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☆ Venture capital is going to war over the election. Here's the data to prove it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Rob Price | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

VCs are lobbing cash at the presidential election and key congressional races, FEC data shows. This election cycle, investors at the top venture capital firms have plowed tens of millions of dollars into the election, both backing their favored political candidates and just cannily promoting commercial interests. (The filing deadline for Q3 data for quarterly filing entities was October 15, but this data isn't yet readily available in full online.) Business Insider selected 10 venture capital firms to focus on, taking into account fund size and cultural and industry significance. Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone is one of VC's most prolific GOP-aligned political donors, giving his almost $3.8 million to the National Republican Committee and other causes.

Persons: Reid Hoffman, Kamala Harris, —, hasn't, Andreessen Horowitz, blockchain, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, a16z, Horowitz, Andreessen, Harris, megadonor Reid Hoffman, Keith Rabois, Kleiner Perkins, Michael Moritz, Shaun Maguire, Joe Manchin, Hoffman, Horowitz Hoffman, Joe Biden, Biden, Nikki Haley, Trump, Vinod Khosla, John Doerr, Doug Leone, Elon Musk, Melia Russell, Rob Price Organizations: Service, Federal, Commission, Yuga Labs, White, Republicans, Founders Fund, SpaceX, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Heritage, Business, Republican, Lincoln, Democratic, Democratic Party, Democratic Congressional, Sequoia, National Republican, Future Forward PAC, America PAC, Elon, Investors, splashy Hamptons, Harris Victory Fund, Harris Action Fund, Democratic National Committee Locations: Solana, Sequoia, West Virginia, New Hampshire

☆ Why WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has gone 'nuclear' against tech investing giant Silver Lake
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Automattic founder, Matt Mullenweg Source: AutomatticMatt Mullenweg, who turned 40 in January, has now spent more than half his life working on WordPress. Silicon Valley private equity firm Silver Lake bought a majority stake in WP Engine in 2018, investing $250 million and obtaining three board seats. WordPress took the drastic step of banning WP Engine from using the WordPress resources necessary to serve its customers, which preceded a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by WP Engine against Mullenweg and Automattic. In the post, Mullenweg criticized WP Engine for not contributing enough back to the WordPress ecosystem. A Silver Lake spokesperson said WP Engine was handling all inquiries.

Persons: Matt Mullenweg, He's, —, I've, Mullenweg, he'd, Neal Katyal, Tomasz Tunguz, Tunguz, Automattic, Lee Wittlinger, they're, didn't, Bob Perkowitz, Perkowitz, he's, They've, wouldn't Organizations: WordPress, WP, Silver Lake, CNBC, Theory Ventures, WordPress.org Locations: U.S, WordCamp, Portland , Oregon, Silver, Auotmattic

☆ Some Fall Out of Vogue. She Jumped.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the fashion editor-personality who became famous as the first Black woman to style a Vogue cover (in 2021) and even more famous after she got into a social media brouhaha with Kanye West, was interviewing for her first big fashion job at Vogue, she ended up, not surprisingly, in front of Anna Wintour. Ms. Wintour asked Ms. Karefa-Johnson where she wanted to be in 10 years. Ms. Karefa-Johnson answered — as Ms. Wintour once had, when asked a similar question — editor in chief of Vogue. Almost exactly a decade later, Ms. Karefa-Johnson doesn’t necessarily want that any more. “I resigned as kind of a material action of solidarity and because it was just time for me to move on,” Ms. Karefa-Johnson, 32, said recently.

Persons: Gabriella Karefa, Johnson, Anna Wintour, Ms, Wintour, Karefa, —, Kamala Harris, Amanda Gorman, Margot Robbie, Barbie ”, Condé Nast, “ Organizations: Kanye, Vogue Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Satya Nadella's first decade as Microsoft CEO was defined by cloud. What's next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty ImagesWhen Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO in February 2014, the software company was mired in mediocrity. Many tech industry analysts and investors would say that, thanks largely to Nadella, Microsoft is now set up to be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. In a 2020 interview, Pat Gelsinger, then CEO of VMware, said offering his company's software on Microsoft's Azure cloud was akin to a "Middle East peace treaty." Nadella is perhaps best known in the tech industry for pushing Microsoft deeper into cloud computing. While some in the younger generations have Microsoft software at work, it's not necessarily what they grew up using and may not be what they prefer.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Bing, Jason Redmond, Steve Ballmer, Aravind Srinivas, Jeff Bezos, Nadella, Aaron Levie, Levie, Larry Ellison, David Paul Morris, Pat Gelsinger, Michael Nathan, Nathan, he'd, He's, Nat Friedman, Friedman, Kevork Djansezian, Ballmer, Kevin Dallas, I've, Dallas, it's, Gen Z, OpenAI's, Commission's Lina Khan, Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI isn't, hasn't, Jefferies Organizations: Microsoft, AFP, Getty, Apple, Google, Amazon, Oracle Corp, Oracle, Bloomberg, VMware, Intel, Linux, Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers, Microsoft Corp, Nokia, Activision Blizzard, Adobe, Activision, Federal, U.S . Justice Department, CNBC Locations: Redmond , Washington, San Francisco, Microsoft's, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Europe

☆ Argentina's Milei gets mixed reception during night at the opera
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei arrives at the Teatro Colon opera house with his girlfriend, Fatima Florez, ahead of the November 19 runoff elections, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Ramiro Souto Acquire Licensing RightsNov 18 (Reuters) - Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei stole the spotlight on Friday evening when his presence at Argentina's most prestigious opera house sparked a rowdy shouting match just before a polarizing election concludes on Sunday. The insults provoked cheers in Milei's defense, with video of the incident sweeping across social media. The theater's director, Jorge Telerman, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he condemned the "expressions of intolerance" directed at Milei. The presidential hopeful winked at the opera house brouhaha on X.

Persons: Javier Milei, Fatima Florez, Ramiro Souto, Madame Butterfly, Sergio Massa, Milei, Milei's, Jorge Telerman, brouhaha, Butterfly, Brendan O'Boyle, Franklin Paul Organizations: Argentine, Teatro Colon, REUTERS, Teatro, Sunday, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Milei

☆ A Republican senator said his Oklahoma constituents would be 'pretty upset' if he hadn't attempted to fight a labor leader during a hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A GOP senator said his constituents would've been upset if he hadn't tried to fight a labor leader. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA Republican senator said his constituents would've been 'pretty upset' with him if he hadn't attempted to fight a labor leader during a congressional hearing. In a fight, I'm gonna bite. I'll do anything, I mean, I'm not above it.

Persons: would've, hadn't, Sen, Markwayne Mullin, he's, —, who's, Mullin, Sean O'Brien, O'Brien, Bernie Sanders, Sean Hannity, Hannity, I'm, unprompted, it's Organizations: GOP, Fox, Service, Fox News, Health, Education, Labor, Teamsters, Capitol kerfuffle Locations: Oklahoma

☆ Congress is lame fight club now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's the latest in Congress' centuries of history moonlighting as a sporadic fight club. Breaking with "Fight Club's" first two rules, though, no one in Congress is keeping it a secret. AdvertisementWhat started as a quiet day on Capitol Hill quickly led to Congress devolving into a lame version of "Fight Club." You're pathetic man, you are so pathetic," Burchett reportedly told McCarthy. Around a half-hour later, Burchett told a separate reporter he could "still feel it" after taking a "clean shot to the kidney."

Persons: it's, —, Kevin McCarthy, Tim Burchett, Claudia Grisales, Grisales, McCarthy, Burchett, Matt Gaetz, He's, Gaetz, James Comer, Joe Biden, Jared Moskowitz, Comer, Moskowitz, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Markwayne Mullin Organizations: Capitol, Service, Republican, GOP, Democratic, Health, Education, Labor, Pensions, Teamsters, United, Chamber Locations: Congress, Tennessee, Oklahoma, United States, South

☆ Instacart's IPO filing sparked an online spat between cloud rivals Snowflake and Databricks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

One of Instacart's board members is Frank Slootman, the CEO of Snowflake , a publicly traded company that helps businesses store and manage hefty workloads in the cloud. Slootman joined Instacart's board in 2021 and, because of that relationship, the company has to disclose its business ties to Snowflake. In May, the company published a blog post titled "How Instacart Ads Modularized Data Pipelines With Lakehouse Architecture and Spark." The post, which described software underpinning Instacart's ads infrastructure, included discussion of a migration to Databricks' Lakehouse technology and the cost savings that followed. Representatives from Instacart, Snowflake and Databricks declined to to comment.

Persons: Frank Slootman, Slootman, Instacart, Snowflake, Databricks pounced, Databricks, You've Organizations: Inc, New York Stock Exchange, Employees, Twitter Locations: Snowflake, Instacart

☆ Musk says fight with Zuckerberg to be live-streamed on X
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File PhotoNEW YORK/BENGALARU Aug 6 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said in a social media post on Sunday that his proposed fight with Meta (META.O) Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg would be live-streamed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X. Zuckerberg, responding on his social media app Threads, said late Sunday: "I'm ready today. When a user on X asked Musk the point of the fight, Musk responded by saying "It's a civilized form of war. Musk then said he would start training if the cage fight took shape.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tingshu Wang, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Zuckerberg, hasn't, Juby Babu, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Alex Richardson, Diane Craft Organizations: Tesla, REUTERS, Meta, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Las Vegas, jiujitsu, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Why are political scandals and corruption in Singapore so rare?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Nessa Anwar | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A series of political scandals has rocked Singapore in recent weeks, from corruption probes to inappropriate relationships among politicians. These challenges have affected the ruling party as well as the largest opposition party. Shortly after the Ridout saga, Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran and hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng — known for bringing Formula One races to the city-state — were arrested as part of a corruption probe. Felix Tan, a political analyst in Singapore, explained the brouhaha over the recent scandals: "[Singapore is] almost a perfect exemplar for all countries to be. Watch the video to find out why corruption and political scandal are rare in Singapore, and what it means for the country.

Persons: Singapore's, S, Ong Beng, —, Felix Tan Organizations: Singapore Transport, Formula, Action Party, Workers ' Party Locations: Singapore

☆ Biden’s Spy Balloon Brouhaha
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-biden-xi-jinping-dictator-china-spy-balloon-637ad045

Persons: Dow Jones

In recent days, Twitter owner Musk and Facebook parent Meta (META.O) CEO Zuckerberg - whose social media platforms duke it out daily for advertising dollars - have been trading bluster about going mano a mano. The brouhaha began Tuesday when Musk tweeted he was "up for a cage match" with Zuckerberg, who's trained in jiujitsu. “Vegas Octagon,” Musk tweeted, referring to an events center where mixed martial arts (MMA) championship bouts are held. Musk in recent months has stepped up criticism of Zuckerberg and his companies, and has mocked reported plans by Meta for a platform to rival Twitter. SportsBetting.ag gives better odds for Zuckerberg, who is 12 years younger than Musk.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Zuckerberg, mano, who's, he's, ” Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Vegas . SportsBetting.ag, Owain Flanders, Flanders, Hyunjoo Jin, Greg Bensinger, David Gaffen, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: FRANCISCO, Facebook, Twitter, Elon, SpaceX, Tesla, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Meta, Thomson Locations: Manila, Las Vegas, Paris, France, Vegas .

☆ Yes, There’s a Housing Crisis. No, You Can’t Build Here
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Stephen Ford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Alexandria, Va.Why do urban areas constantly get more expensive and exclusive? My neighborhood provides a clue. A proposed redevelopment of a single property in Del Ray, a much-loved part of Alexandria, recently died after a yearlong fight. The brouhaha, which divided the community, shows how the not-in-my-backyard mindset blocks virtually any increase in housing supply, even those that strive to maintain local character while making relatively modest changes.

☆ U.S. Senate sets first vote on stopgap funding bill Thursday -aide
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Democrats weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is expected to hold an initial procedural vote Thursday on a week-long stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of a midnight Friday deadline, a Senate Democratic aide said. Passage of the measure, which senior Senate Democrats and Republicans back, would forestall the risk of a year-end partial government shutdown. While top Senate Republicans signed onto that deal, House Republicans rejected it, wanting negotiations delayed until after they assume the House majority on Jan. 3, which would give them more leverage to cut domestic spending. The last time Democrats and Republicans allowed government funding to lapse, a record-long, 35-day partial shutdown ensued, spanning from Dec. 22, 2018, until Jan. 25, 2019.

☆ U.S. Senate must work quickly to pass stopgap funding bill, Schumer says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Democrats weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate needs to move quickly to pass a weeklong stopgap funding bill ahead of a midnight Friday deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. Passage of the measure, which senior Senate Democrats and Republicans back, would forestall the risk of a year-end partial government shutdown. While top Senate Republicans signed onto that deal, House Republicans rejected it, wanting negotiations delayed until after they assume the House majority on Jan. 3, which would give them more leverage to cut domestic spending. The last time Democrats and Republicans allowed government funding to lapse, a record-long, 35-day partial shutdown ensued, spanning from Dec. 22, 2018, until Jan. 25, 2019.

☆ Senate passes one-week government funding bill, averting a partial shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference following a Senate Democratic luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on September 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved a one-week extension of federal government funding, averting a partial government shutdown that was scheduled to begin Saturday. The U.S. House passed its version of the one-week extension on Wednesday by a vote of 224-201, with nine Republicans crossing party lines to support the bill. The Senate was under pressure Thursday to pass the bill without delay, and without objections from individual senators that could hold up a vote under the expedited procedure being used to pass the measure. "We should move quickly to avert a shutdown today, without any unwelcome brouhaha that has caused shutdowns in years past," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday morning.

☆ Kevin McCarthy's impossible GOP math
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is far from assured of winning sufficient support in his party to become House speaker next month. The tiny GOP House majority that takes over in January, after a disappointing midterm performance, would mean a fragile governing mandate for any party at any point in American history. McCarthy’s impossible mathFrom a broader political perspective, it might be in McCarthy’s interest to stand up to the most extreme members of his conference. The path to the GOP majority went through comparatively moderate seats in places like New York that will be most at risk in the 2024 election. But it also reflected Greene’s growing personal power, after she broke with some radical GOP members and lined up to support McCarthy’s speakership.

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