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The Onion, the satirical news company that repeatedly spoofed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, has won the bankruptcy auction for control over his media empire — most notably Infowars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform. The Onion plans to shutter Jones’ Infowars and rebuild the website featuring well-known internet humor writers and content creators, according to a person with knowledge of the sale. About an hour and a half after the announcement of the sale, Infowars' website was shut down. Details of Wednesday’s auction, including how much was offered for Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, and related assets, were not immediately known. “All you leftists celebrating the end of Alex Jones and Infowars, you’re fools,” he said.

Persons: Alex Jones, Jones, “, ” Jones, Infowars, Sandy, Sandy Hook, Chris Mattei, divesting Jones, John Feinblatt, Ben Collins, Collins, Christopher Murray, ”, Jeff Lawson, InfoWars Organizations: U.S, First United American Companies, Free Speech Systems, Sandy Hook Elementary, Gun Safety, NBC News, Onion News, ThreeSixty, Bankruptcy, Southern, Southern District of, Global, Onion staff, O Media, Speech Systems Locations: Connecticut, Texas, Winnebago, Austin , Texas, Southern District, Southern District of Texas, Sandy Hook, Newtown , Connecticut, “

The largest single-contributor donations went to MAGA Inc., the super PAC backing Trump, with Wisconsin roofing billionaire Diane Hendricks, a prolific GOP megadonor, giving $10 million to the group. On the Democratic side, tech entrepreneurs were the biggest donors to FF PAC, also known as Future Forward, a super PAC backing Harris’ presidential bid. Moskovitz donated $3 million to FF PAC, while Hastings, Jeff Lawson and Erica Lawson each gave $1 million. Super PACs like FF PAC and MAGA Inc. are havens for prolific political megadonors like Hendricks, Lutnick and Hastings because, unlike campaigns and their affiliated committees, super PACs don’t have limits on how much individuals can donate. Yass and Uihlein are both major GOP megadonors who have given to Club for Growth and other conservative groups for multiple election cycles.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Diane Hendricks, Howard Lutnick, Cantor Fitzgerald, Paul Singer, Annette Caldwell Simmons, Harold Simmons, Warren Stephens, Harris, Leon Neal, Dustin Moskovitz, Reed Hastings, Twilio, Jeff Lawson, Erica, Moskovitz, Erica Lawson, Hastings, Joe Biden, Hendricks, Jeff Yass, Richard Uihlein, Amos Hostetter Jr Organizations: Democrats, Republicans, Federal, MAGA Inc, PAC, Trump, GOP, Elliott Management, Stephens Inc, Democratic, FF PAC, Facebook, Netflix, Growth, Susquehanna International Group, for Growth, House, Congress, Continental Cablevision Locations: Wisconsin, Hastings, Lutnick, Yass, Uihlein

☆ Is digital fatigue leading to the revival of print?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | 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 EmailIs digital fatigue leading to the revival of print? The Onion's CEO Ben Collins and owner Jeff Lawson, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss how digital fatigue has led consumers back to print.

Persons: Ben Collins, Jeff Lawson

☆ Eighty-eight corporate leaders endorse Harris in new letter, including CEOs of Yelp, Box
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Megan Cassella | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Eighty-eight current and former top executives from across corporate America have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in a new letter shared exclusively with CNBC. Among the signers are several high-profile CEOs of public companies, including Aaron Levie of Box , Jeremy Stoppelman of Yelp and Michael Lynton, chairman of Snap . Other signers appear to be issuing their first public endorsements of Harris since she became the de facto Democratic nominee in July. They include James Murdoch, former CEO of 21st Century Fox and an heir to the Murdoch family media empire, and crypto executive Chris Larsen, co-founder of the Ripple blockchain platform. Still more are prominent in Silicon Valley, including the venture capitalist Ron Conway, entrepreneur Mark Cuban and former LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Kamala Harris, Aaron Levie, Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp, Michael Lynton, Harris, James Murdoch, Murdoch, Chris Larsen, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, José E, Feliciano, Twilio, Jeff Lawson, Ted Leonsis, Kleiner Perkins, John Doerr, Deven Parekh, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Wndr, Laurene Powell Jobs, Dustin Moskovitz, Magic Johnson, Tony James, Blackstone, Bruce Heyman, Goldman Sachs, Peter Orszag, Steve Westly, Ron Conway, Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman Organizations: WASHINGTON, CNBC, Democratic, Century Fox, Washington Wizards, WNBA's Mystics, NHL's Washington Capitals, Walt Disney Studios, Facebook, NBA Hall of Famer, Jefferson, Lazard, Westly, Tesla Locations: America, California, Capital, Silicon Valley

☆ Dozens of business leaders endorse Kamala Harris for president
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Liam Reilly | Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dozens of business leaders are throwing their weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she is the stronger candidate for the American economy and the future of democracy. In a three-page letter, a group of 88 business leaders — including high-profile current and former executives from major public companies across tech, media, and finance — emphasized that they believe a Harris administration can better nurture the private sector. The endorsements underscore the support Harris has not only in Silicon Valley, a traditional Democratic stronghold, but in some corners on Wall Street and at some consumer-facing companies. On the campaign trail, Harris has positioned herself as perhaps friendlier to business than President Joe Biden. The letter is a vote of confidence for Harris as she and former President Donald Trump appear neck and neck ahead of the November election.

Persons: Kamala Harris, —, Harris, “, James Murdoch, Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Lynton, Jeremy Stoppelman, Hoffman, Jeff Lawson, Laurene Powell Jobs, Peter Chernin, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Joe Biden, Trump, Elon Musk, David Sacks, San Francisco, Doug Leone, Joe Lonsdale, Peter Thiel, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, CNBC, Democratic, Century Fox, Emerson Collective, TCG, Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Trump, San, Republican National Convention, America PAC, Sequoia Capital, Palantir, ABC Locations: Silicon Valley, United States

☆ How Bloomberg Beta's James Cham finds the tech founders making a 'dent in the universe'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cham ended up writing one of the first checks to Weights & Biases after he was convinced Biewald fulfilled his lofty criteria for backing founders. "I am looking for people who are trying to make a dent in the universe," Cham said. Instead of asking founders how they plan to make that dent, Cham prefers to spend lots of time observing them to see what makes them tick. Cham began making his own dent in the world after majoring in computer science at Harvard and becoming a consultant at Accenture. "The reality that the money that we make goes towards Bloomberg Philanthropies is something founders oftentimes find appealing," Cham said.

Persons: James Cham, Lukas Biewald, Cham, Biewald, Jeff Lawson, It's, Bloomberg Philanthropies, who've, James, Shreya Rajpal, who's, Rajpal Organizations: Bloomberg Beta, Business, Harvard, Accenture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bessemer Venture Partners, Trinity Ventures, Bloomberg

☆ Twilio cofounder Jeff Lawson appears to have just bought The Onion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Katherine Long | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Satirical news website The Onion was sold to a company called Global Tetrahedron. Global Tetrahedron is also the name of a fictional evil megacorporation in a long-running Onion gag. But it's a real company, and Twilio founder Jeff Lawson appears to be behind it. AdvertisementJeff Lawson, the cofounder of cloud computing company Twilio, appears to have purchased the satirical news website The Onion from G/O Media. When asked whether he had purchased The Onion, Lawson played coy.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, —, Lawson, Jim Spanfeller, Katie Robertson, Spanfeller, coy, O Organizations: Service, O, New York Times Locations: San Francisco, Chicago

☆ Sachem Head’s Andy Stafman joins Twilio’s board. Here’s how he may help grow margins
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

More recently, after nominating a majority director slate, Sachem Head settled for three board seats at US Foods. Taking board seats signifies both commitment and contribution, and this philosophy and style is really paying off for Sachem Head. After 2021, the revenue growth started slowing: It's 8.5% today, and it's estimated to be 5% to 10% in the coming years. As much as a growth market rewards hyper-growth stocks, it punishes those companies when revenue growth slows. On March 30, Sachem Head received a board seat for Andy J. Stafman, partner at Sachem Head, and agreed to withdraw its notice of shareholder proposals and nomination of candidates for election to the board at the 2024 annual meeting.

Persons: Scott Ferguson, Sachem, Ferguson, Olin —, Twilio, Twilio's, Jeff Lawson, Khozema, denigrate Lawson, Sinch, Andy J, Stafman, Anson, Sagar Gupta, Thomas Wyatt, Ken Squire Organizations: Pershing, Olin, US Foods, Sachem, Communications, Gartner, IDC, Twilio . Legion Partners, Anson Funds, Legion Partners, 13D Locations: Twilio

☆ Twilio board shakeup prompts renewed activist scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, Twilio announced a settlement with Sachem Head, an activist investor whose involvement in the company had been previously unreported. The agreement resulted in Twilio, which sells communications software, giving a board seat to Andy Stafman, a partner at Sachem Head. Two days later, Twilio said Byron Deeter, a prominent venture capitalist and early investor in the company, would be leaving the board. On March 11, less than a week after Twilio concluded the review, Sachem Head told the company it planned to nominate board candidates. "This issue remains relevant despite Mr. Deeter's departure given the continued directorship of another Bessemer partner," Gupta said.

Persons: Twilio, Jeff Lawson, Anson, that's, Andy Stafman, Byron Deeter, Sagar Gupta, Gupta, Lawson's, Legion, FactSet, Lawson, Sachem, Stafman, Deeter, Bessemer, Jeff Epstein Organizations: Anson Funds, Sachem, Board, Nasdaq, Legion Partners, CNBC, Bessemer Locations: Twilio, Europe, Anson, Bessemer

☆ Mathilde Collin built a $1.7 billion email startup by the time she was 32. She's now stepping back at an inflection point for Front.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And so last fall, Collin kicked off a search for a new board director, to fill in her knowledge gaps. Now, Collin says she will step down as chief executive of Front after her hunt for a board director took an unexpected turn. She will move into an executive chair role on April 15, when O'Connell takes up the mantle as chief executive, Front tells Business Insider exclusively. Known for her sharp wit and radical candor, Collin started the business out of college in her native France. Advertisement"We're at a scale now where the CEO can't come in and sort of wave the proverbial magic wand and make things happen," said Mohammed Attar, Front's chief product officer.

Persons: Mathilde Collin, Collin, Dan O'Connell, O'Connell, Garry Tan, Paul Buchheit, Jack Altman, Kyle Vogt, Cruise, Jeff Lawson, Mohammed Attar, —, Josh Stein, Stein Organizations: Service, Business, Dialpad, Front Locations: San Francisco neighborhood, France, Dialpad

☆ Twilio begins operational review of activist-targeted business unit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twilio has been the subject of shareholder scrutiny over the performance of its Segment business, which it acquired at a large premium to its private-market valuation and has dragged on the performance of Twilio's longer-standing communications business. Activist investors at Anson Funds and Legion Capital have both said they would like the company to sell off either the Segment unit or the whole company. The company reported earnings per share, excluding items, of 86 cents, better than an LSEG, formerly Refinitiv, consensus estimate of 58 cents. The company reported a loss of $365.4 million in its fourth quarter. Analysts surveyed by StreetAccount had been expecting 311,000 active customers, but the company reported only 305,000 active customers.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Twilio, Twilio didn't, Jeff Lawson's, Lawson, Khozema Shipchandler, Shipchandler, StreetAccount Organizations: Communications, Twilio Inc, New York Stock Exchange, Anson Funds, Legion Capital, Revenue, CNBC PRO Locations: New York City

☆ Twilio CEO Lawson steps down after bruising activist battles
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The move comes as Twilio grapples with two activist investors who have been pushing for significant changes. In a regulatory filing announcing the move, the company also said Twilio expected fourth-quarter revenue and income to come in above its prior guidance. Lawson will also step down from Twilio's board, where he had served as chairman. "I am honored to step into the CEO role," Shipchandler said in a release. We look forward to continuing to engage with Twilio's Board and management team going forward," he added.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Spain Twilio, Twilio, Lawson, Khozema, Shipchandler, Jeff Epstein, we've, Jeff Lawson's, Sagar Gupta, Gupta, Partner's Organizations: Twilio, Mobile, Congress, Bessemer Venture Partners, Anson Funds, Legion Partners, CNBC, Qatalyst Partners, Twilio's, Partners, Twilio's Board, CNBC PRO Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Twilio

☆ Twilio lays off 5% of employees in unit activists want to divest
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Lawson, chief executive officer of Twilio Inc., during the Singapore FinTech Festival in Singapore, on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Software provider Twilio said Monday it would lay off roughly 5% of its workforce citing underachievement in the growth of a unit that activist investors have targeted. The cuts will strike deepest in Twilio's Data and Applications unit, the same unit activist investors at Legion Partners and Anson Funds are pushing Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson to divest. Lawson said in his letter that Twilio will also change how it sells its Flex digital engagement product. Anson and Legion have pushed Twilio to sell the Data & Applications unit, if not the whole company.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Twilio, Anson, Legion, Lawson, hasn't Organizations: Twilio Inc, Singapore FinTech Festival, underachievement, Legion Partners, Anson Funds, CNBC, Securities, Exchange Commission, Communications, Legion Locations: Singapore

☆ Activist fund Anson takes Twilio stake, urges board to sell
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Activist investor Anson Funds has built a stake in Twilio and sent a letter to the enterprise software company's board pushing for the sale of the entire business, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. The letter to the board urges Twilio to either sell itself or at a minimum, divest its data and applications business, the person familiar said. "Twilio regularly engages with shareholders and appreciates constructive input that furthers our goal of creating sustainable long-term value," a Twilio spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. The continued activist attention caps off a challenging year for Twilio, which makes software that helps businesses engage with their customers. In March, Silver Lake and CPP Investments announced a deal to take survey software company Qualtrics private in a $12.5 billion deal.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Anson, Twilio, Sagar Gupta, Gupta Organizations: Twilio Inc, New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, Legion Partners, The, Twilio, Communications, Tech, Investments, IBM, Cisco, CNBC PRO Locations: New York, Twilio, Silver

☆ We're focused on our customers, not other big tech competitors: Twilio CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | 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 EmailWe're focused on our customers, not other big tech competitors: Twilio CEOJeff Lawson of Twilio discusses the company's strategy of utilizing generative AI to transform customer communications and explains why he is not worried about increasing competition in the space.

Persons: We're, Jeff Lawson, Twilio

☆ Twilio CEO on earnings beat, margins and cost discipline
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | 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 EmailTwilio CEO on earnings beat, margins and cost disciplineJeff Lawson, Twilio co-founder and CEO, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss how Lawson sees the narrative shaping around Twilio, how much more Twilio can get on margins, and much more.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Twilio, Lawson Locations: Twilio

☆ Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: As the economy heats up again it will be a tailwind for us
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: As the economy heats up again it will be a tailwind for usTwilio Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Lawson joins 'Mad Money' host Jim Cramer to talk the AI boom, customer growth and more.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Jim Cramer Organizations: Twilio

☆ These are Goldman Sachs' favorite AI plays for the long haul
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial intelligence may only be in its early innings, but Goldman Sachs is naming its favorite stocks to benefit from this disruptive technology over the long haul. To find the winners and the company-specific earnings boosts from AI, Goldman first calculated the share of wage bill exposed to AI automation. Goldman found the potential earnings change from AI adoption by averaging the results from two scenarios. Outside the technology sector, Goldman Sachs highlighted Walmart and Walgreens Boots Alliance as potential winners within the consumer staples sector. AI could boost baseline earnings 44% overtime at Walmart, which last week lifted its full-year outlook due to heightened grocery and online spending.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Russell, Andy Jassy, Twilio, Jeff Lawson, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Amazon, CNBC, Software, Walmart, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Illumina, Occidental Petroleum

☆ Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: We're focused on more efficient growth now
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | 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 EmailTwilio CEO Jeff Lawson: We're focused on more efficient growth nowTwilio CEO and co-founder Jeff Lawson joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, sales growth and revenue outlook, and more.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, We're

☆ Activist investor Legion urges Twilio to consider board changes, divestitures- The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 30 (Reuters) - Activist investor Legion Partners has met Twilio Inc (TWLO.N) officials several times, urging the cloud computing company to make changes to its board and consider divestitures, The Information reported on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Legion confirmed to Reuters that it has been in dialogue with Twilio, adding the hedge fund is hopeful that "significant action" will be taken. Twilio's use of supervoting shares, which give Chief Executive Jeff Lawson a near 22% voting stake, is set to expire in less than a month, according to The Information report. Shares in Twilio jumped about 5% after the report. The company in February had said it was eliminating about 17% of its workforce and closing some offices to improve profitability.

Persons: Twilio, Jeff Lawson, Lawson, Deborah Sophia, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Partners, Twilio Inc, Legion, Reuters, Bed, Wall, Thomson Locations: Twilio, Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson sees direct correlation between economy and Twilio's performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTwilio CEO Jeff Lawson sees direct correlation between economy and Twilio's performanceTwilio CEO and co-founder Jeff Lawson joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to discuss quarterly results, forward guidance, and stock performance.

☆ Twilio stock falls on weaker-than-expected revenue forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twilio shares fell as much as 14% in extended trading on Tuesday after the developer of communications software issued a forecast for the second quarter that trailed analysts' estimates. Here's how the company did:Earnings: 47 cents per share, adjusted, vs. 21 cents per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. 47 cents per share, adjusted, vs. 21 cents per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Revenue: $1.01 billion, vs. $1.00 billion as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Prior to the after-hours move, Twilio shares were up 14% in 2023, while the S&P 500 index is up 7% this year.

☆ Google employees complain about CEO Sundar Pichai's pay raise as cost cuts hit rest of the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a panel at the CEO Summit of the Americas hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Google CEO Sundar Pichai received a hefty pay raise last year, making him one of the highest-paid CEOs in America. SEC filings showed Pichai was paid a total of $226 million last year, mostly through $218 million in stock awards. Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson said he'd also be taking a pay cut amid a 17% workforce reduction. At an all-hands meeting, employees asked Pichai why executives are getting pay cuts if he's taking responsibility.

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson bought $10 million worth of his company's stock last week, putting him at the top of the list for insider buying, according to VerityData and securities filings. Twilio, like many other tech stocks, deflated in 2022, and the stock is down about 80% since mid-October 2021. A $10 million buy from Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson on Feb. 24. A nearly $2 million buy from Impinj chairman Steve Sanghi on Feb. 23. On the smaller side, Charles Rivers Labs director Richard Wallman made his second insider buy in three months.

☆ We're focused on really looking at our investments says Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe're focused on really looking at our investments says Twilio CEO Jeff LawsonJeff Lawson, Twilio co-founder and CEO, joins 'TechCheck' to discuss his thoughts on the company's layoffs and shares popping after its first billion dollar quarter.

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