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☆ Bill Ackman says he hasn't talked to Elon Musk about X investment for Pershing 'SPARC'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Activist investor Bill Ackman on Monday told CNBC he had not spoken with Elon Musk about a deal involving X, formerly known as Twitter, but that he likes the business and Musk and suggested a deal with X would be welcome if Musk wanted it. The billionaire CEO of Pershing Square Holdings was discussing his new carve-out vehicle, which he called a SPARC, or special purpose acquisition rights company. The product is similar to a SPAC, but Ackman said that Pershing's structure would only invest in companies it views as long-term investments. Ackman made waves in a Sunday interview with the Wall Street Journal, where he said he would "absolutely" invest in X through his new SPARC structure. If part of X were to debut on the market, it would likely be at a valuation far below the $44 billion that Musk paid for it.

Persons: Bill Ackman, Elon Musk, Musk, he's, Ackman, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, SPACs, Linda Yaccarino's, maven Organizations: Monday, CNBC, Elon, Pershing Square Holdings, SPARC, Financial Times, Wall Street, Meta Locations: —

NEW YORK (AP) — For a while, Sam Bankman-Fried tried to convince politicians and the public that he was the next J.P. Morgan. The trial of Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed cryptocurrency brokerage FTX, will begin Tuesday with jury selection. Political Cartoons View All 1190 ImagesThe 31-year-old Bankman-Fried founded FTX in 2019, and it grew rapidly. Bankman-Fried is expected come face-to-face with his former lieutenants at FTX for the first time since its collapse. She has previously said in a statement through her lawyers that she knew funneling FTX customers' money into Alameda was wrong.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bernie Madoff, ”, Michael Zweiback, Zweiback, Zalduendo, FTX, SBF ”, J.P, Morgan, Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake, Bankman, John Ray III, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Ryan Salame, Salame, Ellison, funneling, Christine Adams, Adams, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Changpeng Zhao, Larry Neumeister Organizations: Southern, of, Republicans, “ Prosecutors, Zalduendo LLP, Stanford University, Alameda Research, Alameda, Enron, FTX, Bankman, Prosecutors, The New York Times, NFTs, Securities and Exchange Commission, Binance, SEC Locations: Morgan, of New York, Washington, cryptocurrencies, Silicon Valley, FTX, The Bahamas, Albany, Alameda, Bahamas, New York, Palo Alto , California

FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan testifies during a budget hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce, April 18, 2023. Khan pointed to scale on Wednesday as a way Amazon leverages its power to dampen competition. Khan also explained the FTC's decision to define the market Amazon has monopolized as the online superstore. "We've had a whole set of antitrust cases that have succeeded when defining a market as the superstore market." This complaint applies that idea to the online world, Khan said, adding that there are functions that only an online superstore can serve through the "depth and breadth" of offerings.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, it's, We've Organizations: House Energy, Commerce, Amazon, Federal Trade, FTC, Yale, Intelligence Locations: U.S

Biden and Trump bid for blue collar votesIn an extraordinary show of support, President Biden plans to join striking autoworkers on the picket line in Michigan on Tuesday. It comes a day before Donald Trump is expected to speak to union members in Detroit instead of participating in the second Republican primary debate. The competing visits come as the two home in on battleground states ahead of next year’s election. But their appearances also reveal a political battle to become the voice of blue collar workers at a time when both candidates are struggling to win over mainstream voters and even some within their own parties. is somewhat troublesome for him: It includes incentives for automakers to make more electric vehicles, which labor leaders say will depend on non-union jobs and require fewer workers.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Donald Trump Organizations: Republican Locations: Michigan, Detroit

The work stoppage isn’t officially over yet, and actors remain on strike. attained suggest that as organized labor enjoys a surge in popularity across a variety of industries, its muscle-flexing is achieving results. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional,” the W.G.A. News reports suggest the deal includes provisions for residual payments from streaming, minimum staffing of shows and limits on the use of artificial intelligence. Until then, writers are still on strike, though they’re not actively picketing.

Persons: isn’t, they’re Organizations: Guild of America, Hollywood

Looking beyond the Fed’s rate decisionThe markets on Tuesday are betting that the Fed will stand pat on interest rates on Wednesday. The higher-for-longer policy would probably deal a blow to prospective home buyers and businesses, and could undermine President Biden’s message of economic growth heading into an election year. Investors will focus on the Fed’s quarterly economic projections. With Brent crude hitting a 10-month high of more than $95 a barrel on Tuesday morning, however, fears on inflation still loom large. Investors on both sides of the Atlantic dumped bonds on Monday, with yields on a 10-year inflation-adjusted Treasury note hitting a 14-year high on fears that the Fed would stay hawkish on interest rates.

Persons: Biden’s, Brent Organizations: Fed, Investors

Other unions are digging in as well. The Writers Guild of America is in the fourth month of its strike against major Hollywood studios, while the actors’ union, known as SAG-AFTRA, is in its second. A Gallup poll published in August found that 67 percent of Americans approve of unions, the fifth straight year such support has exceeded the long-term polling average of 62 percent. Time is running out for Congress to reach a compromise to keep the government running past Oct. 1. The confab is part of an effort to lay groundwork for a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.

Persons: Drew Barrymore, Biden, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Xi Jinping Organizations: Guild of America, Hollywood, SAG, Labor Department, Gallup, Republican, Biden, U.S Locations: U.S, California, Malta, Ukraine, Taiwan, San Francisco

Autoworkers put down their toolsThousands of autoworkers walked off the job on Friday morning at three Midwest plants in an unprecedented strike, as the United Automobile Workers and Detroit’s three big carmakers remained miles apart on contract talks. A lengthy strike could dent the Big Three’s profits, analysts say, at a time when the companies are investing heavily in electric vehicles to catch up to Tesla and Chinese rivals. Mary Barra, G.M.’s chief, warned that meeting all or most of the union’s demands could hobble the company’s prospects. “Make no mistake: If we don’t continue to invest, we will lose ground, and it will happen fast,” she said. “Nobody wins in a strike.”

Persons: Autoworkers, autoworkers, Biden, Ford, Mary Barra, ’, “, ” Organizations: United Automobile Workers, General Motors, Dodge, Chrysler Locations: Stellantis, Amsterdam, G.M

☆ Musk on AI hearing: Senator Schumer did a great service to humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMusk on AI hearing: Senator Schumer did a great service to humanityCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reports on the latest news from the AI hearing on Capitol Hill.

Persons: Schumer, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: Capitol

The company priced its shares on Wendesday at $51 each, the top end of its range, valuing it at about $54.5 billion. Arm’s I.P.O. SoftBank had initially wished the company would be valued at as much as $70 billion. And it had pitched Arm as a major player in designing chips for artificial intelligence applications, a tech sector that investors have flocked to. But valuations of privately held companies have fallen sharply over the past year, and investors were reportedly concerned about Arm’s so-so financial performance of late.

Persons: SoftBank Organizations: Nasdaq, Wendesday

☆ Birkenstock files for IPO under ticker 'BIRK'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBirkenstock files for IPO under ticker 'BIRK'CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin and Becky Quick report on news from Birkenstock, and BP.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Becky Quick Organizations: BP

Artificial intelligence is again in focus this week in Washington, as leading tech executives — including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Sam Altman — as well as labor leaders and civil society groups meet on Wednesday with lawmakers behind closed doors. The gathering is the first of a series of Schumer’s listening sessions before lawmakers start writing rules. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Congress—we need AI experts, ethicists, labor leaders, civil rights groups, the world of academia, defense and beyond helping us with the work ahead,” he wrote Tuesday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Two separate Senate hearings devoted to A.I. It includes an independent office to oversee A.I., licensing and safety standards, and making executives liable for their tech.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman —, Chuck Schumer, ”, Richard Blumenthal, Josh Hawley Organizations: Elon, Democratic, Twitter Locations: Washington, New York, Connecticut, Republican, Missouri

game (and the injury-shortened debut of Aaron Rodgers as the New York Jets quarterback) live at home. The early verdict: Disney gave up less than expected — but made concessions that could eventually remake the pay-TV business. Disney will gain more reach for its streaming services, which the company views as a vital part of its future. Charter also agreed to provide ESPN+ (largely a companion to its cable-channel sibling) as part of its sports-focused bundle. More important, when Disney finally introduces a direct-to-consumer version of ESPN that includes streaming of big sports events, the broadband provider can also offer that to its consumers.

Persons: ”, Aaron Rodgers Organizations: Disney, Charter Communications, New York Jets, ESPN

That’s far less than what Instacart fetched in a fund-raising round two years ago. But like Arm, the SoftBank-owned chip designer set to price its own stock offering on Wednesday, Instacart’s shift reflects investor caution as Wall Street slowly warms up to I.P.O.s again. In 2021, the company was valued at a heady $39 billion, as venture capitalists poured money into start-ups, especially those that benefited from stay-at-home pandemic restrictions. But investors had expected it to pursue a valuation as high as $70 billion. (The projected appraisal is higher than the $32 billion that SoftBank paid for Arm in 2016.)

Persons: I.P.O.s Instacart, I.P.O.s Organizations: U.S Locations: I.P.O.s, what’s

☆ A Q&A With Elon Musk’s Biographer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Andrew Ross Sorkin | More About Andrew Ross Sorkin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Do you think that he senses the enormity of the power and, therefore, the responsibility? I don’t think he understands it when it comes to X. He’s impulsive and sometimes contradictory in how he deals with the moderation issues. There’s times when he sees himself in epic terms, and there’s times when he says, “All right, I have to be more careful.”Given how much time you’ve spent with him, do you think you now understand what drives him? We all have some demons in our heads from childhood, and he’s got two orders of magnitude more than most of us. I don’t think he would have let me ride by his side for two years if he didn’t crave to have the story of his life — warts and all — out there.

Persons: Elon Musk, you’ve, he’s, He’s, I’ve, can’t, crave Organizations: PayPal

☆ BMW drops controversial $18 a month heated seat subscription
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBMW drops controversial $18 a month heated seat subscriptionCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses news from BMW and Queens, New York.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: BMW, Queens Locations: Queens , New York

Putting a price on celebrityIn buying a majority stake in the powerhouse Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency, François-Henri Pinault showed that high-ticket M.&A. is a game that more than one French luxury billionaire can play. Acquiring CAA — which represents stars including Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie and Pinault’s wife, Salma Hayek Pinault — underscores Pinault’s ambitions, and reinforces the growing importance of celebrity in the luxury sector. Like his archrival, Bernard Arnault of LVMH, Pinault used a series of acquisitions to assemble the luxury empire now known as Kering, starting with Gucci and later adding Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen and more. The agency will be run separately from Kering; Bryan Lourd, the superagent who represents Scarlett Johansson and Brad Pitt, will become C.E.O.

Persons: Henri Pinault, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Pinault’s, Salma Hayek Pinault, Bernard Arnault, Pinault, Saint, Bottega, Alexander McQueen, —, Bryan Lourd, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt Organizations: Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency, CAA, Gucci, Puma Locations: Bottega Veneta, Kering

Apple’s China conundrumShares in Apple, the world’s most valuable public company, suffered their biggest single-day fall in a month on Wednesday following a report that China would extend a ban on iPhones for government workers. China may be making things tougher for Apple. (Some Western governments, including the United States, already bar public employees from using TikTok, the Chinese-owned video platform, and devices made by China’s Huawei.) Apple manufactures most of its hardware in China, and the country accounted for about a fifth of total revenue last year. Apple doesn’t break out iPhone sales in the country, but TechInsights, a market research firm, estimates that in terms of second-quarter shipments, China was a bigger market than the United States.

Persons: China’s Organizations: Apple, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, China’s Huawei Locations: China, United States

For the Biden administration, “the only thing they can pretty much do to counteract Saudi cuts is to bring more oil into the market from other countries,” León said. “Iran and Venezuela are the best candidates,” he added, even if it’s politically unpalatable to fully reopen talks with them. Domestic producers of oil from shale won’t fill the void in the short term. The SPAC buying Donald Trump’s social network gets more time for its deal. Shareholders in Digital World Acquisition Corporation voted to give the firm 12 more months to close its merger with Truth Social.

Persons: Biden, ” León, León, ’, Margrethe Vestager, Didier Reynders, Vestager, Donald Trump’s Organizations: European Investment Bank, European Commission, Truth Locations: Iran, Venezuela, States, Washington

☆ Facebook is getting rid of the News tab in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Facebook users in the U.K., France and Germany will no longer see a dedicated section for news articles starting in December. The company added that it plans to spend more time and money on short-form video, as best exemplified by its TikTok-like Reels product. News represents less than 3% of what people see in their Facebook feeds, Meta said. Meta debuted Facebook News in 2019, saying at the time that the product "was built to bring people closer to the stories that affect their lives." The decision to deprecate Facebook News is part of a broader move away from the news business.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Organizations: Meta, New York Times DealBook, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Facebook Locations: New York City, France, Germany, Canada

The strong labor market is propping up U.S. households. “Real disposable income looks set to reaccelerate in 2024 on the back of continued solid job growth and rising real wages,” Jan Hatzius, Goldman’s chief economist, wrote in a client note. On Friday, the Labor Department reported that wage gains had cooled in August, but real wages, adjusted for inflation, are trending higher. In March, the bank raised its recession odds to 35 percent in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and worries that contagion could hurt other lenders. Poll numbers released on Monday by The Wall Street Journal showed that President Biden’s popularity is still sagging, partly because of his track record on the economy.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, ” Jan Hatzius, Goldman Organizations: Labor Department, Bloomberg, Wall Street Locations: United States, U.S, Bidenomics

But it was justified in Musk’s mind because of his conviction that Twitter’s management had misled him. At 4:12 p.m. Pacific time, once they had confirmation that the money had transferred, Musk pulled the trigger to close the deal. But when his Twitter email was cut off, it took him a few minutes to get the document into a Gmail message. Hybrid work is winningChief executives aren’t letting up on their push to get workers back to the office. And even Zoom, a symbol of remote work, has ordered some of its employees to work in the office.

Persons: Twitter Elon Musk’s, Wall, Walter Isaacson, Isaacson, “, ”, Musk, Agrawal, Andy Jassy, Amazon’s, “ It’s, Organizations: Elon, Twitter Elon, Twitter, Wall Street, Mr, Meta, Labor Locations: ”

The magic of “badwill”When UBS agreed to buy its archrival, Credit Suisse, for a little over $3 billion this spring at the Swiss government’s behest, analysts and investors said that price represented a steep discount. UBS’s latest financial results reflect just how much of a steal it was. Today, the bank reported a $29 billion profit — yes, you read that right — for the second quarter, the biggest quarterly profit in banking history. But that paper gain belies the challenges that UBS faces as it moves to complete the largest takeover of a bank since the 2008 financial crisis. (It’s also known as “negative goodwill.”) UBS reported that its underlying profit for the quarter was just $1.1 billion.

Persons: “, It’s Organizations: UBS, Credit Suisse

☆ How insiders are reacting to Mark Thompson, CNN's new CEO, and how they think he'll tackle the network's challenges: 'He wants to be involved in editorial'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

WBD named Mark Thompson as CNN's new CEO in a shift by David Zaslav to an experienced news leader. Thompson is widely credited with turning the Times into a digital powerhouse, transforming a news organization that was teetering financially. Under Thompson, there also were flops along the way to success for the Times, like the failed NYT Now mobile app. Thompson is expected to be involved in editorialObservers and insiders expressed optimism about the Thompson news. They also will be watching to see how he will carry out WBD CEO David Zaslav's commitment to providing a wider range of political viewpoints, including conservative ones.

Persons: WBD, Mark Thompson, David Zaslav, Thompson, Chris Licht, Ken Doctor, Meredith Kopit Levien, who'd, Times —, Levien, Nate Silver, Jill Abramson, Abramson, wouldn't, Mark, Donald Trump, David Zaslav's, He'll, Jeff Zucker, I've, Zaslav, Licht, he'd, Semafor, James Harding, Andrew Ross Sorkin, he's, Jonathan Miller, Miller, Amy Entelis, David Leavy, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, who's, Leavy Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Warner Bros, Discovery, Max, longtime Times, Times, ESPN, ABC, Observers, BBC, Company, Integrated Media Co, Editorial Locations: British

A stormy forecast for insuranceHurricane Idalia, strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Wednesday morning, packing soaking rains and destructive winds of up to 125 miles per hour, as it lumbers toward the Florida coastline. Such disasters are becoming more common — and more costly — each year, sending insurance costs soaring for homeowners and businesses. Some firms doubt they can continue to cope with such superstorms, while others have limited their business in the state. One of their big complaints: State regulations prevent them from raising prices for customers, they say, forcing them to say no to new policies. Florida’s woes reflect a nationwide problem, one that is expected to intensify as climate change unleashes more extreme weather events.

Persons: Hurricane, Ian Organizations: Carolinas, Insurance, Insurance Information Institute Locations: Florida, Coast, Georgia

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