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☆ Warner Bros. Discovery's new streamer, Max, is live — these top 9 execs are helping content chief Casey Bloys take on Netflix and win over subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Discovery driving content at HBO and new streamer Max. WBD has one of TV's most respected executives working to ensure Max's success: Casey Bloys, who's been with HBO since 2004, is chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content. In week one 70% of HBO Max subscribers switched over to the new app, and some Discovery+ subscribers have moved over as well, WBD told The Wall Street Journal. It'll take time for Max to build up the brand equity HBO Max has. As for existing subscribers, most HBO Max users may seamlessly transition to Max and see no change in price.

Persons: Casey Bloys, Max, Barry, WBD, who's, HBO Max —, there's Kathleen Finch, JB Perrette, Harry Potter, HBO Max, Bloys Organizations: Warner Bros, HBO, Max, DC, Netflix, Disney, Hollywood, HBO Max, Wall Street

MUMBAI/SINGAPORE, June 1 (Reuters) - KKR & Co (KKR.N) is moving a managing director from India to Singapore to lead the firm's Southeast Asia private equity business, two familiar with the matter sources told Reuters, bolstering its personnel in the region. Kumar will work with Ashish Shastry, a partner who heads Southeast Asia and co-heads the firm's Asia Pacific Private Equity business. The move also comes as KKR strengthens its presence in India and Southeast Asia. It raised $15 billion for its fourth Asia-Pacific focused private equity fund in 2021, one of the region's largest for the asset class. KKR has been investing in Southeast Asia since 2005, and opened its Singapore office in 2012.

Persons: Prashant Kumar, Kumar, Ashish Shastry, Vini, Gaurav Trehan, Trehan's, Akshay Tanna, Sriram, Kane Wu, Mark Potter Organizations: KKR, Co, Asia Pacific Private Equity, The Wharton School, Indian Institute of Technology, JB Chemicals, TPG Inc, TPG, Associations, Reuters, Healthcare, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, SINGAPORE, India, Singapore, Asia, Mumbai, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Philippines

But the dollar and European stocks slipped, dented by uncertainty about whether Congress will approve the deal after a handful of hard-right Republican lawmakers said on Monday they would oppose the bill, though it is expected to pass. The pan European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) fell 0.2% after recording on Friday its biggest weekly decline in two months. U.S. 10-year bond yields dropped 9.7 basis points to 3.72%, while 30-year yields fell 8 bps to 3.89%. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six peers, fell 0.26% at 104.03 after rising to a two-month high in earlier trading. Elsewhere, euro zone bond yields fell after Spanish inflation data came in lower than expected, raising hopes that the European Central Bank may raise interest rates less than previously feared.

☆ Asian stocks dip as investors question consequences of US debt deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The package still has to be approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Democratic-controlled Senate before the debt limit is reached, likely by next Monday. The bond market is implying there is an extreme 70% probability on a U.S. recession in the next year. Australian shares (.AXJO) were down 0.11% while the Nikkei stock index (.N225) rose 0.36%, after the Japanese benchmark hit a 33-year high on optimism over the U.S debt deal and a weaker yen, which helps the country's exporters. Benchmark 10-year yields dropped 6 basis points during Asian trade to 3.7616% while thirty-year yields fell 6.3 bps to 3.9134%. With the debt deal heading to Congress for approval, JB Were analysts said there could be up to $600 billion worth of bill issuance in the next six to eight weeks.

In Asian trade, longer-dated U.S. Treasuries rallied on Tuesday as bond traders welcomed the deal to suspend Washington's borrowing limit. "There's still a huge disconnect between bond markets and equities. The deal suspends the debt ceiling until January 2025 in exchange for caps on spending and cuts in government programmes. While U.S cash markets were closed on Monday, S&P 500 e-minis were up 0.32%, reflecting the positive reaction to the debt deal. With the debt deal heading to Congress for approval, JB Were analysts said there could be up to $600 billion worth of bill issuance in the next six to eight weeks.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery's new streamer Max is here. Meet the 9 top execs driving content chief Casey Bloys' strategy to compete with Netflix and Disney.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Discovery driving content at HBO and new streamer Max. WBD has one of TV's most respected executives working to ensure Max's success: Casey Bloys, who's been with HBO since 2004, is chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content. It'll take time for Max to build up the brand equity HBO Max has. As for existing subscribers, most HBO Max users may seamlessly transition to Max and see no change in price. But Discovery+ users will have to fork over twice the $5 per month that they were previously paying to get the cheapest version of Max, which is $9.99 per month.

Persons: Casey Bloys, Max, Barry, WBD, who's, HBO Max —, there's Kathleen Finch, JB Perrette, Harry Potter, Bloys, HBO Max Organizations: Warner Bros, HBO, Max, DC, Netflix, Disney, Hollywood

☆ A downbeat economy has left truck drivers facing a slowdown that could get worse than 2008
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The slowing US economy is hitting truck drivers, and the sector could be heading for worse conditions than 2008. Freight demand has deteriorated over the last year, and per-mile rates for drivers have plunged since the pandemic boom in 2021. For example, drivers are commanding per-mile rates as low as $1.49 per mile, per FreightWaves. Those rates hovered at $3.01 two years ago, and are worse than the levels seen in a brutal 2019 slowdown. Meanwhile, the American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index dropped 5.4% in March, marking the largest monthly drop since April 2020.

☆ Uber is trying to sway Chicago's mayor and Illinois Democrats against a bill seeking to make rides safer for customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An Illinois bill could hold companies like Uber and Lyft liable for harm done to passengers. Uber launched a "pressure campaign" to avoid liability for these incidents, the law group behind the bill said. JB Pritzker, it would eliminate an exemption in Illinois law that has protected ride-hailing companies since 2015. Salvi said Illinois exempted ride-hailing companies from the state's common-carrier civil-liability doctrine in 2015 to "allow them to come to market" and "give them an ability to compete." Moreover, the exemption has protected ride-hailing companies in even more extreme cases.

May 16 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk warned on Tuesday that the electric-vehicle maker was not immune to the global economy, which he said will be difficult for the next 12 months. "We'll try out a little advertising and see how it goes," said Musk, who is also CEO of Twitter. Last week he announced that NBCUniversal's former advertising head, Linda Yaccarino, will succeed him as Twitter CEO and that he will focus on products and technology at the company. Tesla logo and Elon Musk silhouette are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationOne shareholder asked about rumors that he would step down as Tesla CEO, adding "Say it ain't so."

☆ Tesla’s governance autopilot heads for disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It’s a vulnerable time for such pronouncements when the market Tesla (TSLA.O) effectively created threatens to overtake it. The stock price has tumbled some 60% since November 2021 compared to a 12% decline in the S&P 500 index (.SPX). A more deferential approach to Musk might have made sense during Tesla’s meteoric rise, when its mere existence bucked convention. The Department of Justice has initiated a probe into Tesla’s self-proclaimed “self-driving” capabilities, which have been involved in fatal crashes. Heeding advice from ISS and Glass Lewis would at least be a place to start, because leaving governance on autopilot also can have dangerous consequences.

May 16 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk on Tuesday warned that the electric-vehicle maker was not immune to the global economy, which he said will be difficult for the next 12 months. At the meeting, shareholders voted to appoint the company's co-founder and former chief technology officer, JB Straubel, to the board. They also rejected a proposal to publish a report that sought to establish succession plans for Chief Executive Elon Musk. Tesla shareholders on Tuesday swiftly voted with the board's recommendations on nearly all proposals. In November, Tesla director James Murdoch testified in court that Musk had identified someone as a potential successor.

May 16 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) shareholders on Tuesday voted to appoint the company's co-founder and former chief technology officer, JB Straubel, to the board, and rejected a proposal to publish a report that sought to establish succession plans for Chief Executive Elon Musk. Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis had recommended that shareholders vote against Straubel's appointment, citing worries about his independence. Tesla shareholders on Tuesday swiftly voted with the board's recommendations on nearly all proposals. Shareholders also voted to re-elect Musk and Chair Robyn Denholm as board members. Tesla board members have discussed CFO Zach Kirkhorn as a possible successor as CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The billionaire entrepreneur, also the top boss of Twitter, last week announced that NBCUniversal's former advertising head Linda Yaccarino will succeed him as Twitter CEO and that he will focus on products and technology at the social media firm. Here are some topics that may be discussed at the shareholder meeting. Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis recommended Tesla shareholders vote against Straubel's appointment, citing worries about his independence. DEMANDInvestors hope Musk will talk about demand against the backdrop of a slowing economy and growing competition. He had flagged strong demand for the Cybertruck, but it takes time to get the manufacturing line going for the "very radical product".

☆ Here are 3 key things to watch for at Tesla's investor meeting, according to Deepwater's Gene Munster
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesla investors should watch out for three key things at the upcoming shareholder meeting, Gene Munster said. He estimated a 70% chance that Musk could step down as CEO in the next year, which could spark a sell-off in Tesla stock. Munster, a long-time bull and follower of Tesla stock, outlined two potential positives for Tesla stock, though he noted a major leadership change that could result in a sell-off for investors. Musk stepping down as Tesla's leader could spark a sell-off in Tesla stock, Munster warned in a previous interview with CNBC, as Musk is inherently tied to the company's brand. That involved him selling off his own Tesla shares to fund his $400 billion purchase of the social media site, a move that angered Tesla investors.

☆ We identified the 112 top executives at Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Zaslav as the year-old company takes aim at Netflix and Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Taylor Tyson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. One year after Discovery acquired WarnerMedia, WBD CEO David Zaslav faces economic headwinds and an ad slump. Insider mapped out the 112 most powerful people under Zaslav leading WBD film and TV studios, HBO, CNN, and more. One year after the merger that created Warner Bros. While Kathleen Finch has joined the mix with her portfolio of Discovery channels, top TV execs from the WarnerMedia regime — HBO's Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. TV studios chief Channing Dungey — are still in place.

☆ Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he must approve all new hires in internal email
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk meets with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 15, 2023. Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent an email to "everybody" at his electric vehicle maker on Monday, expressing concern over the company's current hiring practices. "I would like to gain a better understanding of our hiring," Musk wrote in the email. "Think carefully before sending me a request," Musk wrote in Monday's email. Here's Monday's email from Musk:To: Everybody From: Elon Musk Subj.

☆ Recycling 'end-of-life' solar panels, wind turbines, is about to be climate tech's big waste business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

watch nowIndeed, the market for recycled solar panel materials is expected to grow exponentially over the next several years. One recipient of this federal funding is First Solar, the largest solar panel manufacturer in the U.S. Massive wind turbines, blades are almost all recyclableRetired wind turbines present another recycling challenge, as well as business opportunities. How the circular renewable energy economy worksPlayers in the circular economy are determined not to let all that waste go to waste. Vestas Wind Systems has committed to producing zero-waste wind turbines by 2040, though it has not yet introduced such a version.

☆ Lawyer for Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend, Erica Herman, alleges in court she has more details about sexual harassment claims against the golfer but says NDA is keeping her silent
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Under the federal law, judges can rule NDAs unenforceable in instances of sexual harassment or assault. Herman has alleged sexual harassment occurred during her relationship with Woods, both in how it started and how it ended. They've asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed and called the sexual harassment claims "utterly meritless." "A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment," Herman's attorneys argue in the court filing. She was then locked out of the house, away from her personal property and pets, court documents allege.

☆ It will be 'really tough' for trucking companies to stay in business if things don't pick up by Memorial Day, says an American trucking association
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt recently sounded the alarm about a freight recession. OOIDA, an American trucking association, is echoing the sentiment. Even industry gauges are signaling a slowdown: The American Trucking Association's for-hire contract truck tonnage index dropped by about 6% month-on-month to 95.8 in March, hitting the lowest level since August 2021. Higher inventory levels and overstocked warehouses are one of the key reasons truckers are facing a freight recession. Chappell, however, has a pragmatic outlook on the lingering effects of a freight recession on trucking companies: "Capacity will certainly leave the market, but trucking is cyclical."

☆ ISS recommends Tesla investors vote against re-election of board chair
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Tesla Inc FollowSAN FRANCISCO, May 3 (Reuters) - Proxy advisory firm ISS on Wednesday recommended Tesla investors vote against the re-election of board chair Robyn Denholm, citing concerns about a lack of scrutiny of the pledging of some company stocks by CEO Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk. Tesla shares are down about 60% from their record high reached in November 2021. The shares pledged by Elon Musk accounted for 58% of his Tesla ownership, ISS said. ISS recommended votes for Musk and co-founder JB Straubel as board members. Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis last month recommended Tesla shareholders vote against Straubel, citing worries about his independence because he served as chief technology officer at Tesla until 2019.

☆ The US economy is slowing down. Just look at the freight recession that's sent diesel prices tumbling.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US is seeing a "freight recession," meaning fewer trucks delivering goods across the country. The slowdown in deliveries comes as diesel prices have dropped by roughly half since last year. The American Trucking Association's truck tonnage index dropped to the lowest since August 2021. Wholesale diesel prices in New York Harbor tumbled to $2.65 a gallon from $5.34 last May, per the Journal. And in an earnings call last week, JB Hunt executives sounded the alarm on a "freight recession" as the shipping company missed earnings views and reported across-the-board drops in volumes that sent revenue per truckload down by 17%.

☆ Retailers bought so much stuff during the pandemic that it's overburdening warehouses — and it may be causing a 'freight recession,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt recently sounded the alarm about a freight recession. Over-buying during the pandemic is depressing the demand for goods, which is impacting freight and transport. Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt sounded the alarm over a "freight recession" at a first-quarter conference call last week. A freight recession basically means there are fewer trucks delivering goods across America. Notably, the freight recession is not a US-only problem.

☆ A US recession looks more and more unavoidable as key parts of the economy slow to a crawl
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For many months now, I've been having conversations and writing about economic indicators that all point to a recession. The US is in the midst of a "freight recession," meaning there's fewer trucks delivering goods around the country. In a call last week, JB Hunt reported a bad earnings miss, and executives said a recovery for trucking looks uncertain. Outside the trucking sector, the classic recession indicators are blaring, too:The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index just dipped for the 12th consecutive month. The New York Fed's Recession Probabilities Model puts the odds of a downturn at 57%, the highest mark since 1982.

☆ How HBO and Netflix have evolved away from each other in the past decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Discovery decided to remove HBO from the name of its flagship Max streaming service to protect the HBO brand from becoming ... Netflix. "HBO is HBO. In a not-so-subtle shot at Netflix, HBO CEO Casey Bloys touted Max by highlighting its brand strength. Under the ownership of AT&T, then-WarnerMedia CEO (and now AT&T CEO) John Stankey appeared comfortable leaning on the HBO brand to challenge Netflix. This was the driving force behind making HBO Max — combining HBO's programming with other original content and library programming from the WarnerMedia catalog.

☆ Defeat for many culture war 'extremists' who tried to take control of school boards and lost to liberal, union-backed candidates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But many right-wing candidates lost their school board elections in Illinois and Wisconsin. A group of conservative candidates in Barrington, a northwest suburb of Chicago, endorsed by 1776 PAC, Moms For America Action, and Awake Illinois, also lost their race for the school board, Politico reports. JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, said, "Fortunately, the voters saw through the hidden extremists who were running for school board." In the Wisconsin school board elections, which took place earlier this month, Politico reports that GOP-backed candidates in the city of Wauwatosa largely lost to candidates backed by teaching unions. Kim Anderson, executive director of the National Education Association labor union, told Politico that, "Where culture war issues were being waged by some school board candidates, those issues fell flat with voters."

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