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☆ Indians are spending big on travel, but most of that money isn't leaving the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world famous Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, India was built during the 20th century to commemorate the visit of king George V and Queen Mary. India's travel landscape is changing as the country emerges as a powerhouse in the tourism sector. Their willingness to spend big while traveling is going, but research shows that most Indians are traveling domestically — not overseas. Indian travelers took 1.7 billion leisure trips in 2022 but most never left the country, and only about 1% traveled abroad, according to Booking.com and McKinsey. Here are the top 10 spots for Indians traveling within their own country, according to Booking.com and McKinsey.

Persons: George V, Queen Mary, McKinsey Organizations: McKinsey, McKinsey Mumbai, CNBC Locations: India, Mumbai, McKinsey ., Delhi Bengaluru Mumbai Chennai Pune Hyderabad, Jaipur Kochi Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI's board of directors approached rival Anthropic's CEO about replacing chief Sam Altman and potentially merging the two AI startups, according to two people briefed on the matter. The news, reported earlier by The Information on Monday, follows various reported calls to find Altman's successor days after OpenAI's board ousted him. OpenAI declined to comment and board member Adam D'Angelo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Sunday the board offered ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to be its interim chief, who accepted. By Monday, nearly all of the startup's more than 700 employees threatened to quit, including one of its executives on OpenAI's now four-person board.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, OpenAI's, OpenAI, Adam D'Angelo, Emmett Shear, Altman, Anthropic, Claude, Jeffrey Dastin, Urvi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Bengaluru

A smartphone with a displayed NVIDIA logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. But the red-hot market for AI chips is playing out in the context of vastly expanded U.S. export controls on what Nvidia can sell to China. Jacob Bourne, analyst at Insider Intelligence, said that those China-focused chips could consume vital research resources at Nvidia for products that could end up banned just like its first round of China market chips. Rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) had earlier touted the quantity of high-bandwidth memory on one of its competing AI chips. Chinese tech company Huawei's (HWT.UL) AI chip is also gaining traction from local firms as U.S. pressure makes it hard to access Nvidia chips.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Nvidia, Jesse Cohen, Colette Kress, Jacob Bourne, Bourne, Chavi Mehta, Max A, Stephen Nellis, Arun Koyyur, Sayantani Ghosh, Matthew Lewis Organizations: NVIDIA, REUTERS, Wall, Nvidia, LSEG, Insider Intelligence, Devices, Google, Microsoft, San, Thomson Locations: China, Israel, Gaza, United States, Bengaluru, Max, San Francisco

☆ India's TCS to take $125 mln hit to Q3 earnings over US lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Tata Consultanct Services logo in this illustration, July 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - India's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) on Tuesday said it will make a provision of $125 million in its third-quarter results in relation to a 2014 trade secret lawsuit filed against the company by U.S.-based EPIC Systems. (This story has been corrected to say that the lawsuit was filed in 2014, not 2016, in paragraph 1)Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H KOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Varun Vyas, Varun Organizations: Tata Consultanct Services, REUTERS, Rights, India's Tata Consultancy Services, U.S, EPIC Systems, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Jeff Bezos expected to sell more Amazon shares worth $1 billion - CNBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. Paul Ellis/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos is expected to offload more of his stake in the company on Tuesday after selling shares worth about $240 million last week, CNBC reported, citing a source. Bezos may sell as many as 8 million to 10 million shares, amounting to more than $1 billion, the report said. A representative for Bezos did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment and neither did Amazon, whose shares were trading 2.5% lower on Tuesday. After stepping down as Amazon's CEO, Bezos has been liquidating his shares in the e-commerce behemoth to fund his space venture Blue Origin.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Paul Ellis, Bezos, Blue, Zaheer Kachwala, Devika Organizations: Amazon, Change, CNBC, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, Miami, Seattle, Canaveral, Bengaluru

☆ Eutelsat OneWeb gets Indian go-ahead for satellite broadband services
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Eutelsat (ETL.PA) subsidiary Eutelsat OneWeb said on Tuesday it had won approval from India's space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country. Prime Minister Modi's government, which is heading for elections next year, is pushing the development of India's space industry. Investors poured $119 million into Indian space startups in 2022, up from a total of just $38 million in all the years up to 2017. In March, OneWeb partnered with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch 36 satellites. Amazon's Project Kuiper (AMZN.O) has also been in talks with regulators to offer satellite broadband services in India, the Economic Times newspaper reported last month.

Persons: Eutelsat OneWeb, Modi's, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Eutelsat, Mittal's, Mittal, OneWeb, Elon Musk's Starlink, Nivedita, Kanjyik Ghosh, Alexander Smith Organizations: Mittal's Bharti Enterprises, Airtel, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Reuters, Ambani's, Economic Times, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru

☆ India cancels bid process to hire valuer for IDBI Bank sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of IDBI Bank is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - The Indian government has cancelled the bidding process to hire an asset valuer for its planned IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) share sale, according to a statement. The government will invite fresh bids to select a valuer for its stake in the lender, said a statement from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management on Tuesday. India is looking to offload its 30.48% stake in IDBI Bank, while Life Insurance Corp (LIC) (LIFI.NS) of India will sell a 30.24% shareholding. Presently, the Indian government and LIC collectively own about 95% of IDBI Bank.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, LIC, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Nikunj Ohri, Matthew Lewis Organizations: IDBI, REUTERS, Bank, Department of Investment, Public Asset Management, Life Insurance, IDBI Bank, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, IDBI Bank, New Delhi, Bengaluru

"In the more recent macro environment, consumer demand has been even more uneven and difficult to predict," Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said. U.S. holiday sales are expected to rise at its slowest pace in five years, according to data from the National Retail Federation, as Americans are likely to pull back on holiday shopping. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLast week, industry bellwether Walmart (WMT.N) warned of cautious consumer spending as the holiday shopping season gets underway. Retail executives said higher interest rates, inflation and a resumption in student loan repayments will keep consumer wallets under pressure. Still, some investors expect holiday sales starting Black Friday to hold "some positive surprises."

Persons: Corie Barry, Bing Guan, Fitch, David Silverman, Marvin Ellison, Thomas Hayes, Rachel Wolff, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Savyata Mishra, Granth Vanaik, Juby Babu, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: National Retail Federation, REUTERS, Walmart, Retail, Apparel, Abercrombie, Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, SoHo, New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Morgan Stanley's Andy Saperstein diagnosed with cancer - memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Andy Saperstein, Co-Head of Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley, speaks during the Reuters Global Wealth Management Summit in New York City, New York, U.S., June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley co-President Andy Saperstein has been diagnosed with cancer, he wrote in an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday. In the email to staff, Saperstein said the news have been a shock. Saperstein, co-president that heads wealth and investment management, was considered to succeed CEO James Gorman earlier this year. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andy Saperstein, Morgan Stanley, Brendan McDermid, Saperstein, James Gorman, Niket, Devika Organizations: Wealth Management, Reuters Global Wealth Management, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Tema ETFs has launched a new exchange traded fund (ETF) that tracks popular drugmakers like Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), aiming to tap into growing demand for their weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The Tema Cardiovascular & Metabolic ETF (HRTS.O) invests in companies tackling diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases, according to the New York-headquartered platform's website. The advances of the class of weight-loss and diabetes therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are only the tip of the iceberg, said David K. Song, investment partner and head of life sciences at Tema ETFs. The Tema fund has a net expense ratio of 0.75%. Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, David K, Morgan Stanley, Bansari Mayur, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Metabolic, Morgan Stanley Research, VanEck Pharmaceutical, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Tema, Novo, New York, Bengaluru

Money market traders are betting September's hike was the last, with almost 90 basis points of rate cuts priced by the end of 2024. European shares underperforming their U.S. counterparts was a common expectation amongst the survey's European respondents as the robust American economy looks more likely to achieve a 'soft landing' than Europe. European shares are much cheaper than those in the U.S., possibly reflecting the worse economic outlook. The STOXX Europe 600 trades at over 12 times 12-month forward earnings, a 35.6% discount to the S&P 500 (.SPX). "Still, as the broader economic slowdown takes hold of the continent's markets, we expect to see a rather challenging second half of 2024."

Persons: Chris Beauchamp, Thomas Monteiro, Germany's DAX, Fiona Cincotta, Cincotta, Investing.com's Monteiro, Monteiro, Samuel Indyk, Danilo Masoni, Pranoy Krishna, Rahul Trivedi, Sarupya Ganguly, Jason Neely Organizations: IG, European Central Bank, ECB, Investing.com, FTSE, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Europe, Germany, riskier, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Labor group seeks three board seats at Starbucks - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Members of the Starbucks Workers Union and other labor organization picket and hold a rally outside a company owned Starbucks store, during the coffee chain's Red Cup Day event in New York City, U.S., November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Starbucks Corp FollowNov 21 (Reuters) - The Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of North American labor unions, is seeking three board seats at Starbucks (SBUX.O), people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. Workers at several Starbucks stores had walked off their jobs last week in a strike organized by the Workers United union during a key promotional event demanding improved staffing and schedules. It is affiliated to Service Employees International Union, which owns a small Starbucks stake and is part of the Strategic Organizing Center, the Wall Street Journal reported. The WSJ first reported about the Strategic Organizing Center's push for board seats.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Bayliss, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Starbucks Workers Union, REUTERS, Companies Starbucks Corp, Organizing, North, Reuters, Tuesday . Workers, Workers United, Service Employees International Union, Strategic Organizing, Wall Street Journal, Starbucks, ., U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, WSJ, Svea Herbst, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, North American, Bengaluru, Svea, New York

☆ Bankrupt WeWork enters financing agreements with certain lenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A WeWork logo is seen outside its offices in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 7, 2023. WeWork, once the most valuable U.S. startup, struggled to achieve profitability as a rise in work-from-home trends following the pandemic soured demand for its shared office spaces. The financing could be as much as $682.5 million but it could also be smaller than that depending on other conditions, WeWork said, adding that the parties have agreed to provide the financing individually and not jointly. The company also said the financing agreement was dependent on fulfilling certain conditions, including the approval of the Bankruptcy Court. WeWork entered bankruptcy with about $164 million of cash on hand, according to court filings.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, WeWork, Bhanvi, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Goldman Sachs International Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, SoftBank, Thomson Locations: Queens, New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Warren Buffett, 93, donates more Berkshire stock, assures 'I feel good'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. In a regulatory filing, Berkshire said Buffett donated 1.5 million Class B shares of Berkshire to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. The donations supplement the $759 million of Berkshire stock that Buffett donated to the charities at this time last year, also just before the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday. Greg Abel, 61, a Berkshire vice chairman, is slated to succeed Buffett as Berkshire's CEO, while Howard Buffett would become non-executive chairman. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation focuses on alleviating hunger, mitigating conflicts, combating human trafficking and improving public safety.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Scott Morgan, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Susan Thompson Buffett, Howard, Susan, Peter, Howard G, Greg Abel, Howard Buffett, Melinda Gates, Bhanvi, Jonathan Stempel, Arun Koyyur, Lisa Shumaker, David Gregorio, Shri Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, REUTERS, Berkshire, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, Buffett Foundation, Sherwood Foundation, NoVo Foundation, Forbes, Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Foundation, Apple, Thomson Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, U.S, Berkshire, Nebraska, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Gold rises on dollar weakness as focus turns to Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Brijesh Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar languished near more than a 2-1/2-month low as investors expect U.S. interest rates to fall next year. A weaker dollar makes gold less expensive for other currency holders. Signs of slowing inflation in the United States has boosted expectations that the U.S. central bank was done raising interest rates. Lower interest rates decrease the opportunity cost of holding gold. Inflation is likely to remain "stubborn" and force the Fed to keep interest rates elevated for longer than investors anticipate, Richmond Fed president Thomas Barkin said.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Edward Meir, CME's, Jerome Powell, It's, Meir, Thomas Barkin, Brijesh Patel, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Federal, Benchmark, Richmond Fed, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Siberian, Russia, U.S, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's AI firm Appen mulls selling part or whole of business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Australia's AI firm Appen (APX.AX) said Tuesday it is mulling the sale of a part or whole of its business. Appen, which was one of the world's largest AI training providers, has implemented a raft of cost-saving initiatives and has seen its executive team being entirely replaced over the last two years. The company on Tuesday announced an equity raise of A$30-million ($19.52 million), aimed at boosting its working capital. It also announced an additional $14 million of cost reduction, boosting its cost-saving initiatives this year to $60 million. ($1 = 1.5366 Australian dollars)Reporting by Nausheen Thusoo in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank DhaniwalaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nausheen, Mrigank Organizations: Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Zoom lifts annual results forecast as AI features boost demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zoom now expects annual adjusted profit per share between $4.93 and $4.95, higher than its prior forecast of $4.63 and $4.67. The company lifted its full-year revenue forecast to between $4.506 billion and $4.511 billion, from $4.485 billion to $4.495 billion earlier. The company's quarterly free cash flow grew 66.2% to $453.2 million, and Zoom expects $1.34 billion to $1.35 billion for the full year. The Phone segment grew to roughly 7 million paid seats while Contact Center reached about 700 customers as of quarter-end. For the third quarter, revenue grew 3.2% to $1.14 billion, slightly above estimates.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Webex, Eric Yuan, Rishi Jaluria, Samrhitha, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Communications, RBC, Contact, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ US seeks more than $4 billion from Binance to end criminal case -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | October | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A smartphone with displayed Binance logo and representation of cryptocurrencies are placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken, June 8, 2023. Negotiations between the Justice Department and Binance include the possibility that the cryptocurrency exchange's founder, Changpeng Zhao, would face criminal charges in the United States, the report said. The Bloomberg report said an announcement on the resolution could come as soon as the end of this month. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment. The DOJ probe is one of a string of legal and regulatory headaches the world's biggest crypto exchange faces in the United States.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Changpeng Zhao, Sam Bankman, Binance, Zhao, Niket, Tom Wilson, Chris Prentice, Arun Koyyur, Maju Samuel, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Binance Holdings, Bloomberg, Justice Department, Binance, Reuters, DOJ, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru, London, New York

The startup's newly appointed interim head moved quickly to dismiss speculation that OpenAI's board ousted Altman due to a spat over the safety of powerful AI models. It was not clear why Murati had stepped down as interim CEO. [1/4]Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. Some of those joining Altman at Microsoft include senior researchers Szymon Sidor and Jakub Pachocki, according to Brockman. Microsoft had supported a return by Altman to the startup, according to sources, a move that seemed likely only hours prior to Monday's announcements.

Persons: OpenAI, Emmett Shear, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, OpenAI's, Altman, Shear, Ilya Sutskever, we've, Sutskever, Mira Murati, reinstates Altman, Brockman, Bret Taylor, Will Hurd, Murati, Carlos Barria, Richard Windsor, Satya Nadella, Szymon Sidor, Jakub Pachocki, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Nadella, Jeffry Dastin, Anna Tong, Krystal Hu, Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni, Urvi, Shubham, Stephanie Kelly, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Miyoung Kim, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Chizu Nomiyama, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, FRANCISCO, Google, OpenAI, Reuters, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Radio Free Mobile, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, Texas, Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Franciso, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Wells Fargo employees at two branches mount unionization campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Wells Fargo logo is seen in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo (WFC.N) employees at two of the bank's branches filed for union elections on Monday, laying the groundwork for potential unionization in an industry that has largely been immune to such labor campaigns. In a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), bankers and tellers at Wells Fargo branches in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Bethel, Alaska declared their intent to join the Communications Workers of America's Wells Fargo Workers United (WFWU). "While we are the first Wells Fargo workers to file for union elections, we will not be the last," said Sabrina Perez, a senior premier banker at Wells Fargo's Albuquerque branch. "We have a deep commitment to invest in and support everyone who works at Wells Fargo ... have significantly improved compensation and benefits for our lower paid employees in recent years," he said.

Persons: Stephanie Keith, Wells, Sabrina Perez, Wells Fargo's Saul Van Beurden, Niket, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: REUTERS, National Labor Relations Board, Communications Workers, America's Wells Fargo Workers United, Labor, Detroit Three, Wells, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Bethel , Alaska, America's Wells, United States, Wells, Albuquerque, Bengaluru

In a statement on the social media platform X, Shear dismissed speculation that OpenAI's board ousted Altman because of a spat over the safety of powerful AI models. OpenAI dismissed Altman on Friday following a "breakdown of communications," according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. [1/4]Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. In a separate post on X, Altman shared Nadella's message with the words, "the mission continues". loadingThe decision not to reinstate Altman as OpenAI's chief confounded efforts by investors and employees to steady the startup's path.

Persons: OpenAI, Emmett Shear, Sam Altman, Shear, OpenAI's, Altman, Satya Nadella, Greg Brockman, Carlos Barria, Nadella, Szymon Sidor, Brockman, Richard Windsor, Ilya Sutskever, Jeffry Dastin, Anna Tong, Urvi, Stephanie Kelly, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Miyoung Kim, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Microsoft, OpenAI, Reuters, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, The, Radio Free Mobile, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, OpenAI, San Franciso, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Who is Emmett Shear, OpenAI's new interim CEO replacing Sam Altman?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Twitch CEO Emmett Shear speaks in a still image taken from a video interview with Reuters in San Francisco, U.S. which was broadcast in May 2018. REUTERS TV via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has named ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear as its interim chief executive officer after the startup ousted former head Sam Altman in a move that rocked the tech industry. Shear, who was part of the first batch of startup accelerator Y Combinator along with Altman, is known as an outspoken advocate of safety in the development of artificial intelligence. Some facts about Emmett Shear:* Shear, 40, stepped down as CEO of Amazon.com (AMZN.O)-owned Twitch this March after more than 16 years at the live video streaming platform* The platform was co-founded by Shear as Justin.tv in 2006, before its name was changed to Twitch in 2011. The platform quickly gained traction in the gaming community and was acquired by Amazon for just under $1 billion in 2014.

Persons: Emmett Shear, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Shear, Justin Kan, Emmett, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Amazon, Yale University, LinkedIn, Forbes, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , U.S, Seattle, Bengaluru

☆ Nikola CFO Anastasiya Pasterick to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Nikola is seen on a truck, during the press day preview of the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. Pasterick was appointed to the role in March this year after the exit of Kim Brady, who was credited with taking Nikola public through a merger with a blank-check firm in 2020. The company expects to wrap up its search for a new CFO soon and Pasterick will assist with a transition through Dec. 1, it said. Key financial leaders will report to CEO Stephen Girsky in the interim. The news comes just months after Nikola named its fourth CEO in four years, with Girsky immediately taking over from Michael Lohscheller.

Persons: Nikola, David Swanson, NKLA.O, Anastasiya Pasterick, Pasterick, Kim Brady, Stephen Girsky, Girsky, Michael Lohscheller, Seher, Devika Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Ford, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ A timeline of Sam Altman’s ouster from OpenAI and Microsoft appointment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Openai LLC FollowMicrosoft Corp FollowNov 20 (Reuters) - Following a surprise ouster, OpenAI co-founder and former CEO Sam Altman joined Microsoft (MSFT.O) as the head of artificial intelligence research along with the ChatGPT maker's former President Greg Brockman and other staff. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsThe developments come less than a year after OpenAI kicked off the generative AI frenzy with the launch of viral chatbot ChatGPT and bagged Microsoft as an investor, among other big names. The shakeup is not the first at OpenAI, which was launched in 2015. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Carlos Barria, Elon Musk, Akash Sriram, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Microsoft, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Bengaluru

But the real focus will be on whether widening U.S. curbs on sales of its high-end chips to China could hamper that run. The results will also be a major test for the AI-powered rally that has helped drive up the U.S. stock market this year, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index (.SOX) up nearly 50% in 2023. The Biden administration last month banned China sales of the H800 and A800 chips that Nvidia had created after previous curbs on exports to the country. Reuters GraphicsCHINA CHIPSBefore the latest China export curbs, demand for Nvidia's H800 chip, a slower version of its flagship AI chip, had outpaced rivals as it was better than the alternatives. "It's possible Nvidia's massive growth will make revenue from China less material over time," Morningstar analysts said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kyle Rodda, Biden, Bernstein, Stacy Rasgon, Arsheeya Bajwa, Chavi Mehta, Devika Organizations: NVIDIA, REUTERS, Nvidia, Wall Street Journal, Reuters Graphics, LSEG, AMD, Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Lambda, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: China, Philadelphia, Reuters Graphics CHINA, Bengaluru

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