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OpenAI’s fear factorThe tech world’s collective eyebrows rose last week when Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder who briefly led a rebellion against Sam Altman, resigned as chief scientist. “Safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products,” Jan Leike, who resigned from OpenAI last week, wrote on the social network X. Along with Sutskever, Leike oversaw the company’s so-called superalignment team, which was tasked with making sure products didn’t become a threat to humanity. Sutskever said in his departing note that he was confident OpenAI would build artificial general intelligence — A.I. Leike spoke for many safety-first OpenAI employees, according to Vox.

Persons: Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, hadn’t, ” Jan Leike, Sutskever, Leike, —, Vox, Daniel Kokotajlo, Altman Organizations: OpenAI, C.E.O

☆ DR Congo: Americans involved in foiled deadly coup, military says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —American citizens were involved in an attempted coup d’état that left at least three people dead on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a military spokesperson told CNN Monday. Malanga was killed in a gun battle between the armed putschists and the presidential guards, Ekenge said. Videos widely shared on social media, but not verified by CNN, showed a man with a bloody face being surrounded by Congolese military personnel. Sunday’s incident was the second coup attempt by the now deceased Malanga, a former Congolese military veteran, Ekenge told CNN. The African Union condemned Sunday’s coup attempt in the DRC and welcomed the “control of the situation” by the country’s security forces.

Persons: d’état, Vital Kamerhe, Christian Malanga, General Sylvain Ekenge, Malanga, Ekenge, “, ” Ekenge, Marcel, Benjamin Reuben Zalman, Polun, Patrick Ducey, Taylor Thomson, “ Patrick Ducey, Lucy Tamlyn, ”, Felix Tshisekedi, Kamerhe’s, Sunday’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Palais, Nation, Congolese, United Congolese Party, Reuters, World Bank, Central, African Union Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Congolese, Kinshasa, Africa, Gabon

☆ Inside Oracle's Deadly Gamble on Cerner and Electronic Health Records
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

That was the promise of Cerner, the medical-records company Oracle bought in 2021 for $28.3 billion — Oracle's biggest acquisition. At the time, Cerner managed the electronic health records for a quarter of all American hospitals, including those run by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Larry EllisonCerner's electronic records, in short, were a deadly disaster for the VA. Never mind the futuristic, AI-driven healthcare system Ellison envisioned. In 2015, it beat out Epic, its main competitor, for a $4.3 billion contract to handle electronic health records for the Defense Department. It had agreed to process tens of millions of crucial medical records, but it couldn't handle the subsequent deluge of data.

Persons: Larry Ellison's, Ellison, Cerner, I'm, Larry Ellison, Neal Patterson, Cerner's, Patterson, Ellison's, they're, David Shulkin, Margaret Albaugh, Cerner couldn't, Charlie Bourg, —, Larry, Marc Benioff, Ellison protégé, Mike Wilson, David Agus, oncologist, Agus, he'd, Steve Jobs, Sensei, We've, Georges De Keerle, Cerner —, hadn't, Mike Sicilia, Sicilia, Oracle, Anthony Jones Jr, Jones, Donald Remy, didn't, Seema Verma, Neil Evans, Sara Vaezy, Ed Meagher, haven't, Charlie Monroe —, it's, Charlie Bourg —, Bourg, Charlie Monroe, Monroe, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, grandkids, We're, there's Organizations: Oracle's, Oracle, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, Cerner, RAND Corporation, RAND, Big Tech, GE, Siemens, Cerner Corporation, Defense Department, Department of Defense, Business, Spokane, Ellison Institute of Technology, Microsoft, Agency, Health, Amazon, Veterans ' Affairs, Oracle Health, Navy, Columbus VA, BI, Life Sciences, Intermountain Health, UPMC, DOD, Seabees Locations: Las Vegas, antiaging, Silicon Valley, Spokane , Washington, Cerner, VistA, Bourg, Washington, Sicilia, Ohio, Columbus, Providence, Spokane, Monroe, CloudWorld

☆ Opinion: Why Julian Assange’s fate matters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Opinion Alan Rusbridger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A determined American journalist, let’s call her Gillian, is sleuthing away at a story about India’s nuclear weapons program. Though Gillian is based in London, when she finally gets to publish her story, the Indian government is bent on revenge. Is Washington going to stand idly by and meekly accept the possibility of an American journalist languishing in an Indian jail? The clue is in the inverted commas around “journalist.” To my mind, Julian Assange is in some ways recognizably a journalist. However, to many journalists Assange is not a proper “journalist,” and they can’t really see what his fate has to do with theirs.

Persons: Alan Rusbridger, Read, let’s, Gillian, Alan Rusbridger Simone Padovani, meekly, Julian, He’s, ”, —, there’s, Julian Assange, Assange, Stephanie Lecocq, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, El País, Der Spiegel —, Chelsea Manning, Sarah Ellison, ” Clinton, Manning, Barack Obama’s, Iraq —, ’, It’s, John Podesta, Richard Nixon, Daniel Ellsberg —, Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg, Wally Fong, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden Organizations: Prospect Magazine, CNN, Guardian, WikiLeaks, Court, la Republique, Reuters, New York Times, US Army, Apache, US, Washington Post, The New York Times, Pentagon, Australian Locations: American, London, Delhi, Washington, la, Paris, Kenya, Iran, El, Le, Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Los Angeles

No matter who wins the White House and control of Congress this autumn, one aspect of trade policy is likely to endure: Washington’s tough-on-China protectionist stance. But several trade experts predict that the America-first model of slapping tariffs on adversaries — as President Biden did this week — will backfire. Critics of tariffs and export restrictions say they not only will potentially exacerbate inflation and drag down economic growth, but are also likely to fail for a simpler reason: Chinese companies may see their businesses slowed down by the restrictions, but have found ways to beat them. As Alex Durante, an economist at the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank that works with policymakers in the United States and Europe, bluntly put it: “They don’t work.”Huawei has shown that companies can find workarounds. Last year, the Chinese telecom giant unveiled the Mate 60, a smartphone powered by a high-end semiconductor.

Persons: —, Biden, Alex Durante, ” Organizations: White, Tax Foundation, ” Huawei Locations: China, America, United States, Europe, Washington

☆ I flew from LA to Paris to see Taylor Swift. I was only in the city for 48 hours but it was worth it and easier than I expected.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

AdvertisementFlying nonstop from LA to Paris on Air France was a breezeI flew from LA to Paris on Thursday, May 9, and only had to take two days off work — not bad for a trip to Europe. Free wine on Air France with dinner and "Lord of the Rings" made the flight to Paris easy. AdvertisementParis was full of Taylor Swift fansThe scaffolding in the forefront of the photos is part of the Olympics set up. We took an Uber to La Defense Arena, located northwest of the city center and about 15 minutes from our hotel. When the countdown appeared on the screen for Swift, we went to our actual seats, which were right outside the lounge, stage left.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Kelsey Vlamis, Swift, Taylor, she's Organizations: Service, Business, Air France, Air, LAX, La Defense, Eiffel, Poets Department, Sunday Locations: Los Angeles, Paris, LA, Europe, Air France, sparkles, France

Regulatory warsThe Supreme Court lifted the existential threat hanging over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, rejecting a challenge to the agency’s funding. The decision could have huge consequences for a raft of conservative-led lawsuits involving administrative authority — but business groups and Republicans are vowing to fight on. A recap: Payday lenders had sued the C.F.P.B. over a rule that would limit the number of times they could withdraw money from a customer’s account for repayment. The companies and conservative groups argued that the practice wasn’t harmful, and said the way the regulator is funded — via annual allocations from the Fed’s profits rather than from Congress — was unconstitutional.

Persons: Congress — Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection, Congress

They came from all over the world to this remote stretch of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. They all wanted to be taught by Beto Gomez, a professional kite surfer, in the spot where he first learned the sport. La Guajira Peninsula is ideal for kite surfing. In Cabo de la Vela, Mr. Gomez’s hometown, with nearly 1,000 residents and desert terrain, the windy season lasts nine months and the waves are flat. So for five days this year, amateur kite surfers — drawn by Mr. Gomez’s social media and competitions broadcast online — traveled here for his classes.

Persons: Beto Gomez, la Vela, Gomez’s, — Locations: India, Switzerland, Netherlands, Seattle, Guajira, la

Inflation euphoria goes globalStocks in Asia and parts of Europe rose on Thursday as investors bet that new data showing inflation easing would finally persuade central bankers to lower interest rates from multidecade highs. Another test comes on Thursday when Walmart, a bellwether for U.S. consumer sentiment, reports quarterly results. The market moves follow Wednesday’s Consumer Price Index report, which came in better than expected. Inflation remains well above the Fed’s 2 percent target, but traders were encouraged by the results. The futures market now sees two Fed rate cuts this year, the first most likely coming in September.

Organizations: Walmart Locations: Asia, Europe

☆ ‘El joven Sheldon’ superó con éxito los vaivenes de la televisión
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ The best fashion at Cannes Film Festival so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Gisela Schober/German Select/Getty ImagesGreta Gerwig in Armani Privé, May 15. Gisela Schober/German Select/Getty ImagesAnya Taylor-Joy in Dior couture, May 15. Gisela Schober/German Select/Getty ImagesSabrina Dhowre Elba in Fendi couture, May 15. Lionel Hahn/Getty ImagesJuilette Binoche in Dior couture, May 14. Gisela Schober/German Select/Getty ImagesMeryl Streep in Dior couture, May 14.

Persons: “ Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Lily Gladstone, James Bond, Eva Green, Juan Antonion Bayon, Ebru Ceylan, Francis Ford Coppola’s, “, ”, Adam Driver, Aubrey, Mad Max, Anya Taylor, Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Margaret Qualley, Keke Palmer, We’ve, Taylor, Joy, Naomi Campbell, Pascal Le Segretain, Chanel, Gisela Schober, Armani Privé, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Ernesto Ruscio, Cindy Bruna, Samir Hussein, Vicky Krieps, Lionel Hahn, Meryl Streep, Dior, Mike Marsland, Neilson Barnard Organizations: CNN, haute, Getty Locations: Spanish, Turkish, France, Armani, couture, Fendi couture, Laruicci, Bottega Veneta, Dior couture, Gucci, Maison Margiela

Here’s what we know so far about the escaped inmate, as a search involving hundreds of police officers enters its second day. ‘Well known’ to authoritiesMohamed Amra, nicknamed “La Mouche” or “The Fly,” is “very well known” to the French justice system having sustained a total of 13 convictions, according to Paris state prosecutor Laure Beccuau. It is understood that Amra had attempted to escape from Évreux prison two days prior to the ambush. So colleagues moved him to a disciplinary unit.”In an interview on French radio, Amra’s mother said she broke down crying when she heard about the deadly ambush. French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told reporters that the incident was the first time a French prison employee has died while working since 1992.

Persons: Mohamed Amra, “, Laure Beccuau, Amra, Amra’s, Hugues Vivier, Beccuau, BFMTV, Emmanuel Baudin, ”, France’s, Christophe Petit Tesson, Gerald Darmanin, Eric Dupond, Moretti, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: CNN, Reuters, France’s RTL, Interpol Locations: Normandy, France, Rouen, Évreux, Paris, Marseilles, Marseille

This week, Xi is welcoming him to China for a two-day state visit — their fourth in-person meeting since Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine began. China has repeatedly defended its trade with Russia as part of normal bilateral relations. Russia has also become China’s main oil supplier, overtaking Saudi Arabia, according to official Chinese trade data. Governments warn against support for Russia’s war effortThe wartime surge in trade, and growing purchases of oil, have sparked criticism in the West that China was helping to fund Russia’s war. It mirrors Xi’s state visit to Russia in March 2023, which was the Chinese leader’s first overseas trip after starting a norm-shattering third term as president.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Xi, Putin, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der, ’, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, European Union, International Monetary Fund, —, EU, White, European Commission Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Saudi Arabia, India, West, Beijing, France, Chinese

Behind a big shake-upA day after OpenAI announced major updates to its ChatGPT chatbot, the company said its chief scientist and co-founder was leaving. There were signs that Ilya Sutskever would quit, six months after he helped lead the rebellion that briefly ousted Sam Altman as OpenAI’s C.E.O. But it also raises questions about the future of a leading developer of generative A.I. “OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him,” Altman told The Times about Sutskever. But Sutskever’s presence at OpenAI may have become untenable.

Persons: OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, “ OpenAI, ” Altman, Altman, Elon Musk, Sutskever Organizations: Times

The restrictions build on Trump-era measures, and many are likely to appeal to voters in battleground states ahead of the election. But it’s less clear if they are enough to rebuild America’s industrial base in a global race with China to lead in the new economy. The new duties will apply to about $18 billion of annual Chinese imports, the Biden administration said. Biden is at pains to say that he’s being smarter than Trump on China. Trump imposed sweeping trade barriers and has vowed to impose more if he’s re-elected.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, he’s Organizations: China, Trump Locations: China, American, U.S

☆ At Christie’s, the Show Goes On, Despite a Hack
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Zachary Small | Julia Halperin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The salesroom at Christie’s was packed on Tuesday evening, as spectators rubbernecked to see if buyers would compete for multimillion-dollar artworks at an auction house still hobbled by a cyberattack. Could she succeed despite the headwinds of a slumping market and concerns about whether a cyberattack might have compromised the financial data of Christie’s clientele? There were only four withdrawals ahead of the evening sales, as Christie’s salespeople worked hard to assure buyers and sellers that business would continue without a glitch. There was a depth of bidding not seen the night before at the contemporary art sales at Sotheby’s, where out of its 52 lots, most sold on just a few bids. Still, Sotheby’s managed to outdo its rival with a total of $267 million on Monday — more than double Christie’s final result of $115 million, from a total of 57 lots, offered on Tuesday.

Persons: Georgina Hilton, Rosa de la Cruz, Christie’s salespeople, Sotheby’s Organizations: Cuban Locations: Christie’s, Cuban American, Sotheby’s

☆ Atlanta Hawks land No. 1 pick in 2024 NBA Draft Lottery despite 3% odds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Atlanta Hawks will be selecting first in the 2024 NBA Draft after winning the Draft Lottery conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago on Sunday. Atlanta had a 3% chance at landing the top pick after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference this season with 36-46 record. The Hawks have never had the first pick since the NBA moved to a Draft Lottery in 1985. The Washington Wizards, who were tied with the Detroit Pistons for the highest odds to land the top pick at 14%, will have the second pick. The 2024 NBA Draft will take place from June 26-27, in the first-ever two-day event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Persons: David Thompson, Victor Wembanyama, Alex Sarr Organizations: CNN, The Atlanta Hawks, Sunday, Atlanta, Eastern Conference, Hawks, Orlando Magic, NBA, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Pistons, Barclays Center Locations: McCormick, Chicago, N.C . State, Brooklyn , New York

Wall Street is increasingly divided over whether the Fed will cut interest rates by Election Day. New inflation data out this week will go a long way toward settling that question, as polls show that President Biden is struggling to convince voters that he’s done a good job on the economy. A first-quarter uptick in inflation has forced the Fed to keep borrowing costs at a 23-year high. Economists see a slight improvement, forecasting that April’s Consumer Price Index report on Wednesday will show that inflation moderated slightly last month. (Economists will also be watching Tuesday’s Producer Price Index and retail sales data on Wednesday.)

Persons: Biden, he’s, Sarah House, ” Organizations: Fed Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Lauren Sánchez gets emotional as her eldest son, Nikko, graduates college
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Lauren Sánchez celebrates her eldest son Nikko's college graduation. The post comes just days after Sánchez made her Met Gala debut alongside fiancé Jeff Bezos. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementLauren Sánchez celebrated her eldest child Nikko's college graduation on Thursday with a touching Instagram post. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Lauren Sánchez, Nikko's, Sánchez, Tony Gonzalez, fiancé Jeff Bezos, —, fiancée, Jeff Bezos, de la, It's, Vogue Organizations: Service, Business

At the Milken Institute’s Global Conference this week, a little-known risky financial tool became the subject of a hot debate among Wall Street titans. Many private equity firms have quietly begun mortgaging their investment funds, piling leverage upon leverage. In other words, they’re taking out loans against the businesses they’ve already taken out loans to buy. At a time when dealmakers are desperate to raise new cash after the boom of the pandemic era, this mechanism — known as a net asset value loan — is allowing them to do it overnight. firms are using the tool as they set out to raise their next funds, especially those confronting a hurdle during a slow period for dealmaking: They have yet to return cash to the limited partners they tapped for their last round.

Organizations: Milken Institute’s Global Conference, Wall Street titans

☆ Bayer Leverkusen produces astonishing comeback to go 49 games unbeaten and reach Europa League final
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Homero De La Fuente | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable season took another extraordinary turn on Thursday as a late 2-2 draw against AS Roma stretched the club’s unbeaten run to 49 games. The 4-2 aggregate victory saw Leverkusen reach a first European final in 22 years, while Josip Stanišić’s 97th-minute strike ensured that the recently-crowned German champion remains undefeated this season. It means that Leverkusen has now surpassed Portuguese team Benfica’s record from 1963-65 for the longest unbeaten run across all top-level matches since the introduction of European competitions, according to UEFA. “It says a lot about the team, the conviction that we have and it’s great to finally reach the final. According to UEFA, Scottish side Celtic’s unbeaten run of 62 games between 1915 and 1917 is the outright record for a European club, although that only included domestic league matches.

Persons: CNN — Bayer, Josip Stanišić’s, Leandro Paredes, Gianluca Mancini’s, Stanišić, Ina Fassbender, “, Xabi Alonso, ”, Chris Brunskill, Granit Xhaka Organizations: CNN, AS Roma, Leverkusen, UEFA, Roma, Getty, Bundesliga, ” Leverkusen, Atalanta, Europa League, Atlanta, FC Kaiserslautern, VfL Bochum, Scottish, Bochum Locations: AFP, Dublin, Ireland, European, Augsburg

The “stretched” consumerBetter than expected quarterly earnings have helped propel the S&P 500 to within a whisker of a record high on Friday. But Wall Street and Washington are closely monitoring another worrying economic indicator: the struggling consumer. The split-screen view of the economy is becoming clearer as earnings season draws to a close. Mass-market brands, like the fast-food companies McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks, have reported that a lot of customers are pulling back on spending as high inflation bites. This is “an economy of the haves and have-nots,” Michael Reid, an economist for RBC Capital Markets, told DealBook.

Persons: Biden, ” Michael Reid, DealBook Organizations: KFC, Starbucks, RBC Capital Markets Locations: Washington

☆ The best bridal-inspired looks celebrities have worn on red carpets in 2024 so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Celebrities are having fun with wedding-inspired looks on red carpets in 2024. Some stars are wearing eye-catching white gowns that would be perfect for walking down the aisle. Others have worn white suits that would make for unique wedding outfits. Many stars have walked this year's red carpets in white gowns and classic suits that would also work as wedding looks. From Taylor Swift in Schiaparelli to Kylie Jenner's Oscar de la Renta look for the Met Gala, here's a look at some of the best bridal-inspired outfits celebrities have worn in 2024.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner's Oscar de, here's Organizations: Service Locations: Schiaparelli

☆ 9 Home Designs That Evoke the Flow of Water
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Yelena Moroz Alpert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

This article is part of our Design special section about water as a source of creativity. Water is a popular motif with product designers because it symbolizes tranquillity and clarity. But this force of nature also “adds movement, freedom and flow in a space,” said Golnar Roshan, who with her partner, Ruben de la Rive Box, recently introduced a rug collection called Fluid that evokes the moody skies reflected in the canals of Amsterdam, where they live. “I like to mix worlds that seem far apart, create unexpected connections and imaginative short circuits between things,” Paola Navone, a designer in Milan, said of her collection of new pendant lights with diffusers of milky white or limpid blue glass that visually create an oceanic sway. (The lamps are called Oblò, which is Italian for “porthole.”)These and other fresh, splashy products are presented here.

Persons: ”, Golnar Roshan, Ruben de, ” Paola Navone Locations: Amsterdam, Milan

Splitting the Paramount empireEver since Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management expressed interest in buying Paramount Global, a big question has loomed over the potential $26 billion deal: What would they do with the company? The answer: Break it up, write The Times’s Ben Mullin and DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch. Sony and Apollo would keep Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures would become part of a joint venture controlled by Sony, with Apollo taking a minority stake in the new entity that it could eventually sell to Sony or to another buyer. The venture would also keep Paramount’s library of films and TV shows, as well as the rights to characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Persons: Ben Mullin, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch, “ Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Paramount Global, Sony, Apollo, Paramount Pictures, Paramount

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