Sony World Photography Awards Thomas Meurot’s series "Kald Sòl" (Cold Sun) about surfing in Iceland's winter was the winner in the Sport section.
download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewChina and Russia keep finding ways to get past Microsoft's security systems. Advertisement"Midnight Blizzard's successful compromise of Microsoft corporate email accounts and the exfiltration of correspondence between agencies and Microsoft presents a grave and unacceptable risk to agencies," CISA wrote in its emergency directive. AdvertisementLast week, the US Department of Homeland Security released a report from the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) detailing a "cascade" of "avoidable errors" in the company's security systems. A Microsoft spokesperson told BI of the latest Russian attack: "As we discover secrets in our exfiltrated email, we are working with our customers to help them investigate and mitigate.
Persons: , CISA, Jen Organizations: Service, Infrastructure Security Agency, Microsoft, Business, Blizzard, Midnight Blizzard, US Department of Homeland Security Locations: China, Russia, Russian, U.S
CNN —China’s gaming giant NetEase will bring back the iconic “World of Warcraft” and other popular video games by Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment to the country, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. California-based Blizzard and Hangzhou-based NetEase had ceased their 15-year relationship in 2023 after an acrimonious fallout, leaving millions of fans in China heartbroken. “After a year of negotiations, Blizzard and NetEase are pleased to align on a path forward to once again serve players in mainland China,” the companies said in a post on NetEase Games’ official Weibo account. The new deal will see the return of “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” games to China, as well as other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and StarCraft universes, according to the statement. Foreign publishers must work with local partners to offer video games in China.
Persons: NetEase, , , we’ve, William Ding, , Phil Spencer Organizations: CNN, Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard, Games, Weibo, Microsoft Gaming, Xbox, Microsoft, Activision, Big Locations: China, California, Hangzhou, Beijing, Big Tech
Chinese video games giant NetEase said it is working with Microsoft to bring popular games including "World of Warcraft" back to the country after a public fallout that ended a decade-long partnership in 2023. NetEase was the publisher of Blizzard's games in China from 2008 to 2023. "We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China," said Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment. Additionally, Microsoft and NetEase said they have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Microsoft's Xbox gaming consoles and its other gaming platforms. A number of popular online games developed by Blizzard were taken offline in China last year after the company terminated its lucrative, 14-year-long partnership with NetEase, citing disagreement over intellectual property control.
Persons: NetEase, Johanna Faries Organizations: Microsoft, Blizzard Entertainment, Activision, Blizzard, NetEase Locations: U.S, China
The Chinese company NetEase said on Wednesday that it had struck a deal to distribute titles from Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, restoring access to popular video games like World of Warcraft for Chinese gamers. More than a year ago, NetEase and Blizzard called an end to their long-running partnership when renewal talks turned testy, with both sides accusing each other of bad-faith negotiations. An uproar ensued among Chinese gamers, upset about losing access to a slew of popular titles from Blizzard’s parent company, the U.S. game developer Activision Blizzard. NetEase said on Wednesday that it had reached the new deal with Microsoft, which acquired Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion deal in October. The two companies said they had also agreed to distribute NetEase titles on Microsoft’s Xbox game device.
Persons: NetEase, we’ve, ” William Ding Organizations: Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Locations: U.S
CNN —A powerful winter storm is pummeling parts of the Central Plains with blizzard conditions and is set to drop a blanket of snow from Colorado to Minnesota through Tuesday, threatening widespread power outages and treacherous road conditions. Blizzard warnings extend from northern Colorado and Kansas into parts of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota on Monday. Amy Forliti/APLast week, a storm dumped snow from the northern Plains to the Northeast. Many power lines were grounded across Maine after the storm blew through, according to Central Maine Power. The event increased the likilihood of seeing the Aurora Borealis in parts of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Great Lakes and interior Northeast overnight Sunday.
Persons: Amy Forliti, King Salmon, CNN’s, Samantha Beech, Nic F, Anderson Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Dakotas, Central Maine Power, Geological Survey, Geophysical Institute of Alaska, Prediction Locations: Plains, Colorado, Minnesota, Midwest, Great Lakes, Colorado and Kansas, Minnesota , Nebraska, South Dakota, Upper Midwest, Nebraska, North Platte, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Como, St, Paul , Minnesota, Maine , New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Aurora, Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Seattle, Chicago , Minneapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Portland, Alaska, Utqiaġvik, Kodiak, King
At the time, I'd been working as an office assistant at Activision in Minnesota, but the Blizzard job was based in California. Dream jobBefore landing the Blizzard job, I was eyeing a range of roles in the gaming industry and networking. When I finally got through the lengthy interview process for the Blizzard job, I originally missed out. I'm happy I moved to California — but I wouldn't relocate for a job againDespite everything, I'm happy I moved to California. AdvertisementEven if I were offered another gaming job, I wouldn't relocate for a role again — I'm too worried about getting burned twice.
Persons: , Cole McElwain, I'd, couldn't, I'm, — I'm Organizations: Service, Blizzard, Activision, Business, Microsoft Locations: Minnesota, California
(AP) — David Breashears, a mountaineer, author and filmmaker who co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died, his business manager confirmed Saturday. Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Thursday, Ellen Golbranson said. She said he died of natural causes but "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time.”Breashears summited Mount Everest five times, including with the IMAX camera in 1996, his family said. "He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world’s most admired adventure filmmakers,” the family said in a written statement. Breashears and his team were filming the Everest documentary when the May 10, 1996, blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers.
Persons: — David Breashears, Breashears, Ellen Golbranson, Organizations: Everest, Facebook Locations: MARBLEHEAD, Mass, Marblehead , Massachusetts, Everest
What’s next for ByteDance’s U.S. investors? DealBook has spoken with people in the know about what these investors, including financial giants like the Susquehanna International Group, can do, with billions of dollars on the line. Mnuchin, a former Treasury secretary, told Andrew on CNBC on Thursday that he was in talks with a “combination of U.S. investors” about a TikTok deal. He added that he had spoken with some of the investors in ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, about possibly rolling over their stake. of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, also reportedly has been looking for potential partners for a bid.
Persons: What’s, , DealBook, Steven Mnuchin, Andrew, Bill Ford, Bobby Kotick Organizations: ByteDance’s U.S, U.S, Susquehanna International Group, CNBC, Activision Locations: Beijing, China, ByteDance
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is building an investor group to acquire ByteDance's TikTok, as a bipartisan piece of legislation winding its way through Congress threatens its continued existence in the U.S. "It's a great business and I'm going to put together a group to buy TikTok." There's no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this in China," Mnuchin said. Last week, Mnuchin's Liberty Strategic Capital was a lead investor in a $1 billion capital raise to stabilize New York Community Bancorp. That administration also took an antagonistic stance toward TikTok, which ultimately resulted in ByteDance striking a data partnership with Oracle .
Persons: Steven Mnuchin, ByteDance's, ByteDance, Mnuchin, CNBC's, Masa, Joe Biden, Peter Thiel, Vinod Khosla, Keith Rabois, TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, Wang Wenbin, Bobby Kotick, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: U.S, Liberty Strategic Capital, Vision Fund, Senate, Lawmakers, China Foreign Ministry, Financial Times, Street, Activision, Community Bancorp, Oracle Locations: Liberty, ByteDance, U.S, China, TikTok, New
Who will buy TikTok from ByteDance?
  + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +6 min
At $100 billion, there are few companies that could afford to buy TikTok outright. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal wrote that Kotick “floated the idea of partnering to buy TikTok to a table of people that included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.”CNN couldn’t independently confirm the report. Its one go at the social media scene, the buggy and short-lived Ping, was one of Apple’s biggest flops. And any tech executive or private equity investor thinking of buying TikTok would need to be prepared to enter the social media quagmire. A key question in assessing the value of a TikTok deal is whether China would allow ByteDance to export its algorithm — the secret sauce that keeps TikTok users glued to their phones.
Persons: CNN Business ’, There’s, Joe Biden’s, who’d, Dan Ives, ” Ives, Who’s, , Gene Kimmelman, OpenAi, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard, , Sam Altman, ” CNN couldn’t, Altman didn’t, doesn’t, quagmire, They’d, Mark Zuckerberg, Shou Chew, It’s, Trump, , Brian Fung Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Senate, Microsoft, Department, Google, ” Meta, Facebook, Street Journal, Activision, ” CNN, Kotick, Apple, Oracle, Walmart, Communist Party, ByteDance Locations: New York, United States, Beijing, Europe, China
Microsoft is rolling out an unorthodox pricing model for its new security chatbot that becomes available to the public on April 1. Microsoft considered input from early customers as well as the costs of tapping OpenAI's LLMs that process users' prompts, Vasu Jakkal, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, told CNBC. Microsoft charges for use of its Azure OpenAI Service based on the number of tokens a client uses. BP is an early customer of the new security service. Copilot for Security can answer questions by drawing on information from Microsoft's own security products and third-party providers.
Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Andrew Conway, Conway, Vasu Jakkal, Chip Calhoun, Copilot, UnitedHealth Organizations: Microsoft, Security, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, Windows, Dynamics, CNBC, OpenAI, BP Locations: Seoul, Charlotte, Russian
A group of roughly 600 software testers at Activision on Friday formed the U.S. video game industry's largest union so far. The union is the first to organize under a new labor agreement negotiated as part of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision in October, the company's largest takeover yet. Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA, the name of the union, is seeking higher wages and more career opportunities, QA tester Kara Fannon said in a statement. Before the Microsoft-Activision deal closed, QA workers at the video game-maker's Albany branch had also formed a union. "QA is currently an undervalued discipline in the games and software industries," the Albany wrote on social media at the time.
Persons: Bobby Kotick, Amy Pannoni, Kara Fannon, Claude Cummings Jr Organizations: Activision Blizzard, Allen, Co, Activision, Microsoft, Assurance United, CWA, Communications Workers of America, Labor, Big Tech Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, U.S, Microsoft's, California , Texas, Minnesota, Albany
It's been three decades since the Sony PlayStation first brought to life some of the video game industry's most beloved franchises. The gaming console expanded into the U.S. a year later in 1995. "We went into markets where video gaming had never really been a thing. Most recently, Microsoft's $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition presented a major threat to Sony's long-standing gaming business. Watch the video to learn more about the story of Sony's PlayStation and to hear what is next for the company.
Persons: It's, Jim Ryan, Ryan, Shawn Layden, Layden, Carolina Milanesi Organizations: Sony PlayStation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide, Sony Music, Sony Electronics, Activision Blizzard, Activision, Microsoft, Sony Locations: Japan, U.S, Europe, Italy, Spain
Microsoft on Friday said that Russian group Nobelium, which the company refers to as Midnight Blizzard, has been trying to access its internal systems and source code repositories. "In recent weeks, we have seen evidence that Midnight Blizzard is using information initially exfiltrated from our corporate email systems to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access. This has included access to some of the company's source code repositories and internal systems," Microsoft said in a blog post. Microsoft said Midnight Blizzard was trying to access secrets, including those shared between Microsoft and its customers, but that it was reaching out and helping affected customers. Microsoft first said in January that it had detected a cyberattack from Nobelium, which saw the Russian group hack emails from top executives.
Persons: Blizzard, — Sophie Kiderlin Organizations: Microsoft, Midnight Locations: Nobelium, Russian
Microsoft on Friday said that Russian group Nobelium, which the company refers to as Midnight Blizzard, has been trying to access its internal systems and source code repositories. "In recent weeks, we have seen evidence that Midnight Blizzard is using information initially exfiltrated from our corporate email systems to gain, or attempt to gain, unauthorized access. This has included access to some of the company's source code repositories and internal systems," Microsoft said in a blogpost. "To date we have found no evidence that Microsoft-hosted customer-facing systems have been compromised." Microsoft said Midnight Blizzard was trying to access secrets, including those shared between Microsoft and its customers, but that it was reaching out and helping affected customers.
Persons: Blizzard Organizations: Microsoft, Midnight
The Sugar Bowl Ski Resort located near Donner Peak recorded 87 inches (7.25 feet) of snow from Friday to Sunday. Snow blocks the door of the maintenance shop of the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. At least 5 feet of snow buried the resort, but strong winds carried snow into even taller piles called snow drifts. Snow completely engulfs a guest's car at the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. The California Highway Patrol posted a photo Saturday afternoon of one of its cars stuck in snow.
Persons: Jax, Jane Tyska, Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Area, AP, Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Transportation Locations: Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Pacific, Truckee , California, California, Nevada, Tahoe, Sierra, Twin, Truckee, Kingvale, Auburn
CNN —Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) head coach Steve Cherundolo said it was an “absolute disgrace” that his team’s match against Real Salt Lake (RSL) went ahead despite a blizzard engulfing the America First Field in Sandy, Utah on Saturday. After the Major League Soccer (MLS) match had been delayed for more than three hours due to the inclement conditions, LAFC sunk to a 3-0 defeat while the snow fell around the players. “It was not difficult conditions [but] impossible conditions, an absolute joke that we had to play today,” Cherundolo told reporters. LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo watches on from the touchline. “I didn’t even watch the game, the last 20 minutes you couldn’t see anything.”French World Cup winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was playing in his second game for LAFC.
Persons: Steve Cherundolo, , ” Cherundolo, Rob Gray, LAFC, Andrés Gómez, Hugo Lloris, Diego Luna, Gómez, Chico Arango, Cherundolo, Chris Gardner, Pablo Mastroeni, Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Football Club, Real, Real Salt Lake, America, Major League Soccer, USA, Sports, RSL, LAFC, Getty, MLS Locations: Real Salt, Sandy , Utah
CNN —Blizzard conditions continued to slam Northern California over the weekend with damaging winds and heavy snow dumping on mountain ridges down to the valleys. The most extreme conditions are unfolding at the highest elevations in the mountains, with whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds. The weather service has warned of “high to extreme” avalanche danger through Sunday afternoon in the Central Sierra and Greater Lake Tahoe area. “Expect snowy conditions throughout the park,” park officials said. A blizzard warning remains in effect for the park area until 7 p.m. on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford, California.
Persons: , Whiteouts, Brooke Hess, Mario Tama Organizations: CNN, Blizzard, Prediction, Central Sierra, Intermountain, Weather, West, National Weather Service, California Department of Transportation, Donner Summit, California Highway Patrol, Facebook, Officials Locations: Northern California, Sierra Nevada, Nevada, Greater Lake Tahoe, Sierra, California, Tahoe, Twin, Truckee, Truckee , California, Colfax, Yosemite, Hanford , California
CNN —An extremely-dangerous winter storm has arrived in California and will unload feet of snow, powerful winds and rare blizzard conditions in the mountains through the weekend. As snow continues to spread across California, so will strong winds and blizzard conditions. Snowfall rates are expected to reach extreme levels of 3 to 5 inches an hour from Friday through Saturday – especially along the Sierra Nevada. Heavy snow and roaring winds are expected to combine to produce rare and long-lasting blizzard conditions for much of the Sierra and parts of the northern ranges. Storm will provide much-needed boost to critical snowpackCalifornia’s Sierra Nevada snowpack got off to a slow start this winter.
Persons: ” Snow, We’ve, Edan, Lindaman Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Pacific Northwest, Sierra, Yosemite, National Park Service, Rockies, Storm, Sierra Nevada snowpack, California’s Department of Water Resources, US Environmental Protection Agency Locations: California, Reno , Nevada, Pacific, Klamath, Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Sierra, Reno
AdvertisementSony Interactive Entertainment is laying off about 900 people from the PlayStation division. PlayStation Studios' London studio will close, Ryan wrote. Ryan will retire at the end of March, as he wrote in a press release shared in September. In January, Microsoft announced it's laying off 1,900 staff members across Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax. All employees who are part of the collective consultation will be made aware of the next steps today.
Persons: Jim Ryan, Ryan, Jim Organizations: Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, Asia Pacific, PlayStation Studios, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Unity, Business, Sony Locations: Americas, Europe, Japan, Asia, EMEA
New York CNN —Electronic Arts plans to lay off 5% of its employees, making it the latest company in the gaming and tech space to reduce its workforce. Epic Games cut 830 jobs in September. In January, Tencent’s Riot Games said it would lay off 11% of its workforce and Microsoft said it would cut 1,900 jobs from its Activision Blizzard and Xbox gaming divisions. And electronics giant Sony said on Tuesday it would cut 8% of its global workforce, amounting to around 900 jobs. That means that after its cuts to staff last year, Wednesday’s layoffs could affect more than 600 workers.
Persons: , Andrew Wilson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Electronic Arts, EA, Madden NFL, Apex, ” EA, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony Locations: New York
EA to lay off 5% of workforce, or about 670 employees
  + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +2 min
An Electronic Arts video game logo is seen at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The company's announcement marks the latest headcount reduction among video game developers in recent months, continuing a broader trend of significant downsizing across the tech industry. On Tuesday, Sony said it would lay off about 900 employees in its PlayStation division, or 8% of its workforce. EA CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in a memo to employees on Wednesday that the video game company is "streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere." "We are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business," Wilson wrote in his Wednesday note.
Persons: Andrew Wilson, Wilson, , Steve Kovach Organizations: Arts, Electronic Entertainment, Electronic Arts, EA, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Sony, PlayStation, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, SEC, Apex, EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, CNBC PRO
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