DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Dentons, the largest Western law firm in China in terms of staff, said yesterday it would separate from Dacheng, its unit there. The two firms merged in 2015, and Dentons even added Chinese characters to its logo to signal its commitment to the country. That made it impossible to follow legal industry standards and best practice, a person familiar with Dentons’ decision-making told DealBook. “Standards are diverging between China and Western economies,” Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell and a former head of the I.M.F.’s China division, told DealBook. Employees at financial firms operating in China have reportedly been forced to attend lessons in the ideology of President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Dentons, DealBook, Eswar Prasad, “, Xi Jinping Organizations: Cornell Locations: China, Western, ’, Sequoia

Goldman makes a big executive changeThe man who has been perhaps the most influential executive inside Goldman Sachs for more than a generation has begun to hand over some of his responsibilities. John Rogers, who over his quarter-century at the Wall Street bank has been known as a board and C.E.O. whisperer, will give his role as chief of staff to Russell Horwitz, his onetime deputy, Andrew and DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch are first to report. Rogers has an outsized influence and an intentionally understated public profile. He also wielded considerable influence outside the firm, helping Paulson become Treasury secretary in 2006.

Persons: Goldman, Goldman Sachs, John Rogers, Russell Horwitz, Andrew, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch, Rogers, David Solomon, Reagan, George H.W, Bush, ” Rogers, Jon Corzine, Hank Paulson, Lloyd Blankfein, Solomon, Paulson Organizations: Goldman Locations: Washington

Mr. Gensler outlined some of his biggest concerns in an interview with DealBook’s Ephrat Livni. could be the next big systemic risk to the financial system. In 2020, Mr. Gensler co-wrote a paper about deep learning and financial stability. Mr. Gensler expects that the United States will most likely end up with two or three foundational A.I. “This technology will be the center of future crises, future financial crises,” Mr. Gensler said.

Persons: Gary Gensler, Gensler, DealBook’s Ephrat Livni, A.I, Mr Locations: United States

When Nikola Swann heard that Fitch Ratings had removed the United States from its list of risk-free borrowers this week, he felt a sense of satisfaction. More than a decade ago, Swann played a key role in a similar decision: He was Standard & Poor’s primary analyst for its sovereign credit rating on the United States when the agency became the first ever to downgrade the nation’s long-term credit rating amid a debt ceiling standoff in 2011. Bloomberg called the reasons for the downgrade “fundamentally political” in 2011, while others argued that it appropriately reflected a worsening debt crisis. Both a decade ago and this week, partisan politics were cited as one reason for the downgrade. S&P cited “the gulf between the political parties.” Fitch, which made the call two months after the United States narrowly avoided defaulting on its debt, cited “the repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions.”

Persons: Nikola Swann, Fitch, ”, Swann, ” Fitch Organizations: Treasury Department, Bloomberg, & $ Locations: United States

But the tech giants provided a snapshot of the state of the global economy: Consumers and companies are cutting back on some costs, but refusing to stop spending on increasingly essential services. Much of the revenue decline was caused by a drop in iPhone sales, which comprise half of Apple’s overall revenue. But revenue from services — including Apple Music, Apple TV+ and App Store sales — grew 8 percent, reaching a record $21 billion. In India, the company set a record for iPhone sales. The company enjoyed a surge in its core online retail business, showing that customers are still spending despite headwinds like rising interest rates.

Persons: they’re, Apple Organizations: Apple, Apple Music Locations: China, India

The fallout from Fitch’s downgrade continuesStocks appear set to open lower today, after falling yesterday in the wake of Fitch Ratings downgrading the United States’s AAA credit rating. But others have said Fitch’s move, while largely symbolic, still points to long-term troubles for the nation and its fiscal health. “There is no willingness on any side to really tackle the underlying challenges,” Mr. Francis said. But “it doesn’t really matter much,” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s C.E.O., told CNBC yesterday, echoing a common refrain to Fitch’s move. Critics of the move noted that according to criteria laid out last year by Fitch itself, including debt-to-G.D.P.

Persons: Richard Francis, Fitch’s, standoffs, ” Mr, Francis, ” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s, Fitch Organizations: Fitch, United States’s AAA, Wall, U.S, Times, JPMorgan, CNBC Locations: U.S

It’s unlikely that the move — only the second downgrade in American history — will dent investor appetite for Treasury notes. But the decision is another sign that Wall Street is worried about political chaos, including brinkmanship over the debt limit that is becoming entrenched in Washington. The move came two months after Washington narrowly avoided a U.S. default, following a prolonged argument over the debt ceiling. (That said, some on Wall Street remain skeptical that the country is headed for a so-called soft landing.) Fitch’s own model shows the U.S. economy deteriorating during the Trump administration and recovering under President Biden.

Persons: Fitch, “, Trump, Biden Organizations: Fitch, United States ’ AAA, Washington, Social Security Locations: U.S, Washington

Mr. Jobs will still be dedicated to fighting cancer. “My dad succumbed to cancer when I was in college at Stanford,” Mr. Jobs said. “I was pre-med because I really wanted to be a doctor and cure people myself. But he returned to the field after completing his master’s degree and led Emerson’s health care division, which has invested in companies and given grants to labs. Of his career path, Mr. Jobs said: “I had never ever wanted to be a venture capitalist.

Persons: Jobs, “, ” Mr, you’re, — Organizations: Stanford Locations: Yosemite

has brought back two former heirs apparent, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, to advise on the future of Disney’s legacy TV businesses were sure to get Hollywood talking. Mr. Mayer and Mr. Staggs will help Iger think about “linear” TV properties like ABC, according to Puck. Both men had once been tipped as potential successors to Iger — Mr. Mayer as head of M.&A. (Mr. Iger chose Bob Chapek to take over, but he was ousted after two years and replaced by … Mr. Mr. Mayer and Mr. Staggs now run Candle Media, an investment company that has bought an array of production studios.

Persons: Robert Iger, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Iger’s, Mayer, Staggs, Puck, Iger, Mr, Bob Chapek, … Mr Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Media

Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut, announced two weeks ago that it was ending legacy admissions. Many elite schools say legacy admissions are important for maintaining relationships with alumni, which can help universities raise money that is then available for financial aid to needy students. In a June 2018 legal filing in the case that led to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision, Harvard argued that “there would be substantial costs” to ending legacy admissions. Legacy students may donate more. In the American Sociological Review study, legacy students were about half as likely to apply for financial aid as admitted students who weren’t related to alumni.

Persons: Johns Hopkins, ”, Mickey Munley, “ It’s, “, Richard D Organizations: Wesleyan University, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, American Sociological Review, Council, Advancement, Wesleyan, American Sociological, Georgetown University Locations: Connecticut, Amherst, Iowa, ”

The principle is that nature is an unpaid worker providing services, like carbon sequestration, soil retention, water filtration, replenishing raw materials and more. It is providing an invisible subsidy to world economies. Take carbon pricing. Poor countries that have abundant natural resources are loaning their economic resources, like the carbon-sequestering value of their rainforests, to rich countries without compensation. Why add such a pricing structure when economies can exploit nature for free?

Persons: John Kerry, ” It’s Organizations: Democratic, Resilience Locations: Democratic Republic of, Congo

Now, two prominent senators are pushing to create a new federal agency to rein in the power of Big Tech. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, plan to introduce the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act, which they say would restrain tech titans while letting them continue to innovate. But these companies have fought hard against increased oversight, and it’s unclear how a new agency will fit into a Washington already full of regulators. The bill is in the vein of legislation that established agencies to oversee fast-growing industries, much like how Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “For too long, giant tech companies have exploited consumers’ data, invaded Americans’ privacy, threatened our national security and stomped out competition in our economy,” Ms. Warren told DealBook’s Ephrat Livni.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Lindsey Graham, Ms, Warren, DealBook’s Ephrat Livni Organizations: Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Big Tech, Republican, Digital Consumer Protection, Interstate Commerce Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Locations: Massachusetts, South Carolina, Washington

Legacy admissions in the cross hairsIn opening a civil rights investigation into Harvard’s legacy admissions policy — in which relatives of alumni and donors are given preference — the Biden administration inserted itself into a fierce debate amid efforts to remake the world of higher education. Opponents of legacy admissions have argued that the policy is unfair, especially after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education. But Harvard and other elite schools have defended the practice as a crucial means of raising money. Legacy admissions policies, they say, tilt overwhelmingly toward white and wealthy students and discriminate against Black, Hispanic and Asian applicants. About half of legacy students at the elite colleges examined by the study wouldn’t be there without such an admissions boost.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Harvard, Education

keep Big Tech booming? Nasdaq futures are up on Tuesday morning, ahead of a Big Tech earnings bonanza that kicks off when Microsoft and Alphabet report second-quarter results after the closing bell. Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley’s chief U.S. equity strategist, apologized to clients on Monday, writing that his pessimistic stock market calls failed to spot the surge in A.I.-related stocks. On the other hand, Marko Kolanovic, JPMorgan Chase’s chief market strategist, is unconvinced that tech fervor will help the markets avoid a sharp decline this year. All eyes will be on Microsoft and Alphabet, which are at the forefront of commercializing generative A.I., the technology behind chatbots like ChatGPT that have captured the public’s imagination.

Persons: Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley’s, Marko Kolanovic, — Organizations: Big Tech, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Nvidia, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase’s, Google

Search resuls for: "More About Sarah Kessler"

14 mentions found