DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Nintendo CEO once cut his salary in half to prevent layoffs—here's why that's so uncommon today
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As sweeping rounds of layoffs rock the tech, media and finance industries in 2024, some video game fans are thinking about former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata ran the Kyoto, Japan-based video game company from 2002 until his death in 2015. To avoid layoffs, Iwata took a 50% pay cut to help pay for employee salaries, saying a fully-staffed Nintendo would have a better chance of rebounding. Iwata had faith in his talentFor Iwata, taking a pay cut over layoffs centered around his employees' ability to bounce back, Verma says. "Nintendo [needed] to see through the changes that necessitated launching the Nintendo Switch, which has been massively profitable for the company," says Verma.

Persons: Satoru Iwata, Iwata, Rohan Verma, —, it's, Verma, could've, Sandra Sucher, Sucher Organizations: Nintendo, Riot Games, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Stanford University, Harvard Business, CNBC Locations: Kyoto, Japan, —, U.S

☆ Satya Nadella's first decade as Microsoft CEO was defined by cloud. What's next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty ImagesWhen Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO in February 2014, the software company was mired in mediocrity. Many tech industry analysts and investors would say that, thanks largely to Nadella, Microsoft is now set up to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. In a 2020 interview, Pat Gelsinger, then CEO of VMware, said offering his company's software on Microsoft's Azure cloud was akin to a "Middle East peace treaty." Nadella is perhaps best known in the tech industry for pushing Microsoft deeper into cloud computing. While some in the younger generations have Microsoft software at work, it's not necessarily what they grew up using and may not be what they prefer.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Bing, Jason Redmond, Steve Ballmer, Aravind Srinivas, Jeff Bezos, Nadella, Aaron Levie, Levie, Larry Ellison, David Paul Morris, Pat Gelsinger, Michael Nathan, Nathan, he'd, He's, Nat Friedman, Friedman, Kevork Djansezian, Ballmer, Kevin Dallas, I've, Dallas, it's, Gen Z, OpenAI's, Commission's Lina Khan, Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI isn't, hasn't, Jefferies Organizations: Microsoft, AFP, Getty, Apple, Google, Amazon, Oracle Corp, Oracle, Bloomberg, VMware, Intel, Linux, Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers, Microsoft Corp, Nokia, Activision Blizzard, Adobe, Activision, Federal, U.S . Justice Department, CNBC Locations: Redmond , Washington, San Francisco, Microsoft's, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Europe

☆ Tech's longtime highfliers are growing up by getting smaller
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

They're still out hunting for the best technical talent, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, but headcount growth is measured. Last year, tech companies were responding to dramatically changing market conditions — soaring inflation, rising interest rates, rotation out of risk — after an extended bull market. Meta slashed over 20,000 jobs in 2023, Amazon laid off more than 27,000 people, And Alphabet cut over 12,000 positions. Other than Nvidia , which had a banner 2023 due to soaring demand for its AI chips, none of the other mega-cap tech companies have been growing at their historic averages. By late this year, analysts are projecting growth at Meta will be back down to the low teens at best.

Persons: Tayfun, There's, Daniel Flax, Neuberger Berman, CNBC's, Morgan Stanley, Brian Nowak, Brian Olsavsky, They're, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Olsavsky, Phil Spencer, Justin Sullivan, Okta, Zuora, Evan Sohn, Recruiter.com, " Sohn, Susan Li, Ben Barringer, Cheviot, Barringer, —, Annie Palmer Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Technology, Amazon, Meta, hasn't, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, SAN FRANCISCO, Activision, FTC, Getty, Federal, Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tech, Nvidia, Finance, CNBC Locations: Menlo Park , California, Silicon Valley, CALIFORNIA, San Francisco , California

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Tech earnings not good enough for Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock ExchangeThis report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Wall Street ends mixedU.S. stocks closed mixed on Tuesday as Wall Street looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. [PRO] Bank stocks back on radarInvestors need to overcome their fear of bank stocks created by last year's deposit outflows and regional bank failures, said Oppenheimer. Analyst Chris Kotowski, noted bank stocks are "significantly undervalued," adding even mid-size banks that struggled in 2023 could see their underlying business rebound.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Oppenheimer, Chris Kotowski Organizations: New York Stock, CNBC, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Software, Activision Blizzard, Tesla, Bank Locations: Delaware

Tech giants are set to report quarterly earnings, starting on Tuesday with Alphabet and Microsoft. Wall Street is expecting good news, including more progress on artificial intelligence. The cuts aren’t as widespread as last year, when hundreds of thousands of jobs were eliminated. About 100 companies have cut 25,000 positions this year, according to Layoffs.fyi. By comparison, more than 1,000 companies eliminated about 260,000 last year.

Organizations: Tech, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Google

☆ Microsoft to announce quarterly results after the close
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft will report fiscal second-quarter earnings after the market close on Tuesday. During the fiscal second quarter, Microsoft closed its acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard, its largest deal ever. Jefferies analysts raised their target on Microsoft shares to $465 from $450 in a note on Jan. 28. Microsoft shares have risen about 9% so far in 2024, while the S&P 500 index has gained 3% over that stretch. Executives will issue guidance and discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5:30 p.m.

Persons: tailwinds Organizations: Microsoft, LSEG, Gartner, IDC, CNBC, Activision Blizzard, LinkedIn, Activision, Jefferies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that its profit for the October-December quarter soared 33%, powered by its significant investments in artificial intelligence technology. The company said that increase largely reflected growth in its cloud-computing unit, where Microsoft focuses most of its AI investments. “Microsoft is firmly establishing itself as a frontrunner in the AI race,” said Jeremy Goldman, director of briefings at Insider Intelligence. In addition to other benefits, Goldman suggested that AI technology could help expand Microsoft’s share of digital advertising. That merger boosted Microsoft's revenue growth by four points, according to James Ambrose, the company's director of investor relations.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Goldman, Goldman, James Ambrose, Microsoft's Organizations: FRANCISCO, — Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, Intelligence, Google, FactSet Research, Activision, Revenue Locations: Redmond, Washington

☆ Microsoft gets a price target hike after posting a great quarter driven by AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Microsoft reported strong fiscal second-quarter results Tuesday, boosted by the strength of AI. Cloud unit Azure was better than expected thanks to organizations running AI applications on its cloud. That's double from last quarter as Azure AI customers grew to 53,000 from more than 18,000 last quarter. What's fascinating about Azure AI is that over one-third of its customers are completely new to Azure, according to Microsoft, highlighting the importance every organization has in understanding its AI strategy. Microsoft guided Productivity and Business Processes revenues to $19.3 billion to $19.6 billion, ahead of the consensus of $19.45 billion.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, David Paul Morris Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, LSEG, Nvidia, AMD, Productivity, LinkedIn, Activision Blizzard, Windows, Activision, CNBC, CES, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Amazon and Roomba maker call off acquisition deal, iRobot lays off staff instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Amazon and iRobot, the maker of the popular Roomba vacuum, mutually called off their estimated $1.7 billion acquisition deal Monday, citing numerous regulatory hurdles. Amazon (AMZN), which was up about 0.5% in noon trading, will pay iRobot a previously agreed-upon $94 million cancellation fee. IRobot said the restructuring plan, impacting around 350 employees, is intended to save the company up to $150 million. In November, the European Commission said the deal could hamper competition in the robot vacuum sector. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the European Commission planned to block the deal.

Persons: iRobot, Colin Angle, Glen Weinstein, IRobot, “, ” Andrew Miller, iRobot’s, ” David Zapolsky, Lina Khan, ”, Meta Organizations: CNN, European, Federal Trade, European Union, European Commission, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, Commission, Amazon . Tech, Adobe, EU, UK, Nvidia, UK’s Competition, Markets Authority, Activision Blizzard, CMA Locations: Europe

☆ A lower-cost way to get long this 'Magnificent 7' member trading at an all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The five reporting this week — Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta — represent more than 23% of the index by market capitalization. But let's focus on Microsoft (MSFT) . Breaking down MSFT fundamentals Microsoft is one of the most important technology companies in the world. Over the past five years, Microsoft's price-to-earnings ratio has been as low as 25.8 and as high as 41. Some are anticipating organic sales growth of 15%, double the 7.5% average the company experienced over the past 4 quarters.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella Organizations: Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Windows, Activision Blizzard

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway keeps buying Liberty's SiriusXM tracking shares. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Berkshire Hathaway continued to buy Liberty Media's tracking stock for New York-based satellite radio company SiriusXM in a likely merger arbitrage play. Billionaire John Malone's media conglomerate currently owns 84% of Sirius XM and has two tracking stocks that represent that stake in the streaming satellite music service — Liberty Media Corp. Series A shares, or LSXMA , and Liberty Media Corp. Series C shares, or LSXMK . Under the terms of the deal, expected to close early in the third quarter, each Liberty Media Sirius tracking share will be exchanged for 8.4 "new" SIRI shares, while "old" SIRI shareholders would receive new shares in a one-for-one exchange. Berkshire loading up In the past week, Warren Buffett's conglomerate added 438,945 shares of LSXMA and 1 million shares of LSXMK for nearly $45 million combined, according to regulatory filings . Berkshire first bought LSXMK in 2016 and now owns almost 22% of the tracking stock, according to FactSet.

Persons: Berkshire Hathaway, John, SIRI, Warren, Buffett, Ted Weschler, Todd Combs, Seth Klarman's Baupost, SIRI overvalued, Wells, Steven Cahall, Cahall, Jason Bazinet, Charlie Munger, Charlie, hasn't Organizations: Berkshire, Liberty, Sirius XM, — Liberty Media Corp, Liberty Media Corp, Nasdaq, Liberty Media, Liberty Media Sirius, Sirius XM Holdings, Sirius, Citigroup, Activision Blizzard, British Columbia Power, Monsanto, Bayer AG, IBM Locations: New York, Berkshire, LSXMA, LSXMK, Omaha

At Meta, in CEO Mark Zuckerberg's words, 2023 was the "year of efficiency," and the stock jumped almost 200% alongside 20,000 job cuts. AI demand is so great that some tech companies are cutting headcount in parts of the business to invest more heavily in developing AI products. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, appears at the Political Opening of the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2023. Within tech, a wide variety of companies, big and small and spanning the consumer and enterprise markets, are eliminating jobs. But, he added, there's an "enormous base" of small and mid-sized tech companies across the U.S., and that in some cases contractors, freelancers and overseas workers are being hit particularly hard.

Persons: Peter Kramer, They've, Mark Zuckerberg's, Zeile, Phil Spencer, Franziska Krug, Sundar Pichai, Bob Carrigan, Nigel Vaz, Publicis Sapient, Salesforce, Meta's, " Vaz, Levi Strauss, Bob Bakish, Tim Herbert, Herbert, there's, Vaz, Michael Bloom, Annie Palmer, Jennifer Elias Organizations: Nasdaq, CNBC, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Investors, Activision Blizzard, SAP, Microsoft Gaming, Facebook, Citigroup, Paramount, Commerce Department, Gross Locations: Cologne, Germany, U.S

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is laying off about 1,900 employees in its gaming division, according to an internal company memo, just over three months since the tech giant completed its $69 million purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard. Those impacted worked on teams for Activision Blizzard as well as Xbox and ZeniMax — which are also owned by Microsoft. “As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer wrote in the memo. The union deal was part of a 2022 agreement with the CWA that helped address U.S. political concerns about the merger’s effects. So far, however, only a small set of Activision Blizzard divisions have formed unions.

Persons: Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer, Mike Ybarra, ” Ybarra, “, ”, _________________ O'Brien Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Associated Press, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Gaming, Twitter, European Union, The U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Google, Riot, eBay, Communications Workers, CWA Locations: United Kingdom, European, U.S, Canada, Providence , Rhode Island

☆ Microsoft lays off 1,900 workers, nearly 9% of gaming division, after Activision Blizzard acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra said Thursday on social media platform X he would be leaving Microsoft and Blizzard. Activision Blizzard is the publisher and developer of several massive gaming franchises, including Call of Duty and Diablo. Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard was the company's largest ever acquisition, more than double the size of its 2016 purchase of LinkedIn. Unlike the Microsoft layoffs, eBay and SAP saw a significant bump in their share prices following their announcements. Read the full memo below:It's been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft.

Persons: Phil Spencer, Mike Ybarra, Spencer, Activision Blizzard, Candy, It's, we'll, I'm, Phil CNBC's Steve Kovach Organizations: Microsoft, CNBC, Activision Blizzard, Former, Blizzard, Activision, LinkedIn, Tech, Games, eBay, SAP, King, Microsoft Gaming, Leadership Team, Xbox

☆ Microsoft is laying off 1,900 workers at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Microsoft is laying off 1,900 workers at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMaxAngle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. The cuts will mostly impact Activision Blizzard employees, reports say. SOPA/Getty Images

Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Xbox, Activision Blizzard

☆ Tencent's Riot Games division cuts 11% of staff to 'create focus'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tencent's Riot Games unit said Monday it's eliminating 11% of its workforce, or about 530 jobs, and scaling back on its division that publishes games from small developers. Eric Shen will become Legends of Runeterra's executive producer, replacing Dave Guskin, accroding to a blog post from Guskin, who said he'll work on other Riot games. Tencent, based in China, invested in Riot Games in 2011 and became its outright owner four years later. In September, Tencent-backed Epic Games announced it was cutting 16% of its staff. Shares slid 12% in late December after China announced new rules designed to limit excessive gaming.

Persons: Ma, we've, Dylan Jadeja, that's, Nicolo Laurent, Eric Shen, Dave Guskin, Jadeja, Tencent's, Tencent Organizations: Tencent Holdings Ltd, Tencent's, Google, League of, Riot Games, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Epic Games, China Locations: Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Bay, China, Guskin, Forge, Los Angeles, Tencent

☆ DocuSign, Zoom, and Twilio thrived in the pandemic-era stock market. In 2024, they're some of cloud software's most likely M&A targets.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

With the promise of generative AI fueling investment in technology, industry experts expect 2024 to be an active year for cloud software M&A. The market is right for buyers and sellers, as companies like Salesforce and Nvidia enter 2024 with cash on hand and mature startups face a slowed venture market. "There's so much demand for amazing talent in AI," Somasegar said. Deals in 2024 will likely be at smaller valuations, Jaluria noted. Jaluria expects that several companies that flourished during the pandemic — only to lose momentum with the rise in return-to-office mandates — are likely candidates for M&A in 2024.

Persons: Somasegar, Rishi Jaluria, Jaluria, Jaluria's Organizations: Business, Nvidia, Madrona Venture Group, RBC Capital Markets, Activision Locations: Seattle, Figma

Thursday's analyst calls featured an upgrade to a car rental stock and a big downgrade to an airline. The bank also hiked his price target on the tech giant to $225 per share, implying upside of 23%. — Pia Singh 5:36 a.m.: Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines to sell Citi is throwing in the towel on Spirit Airlines . Week to date, Spirit shares are down nearly 60%. Spirit shares were down more than 4% in the premarket.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Hertz, Andrew Percoco, Percoco, — Pia Singh, Wamsi Mohan, Fred Imbert, Kirk Materne, Materne, Dan Dolev, Dolev, he's, CFRA, Kenneth Leon, Berkshire Hathaway, Leon, Ranjan Sharma, Sharma, bode, Adam Jonas, Jonas, Morgan, Stephen Trent, Trent Organizations: CNBC, flipside, Citi, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Bank of America, Apple Bank of America, Apple, Microsoft, ISI, Activision, Activision Blizzard, Mizuho, Fidelity National Information Services, Paramount Global, RedBird Capital, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Paramount's, Showtime, Paramount, JPMorgan, Grab Holdings, Hertz Global Holdings, Jan, Citi downgrades Spirit Airlines, Spirit, Airlines Locations: Berkshire, 1H24, Wednesday's

☆ Synopsys to acquire graphics software maker Ansys in $35 billion tech deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Semiconductor design and software firm Synopsys on Tuesday announced it would acquire Ansys , an engineering and product design software firm, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion. Synopsys will pay consideration of roughly $390 per share: $197 per share in cash and roughly one-third of a Synopsys share for each Ansys share. Synopsys shares were up 3% on Tuesday morning, after a 12% slump since The Wall Street Journal reported in December that the two companies were in advanced talks. Ansys shares slipped 5% but were up more than 14% in that same period since December. The remaining $3 billion nonequity consideration will come from Synopsys' cash.

Persons: Synopsys, Ansys, Sassine Ghazi, Shelagh Glaser, Ghazi, Ajei Gopal, Evercore, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Hamilton, Goodwin Procter, Raimondo, Chips Organizations: Street, Activision Blizzard, VMware, Cisco, Splunk, Qatalyst Partners Locations: China

☆ Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick to step down at the end of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-20 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will step down from his role as head of the video game company on Dec. 29, according to an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on Wednesday. The leadership change was expected after Microsoft closed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October. He first joined the company as Director and CEO of Activision Inc., in February 1991 before serving as CEO of Activision Blizzard beginning in July 2008. In a memo to employees Wednesday, Kotick expressed "gratitude and appreciation" for his time at Activision Blizzard. Thomas Tippl, the vice chairman of Activision Blizzard; Rob Kostich, president of Activision Publishing; Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment; and others will report to Matt Booty, the president of Microsoft's Game Content and Studios.

Persons: Bobby Kotick, Phil Spencer, Kotick, Bobby —, Spencer, Tony Hawk, Thomas Tippl, Rob Kostich, Mike Ybarra, Matt Booty, Brian Bulatao, Dave McCarthy, — CNBC's Jordan Novet Organizations: Activision, Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Activision Inc, CNBC, Activision Blizzard's, Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard, Gaming, CNBC PRO Locations: U.S, Europe

☆ Here’s a rapid-fire update on all 33 stocks in our portfolio, including those Cramer would buy on dips
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. If we get a sell-off in January, Eaton is a logical place to look to buy, Jim said. Procter & Gamble : It's possible that 2024 is a better year for P & G the company than P & G the stock, Jim said. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, Jim, they'll, we've, there's, he'd, Dupont De, Ed Breen, Danaher, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Trian's Nelson Peltz, Estee Lauder, Bausch, we're, Eaton, Mary, Eli Lilly's, he's, Vimal Kapur, Kapur, We've, Eli Lilly, Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Elliott, Stanley Black, Decker, TJ Maxx, Charlie Scharf, it's, Jim Cramer, Virginia Sherwood Organizations: Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, CNBC, Club, Broadcom, VMWare, Bausch, Bausch Health, Charitable Trust, Caterpillar, Federal, Costco Wholesale, Coterra Energy, Dupont De Nemours, Fed, Walt, Eaton Corporation, Ford, GE Healthcare, Google, Honeywell, New, Facebook, Meta, Reality Labs, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Nvidia, AMD, Apple, Palo Alto Networks, Procter & Gamble, Constellation Brands, Elliott Management, Constellation, Modelo, Corona, Street, TJX, TJ, Wynn Resorts, Jim Cramer's Charitable, NYSE Locations: hospitalizations, China, U.S, Palestine, Wells Fargo

☆ Activision Blizzard agrees to settle California case alleging discrimination against women
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-16 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft -owned Activision Blizzard has agreed to settle a case from a California state agency that alleged the video game publisher discriminated against women, including denying them promotion opportunities and paying them less. The news comes almost two years after Activision Blizzard settled a case from the U.S. Shares fell, and Microsoft subsequently began talks to acquire Activision Blizzard, the maker of Call of Duty. The agency will file a new complaint that excludes prior harassment allegations, according to the proposed settlement agreement, which CNBC viewed. WATCH: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick: We always believed the deal would get through

Persons: Bobby Kotick Organizations: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Civil Rights Department, U.S, Opportunity Commission, of Fair, Housing, Wall Street Journal, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, CNBC Locations: California, U.S, Europe, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Read previewThe firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has undone months of effort by Microsoft to avoid antitrust regulators probing its massive investment in the startup. It's tough to keep a huge business partnership like this out of what can be intense scrutiny from antitrust regulators. Nadella agreed to give Altman and Brockman their own research arm at Microsoft, if he couldn't negotiate their return to OpenAI. Another interpretation is that Microsoft is keen to show antitrust regulators that OpenAI is an independent company, and not controlled by the software giant. AdvertisementDo you work for OpenAI or Microsoft, or are you someone with a tip or insight to share?

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Lina Khan, OpenAI, Altman, Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott didn't, Kevin, Satya, Microsoft's, Brad Smith, Frank Shaw, Sam, Nadella, Altman's, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Amy Hood, ChatGPT, doesn't, Kali Hays, Ashley Stewart, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business, FTC, OpenAI, Activision, Blizzard, Markets, Bloomberg, Chief Locations: OpenAI, khays@insider.com, astewart@insider.com

☆ Microsoft's $3.2 bln UK investment to drive AI growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Microsoft President Brad Smith attend the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, Britain, November 2, 2023. Britain, where the economy is forecast to be sluggish in the coming years, is pushing for private investment to help fund new infrastructure, particularly in growth industries like AI. "Today's announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK," Sunak said in a statement on Thursday. Since then, the UK regulator waved through a restructured version of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard , putting Britain back in Microsoft's favour. The investment includes a training plan to help ensure Britons have the skills they need to build and work with AI, it added.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Brad Smith, Toby Melville, Sunak, Microsoft's, Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Young, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Britain's, Microsoft, REUTERS, U.S ., Activision Blizzard, Thomson Locations: Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, Britain, Microsoft's, London

☆ The Chicken Tycoons vs. the Antitrust Hawks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( H. Claire Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Khan came to prominence in 2017 after she published a Yale Law Review article called “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” Her article pointed out that while Amazon’s business was extraordinarily customer-friendly, the company’s dominance enabled it to control increasingly large swaths of the ecosystem in which it operated. Shouldn’t the government be able to limit the impacts of Amazon’s market power on vendors and workers even if its consumers aren’t unhappy? Like the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission also has the power to police antitrust violations. Among these marquee names and splashy allegations, chicken companies stand out for the sheer volume and variety of antitrust lawsuits filed against them. Plaintiffs included pretty much everyone the poultry processors did business with — their customers, their farmers, their workers and their shareholders.

Persons: Wu, Khan, ” Wu, Biden, Simon, Simon & Schuster Organizations: Yale, Justice Department’s, Google, Justice Department, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Antitrust Division, Penguin Random, Simon &, Federal Trade Commission, Meta, Microsoft, Activision, Pilgrim’s Locations: Maine

Search resuls for: "activision"

25 mentions found