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☆ Xi wanted China to be at the tech frontier. 5 years on, tensions with the U.S. have dented that goal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Major Chinese technology firms have been put on export blacklists since then. Looking ahead, the latest package of U.S. controls will make a huge dent in China's technology ambitions. Paul Triolo technology policy lead, Albright StonebridgeThings did not look as "bleak" for China's semiconductors in 2017 as they do now, Triolo said. China's tech crackdownA major hallmark of Xi's last five years is how he has transformed China into one of the strictest regulatory regimes globally for technology. China's technology giants are also posting their slowest growth in history, partly due to tighter regulations.

☆ Startup founders are panicked amid a market meltdown, but most VCs don't want to hear it. 'It's like don't ask, don't tell.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"It's like don't ask, don't tell," Josh Felser, a successful founder and outspoken investor, said. The following report on how startup founders are coping with the funding crunch was originally published on August 4. Seven Seven Six partner Katelin Holloway. Her investor, Seven Seven Six, pays for its founders to participate. Caleb Frankel, whose Seven Seven Six-backed startup, EarlyBird, helps families invest in their kid's financial future, wants desperately to have kids, but he and his wife have struggled with pregnancy loss.

As the top official in China's commercial hub and its most populous city, Li's position as Shanghai party chief has traditionally been a stepping stone towards a top-two role in China's power structure - including for Xi Jinping himself. "It's near impossible for Li, who owes his political career largely to Xi, to even consider doing anything to undermine Xi. KEY CONFIDANTA native of Zhejiang province, Li, 63, was Xi's chief of staff - a role for the most trusted confidants - from 2004 to 2007 when Xi was party chief of Zhejiang. In Seattle with Xi, Li gave a speech calling for more cooperation between Zhejiang and U.S. firms. Making his rounds, he reiterated the COVID party line: "We must resolutely implement the spirit of the important instructions by Party Secretary Xi Jinping and steadfastly persist in the dynamic-zero approach".

Many companies that have shifted enterprise-technology tools into the cloud in recent years, in part as a cost-saving measure, say those investments have yet to pay off. Rather than run software and systems in their own hardware, commercial cloud users tap computing capabilities from providers such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. They are also turning to multiple cloud providers, rather than relying on one cloud, for different systems and applications for different business areas. “Many first movers expected significant IT cost efficiency from their cloud investments,” said Barry Brunsman, a principal in KPMG’s CIO Advisory group. “You really do need to not just take it for granted that cloud is where you should head,” she said.

☆ Wall Street’s banking-as-a-service has a problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. December 28, 2016. The nature of the buyout business means there are asset flips, equity offerings, follow-ons, and recapitalizations that all generate recurring fees. Private equity clients are ideal for investment banks that otherwise have to schmooze large companies like Microsoft (MSFT.O) for years before receiving a one-off deal. Follow @JMAGuilford on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSPrivate equity firms accounted for 26% of M&A deals in the first six months of 2022, according to Refinitiv, a record-high share. During that time, investment banks earned $6.5 billion in fees worldwide from providing services to financial sponsors, Refinitiv data show.

While loans can be cheaper than issuing bonds, shorter-term debt is currently more expensive than longer tenors. Typically companies take a bridge loan to fund mergers but then pay it down with a long-dated bond issue before closing. The tech giant also doubled the size of its commercial paper program to $6 billion and said that it could expand the size of the term loan to $6 billion. "If a term loan is necessary due to timing of the deal closing, we expect to pay it back quickly," the company said. In the market for junk bonds, for example, some companies are paying higher rates to raise funds.

☆ Laid-off Snap employees are fielding dozens of messages from TikTok, Facebook, and Netflix recruiters
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Well now, some of those laid-off employees are having trouble keeping up with demand from recruiters — and some say they've received reachouts from more than 70 companies. Laid-off Snap employees describe "overwhelming" recruiter outreach. After the company laid off a staggering 20% of its staff, some former workers' inboxes are filled with messages from Facebook, Netflix, and TikTok recruiters. As former employees found themselves without jobs, some told Insider they've fielded dozens of messages from recruiters. What laid-off Snap employees told us.

☆ A top stock picker at $10 trillion BlackRock shares 3 places to invest now to beat soaring inflation and recession risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

According to Tony DeSpirito, inflation and recession risks are the biggest threats to stocks. According to Tony DeSpirito, investors today face a two-pronged set of major risks to their portfolios: inflation and recession. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) offers diversified exposure to energy stocks, while the Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH) offers exposure to the financials sector. According to BlackRock's Ben Bei, a product strategist on the firm's Active Equity Group, healthcare stocks have performed well in prior recessions. Alongside healthcare, DeSpirito recommended keeping some cash on the sidelines as markets continue to digest inflation and the risk of monetary tightening.

☆ Rationing is coming: Europe could introduce mandatory limits on electricity use as its standoff with Russia intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The EU is set to unveil mandatory energy use cuts as its standoff with Russia pushes supply lower. The plan also includes an "exceptional and temporary" tax on companies in the oil, gas, coal, and refining sectors based on the firms' extra profits. Yet with energy prices still elevated and Russia slashing exports to Europe even further in recent weeks, the plan's authors argue urgency is paramount. Energy prices have skyrocketed in the UK and the EU as Russia retaliates against sanctions and cuts its exports of oil and natural gas to western Europe. The shift has forced them to quickly adopt measures boosting domestic energy supply and easing demand to avoid rolling blackouts and even more intense inflation.

☆ Lawyers Open up About Depression and Suicide, Saying It's Key to Saving Others
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-30 | by ( Casey Sullivan | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

His doctor had prescribed him antidepressants, but he was starting to realize that his mental health issues needed additional care. They said that doing so could alleviate the struggles of others, and that it's important for law firm attorneys to understand they aren't alone. He also co-founded the Lawyers Depression Project, a support network of some 900 legal professionals around the world, an endeavor he has found meaningful. "I didn't feel like I could keep surviving in an environment that played into the worst aspects of my own mental health," Alexander said. For lawyer-specific inquiries, you can find confidential, live assistance through Lawyer Assistance Programs offered through your state bar, as well as through the Lawyers Depression Project.

☆ Inside the 'Wild West' of law-school recruiting that has Big Law reeling in talent earlier and more aggressively than ever
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-22 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Law schools bemoan the trend, but more and more of them allow it, such as Harvard and NYU this year. The nation's biggest and most powerful law firms have always sought to hire the best and brightest students from top law schools. Some schools have threatened to ban law firms from participating in OCI if they engage in pre-OCI recruiting. This year, law schools at both Harvard and NYU even unveiled formal early-interview programs. Last year, they made 1,771 such offers, amounting to 18% of the offers made by law firms that engaged in the practice.

☆ Cannabis startup Eaze quietly laid off as many as 25 employees as pressure mounts for the once high-flying company
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-02 | by ( Kylie Robison | Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In a statement to Insider, Eaze said the cuts were related to a merger that closed in January. Cannabis tech startup Eaze quietly laid off as many as 25 employees, Insider has learned. In its statement to Insider, Eaze said that the cuts were related to the Green Dragon acquisition, which closed in January. In its statement to Insider, Eaze said that it closed its Series E round in January with $65 million in funding. In January of 2022, the company completed its acquisition of Green Dragon and closed on $65 million in its Series E fundraise.

☆ Congress needs to stop day trading, says Senator Mark Warner, a former VC and entrepreneur
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-14 | by ( Alex Kantrowitz | Big Technology | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner says members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to trade individual stocks. "The ability to trade, and particularly on a day trade basis, even if you're not doing anything wrong, it looks bad," said Sen. Warner. Nancy Pelosi's argument for allowing stock trading is that federal representatives should not be restricted from participating in the economy. His transactions took place just a week before the House Judiciary Committee advanced its slew of antitrust bills aimed at Big Tech. As he leaned back in his chair in his Washington DC office, Sen. Warner, a seasoned investor, brought the point home.

☆ A top German carrier picks Huawei to help build its 5G network in potential snub to the US
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-12 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Telefonica Deutschland, one of Germany's top mobile carriers, has picked Huawei and Nokia to build out its 5G network. The move is a potential snub to the U.S. government which has been campaigning for its allies to keep the Chinese telecoms equipment giant out of their 5G networks. Japan and Australia have effectively banned the company from their 5G networks. The German government decided in October it would not exclude Huawei from its 5G networks. Instead, it introduced a draft proposal for security guidelines when it comes to 5G equipment.

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