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☆ What JD Vance's rise tells us about the influence of Peter Thiel — and Silicon Valley in the age of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Without Peter Thiel, Vance does not get anywhere near the US Senate. And in Silicon Valley, the conservative movement is much stronger, and more muscular than it was before. AdvertisementThere's this narrative, promoted by people like Thiel, that Silicon Valley is super-liberal. Because Silicon Valley has conservative roots in addition to roots in the counterculture. AdvertisementLike I said, the liberal nature of Silicon Valley has always been sort of overplayed.

Persons: —, I'm, Donald Trump, Vance, Peter Thiel —, Max Chafkin, who's, Thiel, Peter Thiel's, Trump, JD Vance, Narya, It's, supercharge, Bill Pugliano, David Sacks, Peter Thiel, revel, that's, he's, Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, They're, Elon Musk's, Apu Gomes, Steve Jobs, Ben Horowitz Organizations: Service, Republican, Trump, Business, Bloomberg Businessweek, Republican National Convention, YouTube, Ohio Senate, The, Thiel, Twitter Locations: Silicon Valley, Mithril, Narya, Ohio, West Coast, —, America, Silicon, San Francisco

☆ WBD is suing the NBA so it can stay in business with the NBA. Yikes.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Discovery boss David Zaslav told investors he'd be ok without NBA games, which his TNT network had been airing for decades. You can read an excellent blow-by-blow of WBD's failed negotiations with the NBA from John Ourand at Puck. One is that WBD somehow wins its suit and ends up forcing the NBA to give it games it would prefer to sell somewhere else. And then there are two other possibilities: One is that WBD doesn't get the games, but extracts some kind of settlement from the NBA for supposedly breaching a contract.

Persons: —, David Zaslav, He's, it's, they've, WBD's, John Ourand, WBD, who's, doesn't, Fox — Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, NBA, TNT, Disney, Comcast, Business, HBO, WBD, Fox, Advertisement College, NFL Locations: Puck

☆ Here's how moguls like Rupert Murdoch control their companies — without owning their companies
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Murdoch family is fighting over control over its media empire — even though it doesn't own all of it. The fight is over what happens to the company's voting shares — the ones that give the Murdochs the ultimate say. That's a set-up that's used quite often in media and tech: It lets moguls and founders take public money, without giving up power. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRupert Murdoch is fighting with his children over control of his media empire, and the "Succession"-style brawl is headed for a Nevada courtroom.

Persons: Murdoch, —, Rupert Murdoch Organizations: Service, News Corp, Fox, Business Locations: Nevada

☆ Mark Zuckerberg says his weird tan is just a tan — not a hint about a new product.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

What's up with Mark Zuckerberg's face? Maybe he's trying to tell us something? download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementWhen is a tan line just a tan line? But it was one I had Tuesday, when I saw a new video interview with Mark Zuckerberg.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg's, —, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Service

☆ Peacock's NFL subscriber bump looks like it's over
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Peacock signed up a lot of new subscribers earlier this year because of an NFL playoff game. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Some of them may no longer be Peacock subscribers. Comcast, Peacock's parent company, reports that the service's subscriber count dropped by 500,000 between the first and second quarters of this year. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Peacock, —, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, It's Organizations: NFL, Service, Comcast, Business

☆ Twitter's not back. But it's not going anywhere, either. Ask Ezra Klein.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Biden, like a lot of social media users, is a promiscuous poster: The same message went out on Threads and Instagram. Confirmed debate wasn't a… — Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) July 18, 2024Again: Klein has a column and a popular podcast at The New York Times, with all of the reach and clout that entails. I don't think it's good for the way I think most of the time. I don't think that's what Musk thought he was buying two years ago, and I don't feel great about using it myself. But I don't think it's going anywhere.

Persons: Musk, That's, Hasan Chowdhury, Joe Biden, Biden, Ezra Klein, podcaster, —, Senate Dems, Klein, I'd, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, The New York Times, Vox Media, Twitter, Dems, Senate, CNN Locations: United States, @ezraklein

☆ Apple quietly admits it's paying too much to run its streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Apple's streaming service has a well-deserved reputation for generous spending on TV shows and movies. Which brings up a recurring question for Apple: Why, exactly, is it running a streaming service? AdvertisementApple's streaming service makes programming that critics often like. As do the people who watch its TV shows and movies. The problem for Apple: Not that many people watch the stuff on Apple TV+.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple, Service, Business

☆ Warner Bros Discovery (basically) admits its merger didn't work
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That's basically the pitch the management of Warner Bros. Discovery is floating to investors today, via a story in the Financial Times: "A dramatic plan to split its digital streaming and studio businesses from its legacy television networks." And would the money from those declining networks be enough to service all that debt? Apple, most notably, inquired about buying HBO way back when its parent company was called Time Warner. If WBD can't split the company the way it's supposedly proposing now, it will end up selling off assets (maybe CNN?

Persons: That's, WBD, I've, hasn't, Pimple Popper, HBO hasn't, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Rich Greenfield, you'll, it's, Time Warner, David Zaslav —, Donald Trump, he's, Zaslav Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Financial, Business, HBO, Max, CNN, Netflix, Big Tech, Apple, Time, Sun, Paramount

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy told BuzzFeed to change. It hasn't. Now what?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewHere's an update from Vivek Ramaswamy's attempt to take over, or at least influence, BuzzFeed: Nothing's happening. There's a reason the non-news is worth noting today, though: It's July 15, the deadline Ramaswamy set for BuzzFeed to expand its board of directors by adding three new members he proposed. AdvertisementLast month, Ramaswamy and two of his proposed directors met with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti via conference call, which people on both sides of the table described as cordial. And if Ramaswamy has any plans to ratchet up pressure on BuzzFeed, he has yet to disclose them. That is: We're still wondering if Ramaswamy has spent millions on BuzzFeed because he wants attention, or wants to make money, or maybe both.

Persons: —, Vivek Ramaswamy's, Ramaswamy, There's, Jonah Peretti, there's, Chris Balfe, podcaster Patrick Bet, Clay Travis, Vivek, Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy's, he's Organizations: Service, Republican, Business

☆ This Elon Musk crackdown is starting to look ridiculous
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Everyone has complaints about the way Elon Musk runs Twitter. Add European regulators to that list: They don't like the way he's changed the service's "blue check" program for "verified users." 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 . This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Elon Musk, — Organizations: Elon, Service, Business

☆ These new WhatsApp TV ads tell you a lot about the company's growth plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewTen years ago, Meta bought WhatsApp for some $21 billion. A few years ago, it announced that WhatsApp had 2 billion users around the world, and that's about it. That's where Meta has started running ads promoting the messaging platform, using the cast of "Modern Family," the long-running sitcom. This isn't the first time Meta has advertised WhatsApp on TV. I ran that thesis by Carl Woog, who runs comms for WhatsApp, and he … said I had it right: WhatsApp thinks middle America is a growth market.

Persons: —, Meta, Meta's, WhatsApp, Carl Woog, …, Woog Organizations: Service, Facebook, Business, Meta, Hulu, Prestige, NBA Locations: America, Miami , New York, Seattle

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav would like a new president, too
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Media and tech bosses hate Joe Biden's antitrust policies, which they think are holding them back from buying and selling each other. Not WBD CEO David Zaslav, though. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Discovery CEO David Zaslav has no opinion about who should win the US presidential election this fall. But he got plenty close Tuesday at Sun Valley, the annual media and tech mogul conference:Via Bloomberg:

Persons: Joe, David Zaslav, —, Joe Biden, didn't Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Discovery, Bloomberg Locations: Sun

☆ Paramount's new owner says he's building a tech company. Come again?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But he is definitely leaning on the idea that he's building a media company that is also a tech company. That's partly because David Ellison isn't a tech mogul. But this reminds me a bit of the 2015 era when digital publishers like BuzzFeed and Vox Media told investors they weren't media companies but tech companies that made media. The bigger problem with the tech + media pitch isn't that tech and media aren't intertwined. AdvertisementThe real problem that Paramount — and just about every other big media company — has these days isn't that its tech isn't good enough.

Persons: —, David Ellison, Ellison, he's, David Ellison's, Larry Ellison —, We've, David Ellison isn't, Steve Jobs, Jobs, John Lasseter, it's, He's, Lasseter, That's, Rich Greenfield, It's Organizations: Service, Hollywood, Paramount, Media, Technology Enterprise, Business, Oracle, Apple, Pixar, Disney, Vox Media, Netflix, YouTube, Lightshed

☆ Waymo's robotaxis are better than some San Francisco drivers
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Waymo's autonomous driver is pretty damn smart, and aside from a few hesitations, the robotaxi offers a smooth, comfortable experience with competitive pricing against other ride-hailing apps. Lloyd Lee/Business InsiderWaymo's 5th generation autonomous driver could be best described as a safe but not an annoyingly cautious driver. It did the same thing to give itself more room when it detected a large parked bucket truck slightly in Waymo's lane. The expectation I had that the Waymo driver would be stiff, as the term "robot taxi" might suggest, was dispelled throughout the rides. The spokesperson said it's also possible I failed to notice something the Waymo car picked up.

Persons: —, San Francisco —, Uber, Lloyd Lee, Spokespeople, Lyft, Andrew Macdonald, Uber's, Waymo, Waymo's, BI's Peter Kafka, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Financial, SF, PACE, Jaguars Locations: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Pine

☆ Apple wants you to know it still doesn't like Meta
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Did Apple and Meta discuss an AI deal? Or is there no AI deal happening between Apple and Meta? download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementNews: Apple has talked to Meta, its fierce rival, about an AI deal. Also news: Apple is not talking to Meta about an AI deal, because Meta is a fierce rival.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple, Meta, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Service

☆ BuzzFeed really needs a 'Hot Ones' deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

BuzzFeed is trying to sell "Hot Ones," its hit video show. A deal would help BuzzFeed pay off some — but not all — of its $119 million debt obligation. This comes as Vivek Ramaswamy continues to scoop up BuzzFeed shares. 1: BuzzFeed has been trying to sell "Hot Ones," its hit viral video show, but has yet to make a deal. If BuzzFeed is successful at selling First We Feast, the company that owns "Hot Ones," then it will be in a better position to deal with Ramaswamy.

Persons: BuzzFeed, Vivek Ramaswamy, —, Jonah Peretti, Ramaswamy Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Elon Musk really wants advertisers' money. But he also wants to keep tweeting. He can't have both.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

His anti-revenue campaign reached its peak/nadir last fall, when he literally told advertisers to "go fuck yourself." And that's where Musk explained that when he told advertisers to go fuck themselves last year, he didn't mean all advertisers. "It was with respect to freedom of speech," he told Read. AdvertisementMeanwhile, the exodus of big brand advertisers has pushed Twitter ad rates way, way down. And I do shoot myself in the foot from time to time," he told Read.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Mark Read, Musk, Read, Oliver Darcy, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Joe, Puck, there's, It's Organizations: Service, Elon, Business, Cannes, WPP, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, Democratic Party, Republicans, Google, Media Locations: France, Mexico, Washington

☆ Pay TV is in so much trouble that even its one bright spot is dimming
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pay TV just suffered its worst quarter in history — a stunning 6.9% drop. The TV industry used to hope that digital services like YouTube TV could make up for losses from regular TV. In fact, YouTube TV just had its first quarterly subscriber loss ever. AdvertisementIf you pay any attention to the TV business, you know that pay TV subscriptions have been falling for years. People who used to pay for TV are cutting the cord, and younger people aren't bothering to sign up for pay TV at all.

Persons: — Organizations: YouTube, Service, MoffettNathanson, Business

☆ Here's another reason for Elon Musk to support Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He also seems increasingly interested in Donald Trump, though he won't come out and say he's formally backing him. So here's another reason for him to move more firmly into the Trump camp: The US Securities and Exchange Commission, currently run by Biden appointee Gary Gensler, keeps dogging him. Caveats: The last time the SEC went after Musk, Trump was in the White House, and Trump appointee Jay Clayton was running the SEC. AdvertisementJust as important: The Journal piece includes lots of to-be-sures from legal experts about the difficulty of the SEC winning a case against Musk. But Musk would certainly prefer not having to go to court to find out.

Persons: —, Elon, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, he's, Trump, Biden, Gary Gensler, Tesla, Musk, Jay Clayton Organizations: Service, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Business, SEC, Twitter, SEC hasn't, Musk, Trump

☆ Did Apple just outthink everyone in AI? A chat with tech analyst Ben Thompson
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

When I try to get my head around big, complicated tech questions, I often rely on Ben Thompson, the influential tech analyst who writes the Stratechery newsletter. And that Apple gets the upside of AI without incurring many of the costs and risks other tech players are taking on. AdvertisementPeter Kafka: You seemed pretty enthusiastic about Apple's AI efforts before they announced them on Monday. One is some massive AI breakthrough, such that the phone becomes the commodity, as opposed to Apple making the AI the commodity. Peter Kafka: You've been speculating about whether Apple is paying OpenAI, or OpenAI is paying Apple.

Persons: —, Ben Thompson, Peter Kafka, They're, Tim Cook, Justin Sullivan, Who's, They've, Apple, You've, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Thompson, Mark Gurman Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, Washington Post, Bloomberg, OpenAI Locations: ChatGPT.com

☆ Is this 1987 video the origins of Apple Intelligence?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

There's a scary version of AI where AI takes your job and/or destroys the planet. Then there's the version that's much more chill: AI as a personal assistant who helps you with your tasks — remembers things for you, finds stuff for you, helps you create presentations for work. AdvertisementThe kinder, gentler version is the one Apple showed off yesterday, though we won't really know how it works till it goes live later this year. Right now, all we have to go on is Apple's pre-recorded demo video. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Organizations: Business

☆ Elon Musk is going to try courting advertisers. Again.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk, who has a ... complicated relationship with advertisers, is going to appear at a big ad conference. It's pretty standard for tech companies to court advertisers at the Cannes Lions event in France. AdvertisementLast fall Elon Musk told advertisers to go fuck themselves. Maybe he has a different message now: The man who bought Twitter, turned it into "X," and saw his advertising revenue plummet, is heading to the Cannes Lions ad summit in France next week. WPP, one of the world's biggest ad companies, said Musk will appear at an event with WPP CEO Mark Read on June 18.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Mark Read Organizations: Cannes Lions, Service, Twitter, WPP Locations: France

☆ Apple wants to put a friendlier spin on artificial intelligence, but many users could miss out
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at all the takeaways from Apple's big event , including its friendlier spin on artificial intelligence . Related VideoBut first, it's not AI; it's Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence — it's AI, just not that AI — is the company's first big swing in the space. Data is the name of the game when it comes to AI, and Apple's iPhones are full of it. However, the Apple Intelligence news and partnership with OpenAI is what really set the billionaire off.

Persons: —, we've, it's, Andrew Burton, Justin Sullivan, Rebecca Zisser, Tim Cook, Apple, Apple's, Insider's Jordan Hart, Katie Notopoulos, Pro Max, BI's Peter Kafka, Max —, wasn't, Elon Musk, Chelsea Jia Feng, Grzegorz Wajda, Elon, Bernstein, Toni Sacconaghi, Point72, Steve Cohen's, WallStreetBets, Tyler Le, OpenAI, Sarah Friar, Kevin Weil, who's, Sam Altman's, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Annie Smith Organizations: Service, Business, Tech, Apple Intelligence, Washington, Getty, Apple, Pro, Elon, OpenAI, Academy Investment, GameStop, Planet Labs, Oracle Locations: Apple's, Chelsea, Silicon, New York, London

☆ Apple is stepping up its Vision Pro pitch to Hollywood after soft sales and mixed response to the headset
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewApple is stepping up its efforts to get Hollywood to make content for the Vision Pro as it prepares to roll out the mixed-reality headset internationally to boost sales. Director Jon Favreau brought the dinosaurs on his Apple TV+ show "Prehistoric Planet" to life through a spinoff for Vision Pro. Apple is talking up Vision Pro to talent agencies, filmmakers, and producers to fill the pipeline. Apple TV+ produces some, but not all, of the immersive content that's available on Vision Pro. AdvertisementLike the rest of Apple TV+'s shows and movies, Apple doesn't want controversial content for the Vision Pro lest it undermine sales of its consumer electronics overall.

Persons: —, creatives, James Cameron raved, Jon Favreau, stampeded, Alicia Keys, Chris Parnell, David Manpearl, there's, Parnell, Peter Kafka Organizations: Service, Hollywood, Vision, Business, Apple, Vision Pro, Disney, Netflix, YouTube

☆ Can Tim Cook sell you a new iPhone based on Apple's new AI features? It's a huge question for the company.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That's the scenario Apple sketched out Monday, when it tried to explain how it was integrating AI into its ecosystem. But it's also a very real problem for Apple since Apple is in the business of selling expensive, high-margin hardware. AdvertisementBut I do have a third, vibes-based theory about why the AI that Apple showed off didn't blow me away. And during Apple's Monday demo, the company played on both sides of that line: It would tell you that Apple's AI could instantly make your writing better. In Apple's framing, that's AI that's helpful, but not creepy; immediately useful, but not too disruptive.

Persons: —, Apple, it's, we've, Tim Cook, Craig Federighi Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, iPhones, AIs Locations: emojis

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