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☆ Bob Menendez: Here’s what prosecutors say bought off a US senator
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s what prosecutors say the senator and his wife got:Gold barsProsecutors say Hana and Daibes gave Menendez and his wife gold bars, which were seized by the FBI from the Menendez residence. After returning from a trip to Egypt and getting a ride home from the airport from Daibes’ driver, prosecutors say Menendez searched online for the price of a gold bar. Nadine Menendez needed a new car, apparently after hitting and killing a jaywalker in Bogota, New Jersey, in December 2018. There is a long list of actions prosecutors say Menendez undertook in exchange for all of these alleged bribes. The envelopes of cash prosecutors say bore Daibes’ fingerprints may be more difficult to explain.

Persons: CNN — Democratic Sen, Bob Menendez, Mercedes, Menendez, CNN’s Manu Raju, “, ”, Nadine, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe, Daibes, Nadine Menendez’s, Nadine Menendez, Uribe, Hana, –, …, Qataris, retry Menendez, Salomon Melgen, Melgen, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN — Democratic, Bob Menendez of New, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Capitol, FBI, Court Southern District of, Prosecutors, Court Southern District of New York Prosecutors, Court Southern District of New York, Menendez, Uribe, Mercedes, Benz, Senate Foreign Relations, US Department of Agriculture, New York, of Justice Locations: Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey, Daibes, Court Southern District of New York, Bogota , New Jersey, New

☆ Chinese consumer stocks to buy even if the overall market rally fades
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It's now focused on finding industry leaders with high free cash flow. Hong Kong-based AlphaHill Capital is looking specifically for Chinese consumer names with free cash flow growth, said Siliang Jiang, the firm's partner and portfolio manager. Jiang expects the Chinese consumer will start to turn around in the second half of this year or next year. China's "Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) edged up in the past 9 months, despite falling property prices and fears of 'household balance sheet recession '. Two of their picks based on positive free cash flow are Li Auto and New Oriental Education .

Persons: Ding Wenjie, Ding, It's, Siliang Jiang, Jiang, Li, Liqian Ren, Ren, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi, China Asset Management Co, CNBC, Investors, China Merchants Securities, Baidu, Bank of America, Li Auto, New Oriental, Speed Railway, WisdomTree, Reuters Locations: China, India, Hong Kong, Tencent, Beijing, Shanghai, Shanghai . State

☆ Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Tracey Tully | Benjamin Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Who Are Key Players in the Menendez Case? Mr. Menendez goes to trial on May 13 with two of the businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. Fred Daibes New Jersey Real Estate Developer Mr. Daibes is accused of giving Mr. Menendez furniture, gold and cash. Nadine Menendez Mr. Menendez’s Wife Ms. Menendez served as a go-between for Mr. Menendez, Egyptian intelligence officials and men who were seeking political favors from the senator, according to the indictment. Defense LawyersAdam Fee Lawyer for Robert Menendez He previously spent five years as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District — the same office prosecuting Mr. Menendez.

Persons: Menendez, Robert Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Mr, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Menendez's, Daibes, Nadine Menendez Mr, Menendez’s, Ms, Jose Uribe, Uribe, Uribe's, Sidney H, Stein, Bill Clinton, Jennifer Shah, Hassan Nemazee, Damian Williams, Williams, President Biden, Sam Bankman, Fried, Juan Orlando Hernández, Christina Clark, Clark, Charles McGonigal, Catherine Ghosh, Eli Mark, Paul Monteleoni, Robert Hadden, Lara Pomerantz, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Norman Seabrook, Daniel Richenthal, Sheldon Silver, Michael Avenatti, Adam Fee, Fee, Avi Weitzman, Lawrence Lustberg Organizations: Democrat, Robert Menendez New Jersey, Senate Foreign Relations, Jersey Real, EG, Prosecutors, United, Jose Uribe Former New, Benz, U.S, Southern, of, Democratic, Attorney, Southern District of, ex, Public, New, New York City Housing Authority, Justice Department, Southern District’s, New York State Assembly, Nike . Defense, Southern District Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, United States, Jose Uribe Former New Jersey, of New York, Southern District, Southern District of New York, Russian, New York City, Brooklyn, Columbia, New York, U.S, California

☆ Big, Smoggy Bangkok Gets a Badly Needed Breath of Fresh Air
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Richard C. Paddock | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than half a century, Thailand’s state-owned tobacco monopoly mass-produced cigarettes at a sprawling industrial estate in Bangkok. A steady stream of heavy trucks brought raw tobacco into the heart of the city and hauled millions of cigarettes away. But now, that cancer-inducing complex has given way to something completely different: green space that has brought a breath of fresh air to Bangkok’s congested, often smoggy center. The site — an expansion of the existing Benjakitti Park — includes a mile-long elevated walkway, as well as water-purifying wetlands, 8,000 new trees, pickleball and basketball courts, and a dog-walking zone. At sunset, as the heat of the day eases, it is often packed with visitors, many posing for selfies.

Organizations: selfies Locations: Bangkok

CNN —Vladimir Putin has formally begun his fifth term as Russia’s president in a carefully choreographed inauguration ceremony, in a country he has shaped in his image after first taking office nearly a quarter of a century ago. Putin won Russia’s stage-managed election by an overwhelming majority in March, securing for himself another six-year term that could see him rule until at least his 77th birthday. Attendees wait in the Kremlin as Putin arrives for his inauguration ceremony. Putin waves during his inauguration ceremony. To ensure it has enough drones and missiles to bombard Ukraine, Russia has also entered into deeper partnerships with Iran and North Korea.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Putin, – Putin, “, Matthew Miller, Putin’s, Maxim Shemetov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ”, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, US State Department, Reuters, US Embassy, Presidential Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Iran, North Korea

☆ Opinion | Israel Shutters One of Its Few Links to the Arab World
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli government’s decision to kick Al Jazeera out of Israel says more about the government than the TV network. The Arabic programming on Al Jazeera may often be tendentious and anti-Israeli, but shutting it down further erodes Israel’s proud image as a democracy in a neighborhood populated largely by authoritarian or hereditary rulers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused Al Jazeera of being a security threat by serving as a megaphone for Hamas. Founded in 1996, Al Jazeera is the most popular source of news for much of the Arab world. From a purely tactical point of view, having an Al Jazeera bureau in Israel gave Israelis a better shot at getting their message to the Arab world than shutting it down.

Persons: Al Jazeera, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Hamza al, Al, Wael al Organizations: Al, Gulf States, Israel Locations: Israel, Al, Egypt, Gulf, Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Gaza, Al Jazeera

☆ China is building a huge network of satellites that could be used against US troops: intel chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has developed a large network of military satellites. AdvertisementChina has developed a network of hundreds of military satellites that could be used to target US troops, a Pentagon official warned. Maj. Gen. Greg Gagnon, deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, told a conference on Thursday that China had developed a sophisticated military satellite program. He said it could be used to track and target US troops moving to defend Taiwan, Defense One reported. "For the first time in decades, US leadership in space and space technology is being challenged," Meink added.

Persons: —, Greg Gagnon, Gagnon, we're, America —, Troy Meink, Space.com, Meink Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Defense, National Reconnaissance Office Locations: China, Taiwan, America, Colorado

☆ Gazprom: Russian oil giant posts first annual loss in 20 years as sales to Europe collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow — Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom plunged to a net loss of 629 billion rubles ($6.9 billion) in 2023, its first annual loss in more than 20 years, as sales to Europe plummeted in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Analysts had expected net income of 447 billion rubles ($4.9 billion) in 2023, according to Interfax news agency. The company made a net profit of 1.2 trillion ($13.1 billion) rubles in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s gas exports to Europe, once its primary export market, have slumped largely because of the political fallout from the conflict in Ukraine. The company’s core profit, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization known as EBITDA, dropped to 618.38 billion rubles ($6.7 billion) last year from 2.79 trillion rubles ($30.4 billion) in 2022, according to Reuters’ calculations.

Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Ronald Smith Organizations: Gazprom, Analysts, Reuters, BCS Global Markets Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, St . Petersburg, Europe

The U.S. government’s landmark antitrust trial against Google’s search business is nearing its conclusion. Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission started investigating Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, for monopolistic behavior. The government has since sued all four companies — Google twice — in what it says is an effort to rein in their power and promote more competition. Closing arguments wrap up on Friday in Google’s first antitrust suit on allegations that it has a monopoly in internet search. and 17 states sued Amazon, accusing it of protecting a monopoly by squeezing sellers on its vast marketplace and favoring its own services.

Persons: Trump Organizations: U.S, Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Apple, Google, Big Tech, Amazon Locations: Google’s

☆ What’s at stake in the Google antitrust case? Billions of dollars (and the way we use the internet)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Whenever you type a search into Apple’s Safari browser — say, on an iPhone — chances are it’s Google that returns the results. You can tell Safari to pick another search engine, but in practice most people tend to stick with Google by default. You might know that Google pays Apple enormous sums of money every year for that prime placement. Those eye-popping figures, newly unsealed this week, come from a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Google that’s just entered its closing stages. Nothing prevented Apple from choosing a different default search partner, Google contends.

Persons: —, Google that’s, Trump, Amit Mehta, Mehta, ” Mehta, John Schmidtlein, Google’s, Sherman, “, ” Schmidtlein Organizations: CNN, Google, Apple, Justice Department, DOJ, Microsoft

☆ Gazprom plunges to first annual loss in 20 years as trade with Europe hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday it plunged to a net loss of 629 billion rubles ($6.9 billion) in 2023, its first annual loss in more than 20 years, amid dwindling gas trade with Europe, once its main sales market. Analysts had expected net income of 447 billion rubles, according to Interfax news agency. Gazprom's 2023 loss followed a net profit of 1.2 trillion roubles in 2022. It said on Thursday it made a net loss of 364 billion roubles from sales in 2023, in contrast to a profit of 1.9 trillion roubles in 2022. Its total revenue fell to 8.5 trillion rubles last year from 11.7 trillion in 2022.

Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Ronald Smith Organizations: Gazprom, Saint Petersburg, Soviet, Analysts, BCS Global Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Europe, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Moldova, St . Petersburg, Moscow

☆ The future of Google — and Big Tech — hangs in the balance at trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Google's landmark antitrust trial is wrapping up this week in DC with closing arguments, capping off a yearslong saga. AdvertisementIn the end, Judge Mehta could clear Google or find it liable, which could result in changes to its search engine contracts. Mehta could even bar Google from making future deals around its search engine. In his testimony, Google SVP Prabhakar Raghavan noted the search giant is referred to as "Grandpa Google" in some circles and cited execs' fears that its influence might be dwindling.

Persons: —, Amit Mehta, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Google's, Kent Walker, Judge Mehta, Mehta, Prabhakar Raghavan, Google Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, US, Microsoft, Justice, Google, The New York Times, DOJ, FTC, Amazon, Meta, Big Tech, AP

The judge overseeing a landmark U.S. antitrust challenge to Google tried to poke holes in both sides’ cases during closing arguments Thursday, as he weighs a ruling that could reshape the technology industry. Judge Amit P. Mehta was presiding over the first day of closing arguments in the most consequential tech antitrust case since the U.S. government sued Microsoft in the late 1990s. The Justice Department has sued Google, accusing it of illegally shoring up a monopoly in online search. On Thursday, Judge Mehta questioned the government’s argument that Google’s dominance had hurt the quality of the experience for searching for information online. “Certainly I don’t think the average person would say, ‘Google and Amazon are the same thing,’” Judge Mehta said.

Persons: Judge Amit P, Mehta, Judge Mehta Organizations: Google, Microsoft, The

☆ Apple can't tell you iPhone sales are booming, so it's talking about 'services.' That's a problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It didn't boast about iPhone sales, which declined. AdvertisementApple had a great second quarter, Apple says: The company hit an "all-time revenue record in Services," the company reports. And if you head over to the company's financials, you can see why: iPhone sales dropped by 10% in the last three months. Prior to Thursday's earnings, analysts had fretted that Chinese iPhone sales were soft, but on Thursday afternoon, Cook told CNBC that iPhone sales in China were up. AdvertisementAnd, as we've been pointing out repeatedly, Apple's App Store rules are under increasing pressure from regulators around the world — and in the EU in particular.

Persons: —, Cook, I've, it's Organizations: Apple, Service, CNBC, Google, US Department Locations: China, EU

☆ Court documents reveal Google's payments to Apple increased to an eye-watering $20 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Alphabet paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to remain Safari's default search engine, court documents show. That's a $2 billion increase compared to the reported amount Google paid Apple in 2021. AdvertisementThe price to be the default search engine on iPhones, iPads, and Macs has apparently gone up. That's at least $2 billion more than the reported price it paid Apple in 2021. Google reportedly paid Apple around $18 billion in 2021, surpassing a billion dollars every month, according to court documents.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple, Google, Service, US Department, Business

☆ PowerPoint Parties: Gen Z Trend Shows How Work Invades Social Lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Case in point: the PowerPoint party, where people get together to show each other presentations on various topics in the name of having fun. It's a chance to be creative and turn something you do at work into something silly and social. The rise of the PowerPoint party also speaks to the workification of our day-to-day lives. Perhaps it's no surprise that young adults who had their childhood activities scheduled down to the minute are embracing the PowerPoint party. If you absolutely insist on having a PowerPoint party, God bless.

Persons: —, it's, we've, hotness, It's, Anna North, Emily Stewart Organizations: Harvard, it's Harvard, Cosmopolitan, Microsoft, Google, Monopoly, Business Locations: Canada

☆ CEO says the FICO score provider isn't a monopoly: 'There are alternatives'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In a Friday interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Fair Isaac CEO Will Lansing challenged the accusation that his company has a monopoly on the industry. Fair Isaac is an analytics software and services company known for developing the FICO score. "We don't have a monopoly, there are alternatives to FICO score. "There are alternatives, and we're there because we're good, not because we have some kind of special privileges." He also pointed out that Fair Isaac faced an antitrust investigation several years ago and "came out clean."

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Isaac, Will Lansing, Lansing, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, Hawley Organizations: of Justice Locations: Missouri

☆ The FTC says Jeff Bezos and Amazon execs used Signal to talk business — and it wants to know more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon execs used messaging app Signal to discuss business matters, the Federal Trade Commission said. The agency wants to know if execs told Amazon staff to delete messages, and when to use Signal. AdvertisementAmazon's top executives used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss "sensitive business matters," the Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing on Thursday. The founder said, "Are you on signal messaging app? "Amazon also recognizes that sellers believe 'that it has become more difficult over time to be profitable on Amazon,'" the FTC filing stated.

Persons: execs, —, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, David Zapolsky, Jeff Wilke, Dave Clark, Tim Doyle, Mike Hopkins, Carlo Bertucci, Amazon's, Zapolsky Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Service, FTC, Amazon MGM Studios

☆ Toymaker Hasbro posts quarterly profit beat, slower sales decline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hasbro reported a smaller-than-expected drop in first-quarter sales and handily beat profit estimates on Wednesday, as leaner inventories and steady digital gaming revenue helped cushion a drag from softer demand for toys. However, efforts to clean up its inventory throughout 2023, along with cost efficiencies, helped its operating margin expand to 15.3%, from 1.8% last year. On an adjusted basis, Hasbro reported earnings per share of 61 cents in the quarter ended March 31, compared to 1 cent last year. The toy maker said it was on track to achieve the fiscal 2024 targets it set in February. On Tuesday, Barbie maker Mattel posted a smaller-than-expected loss for the first quarter, helped by its costs-saving measures.

Persons: Barbie, Mattel Organizations: Hasbro, Walmart, Target, Revenue, Wizards, Coast

☆ F.T.C. Said to Consider Blocking Major Fashion Merger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | More About Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Trade Commission is preparing to sue to block a luxury fashion mega merger, Tapestry’s $8.5 billion takeover of Capri Holdings, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The F.T.C.’s five commissioners are expected to meet next week to discuss the case, a move that could precede a formal vote on whether to file a lawsuit, the people said. The people, who were not authorized to discuss the deliberations, said that it was still possible that the agency could opt not to sue. Monopoly cases in the fashion industry are rare, because there is no shortage of new labels looking to undercut legacy brands. “It is the paradigmatic part of the economy where there is ample competition,” said Howard Hogan, the chair of the fashion, retail and consumer practice at the law firm Gibson Dunn.

Persons: ’, Kate Spade, Capri’s Versace, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton’s, ”, Howard Hogan, Gibson Dunn Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Capri Holdings, Gucci, Monopoly Locations: American

☆ Mike Johnson: Doing ‘the right thing’ may cost the speaker his gavel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —It took less than six months for Speaker Mike Johnson to reach his existential moment. His tiny majority means he can’t afford to lose more than one GOP vote to pass a bill on a party-line vote. But a GOP speaker dependent on Democratic votes will be seen by many Republicans as a tool of the minority party and would be on borrowed time. In this way, those who oppose Ukraine aid on principle could vote against it, allowing Democrats who support it to ensure its passage. These are important responsibilities,” Johnson told Tapper.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, John Boehner –, Johnson, ” Johnson, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie of, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Greene, Chip Roy, Roy, ”, –, CNN’s Manu Raju, ’ Johnson, he’s, Tapper, “, Dan Crenshaw, CNN’s Raju, Johnson “, ” Trump, hasn’t, bankrolling, Dwight Eisenhower, George W, Bush, Vladimir Putin doesn’t, We’re, Putin, Xi, Lloyd Austin, Biden, he’d Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, Texas Rep, Democratic, GOP, White, Texas GOP, Lago, Trump, Senate, “, ”, House Defense Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mexico, Kyiv, Washington, Texas, Mar, Trumpism, Europe, Iran, North Korea, British, Jordanian, Russia, Russia’s, United States

☆ Live Nation could be hit with antitrust suit as soon as next month: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Live Nation is expected to be hit with an antitrust lawsuit as soon as next month, The WSJ reported. Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, has long faced criticism over its ticket fees. The Justice Department could sue Live Nation, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, as soon as next month following a probe into its handling of venue and ticket negotiations, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Related storiesThe department is prepared to file the antitrust suit alleging Live Nation leveraged is dominance in the market to suppress competition, The Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Swift released a statement shortly after the incident saying she was "pissed off" and described the outage as "excruciating," The New York Times reported at the time.

Persons: —, Taylor, Swift, I'm, Swifties Organizations: WSJ, Ticketmaster, Service, The, Street, Legal, Institute of Cornell Law School, LiveNation, Justice Department, Business, New York Times, Times, Billboard

☆ Overlooked No More: Lizzie Magie, the Unknown Inventor Behind Monopoly
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Gavin Edwards | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. In 1933, he copyrighted the game, Monopoly, as his own invention and began selling it in toy stores and department stores. It also made Darrow a millionaire. But credit for the idea behind it should not have been his. Rather, it belonged to a woman from Illinois with a versatile résumé that included writing, acting, engineering and working as a stenographer: Lizzie Magie.

Persons: Charles Darrow, Darrow, Lizzie Magie Organizations: Times Locations: Philadelphia, Illinois

☆ 'Fallout' ending explained: The finale hints at who started the apocalypse and teases a return to a fan-favorite location
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's '"Fallout" takes place after a nuclear war has ravaged the world. The end of "Fallout" also teases a return to a fan-favorite game in the series. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementFrances Turner as Barb Howard in "Fallout." Regardless of what lies ahead for Hank in the "Fallout" series, seeing the futuristic version of Sin City is a tantalizing possibility.

Persons: —, Jonathan Nolan, Lucy MacLean, Ella Purnell, he's, Cooper Howard, Walton, Barb Howard, Frances Turner, Lee Moldaver, Sarita Choudhury, Cooper, Barb, Hank MacLean, Kyle MacLachlan, Rafi Silver, Hank Organizations: Service, Bethesda SoftWorks, Interplay, Tec, RobCo Industries Locations: postapocalyptic America, Vegas . New Vegas, Amazon's, Vegas, Sin

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy spurns regulators after failed iRobot deal: 'It's a sad story'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on Thursday took aim at regulators who are increasingly blocking mergers, including the company's planned acquisition of robotic vacuum maker iRobot , which fell apart earlier this year amid antitrust concerns. "I think it's really kind of a sad story," Jassy said in an interview with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin on "Squawk Box." Jassy said the move showed that regulators "trust these two large Chinese companies with maps of the inside of U.S. consumers' homes more than they do Amazon." As megadeals have slowed to a crawl, tech companies have made a flurry of investments in artificial intelligence startups, seeking to gain a foothold in the burgeoning market. When asked how Amazon is tackling returns fraud, Jassy said the company has teams charged with examining returned goods to make sure they're "appropriate."

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, iRobot, Anker, Ecovacs, Biden Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Big Tech, Microsoft, Regulators, FTC, Amazon, CNBC, National Retail Federation, Appriss Locations: U.S, China, OpenAI

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