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☆ Oracle boosts its generative AI capabilities as cloud competition heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

(Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)U.S. cloud infrastructure provider Oracle is boosting its generative AI capabilities as cloud competition intensifies and more companies jump into AI. Oracle has been introducing generative AI capabilities into its cloud infrastructure and applications to complement the traditional AI already embedded in them. The generative AI capabilities can perform tasks such as generating financial reports and drafting job ads, improving productivity and reducing business costs, Oracle said. JPMorgan has said generative AI and AI could drive incremental IT spending and growth across the software landscape. "Generative AI services [are] basically a huge advantage comparing with our competition.

Persons: PAU BARRENA, ChatGPT, Rondy Ng, it's, Ng, Dan Ives, Ellison, Ives, Larry Ellison, Gartner Organizations: Mobile World Congress, MWC, Getty Images, Oracle, CNBC, Wedbush Securities, JPMorgan Locations: Barcelona, AFP, U.S

☆ Bitcoin's next gen tokens are here. Inside the Silicon Valley hacker house where 17 coders helped build the new memecoin market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Magic Eden coders gathered in an Airbnb in San Jose, California, to hack in preparation for the so-called bitcoin halving. Their goal was to spend a week hacking to prepare for the so-called bitcoin halving — an event that is baked into the chain's code and helps to stave off inflation through programmatic monetary policy. watch nowTechnically speaking, runes just enables asset issuance of fungible tokens on bitcoin's base chain. The reason this is significant to developers is because of its efficiency relative to existing BRC-20 tokens, bitcoin's widely-used fungible token standard that has already received a ton of traction. "There's definitely been an awakening of capital interest in the bitcoin layer two space," said Muneeb Ali, who co-founded Stacks — an open-source blockchain network that brings smart contracts to bitcoin.

Persons: Eden coders, Amil Husain, Magic Eden, Bitcoin, Eden's, Zedd Yin, Eden's coders, Yin, blockchain, Casey Rodarmor, Rodarmor, Casey, Nic Carter, Bill Barhydt, bitcoin, Barhydt, I've, Carter, PitchBook, There's, Muneeb Ali, Ali, Christopher Calicott, Amil Husain DeFi, Hong Fang, Fang, Goldman Sachs, Stacks's Ali Organizations: East Foothills, Fighter, Engineers, solana, Island Ventures, Venture, CNBC, Magic Eden, Austin, Trammell Venture Partners, Labs, Ribbit Capital Locations: San Jose , California, U.S, Northern California, solana, ethereum, Abra, bitcoin, San Jose, Bitcoin

☆ Dwindling Ammunition Stocks Pose Grave Threat to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Andrew E. Kramer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The crew at an artillery position in eastern Ukraine had 33 shells in its ammunition bunker, stacked neatly like firewood against a wall. Twenty minutes later, smoke wafted around a howitzer and 17 shells were gone — more than half the crew’s ammunition. The rapidly depleted stack was emblematic of Ukraine’s dwindling supply of artillery munitions, even as Russian attacks persist. “Artillery decides battles,” said Capt. Vladyslav Slominsky, the artillery commander along this section of the front.

Persons: ”, Vladyslav Slominsky, Mike Johnson Organizations: “ Artillery, ”, U.S . Congress, Republicans Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Dick's Sporting Goods soars past holiday quarter estimates, raises dividend 10%
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Dick's Sporting Goods raised its dividend by 10% on Thursday as the company posted its largest sales quarter in its history and projected another year of growth. Many retailers benefited from a 53rd week in fiscal 2023, but Dick's said it still broke records during its fiscal fourth quarter even without those extra days. "With our industry-leading assortment and strong execution, we capped off the year with an incredibly strong fourth quarter and holiday season," CEO Lauren Hobart said in a statement. Following the strong quarter, Dick's raised its quarterly dividend 10% to $1.10 per share. "We compete with everyone in the world during the fourth quarter, and also the consumer is going through an awful lot, and we're just trying to be cautious."

Persons: Dick's, Lauren Hobart, Ed Stack, Hobart, we're Organizations: Dick's Sporting Goods, LSEG Locations: Williston, United States

☆ The generative AI boom should have been Appen's time to shine. Here's what went wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

For Appen, that would mean finding specialists in particular types of information that can bolster generative AI systems. Even before the generative AI transition, wages for Appen's data labelers were a sticking point. Kim Stagg, Appen's vice president of product, said the work required for generative AI services was different than what the company has needed in the past. "With generative AI, we see a different demand." The company's plunging stock price suggests that investors don't see the company's business offerings transferring to the generative AI space.

Persons: Jonathan Raa, Mike Monegan, he'd, Appen, it's, Armughan Ahmad, Mark Brayan, Ahmad, Monegan, he's, Appen's, Helen Johnson, Fab Dolan, Sujatha Sagiraju, Elena Sagunova, Jen Cole, Jukka Korpi, Still, OpenAI's, Google's Bard, didn't, Bard chatbot, Ed Stackhouse, raters, Erik Vogt, Vogt, hadn't, Kim Stagg, we've, Stagg, Lisa Braden, Harder, Canaccord Organizations: Nurphoto, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Revenue, CNBC, Australian Securities Exchange, Adobe, U.S . National Labor Relations Board Locations: Seattle, Europe, Middle East, Africa

☆ Dick's Sporting Goods plunges 25% after it says retail-theft crime wave lowered profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dick's Sporting Goods plunged 25% on Tuesday after the company revealed weak second-quarter earnings. The retailer said it saw a decline in profits due to increased shrinkage, which is code for retail theft. The mention of theft hurting its business was a first for Dick's Sporting Goods, and it took analysts by surprise. AdvertisementAdvertisementDick's Sporting Goods was a darling retail stock that has seen strong performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Part of the strength in Dick's Sporting Goods stock in recent years was driven by an increase in business as consumers got out of their house and more active as the pandemic subsided.

Persons: Lauren Hobart, Lauren Hobard, Target, Ed Stack, Goldman Sachs, Kate McShane, Wells, Will Gaertner Organizations: Sporting Goods, Service, Walgreens, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sporting, Goods Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Dick's shares fall 20% as retailer slashes outlook over theft concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Dick's now expects earnings of $11.33 to $12.13 per share for the year, compared to a previously issued guidance of $12.90 to $13.80. During the quarter, Dick's used promotions to offload inventory from the category. Overall, inventories were down about 5% in the quarter compared to the year ago period. While the quarter is a bit rough compared to Dick's usual reports, the retailer is still holding on to its pandemic-gains. Same store sales were up 1.8% in the quarter, compared to down 5.1% in the year ago period, and were driven by a 2.8% uptick in transactions.

Persons: Dick's, Lauren Hobart, Ed Stack, It's, We've, Stack, CNBC's Courtney Reagan Organizations: Sporting Goods, Refinitiv, CNBC

☆ Analysis: Donald Trump's expected Georgia surrender and debate no-show shatter campaign conventionality
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The GOP front-runner is expected to surrender, potentially for fingerprinting and a mug shot, on Thursday or Friday, a senior law enforcement source told CNN. His legal quagmire is likely to yet again dominate the GOP race, drowning out rivals who have so far largely failed to exploit Trump’s four indictments. It’s a tactic that appears to be working among GOP primary voters given his wide polling lead thus far. Ron DeSantis – announced that, as expected, he’d skip the debate in Milwaukee. Asa Hutchinson, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that Trump’s legal troubles will force every Republican on the debate stage to show their hand.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, That’ll, Trump, he’s, quagmire, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Joe Biden’s, Fani Willis, Biden, Ron DeSantis –, ” Trump, “, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, ”, “ Donald Trump, ” Hutchinson, Kasie Hunt, Christie, Hutchinson, Tucker Carlson, Larry Hogan Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Post, Republican, CBS News, Florida Gov, Truth, New, New Jersey Gov, CBS, Arkansas Gov, Fox, Maryland Gov Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton County, Milwaukee, Fulton, Florida, Manhattan, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Arkansas, “ State

☆ Why this viral photo of the world’s largest cruise ship is polarizing opinion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The world’s largest cruise ship hasn’t welcomed a single passenger aboard yet, but it’s already set the internet on fire. But when an image of its stern section went viral in July, it polarized opinions, eliciting passionate reactions on all sides. The ship will be home to the world's largest water park at sea. “I think the Royal Caribbean enthusiasts are going to look at this and go ‘Wow, something new! “Royal Caribbean is notable for exceeding 100% capacity on their ships.

Persons: hasn’t, —, Hieronymus Bosch, Tom Davis, ” Davis, ”, Adam Cox, Jonathan Abramowitz, Ross Klein, “, Stewart Chiron “, Stewart Chiron Organizations: CNN, Walmart, University of Alabama, Royal Caribbean, University of North, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Royal Locations: Dutch, “, University of North Carolina, Chapel, Royal Caribbean, Miami, “ Royal Caribbean

☆ The A-Bomb, Selma, Broadway: She Saw It All and Knew Everyone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Michael Wilson | More About Michael Wilson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What if this process was too far along to stop, and she’d let her friend down? Lawyers in housing court deal with all manner of distraught men and women facing evictions with no ready answers, no job, no income. Here was this client, Sheila Sullivan, and her friend with an organized stack of documents drawing a clear line from problem to solution. The lawyer looked at the two women facing her. Ms. Sullivan remembers that day in 2013 when the new neighbor next door rang her buzzer because she had locked herself out.

Persons: Dupuy, she’d, Sullivan, Sheila Sullivan

☆ KKR built a new client portal on AWS that helped the PE giant cut costs by 50%. An exec breaks down 3 things he wishes he knew ahead of time.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

KKR built a new client portal to replace a legacy one built using vendor tech. KKR had a problem with its client portal. When clients faced issues with the portal, KKR had no visibility into what was causing the problem and could only open a ticket with the vendor, he said. In 2020, KKR embarked on a total rebuild of its client portal, which eventually launched in the summer of 2021. The new portal was built on AWS, where KKR has already moved much of its technology and infrastructure.

Persons: Leo Bogdanov, KKR's, Bogdanov, Serverless, it's, Axel Springer Organizations: KKR, Amazon Web Services, AWS Locations: Axel

The Citi Premier® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are both mid-tier credit cards that offer generous rewards, impressive (and overlapping) transfer partners, and travel perks. Here's a look at how the Citi Premier® and Sapphire Preferred stack up against each other. Compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Premier Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardCiti Premier® Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Winner: TieShopping and travel benefitsAs mid-tier cards, the Citi Premier® and Sapphire Preferred offer standard benefits like no foreign transaction fees. Winner: TieTravel and purchase protectionsTravel and purchase protections are essential benefits you should consider when deciding between the Citi Premier® and Sapphire Preferred.

☆ Corporate leaders should be more honest with workers when job cuts are about performance, rather than the economy, a Harvard professor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Josée Rose | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Layoffs shouldn't be used as a way to cut low-performing workers, Harvard's Sandra Sucher said. That's because layoffs are often the result of a slumping economy or missteps by management. But sometimes, leaders who are eager to sweep away lackluster workers can be tempted to clean house under the guise of layoffs. That's a bad idea, according to Sandra Sucher, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School who's studied layoffs. Even broad job cuts that purport to target only the lowest-ranked workers can harm a company, Sucher said.

☆ Salesforce's Marc Benioff has revised a plan to stack rank a bottom 5% and ordered employees back to the office, according to leaked messages
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Ellen Thomas | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has made revisions to the company's annual strategic plan, including return-to-office mandates and policies that would have implemented stack ranking, according to an internal Slack message viewed by Insider. "He's still pushing performance culture," a Salesforce employee who read the revised draft told Insider. It currently requires three days a week in the office for non-remote employees and four days a week for employees in "non-remote" and "customer-facing" roles. Revenue for fiscal 2022 grew 25%, to $26.5 billion, according to the company's annual report. Or, as an employee previously posted in a Slack channel, "Can execs commit to never referring to Salesforce employees as 'family' again?

☆ A man who rates Google search results said he makes $3 less per hour than his daughter working in fast food
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A man who rates Google search results told the LA Times he makes $3 less than his daughter who has a fast food job. "There are times that I have seen some of the graphic content replayed in my dreams," Stackhouse told the Times. Stackhouse didn't tell the Los Angeles Times how much his daughter makes or what her role at her fast food job is. Four Sama workers told Time they were paid $2 or less per hour. Sama also works with Google and Microsoft, and told Time it would stop working with graphic content by March 2023.

☆ Why Dick's Sporting Goods succeeded where Sports Authority failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The most significant player in the space, Dick's Sporting Goods, controls an estimated 14.2% of the market, the most by a single company. Dick's Sporting Goods was founded in 1948 by 18-year-old Dick Stack who had just $300 in his pocket when he opened his first store. In the 1990s, the company expanded its offerings to include more sports, outdoor equipment, apparel and footwear, and by 1996, there were 50 Dick's Sporting Goods stores. While Dick's Sporting Goods was expanding, its archrival Sports Authority was on the verge of collapse. Dick's Sporting Goods' momentum continued well into 2021 as the company set new records.

☆ Elon Musk is whipping up chaos at Twitter. It's a terrible playbook for leadership following an acquisition.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since buying Twitter, Elon Musk has fired execs and reportedly asked for 84-hour workweeks. Musk, who rarely sticks to a leadership script, doesn't seem intent on winning employees' trust or providing clarity about the company's future. Most Twitter employees would be able to get another job relatively easily. "If you're technical talent, you're still going to be in demand if you're good," said Steve Cadigan, who runs Cadigan Talent Ventures and previously worked on mergers and acquisitions at Cisco. Even though the self-dubbed chief twit's path isn't clear to observers, Cadigan said Musk typically knows what he's doing.

☆ Twitter team leaders and VPs have compiled lists for Elon Musk of who to keep based on performance evaluations. Employees expect layoffs to begin very soon.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk formally acquired Twitter late Thursday and has yet to address his new staff. He and his transition team are said to be planning "aggressive" layoffs, likely to begin very soon. Twitter employees expect Elon Musk to begin layoffs very soon because performance evaluations and code reviews have been progressing swiftly inside the company. The billionaire closed on his deal to acquire Twitter late Thursday. Team leaders and vice presidents at Twitter started stack ranking employees late Friday, two people familiar with the process told Insider.

The Citi Premier® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are both mid-tier credit cards that offer generous rewards, impressive (and overlapping) transfer partners, and travel perks. Here's a look at how the Citi Premier® and Chase Sapphire Preferred stack up against each other. Compare the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Citi Premier Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardCiti Premier® Card Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Winner: TieShopping and travel benefitsAs mid-tier cards, the Citi Premier® and Chase Sapphire Preferred offer standard benefits like no foreign transaction fees. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers free DoorDash DashPass membership through December 31, 2024, and a $10 monthly Gopuff credit through December 31, 2023.

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