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☆ Disney earnings offer hope that streaming can successfully supplant linear TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Alex Sherman | In Alex-Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For Disney's fiscal 2025, streaming will generate enough operating income to offset the parallel decline in operating income from linear TV, Johnston said in an interview. Disney projects entertainment direct-to-consumer operating income will increase by about $875 million next year over fiscal year 2024. That would put the division at over $1 billion in operating income for the coming fiscal year. Disney's combined streaming businesses improved their profitability in the company's fiscal fourth quarter, posting operating income of $321 million. For the year, Disney's entertainment streaming platforms (Disney+ and Hulu) made $143 million in operating income.

Persons: Gabby Jones, Warren Buffett, CNBC's Becky Quick, it's, Buffett, Hugh Johnston, Johnston Organizations: Disney, Bloomberg, Getty, Paramount Global, Warner Bros, Hulu, ESPN Locations: Brooklyn, New York, Omaha

☆ The real reason Starbucks is bringing back self-serve milk and sugar
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Starbucks baristas can put eight shots of espresso into one cup. Starbucks’ self-serve stations had milk, sugar, sweeteners, spices and stirrers, just like at other coffee shops. This influx of mobile orders has sometimes strained Starbucks workers during rush hours. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesNiccol said bringing back self-serve stations will help Starbucks serve drinks in four minutes or less. “We’ll need to have proper staffing so that people are able to restock the condiment bar and make sure it’s clean and presentable.”

Persons: Amanda Poore’s, creamer, ”, Poore, David Garfield, “, Brian Niccol’s, Gabby Jones, Niccol, We’re, it’s, Amanda Rivera, Rivera Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks, Bloomberg, Getty, Starbucks Workers Locations: New York, Seattle, Atlanta

☆ ‘There are no guardrails.’ This mom believes an AI chatbot is responsible for her son’s suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world. Garcia believes Character.AI is responsible for the death of her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, who died by suicide in February, according to a lawsuit she filed against the company last week. When Garcia first heard he was interacting with an AI chatbot, she said she thought it was something like a video game. However, within months of starting to use the platform, Setzer became “noticeably withdrawn, spent more and more time alone in his bedroom, and began suffering from low self-esteem. “There were no suicide pop-up boxes that said, ‘If you need help, please call the suicide crisis hotline.’ None of that,” she said.

Persons: Megan Garcia, Garcia, Character.AI, Sewell Setzer III, Setzer, “, ” Garcia, ” –, Character.AI's chatbots, chatbot Setzer, she, ” “, ”, Gabby Jones, I’m, That’s, ” Setzer, Matthew Bergman, Bergman, Sewell, Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas, weren’t Organizations: New, New York CNN, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, CNN, Trust, Safety, Prevention, Junior Varsity, Bloomberg, Getty, Character.AI, Social Media, Law Center, Meta, Google, Apple Locations: New York, Florida, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Walmart and Clorox are among the most overbought stocks on Wall Street. Here are some others
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Hakyung Kim | In Hakyungkim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Retail giant Walmart is among this week's most overbought stocks, with an 14-day RSI reading of 81.7. The average price target on the Oakland, California-based stock is nearly 10% below the stock's current price, suggesting a pullback may lie ahead. Analysts estimate Halliburton and APA might rally nearly 60% each, while Occidental's price target is 38% above its current level. The average price target on the Oakland, California-based stock is nearly 10% below the stock's current price, suggesting a pullback may lie ahead. Analysts estimate Halliburton and APA might rally nearly 60% each, while Occidental's price target is 38% above its current level.

Persons: Clorox, Johnson, Let's, Gabby Jones, Cooper Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow Jones, CNBC Pro, Retail, Walmart, Consumer, Johnson, Energy, Halliburton, APA, . Occidental Petroleum, Occidental Petroleum, Pharmaceutical, Moderna, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Getty, UDR UDR, Inc, Oracle Corp, CNBC, HAL Halliburton, APA APA Corp, Occidental Petroleum Corp, Walgreens, Body Locations: Arkansas, Oakland , California, Secaucus , New Jersey

U.S. adults will wager $35 billion this NFL season, according to projections from the American Gaming Association. Since last NFL season, Maine, North Carolina and Vermont have allowed sports betting operators to launch in their states. "The NFL season is our biggest acquisition period of the year," said Christian Genetski, president of FanDuel, the nation's leading sportsbook. Since then, Fanatics Sportsbook acquired PointsBet's U.S. operations and technology, which is now fully integrated. It first launched in November last year, smack in the middle of NFL season.

Persons: Joe Milton III, Kyu Blu Kelly, Scott Taetsch, Churchill, Christian Genetski, FanDuel, It's, Michael Rubin's, Sportsbook, Pavlo Gonchar, Matt King, King, DraftKings, Penn, Jay Snowden, Gabby Jones Organizations: New England Patriots scrambles, Getty, American Gaming Association, National Football League, NFL, International, Caesars, MGM Resorts, New York Stock Exchange, Rush Street Interactive, FanDuel, YouTube, PointsBet's, Lightrocket, CNBC, Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet, Disney, ESPN, Bloomberg Locations: Landover , Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, Vermont, Florida, Washington, Penn, Entain, New York

☆ Disney wants wrongful death suit thrown out because widower bought an Epcot ticket and had Disney+
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —A man suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for the wrongful death of his wife is facing a new legal hurdle: Disney is trying to get it dismissed and sent to arbitration — because he signed up for Disney+ years earlier. Company lawyers also claim that because Piccolo used the Walt Disney Parks’ website to buy Epcot Center tickets, Disney is shielded from a lawsuit from the estate of Piccolo’s deceased wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, who died of a reaction to severe food allergies. In October 2023, Kanokporn Tangsuan, her husband Jeffrey Piccolo and Piccolo’s mother dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs, which is part of the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. Signing up for Disney+ should shield the company from court trials, Disney said. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty Images/FileThe waiter guaranteed the couple that certain foods could be made allergen-free, which the two confirmed “several more times,” according to the lawsuit.

Persons: Jeffrey Piccolo, Piccolo, Piccolo’s, Kanokporn Tangsuan, Brian Denney, ”, ” Denney, Disney didn’t, Gabby Jones, Tangsuan, “, –, Maruf, Maria Sole Campinoti Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney, Company, Walt Disney Parks, Epcot, ” Walt Disney Parks, Walt Disney, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: New York, Disney Springs, Florida

☆ Food delivery fees are rising, and everyone's feeling the pinch
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Justine Fisher | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Third-party food delivery is becoming the norm for American consumers, as delivery apps like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats take hold in day-to-day dining. It's also presenting customers and restaurants with an increasingly complicated equation of service fees, delivery costs and worker tips. San Francisco resident Zainab Batool, who said she orders delivery from either Uber Eats or DoorDash weekly, called the added fees "insane." The share of consumers choosing third-party delivery services over direct restaurant delivery is rising, up from 15% in 2020 to 21% in 2024, according to Technomic's 2024 Delivery & Takeout Consumer Trend Report. But using their delivery services instead of paying for in-house delivery is worth it for a business on the smaller side, he said.

Persons: Luiz C, Ribeiro, Uber, It's, Zainab Batool, Batool, Gordon Haskett, Grubhub, it's, DoorDash, Covid, Spencer Platt, they've, Shelle Santana, Lindsey Nicholson, Tony Scardino, Pizza, He's, Scardino, Meredith Sandland, Ann, Phillis Engelbert, Engelbert, Gabby Jones Organizations: Ribeiro | New York Daily News, Tribune, Service, Getty, Gordon Haskett Research Advisors, Companies, U.S . Mobility, Uber, Bentley University, Grubhub Marketplace, UCG, Amazon, Bloomberg Locations: Manhattan, Ribeiro |, Francisco, Amsterdam, California, New York City, U.S, Canada, Illinois, Chicago, Ann Arbor , Michigan, Detroit

☆ Ruth Westheimer, sex therapist known as ‘Dr. Ruth,’ dead at 96
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Aj Willingham | Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the iconic sex therapist whose cheerful and disarming advice helped educate millions of Americans about sexual desires and practices, has died, her publicist Pierre Lehu told CNN on Saturday. Dr. Ruth Westheimer poses for a portrait in Pasadena, California, in January 2016. Becoming Dr. Ruth Westheimer speaks during an American Society of Newspaper Editors convention in April 1986. Bob D'Amico/ABC/Getty Images Westheimer on the set of "Quantum Leap" with actor Dean Stockwell and director Stuart Margolin in 1993. Ron Galella Collection/WireImage/Getty Images Westheimer rides on the back of a motorcycle during New York's Salute to Israel Parade in May 1996.

Persons: Ruth Westheimer, Pierre Lehu, grandmotherly Westheimer, Dr, Ruth ” –, –, Lehu, Maarten de Boer, Westheimer, Ruth, Stewart, AP Westheimer, Cyndi Lauper, Nancy Kaye, Ron Galella, Bob D'Amico, Dean Stockwell, Stuart Margolin, Alice S, David Karp, Bill Clinton, King Mohammed VI of, Susan Walsh, Keith Bedford, Sir Paul McCartney, McCartney, Bob Child, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chip Somodevilla, Andy Kropa, John Lamparski, Michael Kovac, Gabby Jones, ”, Ruth Show, ” Westheimer, Columbia University . Westheimer, Love Organizations: CNN, Haganah, Zionist, Israel Defense Forces, American Society of Newspaper, ABC, Getty, Israel Parade, White House, Westheimer, Yale, Communications, Broadway, of Fame, Gotham, New York, New York Times, Lifetime, Teachers College, Columbia University ., Museum of Jewish Heritage Locations: Pasadena , California, Switzerland, Jerusalem, New York, Beverly Hills , California, Los Angeles, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, New Haven , Connecticut, Washington ,, New, Germany, Paris, New York City

And at some Chipotle locations, customers filmed workers to try to make sure they didn't skimp on their burrito bowls. The three joined a growing list of consumer brands contending with customers' deep frustration over high prices — and wariness that prices will only rise more. Walmart, on the other hand, said the new price tags will cut a tedious task from store workers' to-do lists. They eliminate the need for store workers to swap out traditional paper tags. Shoppers at a Walmart store in Secaucus, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

Persons: Wendy's, Jean, Pierre Dubé, David Chavern, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, hasn't, Dianna Campbell, she's, Campbell isn't, Biden, skimping, Sen, Bob Casey, Andrea Foote, Tricia Moriarty, it's, Jim Cramer, CNBC's, Brian Niccol, Chipotle, We've, Wells, Zachary Fadem, Brandon Bell, It's, Kirk Tanner, Yuki Iwamura, Cristina Rodrigues, Gabby Jones Organizations: Walmart, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Consumers, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Brands Association, Procter, Gamble, Pew Research, Pew, Reuters Shrinkflation, Federal Reserve, Customers, Gatorade, PepsiCo, CNBC, Chipotle, New York, Mexican Grill, Getty, American Farm Bureau Federation, Bloomberg, University of Chicago Locations: U.S, Goffstown , New Hampshire, Manhattan, New York City, Mexican, Austin , Texas, Queens, New York, Europe, Secaucus , New Jersey, US

☆ The ongoing cyber-attack incident at CDK Global has crippled car dealerships for days
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The latest attack to receive wide attention continues that trend: An ongoing cyber incident at CDK Global, whose software car dealerships use to manage everything from scheduling to records, has crippled dealerships for days now, with no clear end in sight. Experts say hackers are getting more sophisticated and can hide in an organization’s systems for longer undetected. These hackers target companies in a supply chain-style attack, taking down entire industries to leverage more money. “There’s never been a story written on a company that successfully paid a ransom, and then quickly recovered their systems,” Noonan said. Others say healthcare is targeted because of the field’s aging technology, Steven McKeon, founder and CEO of software companies MacguyverTech and MacNerd, said in a release.

Persons: New York CNN —, ” Dror Liwer, they’re, Liwer, ” Liwer, Eric Noonan, Noonan, “ Ransomware, ” Noonan, John Dwyer, “ There’s, Gabby Jones, Cliff Steinhauer, Steinhauer, ” Steinhauer, Steven McKeon, shutdowns Dwyer, —, CNN’s Sean Lyngaas Organizations: New, New York CNN, CDK, Healthcare, UnitedHealth, Coro, CNN, Binary Defense, Bloomberg, Getty, FBI, “ Auto, National Cybersecurity Alliance, Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital Locations: New York, St, Louis, cybersecurity, Detroit , Michigan

☆ Say goodbye to Ruby Tuesday and Chili’s. These are the hot new restaurants at the mall
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

As anchor department stores left malls, so did some name-brand chains like Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s, Applebee’s and others. What’s taking their place illustrates a large shift in US tastes: There’s a boom in smaller and regional restaurant chains with a local following. At the same time, many national chains are prioritizing drive-thru locations over their sit-down restaurants in malls. Chick-fil-A restaurants were only located in mall food courts for the company’s first 20 years. “Traditional mall restaurants were casual dining chains like Chili’s, TGI Fridays, and quick-service restaurants in food courts.

Persons: Ruby, What’s, Paul Hennessy, ”, Chris Simms, Simms, Gabby Jones, Mark Hunter, CBRE, RJ Hottovy, ” Hottovy, David Kim, ” Kim, It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Anadolu Agency, Getty, “, Food, JCPenney, Nordstrom, Green, Westfield Garden, Bloomberg, Deloitte, NV Locations: New York, Applebee’s, Orlando , Florida, Paramus , New Jersey, United States, Greenbriar, Atlanta, Korean, Henderson

☆ Disney beat back activist investor Nelson Peltz. Now the real work begins
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

That would mark a milestone for the company, which launched Disney+ on Nov. 12, 2019. It would be the first time Disney showed it can make money from Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Disney will need to sustain and grow streaming profit to justify Iger's five-year-old strategy to go "all in" on the segment. Disney has already offered ESPN+, a sports streaming service that has some but not all of ESPN's content. Trian Partners' Nelson Peltz, who failed to join Disney's board Wednesday after securing just 31% of the vote, publicly questioned what he has called Disney's "woke" content strategy.

Persons: Bob Iger, Sun Valley , Idaho David A, Iger, Disney, they've, Cowen, Doug Creutz, Needham, Laura Martin, Gabby Jones, David Greenbaum, Sean Bailey, Alan Bergman, Indiana Jones, Nelson Peltz, Peltz, shouldn't, Bob Chapek, He'll, Bergman, Jimmy Pitaro, Josh D'Amaro, Dana Walden, They've, Cowen's, you've, That's, it's, — CNBC's Sarah Whitten, Needman's Martin Organizations: Disney, Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Grogan, CNBC Disney, Disney Disney, Hulu, ESPN, Co, Warner Bros . Discovery, Fox, CNBC, Athletic, Bloomberg, Getty, Marvel, Star Wars, Searchlight, Walt Disney Motion, Disney Entertainment, Century Fox, Sony, Disney's Marvel Studios, Trian Partners, Financial Times, Resorts, Iger Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Brooklyn , New York, Iger, Parks, Disney

☆ This new SUV’s stereo lets you make phone calls your passengers can’t hear
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Only the driver can hear the call and the person on the other end of the call can’t hear the music playing in the SUV. That’s not a new idea, but headrest speakers are usually found in convertibles where music, phone calls and navigation instructions have to overcome buffeting wind noise. Meanwhile, the person on the other end of the phone call won’t hear the music at all. I could hear Dunn talking but the voice on the other end of the phone came through, at first, as just an intermittent quiet buzz. I could hear Dunn talking to me but not the music that was still playing in the car.

Persons: there’s, McIntosh, That’s, Gabby Jones, that’s, Tom Dunn, Dunn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Infiniti, Benz, Panasonic Automotive, New York, Bloomberg, Getty, Panasonic Locations: New York, Mercedes, Bentley, Manhattan

☆ First Neuralink human trial subject can control a computer mouse with brain implant, Elon Musk says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk says Neuralink’s first human trial participant can control a computer mouse with their brain, nearly one month after having the company’s chip implanted. Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. Like existing brain-machine interfaces, the company’s implant would collect electrical signals sent out by the brain and interpret them as actions. Before Neuralink’s brain implants hit the broader market, they’ll need regulatory approval. Elon Musk's Neuralink aims to one day let humans control computers with their minds.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, ” Musk, “ We’re, we’re, ”, Musk, Neuralink, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk's, Gabby Jones, Sychron, –, Madhok, Jen Christensen Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, Reuters Locations: New York

☆ Disney stakes its claim in the upcoming Peltz board fight with an amazing quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

That's what makes the upcoming proxy battle between Disney and the activist investor Nelson Peltz so compelling. Peltz's Trian Partners investment firm oversees about $3 billion worth of Disney stock, including shares held by former Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter. For its fiscal second quarter, Disney expects net additional subscribers to Disney+ between 5.5 million and 6 million, with domestic adding 7.5 million due to its agreement with Charter Communications, while international core subs decline modestly. Disney is getting closer and closer to achieving its first profitable DTC quarter, which it continues to expect in its fiscal fourth quarter. In the Experiences segment, Disney delivered record revenue, operating income, and operating margin in its fiscal first quarter.

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, Hugh Johnston, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, Peltz's, Ike Perlmutter, Taylor, Taylor Swift, –, Johnston, Disney, WBD, That's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Gabby Jones Organizations: Disney, Revenue, LSEG, Peltz's Trian Partners, Marvel Entertainment, Entertainment, Hulu, Netflix, Charter Communications, Networks, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Cruise, Sports, ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros Discovery, CNBC, Management, Epic Games, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Disney's, Florida, California, buybacks, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Here's why Starbucks shares can rally after a quarterly earnings miss
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On a year-over-year basis, sales rose 8.2%. Still, the comparable store sales challenges in the U.S. and China force us to be less upbeat about the company's prospects than we were after prior quarter. In Starbucks' international segment, comparable store sales rose 7% as transactions increased 11% but ticket amount dropped 3%. Comparable store sales in China rose 10%, the company said, below the the 17% estimate, according to Bloomberg data. It expects full-year comparable sales on a global basis and in the U.S. to grow 4% to 6%.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Laxman Narasimhan, Narasimhan, Rachel Ruggeri, Ruggeri, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Gabby Jones Organizations: Starbucks, Revenue, Management, Buyers, Wall Street, FactSet, U.S, Bloomberg, CNBC, Getty Locations: China, U.S, North America, Israel, New York

☆ Crypto Firm Genesis Global Trading to Pay $8 Million for Compliance Failings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( David Smagalla | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Genesis Global Trading closed its U.S. spot trading operations in September. Its parent company, Genesis Global Holdco, filed for bankruptcy a year ago. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsCrypto brokerage firm Genesis Global Trading has agreed to pay $8 million in a settlement with New York state’s financial regulator over alleged failings in its anti-money-laundering and cybersecurity programs. Genesis Global Trading, part of the now-bankrupt Genesis Global Holdco LLC, closed its U.S. spot crypto trading operations in September and is in the process of winding down. As part of its settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services, the trading unit will surrender its BitLicense, which allowed it to operate a crypto business in New York, the regulator said in a statement Friday.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Genesis, Bloomberg, New York, Global, New York State Department of Financial Services Locations: New, New York

☆ Adobe’s $20 Billion Purchase of Figma Would Harm Innovation, U.K. Regulator Provisionally Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Joseph Hoppe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsThe U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said it has provisionally found Adobe ’s planned $20 billion acquisition of collaboration-software company Figma would likely harm innovation for software used by the vast majority of U.K. digital designers. The regulator said Tuesday that, following a detailed Phase 2 investigation, it provisionally found that the deal would eliminate competition between two main companies in product-design software, reduce innovation and the development of new competitive products, and remove Figma as a threat to Adobe’s flagship Photoshop and Illustrator products.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Bloomberg, Competition, Markets Authority

☆ After closed door OpenAI drama, open source AI backed by Nvidia, Eric Schmidt, could emerge winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Rebecca Fannin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Hugging Face website on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. "We should encourage all companies to build on disruption-proof AI technology that only open source can offer." To be clear, big bets made on open source AI pre-date last Friday when news first broke of Sam Altman's removal as OpenAI CEO, and those bets include an open source AI model controlled by one dominant tech company, Meta Platforms ' Llama. Open source and AI governanceFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is behind Mistral AI, another open source rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT. A third open source AI startup, Poolside AI, recently pulled in $126 million co-led by French telecom and internet billionaire Xavier Niel and U.S. VC firm Felicis Ventures.

Persons: Gabby Jones, Eric Schmidt, Sam Altman, Microsoft —, Mike Gualtieri, Forrester, Marc Benioff, Delip Rao, Sam Altman's, Thomas Wolf, We've, Wolf, Linus Torvalds, Paul Drews, OpenAI's, Arthur Mensch, Mistral, Xavier Niel Organizations: Nvidia, Bloomberg, Getty Images Tech, Salesforce, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Meta, IBM, Intel, Sequoia Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Mistral, alums, Lightspeed Venture Partners, French, . VC, Felicis Ventures Locations: New York, France

☆ OpenAI had a confusing week. Who came out on top? And who lost out?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But in other ways, the agreement is still a watershed moment for OpenAI and the artificial intelligence field writ large. Who came out on topSam Altman: A clear winner in the whole debacle is, of course, Altman himself. With some of the apparent architects of Altman’s ouster being pushed out themselves, a casualty of the affair may be the perspectives that those board members espoused. Emmett Shear, whom the board named OpenAI’s interim CEO for all of two days, has also expressed similar worries. In the fallout of the leadership crisis, some have argued that the outcome is also a defeat for effective altruism, the movement with which some OpenAI board members are said to be affiliated.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, bungled, that’s, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Nadella, we’re, ” Nadella, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Nathan Laine, Hollie Adams, Taylor isn’t, He’s, Elon Musk, Summers, Who, OpenAI’s, Gabby Jones, Emmett Shear Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Getty, Facebook, Twitter, Harvard University Locations: OpenAI, Brooklyn, New York

☆ Google Sues to Block AI Ads Preying on Small Businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Google says hackers are posting ads offering to download its Bard AI chatbot, which is a free web-based platform and isn’t available through download. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsScammers are capitalizing on the rush of consumer interest in artificial-intelligence tools to steal U.S. small businesses’ social-media-account passwords, Google alleges in a new lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Monday, targets unnamed individuals in India and Vietnam. Google said the hackers have been tricking small-business owners into clicking on Facebook ads that offer to download Google’s Bard artificial-intelligence chatbot. When they do, the ads hit them with malware that steals their social-media credentials.

Persons: chatbot, Gabby Jones Organizations: Google, Bloomberg Locations: India, Vietnam

☆ Buy Now, Pay Later Lender Is Surfing the Private Credit Wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Telis Demos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pay-later provider Affirm, whose shares are up over 170% year to date, said it has added more buyers of loans to its funding platform. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsHigher interest rates were supposed to put an end to the fast growth of buy now, pay later lenders. But right now they might actually be helping out. Unlike banks that fund their loans through their deposits, BNPL players that offer small loans and installments to shoppers need to get that money from the market, as do other nonbank financial-technology companies. So they are, in theory, more exposed to the cost of rising interest rates.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Bloomberg

☆ Buy Now, Pay Later Is Surfing the Private Credit Wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Telis Demos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pay-later provider Affirm said it has added more buyers of loans to its funding platform. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsHigher interest rates were supposed to put an end to the fast growth of buy now, pay later lenders. But right now they might actually be helping out. Unlike banks that fund their loans through their deposits, BNPL players that offer small loans and installments to shoppers need to get that money from the market, as do other nonbank financial-technology companies. So they are, in theory, more exposed to the cost of rising interest rates.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Bloomberg

☆ Starbucks' quarterly results reassure investors with a 'show me story'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Investors feared that the coffee maker's long-term targets of 10% to 12% revenue growth and 15% to 20% earnings growth were in jeopardy. And as the market lost confidence in the targets, Starbucks' stock price fell to $90 a share by the start of October — when we most recently added to our position — down from around $100 in August. But on Thursday following the results, investors heard a much more compelling story from Starbucks — forcefully pushing back against the bear case. The power of Starbucks' brand is driving strong traffic and sales growth, despite the uncertain macroeconomic environment. As such, we reiterate our 1 rating , meaning we would be buyers of Starbucks stock at these levels.

Persons: Laxman Narasimhan, China comps, Narasimhan, Howard Schultz, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Gabby Jones Organizations: Starbucks, Revenue, Investors, Management, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: North America, U.S, China, New York

☆ Match Group, Google Reach Binding Term Sheet in Legal Battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Match’s brands will pay standard rates of 15% on subscriptions and 30% for a la carte purchase for in-app transactions processed through Google’s payment system. Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg NewsMatch Group and Alphabet -unit Google reached a binding term sheet for a settlement regarding their claims against each other in their legal battle. The online dating company said in a letter to shareholders that $40 million placed in escrow will be returned to Match and no other amount will be owed by the Match plaintiffs to Google. The parties agreed that by March 31, Match’s apps, which include Tinder and Hinge, will implement Google’s user choice billing.

Persons: Gabby Jones Organizations: Bloomberg, Match, Google

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