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☆ Spanish startups hit Microsoft with complaint over cloud practices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft was hit with a Spanish startup group's complaint about its cloud practices to the Spanish antitrust regulator on Tuesday, the latest grievance over its fast-growing cloud computing services and which followed a trade group's EU complaint. The Spanish Startup Association, which represents more than 700 startups in Spain, cited a number of allegedly anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in recent years. Microsoft defended its cloud practices. "Microsoft provides choice and flexibility for our customers to switch to another cloud provider at no cost, and our licensing terms enable our customers and other cloud providers to run and offer Microsoft software on every cloud," a spokesperson said. "We will engage with the Spanish Startup Association to learn more about its concerns."

Persons: Carlos Mateo Organizations: Microsoft, Mobile, Amazon, Spanish Startup Association, Operating Systems, Windows, Reuters, Cloud Infrastructure Services, European Commission, Competition, Markets Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, U.S, Europe

☆ The New York Mets are hiring for one of the most iconic mascot jobs in sports—here's how to apply
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Mets are looking for someone to pick up the mantle of one of the most iconic mascots in American sports. The Flushing, Queens-based ball club recently posted a job listing for a "high-energy, enthusiastic individual" to don Mr. Met's massive baseball-shaped head and serve as the team's most identifiable brand ambassador. The organization is looking for applicants with proven mascot experience and the ability "to perform physically demanding activities" while in the famous costume. But the role of manager of "Mascot Operations" for Mr. Met — as well as his wife Mrs. Met — requires much more than putting on the uniform and mask and keeping fans entertained between innings. Job responsibilities include working with the Mets' marketing team, managing department budgets and coordinating mascot appearances at events around the city.

Organizations: New York Mets, Microsoft, Mets Locations: Flushing, Queens

☆ 3 ways to leverage LinkedIn for your job search, according to a recruiter with 26 years of experience
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some career experts liken LinkedIn to a living, breathing CV, while others say they spend longer on a candidate's LinkedIn profile than on their résumé. Shah shared three other ways candidates can optimize LinkedIn to stand out to hiring managers. Treat your LinkedIn profile like a résuméPeople are used to enhancing their résumés to stand out in employers' keyword-searching software. Add those phrases to your LinkedIn profile too, because recruiters look for candidates by typing in industry-related keywords, Shah said. Related story"Candidates should include relevant keywords in the 'About' section and their last job experience position details," he said.

Persons: —, Nick Shah, Shah, he'll Organizations: LinkedIn, Service, Gallup, Business, Peterson Technology Partners, Microsoft Locations: Park Ridge , Illinois

☆ Microsoft says Russian hackers attacked it to find information about themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft said on Friday that its security systems were breached by a Russian hacking group. Microsoft identified the group as Midnight Blizzard, which was behind the SolarWinds cyberattack. AdvertisementMicrosoft said Friday that its systems were breached by Russian hackers who accessed a "very small percentage" of corporate email accounts. The attack was launched by Midnight Blizzard — the seasoned Russian hacking group behind the massive 2020 attack on US information technology firm SolarWinds, which exposed sensitive information in the US federal government. But federal investigators said they found evidence the hackers accessed Microsoft Office 365.

Persons: — Organizations: Microsoft, Midnight, Service, Midnight Blizzard, Initiative Locations: Russian, China

☆ Microsoft eyes seat on OpenAI's revamped board - The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 19 (Reuters) - OpenAI's biggest backer, Microsoft (MSFT.O), is considering taking a role on the board if ousted CEO Sam Altman returns to the ChatGPT developer, the Information reported on Sunday citing two people familiar with the talks. Microsoft could either take a seat on OpenAI's board of directors, or as a board observer without voting power, the report added. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Sam Altman, Urvi, Rashmi Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, OpenAI's, Thomson Locations: Issy, Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ What to expect from Microsoft's AI-focused conference this week — and why the stock could move higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Starting in-person Tuesday in Seattle and livestreamed from Wednesday, Microsoft's "Ignite" event consists of three days of product announcements and various keynotes from technology executives. At the Club, we'll be looking for initial evidence of a return on investment (ROI) for Microsoft's AI products — particularly the company's recently launched AI assistant, 365 Copilot . MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft (MSFT) year-to-date performance Piper Sandler reiterated the Club's take that evidence of early adoption around Copilot, along with ROI, could be bullish for Microsoft. Bottom line Microsoft stock, up more than 54% year-to-date, has surged in 2023 on the generative AI boom. If the Ignite conference provides further evidence that Microsoft's large bet on AI is paying off, it would likely be positive for the stock.

Persons: we'll, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, Wells, they'll, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Omar Marques Organizations: Microsoft, Sunday, Ignite, Bloomberg, Devices, CNBC, Getty Locations: Seattle, livestreamed, Copilot, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft's quarterly results and guidance showcase its AI prowess
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Nadella touted Azure's AI leadership on the post-earnings conference call, calling its AI infrastructure the best for both training and inference, while noting it has deployed its AI services in more regions than any other cloud providers. Gaming was also a strong, with Xbox content and services revenue increasing 12% on a constant-currency basis. Rounding out the quarter, revenue at the productivity-and-business-processes unit increased about 13%, to $18.59 billion, beating estimates of $18.19 billion. Some key highlights include the 17%-constant-currency increase in Microsoft Office commercial revenue growth, which benefitted from a 10% increase in seat growth. Second quarter Azure revenue growth is expected to be 26% to 27% in constant currency.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Omar Marques Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, LSEG, Club, Fortune, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, Getty

☆ Microsoft to spend $3.2b in Australia as AI regulation looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) said it will spend A$5 billion ($3.2 billion) expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing abilities in Australia over two years as part of a wide-ranging effort that includes skills training and cyber security. The U.S. tech giant said it would raise its computing capacity in Australia by 250%, enabling the world's No. "This is a major investment in the skills and workers of the future," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement issued by Microsoft. A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. It said it would expand its data centre footprint in Australia from 20 sites to 29.

Persons: OpenAI, Anthony Albanese, Gonzalo Fuentes, Brad Smith, Steven Worrall, Byron Kaye, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Microsoft, Australian Signals Directorate, REUTERS, Australia, Thomson Locations: Australia, U.S, Issy, Paris, France

☆ Piper Sandler names its 'highest conviction' large-cap stock to own into the year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Piper Sandler named Microsoft as its "highest conviction" large-cap stock to own into the year-end. Analysts from the financial services company pointed to a few drivers for the stock in an Oct. 15 note. Piper Sandler also described Microsoft's upcoming M365 Copilot in November as a catalyst. Piper Sandler is optimistic, noting there's been increased traffic to Microsoft's Copilot adoption website. Piper Sandler believes it has further upside, giving it a price target of $400.

Persons: Piper Sandler, there's, Amy Hood, It's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Jordan Novet Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI

☆ Antitrust Trial: Microsoft CEO warns of impact of Google's search monopoly on AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nadella testified on Monday as part of the US government’s sweeping antitrust trial against Google, now into its 14th day. His testimony reflected the frustrations of a long-running rivalry between Microsoft and Google whose tensions have permeated the weeks-long trial. Central to Google’s strategy has been its agreements with companies such as Apple that have made Google the default search engine for millions of internet users. “You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, you search on Google,” Nadella said. Google’s dominance in search is reinforced when websites and publishers optimize for Google’s search algorithm and not Bing’s, when advertisers flock to Google and when users stick to what’s familiar, Nadella argued.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, ” Nadella, Eddy Cue, else’s, Microsoft’s Bing, Bing, “, ”, … Organizations: CNN, Google, Microsoft, Apple

Microsoft announced the biggest gaming deal in history in early 2022, but the acquisition was blocked by Britain's competition regulator, which was concerned the U.S. computing giant would gain too much control of the nascent cloud gaming market. Under the restructured deal, Microsoft will not be able to release Activision games like "Overwatch" and "Diablo" exclusively on its own cloud streaming service — Xbox Cloud Gaming – or to exclusively control the licensing terms for rival services. Instead, French gaming rival Ubisoft will acquire the cloud streaming rights for Activision's existing PC and console games, and any new games released by Activision in the next 15 years. A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. Microsoft said Ubisoft would acquire the rights through a one-off payment and a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage.

Persons: Tom Smith, there's, Gonzalo Fuentes, Alex Haffner, Fladgate, Sarah Cardell, Yadarisa, Kate Holton, Foo Yun Chee, Barbara Lewis, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: CMA, Microsoft, Activision, Ubisoft Deal, Ubisoft Entertainment, Ubisoft, Markets Authority, European Commission, Geradin Partners, Big Tech, Reuters, REUTERS, European Union . Competition, Federal Trade Commission, European, European Union, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: New York, Paris, U.S, Europe, Brussels, EU, Issy, France, British, United States, Bengaluru, London

☆ Microsoft plans AI service with Databricks that could hurt OpenAI- The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. Databricks - a data analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence, which Microsoft would sell through its Azure cloud-server unit - helps companies make AI models from scratch or repurpose open-source models as an alternative to licensing OpenAI's proprietary ones, the report added. Microsoft and Databricks did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In July, Microsoft laid out an aggressive spending plan to meet demand for its AI services. The company has started integrating AI functionality across its products such as Azure, Microsoft 365, GitHub and several developer tools.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Databricks, Gursimran Kaur, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Issy, Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ AI Scams, Spam, Hacking, Are Ruining the Internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A report from Europol expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. A report from Europol, the European Union's law-enforcement agency, expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. And while AI bots have telltale signs now, experts indicate that they will soon get better at mimicking humans and evading the detection systems developed by Menczer and social networks. While misinformation has long been a problem with the internet, AI is going to blow our old problems out of the water. But security researchers have discovered that the AI bots in your apps and devices might steal sensitive information for the hackers.

Persons: HBO Max, haven't, ChatGPT, Christian Selig, Reddit, Martijn Pieters, He'd, NewsGuard, Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard's, Filippo Menczer, NewsGuard's Crovitz, Christopher Cowell, Cowell, John Licato, Bing, Florian Tramèr, Toby Walsh, Walsh, Shubham Agarwal Organizations: HBO, Europol, Market, Indiana University's Observatory, Social Media, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, University of South, ETH Zürich, University of New, University of Oxford, Wired, Company Locations: Cambridge, Europol, Portland , Oregon, Etsy, University of South Florida, University of New South Wales, Ahmedabad, India

☆ Here are the 9 smartest ways to invest in artificial intelligence right now, according to Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Here's how Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS recommend investing in AI. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS are more optimistic about AI stocks after each expressed hesitations earlier this year as shares of companies tied to the technology exploded higher. In contrast, Morgan Stanley has dismissed concerns that AI stocks are in a bubble. "Inevitably, the market will compare AI to the dot-com boom," wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Shawn Kim in a July report. As for chipmakers, Morgan Stanley agreed with Bank of America that the path forward is bifurcated.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Marcelli, Art Cashin, Michael Hartnett, Shawn Kim, Mike Wilson, Morgan, Vivek Arya, Wilson Organizations: Wall, Bank of America, UBS, Americas, Nvidia, Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Cadence Design Systems, Bank of, Accenture, Microsoft, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Consumer Locations: California, Snowflake, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft adds $154 billion in market value after it announces $30 per month AI subscription
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft stock surged as much as 6% on Tuesday after the company unveiled an AI subscription for its Office 365 platform. The software giant will charge $30 per month per user to have AI capabilities integrated into its Microsoft Office platform. At its peak on Tuesday, Microsoft added $154 billion to its market value, which is bigger than Morgan Stanley. Investors cheered the move and the company's apparent pricing power, with Microsoft stock adding as much as $154 billion to its market valuation at its peak on Tuesday. Microsoft stock hit a record high of $366.78 in Tuesday trades and was on track to close at its highest level ever.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Yusuf Mehdi, Dan Ives, Ives Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Intel, Honeywell, Bing Locations: Wall, Silicon, Copilot, OpenAI

☆ Your Word, Outlook, and Excel apps might look different. Microsoft just changed its default font for the first time in 15 years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft announced this week that it's changing its default Office font to Aptos. Microsoft Office users may notice that their documents look different. Microsoft announced this week that it's replacing Calibri, its default font for the last 15 years, with a new font, Aptos. Aptos will officially become the default font for all customers in the upcoming months. Microsoft said that changes to its default font were needed to adapt its suite of Microsoft Office tools to higher resolution screens as technology continues to evolve.

Persons: Aptos, Steve Matteson, —, Tenorite, Matteson's Organizations: Microsoft, Toyota, Google, Windows Locations: Calibri, — Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, Santa Cruz , California

☆ Microsoft knows its out of touch with Gen Z. The software giant plans to lure them with AI, an internal memo shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella plans to use AI to attract Gen Z users, a new internal memo shows. A "relatively low share" of Gen Z users compared to competitors, could be a "long-term risk". The confidential internal memo was briefly published online this week by federal antitrust regulators. Last year, the company's research division released a study on the preferences of Gen Z and Millennial office workers. "Something interesting I've noticed teaching is, Gen Z just does not use Microsoft Word, period.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Gen Z, Gen Z's Organizations: Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Excel, Federal Trade Commission, Google

In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday, Google alleged Microsoft uses unfair licensing terms to "lock in clients" to exert control over the cloud-computing market. The letter was sent in response to a broad FTC request for comment on potential anti-competitive acts in the cloud industry. Google described Microsoft's licensing restrictions as a "complex web" that prevents businesses from diversifying their enterprise software vendors. Microsoft and Google both have active cybersecurity practices that respond to and research cyber threats. In its FTC letter, Microsoft also alleged Oracle's practices are harmful to customers.

Persons: Trump, Ken Paxton Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, U.S . Department of Justice, Texas, Oracle, Netscape Locations: Europe, U.S

☆ Nvidia GPUs are so hard to get that rich venture capitalists are buying them for the startups they invest in
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia GPUs are essential for training the big models behind ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. That gives big tech companies an advantage over smaller startups. Nvidia GPUs are the water that feeds today's flourishing AI ecosystem. This is giving Big Tech companies another huge advantage over smaller upstarts. Many startups can't afford that, or they just can't get hold of the chips.

Persons: TSMC, OpenAI, Bing, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, That's, Friedman, Gross, Jack Clark Organizations: Nvidia, Big Tech, Microsoft, Google

☆ The 15-inch MacBook Air offers superb battery life and portability at an aggressive price
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTKif Leswing/CNBCApple announced a 15-inch MacBook Air last week. But if you held out and need a new laptop, the 15-inch MacBook Air hits the sweet spot for most people in terms of price, capability, and portability. The extra screen size makes a difference versus the 13-inch MacBook Air. The 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (silver) versus the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air (dark blue.) The 15-inch MacBook Air fits easily into a backpack or briefcase, and I didn’t really notice the extra 3.3 pounds while I was commuting with it on public transportation.

Persons: it’s, Kif, I've Organizations: CNBC Apple, MacBook, Meta, Microsoft Office, Google, CNBC, isn’t, Apple, Intel Locations: Stardew, Kif

☆ A top-1% fund manager over the past 3 years shares how he's consistently outperformed throughout wildly different markets — and 8 of his favorite places to invest right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Here are eight companies or areas of the market that Muhlenkamp said he's bullish on. Regardless of what's happened in the economy or markets, the veteran investor's namesake Muhlenkamp Fund (MUHLX) has found a way to dominate. Although energy stocks have since reversed to become the worst-performing sector of 2023, Muhlenkamp said he's stuck with the group while riding the broad rebound in technology stocks. Two other tech companies Muhlenkamp mentioned are semiconductor firms Broadcom (AVGO) and Microchip (MCHP). Outside of technology, Muhlenkamp said he continues to like stocks tied to housing and financials, including certain regional banks.

Persons: Jeff Muhlenkamp, Muhlenkamp, he's, I'd, Morningstar, Goldman Sachs, they've, they're, He's Organizations: Muhlenkamp, Apple, Microsoft, Apple Watch, Vision, Broadcom, Bank, Federal Locations: Regional

☆ Apple's entry into VR with its new headset is a 'watershed moment,' say top industry execs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple's mixed-reality headset debut marks a "watershed moment" for the industry, said the executives of some major players in the augmented and virtual reality space as they welcomed competition for the U.S. tech giant. Cher Wang, Taiwanese tech giant HTC's CEO, told CNBC that she sees Apple's move as a validation for the industry. HTC has long been a mainstay of the virtual and augmented industry, pivoting from its ailing smartphone business several years ago to focus on its Vive headsets division. Apple says the Vision Pro will allow users to see apps in a new way in the spaces around them. With the headset, users can watch movies, including in 3D with spatial audio, view their own pictures or videos, and play video games.

Persons: Cher Wang, Apple's, Apple Organizations: Apple, U.S, CNBC, HTC, VR, Microsoft, Vision, iOS Locations: Cupertino

☆ Apple Vision Pro demo roundup: Here’s what everyone is saying
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple let some people try out its new Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The Vision Pro will allow users to see apps in a new way, in the spaces around them. The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern said the Vision Pro was intuitive to use, has the "fit and finish" of an Apple gadget, and is more comfortable than Meta Quest Pro or Quest 2. Stern said Apple showed her a number of different demos, and she said she thinks the most valuable initial uses for the Vision Pro will be for watching movies and working. 9to5Mac's Chance Miller said that it was easy to get the Vision Pro to feel "snug" and that it was generally pretty comfortable.

Persons: Joanna Stern, It's, Stern, Apple, 9to5Mac's Chance Miller, Miller Organizations: Apple, Worldwide Developers, Apple Watch, Microsoft, Meta Quest, Vision

Apple announced its mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, on Monday during its WWDC developer conference. The $3,499 headset is its first major new product since the Apple Watch in 2014. The Vision Pro will allow users to see apps in a new way, in the spaces around them. Disney CEO Bob Iger appeared on stage to announce that Disney+ would be available on the Vision Pro from day one of its release. Unity stock spiked over 20% and trading was briefly halted after Apple announced a partnership with the game development platform.

Persons: Bob Iger Organizations: Apple, Vision, Apple Watch, Microsoft, Disney

The Asus ROG Ally is a brand-new handheld gaming system that's set to hit Best Buy on June 13. On top of all that, the ROG Ally boasts more powerful hardware than even the Steam Deck. Asus plans on releasing two different versions: One with an AMD Z1 Extreme CPU that costs $700, and another with a weaker AMD Z1 chip for $600. Asus ROG Ally Gaming Handheld (Z1 Extreme) The Asus ROG Ally is a handheld gaming PC, running Windows 11. The ROG Ally is a mediocre way to use Windows 11Asus has built the ROG Ally to run Windows 11.

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