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☆ Google Gemini gets Marc Benioff's stamp of approval
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

His latest fascination is Google's Gemini Live, an AI voice assistant. Marc Benioff gave Google's AI voice assistant, Gemini Live, his stamp of approval. "Just downloaded Gemini Live, and I'm absolutely blown away," he wrote in an X post on Sunday. Google released a smartphone app for Gemini Live on Apple's App Store on Thursday, just a few months after the virtual assistant was made free for users. We already have that live," Benioff said.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, Sundar Pichai, Copilot, Insider's Ashley Stewart, OpenAI's ChatGPT, ChatGPT's, Axios, Jensen Huang, David Sacks Organizations: Gemini, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Apple Intelligence, Business, BI, Pacific, Nvidia Locations: Francisco

☆ Interview: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff bashes Microsoft as generative AI threatens his company's CRM lead
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a Business Insider interview this week, he let loose again, blasting Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant, while touting the Salesforce AI agents that are rolling out soon. In the interview with BI, Benioff focused on Salesforce's continued lead in the CRM market, rather than Microsoft's creeping gains. Generative AI may change CRMGenerative artificial intelligence may be a new challenge to Salesforce and especially its lead in CRM software. He cited CRM software, which replaced the physical Rolodex and helped salespeople keep in better touch with their contacts. It helps companies create their own AI agents to assist with tasks such as customer service and sales.

Persons: —, Marc Benioff isn't, Benioff, Copilot, Salesforce's, Rishi Jaluria, salespeople, Salesforce, Jaluria, It's, Morgan Stanley, Einstein, Agentforce Organizations: Microsoft, Salesforce's, Service, IDC, RBC Capital Markets

☆ Marc Benioff says Microsoft rebranding Copilot as AI 'agents' shows they're in 'panic mode'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Benioff said Microsoft Copilot was inaccurate and compared it to "Clippy 2.0." Salesforce recently announced a pivot to Agentforce, its own product that inlcudes custom AI agents. Benioff's post comes over a month after Salesforce announced its own pivot to AI agents through Agentforce. Advertisement"This is the next big transformation," Benioff told Fortune in September, referring to AI agents. In his X post critiquing Microsoft Copilot, the Salesforce CEO said Agentforce, in contrast, was "what AI was meant to be."

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce, —, Copilot, Fortune, Agentforce Organizations: Microsoft, it's, Service, Monday, Business, McKinsey, Thomson Reuters

We're seeing huge Prime Day laptop deals, including big savings on gaming laptops, MacBooks, and more. Some of the best Prime Day laptop deals we've found include Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3i for 15% off, which was already an amazing value at full price. The best Amazon Prime Day gaming laptop dealsThe MSI Katana A15 for 18% off is an excellent deal that brings the upper-mid-range gaming laptop under $1,500. View at AmazonThe best Amazon Prime Day laptop dealsThe 14-inch HP laptop is an incredible deal at 29% off, bringing high-performance specs to $500. Check out our roundup of all of the best Prime Day deals, or browse Amazon's website for the full selection.

Persons: Slim Organizations: Business, Deal, Slim 3i, Amazon, Amazon Lenovo Legion 5i, Lenovo, Asus, MacBook, Apple MacBook, Air, Apple, Microsoft

☆ Google files EU antitrust complaint accusing Microsoft of stifling cloud competition
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Google filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission Wednesday accusing Microsoft of using unfair licensing contracts to stifle competition in the multibillion-dollar cloud computing industry. At the heart of Google's complaint is the allegation that Microsoft uses unfair licensing terms to "lock in" clients and exert control over the cloud market. Referring to the CISPE settlement, Microsoft said in a statement Wednesday that it expects the European Commission to dismiss Google's complaint. "Microsoft settled amicably similar concerns raised by European cloud providers, even after Google hoped they would keep litigating," a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC via email. "Having failed to persuade European companies, we expect Google similarly will fail to persuade the European Commission."

Persons: CISPE Organizations: Google, European, Wednesday, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Commission, CNBC, European Commission

☆ Marc Benioff dismisses Microsoft's Copilot AI as the next 'Clippy'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff compared Microsoft's Copilot to Office's much-maligned "Clippy." Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementIt's unclear which assistant should be more offended: Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft Office's Clippy. Benioff dismissed Microsoft's Copilot AI features during an interview in the midst of his company's annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. "We all know now that Microsoft Copilot is basically the new Microsoft Clippy, that customers have not gotten value from it," Benioff said during an interview with Bloomberg.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Copilot, Benioff, Salesforce, —, Microsoft's Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Business Locations: San Francisco

☆ 'Living death' was my dad's nickname for office work. Now I'm in my 40s — and I can see why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Ariel Sophia Bardi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. I'd spent carefree years bouncing around Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Mexico, India and Armenia. Advertisement"Living death," that's how my philosopher-slash-guitarist father had nicknamed office work. Author's view from hotel overlooking the Bay of Algiers Ariel Sophia BardiA freelance job helped me feel free againI needed to start living again. I make no comparison between their incredible courage and my own infinitely milder risks, which soon included drifting back to freelance work.

Persons: —, I'd, Trump, wasn't, Algiers Ariel Sophia Bardi, warbled, Rai, one's Organizations: Service, Business, Microsoft Locations: Algeria, Palms, Algiers, California, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Mexico, India, Armenia, Oran

☆ You can now get all of Microsoft Office's apps painted on your nails for just $200
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Nail tech Linh Nguyen has created a Microsoft Office-themed manicure. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Painting each of their nails with a different application from Microsoft Office — a standard tool for the 9-5 class — may be a way to show they're passionate about their job. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Nguyen, — Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Microsoft Office, Business

☆ The mass IT outage is causing chaos, but social media users are having a field day
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

While businesses scramble to deal with the consequences of the hit, social media users are responding in the best way they know how: memes. 'The blue screen of death'Many PC users logged on to their computers on Friday to be met with Window's so-called blue screen of death. Attached is a photo of five laptops on an office desk, all displaying the "blue screen of death." Advertisement"Crowdstrike is accomplishing what we thought Y2K would be, it's quite impressive," one user posted on X. AdvertisementSocial media users have been quick to point out the irony of how CrowdStrike's software, which is meant to prevent businesses from being brought down, has ended up accidentally causing so much chaos.

Persons: —, Window's Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Business Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Spanish startups hit Microsoft with complaint over cloud practices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft was hit with a Spanish startup group's complaint about its cloud practices to the Spanish antitrust regulator on Tuesday, the latest grievance over its fast-growing cloud computing services and which followed a trade group's EU complaint. The Spanish Startup Association, which represents more than 700 startups in Spain, cited a number of allegedly anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in recent years. Microsoft defended its cloud practices. "Microsoft provides choice and flexibility for our customers to switch to another cloud provider at no cost, and our licensing terms enable our customers and other cloud providers to run and offer Microsoft software on every cloud," a spokesperson said. "We will engage with the Spanish Startup Association to learn more about its concerns."

Persons: Carlos Mateo Organizations: Microsoft, Mobile, Amazon, Spanish Startup Association, Operating Systems, Windows, Reuters, Cloud Infrastructure Services, European Commission, Competition, Markets Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Spanish, U.S, Europe

☆ The New York Mets are hiring for one of the most iconic mascot jobs in sports—here's how to apply
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Mets are looking for someone to pick up the mantle of one of the most iconic mascots in American sports. The Flushing, Queens-based ball club recently posted a job listing for a "high-energy, enthusiastic individual" to don Mr. Met's massive baseball-shaped head and serve as the team's most identifiable brand ambassador. The organization is looking for applicants with proven mascot experience and the ability "to perform physically demanding activities" while in the famous costume. But the role of manager of "Mascot Operations" for Mr. Met — as well as his wife Mrs. Met — requires much more than putting on the uniform and mask and keeping fans entertained between innings. Job responsibilities include working with the Mets' marketing team, managing department budgets and coordinating mascot appearances at events around the city.

Organizations: New York Mets, Microsoft, Mets Locations: Flushing, Queens

☆ 3 ways to leverage LinkedIn for your job search, according to a recruiter with 26 years of experience
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some career experts liken LinkedIn to a living, breathing CV, while others say they spend longer on a candidate's LinkedIn profile than on their résumé. Shah shared three other ways candidates can optimize LinkedIn to stand out to hiring managers. Treat your LinkedIn profile like a résuméPeople are used to enhancing their résumés to stand out in employers' keyword-searching software. Add those phrases to your LinkedIn profile too, because recruiters look for candidates by typing in industry-related keywords, Shah said. Related story"Candidates should include relevant keywords in the 'About' section and their last job experience position details," he said.

Persons: —, Nick Shah, Shah, he'll Organizations: LinkedIn, Service, Gallup, Business, Peterson Technology Partners, Microsoft Locations: Park Ridge , Illinois

☆ Microsoft says Russian hackers attacked it to find information about themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft said on Friday that its security systems were breached by a Russian hacking group. Microsoft identified the group as Midnight Blizzard, which was behind the SolarWinds cyberattack. AdvertisementMicrosoft said Friday that its systems were breached by Russian hackers who accessed a "very small percentage" of corporate email accounts. The attack was launched by Midnight Blizzard — the seasoned Russian hacking group behind the massive 2020 attack on US information technology firm SolarWinds, which exposed sensitive information in the US federal government. But federal investigators said they found evidence the hackers accessed Microsoft Office 365.

Persons: — Organizations: Microsoft, Midnight, Service, Midnight Blizzard, Initiative Locations: Russian, China

☆ Microsoft eyes seat on OpenAI's revamped board - The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 19 (Reuters) - OpenAI's biggest backer, Microsoft (MSFT.O), is considering taking a role on the board if ousted CEO Sam Altman returns to the ChatGPT developer, the Information reported on Sunday citing two people familiar with the talks. Microsoft could either take a seat on OpenAI's board of directors, or as a board observer without voting power, the report added. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Sam Altman, Urvi, Rashmi Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, OpenAI's, Thomson Locations: Issy, Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ What to expect from Microsoft's AI-focused conference this week — and why the stock could move higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Starting in-person Tuesday in Seattle and livestreamed from Wednesday, Microsoft's "Ignite" event consists of three days of product announcements and various keynotes from technology executives. At the Club, we'll be looking for initial evidence of a return on investment (ROI) for Microsoft's AI products — particularly the company's recently launched AI assistant, 365 Copilot . MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft (MSFT) year-to-date performance Piper Sandler reiterated the Club's take that evidence of early adoption around Copilot, along with ROI, could be bullish for Microsoft. Bottom line Microsoft stock, up more than 54% year-to-date, has surged in 2023 on the generative AI boom. If the Ignite conference provides further evidence that Microsoft's large bet on AI is paying off, it would likely be positive for the stock.

Persons: we'll, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo, Wells, they'll, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Omar Marques Organizations: Microsoft, Sunday, Ignite, Bloomberg, Devices, CNBC, Getty Locations: Seattle, livestreamed, Copilot, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft's quarterly results and guidance showcase its AI prowess
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Nadella touted Azure's AI leadership on the post-earnings conference call, calling its AI infrastructure the best for both training and inference, while noting it has deployed its AI services in more regions than any other cloud providers. Gaming was also a strong, with Xbox content and services revenue increasing 12% on a constant-currency basis. Rounding out the quarter, revenue at the productivity-and-business-processes unit increased about 13%, to $18.59 billion, beating estimates of $18.19 billion. Some key highlights include the 17%-constant-currency increase in Microsoft Office commercial revenue growth, which benefitted from a 10% increase in seat growth. Second quarter Azure revenue growth is expected to be 26% to 27% in constant currency.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Omar Marques Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, LSEG, Club, Fortune, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, Getty

☆ Microsoft to spend $3.2b in Australia as AI regulation looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) said it will spend A$5 billion ($3.2 billion) expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing abilities in Australia over two years as part of a wide-ranging effort that includes skills training and cyber security. The U.S. tech giant said it would raise its computing capacity in Australia by 250%, enabling the world's No. "This is a major investment in the skills and workers of the future," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement issued by Microsoft. A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. It said it would expand its data centre footprint in Australia from 20 sites to 29.

Persons: OpenAI, Anthony Albanese, Gonzalo Fuentes, Brad Smith, Steven Worrall, Byron Kaye, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Microsoft, Australian Signals Directorate, REUTERS, Australia, Thomson Locations: Australia, U.S, Issy, Paris, France

☆ Piper Sandler names its 'highest conviction' large-cap stock to own into the year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Piper Sandler named Microsoft as its "highest conviction" large-cap stock to own into the year-end. Analysts from the financial services company pointed to a few drivers for the stock in an Oct. 15 note. Piper Sandler also described Microsoft's upcoming M365 Copilot in November as a catalyst. Piper Sandler is optimistic, noting there's been increased traffic to Microsoft's Copilot adoption website. Piper Sandler believes it has further upside, giving it a price target of $400.

Persons: Piper Sandler, there's, Amy Hood, It's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Jordan Novet Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI

☆ Antitrust Trial: Microsoft CEO warns of impact of Google's search monopoly on AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nadella testified on Monday as part of the US government’s sweeping antitrust trial against Google, now into its 14th day. His testimony reflected the frustrations of a long-running rivalry between Microsoft and Google whose tensions have permeated the weeks-long trial. Central to Google’s strategy has been its agreements with companies such as Apple that have made Google the default search engine for millions of internet users. “You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, you search on Google,” Nadella said. Google’s dominance in search is reinforced when websites and publishers optimize for Google’s search algorithm and not Bing’s, when advertisers flock to Google and when users stick to what’s familiar, Nadella argued.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, ” Nadella, Eddy Cue, else’s, Microsoft’s Bing, Bing, “, ”, … Organizations: CNN, Google, Microsoft, Apple

Microsoft announced the biggest gaming deal in history in early 2022, but the acquisition was blocked by Britain's competition regulator, which was concerned the U.S. computing giant would gain too much control of the nascent cloud gaming market. Under the restructured deal, Microsoft will not be able to release Activision games like "Overwatch" and "Diablo" exclusively on its own cloud streaming service — Xbox Cloud Gaming – or to exclusively control the licensing terms for rival services. Instead, French gaming rival Ubisoft will acquire the cloud streaming rights for Activision's existing PC and console games, and any new games released by Activision in the next 15 years. A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. Microsoft said Ubisoft would acquire the rights through a one-off payment and a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage.

Persons: Tom Smith, there's, Gonzalo Fuentes, Alex Haffner, Fladgate, Sarah Cardell, Yadarisa, Kate Holton, Foo Yun Chee, Barbara Lewis, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: CMA, Microsoft, Activision, Ubisoft Deal, Ubisoft Entertainment, Ubisoft, Markets Authority, European Commission, Geradin Partners, Big Tech, Reuters, REUTERS, European Union . Competition, Federal Trade Commission, European, European Union, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: New York, Paris, U.S, Europe, Brussels, EU, Issy, France, British, United States, Bengaluru, London

☆ Microsoft plans AI service with Databricks that could hurt OpenAI- The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, January 25, 2023. Databricks - a data analytics platform that uses artificial intelligence, which Microsoft would sell through its Azure cloud-server unit - helps companies make AI models from scratch or repurpose open-source models as an alternative to licensing OpenAI's proprietary ones, the report added. Microsoft and Databricks did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In July, Microsoft laid out an aggressive spending plan to meet demand for its AI services. The company has started integrating AI functionality across its products such as Azure, Microsoft 365, GitHub and several developer tools.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Databricks, Gursimran Kaur, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Issy, Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ AI Scams, Spam, Hacking, Are Ruining the Internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A report from Europol expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. A report from Europol, the European Union's law-enforcement agency, expects a mind-blowing 90% of internet content to be AI-generated in a few years. And while AI bots have telltale signs now, experts indicate that they will soon get better at mimicking humans and evading the detection systems developed by Menczer and social networks. While misinformation has long been a problem with the internet, AI is going to blow our old problems out of the water. But security researchers have discovered that the AI bots in your apps and devices might steal sensitive information for the hackers.

Persons: HBO Max, haven't, ChatGPT, Christian Selig, Reddit, Martijn Pieters, He'd, NewsGuard, Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard's, Filippo Menczer, NewsGuard's Crovitz, Christopher Cowell, Cowell, John Licato, Bing, Florian Tramèr, Toby Walsh, Walsh, Shubham Agarwal Organizations: HBO, Europol, Market, Indiana University's Observatory, Social Media, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, University of South, ETH Zürich, University of New, University of Oxford, Wired, Company Locations: Cambridge, Europol, Portland , Oregon, Etsy, University of South Florida, University of New South Wales, Ahmedabad, India

☆ Here are the 9 smartest ways to invest in artificial intelligence right now, according to Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Here's how Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS recommend investing in AI. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UBS are more optimistic about AI stocks after each expressed hesitations earlier this year as shares of companies tied to the technology exploded higher. In contrast, Morgan Stanley has dismissed concerns that AI stocks are in a bubble. "Inevitably, the market will compare AI to the dot-com boom," wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Shawn Kim in a July report. As for chipmakers, Morgan Stanley agreed with Bank of America that the path forward is bifurcated.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Marcelli, Art Cashin, Michael Hartnett, Shawn Kim, Mike Wilson, Morgan, Vivek Arya, Wilson Organizations: Wall, Bank of America, UBS, Americas, Nvidia, Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Cadence Design Systems, Bank of, Accenture, Microsoft, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Consumer Locations: California, Snowflake, OpenAI

☆ Microsoft adds $154 billion in market value after it announces $30 per month AI subscription
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft stock surged as much as 6% on Tuesday after the company unveiled an AI subscription for its Office 365 platform. The software giant will charge $30 per month per user to have AI capabilities integrated into its Microsoft Office platform. At its peak on Tuesday, Microsoft added $154 billion to its market value, which is bigger than Morgan Stanley. Investors cheered the move and the company's apparent pricing power, with Microsoft stock adding as much as $154 billion to its market valuation at its peak on Tuesday. Microsoft stock hit a record high of $366.78 in Tuesday trades and was on track to close at its highest level ever.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Yusuf Mehdi, Dan Ives, Ives Organizations: Microsoft, Service, Intel, Honeywell, Bing Locations: Wall, Silicon, Copilot, OpenAI

☆ Your Word, Outlook, and Excel apps might look different. Microsoft just changed its default font for the first time in 15 years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft announced this week that it's changing its default Office font to Aptos. Microsoft Office users may notice that their documents look different. Microsoft announced this week that it's replacing Calibri, its default font for the last 15 years, with a new font, Aptos. Aptos will officially become the default font for all customers in the upcoming months. Microsoft said that changes to its default font were needed to adapt its suite of Microsoft Office tools to higher resolution screens as technology continues to evolve.

Persons: Aptos, Steve Matteson, —, Tenorite, Matteson's Organizations: Microsoft, Toyota, Google, Windows Locations: Calibri, — Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, Santa Cruz , California

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