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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told CNBC's Jon Fortt on Monday that the governance structure of OpenAI needs to change, three days after the sudden firing CEO Sam Altman. Early Monday morning Nadella said that Altman, Brockman and their colleagues would join Microsoft as part of a new AI research group. That post followed news that ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear had been named OpenAI interim head as Altman looked to depart. Nadella told Fortt that Microsoft respects OpenAI's nonprofit roots and shares its belief that AI needs to be developed and rolled out in a safe manner. WATCH: A timeline of the drama between Sam Altman, OpenAI and Microsoft

Persons: Satya Nadella, CNBC's Jon Fortt, Sam Altman, Nadella, Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Emmett Shear, Fortt Organizations: Microsoft, Tiger, Sequoia Capital

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. "Sam and OpenAI were the catalyst that showed the world what AI tech is capable of," Jannsen said. Silicon Valley's high-profile startup CEO firings typically involve wrongdoing, rather than just philosophical differences about where the company is headed. "Sam Altman is a hero of mine," former Google CEO and investor Eric Schmidt said in an X post. — CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report WATCH: OpenAI says Sam Altman exiting as CEO because 'board no longer has confidence.'

Persons: Sam Altman, Carlos Barria, OpenAI, Steve Jobs, Altman, —, Jobs, U.S . Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Ron Conway, Greg, Brian Chesky, Matt Schlicht, Schlicht, Sam, Ryan Jannsen, Jannsen, Patrick Moorhead, They're, Moorhead, Josh Wolfe, Wolfe, he'd, Eric Schmidt, Tom Williams, Airbnb's Chesky, what's, Chesky, Satya Nadella, Zachary Lipton, Carnegie Mellon's Lipton, Lipton, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Reuters, ChatGPT, Apple, U.S ., Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, Tiger, Sequoia Capital, CNBC, Google, Lux Capital, Cq, Inc, Getty, Carnegie Mellon University, Industry Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Silicon Valley, OpenAI, what's, —

☆ OpenAI is hiring former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to run company two days after ousting Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, in a Bloomberg Television interview in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. OpenAI is bringing in former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to run the artificial intelligence company, two days after the sudden ouster of Sam Altman, CNBC has confirmed. Unlike most Silicon Valley startups, OpenAI wasn't structured like a typical corporation with large chunks of equity controlled by the founders. Shear stepped down as CEO of Twitch, the livestreaming service now owned by Amazon , in March. — CNBC's Ari Levy contributed to this reportWATCH: Madrona's Matt McIlwain talks Sam Altman's departure as OpenAI CEO

Persons: Emmett Shear, Twitch, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Shear, Altman, Mira Murati, didn't, Murati, — CNBC's Ari Levy, Matt McIlwain, Sam Altman's Organizations: Bloomberg Television, CNBC, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Tiger, Sequoia Capital, Amazon, OpenAI Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S

☆ Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman returns to headquarters for talks following his abrupt ouster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI participates in the "Charting the Path Forward: The Future of Artificial Intelligence" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California, on November 16, 2023. Sam Altman, the recently ousted CEO of OpenAI, arrived as a guest Sunday at the headquarters of the company he founded. Altman posted a photo of himself on X, formerly Twitter, wearing an OpenAI visitor badge, writing, "first and last time i ever wear one of these." Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer, also posted a photo of Sam with the badge. Microsoft , Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global and venture firm Thrive Capital are part of an effort to reinstate Altman or have been in discussions with him, sources familiar told CNBC.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Jason Kwon, Sam, Brad Lightcap, Lightcap, Greg Brockman, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami, Jordan Novet Organizations: Economic Cooperation, APEC, OpenAI, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, CNBC Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California

OpenAI investors are pushing to bring back Sam Altman as CEO one day after he was ousted by the board, according to people familiar with the matter. Sequoia Capital has also been in contact with Altman, a person familiar with knowledge of the matter told CNBC. Sequoia also informed Microsoft that it would back efforts to bring back Altman and Brockman, the person said. The Verge first reported on the talks to bring back Altman. In addition to ousting Altman, the company removed Brockman, the chairman, from his board leadership position but said he would remain as president.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Greg Brockman, it's, Sequoia, Brockman, Altman didn't, Mira Murati Organizations: Microsoft, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, CNBC, Sequoia Locations: Silicon Valley, OpenAI

☆ Who's on the OpenAI board — the group behind Sam Altman's ouster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On Friday, the board of OpenAI, the buzzy AI company behind viral chatbot ChatGPT, suddenly and publicly ousted its CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI's board said it conducted "a deliberative review process" and that Altman "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." She is an adjunct senior management scientist at Rand Corporation and has been on the OpenAI board since 2018. "While our partnership with Microsoft includes a multibillion-dollar investment, OpenAI remains an entirely independent company governed by the OpenAI Nonprofit," OpenAI has publicly stated. On that day, Altman told Nadella, "I think we have the best partnership in tech and I'm excited for us to build AGI together."

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D'Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Reid Hoffman, Neuralink, Zilis, Will Hurd, Brockman, Sam, Sutskever, he's, D'Angelo, McCauley, Toner, Andreessen Horowitz, AGI, weren't, Mira Murati, OpenAI's Dev, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Dev, Brad Lightcap Organizations: Thursday's APEC, Summit, Google, Facebook, OpenAI, GeoSim Systems, Rand Corporation, University of Oxford's Center, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, CNBC, Fortune Locations: Texas, OpenAI

☆ China's Moore Threads valued at $3.4 bln in funding before U.S. curbs - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The month before Moore Threads had raised roughly 1 billion yuan in a so-called "series B+" round, one of the sources said. Investors priced Moore at 24 billion yuan prior to the capital raise, and around 24.8 billion yuan after the injection of new capital, said the other source, who had been briefed about the fundraising progress in September. On Tuesday, updates to Moore Threads' company registration data on third-party database Qichacha showed it added new shareholders including a fund called Houxue Qingxin and venture investment firm Chenan Zhizhi alongside an increase in its registered capital. It was widely considered one of China's most prominent efforts to develop products capable of competing with those from market-dominating Nvidia. ($1 = 7.2482 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Moore, Chenan, ByteDance, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Reuters, Nvidia, AMD, China Mobile, Sequoia Capital, Beijing, Thomson Locations: China, Rights BEIJING, U.S, Sequoia Capital China

☆ Ruzwana Bashir Is Quietly Connecting the Tech World
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Story by Melia RussellPhotography by Lelanie FosterRuzwana Bashir is ransacking her kitchen cabinet for just the right tea. Bashir wears an Erdem floral-printed bra top, Erdem skirt, Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, Old Jewelry earrings along with her own bracelet and ring. "Part of building a business was going out and sharing what you were doing with the world," Bashir says. For years Bashir's startup had been building muscle around these capabilities; now it had an eager audience. Eating at acclaimed restaurants is fine, but Bashir prefers the more-intimate affairs at tech executives' homes because, she says, "you can stay longer."

Persons: Melia Russell, Lelanie Foster Ruzwana Bashir, Peek, She's, she's, Andy Warhol, Picasso, Bashir, I'm, Andreessen Horowitz, Jack Dorsey, Eric Schmidt, Goldman Sachs, Giuseppe Zanotti, Lelanie Foster, Bashir isn't, Elon Musk, Ronan Farrow, Roelof Botha, Mustafa Suleyman, we've, Bennett Miller, Capote, " Miller, —, doesn't, didn't, Madeleine Albright, Tom Ford, Jared Cohen, Oskar Bruening, Forbes, Mark Zuckerberg, I've, Bashir wasn't, Travis Kalanick, Adam Neumann, Ty, Emily Weiss, Bashir refashioned, Donald Trump, Bruening, Laurence Tosi's, Miller, Beyoncé, shrugs, Anna Wintour, Anna, we're, Taylor Swift, Katie Haun, Marc Benioff, Reid Hoffman, Marissa Mayer, Dick Costolo —, Cohen, Katherine Maher, Maher, Daniel Kahneman, It's, Radel, Becky Akinyode, Elaine Winter, Tiffany Bloomfield, Dela, Chad Hilliard, Enmi, Kenny Aquiles Ulloa, Cyrenae, Madison Perez, Aidan Lapp, Bashira Webb, Bryan Erickson, Jinyoung Chang, Rodriguez, Rebecca Zisser, Claire Landsbaum, Emma LeGault, Joi, Marie McKenzie, Conner Blake, Kyle Desiderio, Victoria Gracie, Nicole Forero, Virginia Alves Organizations: Google, Museum of, Business, Elon, Vogue, Roelof, Oxford University, Oxford Union, Blackstone Group, Harvard Business School, Studios, Web, Young, Organization, Dela Revoluciøn, Enmi Yang Digital Tech Locations: Manhattan, SoHo, Bahamas, United States, Balthazar, England, Israel, Petra, Istanbul, Elle, Utah, COVID, Salt Lake City, Costa Rica, Atlanta, WestCap

☆ Valuations will normalize as interest rates come down, says Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | 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 EmailValuations will normalize as interest rates come down, says Sequoia Capital's Roelof BothaRoelof Botha, Sequoia Capital managing partner, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss what the equity market's reaction to the latest CPI data will do to Botha's investing world, current valuation levels, and how those levels have affected Sequoia.

Persons: Roelof Botha Roelof Botha Organizations: Sequoia Capital

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | 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 EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Sequoia Capital's Roelof BothaRoelof Botha, Sequoia Capital managing partner, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss what the equity market's reaction to the latest CPI data will do to Botha's investing world, current valuation levels, and how those levels have affected Sequoia.

Persons: Roelof Botha Roelof Botha Organizations: Sequoia, Sequoia Capital

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, investor at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Konstantine Buhler, Avery Klemmer, ChatGPT, Klemmer, Jill Chase, Krystal Hu, Sayantani Ghosh, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters NEXT, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, partner at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

☆ Microsoft-backed OpenAI announces GPT-4 Turbo, its most powerful AI yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

ChatGPT, which broke records as the fastest-growing consumer app in history months after its launch, now has about 100 million weekly active users, OpenAI said Monday. And when it comes to GPT-5, Altman told reporters, "We want to do it, but we don't have a timeline." GPT-4 Turbo can. While earlier versions limited you to about 3,000 words, the GPT-4 Turbo accepts inputs of up to 300 pages in length. OpenAI said GPT-4 Turbo is available in preview for developers now and will be released to all in the coming weeks.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Justin Sullivan, OpenAI, It's, Mira Murati, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Andreessen Horowitz, GPT, it's, Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S, Pam, Anthropic's Claude, chatbot Organizations: Google, Fortune, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Bowl, Marvel, Smart Locations: San Francisco , California, OpenAI

☆ Wholesale marketplace Faire, which raised $416 million 18 months ago, laid off 250 workers in a company-wide restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Faire, the wholesale marketplace company, laid off about 250 employees on Wednesday. This is the second time in just over a year that the company has laid off workers, although this second restructuring appears to be bigger. Faire is an online marketplace that connects independent brands with retailers that can stock their products in their stores. Faire recently announced a partnership with Shopify that established Faire as the preferred wholesale marketplace for Shopify merchants. Shopify also became a shareholder in Faire as part of the deal, which Insider first reported on in July.

Persons: Shopify, We're, who've, Layoffs.fyi Organizations: Dragoneer Investment, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Forerunner Ventures, Tech Locations: mstone@insider.com

Not every AI company is hot right now. While European and US tech investors are throwing funding at startups that look like the next Nvidia or ChatGPT, they're less optimistic about one big player: British AI chip company Graphcore. The UK tech industry is small, and Insider granted anonymity to these people to avoid jeopardizing their professional relationships. One founder operating in the same space as the AI chip firm speculated that Arm could be a leading contender to acquire Graphcore. In September, Toon pitched Graphcore in an interview with Insider as a viable rival to Nvidia, which holds around 70% of the AI chip market, per Omdia analysis.

Persons: Graphcore, Baillie Gifford, it's, Nigel Toon's, Toon, we'll, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Nvidia, Graphcore, Insider, Sequoia Capital, Bloomberg, UK, China Locations: British, Europe

☆ With China playing catchup with the U.S., these 3 charts show the top countries for fintech in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

UK has second-biggest number of top fintech firmsThe U.S. was home to 65 of the top fintech companies, according to CNBC's list of world's top 200 fintech companies. In the U.S., some of the top global fintech companies on Statista's list include names like Stripe, PayPal and Intuit . Stateside, meanwhile, the largest fintech unicorns are Stripe ($95 billion), Chime ($25 billion), Ripple ($15 billion), Plaid ($13.5 billion), Devoted Health ($12.6 billion, and Brex ($12.3 billion). Other leading ecosystems for fintech unicorns include India, on 17 unicorns, and China, on eight. Standing in 8th place is Mexico, with five fintech unicorns, Singapore, also with five, and the Netherlands, which has four in total.

Persons: Ed Jones, Starling, Tencent, Statista, Andreessen Horowitz, Wise, Vlad Tenev, Group's, —, Nick Parmenter Organizations: AFP, Getty, CNBC, Statista, Ant Group, Plaid, Visa, Mastercard, European Union, Apple, Google, Sequoia Capital, PayPal, Intuit, Financial, Authority, Consumers Locations: U.S, Beijing, China, Silicon, Europe, Ukraine, Covid, India, France, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, Netherlands, Statista

☆ Web Summit Chief Steps Down Over Israel Remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Michael J. De La Merced | More About Michael J. De La Merced | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The chief executive of Web Summit, one of Europe’s biggest technology conferences, stepped down on Saturday after major sponsors and speakers withdrew from the event, set for next month, following backlash over his public criticism of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks. “I sincerely apologize again for any hurt I have caused.”A spokeswoman for Web Summit said that the organization aimed to appoint a new chief executive as soon as possible. Web Summit said on Friday that it expected about 70,000 people to attend, about the same as last year. Among those to drop out were Ravi Gupta, a partner at Sequoia Capital, and Garry Tan, the chief executive of the technology incubator Y Combinator. But by Tuesday, he published an apology on Web Summit’s site in which he said he defended “Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.”

Persons: Paddy Cosgrave, —, ”, “, Cosgrave’s, Ravi Gupta, Garry Tan, Cosgrave Organizations: Web, Google, Intel, Meta, Siemens, Web Summit, Western, Sequoia Capital Locations: Irish, Lisbon, Israel

☆ ChatGPT can now respond with images and search the web
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

OpenAI, the company behind the viral chatbot, has officially launched real-time internet browsing for ChatGPT, three weeks after reintroducing the beta version of the capability — but it has been a significantly bumpy ride. But one of OpenAI's goals has been to expand ChatGPT's data — and search engine capabilities — into the here and now. In March, the company experimented with a ChatGPT web-browsing plugin for a limited number of users. The company has been slowly rolling out the feature again, after allowing site owners to opt out of the web crawling. Two of the foremost competitors in that race are OpenAI with ChatGPT and Google with its competitor, Bard.

Persons: OpenAI, Bing, OpenAI's, ChatGPT, Bard, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: UBS, Google, Sequoia Capital, CNBC

☆ Web Summit CEO apologises for comments on Israeli conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Web Summit Chief Executive and founder Paddy Cosgrave on Tuesday apologised for comments he made on the Israeli-Hamas conflict that prompted some technology companies and investors to withdraw plans to attend its conference in Portugal next month. Web Summit, one of the world's largest tech conferences, will take place in Lisbon from Nov. 13-16, with attendees from companies such as Meta (META.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) to investors such as Atomico. "War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are," wrote Cosgrave, who was born in Ireland. Among executives to have cancelled their participation at Web Summit are AI21 Labs' Ori Goshen; Tome's Keith Peiris; Sequoia Capital partner Ravi Gupta; Yinon Costica, co-founder of Israeli cybersecurity unicorn Wiz; and Y Combinator’s Garry Tan, according to LinkedIn and X posts. Philippe Botteri, CEO of tech investor Accel, said in a LinkedIn post on Monday he would no longer speak at Web Summit.

Persons: Paddy Cosgrave, Cosgrave, I’m, Leo Varadkar's, Israel, Cosgrove, Goshen, Tome's Keith Peiris, Ravi Gupta, Yinon Costica, Y, Garry Tan, Philippe Botteri, Portugal Dor Shapira, Steven Scheer, Supantha Mukherjee, Josephine Mason, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: Web, Microsoft, Palestinian, Hamas, Irish, AI21 Labs, Sequoia Capital, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Gaza, Israel, Ireland, Jerusalem, Stockholm, London

☆ CEO apologizes for Israel remarks after 4 days of backlash and conference dropouts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The founder of tech conference Web Summit apologized for "profound hurt" over his Israel remarks. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe founder of European tech conference Web Summit has apologized for the "profound hurt" caused by his comments criticizing the West's support for Israel, which triggered several high-profile withdrawals from the event. AdvertisementAdvertisementGil Dibner, general partner at Angular Ventures, said it was "a time that calls for moral clarity" after canceling his speaking engagement at Web Summit. Dropouts increased, and within 24 hours the number of Israel-based speakers at Web Summit dropped from at least five to zero, according to Insider analysis. Other speakers lined up for Web Summit include Meta's Nick Clegg, as well as comedian Amy Poehler and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Persons: Israel, Paddy Cosgrave, —, I'm, Garry Tan, Ravi Gupta, Cosgrave, State Anthony Blinken, Moshiel Biton, hadn't, Biton, Gil Dibner, Nick Clegg, Amy Poehler, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Service, Israel, Sequoia Capital, State, Web, Angular Ventures, Web Summit, Hamas, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Hamas, Lisbon, Portugal, Israel

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's lieutenant Nishad Singh said he was embarrassed by 'flashy' FTX spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Singh testified at Bankman-Fried's trial that his concerns were almost always rebuffed. In Manhattan federal court Monday, Singh testified about how he frequently questioned and pushed back against Bankman-Fried's spending sprees and investment decisions — and was almost always rebuffed. "I would hear that my opinions were already factored in, and I didn't need to continue sharing them," Singh testified. Singh testified that he came to know Bankman-Fried through a friendship with the FTX founder's younger brother, Gabe Bankman-Fried. Infighting over expensesThe pair often disagreed on money, Singh testified.

Persons: Nishad Singh, Sam Bankman, Singh, —, Fried, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, spender, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Gabe Bankman, FTX, SBF, I've, Sam, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, Kevin O'Leary, Larry David, Jon Kopaloff, Fatih Aktas, Getty Images Singh, Michael Kives, Hillary Clinton, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Ted Sarandos, Jeff Bezos, Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Corey Gamble, Kendall Jenner, Singh wasn't, Kris Organizations: Service, Bankman, Alameda, US Securities and Exchange Commission, University of California, Facebook, Engineering, Sequoia Capital, Yuga, Miami, Major League Baseball, of Legends, Getty Images, Anadolu Agency, K5 Global Locations: Bankman, FTX, Manhattan, Berkeley, Alameda, Bahamas, Kazakhstan, Albany

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has likely scored a 93% gain on Nubank stock this year, making the crypto-friendly bank its best performer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire Hathaway's best-performing stock this year is likely Nubank-owner Nu Holdings, up 93%. Apple stock is up this year, but other key Berkshire bets like Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz are down. AdvertisementAdvertisementWarren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has notched a 93% gain on Nu Holdings since the start of January, likely making the Nubank owner the best performer in Berkshire's stock portfolio this year. Nubank shares have slid 13% from their IPO price fo $9 to trade at $7.84 as of Wednesday's close. Munger has hailed Sequoia as perhaps the "most remarkable investment firm in America" with "the best investment record of anybody."

Persons: Berkshire Hathaway's, Warren Buffett's, Kraft Heinz, —, Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Berkshire hasn't, Buffett, Charlie Munger, Todd Combs, Ted Weschler, David Vélez, Munger, Sequoia Organizations: Berkshire, Nu Holdings, Apple, Kraft, Service, Bank of America, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Locations: Berkshire, America, Sequoia

☆ AMD to acquire AI software startup as it seeks to catch up with Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Advanced Micro Devices announced Tuesday it will acquire Nod.AI, an open-source artificial intelligence software startup, to expand the chipmaker's AI software operations. Nod.AI, or Nod Labs, builds open-source technologies "for future AI systems," according to the startup, and it mainly specializes in reinforcement learning, a type of system that "learns" via trial and error. During the same period, AMD reported a revenue decline of 18% but still beat analysts' estimates for sales and profit. Prior to founding Nod in 2013, Anush Elangovan, the startup's CEO, was part of the first Chromebooks team at Google and a lead engineer at Cisco. AMD and Nod.AI did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Persons: Boppana, Anush Elangovan, Harsh Menon, Nod's, Kitty Hawk, Larry Page Organizations: Micro Devices, Nod, Nvidia, AMD, Nod.ai, Google, Cisco, Nod Labs, Bluetooth, Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Apple, Samsung

☆ Unity CEO John Riccitiello is retiring from gaming software company after controversial pricing change
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Unity CEO John Riccitiello is retiring from the gaming software company following a controversial pricing change that frustrated numerous developers. Riccitiello, who has been running Unity for nine years, will also step down as chairman and is leaving the board, the company said Monday. James Whitehurst, former CEO of Red Hat, will become Unity's interim CEO. Unity said it will begin searching for a permanent CEO and Riccitiello "will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition." In September, Unity announced a pricing change that upset numerous developers who rely on the company's technology to create video games.

Persons: John Riccitiello, James Whitehurst, Roelof Botha, Unity, It's, Riccitiello, John Riccitello Organizations: Red, Sequoia, Unity's, Unity

On day one of Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal trial, assistant U.S. attorney, Danielle Sassoon, rattled off a lengthy list of potential witnesses who might be called to testify for either the government or the defense. The list, which was compiled jointly by both sides, was released during the afternoon session and included Bankman-Fried's brother, Gabe, as well his parents, Allan Joseph Bankman and his wife, Barbara Fried. Parents of the disgraced former CEO of FTX are themselves the subject of new scrutiny. Other entities that may take the witness stand included various venture funds and crypto-focused companies like Genesis, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ontario Teachers Pension Fund, Third Point, Signature Bank, and Voyager Digital. Many of these businesses were hurt or wiped out by the collapse in cryptocurrency prices triggered in part by FTX's implosion.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, Gabe, Allan Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Ellison, FTX, Wang, Anthony Scaramucci, Fried Alfred Lin, Sequoia Capital Zac Prince, Michael Lewis Organizations: Alameda Research, U.S, SkyBridge, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ontario, Pension Fund, Signature Bank, Voyager Locations: Bankman, Manhattan

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