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☆ How tech bros bought 'America's most pro-crypto Congress ever'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Bernie Moreno, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio, attends a campaign event in Holland, Ohio, on Saturday, October 26, 2024. In total, crypto-related PACs and other groups tied to the industry reeled in over $245 million, according to Federal Election Commission data. Crypto accounted for nearly half of all corporate dollars that flowed into the election, according to nonprofit watchdog Public Citizen. It was one of the top spending committees of any industry this cycle and exclusively gave to pro-crypto candidates running for Congress. "Welcome to America's most pro-crypto Congress ever," Armstrong wrote on X on Nov. 5.

Persons: Bernie Moreno, Moreno, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Tom Williams, Donald Trump, Coinbase, Crypto, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, David Sacks, " Moreno, Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam, Faryar Shirzad, Armstrong, Ehrsam, Coinbase's Armstrong, Gary Gensler, Brown, Elizabeth Warren, FTX, Fairshake, gunning, Republican Jim Justice, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Katie Porter, Porter, he'd, Horowitz, Sacks, Coinbase's Shirzad, Moreno wasn't, Shirzad, David McIntosh, McIntosh, hasn't, JD Vance's, Sam Bankman, Gensler, Andreessen Horowitz, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, Ripple, Chris Larsen, JD Vance, Paul Grewal, Jesse Powell, Trump, Phil Potter, Multicoin Capital's Kyle Samani, Fred Wilson, Charles Cascarilla, Mike Belshe, Solana, Anatoly Yakovenko, Wences Casares Organizations: Republican U.S, Cq, Inc, Getty, Democratic, Banking Committee, Public Citizen, Crypto, House, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Senate, Committee, Republicans, Protect, Fairshake, Defend, Jobs, Republican, New, CNBC, Andreessen, Craft Ventures, Club for Growth, Growth, Politico, PAC, Labs, Senate Inc, Trump, Union Square Ventures, Xapo Bank Locations: Republican, Ohio, Holland , Ohio, Cleveland, Coinbase, U.S, Arizona, Michigan, West Virginia, California, Washington, FTX, Nashville , Tennessee

☆ Opinion | ‘Wicked’ Revels in the Glory of Female Frenemies
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-23 | by ( Jennifer Weiner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Glinda and Elphaba, the leads of the new movie adaptation of “Wicked,” clap eyes on each other, it’s loathe at first sight. Glinda, short for Galinda, played by Ariana Grande, is pale and pretty in pink. Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, is glowering in glasses and green skin. “No, I am not seasick; yes, I have always been green; and no, I did not eat grass as a child,” she says. And right then, you know where you are: Act One of a classic frenemy love story.

Persons: Glinda, it’s, Glinda shrieks, Elphaba smirks, she’s, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, ”, —, Vivian Kensington, Woods, Cher Horowitz, Tai Frasier, “, you’ve Organizations: Harvard, Beverly

☆ Charles Schwab incoming CEO: 'I feel silly' for not buying crypto
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Jaures Yip | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementBitcoin is hovering near $100,000 as Trump considers a new crypto chief for his administration. Charles Schwab's incoming CEO said he has not personally invested in crypto and prefers stocks. Schwab plans to enter spot crypto trading, pending regulatory changes under Trump's policies. "Well, I think what's holding me back is just a question around the true value of crypto," he said. Advertisement"We will get into spot crypto when the regulatory environment changes, and we do anticipate that it will change, and we're getting ready for that eventuality," Wurster said.

Persons: Charles Schwab's, Schwab, Crypto, they've, Rick Wurster, Wurster, he's, Donald Trump's, Bitcoin, Trump, I've, I'm, They've, Andreessen Horowitz, we're Organizations: Trump, Bloomberg, Biden, Fidelity Investments, Robinhood Locations: bitcoin

☆ 'I have no money': Thousands of Americans see their savings vanish in Synapse fintech crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Morris, like thousands of other customers, was snared in the collapse of a behind-the-scenes fintech firm called Synapse and has been locked out of her account for six months as of November. Then she learned how much Evolve Bank & Trust, the lender where her funds were supposed to be held, was prepared to return to her. The crisis started in May when a dispute between Synapse and Evolve Bank over customer balances boiled over and the fintech middleman turned off access to a key system used to process transactions. Synapse helped fintech startups like Yotta and Juno, which are not banks, offer checking accounts and debit cards by hooking them up with small lenders like Evolve. But that would've required more coordination between Evolve and the other lenders that held customer funds than what ultimately happened.

Persons: Oscar Wong, Kayla Morris, Morris, Andreessen Horowitz, Jelena McWilliams, Zach Jacobs, there's, Yotta, Adam Moelis, they've, Jacobs, Andrew Meloan, Meloan, I've, ” Zach Jacobs, McWilliams, McWilliams didn't, Rayburn, Tom Williams, hadn't, Judge Martin Barash, Natasha Craft, they're, Andreatte Caliguire Organizations: Evolve Bank & Trust, Synapse, Evolve Bank, ., CNBC, FedEx, Evolve, Deposit Insurance Corp, U.S, FDIC, Trump, Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Financial, Prudential Regulators, Megabanks, Depository, CQ, Inc, AMG, Lineage Bank, American Bank, Indiana FedEx Locations: Texas, Tampa , Florida, Yotta, Chicago, California, Mishawaka , Indiana

☆ Elon Musk's startup xAI is now reportedly worth more than what the billionaire paid for Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementElon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has been valued at $50 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. xAI's valuation has doubled since the spring, surpassing the $44 billion Musk paid for Twitter. Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has reportedly been valued at $50 billion — $6 billion more than what the billionaire paid to acquire Twitter, the social media platform now known as X. AdvertisementThe new valuation means xAI has surpassed the $44 billion Musk paid for Twitter back in October 2022. xAI previously raised a $6 billion Series B from A16z and Sequoia Capital at a $24 billion post-money valuation.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Elon, xAI, Musk, Sam Altman, OpenAI Organizations: Elon, Street Journal, Twitter, Sequoia Capital, Fidelity, The, Equity Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, Microsoft Locations: A16z

☆ How Alaska Airlines used AI to save over 1.2 million gallons of jet fuel
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Matthew S. Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Alaska Airlines partnered with Air Space Intelligence to use an AI tool that suggests flight routes. While Air Space Intelligence developed the Flyways AI Platform, it did so in close cooperation with the airline's stakeholders. AI in actionThe partnership between Alaska Airlines and Air Space Intelligence began with a learning period for both organizations. ASI's staff shadowed the airline's dispatchers to learn how they worked, while Alaska Airlines learned more about how a machine-learning algorithm could be used to route traffic. While that might seem low, those accepted routes helped reduce Alaska Airlines' fuel consumption by more than 1.2 million gallons in 2023, according to the airline's annual sustainability report.

Persons: —, We've, they're, Pasha Saleh, Flyways, Saleh, Phillip Buckendorf, Buckendorf, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Alaska Airlines, Air Space Intelligence, Service, Space Intelligence, Alaska Airlines . Alaska Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, ASI, IBM DOS, Airlines, Air, US Air Force Locations: Alaska, Boston, Denver, Poland, Washington, DC

AdvertisementElevenLabs is raising new funding, boosting its valuation to over $3 billion, according to multiple sources. The startup is aiming to raise $200 million in the round, according to one source. Details of the latest funding round are not yet finalized, and the figures involved are subject to change. The company has been increasing its targeted round size and valuation during the process of raising funding, according to these sources. Funding for voice technology companies has picked up even as some of the shine comes off the digital intelligence category as a whole.

Persons: ElevenLabs, Andreessen Horowitz, Piotr Dąbkowski, Mati Staniszewski's, Kleiner Perkins, ElevenLab's Organizations: Ventures, Iconiq Locations: ElevenLabs, OpenAI

☆ Those bold AGI predictions are suddenly looking stretched
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The generative AI boom has inspired bold AGI predictions ranging from this happening in 2025, 2026, or maybe 2027. AdvertisementThat's the main reason for huge gains in recent years in the performance of AI models. AdvertisementHorowitz noted several factors that are holding back AI model improvements, including a lack of new high-quality human data and problems sourcing the extra energy needed to power AI data centers. AGI questionsIf the main tried-and-true method for improving AI models is no longer working, we are unlikely to get AGI anytime soon. Altman's bold AGI predictions may also be an effective rallying cry for hard-working OpenAI employees.

Persons: Sam Altman, there's, that's, Oren Etzioni, Etzioni, Ilya Sutskever, Noam Brown, Google hasn't, Marc, Ben, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen, Horowitz, we're, OpenAI, Altman, we've, AGI, Elon Musk, It's Organizations: YouTube, Allen Institute, Tech, Reuters, Orion, Bloomberg, Google, AGI, Microsoft, Intel, Computer, Artificial Intelligence Locations: Seattle

☆ The crypto industry plowed tens of millions into the election. Now, it’s looking for a return on that investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Crypto super PACs spent heavily on Republicans as well as key Democrats, including two who won open seats in the US Senate, Elissa Slotkin in Michigan and Ruben Gallego in Arizona. How Washington regulates the industry has enormous consequences for this burgeoning sector, along with the 52 million Americans who now hold digital assets. “The strategy is to have as many conversations with as many people in the Trump orbit as possible so that everyone has an understanding of what the crypto industry is most interested in,” she said. They also helped finance Fairshake, a crypto industry super PAC launched last year that was active in congressional contests. An industry super PAC spent $40 million to back to Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio, who ousted three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Persons: Donald Trump, Gary Gensler, Biden, Crypto, Elissa Slotkin, Ruben Gallego, Sam Bankman, “ Crypto, ” Kristin Smith, we’ll, that’s, ” Smith, ”, Smith, Dan Gallagher, Paul Atkins, Atkins, Gallagher, Bitcoin, Trump, –, It’s, Barron, Steve Witkoff, multibillionaire Elon Musk, Cantor Fitzgerald Howard Lutnick, Carlos Barria, Reuters Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz –, Sergio Gor, Andreessen, “, Tyler, Cameron Winklevoss, Musk, Katie Porter, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Porter, Adam Schiff, Bernie Moreno, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, Moreno, Colin McLaren, ” Robert Weissman, Andreessen Horowitz, Kara Calvert, CNN’s David Wright Organizations: CNN, Trump, Securities, Exchange Commission, Industry, Crypto, Blockchain Association, SEC, Token Alliance, Liberty, Liberty Financial, of Government, Republican, Reuters, Venture, Biden, PAC, Democratic Rep, Democratic, Banking Committee, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Cedar Innovation Foundation, Consumer, Public Citizen Locations: Washington, Michigan, Arizona, Madison, New York City, U.S, America, Bitcoin, Massachusetts, California, Ohio

☆ Inside Microsoft's struggles with Copilot
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

In September 2023, Microsoft's famously soft-spoken CEO, Satya Nadella, unveiled the company's flagship AI product, Copilot, with sweeping fanfare. Some of Microsoft's own employees and executives are privately concerned that Copilot won't be able to deliver on its ambitions. Copilot's struggles have created an opening for Microsoft's rivals, some of whom have seized on the opportunity to promote their own agendas. "Now, when Joe Blow logs into an account and kicks off Copilot, they can see everything," said one Microsoft employee familiar with customer complaints. As complaints and questions over Copilot mount, so does the pressure to justify Microsoft's unprecedented level of spending on AI.

Persons: Microsoft's, Satya Nadella, Gartner, Copilot, it'll, Copilot's, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Ethan Miller, Jared Spataro, Spataro, —, Joe Blow, Joe, Nadella, Gary Marcus, Marcus, Wile, Coyote, Brontë, Judson Althoff, Jason Zander, Zander, We've, OpenAI, Tasos Katopodis, Steve Jobs Organizations: Microsoft, Venture, Getty, Goldman, BI, Fortune, Excel, Lumen Technologies, Honeywell, Gartner, Wall Street, Initiative, Department of Homeland Security, Employees, San Francisco, Software, Apple, Jobs Locations: Microsoft's, Copilot, New York City

☆ The top 10 family offices for startup investments
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The top 10 family offices for startup investments made over 150 investments combined this year, in everything from biotech and energy to crypto and artificial intelligence, according to a new analysis. CNBC partnered with Fintrx, the private wealth intelligence platform, to analyze single family offices that made the largest number of investments in private startups in 2024. The most active family office so far this year is Maelstrom, the Hong Kong-based family office of American investor Arthur Hayes, who co-founded the crypto exchange BitMEX. For the sake of the list, family offices are defined as investment vehicles or holding companies of a single family or individual that don't manage money for outside investors. Nearly a third of startup capital in 2022 came from family offices, according to a PWC report.

Persons: Guillaume Houze, Pascal Le Segretain, Robert Frank, Bernard Arnault's, Laurene Powell Jobs, Peter Thiel's Thiel, Arthur Hayes, Guillaume Houzé, Motier, Andreesen Horowitz, Eric Schmidt, Magnus Carlsen, Fertility Organizations: Royal, Getty, CNBC, Fintrx, Ventures, Labs, Motier Ventures, Google, Flex, Mistral, Nvidia, Lightspeed, Atinum Investment, Emerson Collective . Thiel Capital Locations: Paris, France, Hong Kong, Lafayette, Seoul, Korea, Singapore

☆ Instead of job killings, there's a strange AI hiring boom happening, according to Marc Andreessen
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of killing jobs, generative AI is fueling a surprising job boom, according to the venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. OpenAI and Google are struggling to significantly improve their next AI models, multiple media reports said this week. That's what makes these AI models smart, and without that, OpenAI and others are hitting a worrying wall. They're a function of the training data," Andreessen said. "And a big part of the AI hiring boom is actually hiring the experts to actually craft the answers to be able to train the AI."

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Horowitz, Andreessen, OpenAI, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen's Organizations: Google, AIs, Business, Andreessen Locations: chimed

☆ Ark's Cathie Wood changed Wall Street. Now, she's set her sights on venture capital.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wood's effort to do something similar for venture capital has delivered investments in many of Silicon Valley's hottest deals. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is Ark Venture Fund's largest holding, accounting for 13% of the fund's total assets. SpaceX is Ark Venture Fund's largest holding, accounting for 13% of the fund's total assets, worth around $9 million. OpenAI makes up just 5% of the Ark Venture Fund's portfolio, which means it has less than $4 million invested. AdvertisementArk Venture Fund charges a flat fee for investing assets under its control, the same as a venture fund.

Persons: Cathie Wood, Brett Winton, Wood, Andreessen Horowitz, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, David McNew, Winton, it's, Ark, OpenAI, Donald Trump's, Morningstar, that'll Organizations: Ark Venture Fund, Ark, Investors, Ark Invest, Elon, SpaceX, Ark Venture, Epic Games, Venture Fund Locations: Sequoia

☆ Waymo opens robotaxis to anyone in Los Angeles, marking its largest expansion yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Jennifer Elias | Jennifer Covers Google Parent Company Alphabet Inc. | Silicon Valley Culture For Cnbc.Com In San Francisco. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet-owned Waymo is removing the waitlist for its self-driving service in Los Angeles, marking its largest expansion yet. With more than 3.8 million people, LA marks the third and largest city where the company’s robotaxi service is now fully available. “Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, said in a news release Tuesday. Waymo closed a $5.6 billion funding round in October to expand its robotaxi service across the U.S. Waymo in September announced that it partnered with Uber to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in 2025.

Persons: Tekedra Mawakana, ”, Waymo, Andreessen Horowitz, Perry, Rowe Price, That’s, Uber, ” Waymo Organizations: U.S, Google, Fidelity, Tiger Global, Hyundai Locations: Los Angeles, LA, Los Angeles County, San Francisco, Phoenix, Waymo, Silver, Austin , Texas, Korean

☆ Waymo opens robotaxi service to anyone in Los Angeles, marking its largest expansion yet
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet -owned Waymo is removing the waitlist for its self-driving service in Los Angeles, marking its largest expansion yet. With more than 3.8 million people, LA marks the third and largest city where the company's robotaxi service is now fully available. "Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride," Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, said in a news release Tuesday. Waymo closed a $5.6 billion funding round in October to expand its robotaxi service across the U.S. Waymo in September announced that it partnered with Uber to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in 2025.

Persons: Waymo, Andreessen Horowitz, Perry, Rowe Price, That's, Uber Organizations: U.S, Google, Fidelity, Tiger Global, Hyundai Locations: Los Angeles, LA, Los Angeles County, San Francisco, Phoenix, Waymo, Silver, Austin , Texas, Korean

☆ Silicon Valley's swing toward Trump is real. Here's the data to prove it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A notable portion of Silicon Valley's electorate has steadily shifted toward Donald Trump. In Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, Trump's voteshare increased by several points. But with more than 76% of the votes counted in San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties as of Tuesday, a trend is emerging. These numbers show that Trump and Republicans are still a long way off from gaining any real majorities in Silicon Valley. AdvertisementWhile Elon Musk is based in Texas these days, many of his companies, including Tesla, are still very active in Silicon Valley.

Persons: Donald Trump, San, —, Kamala Harris, Harris, Joe Biden, Hilary Clinton, Francisco county's, Trump, Democrat —, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Horowitz, Elon, Tesla, reelect Trump, JD Vance, Peter Thiel, Ben Narasin, we've, voteshare Organizations: GOP, Service, Business, San, Apple, Google, Nvidia, State, Facebook, Meta, Republican, Trump, Democrat, Democratic, Venture, PayPal, Elon Locations: Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco counties, San Francisco Bay, California, San Francisco, Mateo county, Silicon Valley, Texas, Atherton, San Mateo county

☆ The 'Trump trades' that also give you income as you wait for policies to come to fruition
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In addition, analysts had to predict further gains ahead — the stocks have at least 1% upside to the average price target, according to FactSet. Bank of America is among those on Wall Street that think the banks' move since Election Day has not been excessive. Citizens gained 30% from Election Day 2016 through the end of that year and jumped 14% on Wednesday. It added nearly 4% the day after the election and gained 18% from Election Day 2016 through the end of that year. Halliburton, which yields 2.3%, has the largest potential upside ahead — nearly 32% to the average price target.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jeremy Siegel, Ebrahim Poonawala, Trump, Piper Sandler, Mark Fitzgibbon, Keith Horowitz, Halliburton, Jeff Miller Organizations: Dow Jones, Wharton School, CNBC, Bank of America, UST, Trump, Regional Banking, Citizens Financial, Fifth Third Bancorp, Citizens, Fifth, Citigroup, Citi, Marathon Petroleum, Halliburton Locations: Gulf of Mexico

☆ Citi upgrades Bank of America to buy, pointing to a lighter regulatory environment
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Bank of America is primed to get a boost from multiple tailwinds, according to Citi. BAC YTD mountain BAC YTD chart Horowitz noted pointed to an attractive valuation for Bank of America relative to peers such as JPMorgan Chase. Less regulation under a new Trump administration could also bolster Bank of America shares. "On regulation, BAC is a low-risk firm and could benefit from lighter regulatory environment, and we expect room to run with a proposal re-write on B3 potentially driving returns above our 15% normalized assumption," the analyst added. Of the 24 who cover Bank of America, 17 have a buy or strong buy rating, LSEG data shows.

Persons: Keith Horowitz, Horowitz, JPMorgan Chase, CoE, Trump Organizations: of America, Citi, Bank of America, JPMorgan Locations: Thursday's

☆ Trump trades: Using the 2016 Trump rally stocks as a playbook for what to buy now
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Wondering what stocks might do well the rest of this year as America awaits Donald Trump take office for a second time in January? Others were high-beta growth stocks that can ride a broad market rally and benefit from corporate tax rates. Most analysts surveyed by LSEG hold buy ratings, but they expect KeyCorp shares to slide by more than 5% after their rally this year. Between Nov. 7 and the end of that year, KeyCorp shares ran up more than 25%. CarMax is a cyclical stock that should benefit from both deregulation and the rising tide for high-beta stocks.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Ebrahim Poonawala, financials, Poonawala, Bernstein, Bob Brackett, there's, Citigroup's Andrew Kaplowitz, Kaplowitz, Wednesday's, LSEG, Keycorp, Keith Horowitz, KeyCorp, CarMax Organizations: CNBC, Trump, White, Bank of America, Energy, Dow, Targa Resources, Citigroup Locations: Cleveland

☆ Silicon Valley's Trump boosters celebrate: 'It's time to build'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-06 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech leaders who openly supported Donald Trump took to X to celebrate his win Wednesday morning. AdvertisementAs former president Donald Trump swept to victory Wednesday morning, supporters in Silicon Valley posted messages of congratulations and even gloated over his return to the Oval Office. Some of tech's most high-profile and wealthiest names offered their first reactions after major news networks called the race for Trump. The billionaire owner of X and Tesla watched the election results roll in with Trump from Mar-a-Lago. AdvertisementMarc Andreessen, an early Facebook and Coinbase investor via his firm Andreessen Horowitz, had a curious relationship with Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Rabois, —, Chamath Palihapitiya, Shaun Maguire, Trump . Elon Musk, Tesla, Joe Biden, Israel —, Musk, Trump, Doug Leone, Joe Lonsdale, David Sacks, Obama, Biden, Harris, Sacks, Leone, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Andreessen Organizations: Tech, Service, tech's, Trump, Trump ., Mar, San Francisco, Republicans, Israel, Craft Ventures, Republican National Convention, Business, Federal, Commission, National Republican, Founders Fund, SpaceX, Khosla Ventures Locations: Silicon Valley, Sequoia, America, San, Pennsylvania, Rabois

☆ Jeff Bezos just made his latest bet in the AI robotics space. Here are the 6 startups he's backed so far.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

BI has compiled a list of which AI robotics startups Bezos has backed so far, per PitchBook. Physical Intelligence is at least the third spatial intelligence startup Bezos has backed this year, according to PitchBook. Related storiesFigure AIFigure AI builds AI robots that can take over unsafe jobs from humans. Bezos invested in an undisclosed funding round in 2021, while Bezos Expeditions invested in its $24 million Series A funding round in 2020. Bezos Expeditions invested in the startup's $30 million Series E in 2017, $40 million Series D in 2015, $30 million Series C in 2012, $20 million Series B in 2010, $7 million Series A1 in 2009, and $5 million Series A in 2008.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, —, Andreessen Horowitz, Bezos, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Khosla Ventures, Intelligence, The New York Times, Bezos Expeditions, New York Times, Sentinel, HAHN Group

☆ Coinbase, a16z and others pour more than $78 million into pro-crypto PAC for 2026 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The pro-crypto and bi-partisan super PAC Fairshake said Monday that the committee and its affiliates have raised $78 million for the 2026 midterm elections. That $78 million includes more than $30 million raised, plus another $48 million in new commitments from centralized crypto exchange Coinbase and Silicon Valley venture fund Andreessen Horowitz, among other companies. All in, a16z has given $70 million to Fairshake as the VC looks to support the PAC's larger mission of building a Congress comprised of pro-crypto legislators. Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto exchange, was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission over claims that it engaged in unregistered sales of securities. Ripple Labs is another major political donor this cycle that has given around $50 million to Fairshake.

Persons: Fairshake, Andreessen Horowitz, a16z, Chris Dixon, we're, Dixon, Coinbase, Brian Armstrong Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Labs Locations: U.S, Silicon Valley

☆ A Nevada mayor is battling one of the worst housing shortages in the US. Her solution: looser construction regulation.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve says city leaders should cut regulations that stymie construction. AdvertisementThe mayor of Reno, Nevada, argues that the single best thing city leaders can do to help solve one of the country's worst housing shortages is to loosen regulations on housing construction. As mayor, Schieve has celebrated the new jobs and the growth of arts and culture in Reno and its surroundings. Under Schieve, Reno has loosened some of its regulations by allowing for more density, reducing parking requirements, and cutting fees. Schieve, the former chairwoman of the US Conference of Mayors, said Reno's rules regarding affordable housing construction are relatively lenient.

Persons: Hillary Schieve, —, There's, Schieve, Alex Horowitz, Tesla, she's, Joe Biden, Biden, Adrianne Todman, Donald Trump's, We've, we've, Vance, That's, Trump, Kamala Harris Organizations: Reno, Service, Apple, US, of Mayors, White Locations: Nevada, Reno , Nevada, Reno, Las Vegas

☆ Here's what Wall Street analysts are saying after Amazon's third-quarter earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street analysts think Amazon is only at the beginning of a new era of growth. Here's what analysts at some of the biggest shops on Wall Street are saying about Amazon's latest earnings report. His $250 per share price target implies more than 34% upside from Thursday's close. "Another margin upside surprise supports our retail margin efficiency upside thesis, while AWS is still in the early innings of a big AI cycle and is investing accordingly," Post said. The analyst also increased his 2025 full-year earnings per share forecast by roughly 4%.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, Anmuth, Justin Post, Lee Horowitz, " Horowitz, Ronald Josey's, Josey Organizations: Web Services, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Citi

☆ Marc Andreessen says US carmakers need to make a $20,000 EV if they don't want to 'lose the auto industry' to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Jaures Yip | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said Chinese EVs are beating out American and European automakers. Andreessen Horowitz founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said on their podcast that Chinese automakers have developed high-quality and affordable vehicles supported by a robust supply chain ecosystem. With the American auto industry struggling with slowing growth in its EV market, American automakers need to be able to offer a compelling $20,000 EV that also competes on quality if the US doesn't want to "lose the auto industry," Andreessen said. Andreessen said that Chinese car brands are outperforming American EV automakers in affordability and quality, calling them "super technologically sophisticated." AdvertisementTo keep up, American automakers need to be able to offer a similarly affordable and full-featured car at the $20,000 price point, Andreessen said.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Xiaomi's, —, It's, Andreessen, they've, Horowitz, Jim Farley, " Horowitz, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, Xiaomi Organizations: Service, Centre, Strategic & International Studies, Ford, Porsche, Porsche Cayenne, American EV, Elon, Nissan Locations: China, Mexico, Dubai, American

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