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HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan speaks at the company's Inbound conference in Boston on Sept. 6, 2023. HubSpot shares plunged 12% on Wednesday after a report said Alphabet isn't going forward with plans to buy the software company. Representatives for HubSpot and Google parent Alphabet didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. HubSpot develops software that companies, mostly small and medium-sized businesses, use to automate marketing and reach prospective customers. Buying HubSpot would have helped Google grow revenue from business software, alongside cloud infrastructure, as well as other non-cloud businesses under the Alphabet umbrella.

Persons: Yamini Rangan, HubSpot, Read Organizations: Bloomberg, HubSpot, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Google, Revenue, U.S . Justice Department, Motorola Mobility Locations: Boston, U.S

☆ GM's Cruise names former Amazon, Microsoft Xbox executive as new CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

DETROIT – General Motors' Cruise autonomous vehicle unit on Tuesday announced former Amazon and Microsoft executive Marc Whitten as its new CEO. His appointment comes at a crucial time for Cruise, which is testing and relaunching its autonomous vehicles on public roadways. Following the incident, several key leaders, including Cruise CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt, departed the company. The probe also investigated allegations of a cover-up by Cruise leadership, but investigators did not find evidence to support those claims. Cruise was a crucial part of GM's plan to double revenue to $280 billion by the end of this decade.

Persons: Marc Whitten, Whitten, Kyle Vogt, Marc, Mary Barra, Cruise, Rowe Price, Nick Mulholland, Craig Glidden, Glidden, Grant Dixton, Dixton, Mary Organizations: DETROIT, Motors, Amazon, Microsoft, Cruise, GM, Honda Motor, Walmart, Rivian, Activision Blizzard, Boeing Locations: San Francisco, Phoenix , Houston, Dallas, Dubai

☆ Top Wall Street analysts recommend these stocks for the long haul
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Against that uncertain backdrop, Wall Street analysts are focused on identifying stocks with solid fundamentals and strong long-term growth prospects. In that climate, here are three stocks favored by the Street's top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Finally, Feinseth mentioned Microsoft's strong financial position, which supports enhanced shareholder returns and enables investments in the company's AI ambitions. The company's Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform securely connects users, devices and applications by protecting them from cyberattacks and data loss. Following the Zenith Live 2024 event, Baird analyst Shrenik Kothari reaffirmed a buy rating on Zscaler stock with a price target of $260.

Persons: Kevin Scott, TD Cowen, Helane Becker, Becker, TipRanks, OpenAI, Ivan Feinseth, Feinseth, Baird, Shrenik Kothari, Zscaler, Kothari Organizations: Microsoft, Technology, Artificial, Seattle Convention Center, Federal Reserve, Street, Delta Air, Delta Air Lines, DAL, Delta, Activision Blizzard, Zero, Zenith Locations: Seattle, Seattle , Washington, Toronto, Delta

☆ Uvalde Families Sue Instagram and Activision Over Promotion of Guns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The families of schoolchildren who were shot at Robb Elementary School in 2022 filed two lawsuits on Friday accusing Instagram, the publisher of the popular “Call of Duty” video game and a manufacturer of semiautomatic rifles of helping to train and equip the teenage gunman who committed the massacre. The unusual lawsuits were filed on the second anniversary of the elementary school shooting, in which 19 fourth-graders and two teachers were killed in their classrooms by an 18-year-old gunman who had purchased his weapon — an AR-15-style rifle — a few days before, as soon as he was legally able. Each company, the lawsuits claim, took part in “grooming” the teenager to become a mass shooter. Together, the suits are among the most far-reaching actions to be filed in response to the escalating number of mass shootings in the United States. The California suit, which names the publisher Activision, appeared to be one of the first to go after a video game maker for helping to promote weapons used in mass shootings.

Persons: Instagram Organizations: Robb Elementary School, Activision Locations: California, Texas, United States

☆ Publisher of Call of Duty, maker of AR-15 style rifle and Meta named in wrongful death lawsuits by families of Uvalde victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Michelle Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Three companies are facing wrongful death lawsuits in the Uvalde school shooting of 2022, according to complaints filed in California and Texas. “The Defendants bear responsibility for this profound corruption of our children,” the suit filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles says. Just 23 minutes after midnight on his 18th birthday, the Uvalde shooter bought an AR-15 made by a company with a market share of less than one percent. Because, well before he was old enough to purchase it, he was targeted and cultivated online by Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense. Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”CNN has reached out to Meta and Daniel Defense for comment.

Persons: ”, Daniel Defense –, Salvador Ramos, Ramos, Daniel Defense, Ramos “, Daniel Defense’s, “, —, Ramos ’, Sen, John Whitmire, Daniel, Josh Koskoff, CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz, Samantha Delouya Organizations: CNN, Robb Elementary, Meta, Activision, “, Robb Elementary School, Daniel, Court, Instagram, Daniel Defense, ” CNN Locations: California, Texas, Instagram, “, Houston, Los Angeles, Uvalde , Texas, Koskoff

☆ Apple's new iPad Pro is thin and fast, but the software needs an update
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

I've been testing the new iPad Pro for several days and what I found is that it's a very nice iPad. The game will look better once Activision Blizzard releases an update enabling improved graphics for the M4 iPad Pro. 2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCThe new iPads Pro support Apple's updated $350 Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (the 11-inch version is $300). 2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCThe updated Apple Pencil Pro is also a lot of fun. What's bad2024 13-inch Apple iPad Pro Todd Haselton | CNBCHere's my biggest gripe about the Pro models: The software, iPadOS, is what you'll get on any other iPad.

Persons: I've, Apple hasn't, Christoph Dernbach, Diablo, it's, Todd Haselton, hasn't, Apple, Slack, you've, Tim Cook Organizations: Apple, Getty, Pro, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, CNBC Here's, Conference, WWDC Locations: It's, 10hz

☆ No, seriously. Where are the TikTok buyers?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has decided against buying TikTok. That leaves a really tiny list of people who say they want to buy TikTok. AdvertisementWho's going to buy TikTok? [Crickets]Yes, if you Google "potential TikTok buyers" you'll find a bunch of stories — Business Insider has written one, too — speculating about names. They list Mnuchin as well as Shark Tank host Kevin O'Leary, who also likes to go on TV and talk about buying TikTok.

Persons: Eric Schmidt, —, Steve Mnuchin, ByteDance, Kevin O'Leary, Bobby Kotick, OpenAI's Sam Altman, we've, Trump Organizations: Google, Service, Treasury, TV, Street Journal, Activision, Oracle, Walmart, Microsoft, Big Tech, McKinsey, TikTok

☆ Who could buy TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Still, the company is under such close scrutiny that it would be a poor candidate to buy TikTok, experts say. If you were to tell me it’s Verizon, or AT&T, maybe it’s not as big of a problem.”Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, highlighted a paradox: Only the largest, most dominant tech giants may have the resources to buy TikTok. Microsoft had been one of the handful of contenders to buy TikTok in 2020 when President Donald Trump first pushed for a sale. A former Trump Cabinet official enters the frayIn a move that caught many by surprise, former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that he is putting together a team of investors to buy TikTok. As with Mnuchin, O’Leary has said a potential acquisition of TikTok may have to exclude TikTok’s algorithm.

Persons: Joe Biden, There’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, Jasmine Enberg, ” Enberg, TikTok’s, Donald Trump, TikTok, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, ” Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Trump, who’ve, Kevin O’Leary, O’Leary Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Google, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Department, YouTube, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Verizon, Emarketer, Activision Blizzard, Walmart, Oracle, Project Texas, Texas, Trump Cabinet, Trump Treasury, Trump, ” Oregon Democratic, Washington Post, O’Leary Ventures Locations: United States, TikTok, ” Oregon

☆ Microsoft shares jump 4% after the big AI winner delivers in all the right places
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

However, momentum from AI services will keep Azure growth stabilized at these high levels, outperforming the market's expectations. AI services continue to be a large source of revenue growth, contributing seven percentage points of growth. The Office Commercial Products and Cloud Services revenue rose 12%, while the Office Consumer Products and Cloud Services revenue grew 4%. Windows Commercial Products and Cloud Services revenue increased 12%, driven by demand for Windows 365. The company guided Azure's constant currency revenue growth to 30% to 31%, which is higher than estimates of 29%.

Persons: OpenAI, Satya Nadella, there's, we're, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Satya Narayana Nadella, Lucas Jackson Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, Google, Fortune, Productivity, Products, Cloud Services, Consumer Products, Novo Nordisk, Nvidia, Activision, Windows, Management, CNBC Locations: OpenAI, ChatGPT, Novo, Manhattan, New York City

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block Tapestry’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri, a blockbuster fashion tie-up that would bring together Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Versace. The lawsuit is a rare move by the agency to block a fashion deal, given that the industry does not suffer from a lack of competition. In her time as the chair of the F.T.C., Lina Khan has prioritized taking on the power of big business in suits across industries. The agency has moved to block the supermarket merger between Kroger and Albertsons; Meta’s acquisition of the virtual reality start-up Within; and Microsoft’s bid for the gaming giant Activision. failed to block Microsoft’s deal and Meta’s acquisition, both of which closed last year.

Persons: Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Versace, Lina Khan, ” Henry Liu, ” Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Kroger, Albertsons, Activision, “, Competition Locations: Capri, ’

☆ Microsoft and NetEase to re-launch Warcraft game in China, ending feud
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese video games giant NetEase said it is working with Microsoft to bring popular games including "World of Warcraft" back to the country after a public fallout that ended a decade-long partnership in 2023. NetEase was the publisher of Blizzard's games in China from 2008 to 2023. "We at Blizzard are thrilled to reestablish our partnership with NetEase and to work together, with deep appreciation for the collaboration between our teams, to deliver legendary gaming experiences to players in China," said Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment. Additionally, Microsoft and NetEase said they have also entered into an agreement to explore bringing new NetEase titles to Microsoft's Xbox gaming consoles and its other gaming platforms. A number of popular online games developed by Blizzard were taken offline in China last year after the company terminated its lucrative, 14-year-long partnership with NetEase, citing disagreement over intellectual property control.

Persons: NetEase, Johanna Faries Organizations: Microsoft, Blizzard Entertainment, Activision, Blizzard, NetEase Locations: U.S, China

The Chinese company NetEase said on Wednesday that it had struck a deal to distribute titles from Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, restoring access to popular video games like World of Warcraft for Chinese gamers. More than a year ago, NetEase and Blizzard called an end to their long-running partnership when renewal talks turned testy, with both sides accusing each other of bad-faith negotiations. An uproar ensued among Chinese gamers, upset about losing access to a slew of popular titles from Blizzard’s parent company, the U.S. game developer Activision Blizzard. NetEase said on Wednesday that it had reached the new deal with Microsoft, which acquired Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion deal in October. The two companies said they had also agreed to distribute NetEase titles on Microsoft’s Xbox game device.

Persons: NetEase, we’ve, ” William Ding Organizations: Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Locations: U.S

☆ Blizzard, NetEase deal: ‘World of Warcraft’ and other hit games return to China as dispute ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s gaming giant NetEase will bring back the iconic “World of Warcraft” and other popular video games by Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment to the country, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. California-based Blizzard and Hangzhou-based NetEase had ceased their 15-year relationship in 2023 after an acrimonious fallout, leaving millions of fans in China heartbroken. “After a year of negotiations, Blizzard and NetEase are pleased to align on a path forward to once again serve players in mainland China,” the companies said in a post on NetEase Games’ official Weibo account. The new deal will see the return of “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” games to China, as well as other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and StarCraft universes, according to the statement. Foreign publishers must work with local partners to offer video games in China.

Persons: NetEase, “, ”, we’ve, William Ding, ’, Phil Spencer Organizations: CNN, Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard, Games, Weibo, Microsoft Gaming, Xbox, Microsoft, Activision, Big Locations: China, California, Hangzhou, Beijing, Big Tech

☆ I moved from Minnesota to California for a dream job and got laid off 4 months later
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At the time, I'd been working as an office assistant at Activision in Minnesota, but the Blizzard job was based in California. Dream jobBefore landing the Blizzard job, I was eyeing a range of roles in the gaming industry and networking. When I finally got through the lengthy interview process for the Blizzard job, I originally missed out. I'm happy I moved to California — but I wouldn't relocate for a job againDespite everything, I'm happy I moved to California. AdvertisementEven if I were offered another gaming job, I wouldn't relocate for a role again — I'm too worried about getting burned twice.

Persons: —, Cole McElwain, I'd, couldn't, I'm, — I'm Organizations: Service, Blizzard, Activision, Business, Microsoft Locations: Minnesota, California

What’s next for ByteDance’s U.S. investors? DealBook has spoken with people in the know about what these investors, including financial giants like the Susquehanna International Group, can do, with billions of dollars on the line. Mnuchin, a former Treasury secretary, told Andrew on CNBC on Thursday that he was in talks with a “combination of U.S. investors” about a TikTok deal. He added that he had spoken with some of the investors in ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, about possibly rolling over their stake. of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, also reportedly has been looking for potential partners for a bid.

Persons: What’s, ”, DealBook, Steven Mnuchin, Andrew, Bill Ford, Bobby Kotick Organizations: ByteDance’s U.S, U.S, Susquehanna International Group, CNBC, Activision Locations: Beijing, China, ByteDance

☆ Who will buy TikTok from ByteDance?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

At $100 billion, there are few companies that could afford to buy TikTok outright. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal wrote that Kotick “floated the idea of partnering to buy TikTok to a table of people that included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.”CNN couldn’t independently confirm the report. Its one go at the social media scene, the buggy and short-lived Ping, was one of Apple’s biggest flops. And any tech executive or private equity investor thinking of buying TikTok would need to be prepared to enter the social media quagmire. A key question in assessing the value of a TikTok deal is whether China would allow ByteDance to export its algorithm — the secret sauce that keeps TikTok users glued to their phones.

Persons: CNN Business ’, There’s, Joe Biden’s, who’d, Dan Ives, ” Ives, Who’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, OpenAi, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard, “, Sam Altman, ” CNN couldn’t, Altman didn’t, doesn’t, quagmire, They’d, Mark Zuckerberg, Shou Chew, It’s, Trump, —, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Senate, Microsoft, Department, Google, ” Meta, Facebook, Street Journal, Activision, ” CNN, Kotick, Apple, Oracle, Walmart, Communist Party, ByteDance Locations: New York, United States, Beijing, Europe, China

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is building an investor group to acquire ByteDance's TikTok, as a bipartisan piece of legislation winding its way through Congress threatens its continued existence in the U.S. "It's a great business and I'm going to put together a group to buy TikTok." There's no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this in China," Mnuchin said. Last week, Mnuchin's Liberty Strategic Capital was a lead investor in a $1 billion capital raise to stabilize New York Community Bancorp. That administration also took an antagonistic stance toward TikTok, which ultimately resulted in ByteDance striking a data partnership with Oracle .

Persons: Steven Mnuchin, ByteDance's, ByteDance, Mnuchin, CNBC's, Masa, Joe Biden, Peter Thiel, Vinod Khosla, Keith Rabois, TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, Wang Wenbin, Bobby Kotick, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: U.S, Liberty Strategic Capital, Vision Fund, Senate, Lawmakers, China Foreign Ministry, Financial Times, Street, Activision, Community Bancorp, Oracle Locations: Liberty, ByteDance, U.S, China, TikTok, New

☆ Elon Musk would be the best owner for TikTok. There's just one problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

At one point, Elon Musk might have seemed like a great candidate to buy TikTok. Turns out my boss Henry Blodget is suggesting we all band together to rustle up the money to buy TikTok. You might recall Elon Musk from 2022. And that Elon Musk would be a great candidate to buy the US operations of TikTok. The sales pitch would be simple: Elon Musk.

Persons: Elon, —, Steven Mnuchin, doesn't, Bobby Kotick, Sam Altman, Henry Blodget, Henry, didn't, Joe Biden, ByteDance, that's, Steve Mnuchin, — Elon, Elon Musk, Guy Who, Esther Crawford, Musk, he's Organizations: Service, Activision, Street, Yahoo, Twitter, Elon Locations: TikTok, ByteDance

☆ Microsoft says new AI security chatbot pricing model lets customers 'buy what they need'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft is rolling out an unorthodox pricing model for its new security chatbot that becomes available to the public on April 1. Microsoft considered input from early customers as well as the costs of tapping OpenAI's LLMs that process users' prompts, Vasu Jakkal, a corporate vice president at Microsoft, told CNBC. Microsoft charges for use of its Azure OpenAI Service based on the number of tokens a client uses. BP is an early customer of the new security service. Copilot for Security can answer questions by drawing on information from Microsoft's own security products and third-party providers.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Nadella, Andrew Conway, Conway, Vasu Jakkal, Chip Calhoun, Copilot, UnitedHealth Organizations: Microsoft, Security, Gaming, Activision Blizzard, Windows, Dynamics, CNBC, OpenAI, BP Locations: Seoul, Charlotte, Russian

☆ TikTok leaders are pretty surprised that a bill to ban TikTok is zooming through Congress: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA bill to ban TikTok in the US is speeding through Congress and has caught the social media platform off guard, The Wall Street Journal reported. A TikTok spokesperson told Business Insider it expects the bill to pass, saying it had a "predetermined outcome." Others, like former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, have also weighed in, expressing their opposition to a TikTok ban. The movement to ban TikTok in the US has been pushed by legislators who believe the company will hand over user data to the Chinese government. AdvertisementIn response to the House bill, TikTok went on the offensive and urged its users to contact their representatives to let them know they opposed it.

Persons: —, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Joe Biden, Biden, Rand Paul, Lindsay Graham, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Paul, TikTok, Sen, Ed Markey, Bobby Kotick, ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, Kotick, Sam Altman Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Republican Rep, Democratic Rep, Business, House Energy, Commerce, Senate, Associated Press, Elon, Google, Big Tech, Activision, Journal, Kotick, BI Locations: Wisconsin, Illinois, United States, TikTok

☆ Ex-Activision CEO Bobby Kotick pitched buying TikTok to potential partners, including Sam Altman: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bobby Kotick, the former chief of gaming giant Activision, wants to buy TikTok. He's floated the idea to ByteDance cofounder Zhang Yiming and OpenAI's Sam Altman, the WSJ reports. A proposed bill gaining steam in Congress would force TikTok to sell to a US entity or shut down. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementBobby Kotick, the former CEO of gaming giant Activision, may see TikTok as his next act — that is, if a controversial bill making its way through Congress becomes law.

Persons: Bobby Kotick, He's, Zhang Yiming, OpenAI's Sam Altman, TikTok, —, Kotick Organizations: Activision, Service, Microsoft, Street Journal, Business

☆ How Sony's PlayStation has rivaled Microsoft and Nintendo in the console wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Ryan Baker | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

It's been three decades since the Sony PlayStation first brought to life some of the video game industry's most beloved franchises. The gaming console expanded into the U.S. a year later in 1995. "We went into markets where video gaming had never really been a thing. Most recently, Microsoft's $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition presented a major threat to Sony's long-standing gaming business. Watch the video to learn more about the story of Sony's PlayStation and to hear what is next for the company.

Persons: It's, Jim Ryan, Ryan, Shawn Layden, Layden, Carolina Milanesi Organizations: Sony PlayStation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide, Sony Music, Sony Electronics, Activision Blizzard, Activision, Microsoft, Sony Locations: Japan, U.S, Europe, Italy, Spain

☆ New Activision QA union is the largest in the video game industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A group of roughly 600 software testers at Activision on Friday formed the U.S. video game industry's largest union so far. The union is the first to organize under a new labor agreement negotiated as part of Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision in October, the company's largest takeover yet. Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA, the name of the union, is seeking higher wages and more career opportunities, QA tester Kara Fannon said in a statement. Before the Microsoft-Activision deal closed, QA workers at the video game-maker's Albany branch had also formed a union. "QA is currently an undervalued discipline in the games and software industries," the Albany wrote on social media at the time.

Persons: Bobby Kotick, Amy Pannoni, Kara Fannon, Claude Cummings Jr Organizations: Activision Blizzard, Allen, Co, Activision, Microsoft, Assurance United, CWA, Communications Workers of America, Labor, Big Tech Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, U.S, Microsoft's, California , Texas, Minnesota, Albany

☆ Electronic Arts, maker of Madden NFL, to lay off 5% of staff as gaming industry layoffs widen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Electronic Arts plans to lay off 5% of its employees, making it the latest company in the gaming and tech space to reduce its workforce. Epic Games cut 830 jobs in September. In January, Tencent’s Riot Games said it would lay off 11% of its workforce and Microsoft said it would cut 1,900 jobs from its Activision Blizzard and Xbox gaming divisions. And electronics giant Sony said on Tuesday it would cut 8% of its global workforce, amounting to around 900 jobs. That means that after its cuts to staff last year, Wednesday’s layoffs could affect more than 600 workers.

Persons: ”, Andrew Wilson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Electronic Arts, EA, Madden NFL, Apex, ” EA, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony Locations: New York

☆ EA to lay off 5% of workforce, or about 670 employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An Electronic Arts video game logo is seen at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The company's announcement marks the latest headcount reduction among video game developers in recent months, continuing a broader trend of significant downsizing across the tech industry. On Tuesday, Sony said it would lay off about 900 employees in its PlayStation division, or 8% of its workforce. EA CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in a memo to employees on Wednesday that the video game company is "streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere." "We are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business," Wilson wrote in his Wednesday note.

Persons: Andrew Wilson, Wilson, —, Steve Kovach Organizations: Arts, Electronic Entertainment, Electronic Arts, EA, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Sony, PlayStation, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, SEC, Apex, EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, CNBC PRO

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