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Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance has been the most tumultuous media deal in years. Now it has taken yet another turn after the exclusivity period for negotiations expired without an agreement in hand. Paramount shareholders grumbled that granting exclusivity was a mistake, and that the company should have engaged with Apollo instead. This week, the special committee told Skydance that it was letting the exclusivity period lapse. But it does allow Paramount to open up negotiations with Apollo and Sony Pictures Entertainment, which joined Apollo’s bid.

Persons: Paramount’s, Skydance, David Ellison — Organizations: Apollo Global Management, Paramount, Skydance, Apollo, Sony Pictures Entertainment

☆ Salesforce's new data and AI hires are coming from areas of the country with 'high talent pools, low cost of living'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The company laid off 10% of its workforce, which had reached nearly 80,000 employees, last year. AdvertisementJust a year after Salesforce laid off nearly 10% of its workforce, the company's head count is beginning to creep back up. "We're investing into our most productive areas — AI and data," CFO Amy Weaver said this week on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call with investors. The company reported a non-GAAP operating margin of 30.5% for the fiscal year, above the 30% threshold that activist investors had pushed for. New hires, Weaver said, are being added to Salesforce in "cost-effective ways," such as hiring people from areas that have "high talent pools and low cost of living."

Persons: Salesforce, Marc Benioff, —, Amy Weaver, Weaver, Benioff, Larry Ellison —, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Service, SEC, New, Business, Oracle Locations: New York, San Francisco, Salesforce

☆ The world will have its first trillionaire within a decade, but poverty won't be eradicated for another 229 years, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In just three years, the world has witnessed a "supercharged surge in extreme wealth," new data shows. In the U.S. alone, billionaires are 46% richer than they were in 2020, while the three wealthiest men — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison — have increased their net worth by 84%, a recent Oxfam report on global inequality found. If current trends continue, the world will have its first trillionaire within a decade, but poverty won't be eradicated for another 229 years. "We expect to see continued concentration of extreme wealth at the very top," added Rebecca Riddell, policy lead economic and racial justice at Oxfam. There are, however, signs of progress, noted Steven Hamilton, assistant professor of economics at George Washington University.

Persons: — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison —, Amitabh Behar, Rebecca Riddell, Steven Hamilton Organizations: Oxfam, America, U.S . Census, Interim, Finance, House Republicans, George Washington University Locations: U.S

The witnesses painted a portrait of Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, as a controlling boss who directed them to commit fraud. She was apprehensive about the move, she said, because she knew that would mean borrowing $1 billion in FTX customer funds for the transaction. “That’s OK, I think this is really important, we have to get it done,” Mr. Bankman-Fried told Ms. Ellison, according to her testimony. At Mr. Bankman-Fried’s urging, Mr. Sun said, he ran through a few theoretical options to justify the borrowing and spending of FTX customer money. But Mr. Sun, who testified after securing an agreement that prosecutors would not pursue charges against him, said he had once again told Mr. Bankman-Fried that none of those options were supported “by the facts.” Mr. Bankman-Fried responded by saying “something like, ‘Got it,’” Mr. Sun testified.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bankman, Caroline Ellison —, Adam Yedidia, Mr, Yedidia, FTX, ” Caroline Ellison Ms, Ellison, Ms, Gary Wang Mr, Wang, ”, coder, Nishad Singh Mr, Singh, Gabe, Gabe Bankman, ” Mr, Prosecutors, Barbara Fried, Nishad Singh, Sun, ’ Organizations: Alameda Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Mr, Prosecutors, America Locations: Bahamas, Alameda, Binance, Pandemics

The witnesses have painted a portrait of Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, as a controlling boss who directed them to commit fraud. “That’s OK, I think this is really important, we have to get it done,” Mr. Bankman-Fried told Ms. Ellison, according to her testimony. At Mr. Bankman-Fried’s urging, Mr. Sun said, he ran through a few theoretical options to justify the borrowing and spending of FTX customer money. But Mr. Sun, who testified after securing an agreement that prosecutors would not pursue charges against him, said he had once again told Mr. Bankman-Fried that none of those options were supported “by the facts.” Mr. Bankman-Fried responded by saying “something like, ‘Got it,’” Mr. Sun testified. Prosecutors then played a clip from an interview that Mr. Bankman-Fried gave ABC’s “Good Morning America” days before FTX filed for bankruptcy in November.

The witnesses have painted a portrait of Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, as a controlling boss who directed them to commit fraud. She was apprehensive about the move, she said, because she knew that would mean borrowing $1 billion in FTX customer funds for the transaction. “That’s OK, I think this is really important, we have to get it done,” Mr. Bankman-Fried told Ms. Ellison, according to her testimony. At Mr. Bankman-Fried’s urging, Mr. Sun said, he ran through a few theoretical options to justify the borrowing and spending of FTX customer money. Prosecutors then played a clip from an interview that Mr. Bankman-Fried gave ABC’s “Good Morning America” days before FTX filed for bankruptcy in November.

Over the past three weeks, former employees and friends of Sam Bankman-Fried have testified that he orchestrated a scheme to misappropriate billions of dollars in customer money from his FTX cryptocurrency exchange, which collapsed last year. The witnesses have painted a portrait of Mr. Bankman-Fried, 31, as a controlling boss who directed them to commit fraud. They said the FTX founder had known for months that the exchange had no way of paying back at least $8 billion in customer money that was used to buy lavish real estate, invest in other crypto companies, make campaign contributions and pay back lenders to a trading firm that Mr. Bankman-Fried also controlled. Here are highlights of the testimony from several prosecution witnesses — including Mr. Bankman-Fried’s employee and on-again, off-again girlfriend, Caroline Ellison — who have been central to the case:Adam YedidiaThe first prosecution witness was Adam Yedidia, a former FTX developer who was a close friend of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s and lived with him and other associates in the Bahamas. Mr. Yedidia, who has not been charged with any crimes and testified under immunity, said Mr. Bankman-Fried had known that FTX and Alameda Research, a sister crypto trading firm, were on thin ice.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bankman, Caroline Ellison —, Adam Yedidia, Mr, Yedidia Organizations: Alameda Research Locations: Bahamas

☆ 'I'd been suicidal for days': Sam Bankman-Fried lieutenant testifies about immense pressure to keep FTX crypto scam going — before it all crashed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

He testified at the Sam Bankman-Fried trial that he was 'suicidal' over the crypto scam. AdvertisementAdvertisement"I've always been intimidated by Sam," Singh testified Monday. Before the September 2022 realization that Alameda was taking FTX customer money, Singh had participated in fraudulent activity in other ways. When he returned, the FTX CEO told Singh that he believed he could get $5 billion more in investments, Singh testified. As the chaos continued to roil FTX, Bankman-Fried, Ellison, and other executives pointed fingers at each other while employees and customers demanded answers, Singh said.

Persons: Nishad Singh, Sam Bankman, —, Singh, Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison, Wang, Fried, unsurprised, Ellison —, Ellison, FTX wouldn't, he'd, Gabe Bankman, Adam Yedidia, Singh —, Ryan Salame —, Singh's, Sam, FTX, Mary Altaffer, Anthony Scaramucci, Seth Wenig, Salame —, funneling, Coindesk, FTX —, Binance, Jane Rosenberg Bankman, Bankman, I'd, roil Organizations: Service, Alameda Research, Bankman, Alameda, AP, Democratic, Prosecutors, REUTERS Locations: Alameda, FTX, Bahamas, Manhattan, New York, Bankman

☆ Caroline Ellison is about to spill the beans on her ex-boyfriend Sam Bankman-Fried
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Grace Kay | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Caroline Ellison is set to testify later today in the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried. The former Alameda Research CEO is expected to be a key witness in the case against Bankman-Fried. AdvertisementAdvertisementAll eyes will be on star witness Caroline Ellison when she takes the stand later today in the trial against her ex-boyfriend and former boss Sam Bankman-Fried. They say Bankman-Fried siphoned money from customer accounts to fund crypto bets with Alameda Research, a hedge fund he controlled. Since the exchange collapsed, the former FTX CEO has attempted to put the blame for the platform's collapse on other executives, including Ellison.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Ellison, —, FTX, Eric Chaffee, Prosecutors, Fried, Mark Cohen, Ellison —, Cohen, BRYAN R, SMITH, Jane Street, Gary Wang —, Wang, Adam Yedidia, Chelsea Jia Feng, Yedidia, Caroline, Lewis Kaplan, who's, Michael Lewis Organizations: Alameda Research, Service, Case Western Reserve University, Manhattan Federal, Bankman, Alameda, Research, New York Times, US Department of Justice, US Locations: Bankman, FTX, Alameda, Bahamas, Manhattan

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's risk appetite was so large that he would flip a coin if losing meant destroying the world, Caroline Ellison testified
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sam Bankman-Fried said he was willing to destroy the world with a coin flip, Caroline Ellison said. Sam Bankman-Fried said he would flip the coin — and urged everyone else to do so, too, Caroline Ellison testified in court Tuesday. Aside from customer funds, Ellison testified in federal court on Tuesday, Alameda made its crypto bets using money from loans. Ellison testified about a point in time in 2021 when Bankman-Fried wanted to spend $3 billion on venture investments. In addition, she said, Alameda Research already had around $2.7 billion in liabilities at the time.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison, SBF, —, Ellison, Genesis —, Ellison —, Mark Cohen Organizations: Service, Alameda Research Locations: Alameda, FTX

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried leaked Caroline Ellison's diary to the New York Times to paint her as a 'jilted lover,' prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors say Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to discredit Caroline Ellison by leaking her diary entries. Bankman-Fried wants to make her look like a "jilted lover," prosecutors wrote in a court filing. Prosecutors say Bankman-Fried gave "a misleading patina of legitimacy" to an effort to discredit Ellison in the case. "The fact that the defendant funneled this material through the New York Times, rather than directly commenting on the documents himself, is particularly pernicious," prosecutors wrote. The material risked tainting the jury pool and could deter other potential witnesses from testifying at the trial, prosecutors wrote.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Caroline Ellison, Ellison —, —, Samuel Bankman, — Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Caroline Ellison Tyler Le, Rebecca Zisser, Lewis Kaplan, who's, didn't Organizations: Alameda Research, Prosecutors, New York Times, Times, Google, Federal, US Locations: Manhattan

☆ Department of Justice calls to bar Sam Bankman-Fried from contacting FTX employees after allegations of witness tampering
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The DOJ asked the court to stop him from contacting employees via encrypted apps like Signal. Prosecutors requested that the conditions of Bankman-Fried's bond be changed so he is no longer allowed to contact employees, who the DOJ considers potential witnesses against the former executive, without a lawyer present. While witness tampering is often associated with threats or intimidation, the DOJ's letter notes that conversations can also be deemed as interference in an investigation. "Efforts by the defendant to improve his relationship with potential witnesses that may testify against him may itself constitute witness tampering," the letter states. "Were the defendant to 'vet' his version of relevant events with potential witnesses, that might have the effect of discouraging witnesses from testifying in a manner contrary to the defendant's narrative."

☆ The charges against Caroline Ellison, SBF, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang — in 60 seconds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alameda's former CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX cofounder Gary Wang are in the SEC's crosshairs. US Attorney Damian Williams said on Wednesday that Ellison and FTX cofounder Gary Wang had pleaded guilty to various charges, including fraud, and are cooperating with the government. Still, Ellison and Wang perpetuated the alleged fraud of FTX's investors and customers, according to the SEC. That gave the firm broad access to FTX customer funds — and Ellison knowingly traded at Alameda using that money. The complaint largely painted Bankman-Fried as the one making allegedly fraudulent assurances to investors, but cast Ellison and Wang as loyal enablers.

☆ Ben Affleck and Matt Damon just scored $100 million from RedBird Capital. Check out 15 more private equity players making big bets on Hollywood.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elaine Low | Claire Atkinson | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Private equity firms are investing heavily in film and TV companies, even amid a possible recession. Private equity accounted for 42% of deals over the last year vs. 24% in 2018, according to PwC. RedBird Capital just invested $100 million in Ben Affeck and Matt Damon's new production company, Artists Equity. And earlier that month, Swedish firm EQT invested in UTA, which makes the private equity player the largest outside shareholder of the talent agency. Insider's second annual list of the top private equity players in Hollywood highlights 16 firms, based on our reporting and conversations with investors and insiders.

☆ Caroline Ellison, one of the central figures behind FTX's collapse, previously tweeted that regularly using amphetamines made the 'non-medicated' life seem 'dumb'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ellison is the CEO of Alameda Research, the hedge fund FTX reportedly used to borrow money for bets. In a 2021 tweet posted by Ellison, who is also the reported ex-girlfriend of FTX's disgraced founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, references regularly using amphetamines and how "dumb" the "non-medicated human experience" can be. Alameda Research filed for bankruptcy in early November along with other FTX Group-linked entities after failing to secure emergency funding. Although Bankman-Fried founded Alameda, Ellison has since emerged as an integral character in its demise. As the CEO of Alameda, Ellison has garnered scrutiny for her role in FTX borrowing money from customer accounts, CNN reported.

☆ The 20 Richest Tech Billionaires Have Lost Nearly Half a Trillion Dollars This Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The 20 richest tech billionaires have collectively lost nearly half a trillion dollars this year amid the stock market’s sharp tumble, a loss of wealth that is more than the market values of all but seven companies in the S&P 500. The world’s richest tech moguls—including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison —have seen more than $480 billion in paper wealth disappear this year through Thursday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the richest people in the world. Disappointing earnings reports from a slew of tech giants this week have stoked recession fears, pushed stock prices lower and weighed on the fortunes of the world’s wealthiest people.

☆ 'Top Gun: Maverick' studio Skydance just scored a $400 million funding led by KKR. Meet 16 private equity players betting big on Hollywood now.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Elaine Low | Claire Atkinson | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Private equity firms are investing more deeply in film and TV content companies, even amid a possible recession. Private equity accounted for 42% of deals over the last year vs. 24% in 2018, according to PwC. KKR just led a $400 million funding round for Skydance, giving the "Top Gun: Maverick" studio a $4 billion valuation. And earlier in July, Swedish firm EQT invested in UTA, which makes the private equity player the largest outside shareholder of the talent agency. And KKR is continuing to make big bets: It just led a $400 million funding round in "Top Gun: Maverick" studio Skydance that sent the production company's valuation north of $4 billion.

☆ Trading the Fed, plus insights from a 99th-percentile fund manager
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-20 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesHello and welcome to Insider Investing. I'm Joe Ciolli, and I'm here to guide you through the current market and investing landscape. Here's what's on the docket:If you aren't yet a subscriber to Insider Investing, you can sign up here. Pool/Getty ImagesThe Federal Reserve left interest rates steady this past week while setting the stage for two hikes by year-end 2023. Read the full story here:Hennessy FundsFinancial-sector stocks have outperformed the rest of the market over the last several months.

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