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☆ You might have just missed Earth-shattering economic news
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Instead, the single best economic news of the past decade is but a murmur of chit-chat, barely audible against a clamor of politicos shouting about President Joe Biden’s age. Bidenomics worked and no one caresFor the past three years, President Biden’s biggest political liabilities have been painfully obvious: his age and inflation. Still, Thursday should have been a day for the White House to spike the football and double down on a message that has, historically, fallen flat — that Bidenomics is working. Rather than doing a victory lap, Biden on Thursday was preparing for a high-stakes news conference in front of a ravenous White House press corps that focused their questions almost entirely on his fitness to lead. The White House can finally cross out “inflation” on its list of presidential liabilities.

Persons: CNN Business ’, New York CNN —, it’s, Aaron Sojourner, Jay Powell, Joe Biden’s, Bidenomics, Biden’s, doesn’t, that’s, whoever’s, aren’t, Alicia Wallace, Biden, Donald Trump, it’ll, sipping Champagne Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, econ, Biden, Consumers, Labor Department, White, House, Democratic Locations: New York, America

☆ If Live Nation gets busted up by the feds, we’ll have Taylor Swift to thank
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“It is time to break it up.”It is difficult to overstate just how thoroughly Live Nation, which acquired Ticketmaster more than a decade ago, controls live entertainment in America. Through Ticketmaster, Live Nation controls 80% of venues’ primary ticketing for concerts. There’s a fine line between vertical integration and all-out monopoly, and Live Nation is, at minimum, very clearly toeing it. Artists, fans and venues have been complaining about Live Nation and Ticketmaster pretty much since they agreed to merge in 2009. Live Nation, Wolfson said, is likely to come out swinging.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Caitlin Clark, wasn’t, General Merrick Garland, Swift, Taylor, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Garland, Swiftie, ” Adam Wolfson, Quinn Emanuel, Eventbrite, Wolfson, … we’re, there’s Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Justice Department, Ticketmaster, DOJ, Artists, Senate, Democrats Locations: New York, United States, America, North America, “

☆ It looks like someone tried to steal Graceland, possibly one of the dumbest crimes ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN Business’ Nightcap newsletter. New York CNN —We can’t be 100% sure that an obscure lending company just tried to steal Graceland. Her lawsuit says that the documents Naussany presented, including a 2018 notarized promissory note signed by Lisa Marie Presley, were forged. Even the notary public whose name appeared on the disputed document, told the court in an affidavit that no, they’d never notarized Lisa Marie Presley’s signature. (“Not acquire to proceed?”)It added: “There was no harm meant on Ms. Keough for her mothers LMP mis habits and mis managing of money.”(LMP, presumably, is Lisa Marie Presley.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Elvis Presley’s, —, Lisa Marie Presley, she’d, Naussany, Graceland, Riley Keough, Elvis’s, Keough, Mad Max Fury, Daisy Jones, ”, Naussany’s, Lisa Marie Presley’s, JoeDae Jenkins, Jenkins, ” Jenkins, Keough’s Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Naussany, CNN, Naussany Investments Locations: New York, Tennessee, Graceland, Memphis, America, Shelby County, Naussany, Kimberling City , Missouri, Missouri

☆ How Red Lobster choked on its own Endless Shrimp deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

First, Red Lobster got screwed by private equity. Back in 2014, the Darden restaurant group spun off Red Lobster to a private equity firm. Thai Union, under Kenny’s direction, elbowed out other shrimp suppliers, “leaving Thai Union with an exclusive deal that led to higher costs to Red Lobster,” according to the filing. And if you’re the exclusive provider of shrimp to America’s biggest seafood chain, what’d be better than making that limited-time all-you-can-eat shrimp deal a permanent menu item? The all-you-can-eat shrimp deal alone didn’t doom Red Lobster, but boy did it do some damage at a time when the chain was already buckling.

Persons: Nathaniel Meyersohn, ”, Management wasn’t, Jonathan Tibus, Tibus, Paul Kenny, Kenny Organizations: New, New York CNN, Darden, Management, Thai Union, CNN Locations: New York, foundering, Bangkok, Thai

☆ FTX customers are getting a rare good deal. Here’s why some are still angry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And yet, for FTX customers, there’s an unavoidable twinge of resentment over what could have been. See here: If you had one bitcoin in an FTX account in mid-November of 2022, it was worth about $17,500. The bankruptcy managers tracked down all of FTX’s crypto and other holdings and hired an investment manager to sell them. The bull run inflated the value of FTX’s significant crypto holdings, leaving the estate with more than enough to pay back customers. Although FTX said it would have as much as $16 billion to disburse, customers and Uncle Sam get paid out first.

Persons: CNN Business ’, bitcoin, it’d, you’d, Tom Brady, John Ray III, Ray, they’ll, FTX, Uncle Sam, Sam Bankman, SBF, he’d, SBF’s, who’s, Fried Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN —, Sequoia, Prosecutors Locations: New York, FTX, bitcoin, Bankman

☆ The US military is keeping it secret who won the real-world dogfight between a human pilot and an AI flying an F-16 fighter jet
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US military won't say who won the dogfight between an AI-controlled F-16 and a human fighter pilot. Back in 2020, AI smoked a seasoned Air Force F-16 pilot 5-0 in simulated dogfights. The AI-controlled fighter jet, called the X-62A Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, is a modified version of an F-16. Back in August 2020, AI won a simulated dogfight against a human operator 5-0. #AI successfully pilots fighter jet ✈️.#ICYMI @deptofdefense artificial intelligence agents successfully pilot a fighter jet making AI history!

Persons: they'd, —, Ryan Hefron, James Valpiani, Luke, Hefron, Valpiani, @officialafmc, hsfgaw0kVx —, we've Organizations: Air Force, Service, DARPA, Edwards Air Force Base, US Defense, Research Projects Agency, US Air Force, Falcons, 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Key West, US Navy, hsfgaw0kVx — Edwards Air Force Base Locations: California, Ariz, Florida, Fla, @afresearchlab, @EdwardsAFB

☆ How Trump managed to lose $1 billion in net worth in a single day
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That’s kinda what happened for investors in Trump Media & Technology Group, the troubled owner of Truth Social, on Monday. Even with Monday’s stumble, the stock is still up about 200% over the past six months, giving it a $6.6 billion valuation that defies logic. Trump Media, aka TMTG, generated just $4.1 million in revenue last year. But if history repeats, or even echoes, with Trump Media, investors may want to buckle up. Bottom line: Monday’s slump is hardly game over for Trump and his social media company.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Wile, Coyote, Monday’s, Matt Egan, It’s, ” Axios, Dan Primack, “, Donald Trump, David, dusts Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth, Trump Media, GameStop, Trump Locations: New York, selloff

☆ Why companies like Kyte Baby keep screwing up, virally
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Office work has become a far less rigid affair in the era of remote collaboration and hybrid schedules. (Just ask me, I’m writing this in bed while wearing a hoodie and yoga pants on a Monday afternoon.) But a lot of companies haven’t updated their scripts when it comes to delivering hard news to their employees. And in both cases, the fired employees funneled their anger toward a social media audience that would have their backs. “The comments were right — it was scripted … I just basically read it, it wasn’t sincere,” she says in her second apology video.

Persons: CNN Business ’, —, that’s, Kyte Baby, “, James Haggerty, Eva Rothenberg, ” Kyte, Ying Liu, Liu, ”, “ I’ve, Matthew Prince, ” Prince, “ There’s Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Corporate, Times Locations: New York, America

☆ With antisemitic tweet, Elon Musk reveals his ‘actual truth’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hate speech, whether uttered by Musk or merely endorsed by him, is amplified when the world’s richest person posts or comments on it. “It’s doubtful that Musk harbors personal animosity toward Jewish people,” wrote the Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg earlier this year, regarding another incident in which Musk trumpeted antisemitic statements. Mezrich in recent weeks has told several interviewers about how “Elon Musk broke Twitter, and Twitter broke Elon Musk.”It’s a punchy line, and in some ways I’m sure it’s accurate. There’s plenty of evidence that Musk broke Twitter — gutted it, rebranded it, tanked its revenue, and made it unrecognizable to its most active users. But Musk was at this long before, spreading countless conspiracy theories, particularly around the Covid pandemic.

Persons: CNN Business ’, New York CNN — Elon Musk, Musk, Robert Bowers, “, Jonathan Greenblatt, ” Musk, ”, Yair Rosenberg, Walter Isaacson, Ben Mezrich, “ Elon Musk, Elon Musk, Thomas Edison, you’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Whites, Twitter, Defamation League Locations: New York, Pittsburgh

☆ Lawsuits are shaking the NAR’s grip on America’s real estate fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It’s easy to forget how much we used to rely on real, physical paper and, like, other people to buy basic things. It wasn’t all that long ago that you’d call a travel agent to book a flight. But the sellers argued that in a competitive market, the buyers should pay their own agent’s commission, and negotiate that fee separately. Because even though the NAR says fees are negotiable, the industry has made 5%-6% commissions so standard that most people wouldn’t question it. According to Bloomberg, Realtor commissions are high by global standards.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Anna Bahney, Keller Williams, Bob Goldberg, ”, you’re, you’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN Business, National Association of Realtors, Homeservices, Keller, Keller Williams Realty, NAR, MLS, Bloomberg, Department of Justice Locations: New York, Missouri, America, Australia

Judge Arthur Engoron said the website’s retention of the post was a “blatant violation" of his Oct. 3 order requiring Trump to immediately delete the offending message. “I’ll take this under advisement," Engoron said after Kise explained the mechanics of how Trump’s post was able to remain online. The judge ordered Trump to delete the post, which he did, and warned of “serious sanctions” for violations. Before Trump deleted the post from his Truth Social platform, as ordered, his campaign copied the message into an email blast to supporters. That email, with the subject line “ICYMI," was automatically archived on Trump’s website, Kise said.

Persons: — Donald Trump’s, Arthur Engoron, Trump, Engoron, Letitia James, Christopher Kise, “, Kise, Donald Trump, ” Engoron, Allison Greenfield, Greenfield, Chuck Schumer, ” Kise, ”, James ’ Organizations: Trump, New York Locations: York

The post was removed from Truth Social right after the gag order was issued but not from Trump’s campaign website, DonaldJTrump.com. “It appears no one also took down the ICYMI link that’s in the campaign website in the back pages,” Kise said. “There was no intention to evade, or circumvent, or ignore the order,” Kise added and explained nothing further has been posted on Trump’s Truth Social website. The judge said at the time failure to abide by the order would result in serious sanctions. “Requiring Ms. Trump, a non-party, nondomiciliary, to appear at trial in New York and provide live testimony without any limitations is unreasonable.

Persons: Donald, ”, Arthur Engoron, “, ” Engoron, ” Trump, Chris Kise, Engoron, ” Kise, Trump, Kise, Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, Ivanka Trump Organizations: CNN, Truth, New, New York Democrat Locations: New York, York

☆ Meta is rolling out Threads, Twitter is blowing itself up in the quest of becoming the everything app, and YouTube is just over here rounding out its corners
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ICYMI, YouTube is introducing rounded corners. In stark contrast to Meta's and Twitter's headline-grabbing changes, YouTube quietly unveiled a very subtle one: rounded corners, as seen in the screenshot below. YouTube videos now have rounded corners instead of sharp edges. InsiderA YouTube spokesperson confirmed the change to the Verge on Tuesday, saying that rounded corners on its videos will soon be coming to all users. The platform introduced its "Twitter-killer" rival before quickly losing the majority of its active users in a month.

Persons: Twitter —, Elon Musk, That's, — Organizations: YouTube, Morning, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Canada

☆ Inflation fever is finally breaking. The Fed’s soft landing may be in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But I can’t help imagine him quietly fist-pumping the moment he got wind of the latest inflation data. For context, a year ago the CPI peaked at 9.1% — the worst inflation in more than 40 years. After a punishing stretch of rising prices, “the fever is breaking,” wrote Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank. In other words, the Fed may actually pull off the “soft landing” — lowering inflation without tanking the economy — that few believed was doable even six months ago. “The odds of achieving a soft landing just went up drastically,” Dan Alpert, managing director of Westwood Capital, told me.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Jerome Powell, he’d, Jay won’t, ”, Bill Adams, Jay Powell, “ We’ve, Lael Brainard, Joe Biden’s, “, Brainard, hadn’t, ” Dan Alpert, “ I’m, Jamie Dimon, you’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Consumer, Comerica Bank, Fed, Westwood Capital, JPMorgan Chase Locations: New York

☆ The billionaires' beef at Two Sigma seems pretty petty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

ICYMI: This is the last week of 10 Things on Wall Street. Insider's Rebecca Ungarino has more details on how long the beef between Overdeck and Siegel has been brewing behind the scenes. What stands out to me about the drama at Two Sigma is how it all seems to be so petty. The Two Sigma cofounder was included only as an example of the type of managers Haider had eclipsed. The asset manager tapped two internal executives to serve as co-CEOs of the firm, succeeding CEO Jay Wintrob, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, I'm, Billy Joel's, —, we've, Goldman, Cofounders David Siegel, John Overdeck, David Siegel, cofounders, Insider's Rebecca Ungarino, Siegel, Rebecca, Haidar Capital's Said Haidar, Haider, Penny, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Scott Olson, Ruobing Su, Michael Broadbery, Goldman Sachs, Maza, Andreessen Horowitz, Seth Klarman, Jay Wintrob, Robert O'Leary, Armen Panossian, Everybody's, they're, Joey Hadden, Jeffrey Cane, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Sigma, Baupost, Oaktree Capital, Street, Wall, LinkedIn Locations: Omaha, New York, London

☆ The Federal Reserve thinks catastrophe is coming for US businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One report, written by the Federal Reserve's own economists, left me with not exactly an upbeat outlook. Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell testifies during a House Committee on Financial Services hearing, Wednesday, July 18, 2018, Capitol Hill in Washington. That is, more than a third of companies could default in the coming months, thanks to tightening monetary policy. Basically, they are predicting that companies feel pain in times of policy tightening, especially those with weaker balance sheets to begin with. Investors should monitor these bearish signals to stay ahead of a potential sell-off in the stock market.

Persons: Phil Rosen, You'll, Jerome Powell, Jacquelyn Martin, Ander Perez, Orive, Yannick Timmer, Kevin Rendino, he's shorting, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Max Adams, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Federal, Financial Services, Capitol, European Central Bank, Bloomberg, Bank of America, Barclays, Elon Musk's Locations: New York, Washington, London

☆ A new addition to Goldman Sachs' board could be a lifeline, or threat, to CEO David Solomon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A change to the board of directors at a top Wall Street bank has raised questions about what it means for the CEO. Goldman Sachs board is reportedly planning to add Tom Montag, a former longtime Goldman exec who became the No. And as a former partner at the bank, Montag also brings with him a certain cachet. Such is life on Wall Street, where the line between friend and foe is never quite clear. From Mark Zuckerberg's martial arts-led comeback to Jeff Bezo's hot yacht summer, tech bros are feeling themselves these days.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, you've, —, we've, Tom Montag, Craig Barritt, Tory Burch, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, David Solomon, Montag, Solomon, Insider's Dakin Campbell, Merrill, Insider's Alex Morrell, Jeff Bezos, Clive Mason, Mark Zuckerberg's, Jeff Bezo's, Biden's, Jen Glantz, Pete Buttigieg, Jeffrey Cane, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Costco, Tory, Tory Burch Foundation, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Goldman, Solomon, BofA, Getty, Finance bros, Transportation, Starbucks, LinkedIn Locations: NYC, BofA, BlackRock, New York, London

☆ Who wins in the PGA-LIV tie-up? Hint: It’s not the golfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A bit of background for the uninitiated:Men’s pro golf in North America has been dominated by the PGA Tour for decades. Last year, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund spent an estimated $2 billion to form a rival league, LIV Golf, to challenge PGA’s dominance. LIV attracted many of the sport’s top players away from the PGA Tour and Europe’s DP World Tour by offering more prize money. A long legal battle followed, and LIV golfers were banned from established tours. It is pronounced like “live.” As in, “Please don’t kill me, I want to live.”Oh, yeah — that brings me to the whole “why you should care” bit, and why many pro golfers and fans are apoplectic over the tie-up.

Persons: CNN Business ’, LIV Golf, LIV, “ LIV ”, Jamal Khashoggi, sportswashing, Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, soccer’s Cristiano Ronaldo —, Chris Isidore, Bloomberg, it’s, ”, Peter Coy, “, you’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, PGA Tour, PGA, Bloomberg, US Justice Department, Tour, US Federal Trade Commission, New York Times Locations: New York, North America, Saudi, Saudi Arabia

☆ Failed bank execs see blame everywhere, except in the mirror
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —More than two months after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank triggered a financial earthquake, three former executives spoke publicly for the first time in testimony before a Senate committee Tuesday. Here are the key takeaways from the Senate hearing:Everyone else messed upThe executives conducted a masterclass in deflecting blame for their banks’ failures. In his testimony, Becker said he was “truly sorry” for the bank’s collapse, blaming a “series of unprecedented events.”Greg Becker, former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, left, testifies next to Scott Shay, former chairman and co-founder of Signature Bank, and Eric Howell, former president of Signature Bank, during a Senate hearing. “Rumors and misconceptions spread quickly online,” sparking the bank run, Becker told lawmakers. Spoiler alert: Becker didn’t commit to returning any money and Shay said he had no intention to do so.

☆ Google's AI chatbot Bard is still being rushed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google contractors say they don't have enough time to verify correct answers from the company's AI chatbot, Bard. Bard got off to a less-than-ideal start when it gave an incorrect answer at Google's launch event earlier this year. Some of the contractors told Insider that they just aren't given enough time to corroborate and check the most accurate answer. Google CEO said he sticks to fun and creative questions with Google's Bard AI chatbot. Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, told The New York Times that he learned through trial and error what type of questions to ask Google's AI chatbot.

☆ Elon Musk's $1 million Twitter bounty
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's $1 million bounty. Twitter CEO Elon Musk has some kind of bounty out for whomever is behind the botnets that he says target certain users and suppresses the reach of their tweets. Million dollar bounty if convicted" in response to a Twitter user who claimed that botnets "silence" certain accounts. Musk and the user were referring to a thread where another user analyzed Twitter's recently open-sourced algorithm. Twitter users called attention to the difficulty in seeing direct messages that mention "gay", "queer", and "trans."

☆ Big tech companies continue cost cutting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech companies have chased short-term fads in a desperate attempt to win the favor of Wall Street investors — and it's making the online experience worse. As tech companies continue to focus on efficiency, it's clear that one metric is the most important: revenue per employee. After years of over-hiring, tech companies are now looking to squeeze the most efficient performance from each worker, my colleague Hasan Chowdhury reports. But it's another sign that tech companies are drifting away from pro-remote work policies. Google, Meta, and Microsoft have all failed to make their AR and VR devices into mainstream successes.

☆ Trump calls Ron DeSantis 'Rob' in press release
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new Trump press release called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "Rob." Ron DeSantis as "Rob" in a Wednesday press release. "ICYMI: 'Steve Bannon calls Rob DeSantis a 'weasel' and Mike Lindell brands him 'disgusting' for his response to Trump's looming indictment..." the press release said. He frequently calls DeSantis "Ron DeSanctimonious," and according to Bloomberg, he's also been workshopping other nicknames including "Tiny D," "Ron DisHonest," and "Ron DeEstablishment."

☆ Crypto's go-to bank collapsed. What now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Yesterday, the financial world witnessed a classic run on the bank when Silvergate Capital, the go-to US lender for crypto companies, said it would wind down its operations and voluntarily liquidate. ICYMI: Silvergate was, for most of its existence, a traditional Southern California regional bank. In the same period, the global crypto industry has lost two-thirds of its value, falling from a $3 trillion market cap to $1 trillion. I’ve heard the “don’t blame crypto” argument a thousand times. And it was the same story nearly a year ago, when the Terra/Luna crash last spring wiped out billions overnight — don’t blame crypto; those were toxic algorithmic stablecoins, you can’t trust those.

☆ It's time to chill with al the recession talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —In 2021, a bunch of economists and policy makers underestimated the inflation that was taking root around the world. In 2022, as inflation hit 40-year-highs and the Fed ramped up interest rates, many of those commentators went full-on gloomy — predicting a recession was all but inevitable. And that makes it hard, if not impossible, to imagine a recession anytime soon. “Any concern the economy is in recession or close to a recession should be completely dashed by these numbers,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told CNN on Friday. “The economy is further away from recession than ever,” wrote Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds.

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