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☆ Starboard urges GoDaddy to set 'prudent' guidance and offer specifics on cost savings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Starboard has a more than 6% stake in the company, and has been pushing the company to expand free cash flow and improve margins. Of the 20 companies in peer group in Starboard's letter, GoDaddy has a higher multiple than only TeraData and Box . Starboard believes that GoDaddy can achieve free cash flow of $9 per share by this fiscal year, and $14 per share by fiscal year 2026. Those targets are higher than GoDaddy's $6.1 free cash flow per share for the fiscal year ending September 2023, according to FactSet data. Starboard expects that GoDaddy could generate more than $4 billion in free cash flow over the next three years.

Persons: Peter Feld, GoDaddy, Aman Bhutani, Feld, Mark McCaffrey, Starboard's Jeffrey Smith Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, GoDaddy Locations: New York City

☆ Trimble to buy back $800 million worth of shares, expand board following Jana investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Industrial technology company Trimble announced on Tuesday it would buy back up to $800 million worth of shares and add two directors to its board, just a few weeks after activist investor Jana Partners disclosed a stake in the company. Nersesian is the chairman and former CEO of Keysight , an equipment and software company. "We are thrilled to welcome Kara and Ron to our Board," Trimble CEO Rob Painter said in the release. Jana partner Kevin Galligan said the firm was "pleased" with the additions to the board and the expanded share buyback plan. Galligan also said that industrial concerns looking to grow their recurring revenue through software or technology might consider acquiring Trimble.

Persons: Trimble, Jana Partners, Ron Nersesian, Kara Sprague, Sprague, Kara, Ron, Rob Painter, Jana, Kevin Galligan, Galligan, Rob Organizations: Nginx, Bloomberg's, Trimble, Fidelity National Information Services, Qualcomm, Zendesk, 13D, Company Locations: Trimble

☆ Activist investors in Gildan Activewear will have chance to bring back fired CEO at special meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Browning West's move is unusual in the activist world, where investors are more often focused on replacing CEOs than backing them. Browning West, a long-time shareholder, points to Chamandy's success in an increasingly competitive industry as one reason why he should be CEO. Berg has served on Gildan's board since 2015 and has been chair since 2019. Browning West seeks to replace Berg and seven other directors with their own nominees, including Chamandy and Browning West's Lee. Last week, Gildan applied to a Quebec court to nullify Browning West's request and to cancel the meeting.

Persons: Gildan, Glenn Chamandy, Gildan's, Vince Tyra, Chamandy, Browning, It's, Browning West's, Peter Lee, Usman Nabi, Anson, Janus Henderson, Broder Brothers, Donald Berg, Forman, Berg, Browning West, Browning West's Lee, Bill Ackman Organizations: Asset Management, Brown, Coliseum Capital, CNBC Locations: Barbados, Montreal, Los Angeles, Connecticut, Quebec

☆ Reed Hastings sells $1.1 billion in Netflix shares
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Netflix co-founder and executive chairman Reed Hastings has gifted two million shares of his holdings in the streaming giant, according to a regulatory filing, with a current value of more than $1.1 billion. "We don't know what it could be, whether it's a charity or multiple charities," VerityData Vice President Ben Silverman told CNBC. Hastings retains just under three million Netflix shares with a value of around $1.7 billion. Though Hastings remains the executive chairman of Netflix, the company has no obligation to disclose the reason behind the gift or the beneficiary. Netflix shares are up nearly 23% year to date but are still around 16% below their 2021 high.

Persons: Reed Hastings, Hastings, it's, Ben Silverman, VerityData's Silverman, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Netflix, New York Times DealBook, Jazz, Lincoln Center, Bloomberg, CNBC, United Negro College Fund, Hastings, CNBC PRO Locations: New York City

☆ Activists are eyeing tech stocks ahead of expected M&A rebound after two-year lull
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Activist investors are circling the tech market. An investment banker who advises tech companies told CNBC that his firm is warning clients of a changing environment. Rather than opening their wallets for acquisitions, companies were announcing mass layoffs and other cost cuts, acknowledging that they'd hired too aggressively during the Covid boom. Instead of growth subsidized by the capital markets, tech companies started focusing on operational efficiencies. Layoffs in the industry jumped about 60% last year, with almost 1,200 companies eliminating more than 262,000 jobs, according to the website Layoffs.fyi.

Persons: wasn't, they'd Organizations: CNBC

☆ Amazon terminates iRobot deal, vacuum maker to lay off 31% of staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon.com Inc.'s proposed $1.7 billion deal to buy robot vacuum firm iRobot Corp. was given the all-clear by the UKs antitrust agency. The vacuum maker also announced it would lay off 31% of its employees, around 350 people, and that its chair and CEO Colin Angle would step down effective immediately. The fate of the deal was plunged into uncertainty after The Wall Street Journal reported that the European Union would not offer regulatory approval. The robotic vacuum maker has a market capitalization of under $400 million, following Monday's news and prior reports that the European Union would move to block the deal. In July, iRobot entered into a $200 million financing facility to fund its operations as a stopgap until the deal closed.

Persons: Sophie Park, Colin Angle, iRobot, We're, David Zapolsky, Angle Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, iRobot Corp, Bloomberg, Getty, Street Journal, European Union, Amazon, European Commission Locations: Bedford , Massachusetts

☆ Rohan Bopanna becomes oldest ever male player to win grand slam title with Australian Open triumph
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Aged 43, Rohan Bopanna became the oldest male player in the Open era to ever win a grand slam title on Saturday when he and his partner, Matthew Ebden, won the Australian Open men’s doubles tournament. “Without a doubt the best moment in my career,” Bopanna said afterwards, according to the Australian Open’s official website. I mean, the hurdle was tough.”The pair have each won grand slam titles separately – Bopanna won the 2017 French Open mixed doubles while Ebden won the 2013 Australian Open mixed doubles and 2022 Wimbledon men’s doubles – but this marked their first trophy together after they lost last year’s US Open final. Bopanna’s 61 attempts at winning a men’s doubles grand slam title prior to his triumph on Saturday also set a new Open era record, while he is set to become the world’s oldest No. Rohan Bopanna won his first ever men's doubles grand slam title.

Persons: Rohan Bopanna, Matthew Ebden, India’s, Australia’s Ebden, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori, ” Bopanna, “, I’ve, – Bopanna, Ebden, David Gray, ” Ebden, he’s, He’s, Iyengar, ” Organizations: CNN, Wimbledon, Getty, Reuters Locations: AFP, he’s

☆ Microsoft lays off 1,900 workers, nearly 9% of gaming division, after Activision Blizzard acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra said Thursday on social media platform X he would be leaving Microsoft and Blizzard. Activision Blizzard is the publisher and developer of several massive gaming franchises, including Call of Duty and Diablo. Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard was the company's largest ever acquisition, more than double the size of its 2016 purchase of LinkedIn. Unlike the Microsoft layoffs, eBay and SAP saw a significant bump in their share prices following their announcements. Read the full memo below:It's been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft.

Persons: Phil Spencer, Mike Ybarra, Spencer, Activision Blizzard, Candy, It's, we'll, I'm, Phil CNBC's Steve Kovach Organizations: Microsoft, CNBC, Activision Blizzard, Former, Blizzard, Activision, LinkedIn, Tech, Games, eBay, SAP, King, Microsoft Gaming, Leadership Team, Xbox

☆ Arkhouse has financing in place for a Macy's take-private, managing partner Kahane says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Arkhouse has the financing in place to take Macy's private at a bid of $5.8 billion, managing partner Gavriel Kahane told CNBC Thursday, but the activist investor has run into roadblocks without the department store retailer's cooperation on due diligence. Arkhouse has previously said it would take "all necessary steps" to acquire Macy's, including going directly to shareholders. Kahane's Arkhouse and Brigade Capital submitted an unsolicited bid to Macy's management in December to take the company private at $21 a share, a premium of more than 32%. Arkhouse also said it could raise its bid above the original $21-per-share offer, but only if the Macy's management was willing to sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement and permit diligence to begin. Macy's board rejected that offer on Sunday, saying in part that it believes it is "highly unlikely" Arkhouse and Brigade's proposed financing "could be successfully executed."

Persons: Arkhouse, Gavriel Kahane, Kahane, Kahane's Arkhouse, Macy's, Jeff Gennette Organizations: CNBC, Brigade Capital, Investment, Jefferies, Brigade

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Veteran Indian player Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have advanced to their second consecutive Grand Slam men's doubles final. Bopanna and Ebden, now ranked second in men's doubles, lost to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the U.S. Open final last September. Tournament officials said Thursday that Ebden and Bopanna, at combined ages of 79 years, will become the oldest No. In the first women's doubles semifinal, Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Elise Mertens of Belgium, the No. The other women's doubles semifinal will be played Friday ahead of Sunday's final.

Persons: Rohan Bopanna, Matthew Ebden, Zhang Zhizhen, Tomas Machac, Rod Laver, Rajeev Ram, Joe Salisbury, Zhang, Machac, ” Ebden, “ I’ve, We’ve, Ebden, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori, Yannick Hanfmann, Dominik Koepfer, Hsieh Su, Elise Mertens, Belgium, Storm Hunter, Australia, Katerina Siniakova, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Daryna Yastremska, Zheng Qinwen Organizations: — Veteran, U.S Locations: MELBOURNE, Australia, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Taiwan

☆ Rohan Bopanna: At the age of 43, Indian tennis star is making history – with a little help from Iyengar yoga
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Rohan Bopanna is set to become the world’s oldest No.1 tennis player in history at the age of 43 – with a little help from Iyengar yoga. Bopanna and Ebden defeated Tomas Machac of Czech Republic and Zhang Zhizhen of China on the 12th day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2024. Bopanna attributed yoga, which he started practising during the Covid-19 pandemic, as helping improve his tennis in recent years. But with a local studio near his home, Bopanna tried Iyengar yoga, which he practiced four times a week for 90 minutes. Next, second-seeded Bopanna and Australian Ebden will face Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassor as the Indian seeks his first major title, and the Australian his second.

Persons: CNN — Rohan Bopanna, –, Matthew Ebden, Maximo Gonzalez, Andres Molteni, Tomas Machac, Zhang Zhizhen, “, ” Bopanna, you’re, Bopanna, ”, Ebden, Andy Cheung, Eric Butorac, Iyengar, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassor, Max Purcell, Matt it’s Organizations: CNN, Iyengar, Melbourne Park, Los Angeles, Indian, Wimbledon, Asian, Paris Olympics Locations: Czech Republic, China, India, Australian

☆ Alibaba co-founders buy more than $200 million worth of shares, sending stock up
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alibaba co-founders Jack Ma and chairman Joe Tsai, in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014. An entity linked to Tsai's family office, Blue Pool, acquired nearly 2 million Alibaba depository shares worth $152 million in the fourth quarter, according to a Tuesday regulatory filing. Separately, sources familiar with the matter told the Times that Ma acquired $50 million worth of Alibaba's Hong Kong stock during the same period. Around the same time the spinoff was canceled, Ma in a regulatory filing said that he would sell 10 million shares worth $870 million. Alibaba shares are down roughly 21% since the cancelled spin-off.

Persons: Alibaba, Jack Ma, Joe Tsai, Ma, Tsai Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, New York Times, Times, Depository, Brooklyn Nets, Ant, CNBC Locations: New York, U.S, Hong Kong

Microsoft said in a Friday regulatory filing that a Russian intelligence group accessed some of the software maker's top executives' email accounts. The company said a group called Nobelium carried out the attack, which it detected last week. Microsoft and the U.S. government consider Nobelium to be a part of the Russian foreign intelligence service SVR. The hacking group was responsible for one of the most prolific breaches in U.S. history, when it breached government supplier SolarWinds in 2020. It was also implicated alongside another Russian hacking group in the 2016 breach of the Democratic National Committee's systems.

Persons: Amy Hood, Brad Smith, Satya Nadella, Nobelium Organizations: Microsoft, Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S, SolarWinds, Department of Defense, Democratic National Locations: Russian, U.S

Apple smartwatches ads are displayed as customers take a look at smartwatch accessories at the Apple store in New York, U.S., December 26, 2023. Apple will again be barred from selling watches with blood oxygen sensors beginning Thursday, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. The decision is a blow to Apple, which was previously forced to remove the latest Apple Watches from its U.S. stores for several days in December. Apple may be forced to remove a blood oxygen sensor feature on its latest devices in order to keep the smartwatches on the U.S. market. If Apple must continue to keep its latest smartwatches from U.S. stores, it could complicate repairs at Apple stores, which often swap broken devices with replacements.

Persons: Masimo Organizations: Apple, U.S, Appeals, Federal Circuit, International Trade Commission, Apple Watch Locations: New York, U.S

☆ Apple antitrust suit could reportedly come as soon as March
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Department of Justice is readying an antitrust case against Apple that could come as soon as March, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, pending signoff from senior officials within the DOJ's antitrust division. DOJ and Apple attorneys have met three times over a potential suit, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Music streaming platform Spotify lodged a competition complaint with European Union in 2019, alleging that Apple's then-mandatory in-app payments system violated antitrust law. Apple has also been mired in civil litigation filed by Fortnite maker Epic Games, hinging on whether Apple's App Store rules violated federal antitrust statues. A federal judge concluded in 2021 that Apple violated a California law but did not run afoul of federal antitrust statues.

Persons: Tim Cook, Donald Trump, Jonathan Kanter, Lina Khan, Apple's, Apple Organizations: Apple, American Workforce Policy, White, The, Justice, Bloomberg, DOJ, DOJ Antitrust, Federal Trade Commission, Google, FTC, Amazon, Meta, Spotify, European Union, Epic, Circuit Locations: Washington , DC, California

☆ Synopsys to acquire graphics software maker Ansys in $35 billion tech deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Semiconductor design and software firm Synopsys on Tuesday announced it would acquire Ansys , an engineering and product design software firm, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion. Synopsys will pay consideration of roughly $390 per share: $197 per share in cash and roughly one-third of a Synopsys share for each Ansys share. Synopsys shares were up 3% on Tuesday morning, after a 12% slump since The Wall Street Journal reported in December that the two companies were in advanced talks. Ansys shares slipped 5% but were up more than 14% in that same period since December. The remaining $3 billion nonequity consideration will come from Synopsys' cash.

Persons: Synopsys, Ansys, Sassine Ghazi, Shelagh Glaser, Ghazi, Ajei Gopal, Evercore, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Hamilton, Goodwin Procter, Raimondo, Chips Organizations: Street, Activision Blizzard, VMware, Cisco, Splunk, Qatalyst Partners Locations: China

☆ Circle confidentially files for IPO following banner year for crypto stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The public listing is expected to take place once the SEC finishes its review, "subject to market and other conditions," Circle said in the two-paragraph press release Thursday. Founded in 2013, Circle is best known as the issuer of USD Coin, the world's second-biggest U.S. dollar pegged stablecoin, which was launched in 2018. But the SPAC market collapsed in 2022, and Circle ended that agreement in December of that year, just after crypto exchange FTX spiraled into bankruptcy. Coinbase , which took a stake in Circle in August, jumped almost 400% in value in 2023, and other crypto stocks such as MicroStrategy and bitcoin miner Marathon Digital enjoyed hefty rallies. WATCH: SEC approves spot bitcoin ETFs

Persons: USDC, Bitcoin, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S, Concord, Corp, Marathon Digital

☆ Match shares surge on report activist investor Elliott takes $1 billion stake
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Tinder owner Match jumped as much as 12% during Tuesday morning trading after The Wall Street Journal reported that Elliott Management, the activist investing firm behind campaigns at Salesforce and Pinterest , had built a roughly $1 billion stake in the online dating company. The company had a market cap of $10 billion at the close Monday, but that pales in comparison to its more than $45 billion market cap in 2021. Elliott is expected to engage with Match management, the Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter, but it was not clear if that engagement would include nominating its own directors. But the company reported a continued tumble in so-called Tinder payers in November when it reported third-quarter earnings. A spokesperson for Elliott Management was not immediately available for comment.

Persons: Gary Swidler, Greg Blatt, Sam Yagan, Nelson Griggs, Elliott, Jesse Cohn Organizations: Match, Match Group, Nasdaq, Street Journal, Elliott Management, JPMorgan, Phillips, CNBC, Citrix, eBay, Twitter Locations: New York City, Salesforce

☆ Apple Vision Pro headset launches in U.S. on Feb. 2, preorders begin Jan. 19
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple's Vision Pro will launch in the U.S. on Feb. 2, the company said in a press release Monday, with preorders beginning Jan. 19. The Vision Pro is Apple's first new product category since the Apple Watch launched in 2015. UBS, for example, anticipates Vision Pro revenue could be around $1.4 billion, a "relatively immaterial" amount. Apple says that several productivity and creativity apps will work with Vision Pro, including Microsoft's Office suite and Salesforce's Slack. With the new headset, Apple aims to change how consumers experience gaming and video content.

Persons: Tim Cook, haven't, Salesforce's Slack Organizations: Vision, Apple, Worldwide Developers, Apple Watch, UBS Locations: U.S

☆ 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

Shares of The North Face and Vans owner VF Corp . VF Corp. declined to comment on whether the incident was a ransomware attack. VF Corp. announced the incident on the same day that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new cyber disclosure rules took effect. VF Corp. first identified hackers in its system on Dec. 13, meaning it took relatively little time for the company to identify the threat as material. VF Corp. is the latest major company to be hit a by cyberattack that disrupted company operations.

Persons: Clorox Organizations: Corp, VF Corp, U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, Caesars Entertainment, CNBC, MGM Resorts, Caesars, MGM

☆ CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz on China, Microsoft and the SEC
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-14 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has had a banner year. The new regulations will likely offer upside for CrowdStrike, Kurtz said. For every dollar companies paid CrowdStrike to respond to hacks, CrowdStrike collected roughly $6 on average in new subscription revenue, Kurtz said. "It's not something we can answer" for companies, Kurtz said. While incident response is good business for CrowdStrike, Kurtz emphasized that CrowdStrike's main focus is "to help customers prevent these sorts of attacks upfront and provide visibility."

Persons: George Kurtz, It's, Kurtz, CrowdStrike, it's, Jen Organizations: Crowdstrike Holdings Inc, Bloomberg Technology, RSA Conference, CNBC, Securities and Exchange, SEC, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, Caesars, MGM, CrowdStrike, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: San Francisco , California

☆ Facebook and Instagram content enabled child sexual abuse, trafficking: New Mexico lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Facebook and Instagram created "prime locations" for sexual predators that enabled child sexual abuse, solicitation, and trafficking, New Mexico's attorney general alleged in a civil suit filed Wednesday against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The suit was brought after an "undercover investigation" allegedly revealed myriad instances of sexually explicit content being served to minors, child sexual coercion, or the sale of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez said in a press release. The suit alleges that "certain child exploitative content" is ten times "more prevalent" on Facebook and Instagram as compared to pornography site PornHub and adult content platform OnlyFans, according to the release. "Child exploitation is a horrific crime and online predators are determined criminals," Meta said in a statement to CNBC. The lawsuit argues that Meta's algorithms allegedly promote sex and exploitation content to users and that Facebook and Instagram lack "effective" age verification.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Chuck Schumer, Instagram, Raúl Torrez, Meta, Zuckerberg, Mr, Torres Organizations: Facebook, Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Meta, CNBC, National Center for Locations: Washington ,, New Mexico, Mexico

Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Dave Stephenson will transition into a newly created chief business officer role at the company. Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Dave Stephenson, who helped guide the company through Covid-19 tumult and an initial public offering, will transition into a newly created chief business officer role, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in a Tuesday note to employees viewed by CNBC. Chesky said Stephenson's new role would also mark an "inflection point" for Airbnb, where the business would begin to focus on growth across existing and new businesses. "As Chief Business Officer, Dave will be across all aspects of our strategy to expand beyond the core," Chesky wrote. Before joining Airbnb, Stephenson was finance chief at Amazon's Worldwide Consumer unit.

Persons: Dave Stephenson, Brian Chesky, Ellie Mertz, Stephenson, Chesky, Dave, . Mertz, Catherine Powell, Airbnb, Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia, — CNBC's Laura Batchelor Organizations: CNBC, Airbnb, Amazon's, Disney, CNBC PRO Locations: Covid, Airbnb

☆ Now you can visit a real-life ‘Hobbit Hole’ in New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Tolkien’s imagination – and therefore sadly off limits to tourists – the Hobbiton Movie Set provides a pretty good substitute. The Hobbit sets – mostly facades built into landscaped hillsides – have operated as a tourist attraction in some capacity since 2002, but until recently most of the Hobbit Holes have been out of bounds to visitors. The Hobbiton Movie Set formed the backdrop to the "Lord of the Rings" movies and the subsequent Hobbit trilogy and is now a tourist attraction. Shaun JeffersNow, two fully decorated Hobbit Holes have opened to the public for the first time. Shaun JeffersExploring the Hobbit Holes is now included as part of the Hobbiton tour experience.

Persons: J.R.R, Peter Jackson, –, Shaun Jeffers, Hobbiton, “, it’s, ”, crouch, Doom, Conor McNish, Lane, Aragorn, Gandalf, King Théoden, Rohan, ’ ”, ” CNN’s Thomas Page Organizations: CNN, Getty, CNN Travel, Mount, Sunday Locations: New Zealand, Matamata, Waikato, “, Auckland, Hobbiton, LOTR, Zealand, South, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, London

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