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The logo of a Tesla electric vehicle is placed on a car outside a dealership in Drogenbos, Belgium November 25, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - Tesla shares (TSLA.O) fell about 2% on Friday after the highly anticipated launch of its Cybertruck left analysts concerned about the electric vehicle's steep price tag and a longer wait for significant financial payoff. Musk has said Tesla was likely to reach a production rate of roughly 250,000 Cybertrucks a year in 2025. At $235.45, Tesla was set to lose about $15 billion in market valuation on Friday. "Cybertruck is more of a 'halo' product, in our view, to attract consumers to the brand for the mainstream vehicles Model 3 and Model Y," RBC Capital Markets analyst Tom Narayan said.

Persons: Yves Herman, Elon Musk, Wedbush, Bernstein, Musk, Tesla, Tesla's, Rivian, R1T, Tom Narayan, Samrhitha Arunasalam, Chavi Mehta, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, General Motors, Hummer, RBC Capital, Thomson Locations: Drogenbos, Belgium, Bengaluru

Nov 30 (Reuters) - Activist investor Nelson Peltz is pushing ahead with plans to seek at least three board seats at Disney (DIS.N) as the firm is not satisfied with Disney CEO Bob Iger's changes, several people familiar with the matter said. During a conversation on Thursday morning with Iger, Disney extended an offer for Trian to meet with the company's board but rejected the activist shareholder's request for seats on a board that will soon have 12 members, Trian said in a statement. He wanted the company to come up with a better succession plan, overhaul the streaming business and cut costs. Early this year, Peltz aborted a board challenge to give Iger time to "right the ship." "If they’ve made significant progress," Gadson said of Disney, proxy advisers "are more likely to allow for time to complete the transformation."

Persons: Nelson Peltz, Bob Iger's, Trian, Iger, Peltz, Disney, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Jeremy Darroch, Francis deSouza, Patrick Gadson, Vinson, they’ve, Gadson, Samrhitha, Dawn Chmielewski, Bayliss, Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Disney, Trian, ESPN, Sky, Companies, Exxon, Svea Herbst, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Dawn, New York, Providence

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott Investment Management on Monday said it was ready to nominate directors at Crown Castle International and push for the ouster of the wireless tower owner's executives and board members, whom it blames for years of underperformance. The hedge fund in a letter released on Monday said the company needs "comprehensive leadership change." It said it was ready to appeal to other shareholders to make changes to the 12-member board, signaling a possible proxy fight next year. Elliott sharply criticized management and the board saying a "lack of oversight ... contributed to its irresponsible stewardship and flawed financial policy." The hedge fund said the company "disregarded our data-driven analysis" and added that "our recommended changes were neither made nor taken seriously."

Persons: Elliott, Jesse Cohn, Jason Genrich, Jay Brown, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Pooja Desai, Mark Porter Organizations: Investment Management, Crown Castle International, SBA Communications, Intelligence, Svea, Thomson Locations: Houston, Providence, Bengaluru

☆ X may lose up to $75 mln by year-end on advertiser exodus - NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 24 (Reuters) - Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday. X said on Friday $11 million in revenue was at risk and the exact figure fluctuated as some advertisers returned to the platform and others increased spending, according to the report. The platform's U.S. ad revenue has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk's takeover, Reuters previously reported. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Elon Musk, Walt Disney, Adolf Hitler, X, Musk, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, New York Times, Walt, Warner Bros Discovery, Media, Apple, Oracle, Nazi, The New York Times, Microsoft, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Bengaluru

The San Francisco skyline is seen behind a self-driving GM Bolt EV during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. Cruise had in recent months touted ambitious plans to expand to more cities, offering fully autonomous taxi rides. GM lost more than $700 million at Cruise in the third quarter and more than $8 billion since 2016. Cruise has operations in Phoenix and Austin, where regulators have been more accommodating. As part of its previous expansion plans, Cruise had last year asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Kyle Vogt, Daniel Kan, Cruise, Paul Jacobson, Mary Barra, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Waymo, Samrhitha, David Shepardson, Joe White, Sayantani Ghosh, Arun Koyyur Organizations: San, GM Bolt, REUTERS, General Motors, Cruise, GM, Reuters, United Auto Workers, FRANCISCO GM, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco , California, U.S, California, United States, Washington, Phoenix, Austin, Bengaluru, Detroit

☆ HP forecasts downbeat first-quarter profit amid slow PC market recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - HP Inc (HPQ.N) on Tuesday forecast first-quarter profit below Wall Street estimates but maintained annual earnings outlook, a sign that demand in the personal computers market is still recovering, sending its shares down nearly 4% after market. HP expects first-quarter adjusted profit per share to be between 76 cents and 86 cents, the midpoint of which was below LSEG estimates of 86 cents. HP maintained fiscal 2024 adjusted profit forecast of $3.25 to $3.65 per share. Sales for HP's personal systems segment — home to its desktop and notebook PCs — fell 8% from a year ago, while its printing segment posted a 3% fall. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Enrique Lores, Lores, Lenovo, Dell, Samrhitha, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Hewlett - Packard, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, HP Inc, Wall, Companies, HP, Lenovo, HK, Dell, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, China, Bengaluru

☆ Zoom lifts annual results forecast as AI features boost demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zoom now expects annual adjusted profit per share between $4.93 and $4.95, higher than its prior forecast of $4.63 and $4.67. The company lifted its full-year revenue forecast to between $4.506 billion and $4.511 billion, from $4.485 billion to $4.495 billion earlier. The company's quarterly free cash flow grew 66.2% to $453.2 million, and Zoom expects $1.34 billion to $1.35 billion for the full year. The Phone segment grew to roughly 7 million paid seats while Contact Center reached about 700 customers as of quarter-end. For the third quarter, revenue grew 3.2% to $1.14 billion, slightly above estimates.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Webex, Eric Yuan, Rishi Jaluria, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Communications, RBC, Contact, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Nov 17 (Reuters) - The board of the company behind ChatGPT late on Friday fired OpenAI CEO Sam Altman - to many, the human face of generative AI - sending shock waves across the tech industry. Backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft (MSFT.O), OpenAI kicked off the generative AI craze last November by releasing its ChatGPT chatbot, which became one of the world's fastest-growing software applications. He was the face of OpenAI and the wildly popular generative AI technology as he toured the world this year. Altman posted on X shortly after OpenAI published its blog: "i loved my time at openai. "That said, we believe Microsoft and Nadella will exert more control at OpenAI going forward with Altman gone."

Persons: Sam Altman, Mira Murati, OpenAI, Altman, what’s, Murati, Tesla, Satya Nadella, Mira, Nadella, Eric Schmidt, Daniel Ives, Thomas Hayes, Davidson, Gil Luria, Samrhitha, Jeffrey Dastin, Anna Tong, Krystal Hu, Shounak Dasgupta, Kenneth Li, Richard Chang Organizations: Microsoft, Union, U.S, Reuters, OpenAI, Wedbush Securities, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: openai, Asia, San Francisco, Oakland , California, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Lionsgate suspends advertising on X
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo for social media platform X, following the rebranding of Twitter, is seen covering the old logo in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - Lions Gate Entertainment (LGFa.N) has suspended advertising on Elon Musk-owned X, a spokesperson for the company said on Friday. Apple (AAPL.O) is also pausing all advertising on X, Axios reported, after Musk backed an antisemitic post on the social media platform earlier this week. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Axios, Musk, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: Twitter, REUTERS, Gate Entertainment, Elon, Apple, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Apple to make messaging between iPhones and Androids easier - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An Android mascot is seen in front of a displayed logo of Apple in this photo illustration taken in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 5, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O) plans to adopt a messaging standard next year that will allow for a smoother texting experience between iPhones and Android devices, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company said the new technology would work alongside iMessage and offer better interoperability than SMS or MMS, according to the report. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado, iMessage, Samrhitha, Shilpi Majumdar, Devika Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Bloomberg, Rich Communication Services, Google, Thomson Locations: Zenica, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bengaluru

☆ Applied Materials forecasts upbeat first-quarter revenue on resilient demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A smartphone with a displayed Applied Materials logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. Reuters reported Applied Materials is under U.S. criminal investigation for potentially evading export restrictions on China's top chipmaker SMIC. Santa Clara, California-based Applied Materials, expects first-quarter revenue of $6.47 billion, plus or minus $400 million, higher than analysts' estimates of $6.37 billion, according to LSEG data. Companies focusing on generative AI tools this year has also led to an increase in spending for Applied Materials' equipment. Rival Lam Research (LRCX.O) last month forecast revenue below estimates due to weak memory chip demand, while KLA (KLAC.O) forecast revenue above expectations on growing adoption of AI tools.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Gary Dickerson, Samrhitha, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, United, Justice and Commerce, Intel, Devices, Materials, Revenue, Lam Research, KLA, Thomson Locations: United States, China, U.S, Santa Clara , California, Bengaluru

☆ Cisco lowers annual forecasts on slowdown in new orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Cisco logo is displayed, during the GSMA's 2023 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain March 1, 2023. The company estimates one to two quarters of shipped product orders are still waiting to be implemented by customers. For the full year, Cisco expects revenue between $53.8 billion and $55.0 billion, and adjusted per-share earnings in the range of $3.87 to $3.93. The company had previously forecast annual revenue of $57.0 billion to $58.2 billion, and adjusted per-share earnings of $4.01 to $4.08. For the second quarter, Cisco expects revenue between $12.6 billion and $12.8 billion, missing analysts' estimates of $14.19 billion, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Nacho, Scott Herren, Samrhitha, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Cisco, Congress, REUTERS, Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Arista Networks, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Bengaluru

☆ EV maker Canoo slashes spending for second half of 2023, forecasts smaller loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the Canoo logo on a Canoo LV (Lifestyle Vehicle) electric vehicle outside a manufacturing site in Livonia, Michigan, U.S. November 29, 2022. The EV maker expects capital expenditure of $30 million to $40 million in the second half of 2023, compared with its prior forecast range of $70 million to $100 million. Canoo projects core loss to be between $85 million and $105 million for the second half, versus its previous range of $120 million to $140 million. Adjusted loss per share was 6 cents, compared with LSEG estimates of a 12-cent loss. Its cash and cash equivalents were $8.3 million as of Sept. 30, compared with $5 million in the preceding three months.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Canoo, Tony Aquila, EVs, Aquila, Samrhitha, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, Ford, General Motors, U.S . Defense Department, Walmart, NASA, Thomson Locations: Livonia , Michigan, U.S, Oklahoma, Bengaluru

The logo of Fisker Automotive is pictured on a car at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France, October 18, 2022. But Fisker was limited by its delivery and service infrastructure rather than production and demand. "We have not been able to follow through with deliveries fast enough," CEO Henrik Fisker said on the call. "In the course of completing the preparation of the report, the company determined that it has material weaknesses in the company's internal control over financial reporting," Fisker said. The EV company reported a loss of $91 million, missing analysts' estimates for a loss of $75 million, according to Visible Alpha.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Fisker, Geeta Fisker, Tesla, Elon, Henrik Fisker, Samrhitha Arunasalam, Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat, Akash Sriram, Abhirup Roy, Shounak Dasgupta, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fisker, REUTERS, Ford, General Motors, EV, Alpha, stoke, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, U.S, Canada, Austrian, Bengaluru, San Francisco

☆ Ad tech firm Trade Desk sinks as auto, Hollywood strikes hit forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 10 (Reuters) - Shares of advertising tech firm Trade Desk (TTD.O) plunged 19% on Friday following a quarterly revenue forecast dented by a slowdown in spending from labor strike-hit automakers and media companies. Trade Desk has what it calls "a marketplace" of more than 200 companies, including ESPN, Hulu and Fox, where advertisers can choose to show their ads. The company also caters to brands such as Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), which warned this week the sluggishness in advertising trends could continue into the next year. Trade Desk expects fourth-quarter revenue of at least $580 million, which was $30 million lower than estimates, according to LSEG data. "We appreciate the near-term conservatism and think that Trade Desk sits in a unique position to deliver defensibility in a deteriorating macro but also growth in an improving one," RBC Capital Markets analysts said.

Persons: Piper Sandler, Jeff Green, Samrhitha, Sriraj Organizations: Google, ESPN, Hulu, Fox, Warner Bros Discovery, Trade, RBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Alphabet's, Bengaluru

☆ Big media rallies as tentative actors' deal paves way for restarting productions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) and Paramount Global (PARA.O) gained 3% each, Netflix (NFLX.O) rose marginally, while Walt Disney (DIS.N) jumped 4%, as it also benefited from strong earnings and a plan to cut more costs. The writers, who had gone on strike before the actors in spring, returned to work in late September, but most productions remained halted as the actors were on picket lines. "Its certainly a very encouraging sign the chasm that opened up between actors, writers and studios can finally be closed and work begin in earnest on re-starting productions," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. Streeter warned that "it's going to take considerable time before new movies, in particular, will appear on screens given the lengthy post-production process." Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alyssa Pointer, Walt Disney, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, Streeter, Samrhitha, Shinjini Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Alliance of Motion Pictures, Television Producers, REUTERS, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount Global, Netflix, SAG, Hargreaves, Thomson Locations: Warner Bros . Discovery Atlanta, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Hollywood, Bengaluru

☆ Warner Bros Discovery beats quarterly profit estimates amid strike, sluggish ad market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Discovery Atlanta campus is pictured after the Writers Guild of America began their strike against the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 2, 2023. The media company forged by the union of WarnerMedia and Discovery posted adjusted core earnings of $2.97 billion, above estimates of $2.92 billion, as per LSEG data. The company had 95.1 million global direct-to-consumer customers at the end of the quarter, down from 95.8 million in the previous quarter. In May, it launched its Max streaming service - combining HBO Max's scripted entertainment with Discovery's reality shows. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alyssa Pointer, David Zaslav, Samrhitha, Helen Coster, Saumyadeb Organizations: Warner Bros . Discovery, Writers Guild of America, Alliance of Motion Pictures, Television Producers, REUTERS, Warner Bros Discovery, SAG, HBO, Thomson Locations: Warner Bros . Discovery Atlanta, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Bengaluru, New York

The company reported free cash flow of $2.06 billion, compared with $1.72 billion in the prior quarter. The company posted a net loss of $417 million, narrowing from a $2.3 billion net loss from a year-ago period. Advertising revenue at its networks segment declined 12% to $1.71 billion as global conflicts and inflation created an uncertain climate for marketers. The company's streaming unit posted an adjusted core profit of $111 million, compared with a loss of $634 million a year ago. Warner Bros Discovery had 95.1 million global direct-to-consumer customers at the end of the quarter, down from 95.8 million in the previous quarter.

Persons: Mario Anzuoni, Gunnar Wiedenfels, there's, Wiedenfels, David Zaslav, Michael Schulman, Barbie, Thomas Hayes, Samrhitha, Helen Coster, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Anil D'Silva, Mark Porter Organizations: Paramount Pictures Studios, REUTERS, Warner Bros Discovery, SAG, Running, HBO, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Fortinet, rivals tumble as dour forecast signals slowing cybersecurity spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 3 (Reuters) - Fortinet (FTNT.O) sank 23% and sparked a selloff in cybersecurity stocks with a dismal forecast that compounded fears of slowing client spending in an uncertain economy. Fortinet cut its annual revenue target on Thursday and said it expects current-quarter sales between $1.38 billion and $1.44 billion, below estimates of $1.50 billion, LSEG data showed. Growth is also slowing in some parts of the company's business as demand normalizes after two years of rapid growth during the pandemic. Overall, five brokerages downgraded the company and at least 14 analysts cut their price targets, pushing the median to $60, LSEG data showed. It currently trades at nearly 33 times its 12-month forward earnings estimates, compared with Palo Alto's 44.6 and CrowdStrike's 54.5.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Raymond James, Keith Jensen, Samrhitha Organizations: REUTERS, Palo, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto, Bengaluru

☆ Paramount narrows streaming loss forecast as investments peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Toy figures of people are seen in front of the displayed Paramount + logo, in this illustration taken January 20, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 3 (Reuters) - Paramount Global shares (PARA.O) surged 10% on Friday, after the media company narrowed the 2023 loss forecast for its fast-growing streaming business as investments peaked a year ahead of target. "We now expect DTC (direct-to-consumer) losses in 2023 will be lower than in 2022 – meaning streaming investment peaked ahead of plan," Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said. Despite the industry's focus pivoting to profitability, analysts do not see a clear path to that target, with brokerage Needham believing that Paramount could be bought by a larger streaming competitor. "It is bite-size enough to be acquired by a larger streaming competitor for its deep library of film and TV content, as well as its sports rights and news assets."

Persons: Dado Ruvic, HBO Max, Bob Bakish, Needham, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Paramount Global, Disney, HBO, Rivals Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, NFL, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Fortinet, rivals fall on concerns around cybersecurity spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 3 (Reuters) - Fortinet (FTNT.O) sank nearly 18% and sparked a selloff in cybersecurity stocks with a dismal forecast that compounded fears of slowing client spending in an uncertain economy. The current losses, if they hold, were set to wipe out nearly $8 billion from the company's market value. Fortinet cut its annual revenue target on Thursday and said it expects current-quarter sales between $1.38 billion and $1.44 billion, below estimates of $1.50 billion, LSEG data showed. Overall, eight brokerages downgraded the company and at least 18 analysts cut their price targets, pushing the median to $59, LSEG data showed. Fortinet shares have risen nearly 18% this year.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Raymond James, Keith Jensen, Samrhitha, Sriraj Kalluvila Organizations: REUTERS, Competition, Palo, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto, Fortinet, Bengaluru

☆ AMD soars as AI chip sales prediction bodes well for rivalry with Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) jumped 8% on Wednesday, after an upbeat AI chip sales forecast signaled the company was making progress in its bid to catch up with market leader Nvidia (NVDA.O). The optimism over AI chip sales helped ease worries about a disappointing fourth-quarter forecast and put it on course for market value gains of nearly $13 billion, based on the $106.41 share price. CEO Lisa Su on Tuesday provided a 2024 sales forecast for the first time for the MI300 chips, designed to compete against the advanced H100 chips sold by Nvidia. That would make the MI300 the fastest product to ramp to $1 billion in sales in AMD's history. The CEO also said the MI300 chips had won commitments from "multiple, large hyperscale customers", a term that refers to large tech and cloud computing companies.

Persons: Florence Lo, Lisa Su, TD Cowen, Morningstar, Brian Colello, Samrhitha, Sriraj Organizations: Devices Inc, REUTERS, Micro Devices, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Netflix's ad tier reaches 15 million users a year after launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - Netflix (NFLX.O) said on Wednesday its ad-supported tier had reached 15 million active users per month, a year after the streaming giant launched the cheaper plan to revive subscriber growth and revenue following a slowdown. Netflix increased subscription prices for some streaming plans in the United States, Britain and France last month, after its third-quarter subscriber additions of 9 million shattered Wall Street expectations of 6 million. A month after Netflix's ad-plan launch last year, rival Disney+ also rolled out its ad version in an attempt to push its streaming business into profitability. Amazon's (AMZN.O) Prime Video will next year join its streaming rivals in rolling out ads and introducing a higher-priced ad-free tier. In countries where the ad plan was available, 30% of the signups were from the ad-tier.

Persons: Dado, HBO Max, Peacock, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: Netflix, REUTERS, Disney, HBO, Paramount, Thomson Locations: United States, Britain, France, Bengaluru

☆ Pinterest soars on rising Gen Z engagement, ad market rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Pinterest logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsOct 31 (Reuters) - Shares of Pinterest (PINS.N) surged 17% on Tuesday after a strong quarterly performance indicated that the image-sharing platform was riding a rebound in the advertising market and making inroads among the lucrative Gen Z. "Take the strong engagement trends as a sign that Pinterest may have found product-market fit with younger users which keeps the flywheel going," Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik said. At least 19 analysts raised their price targets on the stock, boosting the median to $35, per LSEG data. Shares were up 17% at $29.43, and the company was on track to add nearly $3 billion in market value if the gains held.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Bernstein, Mark Shmulik, Schmulik, Samrhitha, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, Z, Wall Street, Meta, Google, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Western Digital to separate into two companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Western Digital Corporation is displayed at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Yoshiyasu Shida/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Western Digital (WDC.O) said on Monday it would split itself into two companies that would focus on the hard drive and flash memory markets, days after talks of a merger with Japan's Kioxia stalled. Western Digital shares were up nearly 10% before the bell. The company launched a review of alternatives last year after activist investor Elliott Management disclosed a stake of nearly $1 billion in Western Digital and pushed it to separate those businesses. Reports last week said merger talks between Western Digital and Japan's Kioxia Holdings had stalled as opposition from Kioxia investor SK Hynix (000660.KS) complicated the on-again, off-again deal.

Persons: Yoshiyasu, Japan's Kioxia, Elliott, Samrhitha, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Western Digital Corporation, REUTERS, Western Digital, Elliott Management, Japan's Kioxia Holdings, SK Hynix, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bengaluru

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