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☆ Federal judge mocks Elon Musk’s X lawsuit targeting hate speech researchers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X targeting hate speech researchers appeared to stumble on Thursday as a federal judge sounded a skeptical note on many of the lawsuit’s allegations, suggesting that the company formerly known as Twitter hasn’t done enough to establish its claims. The judge in the case signaled he may toss out X’s claims but appeared undecided on whether to let the company amend and refile the suit. X has also blamed CCDH’s reports, which showcase the prevalence of hate speech on the platform, for amplifying brand safety concerns and driving advertisers away from the site. “You could have brought a defamation case; you didn’t bring a defamation case,” Breyer told X attorney Jonathan Hawk. Elon Musk, owner of X, attends the Viva Technology conference at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, X, CCDH, CCDH’s, Charles Breyer, ” Breyer, Jonathan Hawk, Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Breyer, Hawk, “, ” Hawk, I’ve, John Quinn Organizations: CNN, Center, Twitter, Nazi, Viva Technology, Porte de, CCDH Locations: San Francisco federal, Paris, France

☆ Prosecutors want Binance's CZ kept on tighter leash ahead of sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. prosecutors Friday asked a judge to tighten the bond conditions of billionaire Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao as he awaits his April sentencing for breaking a federal anti-money laundering law, court filings show. Under the proposed bond, Zhao would be required to provide prosecutors and pretrial services with at least three days' notice before any travel within the country, to give them time to raise any potential objections. An attorney for Zhao did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Pretrial Services also recommended "a location-monitoring condition," the filing said in a footnote. The filing does not explicitly ask the judge to impose that condition.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Binance, Changpeng, Zhao, Richard Jones Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, U.S, Zhao, Canadian, United, United Arab Emirates, Court Locations: Porte, Paris, United States, United Arab, Seattle, Washington

☆ Criminal sentencing of Binance founder CZ postponed to late April
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Changpeng Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 16, 2022. The criminal sentencing of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao on a money laundering rule charge has been postponed until April 30, according to a notice Monday in Seattle federal court. That docket entry did not explain what would be a two-month delay in sentencing Zhao, a Canadian national widely known as "CZ" who is free on a $175 million release bond in the United States. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison for Zhao, but prosecutors reportedly have considered asking for a harsher sentence. Zhao pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 to a charge of failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, William Burck Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, Canadian, CNBC, Department of Justice, Emergency Economic Locations: Porte, Paris, Seattle, United States, Binance

☆ Snap plunges 30% on revenue miss and light guidance, as Middle East conflict creates 'headwind'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Revenue : $1.36 billion vs. $1.38 billion expected, according to LSEG. : $1.36 billion vs. $1.38 billion expected, according to LSEG. Global Daily Active Users : 414 million vs. 412 million expected, according to StreetAccount. : 414 million vs. 412 million expected, according to StreetAccount. Daily active users for the first quarter will be 420 million, Snap said, slightly topping analyst estimates of 419.3 million.

Persons: Evan Spiegel, Porte, Debra Aho Williamson, Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, Shou Zi Chew, Jason Citron, Pinterest Organizations: Inc, Viva Technology, Porte de, CNBC, Meta Locations: Paris, Israel

Details of the medical procedure were also blacked out in the letter, which noted that federal prosecutors had not consented to Zhao's request. Jones held a closed hearing on the request on Dec. 29, and denied Zhao's bid to travel, court records show. Jones earlier in December rejected another request to allow Zhao to travel to the UAE. The judge said Zhao's "enormous wealth" made him a significant flight risk. His family resides in the UAE and it appears that he has favored status in the UAE," Jones wrote in a six-page order on Dec. 7.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Changpeng, Richard Jones, Zhao, Judge Jones, Jones, Zhao's Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, United Arab Emirates, Jan Locations: Porte, Paris, France, U.S, Seattle, Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States

☆ Meta was our second-best stock performer last year. Here's what we see in store for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta Platforms ' savvy use of artificial intelligence and untapped potential in business messaging are reasons why we see more upside ahead for the stock in 2024. The stock nearly tripled last year and was the second-best performing Club stock behind Nvidia . Here's a timeline of Meta's stock performance around earnings in 2023. Outside of AI, Meta continues to grow its successful business messaging across its services. Given that TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance is facing backlash from U.S. officials, a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. would be a major catalyst for Meta stock.

Persons: Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Jim Cramer, We're, ByteDance, Jim Cramer's, Jim, Benoit Tessier Organizations: Nvidia, Meta, Facebook, UBS, Hamas, Reality Labs, Meta's, Apple, CNBC, Inc, Viva Technology, Porte de Locations: U.S, Porte, Paris

☆ Elon Musk's AI firm xAI files to raise up to $1 bln in equity offering
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 5 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has filed with the U.S. securities regulator to raise up to $1 billion in an equity offering, according to a filing on Tuesday. In a Twitter Spaces event earlier in the year he said that rather than explicitly programming morality into its AI, xAI will seek to create a "maximally curious" AI. The billionaire, who has criticized Big Tech's AI efforts as ridden with censorship, in July launched xAI, calling it a "maximum truth-seeking AI" to rival Google's (GOOGL.O) Bard and Microsoft's Bing AI. In 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, which has created a frenzy for generative AI technology around the world, but stepped down from the board in 2018. The team behind xAI, which launched in July this year, comes from Google's DeepMind, the Windows parent, and other top AI research firms.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, xAI, Google's, Bard, Microsoft's Bing, XAI, Musk, Google's DeepMind, Akash Sriram, Jaiveer, Arsheeya Bajwa, Shailesh Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Elon, Securities and Exchange Commission, Microsoft Corp, Regulators, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Spanish media association files $598 mln lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Meta logo is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A group representing 83 Spanish media outlets on Monday said it has filed a 550 million euro ($598 million) lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), citing unfair competition in the advertising market. The lawsuit was filed by the AMI newspaper publishing association in a commercial court on Friday, the association said in a statement on Monday. The complaint is the second time Spanish media are challenging tech companies to protect their turf. In 2014, the Spanish government forced the closure of Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google News service until 2022 when new legislation allowing media outlets to negotiate directly with the tech giant was passed.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, El, Inti Landauro, Jakub Olesiuk, David Goodman, Emelia Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Meta, AMI, El Pais, ABC, Google, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Spanish

The Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO told advertisers who have fled his social media platform X over antisemitic content to "Go fuck yourself!" Several business communications analysts said they couldn't remember a similar case of an executive publicly cursing at their customers. Musk, Tesla and X did not respond to requests for comment. Musk apologized for it and then cursed and dismissed the concerns of the advertisers fleeing the platform. Cappelli said Musk wishes to see himself as a rock star, not a business leader who needs to take account of many constituencies.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, It's, Andy Challenger, Challenger, Michael O'Leary, Jim Hagedorn, Sam Zell, Musk, Yehuda Baruch, Baruch, Peter Cappelli, Cappelli, Ross Kerber, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Ryanair, Boeing, Scotts Miracle, University of Southampton, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Thomson Locations: Paris, France

After apologizing for his post at the event on Wednesday, Musk unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against some of the advertisers for fleeing the platform. The Tesla (TSLA.O) chief acknowledged that an extended boycott by advertisers could bankrupt X, formerly Twitter, but suggested that the public would blame the brands and not him for a potential collapse. "We believe there is risk that more companies will stop advertising on X; at least on a short-term basis," D.A. Monthly U.S. ad revenue at X has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk bought the company in October 2022, Reuters reported last month. "Musk has stated that Twitter is worth a lot lesser than the $44 billion he had paid for it.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Elon, Walt Disney, Musk, D.A, Tom Forte, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Chavi Mehta, Jaspreet Singh, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, New York Times, Warner Bros ., Davidson &, U.S, X, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Salesforce raises annual profit view on steady cloud demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Zaheer Kachwala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Salesforce (CRM.N) raised its annual profit forecast and its third-quarter results beat Wall Street targets on Wednesday, benefiting from a strong demand for its cloud and business products in an uncertain economy. Salesforce expects fourth-quarter adjusted profit in the range of $2.25 to $2.26 per share compared with estimates of $2.17. It forecast revenue between $9.18 billion and $9.23 billion, the midpoint of which exceeded estimates of $9.21 billion, according to LSEG data. The company's third-quarter revenue of $8.72 billion narrowly beat expectations, while adjusted profit of $2.11 per share beat estimates by 5 cents. It also raised the lower end of its annual revenue forecast to $34.75 to $34.8 billion.

Persons: Porte, Benoit Tessier, Salesforce, Charlie Miner, Einstein, Slack, Zaheer Kachwala, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Wall, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk curses out advertisers who left X over antisemitic content
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - (Please note strong language in paragraphs 1 and 6)Billionaire Elon Musk told advertisers that have fled his social media platform X over antisemitic content to "Go fuck yourself" in a fiery Wednesday interview. Musk said repeatedly he was sorry for publishing a tweet on Nov. 15 that agreed with an anti-Jewish post. Musk in his post said the user, who referenced the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, was speaking "the actual truth." Musk's post drew condemnation from the White House for what it called an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate." Musk in Israel said he is against antisemitism and anything that "promotes hate and conflict" and stated that X would not promote hate speech.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Billionaire Elon Musk, Musk, bristled, Bob, Robert Iger, Walt Disney, Iger, Musk's, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Sheila Dang, David Gaffen, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Billionaire, New York Times, Walt, U.S, White House, Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Media, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Israel, U.S, Dallas

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Former Binance chief Changpeng Zhao must stay in the United States for the time being, a federal judge said on Monday, after the founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange pleaded guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle said he would review whether Zhao should have to stay in the United States after the U.S. government appealed a decision by another judge allowing Zhao to return to the UAE before his Feb. 23 sentencing hearing. Last week, Zhao conceded: "I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility." The government had said it may be unable to secure Zhao's return to the United States given it has no extradition treaty with the UAE. Lawyers for Zhao disputed that he was a potential flight risk, noting that he paid a "substantial" bail package and voluntarily came to the United States to accept responsibility for his actions.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Benoit Tessier, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Jones, Chris Prentice, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, United Arab, District, U.S, UAE, Binance Holdings, Justice, Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, United States, Seattle, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Binance, New York, Washington

☆ Binance founder Changpeng Zhao ordered by judge to stay in U.S. ahead of prison sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty last week to criminal charges tied to his cryptocurrency exchange, has to remain in the U.S. at least temporarily, according to a ruling Monday by a federal judge. Zhao was released on a $175 million bond last week and has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Feb. 23. Prosecutors said they'd already made an "exceptional recommendation" in suggesting that Zhao be allowed to remain free until his sentencing. Zhao agreed to step down as CEO of Binance as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice. WATCH: Binance settlement a 'win' for the exchange and the industry

Persons: Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Jones, Prosecutors, they'd, Binance Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, Prosecutors, United Arab Emirates, U.S, Binance, Department of Justice, Justice Department Locations: Porte, Paris, U.S, Seattle, UAE, United States

☆ Elon Musk begins wartime visit to Israel, aviation tracker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's office announced on Sunday that Musk would be coming to meet the head of state. Musk's office had no immediate comment. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen in the United States and worldwide, including during the now seven-week-old war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian faction Hamas. In exchange, Israel has been freeing some Palestinians jailed on security grounds. Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Isaac Herzog's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk's, Avi Scharf, Netanyahu, Musk, Dan Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Tech, Haaretz, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Tel Aviv, Gaza, California, United States, Israel

☆ Ex-Binance CEO Zhao urges judge to allow him to leave the U.S. before sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lawyers for former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao are urging a U.S. judge to reject the Justice Department's request to bar him from returning to his home in the United Arab Emirates until he is sentenced for violating anti-money laundering requirements. Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. The Justice Department has asked Jones by Monday to reverse a decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida to allow Zhao to return home to the UAE ahead of his Feb. 23 sentencing after he agreed to release him on a $175 million bail bond. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. "In the vast majority of cases, a multi-billionaire defendant who has pleaded guilty, faces possible prison time, and lives in a country that does not extradite its citizens to the United States would be detained," Justice Department lawyers said.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Richard Jones, Zhao, Jones, Brian Tsuchida Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, United Arab Emirates, U.S, District, Islamic, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Justice Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Seattle, U.S, UAE, Canada, Binance, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, United States

Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. Zhao, a citizen of the UAE and Canada, stepped down as CEO of Binance on Tuesday after pleading guilty to willfully causing the global cryptocurrency exchange to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Benoit Tessier, Changpeng Zhao, Richard Jones, Zhao, Jones, Brian Tsuchida, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, U.S, District, Islamic, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Justice, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Seattle, U.S, UAE, Canada, Binance, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Boston

Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. Zhao, a citizen of the UAE and Canada, stepped down as CEO of Binance on Tuesday after pleading guilty to willfully causing the global cryptocurrency exchange to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ White House condemns Musk for spreading 'hideous' antisemitic lie
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday accused Elon Musk of repeating a "hideous" antisemitic lie on his social media site X this week, calling it an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans." Representatives for Musk or X could not immediately be reached for comment on the White House statement. X earlier declined to comment on Musk's post, which endorsed a post that falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people. Antisemitism has been on the rise in recent years in the United States and worldwide. Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw, Steve Holland and Sheila Deng; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Andrew Bates, Linda Yaccarino, Adolf Hitler, Musk, Jarrett Renshaw, Steve Holland, Sheila Deng, Susan Heavey, Daniel Wallis Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Representatives, IBM, Nazi Party, Hamas, Defamation League, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Israel, United States, Palestinian

☆ 'Ridiculous' US lawsuit by Musk's X Corp should be dismissed -hate speech watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 17 (Reuters) - A nonprofit that monitors online hate speech urged a U.S. federal judge to throw out what it called a "ridiculous" lawsuit by Elon Musk's X Corp to stifle free expression. "Fortunately, state and federal free speech protections cannot be so easily evaded." In September, X sued California to block the state from enforcing a law requiring that social media companies publish policies for policing misinformation, harassment, hate speech and extremism. X said the law, Assembly Bill 587, violates its free speech rights. The case is X Corp v. Center for Countering Digital Hate Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Elon Musk's, X, Musk, Adolf Hitler, Bill, Jonathan Stempel, David Gregorio Our Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Corp, Center, X Corp, IBM, Court, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, San Francisco federal, California, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California, New York

☆ US SEC presses judge to force Elon Musk to testify in Twitter probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

In a document filed in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, the SEC defended its efforts to compel Musk's testimony, saying agency officials are acting within their authority. The SEC last month said it was investigating Musk's 2022 purchases of stock in Twitter -- which Musk subsequently renamed X -- and his statements and SEC filings relating to his takeover of the social media giant. Musk had refused to attend a September interview for the probe, the SEC said. Musk and his lawyers on Nov. 2 asked the judge to deny the SEC's motion to compel his testimony, saying Musk had already testified twice and that the agency was exceeding its authority. But the SEC on Thursday rejected those claims, saying agency officials are indeed granted authority by law to seek testimony and documents as they pursue their investigative work.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Musk, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, San Francisco

The logo of Renault is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 15, 2023. The group set out financial targets for the unit, including revenue of 25 billion euros in 2031, break-even in 2025 and an operating margin of at least 10% from 2030, ahead of an investor day in Paris. Sources close to the matter told Reuters last month the company was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the overall valuation for Ampere fell below 7 billion euros. We will reduce our costs to lower our prices, while improving our margins at the same time," finance chief Thierry Pieton said. ($1 = 0.9195 euros)Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ampere, Luca de Meo's, De Meo, Thierry Pieton, Gilles Guillaume, Silvia Aloisi, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Ampere, Reuters, Twingo, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, PARIS, Europe

☆ Renault sets out targets for EV unit, says won't sell it cheap
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - French car maker Renault said on Wednesday its electric vehicles unit Ampere, which it plans to list on the market next year, forecast 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) in revenues in 2025, more than doubling to 25 billion euros in 2031. Finance chief Thierry Pieton told reporters ahead of the presentation Renault would not sell off Ampere cheap and had ample cash flow to keep financing it should it not get the valuation it wanted for an IPO. Asked if Renault could decide to distribute Ampere shares to existing Renault shareholders instead of proceeding with an IPO, he said: "Renault is always open to other options for Ampere, but the IPO is the preferred option." Sources close to the matter told Reuters last month the company was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the overall valuation for Ampere fell below 7 billion euros. We will reduce our costs to lower our prices, while improving our margins at the same time."

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Luca de Meo's, Thierry Pieton, Ampere, Pieton, Renault, Gilles Guillaume, Silvia Aloisi Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Finance, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Europe

☆ Renault seeks to charge up investors for EV unit IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

De Meo has targeted a valuation of 8-10 billion euros ($8.6-10.7 billion) for the initial public offering (IPO) of Ampere, which has already been delayed once and is now slated for spring 2024. Two of the sources said Renault was unlikely to go ahead with the IPO if the valuation falls below 7 billion euros, and one said the cut-off point could be closer to 6 billion euros. UBS analysts have valued Ampere at just 3-4 billion euros, and others have questioned the rationale of listing the EV business to raise funds. On Wednesday, De Meo will argue his case for what could be the first attempt by a traditional automaker to unlock value from an EV business via an IPO. Over the first nine months of 2023, Renault brand EV sales fell by around 5% in Europe, having been up 2.5% in the first half, weighed down by a limited line-up.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Ampere, Luca de Meo's, De Meo, Renault, BEV, de Meo, Elon Musk's Tesla, Zoe, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, UBS, ICE, Jefferies, Nissan, Elon, EV, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Europe

☆ Salesforce's strong stock price wooed some investors during third quarter-filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The two hedge funds had each cut their investments in Salesforce during the second quarter. Still Starboard Value the first activist to speak publicly in October 2022 about needed changes at Salesforce cut its stake again, the filings show. On Sept. 30, the hedge fund owned 1.7 million shares, marking a 14% drop from what it owned at the end of the second quarter. Light Street Capital Management cut its stake by 44%, while Polen Capital Management trimmed it by 3.2%, the filings show. While Salesforce's stock price lost some ground during the third quarter, it has continued to move higher and closed trading at $221.18 on Tuesday.

Persons: Porte, Benoit Tessier, Salesforce, Mason Morfit, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Capital Management, Farallon Capital Management, Elliott Investment Management, ValueAct, Investment, Securities and Exchange, Street Capital Management, Polen Capital Management, Svea, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Salesforce, Polen

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