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☆ The US Army's new plan to counter Russia and China has a glaring problem, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The 2024 Army Force Structure Transformation would be the Army's fifth major reorganization since 2003. The most striking aspect of the Army's plan is the large number of new units, for counter-drone protection as well as air and missile defense. In addition, there would be nine counter-small UAS batteries tasked with destroying small drones, and four more Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) battalions to stop manned aircraft, helicopters and drones. Monica K. Guthrie/US ArmyThe Army is also basing its plans on untried weapons, such as the Long-Range Hypersonic Missile and air defense lasers. China and Russia have much stronger air and missile forces than the regional opponents the army has faced for the last generation."

Persons: Monica K, Mark Cancian, Cancian, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Army, 2024, Army, Business, Congressional Research Service, Congress, Air Defense, Domain, Forces, CRS, Special Operations Forces, Security Force, Guthrie, Energy, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, Nuclear Forces, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, China, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Forbes

☆ Roblox shares drop nearly 30% as company cuts annual bookings forecast on muted player spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Roblox cut its annual bookings forecast on Thursday, in a sign that people were dialing back on spending within its video-gaming platform amid an uncertain economic outlook and elevated levels of inflation. Electronic Arts also gave a weak revenue forecast earlier this week. Roblox now expects full-year bookings to be between $4 billion and $4.10 billion, down from its earlier forecast of $4.14 billion to $4.28 billion. Its second-quarter bookings forecast of $870 million to $900 million was also below estimates. Roblox will build the infrastructure for the ad platform in 2024 and start providing forecast for ad revenue in 2025, Guthrie added.

Persons: Roblox, Michael Guthrie, Guthrie Organizations: Electronic Arts, Walmart, Warner Bros Discovery

☆ Microsoft plans to end its salary freeze for some employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft plans to restart performance-based raises for some employees. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAfter freezing salaries last year, Microsoft plans to restart performance-based raises for some employees during this year's review cycle that started in April. The plans have not been announced companywide, but cloud boss Scott Guthrie told employees at an April 30 employee meeting that merit raises will increase this year, according to two people present. Microsoft calls the performance-based raises "merit increases."

Persons: —, Scott Guthrie Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business

☆ Roblox steps up its 'year of scale' with new ad formats, hires, and key partnerships as it aims to build a $1 billion ads business
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video ads within Roblox are similar to real-world digital out-of-home advertising. A Roblox Portal Ad for a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" pizza party experience. Roblox/GamefamRoblox's partnerships boss, Christina Wootton, previously told Business Insider that while 2023 was a year of testing, 2024 would be the "year of scale" for its ads business. Roblox ads are labeled and can only be served to users over the age of 13, the company said. "If you literally just slap ads within the game, people are going to run a mile," Litman added.

Persons: Roblox, we'll, Stephanie Latham, Christina Wootton, Michael Guthrie, Latham, Ben Fox, David Vesper, it's, Nathan Pillot, Pillot, It's, Michael Litman, Litman Organizations: Business, Walmart, Warner Bros . Pictures, HUGO, Meta, Yahoo, Google, Social, viewability, Media.Monks, Logitech Locations: Roblox

☆ Oil prices edge lower after booking strong first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

An energy installation on a property leased to Devon Energy Production Company by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is seen near Guthrie, OklahomaCrude oil futures ticked slightly lower Monday, taking a breather after a strong first quarter. The West Texas Intermediate contract for May delivery lost 33 cents, or 0.4%, to $82.84 a barrel in the first day of trading for the second quarter. The Brent contract for June delivery dropped 40 cents, or 0.49%, to $86.57 a barrel. U.S. crude and Brent also booked three consecutive months of gains. WTI is up 15.5% for the year while Brent is up 12.3%.

Persons: Brent, WTI Organizations: Devon Energy Production Company, Catholic Archdiocese of, West Texas Intermediate Locations: Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Guthrie , Oklahoma

☆ 5 Black Country Artists on Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Just one week later, it topped the Hot 100, even though some country radio stations initially refused to play it. Many Black artists creating country music have already seen major boosts in streaming numbers. "There are a lot of Black people who love country music, that have been afraid to say that they love country music, even afraid to make country music." Ice breakers: In the six weeks since Beyoncé dropped the two lead singles from "Cowboy Carter," Shaboozey has felt a palpable uptick in attention surrounding Black country artists. Listen to a roundup of key tracks by Black country artists on Business Insider's Spotify.

Persons: Lil Nas, Beyoncé, Carter, It's, she's, Pablo, Don, gatekeepers, Billboard's Kyle Denis, Cowboy Carter, Tanner Adell, Chase Foster, Tanner, Adell, Josh Turner, Shania Twain, Texas, doesn't, Queen Bey, Buckle, Luke Combs, Daniel Prakopcyk, Shaboozey, Collins Chibueze, Southern, Marty Robbins, Woody Guthrie, I've, Kashus Culpepper, Buffalo Kin, Valerie June, Brittany Howard, Breland, Henry Ammann, Nelly, Tim McGraw, Daniel Gerard Breland, Nashville darlings, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Blanco Brown, Blanco, Brown, Tim McGraw's, he's, He's, Tiera Kennedy, Alexa Campbell, Tiera, Kennedy, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, who've Organizations: Chicks, Business, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo, BI, Nashville, LaFace Records, Buffalo Wild Wings, Spotify Locations: Texas, Houston, Nashville, Kentucky, California, Wyoming, Church, Star Valley , Wyoming, Plano, Beverly, Virginia, America, New Jersey, Atlanta, Butler , Georgia, Alabama

☆ Why some Christians are angry about Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA’ Bible
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He says things like the “God Bless America” Bible overlook the many, many Christians who do not agree with Trump’s politics or the blending of patriotism with faith. He was among the imprint’s writers who tried to discourage them from publishing the “God Bless the USA” Bible when the idea was first introduced. “I am reminded of how we closed every Marine Corps boot camp chapel service with Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA’,” he told CNN. The FAQ section of the “God Bless America” Bible website clarifies that no proceeds from the sales of the Bible will go towards Trump’s presidential campaign. CNN has reached out to EliteSource Pro, the marketing company behind the “God Bless the USA” Bible, for more information.

Persons: Donald Trump, Lee Greenwood’s, ”, ” Trump, Jesus, It’s, Lee Greenwood, Benjamin Cremer, X, Jason Cornwall, it’s, Jemar Tisby, “, ” Tisby, —, Trump, MARK RALSTON, Guthrie Graves, Fitzsimmons, ’, ” Graves, pushback, James, Tisby, we’re, ” Singer Lee Greenwood, Marsha Blackburn, Alex Wong, David W, Peters, Donald J, ” televangelist, Pat Robertson Organizations: CNN, Christian, Reformed Theological Seminary, Getty, BJC Center for Faith, Justice, Reconciliation, Union Theological Seminary, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, HarperCollins, Trump, Zondervan, Marine Corps, Corps, Republican, The Trump Organization, CIC Ventures, EliteSource, Episcopal Locations: Independence, South Carolina, America, Jackson , Mississippi, AFP, United States, New York City, Franklin , Tennessee, Pflugerville , Texas, Iraq, Trump's

New York CNN —A plane carrying 21 Americans fleeing Haiti arrived in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday night, the latest in a series of US-chartered flights from the embattled Caribbean nation, which has descended into chaos amid rampant gang violence and political instability. Hundreds of US citizens remain in Haiti and nearly 1,000 had filled out crisis intake forms as of March 19, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel previously told CNN. On March 17, the State Department said it flew dozens of Americans from Cap-Haitien, a city on Haiti’s north coast, to Miami. On Wednesday, the State Department said it expects more than 30 Americans will be able to board the US government flights each day they are chartered. DeSantis said people traveling on the plane that landed in Florida would not be charged.

Persons: Kevin Guthrie, Ron, DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Floridians, Vedant Patel, Orlando, Guthrie, Ariel Henry, Santo Organizations: New, New York CNN, Emergency Management, ”, “, State, CNN, Orlando Sanford International, Federal, State Department, Haiti’s National Police, United Nations Locations: New York, Haiti, Orlando , Florida, Caribbean, Orlando, Florida, Haiti’s, Miami, Port, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

☆ See Timothée Chalamet transform into Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —After multiple delays in production, the new Bob Dylan biopic has started filming — which means a first look at actor Timothée Chalamet as the legendary folk singer. “This is not Bob Dylan, it’s simply every man who has ever tried to talk to me about Bob Dylan,” wrote author Marissa R. Moss. After first being announced in 2020, production for “A Complete Unknown” experienced numerous lags, from the pandemic to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Still, the movie has retained complete support from Dylan himself, who gave director James Mangold detailed annotated notes on the script. “A Complete Unknown” does not yet have a release date.

Persons: Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet, ”, it’s, Marissa R, Moss, Dylan, James Mangold, “ I’ve, ” Mangold, “, Mangold, Woody Guthrie, Chalamet, Austin Butler, ” Dylan, Todd Haynes, Martin Scorsese Organizations: CNN, SAG Locations: New York, “ Elvis

☆ Microsoft insiders worry the company has become just 'IT for OpenAI'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Microsoft insiders worry the company's AI strategy has become too focused on its partnership with OpenAI. Insiders say Microsoft is focused less on the internal services that previously made up Azure AI Services and more on the Azure OpenAI service. The Azure OpenAI service has hundreds of developers supporting customers of Microsoft's Azure cloud service who use OpenAI's GPT models. Some Microsoft employees work so closely with OpenAI that they have badges to get into OpenAI's offices, and some OpenAI employees can badge into Microsoft locations. Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, has a global deal to allow OpenAI to train its models on its media brands' reporting.

Persons: Eric Boyd, Scott, That's, Frank Shaw, Shaw, Ashley Stewart, Axel Springer Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI, Business, AI Services, AI Bot

☆ Copilot dreams and nightmares: Microsoft insiders share what they really think about the company's AI future.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

"Customers trust Microsoft more than OpenAI since they already buy Microsoft's ecosystem," a Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "Almost everyone I know is working on Copilot to a certain extent," the Microsoft AI researcher told BI. "It's too premature to assume this is going to be a race to the bottom on price," another Microsoft executive said. Some Microsoft employees work so closely with OpenAI that they have badges to get into OpenAI's offices, and some OpenAI employees can badge into Microsoft locations. Mistral models will be offered to Microsoft customers along with about 1,600 other models including Cohere and Meta's Llama.

Persons: there's, Morgan Stanley, Satya Nadella, they've, they're, Frank Shaw, Shaw, That's, OpenAI, JPMorgan Chase, It's, Dentsu, Shiva Vannavada, Vannavada, Eric Boyd, Scott, John Montgomery, Asha Sharma, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Business, Enterprise, Walmart, JPMorgan, BI, Google, Dentsu, Product, Technology, Employees, Nvidia, DA Davidson, AI Services, AI Bot, OpenAI Locations: OpenAI, Mistral

☆ MrBeast is asking for trouble by calling his employees 'friends of friends' instead of giving them job titles, HR experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewYouTube megastar MrBeast doesn't like traditional job titles. Instead, he prefers to call his employees "friends of friends," or "FOFs." Experts say leaning away from traditional work structures, like disregarding job titles, may give the illusion of an employer providing a better culture, but in reality, these frameworks persist because they are important. "Get job titles defined and what someone's actually in charge of, and everyone will be able to hold each other to account about whether all the wheels are turning neatly." A cautionary taleTravis Lindemoen, the founder and CEO of the recruitment startup Enjoy Mondays, told BI that "friends of friends" set off "alarm bells" for him.

Persons: —, Jason Zavaleta, MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, Donaldson, doesn't, Derek Bruce, someone's, Bruce, Travis Lindemoen, YouTubers, David Dobrik's, Dobrik, Jeff Wittek, Wittek, Lindemoen, Troy Guthrie Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, Time, OSHA, BI Locations: bam

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, who teamed up to win a record-tying seven Cup championships, were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday night. Johnson won 83 Cup races — tied for sixth most in NASCAR history — in the Hendrick Motorsports No. Knaus, now the vice president of competition for Hendrick, was suspended for two of Johnson’s wins, including a Daytona 500 victory. Allison, who won 10 Cup races, was voted in on the Pioneer ballot. He becomes the final member of the Alabama Gang to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining brother Bobby Allison and Red Farmer.

Persons: CHARLOTTE, — Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Donnie Allison, Janet Guthrie, Johnson, —, Knaus, Chandra Janway, Janway, Allison, Bobby Allison, Red Farmer, Guthrie, Cale Yarborough Organizations: NASCAR, of Fame, Alabama, Charlotte Convention Center, Indianapolis, Hendrick, Chevrolet, Daytona, Dover, Martinsville, Charlotte, Texas, Indianapolis Motor, Hall of Fame, Alabama Gang Locations: N.C, Charlotte, London

☆ US House Committee says China delayed releasing COVID-19 information for weeks and lied about sharing it immediately
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China had a gene sequence of COVID-19 weeks before sharing it with the world, US lawmakers said. AdvertisementChina likely obtained COVID-19's first known gene sequence weeks before publicly releasing it, contrary to Beijing's claim that it immediately shared the information, the US House Energy & Commerce Committee said on Wednesday. Related storiesThe committee said this contradicted China's repeated claims that it released the gene sequence as soon as it obtained the information. The House committee said this example shows that China has been forthcoming with sharing vital medical information for fighting COVID-19. AdvertisementThe committee also raised concerns that the NIH had received a COVID-19 gene sequence but "apparently had no idea."

Persons: —, Lili Ren, Ren, China's, Biden, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Morgan Griffith, Brett Guthrie Organizations: Service, US, Energy, Commerce, National Institutes of Health, EcoHealth Alliance, of Health, Human Services, World Health Organization, CCP, NIH, HHS, Energy & Commerce Committee, Oversight, Rep Locations: China, Washington, Virginia, Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Washington , DC

☆ Liz Cheney warns that Trump won't leave office if he's elected to a second term and says voting for him 'may mean the last election that you ever get to vote in'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Liz Cheney said former President Trump has already tried to remain in office and would do so again. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . "I think that's a real problem, and I think that the challenge is to make sure that those people understand and recognize that a Trump vote is not acceptable," she said. "[T]hat choice can never be Donald Trump because a vote for Donald Trump may mean the last election that you ever get to vote in." Cheney sought renomination as the GOP nominee for her at-large seat in August 2022, but lost the primary to now-Rep. Harriet Hageman.

Persons: Liz Cheney, Trump, Cheney's, —, Donald Trump, Savannah Guthrie, He's, Cheney, needling, Kevin McCarthy, California —, Adam Kinzinger, Joe Biden's, Harriet Hageman Organizations: Service, GOP, House Republican Conference, Capitol, Republican, Rep Locations: NBC's, Wyoming, United States

☆ The woman who travels around the US in an Airstream with her husband and a goat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“We didn’t know how well she was going to do with traveling,” Cate tells CNN Travel. Kid on boardPet goat Frankie spends several months of the year traveling around the US in and Airstream with her owners Cate and Chad Battles. “We’ve been all over the country and we’ll pass someone on a trail and they’ll be like, ‘Is that Frankie?’” Cate recalls. “So it’s really, really funny.”She particularly enjoyed getting the chance to speak with other goat owners to “talk goats,” while appearing on the program. And it ended up working really, really great.

Persons: Frankie, Cate Battles, Chad, who’ve, ” Cate, they’ve, Cate, ”, “ I’ve, she’d, “, they’d, they’d “, Woody Guthrie, Maggie, it’s, they’ll, that’s, “ We’ve, ’ ” Cate, ” Airstream, I’ll, they’re, We’re, haven’t, They’ve Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Chad Battles, Argosy, ”, Discovery Locations: United States, Midwest , Montana , Wyoming, Idaho, Antarctica, Tennessee, Asheville , North Carolina, Chad, Southern Oregon, Western North Carolina, Pacific Northwest, Oregon, Utah, California , Nevada , Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Carolina , Kentucky , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Canada, Arizona, Southern California, Baja , Mexico, Airstream

☆ 'The most taboo topic I've ever seen': Inside Microsoft's war over the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Viva Engage, Microsoft's slick message board designed to compete with Slack, is often touted as "Facebook for work." In October, according to internal messages viewed by BI, a Microsoft employee shared a post praising child tax credits as a way to reduce poverty. Employees with pro-Palestinian views have also used inflammatory language in their posts on Viva Engage. It has cut off the comments to Viva Engage posts it considered too incendiary. "It's important to recognize the pain and suffering of so many people, including our colleagues, as the events in Israel, Gaza, and the surrounding region continue to unfold," Nadella wrote.

Persons: Slack, —, Sandy Hook, chimed, George Floyd, Satya Nadella, Roe, Wade, Kathleen Hogan, Israel, Nadella, Benjamin Netanyahu, Charlie Bell, Scott Guthrie, Rajesh Jha, Microsoft's, Cherry, Davis Polk, Israel's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Viva Engage, Facebook, Microsoft, Business, Engage, BI, Employees, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Harvard, Hamas, Wardwell, Ivy League, New York Times, Apple, Amazon Web Services Locations: Israel, Gaza, Uvalde, Columbia, Silicon Valley, America, Haifa, Herzliya , Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Palestine, Gaza . Harvard, Tel Aviv, Seattle

☆ Moving to Tulsa: 4 transplants share how the small city has changed their cost of living
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Through programs including Tulsa Remote, former Californians and New Yorkers are moving to Oklahoma. Some moved through Tulsa Remote, while others discovered the city on their own. For those moving through Tulsa Remote, the retention rate is around 76%. She moved to Tulsa in February 2020 independent of the Tulsa Remote program. He noticed some friends who also lived in an RV full-time eventually settled in Tulsa, and he decided to apply to Tulsa Remote.

Persons: —, Laura Landers, it's, Landers, She's, they've, " Landers, Corinne Gaston, Philadelphia Corinne Gaston, Gaston, she's, Faith MacNeil, Lansing , Michigan Faith MacNeil, MacNeil, didn't, Lansing —, Michael Boyink, Missouri Michael Boyink, Bob Dylan, he's, He's, Boyink Organizations: Tulsa, Oklahoma . Business, Service, Dallas, Housing Solutions, Rocket Homes, Business, Lansing, Michigan, Bob Dylan Center, Woody Guthrie Center Locations: Oklahoma, Los Angeles, California, Dallas, Tulsa, LA, Housing Solutions Tulsa, Tulsa County, California , Michigan , Missouri, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Lansing , Michigan, Michigan, Scotland, Glenpool, Lansing, Missouri, Boyink

NEW YORK (AP) — Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants will take to the skies above New York City Thursday while bands march along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in the holiday season. The Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner has a prime spot — performing just before the arrival of Santa Claus, which marks the end of the parade. Other celebrities and musical groups taking part include Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke. The parade also includes performances from the casts of some Broadway shows. The parade isn't just about what's going on in the skies, though.

Persons: SpongeBob, Cher, Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix, Grace Stanke, Leo the, It's “, ”, Will Coss, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker Organizations: New York City, Central, Miss, Netflix, NBC Locations: New York, Santa Claus, “

☆ How to Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Claire Fahy | More About Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place on Thursday, with over three million spectators expected to brave the early-morning cold for a view of the procession’s many floats, balloons and celebrity performers. This year, NBC has moved the broadcast up a half-hour to an 8:30 a.m. start. There will also be additional cameras stationed along the route for new angles of SpongeBob, Ronald McDonald and Bluey. Who will broadcast the event? The broadcast will air on NBC and livestream on Peacock beginning at 8:30 a.m.Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker of the “Today” show will host the broadcast of the event, which ends at noon.

Persons: SpongeBob, Ronald McDonald, Bluey, livestream, Peacock, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker Organizations: NBC Locations: Savannah

☆ Microsoft introduces its own chips for AI, with eye on cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft said it does not plan to sell the chips but instead will use them to power its own subscription software offerings and as part of its Azure cloud computing service. Microsoft and other tech giants such as Alphabet are grappling with the high cost of delivering AI services, which can be 10 times greater than for traditional services such as search engines. The Maia chip, they said, is optimized for that work. Microsoft also said that next year it will offer its Azure customers cloud services that run on the newest flagship chips from Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Advanced Micro Devices. He said the Maia chip would allow Microsoft to sell AI services in the cloud until personal computers and phones are powerful enough to handle them.

Persons: Maia, OpenAI, Scott Guthrie, Ben Bajarin, Bajarin, Microsoft's Guthrie, Guthrie, Rani Borkar, Borkar, Stephen Nellis, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, REUTERS Acquire, Wednesday, Ignite, Nvidia, Devices, Amazon Web Services, Arm Holdings, Amazon, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Thomson Locations: Redmond , Washington, Seattle, San Francisco

☆ Detained, missing or under investigation: Business leaders in China face an ‘aggressive’ crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Business leaders in China are under immense pressure, as the country’s leader Xi Jinping intensifies a regulatory crackdown on companies and strengthens its control of the economy. They face rising risks, including the possibility of police raids and detentions of staff, in the world’s second largest economy. A former banker, he has invested in a series of Chinese companies since 2000 and brought their shares to the public markets in mainland China and Hong Kong. No end in sightThe crackdown this year has spooked the business community in China, but it is not unfamiliar. Xi launched a sweeping regulatory crackdown on the private sector in 2020, which wiped trillions of dollars off the market value of Chinese companies worldwide.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Doug Guthrie, ” Guthrie, Tencent, Chen, Zhao Bingxian, “ China’s Warren Buffett, Zhao, Guthrie, “, Zhou Zheng, Zhou, watchdogs, Zhang Hongli, Bao Fan, Bao, Xi, Kevin Frayer, Mauro Guillen, ” Guillen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Business, China Initiatives, Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, CNN, Cyberspace Administration of China, Wohua Pharmaceutical, Central Commission, National Supervisory Commission, COFCO, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: China, Hong Kong, Communist, Beijing, Arizona, Shenzhen, “ Beijing, DouYu, Shandong, Commercial Bank of China

☆ Roblox beats bookings estimates on higher in-game spending, shares jump
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 8 (Reuters) - Roblox (RBLX.N) beat quarterly bookings estimates as in-game spending jumped and summer break drove more users to its online gaming platform for titles including "Adopt Me!" and "Murder Mystery 2", sending its shares over 17% higher on Wednesday. Net bookings, generated from in-game purchases of Roblox's virtual currency "Robux", came in at $839.5 million, beating estimates of $830.2 million, according to LSEG data. It also recorded over 15 million downloads in October from Sony's (6758.T) PlayStation devices after launching in the previous month. In February next year, Roblox will reveal its forecasts for full-year 2024 and the first quarter, it said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Roblox, Michael Guthrie, Harshita Mary Varghese, Shinjini Ganguli Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Electronic Arts, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Europe, Asia, Sony's

NEW YORK (AP) — Cher is obviously a superstar but even a superstar can be the opening act when it comes to Santa. Organizers of this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have nabbed the Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner for their 97th annual event. Cher will make her appearance just before the parade's end, signaled by the arrival of Santa’s sleigh, parade organizers said. This year’s parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns and eight performance groups. Other marching bands this year will represent Alabama, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.

Persons: Cher, It's, Jon Batiste, Bell Biv DeVoe, ENHYPEN, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Drew Holcomb, Jessie James Decker, Ashley Park, ” Pentatonix, Paul Russell, Amanda Shaw, Alex Smith, Manuel Turizo, Jordan Chiles, Ezra Frech, Jessica Long, Grace Stanke, Kung, Panda’s, ” “ Leo, ”, ” “, ” “ Pillsbury Doughboy ”, Uncle Dan, “, Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, ” “ Ronald McDonald, Stuart, SpongeBob, Mariah Carey, Marjory Stoneman, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Carlos Adyan, Andrea Meza, ___ Mark Kennedy Organizations: En, Miss, ” “ Pillsbury, “, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, NBC, Telemundo Locations: Brandy, Chicago, Manuel Turizo ., U.S, In Ohio, Parkland, Florida, Alabama, Indiana , Wisconsin , Michigan, Washington , New York , Illinois , New Jersey, Texas, Peacock, Savannah, “, Spanish

☆ House speaker: One of the most important jobs in American politics has turned into a nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Winning a majority party’s nomination for speaker of the House of Representatives usually elevates a lawmaker into the pantheon of American political leaders. But this is about more than the plight of a Republican Party that often looks like it’s tearing itself apart. If the dysfunctional House GOP majority cannot get its act together, the US government could run out of funding before Thanksgiving week – and millions of Americans could pay the price. As former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, himself a notoriously polarizing figure, said on Fox News this weekend: “They got big decisions coming down the road. We don’t have someone who is the speaker of the House to negotiate with the White House, with Senate Democrats who are in the majority.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Vern Buchanan, ” Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Donald Trump, “, ” Trump, Christ, Jesus, ‘, ’, Tom Emmer, Scalise, Joe Biden, There’s, –, there’s, Newt Gingrich, Brett Guthrie, Larry Bucshon, CNN’s Brianna Keilar Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican Party, Florida, Sunshine, Republican, Caucus, Black Republicans, Democratic, White, Fox News, Democratic Senate, Republicans, ”, The Indiana Republican, Democrats Locations: Washington, New Hampshire, Florida, There’s, Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Israel, Ukraine

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