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☆ UK finance chiefs are banging the drum for one major reform to boost economic growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ian Forsyth | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLiverpool, ENGLAND — U.K. finance chiefs are banging the drum for pension reforms to boost anaemic investment and growth in the country. William Vereker, chairman of Santander U.K., cited pension reform as one of three paths to economic growth, alongside skills and education, and regulation. "If we do not have domestic capital investing in domestic businesses, we will not see the growth that this government is so rightly focused on," he added. "For me, pension reform is the way to unlock growth in the U.K.," Lee told "Squawk Box Europe." UK pensions reviewU.K. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves in July announced a landmark pensions review as part of a "big bang" of reforms to unlock growth.

Persons: Ian Forsyth, —, William Vereker, Vereker, Muirinn O'Neill, we're, Tiina Lee, Lee, it's, Rachel Reeves, Tulip Siddiq Organizations: Labour Party Conference, ACC Liverpool, Getty, Labour, Santander U.K, Citi U.K, CNBC, Finance, Treasury Locations: Liverpool, England, ENGLAND, City, London

☆ Fearful of the 'middle-income trap,' Indonesia pushes for major policy reform
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Incoming President Subianto has promised to continue the charge toward making Indonesia a high-income economy. Economic reforms passed through by the outgoing president will make the achieving Indonesia's grand vision easier. "Widodo put in place a bunch of economic reforms, the most noticeable being making it easier to hire and fire new workers. Indrawati hopes to avoid "the middle-income trap" — an economic development situation where growing economies stagnate at middle-income levels and are unable to advance to the ranks of high-income countries. Major policy reforms, she believes, will help Indonesia sidestep that.

Persons: Sri Mulyani Indrawati, CNBC's, Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, Subianto, Widodo, Gareth Leather, Indrawati Organizations: Afp, Getty, country's Finance, International Monetary Fund, Defense, Capital Economics, CNBC, Lowy Institute Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Washington, Australian, China, Asia

☆ Google backs a startup that aims to bring mixed reality to any car windshield or plane cockpit
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Distance TechnologiesDistance Technologies, a Finnish startup that aims to bring mixed-reality technology to any car windshield or plane cockpit, has raised 10 million euros ($11.1 million) of funding from GV, the venture capital arm of Alphabet and other investors. Distance raised the cash injection in a seed round led by GV, with existing investors FOV Ventures and Maki.vc also stumping up more cash for the startup, the company told CNBC on Thursday. Konttori was formerly chief technology officer of Varjo, another Helsinki-based mixed-reality firm. "The main difference here is that we are driven by the software," Mäkinen told CNBC. For now, Distance has had to use simple optics and normal LCD displays to demonstrate its technology to prospective partners and investors.

Persons: Maki.vc, Konttori, Roni Hiranand, Meta, Jussi Mäkinen, Mäkinen, he's Organizations: Technologies, GV, FOV Ventures, CNBC, Helsinki, Google Ventures, Companies, Huawei, Bosch, Continental, Panasonic, Distance Technologies Locations: Finnish, Helsinki, China

☆ Trump's mass deportation plans could wreak havoc on the fight against inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But think-tank economists warned Business Insider that former President Donald Trump's proposed mass deportation could open that door right back up. Beyond posing significant humanitarian concerns, economists worry Trump's proposed mass deportation would be hugely inflationary, partly due to the basic calculations of supply and demand. Both he and Edelberg said a sudden mass deportation would upend the labor supply and, in turn, the ability to make goods. McKibbin has researched the impact of mass deportation and said it would lead to a combination of lower production and higher costs, particularly in the agriculture and construction sectors. Add on the uncertainty that mass deportation would bring, and a chilling effect among investors seems plausible.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Kamala Harris, Trump, Harris, Trump's, Wendy Edelberg, Warwick McKibbin, Edelberg, Adam Posen, Posen, McKibbin, Josh Bivens Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve, Trump, Business, Brookings Institution, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Peterson Institute, Bloomberg TV, Economic Policy Institute, Democratic

☆ South Korea is going big on American manufacturing. The Battery Belt could benefit the most.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( John Towfighi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewSouth Korean companies are investing billions of dollars in the US to take advantage of two big laws meant to boost American manufacturing. A Financial Times analysis of United Nations data found South Korean companies invested $21.5 billion in US projects in 2023, more than any other country. Related storiesAnd South Korean investments span multiple states, mainly in the South. In the past decade, South Korean companies have created about 7,000 jobs in Texas and nearly 8,000 jobs in Indiana. Those provisions have incentivized South Korean companies to divert from China and focus more on the US.

Persons: —, Yeo, South, Biden, South Korea —, " Yeo, Joe Biden's Organizations: Service, United, Business, Samsung, LG, Hyundai, South, Peterson Institute for International Economics, EV, Financial, Kia, SK Hynix, Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, Energy, Wall Street, World Bank, Biden Locations: United Nations, South Korea, Taiwan, Southern, China, US, Georgia, South, Texas, Arizona, Indiana, Korea's

Sovereign wealth funds out of the Middle East are emerging as key backers of Silicon Valley's artificial intelligence darlings. In the past year, funding for AI companies by Middle-Eastern sovereigns has increased fivefold, according to data from Pitchbook. Few venture funds have deep enough pockets to compete with the multibillion-dollar checks coming from the likes of Microsoft and Amazon . MGX was launched as a dedicated AI fund in March, with Abu Dhabi's Mubadala and AI firm G42 as founding partners. For the U.S., having sovereign wealth funds invest in American companies, and not in global adversaries like China, has been a geopolitical priority.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Uber, LIV, UAE's Mubadala, MGX, Abu Dhabi's Mubadala, Anthropic, Andreessen Horowitz, Jamal Khashoggi, It's, Bpifrance, WeWork spiraled, Jared Cohen, there's Organizations: United, CNBC, Microsoft, Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Qatar Investment Authority, BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, Saudi, U.S, Saudi Company, Artificial Intelligence, Washington Post, SoftBank, Goldman Sachs Global Institute Locations: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Pitchbook, Abu Dhabi, Temasek, Singapore, China, UAE

☆ A push toward sustainable jet fuel is leaving investors with unanswered questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe aviation industry still sees so-called "sustainable aviation fuel" (SAF) as the only viable way to meet its decarbonization targets, even as opposition and the potential for higher costs for passengers pose obstacles to the fast-growing sector. SAF is a broad term describing fuel that is burned by an aircraft engine, but instead of using kerosene is derived from more sustainable sources. The planemaker said it is collaborating with producer HIF Global on the development of methane-based fuels, and investing in alcohol-to-jet fuel producer LanzaJet. But IATA's own forecast for SAF production to triple in 2024 to 1.9 billion liters would cover just 0.53% of aviation fuel demand for the year. "The truth is, it's going to be more expensive, you can't really sugarcoat that," said HIF Global's Clara Bowman.

Persons: Neste, HIF, Buzz, Lauren Riley, Riley, Rick Nagel, You've, Clara Bowman, Bowman, United's Lauren Riley, HIF Global's Clara Bowman Organizations: SAF, Bloomberg, Getty, United Airlines, Chicago O'Hare International, Labour, Airbus, Farnborough Air, CNBC, International Air Transport Association, Acorn Capital Management, Porsche, HIF, Union's Renewable Energy Directive, Biden, Boeing, Google, Embraer Locations: Singapore, Chile, Texas, U.S, America

☆ Intel, once a Silicon Valley star, has been floundering. Now it's mounting a turnaround.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During his tenure as CEO, Grove transformed the chip company into a giant of Silicon Valley that, during the 1990s, was as important to the PC market as Microsoft. Pat Gelsinger, who has led Intel as CEO since 2021, has enacted a sweeping set of new initiatives to turn the chip company around. Its Gaudi 3 AI chip, unveiled as a rival to offerings from Nvidia and AMD, is expected to generate just $500 million in sales this year. Meanwhile, Alvin Nguyen, senior analyst at Forrester, told Business Insider that this is a big public win for Intel. Gelsinger's second headline announcement was that the company is establishing Intel Foundry as a separate subsidiary within Intel, with its own new operating board and independent directors.

Persons: —, Andrew Grove, he'd, Grove, Grove —, Pat Gelsinger, Gordon Moore, Gelsinger, HWA CHENG, Patrick Moorhead, Moorhead, Alvin Nguyen, Forrester, Gelsinger's, It's, Forrester's Nguyen, Bernstein Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Intel, Business, Nvidia, Gaudi, AMD, Revenue, HWA, Getty, Amazon Web Services, Intel Foundry, Reuters Locations: Silicon, Japan, Moore's, AFP, Poland, Germany, Arizona , Oregon, New Mexico, Ohio

☆ An 'AI apocalypse' is coming to investing. How financial advisors can prepare
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Artificial intelligence is expected to transform the way companies do business, including those in financial planning and investment management. That means financial advisors need to get onboard or risk being left behind. Of course, financial advisors have been using some technology, like financial planning software, for years. Still, AI will help financial advisors do their jobs better — not necessarily put them out of work. What to do Nexus Strategy's Welsh believes financial advisors should begin getting comfortable with current AI capabilities.

Persons: Craig Iskowitz, Anthropic's Claude, Vincent Gudsdorf, Leo Kelly, Verdence, Kelly, Timothy Welsh, Welsh, Iskowitz, That's, Verdence's Kelly, It's Organizations: Ezra Group, AIs

☆ Oracle gave a glimpse of the power AI has on its business. Where investors should look next
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-15 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

For the past three years, software stocks have suffered as revenue growth softened, and investors remain skeptical about when it will return. For Oracle, that's its cloud infrastructure — a service that has improved Oracle's fundamental growth story, Walravens argued. This strategic move positioned Oracle as a key player in AI, fueling growth in its infrastructure as a services (IaaS) business. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is central to this growth, offering a suite of services for AI-driven workloads. SAP YTD mountain SAP stock performance year-to-date.

Persons: Raimo Lenschow, Pat Walravens, Walravens, Bernstein, Mark Moerdler, tailwinds, Goldman Sachs, Amy Hood, it's, Keith Bachman, Bachman Organizations: Oracle, Nvidia, Barclays, Investors, Software, Services, Microsoft, SAP, Citizens, CNBC, Google, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Microsoft Microsoft, AI Services, Wall, BMO

☆ The most well-known recession indicator stopped flashing red, but now another one is going off
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —For much of the last two years, the 2-year US Treasury yield has traded above the 10-year yield. Still, there are plenty of instances when the yield curve uninverted and a recession wasn’t right around the corner. The most recent prior case of the yield curve uninverting was September 2019. (Disinversion and uninversion are both used to refer to a yield curve that returns to being in positive territory.) One reason she isn’t on edge is because the yield curve was inverted for a much longer stretch of time compared to other recent recessions.

Persons: that’s, Marco Giacoletti, ” “, Kristina Hooper, Hooper, ” Kevin Flanagan, ”, Claudia Sahm, Sahm, Flanagan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Fed, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, CNN Locations: New York

☆ To pop or not to pop: the smart way to invest in AI without worrying about the bubble
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's also common to draw parallels between the dot-com bubble and today's hype, leading investors to wonder if there's an AI bubble that's about to pop, too. Goldman Sachs' big AI headline of the month is "To buy, or not to buy, that is the question." The note from September 5, led by Peter Oppenheimer, suggests the answer is "to buy" but also to diversify. And the third is the application providers, which are the companies creating services for end users to harness AI. It comes from machine learning or big data workloads that various companies and governments use, Belton noted.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, Peter Oppenheimer, John Belton, doesn't, Brian Colello, Nancy Tengler, that's, it's, Tengler, Wall, Larry Ellison, Colello, Belton Organizations: Service, Business, Gabelli Funds, Morningstar Equity Research, Investments, Nvidia, Companies, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Broadcom, AMD, Cadence Design Systems, Google, AWS, Eaton Corporation Locations: GenAI, Belton

☆ 38-year-old grew up playing Monopoly in Nicaragua: Now she has a Yale Ph.D., 4 rental properties and $268,000 in household income
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair Valentina Duarte | Kamaron Mcnair | In Kamaronmcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

"I love how you can invest in properties, you earn money, you have to save money to wait for the best property. Though they may not have pushed Tello-Trillo into economics, her parents taught her about money from a young age. "I see money as a thing that you work really hard for, and then if you want to spend money [it's] because you really, really value something," she says. "But it has to be something that I really, really like, and it has to be something that is going to be useful either for the family or for the home." She and her husband split household expenses equally, and Tello-Trillo handles the mortgage payments for her rental properties on her own.

Persons: Cristina Tello, Trillo, that's, Sebastian, Leo, Tello, she's, Peru wouldn't, Roth Organizations: CNBC, Monopoly, Pontificia Universidad Catolica of, Tello, U.S . Census Bureau, University of Maryland, Washington , D.C, Yale University, YouTube, Leo Insurance, Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Amazon Prime Locations: Peru, Nicaragua, Pontificia Universidad Catolica of Peru, Bethesda , Maryland, Washington ,, Rochester , New York, Tello, —, Bethesda, Rochester, Shenandoah, Northern Virginia

Financial planner Nadine Burns says with the right strategy, you can reach your retirement goals. Below, Burns shares the strategy she uses to help her clients achieve their retirement goals. Understand your net worthBurns says understanding your net worth — and tracking it throughout your working years — is the first step to retiring comfortably. Your net worth should rise throughout your working years and allow you to retire with more assets than debts. To find your net worth, add up all of your assets then subtract your debts.

Persons: Nadine Burns, It's, —, Burns, you've, doesn't Organizations: Service, Social Security, Invest, IRA

☆ Want to cash in on India's growth? Veteran investor names 5 'well-run' companies to buy right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | In Amala-Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Interest in India has been rising steadily among investors, thanks to its growing economy , strong stock market performance and burgeoning population . Amid some talk of an Indian stock market bubble , however, Pramod Gubbi, co-founder of Marcellus Investment Managers, revealed how he is playing the market. So, our job is to evaluate whether the management teams are hungry enough to identify changes that are happening and adapt to them," he told CNBC Pro last week. Women-led themes One theme that Gubbi is interested in is how India's growing numbers of working women are spending their money. Other stocks Other Indian companies Gubbi likes include Divi's Laboratories and HDFC Bank .

Persons: Pramod Gubbi, Marcellus, Gubbi, Maggi, Nescafe Organizations: Marcellus Investment, Management, CNBC Pro, Bombay Stock Exchange, Tata Group, Brands, Nestle, —, Paints, Divi's Laboratories, HDFC Bank, Novartis, GSK, Merck Locations: India, U.S, China

☆ Amid AI boom, tech can't afford to neglect spending in these IT areas
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Data analytics and decision-makingIn the digital economy, data is gold. Those organizations that leverage data and data analytics well can improve the customer experience and move out in front of competitors. With advancements in data analytics, companies can take advantage of real-time data processing, predictive analytics, and AI-powered analytics to make informed decisions quickly, Gilchrist said. AI, as neededYes, companies should continue to invest in AI solutions, but in many cases with a more discerning approach. "AI investments should focus on areas where automation, predictive analytics, or AI-driven insights can solve specific business problems or create new revenue streams."

Persons: Christopher Gilchrist, Forrester, Gilchrist, Janelle Hill, Hill Organizations: Gartner, IT, Investments

☆ Hedge fund turned to a wargame to plan for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Related storiesIn the second phase of the game, soon after the Chinese invasion began, US forces were said to have engaged and stopped the Chinese amphibious assault, though China continued to bombard Taiwan. Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThis caught the hedge fund players by surprise: they had assumed EU sanctions were unlikely because of the depth of China-Europe trade, which reached $815 billion annually in 2023. The hedge fund "agreed that any room for avoiding a total divestment from China and the South China Sea was now completely lost, and market re-entry was probably many years away." The hedge fund responded by choosing to invest heavily in semiconductors manufactured in regions not affected by the war. "This would provide potential opportunities for new players to emerge in the Global South, particularly if loans can be collateralized," Knightsbridge noted.

Persons: Finley Grimble, liquidating, KSG, Daniel Ceng, Knightsbridge, Grimble, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Knightsbridge Strategic, Getty, Treasury, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, China, Taiwan, South China, Europe, South America, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Anadolu, South, Ukraine, Africa, East, Southeast Asia, Zimbabwe, Forbes

☆ China's wealthy are increasingly looking overseas for business investment opportunities
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Instead of high-net-worth individuals, C-suite executives in China are increasingly using business jets, said Paul Desgrosseilliers, general manager at ExecuJet Haite General Aviation Services. ExecuJet HaiteBEIJING — China's wealthy are increasingly looking for ways to move capital outside the mainland to pursue business opportunities, rather than just chasing investment returns, according to asset managers and consultants. The company's active overseas clients rose by nearly 63% year on year to 3,244. Overseas assets under management rose nearly 15% to $5.4 billion from a year earlier, while mainland China assets under management fell over 6% to $15.8 billion, according to Noah's quarterly earnings report. "What we are hearing from them is that the fastest growth in terms of interest from Chinese clients [occurred] in the post-Covid [period to] early last year."

Persons: Paul Desgrosseilliers, ExecuJet, there's, Ryota Kadogaki, Grant Pan, Noah Holdings, Noah, Kadogaki, Mu Chen, That's, Pan, ExecuJet Haite Organizations: General Aviation Services, Beijing Daxing, Monolith, Investors, Ministry of Commerce, CNBC, Noah Holdings, Beijing Daxing International Locations: China, Beijing, BEIJING, Japan, Mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, East, Africa, Asia Pacific

☆ The N.F.L. May Soon Welcome a New Kind of Minority Owner
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | Ken Belson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a century, National Football League owners have been an exclusive club. owners are expected to approve rules that would allow certain private equity firms to buy as much as 10 percent of a team. Allowing investments from private equity could make it easier to put together a deal. would be the last major sports league to allow private equity firms to become minority owners, and its approach is more conservative than leagues like the National Basketball Association, which allows private equity firms to own up to 30 percent of a team. If the new rules pass, only a handful of anointed private equity firms will be able to invest in teams.

Organizations: National Football League, Washington, National Basketball Association Locations: Eagan, Minn

☆ Adam Neumann's new startup Flow faces trouble in Nashville
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-20 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewAdam Neuman's post-WeWork venture Flow was launched with a $350 million check and stakes in six buildings. Now, one of those buildings is struggling, and equity investors risk being wiped out. Crowdfunding platform Yieldstreet, which has helped raise money for the property, recently told its equity investors that their investments could be wiped out. Flow launched in 2022 with investments in six apartment buildings, including the now-troubled Nashville property, and a $350 million check from venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. A Flow spokesperson sought to distance the Miami-based startup from the 2010 West End property, saying that Flow has never managed the building and is only the minority equity owner.

Persons: —, Adam Neuman's, Andreessen Horowitz, Neumann, WeWork, Neumann's, Yieldstreet, Nazare, Adam Neumann, They're, they're Organizations: Service, Business, Nazare, Yieldstreet, BI, SEC Locations: Nashville, Miami, Denver, Fort Lauderdale

☆ Revolut secures new $45 billion valuation following secondary share sale with major investors as it targets a potential IPO
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-16 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRevolut has secured a $45 million valuation via a secondary share sale, despite a wider slump in fintech valuations. The London-based neo-bank, which recently secured a banking license in the UK, has signed agreements with institutional investors over a share sale that significantly boosts the company's valuation. That round came at the height of the tech market's COVID-19 boom, and Revolut has not raised primary capital from investors since. This secondary deal allows employees to profit from their stakes in the company and also cements the fintech as Europe's most valuable tech startup ahead of a prospective IPO. Revolut has 45 million customers and offers bank accounts, savings options, and trading in stocks and cryptocurrencies.

Persons: —, Revolut, We're, Nik Storonsky, SoftBank, Matt Cooper, Revulot, Cooper, Starling Organizations: Service, D1 Capital Partners, Tiger, Business, Prudential, Authority, Financial Times Locations: London, Europe

☆ Jim Cramer examines triggers for last week's 'opaque' sell-off
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Monday reviewed what could have lead to last week's massive sell-off, telling investors the declines may have been facilitated by failed market strategies from larger institutions. Japan's stock market also declined sharply, with the Nikkei seeing its worst day since the "Black Monday" crash of 1987. To Cramer, last week's declines might have been caused by money managers from a variety of firms who used Japan's low interest rates to borrow money an invest in other global assets. "We've had so many sell-offs based on mistaken strategies by large institutions," Cramer said. "Let's remember last Monday's selloff and consider that it might've been about nothing more than flailing money managers, which is often the case with these big market meltdowns."

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Cramer, We've, selloff Organizations: Dow Jones, Nikkei, Bank of Japan

☆ A real-estate investor who achieved financial independence buying rentals shares the early mistake she made — and 2 criteria for picking an investment property
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The second one — not as good," the seasoned real estate investor told Business Insider. Her second deal was a mountain cabin in a retirement community that she assumed would "appreciate like mad," she said. As of 2024, she said, she is a partner in $800 million of real estate, including over 6,500 residential units and 2,200 self-storage units across 11 states. Related storiesAdditionally, with a single-level property, you avoid potential structural headaches. "If it's going to be an investment property, I need to think about who's buying it next from me.

Persons: —, Whitney Elkins, Hutten, Elkins, She's, that's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Fort Collins, Hutten

☆ 'These are not normal;' A new type of dealmaking for AI startups is rattling Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Ben Bergman | Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Google unnerved Silicon Valley last week when it agreed to pay $2.5 billion to license Character.AI's technology, hire its two superstar cofounders and 20 percent of employees. The deal came after AI developers Adept and Inflection both effectively sold themselves to Amazon and Microsoft, respectively, in recent months. It was only last year Character.AI raised $150 million in venture funding, which valued the company at $850 million. Its appeal as a chatbot that uses AI to make virtual characters that interact with users seems decidedly niche. Related storiesMost of the founders and investors Business Insider spoke to for this story say Google has little interest in Character.AI's actual product.

Persons: cofounders, Brent Queener, Kyle Sanford, Character.AI, Iris Sun, Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas, Jack Selby, Peter Thiel's, Steve Brotman, Shazeer, De Freitas, PitchBook's Sanford, they're, Roy Bahat, Arvind Jain, Cameron Lester, Lester Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Bonfire Ventures, Business, Apple, Big Tech, AZ, Biden Administration, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Alpha Partners, FTC, DOJ, New York Times, Google, Madrona Venture, Bloomberg Beta, Jefferies

☆ Venture capital's new reality check: 'A ton of people looking to get out everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

PitchBook forecast in a May report that venture firms would raise less than $200 billion in 2024, a 48% drop from the industry's peak in 2021. "They may not see any carry dollars for a long time, maybe into full deployment to the next fund," the growth-stage principal said. AdvertisementBut this type of internal competition, including deal theft and sabotage, has always existed, the growth-stage principal added. 'A ton of people looking to get out everywhere'As the market continues to correct itself, more turnover is likely. "I know a ton of people looking to get out everywhere," the growth-stage principal said.

Persons: —, Michael Moritz, Combinator, they're, Will Champagne, it's, Ellis, Rebecca Zisser, VCs, Junior VCs, there's, Champagne, I'm, inbounds, I've Organizations: Service, Business, TechCrunch, Venture, Bay Area, Big Law, Kirkland, Haize Labs, Area, Junior

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