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TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group (9984.T) CEO Masayoshi Son said on Wednesday that his tech investing conglomerate plans to shift its stance to "offence mode" amid excitement over advances in artificial intelligence. "The time has come to shift to offence mode," Son told shareholders at the group's annual general meeting. SoftBank reported a net loss of 970 billion yen ($6.85 billion) for the year ended March 31, cushioning losses at the Vision Fund unit by selling down its stake in Alibaba (9988.HK). SoftBank's liquid assets, which include cash, cash equivalents and an undrawn commitment line, rose to 5.1 trillion yen at March-end compared to 2.9 trillion yen a year earlier. SoftBank aims to list Arm on Nasdaq later this year and is seeking to raise between $8 billion and $10 billion, Reuters has reported.

Persons: Masayoshi Son, Son, SoftBank, Yoshimitsu Goto, ChatGPT, Astro, Tezuka Osamu, Sam Nussey, Anton, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Sonali Paul Organizations: SoftBank, Vision Fund, Vision, HK, Astro Boy, Nasdaq, Reuters, Intel, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Alibaba

☆ Meet GoDigital, the happiness-obsessed company that wants to buy Vice Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Vice Media Group logo Pavlo Gonchar | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesWhen Suroosh Alvi, Gavin McInnes and Shane Smith founded Vice magazine, which later expanded to Vice Media, they built a business based on a punk rock, counterculture image. GoDigital Media Group is a privately held conglomerate that owns video and music rights, especially in the Latin genre, and an array of different businesses. GoDigital plans to bid for Vice on Tuesday at a price between $300 million and $400 million, according to people familiar with the company's thinking. He will preach that message to Vice's employees on Day One if GoDigital acquires the company, he said. Smith, Vice's executive chairman and former CEO, couldn't be reached for comment.

Persons: Pavlo Gonchar, Suroosh Alvi, Gavin McInnes, Shane Smith, Smith, Jason Peterson, Logan Mulvey, GoDigital, Jason DeRulo, Peterson, Berkshire Hathaway, what's, Mulvey, John Leguizamo, Craig Greiwe, Sean, Diddy, Combs, couldn't, haven't, ' Peterson, Alex Wallace, Wallace, Gay Hendricks, We're, Adam Neumann's, I'm Organizations: Media, Lightrocket, Vice Media, GoDigital Media, Berkshire, Eastern Mountain Sports, NGL, Fortress Investment, Soros Fund Management, Monroe Capital, Fortress, Yahoo, CNBC Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Los Angeles

More stocks left behind in the recent rally are starting to catch up to their peers. The S & P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite have reached their highest levels since April 2022, but that rally has mainly benefited tech stocks. Now, however, more stocks are starting to participate in the rally, including names that took a huge beating last year after the rise in interest rates dented their prospects. The online used car retailer skyrocketed 81% in June through Wednesday, and is higher by almost 400% this year. However, that's changing, with Peloton jumping 11% this year, though the stock remains 45% off its 52-week highs.

Persons: Tesla, Carvana, Russell, Wayfair, Ygal Arounian, Arounian, gymgoers, WeWork Organizations: Nasdaq, Microsoft, Apple, CNBC, Citi, Match, Nordstrom

☆ Fmr. SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure on next chapter: We love the potential of Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | 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 EmailFmr. SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure on next chapter: We love the potential of Latin AmericaMarcelo Claure, Claure Group founder & CEO and Bicycle Capital executive chairman, and Shu Nyatta, Bicycle Capital managing partner, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss Claure's next chapter, investing in Latin America, his thoughts on SoftBank and WeWork, and more.

Persons: Marcelo Claure, America Marcelo Claure, Shu Nyatta, Claure's Organizations: America, Claure, Bicycle Capital Locations: America

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Bicycle Capital's Marcelo Claure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | 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 Bicycle Capital's Marcelo ClaureMarcelo Claure, Claure Group founder & CEO and Bicycle Capital executive chairman, and Shu Nyatta, Bicycle Capital managing partner, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss Claure's next chapter, investing in Latin America, his thoughts on SoftBank and WeWork, the opportunity for A.I., and more.

Persons: Marcelo Claure Marcelo Claure, Shu Nyatta, Claure's Organizations: Claure, Bicycle Capital Locations: America

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Startups face mass extinction
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Startups are facing a "Mass Extinction Event" — and most people can't even see it. That's according to Tom Loverro, a general partner at IVP, who said: "The Mass Extinction Event for startups is underway." In our full analysis, we dive even deeper into this "Mass Extinction Event," including signs that can be gleaned from the fates of WeWork, Zume, and Plastiq. Investors shut out of traditional funding rounds are finding another way to snap up shares in buzzy AI startups. In an email to Twitter employees, Linda Yaccarino said it's her mission to turn Twitter into "the world's most accurate real-time information source."

Persons: Hallam Bullock, Alistair Barr, Melia Russell, Tom Loverro, Loverro, spigot, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk Pascal Le Segretain, Michael M, Elon, Bezos, Andreessen Horowitz, Read, they're, Steve Jobs, Linda Yaccarino, it's, Matt Mikka's, YouTuber, we've, Shona Ghosh Organizations: London . Venture, Getty, Venture, Tech, Twitter, Tesla Locations: London, San Francisco

☆ WeWork Faces More Turmoil After Its Chief Executive Departs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Maureen Farrell | Peter Eavis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A real estate executive, he became the chief executive of the troubled office space company in 2020 after a failed initial public offering pushed it to the brink of collapse. He instilled discipline and order on a business that had grown fast and chaotically under its co-founder Adam Neumann. Instead of building a company that would “elevate the world’s consciousness” as Mr. Neumann had wanted, Mr. Mathrani focused on the staid details of running a real estate company. He steered WeWork through the pandemic, got its landlords to accept less rent, took the company public and oversaw a financial restructuring, completed last month, that cut the company’s debt. But just weeks after the restructuring, the company said on May 16 that Mr. Mathrani would step down, and that no permanent successor was lined up.

Persons: Sandeep Mathrani, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Mathrani, — Organizations: Wall Street Locations: WeWork

☆ Adam Neumann, the ousted CEO of WeWork, toyed with a rescue package for the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Al Yoon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Adam Neumann made motions in October to invest in WeWork, The New York Times reported. Options for the company have been whittled down, and now include bankruptcy, The New York Times reported on Monday. One opportunity batted away by Mathrani came from Adam Neumann, who was pushed out as WeWork's CEO in 2019, the Times reported. The meeting, which was potentially to discuss an investment with other investors of as much as $1 billion and a debt buyback, didn't happen, the Times reported. More recently, IWG, a company that also offers work spaces for remote and hybrid workers, made an offer to operate WeWork's spaces, according to the Times.

Persons: Adam Neumann, Sandeep Mathrani, IWG, —, Mathrani, Neumann, JLL, WeWork, Trepp Organizations: The New York Times, Service, Times, WeWork Locations: WeWork, The

☆ Crumbs Cupcake Shop Owners Say They Don't Regret Selling the Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The couple behind Crumbs Bake Shop said they don't regret selling it even though it eventually failed. The couple bought the Crumbs brand back again seven years after it went bankrupt. Gus Lubin / Business Insider"We watched from the sidelines as the business suffered," Jason told Insider. After Crumb's collapse, Jason started a real estate brokerage that he operated for three years. Jason said he enjoyed his WeWork stint, but their cupcake business was always at the back of the couple's minds.

Persons: —, Jason, Mia Bauer, Gus Lubin, Mia, WeWork Organizations: Service, New, Girls Scouts, Fischer Enterprises Locations: New York, WeWork

☆ I was excited about getting a remote job right out of college, but now it feels like it's hurting my career
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He was excited about the freedom, but says the lack of in-person connection is hurting his career. I was excited for the freedom of a remote roleI started my first full-time job in June 2021, a month after I graduated from UCLA. The job was remote, so I moved back home for a year to work from there. I'd gotten used to remote learning after being virtual for school, so I felt prepared for that aspect of my job. I just got out of college, so giving more work to someone else who's much older than me feels weird.

☆ US stocks close lower after Republicans and the White House hit an impasse in debt-ceiling talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US stocks fell Friday after talks in Washington over raising the debt ceiling were paused. "We've got to get movement by the White House and we don't have any movement yet," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said. Stocks earlier this week hit a nine-month high on hopes a debt-limit deal was in reach soon. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said talks with the Biden administration had reached a standstill. "We've got to get movement by the White House and we don't have any movement yet," McCarthy said at the Capitol, according to the Associated Press.

☆ US stocks climb as Wall Street hopes debt ceiling deal is in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US stocks advanced Friday as investors see the potential for a deal that raises the $31 trillion debt ceiling. Stocks were on course for a weekly win with the S&P 500 hitting a nine-month high. Gains on Friday would add to this week's advance that lifted the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite to nine-month highs. Elsewhere in Washington, negotiators representing President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were set to continue talks this weekend over lifting the $31 trillion debt ceiling that's needed to avoid a debt default. Bank of America warned on mega-cap tech stocks, saying a "big asset bubble" in growth shares is building.

☆ How screwed is WeWork? One of its bonds trades at 56 cents on the dollar, and Fitch Ratings thinks default is a real possibility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Alistair Barr | Joe Ciolli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of its bonds trades at 56 cents on the dollar, and Fitch thinks default is a real possibility. One of WeWork's bonds, which matures in 2025, recently traded at 56 cents on the dollar, according to Bloomberg data. A healthy company's debt often trades at 100 cents on the dollar, or at a very slight discount. Fitch upgraded WeWork's issuer default rating to 'CCC-', in a nod to the debt restructuring. Discussions of debt restructuring represent a striking new low for a company that used to be one of the most valuable startups ever.

☆ WeWork short-sellers have made $440 million in profits as shares have plunged 96% in a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

WeWork short-sellers have made a hefty $440 million in profits over the past year. The big gains come on the back of a 96% plunge in the real-estate company's stock in the past 12 months. The abrupt departure of CEO Sandeep Mathrani has also weighed heavily on WeWork's share price. Short-sellers raked in paper profits of about $440 million for the year through Wednesday's close, S3 Partners data shows, cited by Bloomberg. The hefty gains for traders come on the back of a 96% plunge in WeWork's share prices over the past 12 months.

☆ Rajeev Misra Has Two Jobs. He Backs WeWork at Both.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Eliot Brown | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Wynn, Walmart, Alphabet, Western Alliance & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said after the automaker's shareholder meeting that it sees trouble ahead. Bank of America upgrades AppLovin to buy from neutral Bank of America said it sees accelerating revenue growth for the mobile tech company. Stephens reiterates Walmart as overweight Stephens said it's standing by its overweight rating heading into Walmart earnings Thursday. Bank of America reiterates ServiceNow as buy Bank of America said the software company is well positioned for AI. " Stephens reiterates Western Alliance as overweight Stephens said it's standing by its overweight rating on the regional bank.

☆ WeWork CEO Mathrani to step down after joining Sycamore Partners as director
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 16 (Reuters) - WeWork Inc (WE.N) on Tuesday said that Sandeep Mathrani would step down as the workspace provider's chief executive officer, effective May 26, while Sycamore Partners named him as a director to lead its real estate activity. Mathrani was named WeWork CEO in 2020 and tasked with the company's turnaround following a botched IPO attempt and amid rising investor concerns over corporate governance standards. The company, which said Mathrani's resignation was not a result of any disagreement, named board member David Tolley as interim CEO. WeWork said lead independent director Daniel Hurwitz would serve as chairman of the board and head a special committee that will search for a permanent CEO. WeWork shares have fallen about 76% so far this year, resulting in a market capitalization of $745.42 million, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ News startup Messenger launches with Trump 'exclusive' while advertisers expressed skepticism ahead of debut: 'We can't have another Quibi'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jimmy Finkelstein's startup The Messenger launched today with a Trump interview leading the site. Advertisers said it'll be tough to sell ads on a site without an established audience. The site led with an interview with former President Donald Trump and ads from the American Petroleum Institute. The Messenger said it'll roll out seven other verticals including business, entertainment, and sports later in the year. Image from The Messenger's launch ad campaign.

☆ SoftBank shares drop after its Vision Fund tech investment unit posts a $32 billion record loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this article 9984.T-JP Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTSoftBank's Vision Fund posted a record loss in the year ended Mar. The flagship tech investment unit has been hit by the falling prices of tech stocks. Akio Kon | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesShares of Japanese tech investor SoftBank fell on Friday after the company reported a record loss at its Vision Fund tech investment unit. The company said on Thursday that its Vision Fund segment lost a record 4.3 trillion Japanese yen ($32 billion) for its fiscal year ending Mar. The $100 billion Vision Fund was launched in 2017 under the stewardship of SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and shook up the tech investing world.

☆ The Messenger, Jimmy Finkelstein's digital news startup, meets advertiser skepticism ahead of May 15 launch: 'We can't have another Quibi'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jimmy Finkelstein's startup The Messenger will roll out an ad campaign touting its mission to provide unbiased news. An ad campaign by Publicis unit Le Truc will kick off May 22 and is designed to provoke, with copy like "Agendas are for meetings. Image from The Messenger's launch ad campaign. The Messenger said it'll have three to four big advertisers at launch as well as a significant amount of programmatic advertising. The Messenger's ad campaign promotes its ambitions to provide unbiased news.

[1/2] The logo of SoftBank Group Corp is displayed at SoftBank World 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2017. The fourth-quarter earnings come after the Vision Fund unit posted four consecutive quarters of investment loss, with investors debating whether the value of privately held stakes have further to fall. Portfolio firms of the Vision Fund unit whose shares climbed during January-March include e-commerce firm Coupang Inc (CPNG.N) and robotics firm AutoStore Holdings Ltd (AUTO.OL). What matters is Arm for SoftBank to demonstrate it can get results as an investment company," said SMBC Nikko Securities analyst Satoru Kikuchi. Still, SoftBank executives are unlikely to offer meaningful new information about the Arm listing on Thursday, Kikuchi said.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Androids v. iPhones in ‘Succession,’ AI tools besides ChatGPT, and a check signed by Steve Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's reportedly frustrating customers who are prompted to add a tip when they haven't interacted with the people they're tipping. Before I begin discussing eradicating tipping culture (and replacing it with a living wage for workers), let's dive into today's tech. But the hype cycle around generative AI — that started with ChatGPT — threw them a lifeline. AI tools — besides ChatGPT — to boost your productivity. A $175 check signed by Steve Jobs is up for sale.

☆ Stock Market News: Dow Futures Tick Lower
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Stock futures traded lower Tuesday as investors waited for another batch of earnings reports. Oil prices dropped after Chinese trade data disappointed, indicating the world's second largest economy is revving back up slower than expected. U.S. stock futures edge lower. Oil prices looked set for further volatility, with Brent crude falling 1% to $76.25 a barrel after jumping 2.3% in the previous session. The Hang Seng index fell 2.1% while the Shanghai Composite index fell 1.1% after data showed China’s imports slumped 7.9% in April.

☆ Go check out this map that shows just how many vacant office buildings are in downtown San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over 18 million square feet of San Francisco's office space is vacant, the SF Chronicle reported. Thirty-one percent of San Francisco's downtown offices is reportedly open for lease or sublease. The Chronicle's interactive map of the vacancies in downtown San Francisco's office buildings is worth checking out. The rising amount of vacant office real estate partly reflects remote work's impact on office attendance. A telling sign for San Francisco's office building market could come from a 22-story office tower on 350 California Street that is reportedly expected to go for $60 million, after it was valued at $300 million in 2019.

☆ As earnings season winds down, investors turn to Tuesday's debt ceiling meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

With only a small fraction of the S & P 500 left to report quarterly earnings, investors are now turning their focus to another major hurdle for the markets and economy: the debt ceiling crisis. Earlier this week, we looked back to debt limit crisis of 2011 for potential lessons. The protracted fight ultimately ended in an agreement in early August of that year, but it was a choppy summertime ride for investors. Within the portfolio, Wynn Resorts will report Tuesday, after the closing bell, and Disney will report on Wednesday, after the closing bell. Estee Lauder (EL) and Emerson Electric (EMR) reported earnings before the opening bell.

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