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Politicians and auto executives on both sides of the Atlantic are calling for more protectionist measures. After Tesla lost its crown to BYD as the world’s biggest E.V. Otherwise, the Tesla C.E.O. said, Chinese E.V. The continent’s auto sector employs 13 million people and generates 8 percent of the bloc’s G.D.P.

Persons: China Tesla, —, Warren Buffett, Tesla, Elon Musk, ” Luca de Meo, Vivienne Walt, DealBook, ”, June’s E.U Organizations: Renault Group’s, Airbus Locations: China, Europe, June’s

Kushner and Kloss take over Life magazineLife, the iconic photography-focused chronicler of the 20th century, has taken on many forms, including a weekly magazine, a website and the occasional special issue. Kushner and Kloss are buying the publication rights to Life from Dotdash Meredith, the print and digital publisher. The deal is being done through Bedford Media, the media start-up that Kloss leads as C.E.O. Life was once a central part of American culture, featuring the work of renowned photographers like Robert Capa and writing by top authors. (Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” first appeared in its pages.

Persons: Kushner, Kloss, Barry, Josh Kushner, Dotdash Meredith, Robert Capa, Ernest Hemingway’s “ Organizations: IAC, Bedford Media Locations: OpenAI

A settlement that could scramble the credit card businessA long-running fight between the credit card giants Visa and Mastercard and retailers in the United States is nearing an end, with the promise of lower fees for merchants. But the proposed class-action settlement could have wider consequences, including for the lucrative business of high-end credit cards — and for retailers. What’s in the settlement: Visa and Mastercard said on Tuesday that they had agreed to reduce swipe fees, costs associated with the use of a credit card, for about five years. Perhaps more important, merchants will be able to raise their prices based on the kind of card. For example, buying groceries with a higher-fee card — typically a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve — could become more expensive than paying with a lower-end one.

Organizations: Visa, Mastercard, Chase Locations: United States

BlackRock’s chief wants to rethink a fiscal time bombAs the chairman and C.E.O. In his latest letter to investors, published on Tuesday, Fink weighs in on a new topic: a looming global retirement crisis, and what can be done to address it. The way retirement is handled around the world needs to change, Fink writes. In the U.S. in particular, people are living longer, a trend that’s likely to grow given the advent of weight loss drugs like Wegovy, Fink writes. But he adds that four in 10 Americans don’t have $400 in emergency savings, let alone proper retirement funds.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink Organizations: BlackRock

Raised stakes in a firearms takeover contestA battle over Vista Outdoor, the company behind top ammunition brands like Remington and Camelbak water bottles, is escalating — and national security is becoming a bigger factor in the fight. MNC is offering $37.50 a share for all of Vista, up from a bid of $35 last month and 16 percent higher than where Vista’s stock closed on Friday. In a letter to Vista’s board reviewed by DealBook, the investment firm reiterated that it had lined up financing for its offer, despite questions by Vista about how solid those commitments were. Vista rejected MNC’s previous offer, saying a planned breakup of itself would be more valuable for shareholders. (Vista has agreed to sell its ammunition business to CSG for $1.9 billion, leaving its nonfirearm division, Revelyst, as a stand-alone public company.)

Persons: DealBook, Vista Organizations: Vista, Remington, MNC Capital, Czechoslovak, MNC, CSG Locations: U.S, Vista

Are investors buying Nvidia’s latest A.I. Nvidia’s stock has soared more than fivefold since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, a rally that has vaulted the chipmaker into the trillion-dollar market cap club on the back of investor fervor for artificial intelligence — and the high-end processors that power these models. But shares in Nvidia are down in premarket trading on Tuesday after investors gave the first day of the company’s annual developer conference (known as “A.I. Woodstock”) a tough grade. That’s even after the semiconductor company introduced its latest chip, which is capable of running increasingly complex computing models.

Persons: ChatGPT, A.I Organizations: Nvidia Locations: Woodstock

A different kind of battle for Third PointA small computer chip design company, R2 Semiconductor, has been notching wins in a potentially big patent fight against Intel over the past few months — a dispute that could force Intel to stop selling several chip lines in Europe. The context: R2 sued Intel, as well as two customers, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Dell, in Germany, alleging that the chipmaker had infringed on a patent dealing with voltage regulation in semiconductors. A regional court in February issued injunctions against the sale of at least some Intel chips. And on March 8, a higher court rejected Intel’s effort to halt the decision. Meanwhile, a trial in Britain over the patent is set to begin next month.

Persons: DealBook, Dan, haven’t Organizations: R2 Semiconductor, Intel, Amazon Web Services, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell Locations: Europe, Germany, Britain

☆ Steve Mnuchin breaks out the checkbook
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Mnuchin rebornNine months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated and Mnuchin left the Treasury Building, Mnuchin formed a new private equity group, Liberty Strategic Capital. Steven Mnuchin's private equity firm made a $450 million investment in New York Community Bank last week. When Mnuchin left CIT less than two years later, he received a $10.9 million severance package. “It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok,” Mnuchin told visibly stunned anchors on CNBC Thursday morning. Mnuchin may be the founder and managing partner of Liberty Strategic Capital, but Saudi Arabia is reportedly covering a big chunk of his firm’s tab.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, Joe Biden, Jackie ”, Trump, Goldman Sachs, ”, Liberty, Steven Mnuchin's, Spencer Platt, “ It’s, ” Mnuchin, “ You’re, ” Andrew Ross Sorkin, ” interjected, TikTok, “, he’s, Will Lanzoni, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Treasury, Liberty Strategic Capital, Lionsgate, New York Community Bank, Getty, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, CIT Group, CIT, CNBC, CNN, Senate, Liberty Strategic, Crown, New York Times, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Meta, ByteDance . Liberty Strategic Locations: New York, cybersecurity, New, California, China, Montana, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, ByteDance

What’s next for ByteDance’s U.S. investors? DealBook has spoken with people in the know about what these investors, including financial giants like the Susquehanna International Group, can do, with billions of dollars on the line. Mnuchin, a former Treasury secretary, told Andrew on CNBC on Thursday that he was in talks with a “combination of U.S. investors” about a TikTok deal. He added that he had spoken with some of the investors in ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, about possibly rolling over their stake. of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, also reportedly has been looking for potential partners for a bid.

Persons: What’s, ”, DealBook, Steven Mnuchin, Andrew, Bill Ford, Bobby Kotick Organizations: ByteDance’s U.S, U.S, Susquehanna International Group, CNBC, Activision Locations: Beijing, China, ByteDance

Though its fate in the Senate is unclear, anti-China sentiment and pressure on lawmakers from the White House could force the issue. That belies the technical and legal hurdles in selling TikTok, as well as divisions within the U.S. tech community over the proposed legislation. The heads of the chamber’s Intelligence Committee — Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida — support the bill. So do the sometimes progressive John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and the hawkish Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas. It’s long overdue to push back and this bill does exactly that,” Fetterman posted on social media.

Persons: Mark Warner, Marco Rubio, John Fetterman, Ted Cruz, ” Fetterman Organizations: TikTok, Senate, chamber’s Intelligence, Democrat, Republican Locations: Washington, China, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas

TikTok faces a crucial voteThe House is set to vote on Wednesday on a bill that would ostensibly present ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, with an ultimatum: sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, or have the app barred. But there’s a fight brewing over whether it’s actually possible for ByteDance to sell TikTok — or if the bill is effectively a ban disguised as a call for divestment. Does the bill allow for a sale? The proposal forbids any deal that allows TikTok’s U.S. and foreign operations to cooperate on a content recommendation algorithm or share data. While TikTok says it already walls off the data of U.S. users from its parent company, it’s not clear the company could operate without any foreign support.

Persons: it’s, ” TikTok, TikTok Organizations: TikTok’s U.S Locations: U.S, United States

Fintech giant Stripe revealed in its annual letter published on Wednesday that it surpassed $1 trillion in total payment volume in 2023, up 25% from 2022. By comparison, PayPal surpassed $1 trillion in total payment volume in 2021, 23 years after it was founded. Stripe is valued at $65 billion as of the company's latest tender offer completed last month. We wanted to ensure shareholders have access to liquidity that is why we did the tender offer last year, that's why we did the tender offer this year." "Things got a bit mad at the peak of 2021... startups are focusing on more profitable growth," Collison explained to Sorkin on "Squawk Box."

Persons: Patrick, John Collison, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Collison, Sorkin Organizations: PayPal, CNBC, YouTube

☆ CNBC invited Trump on its air. The network didn’t even try to stop his lies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I believe on the ‘Squawk’ news line, we are joined by former President Donald J. Trump, DJT 45. It’s been a while, Mr. President,” Joe Kernen, co-host of “Squawk Box,” greeted Trump on the air. Almost immediately after commencing the interview, Trump launched into one of his trademark, fact-free rants. Instead, the outlet quickly spliced Trump’s comments into a handful of clips and posted them online, amplifying his comments further. “We appreciate all the time you’ve given us this morning, Mr. President,” Kernen said.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Donald J, Trump, It’s, ” Joe Kernen, ”, Kernen, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Trump, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin, Brian Roberts, Rachel Maddow, “ Biden, Fani Willis, Jean Carroll, ominously, ” Kernen Organizations: New York CNN, CNBC, Monday, Republican, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Trump, NBCU News Group, Comcast, NBC, MSNBC Locations: New York, Joe Biden’s State, U.S, Trump, China, Fulton County

Trump’s TikTok U-turnTikTok users have continued to flood the social media platform — and lawmakers’ inboxes — with pleas to halt a bill that would force its Chinese owners to divest or face a ban in the U.S.That effort to keep TikTok online has now attracted some unlikely backers, including Donald Trump. A recap: Last week, a powerful House committee voted 50-0 to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores by Sept. 30 unless its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, sold its stake. President Biden said on Friday that he’d sign the bill if it reaches his desk — even as his campaign has embraced the platform. But Trump has potentially scrambled the political calculus in Washington. Starting last week, the former president has pushed back against a TikTok ban, arguing that such a move would strengthen Meta’s Facebook — the “true Enemy of the People!” (Remember that as president, Trump issued an executive order ordering ByteDance to divest its American assets.)

Persons: ’ inboxes, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump Organizations: Facebook Locations: U.S, Beijing, Washington

Biden goes on the offensivePresident Biden sought to reinvigorate his re-election campaign, delivering an animated and mostly gaffe-free State of the Union address that put the economy and business front and center. In the prime-time slot, he pitched Bidenomics as delivering for Americans, and outlined a policy wish list that may appeal to progressive voters and some in his party but which could also put him at loggerheads with big corporations. Heading into a November rematch with Donald Trump, Biden sought to frame the presidential race in stark terms for the democracy while holding business to account. Among the areas that could rankle business leaders: a call to raise the minimum tax on multinationals to 21 percent. He also singled out “Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay” in his speech as areas ripe for boosting tax revenue.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, ” Organizations: Oil

Inflationary pressure and presidential politicsPresident Biden and Donald Trump dominated Super Tuesday, setting the stage for a rematch of the 2020 election. One topic that’s high on the agenda for voters: Inflation. Inflation is kryptonite for any politician, and especially for Biden. Trump again pounded the president on high prices, an issue that’s lifting the Republican in polls even as a range of indicators show that the economy is performing strongly. (The White House is putting the blame on corporations that “try to rip off Americans.” Watch for that theme at Thursday’s State of the Union address.)

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, Jay Powell, Trump Organizations: Super, Biden, ” Locations: Thursday’s State

☆ Mark Cuban says he's not voting for Donald Trump because he doesn't want 'a snake oil salesperson as President'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The billionaire said Trump "will tell you his snake oil will cure everything that ails you." I'm voting for Biden/Harris over Trump all day every day," Cuban told Axios on Tuesday. Cuban told Axios that when it came to Trump and Biden, it was a match-up between "the snake oil salesperson vs the incumbent, traditional politician." Musk mocked Cuban on Monday and said Cuban would vote for Biden even if the president "were a flesh-eating zombie." He can do what he wants," Cuban said when asked about the reported meeting between Musk and Trump.

Persons: Mark Cuban, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, Cuban, —, Harris, Axios, Joe Biden's, he'd, Cuban's Biden, Elon, Musk, didn't, Biden's, Tesla, I'm, Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: Service, Biden, Trump, Cuban, Bloomberg, Elon Musk, The New York Times DealBook Summit, The Times, Musk, GOP, Republicans Locations: Florida

☆ Elon Musk makes it clear: He's not going to donate to Trump's campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk says he's not going to donate to either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. The New York Times reported that Trump met with Musk while looking for cash for his campaign. AdvertisementThe billionaire Elon Musk wrote on Wednesday morning that he wouldn't be donating "to either candidate" for president, a declaration that came after The New York Times reported that Musk huddled with Donald Trump in Florida. "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," Musk wrote on X.Musk's refusal isn't all that surprising. "I would not vote for Biden," Musk told the journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at a New York Times event.

Persons: Elon Musk, he's, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Musk, —, Trump's, Joe Biden's, hasn't, Biden, Andrew Ross Sorkin, I'm, Nikki Haley's, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Nikki Haley Organizations: The New York Times, Service, US, New York Times, Trump, Twitter, Democratic Locations: Florida

Two names are likely to draw attention: LeBron James, the superstar basketball player, and Drake, the rapper. James and Drake are committing additional capital as “strategic investors,” and are expected to use their marketing power to help the tour broaden its audience. James and the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, were at the home of Tom Werner, F.S.G.’s chairman, recently discussing just that, DealBook hears. Fans may see the stars around the greens, perhaps in the same way Drake is a frequent courtside presence at Toronto Raptors games. I remember some of my best childhood memories was being on the golf course with my uncle,” Drake said in a statement to DealBook.

Persons: LIV Golf, wasn’t, LeBron James, Drake, Steve Cohen, Arthur Blank, Marc Lasry, James, Jay Monahan, Tom Werner, F.S.G, ’, DealBook, ” Drake, “, ” Organizations: Fenway Sports Group, PGA, PGA Tour, Toronto Raptors Locations: Saudi

Musk takes aim at OpenAIThe gloves have really come off in one of the most personal fights in the tech world: Elon Musk has sued OpenAI and its C.E.O., Sam Altman, accusing them of reneging on the start-up’s original purpose of being a nonprofit laboratory for the technology. Yes, Musk has disagreed with Altman for years about the purpose of the organization they co-founded and he is creating a rival artificial intelligence company. But the lawsuit also appears rooted in philosophical differences that go to the heart of who controls a hugely transformative technology — and is backed by one of the wealthiest men on the planet. The backstory: Musk, Altman and others agreed to create OpenAI in 2015 to provide an open-sourced alternative to the likes of Google, which had bought the leading A.I. start-up DeepMind the year before.

Persons: Elon Musk, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Musk, Altman, Ilya Sutskever Organizations: Google

More questions for OpenAISam Altman has been back as OpenAI’s C.E.O. for three months, running one of the world’s most important tech companies at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom. But a report by The Wall Street Journal that the S.E.C. is investigating whether Altman misled investors is a reminder that OpenAI and its hyper-ambitious chief face a level of scrutiny that could dent their global plans. isn’t the only regulator looking at the Altman drama: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have also been asking questions, according to The Journal.

Persons: OpenAI Sam Altman, Altman, Altman’s Organizations: Wall Street Journal Locations: Manhattan

Innovation on wheelsHas Apple really crashed the car? The tech giant has killed its electric vehicle project as it pivots to artificial intelligence, prompting many observers to declare the venture a major failure for the company. Here’s a contrarian thought: That critique misses a wider point about how Apple innovates, because the company has used the project to power a whole ecosystem of products and services that have been unmitigated successes. Reports emerged about the secret effort, code-named Project Titan, in 2014, and the company has never publicly acknowledged its existence. There had been an wider internal debate about getting into the car business.

Organizations: Apple

So the White House probably cheered a move by the F.T.C. and several states on Monday to block Kroger’s $25 billion bid to buy Albertsons, arguing that the biggest supermarket merger in U.S. history would raise prices and hit union workers’ bargaining power. The Biden administration has little influence over inflation, but it’s still getting heat. Consumers are spending the highest proportion of their income on food in 30 years, and an internal White House analysis found that grocery prices had the biggest impact on consumer sentiment. The Fed has jacked up interest rates to a 20-year-high in an effort to cool inflation, but progress on that has slowed in recent months.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden, it’s Organizations: Kroger, Albertsons Locations: U.S

Toeing the line in Miami BeachAmerica’s corporate elite were everywhere in Miami at the Future Investment Initiative conference, Saudi Arabia’s latest bid to showcase its extensive wealth and deepen ties with Western business. DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch was on hand to report on the financiers and Hollywood A-listers who made the trip. The Saudis are using their vast oil wealth to become one the world’s biggest investors and forge closer relationships with Wall Street, Silicon Valley and more. (So too did former Trump officials including Steven Mnuchin, the former Treasury secretary; Mike Pompeo, a previous secretary of state; and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.) Attendees mingled over wine, which is banned in Saudi Arabia, and Carbone’s spicy rigatoni.

Persons: Jamal Khashoggi —, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch, Steve Schwarzman, Blackstone, Barry Sternlicht, Alex Karp, Brian Grazer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Mnuchin, Mike Pompeo, Jared Kushner, Trump’s Organizations: Future Investment Initiative, Saudi, Hollywood, Starwood, Palantir, Trump, Treasury Locations: Miami Beach, Miami, Silicon Valley, Saudi Arabia

ImageReddit’s bet on RedditorsReddit is the latest company set to test the uncertain I.P.O. market, after the unprofitable social media company built around an avid community of newshounds, cryptocurrency devotees and reality TV fans filed to go public. The company is seeking a valuation of at least $5 billion and DealBook sifted through its prospectus to figure out its pitch to investors. demand that’s fueling a global stock market rally. But whether that’s enough to push Reddit to become profitable is a big question hanging over the listing.

Persons: Reddit, Google that’s Organizations: Google Locations: newshounds, A.I

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