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☆ Who Is Emmett Shear, OpenAI’s Interim Chief Executive?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Kellen Browning | More About Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Emmett Shear, the former chief executive of the livestreaming site Twitch, was named the interim chief executive of OpenAI on Sunday night, it might have seemed a curious choice. Mr. Shear, 40, an avid video game player, was viewed as a competent leader who steered Twitch through several transitions. Some employees and livestreamers also complained that his focus on maneuvering Twitch toward profitability through cutting costs was eroding the quality of the platform. He also knows Sam Altman, who was forced out of OpenAI by its board of directors on Friday. The two were in the same group at Y Combinator, the start-up fund that invested in both of their early companies.

Persons: Emmett Shear, livestreamers, Sam Altman Locations: OpenAI

☆ George Santos could spark a competitive special election if expelled from Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Bridget Bowman | Bridget Bowman Is A Deputy Editor For Nbc'S Political Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The effort to expel GOP Rep. George Santos is picking up after a damning Ethics Committee report released Thursday. And if it happens, Santos' expulsion could lead to a hotly contested special election in New York. That special election must occur between 70 and 80 days after the proclamation is issued. It appears a special election would not involve a primary, but rather that members of the county party committees would select their nominees. Two other Democratic candidates who are among the top fundraisers include former state Sen. Anna Kaplan and Army veteran Austin Cheng.

Persons: George Santos, Santos, Michael Guest, Joe Biden, Biden, Santos ’, Tom Suozzi, Zak Malamed, Suozzi, Sen, Anna Kaplan, Austin Cheng, Michael Sapraicone, Daniel Norber, Kellen Curry, Gregory Hach, Amy Walter Organizations: GOP, Rep, Santos ’, Daily, Santos, Democratic Rep, Democratic, Army, Air Force Locations: New York, New York's

☆ Uber Reports Record Ridership and Second Straight Quarterly Profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Kellen Browning | More About Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Uber on Tuesday reported financial results that showed its business was continuing to steadily chug along — and even turn a profit — as more riders and drivers used its platform than ever before. That was Uber’s second straight quarterly profit on the strength of its own business operations — rather than from its investments in other companies — a milestone for a company that had long faced questions about its profitability. While other technology companies have endured mass layoffs and nagging questions about their businesses during the recent economic downturn, Uber has generally produced consistent, positive results over the last year. Its worst days came early in the pandemic, when travel ground nearly to a halt and drivers left the platform. The 6.5 million drivers who ferried passengers and food around the world in the past quarter was a record, Uber said.

Persons: Uber Organizations: Wall, Uber

On Monday, Epic Games, the company behind the hit game Fortnite, will appear in federal court in San Francisco to kick off a monthlong trial in its own antitrust lawsuit against Google. Epic is expected to argue that Google is violating both state and federal antitrust laws — as well as its founding principle, “Don’t be evil” — by wielding monopolistic power over app developers on its Google Play Store on Android mobile phones. The video game developer had tried to bypass the Play Store’s fees by letting Fortnite players pay Epic directly for in-app items, prompting Google to bar the game from the store. (The company says 99 percent of developers qualify for a fee of 15 percent or lower on in-app purchases. Larger app makers like Epic must pay 30 percent.)

Organizations: Google, Justice Department, Games Locations: Washington, San Francisco

Initial public offerings are back, warts and all. After a two-year dearth of new listings, shares of the grocery delivery company Instacart closed their first day of trading on Tuesday at $33.70, up 12 percent from their initial public offering price of $30. The performance signaled that investors were eager to take a chance on young tech companies — but only at the right price. But even with the early stock price pop, the company’s valuation remained a far cry from the $39 billion that investors assigned it in the private market in 2021. “The markets will always ebb and flow,” she said, adding that she was more focused on what she could control.

Persons: Fidji Simo

Instacart on Monday priced its shares at $30 each for its initial public offering, at the top of its expected range, in a sign of renewed demand for tech stocks. The San Francisco-based grocery delivery company had estimated that its shares would be priced at $28 to $30 a share. Instacart raised $660 million in the offering and was valued at $9.9 billion, significantly below its last private fund-raising round in 2021, which valued the company at $39 billion. Many companies that raised money during the boom times of 2020 and 2021 have slashed their soaring valuations over the last year. Before last week, this had been the worst year for I.P.O.s since 2009, according to EquityZen, a marketplace for private stocks.

Persons: Instacart Organizations: Nasdaq, I.P.O.s Locations: San Francisco

When Fidji Simo took over as chief executive of Instacart in 2021, the grocery delivery start-up’s growth was cratering as its pandemic boom ebbed. Ms. Simo, a former executive at Meta with experience in advertising, played to her strengths. She also hatched a plan to sell software tools and other products to grocery companies to help improve shopping experiences, they said. Then she embarked on a good-will tour to visit the grocery companies and hosted their executives at her home in Carmel, Calif.As Instacart prepares to go public next week, it is a markedly different company. Envisioned in 2012 as a service that matched people at home with contract workers who would shop for them and deliver groceries, it has increasingly focused on advertising and software products as its delivery business has slowed.

Persons: Fidji Simo, Simo, Brands, Instacart Organizations: Meta Locations: Carmel , Calif

☆ New Lyft Feature Allows Women to Match Rides With Other Women
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Kellen Browning | More About Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The feature, Women+ Connect, will allow women and nonbinary riders and drivers to make being connecting with each other for trips a priority by toggling on a setting in the app. The goal, Lyft said, is for women to feel safer using its platform, and to increase the number of female Lyft drivers. About half of Lyft’s passengers but just 23 percent of its drivers are women, the company said. “Women drivers tell us it’s hard to drive at night,” said Jody Kelman, Lyft’s executive vice president of customers. “We need to remove a barrier for women drivers today.”

Persons: Lyft, ”, Jody Kelman

☆ NFL week 1: Everything you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Bengals @ BrownsAn Ohio derby on the opening weekend of the new season is a treat for all NFL fans, especially with expectations for both teams so high. The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants have had many battles for the ages over the years and is one of the most heated rivalries across the league. Dalton Schultz of the Dallas Cowboys scores a touchdown during the second half against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. Bills @ JetsArguably the game of the first week is its final one, with the Buffalo Bills traveling to face the New York Jets. Mosley of the New York Jets defends in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium on December 11, 2022.

Persons: Joe Burrow, Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Zac Taylor, Dylan Buell, Deshaun Watson, Watson, Kevin Stefanski, David Eulitt, Ezekiel Elliott, Kellen Moore, Mike McCarthy, Dalton Schultz, Wesley Hitt, Dak, Brian Daboll’s, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Darren Waller, Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Von Miller, Damar Hamlin, Dawson Knox, Mosley, Joshua Bessex, Aaron Rodgers, – Sauce Gardner, Breece, Garrett Wilson –, Rodgers, C.J, D.J, Reed Organizations: CNN, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, NFL, Detroit, ESPN, FOX, NBC, CBS, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Bengals, Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Super, AFC Championship, Getty, Cleveland Browns, AFC North, Cowboys, Giants NFL, Los Angeles Chargers, AT, Giants, Bills, Jets, Green Bay, Sunday Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers Arizona Cardinals, Washington, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks Dallas Cowboys, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Locations: United States, DAZN, Browns An Ohio, Arlington , Texas, Prescott, Texas, Green

In the opening hours of the role-playing video game, it’s possible to land your spaceship on Earth’s moon or zip 16 light-years to Alpha Centauri. That sprawling celestial journey within Starfield, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, reveals both the tremendous potential and the monumental challenge of an open-world space adventure. Bethesda has hyped an expansive single-player campaign with 1,000 explorable planets. And expectations around the game, officially releasing on Sept. 6 after a 10-month delay, are nearly as vast. To compete, Microsoft went on a spending spree, acquiring Bethesda’s parent company in 2020 and agreeing to purchase Activision Blizzard in 2022, a $69 billion bet that is being challenged by regulators.

Persons: Starfield, It’s Organizations: Alpha Centauri, Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Activision Blizzard Locations: Starfield

Many wildfires in the United States occur when poles owned by utilities or other structures carrying power lines are blown down, or when branches or other objects land on power lines and cause them to produce high-energy flashes of electricity that can start fires. Image Nearly a week after the wildfire tore through Lahaina, state and local officials have not determined a cause for the blaze. Like most other utilities, Hawaiian Electric operates under the scrutiny of public commissioners who have to approve its spending plans. Power lines have caused catastrophic wildfires in California in recent years, prompting lawsuits that have led to multibillion-dollar payouts by the state’s utilities. Hawaiian Electric in a regulatory filing last year detailed measures aimed at reducing the risk of its equipment causing fires.

Persons: Hurricane Dora, “, ”, James Frantz, Frantz, There’s, Max Whittaker, Shahriar Pourreza, Shelee Kimura, ” Ms, Kimura, Pourreza, Michael Wara, Philip Cheung, Bob Marshall, Jim Kelly, Ken Pimlott, Anne Lopez, Mr, Wara, Kellen Browning, John Keefe, Susan C, Beachy, Alain Delaquérière Organizations: Wildfire, National Weather Service, Frantz Law, Hawaiian Electric, The New York Times, Guggenheim Securities, Maui Electric, Pacific Gas, Pacific Gas and Electric, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Pacific Disaster Center, Stanford University, The New York Times Lightning, Western, NASA, Whisker Labs, Labs, California Department of Forestry, Stanford, U.S . Energy Information Administration Locations: Lahaina, West Maui, Maui, California, United States, Northern California, Paradise, Hawaii, Western United States, Maui County, Germantown, Md, San Francisco

As of Saturday, officials had confirmed the identities of only two victims and had barely started searching the disaster zone with canine teams. “It’s going to make identification and notification really difficult,” she said, adding that “it’s painful just to think about that.”For days now, families have struggled to learn the status of loved ones in West Maui. Spotty-to-nonexistent phone reception, especially in the immediate aftermath, made it hard for survivors to contact loved ones. That time, she said, was “very hard, very stressful.”Others have had heard nothing. Chief John Pelletier of the Maui Police Department urged people searching for loved ones to take a DNA test that could help identify their remains.

Persons: ”, Jill Tokuda, “ It’s, Noelle Manriquez, John Pelletier of Organizations: Democrat, Maui Police Department Locations: Maui, Congress, West Maui, Lahaina

A utility pole on Friday that had been damaged in the high winds this week in Lahaina, Hawaii. But Hawaiian Electric, the state’s largest utility and the parent company of the power provider on Maui, made wildfire prevention its lowest priority in a state regulatory filing in April. In fact, the utility had no plan to cut power to prevent further ignitions even after flames began consuming the island. The recent devastation on Maui served as a reminder that climate-driven disaster can strike anywhere. “From what we’ve learned, we believe the Lahaina fires could have been prevented had proper safety precautions been taken,” said Gerald Singleton, one lawyer who issued a release about potential lawsuits.

Persons: ”, Jennifer Potter, Potter, Jim Kelly, we’ve, Gerald Singleton, Nicole Lowen, Ms, ” Ms, “ Organizations: Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas &, Hawaiian Electric, Energy, Hawaii State Legislature Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Maui, California, Lahaina, “, Hawaii

☆ Maui Wildfires Leave at Least 89 Dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The death toll in Maui stood at 89 on Saturday night and was expected to climb even further, according to Gov. Many survivors in the region were relying on each other in the wake of the disaster. “Where is the government?”The emergency response in Lahaina, a historic seaside town in western Maui, is “a combination” of efforts by authorities and private citizens, the Maui County mayor, Richard T. Bissen Jr., said. It remains unsafe for residents to return because of toxic fumes and other dangers, Mr. Green said. “We are going to do some reviews so we can make things safer going forward,” Mr. Green said.

Persons: Josh Green of, ”, Ashlee Yap, Richard T, Bissen Jr, Green, Irving Sotelo, Sotelo, Mr Organizations: Gov, Radio Locations: United States, Maui, Josh Green of Hawaii ., West Maui, Honokowai, “, Lahaina, Maui County, Government

The death toll in Maui stood at 89 on Saturday night and was expected to climb even further, according to Gov. Many survivors in the region were relying on each other in the wake of the disaster. More federal emergency workers and active-duty military personnel were headed to the island to help with the search and rescue effort. It remains unsafe for residents to return because of toxic fumes and other dangers, Mr. Green said. “We are going to do some reviews so we can make things safer going forward,” Mr. Green said.

These two firefighters declined to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the emergency effort. The water pressure was a continuing problem, he said. At one point, the crew found a hydrant further north that seemed to have more water, and they doused a commercial building. They left the scene, he said, hoping that the water they had applied to the structure would be enough to keep it safe. “I thought it had a chance,” Mr. Ho said.

Persons: Ho, Mr, ” Organizations: Hawaii Fire Fighters Association Locations: Maui, Lahaina

Days after the deadliest American wildfire in more than a century ignited on West Maui, killing dozens and leveling more than 2,200 buildings, increasingly frustrated residents said that they were receiving far more help from an ad hoc network of volunteers than they were from the government. After the fire destroyed the town of Lahaina, hundreds of local residents — a group that includes evacuees along with nearby residents who found themselves cut off from power and internet service — remained affected in West Maui, miles beyond the highway checkpoints. Some evacuees slept in parks; others stayed in their own homes that survived the disaster or with friends in the wider community of that part of the island. They have been searching desperately for gasoline, phone reception and hot food, especially after power outages rendered refrigerators and microwaves useless. In many cases, they have leaned on church groups, community organizations and volunteers to track down missing relatives, get rides to shelters or access supplies brought in on private boats and airplanes.

Locations: West Maui, Lahaina

The power was out and the air-conditioning off when Dustin Kaleiopu woke up on Tuesday morning in Lahaina. “The wind was noisy,” said Mr. Kaleiopu, 26. When the fire reached his neighbor’s yard, Mr. Kaleiopu said he loaded his grandfather into a car and began preparing to leave. Mr. Kaleiopu has spent recent days with family in another part of Maui, a comfort that others do not have. Still, Mr. Kaleiopu said, there was no question that he would return to Lahaina, that he would carve out a new life in a rebuilt town.

Persons: Dustin Kaleiopu, ”, Kaleiopu, “, Mr, it’s, grandpa, ‘ He’ll, we’ve, ’ Organizations: Longtime, Investors Locations: Lahaina ., Lahaina, Maui, Honolulu

Persons: Dustin Kaleiopu, ”, Kaleiopu, “, Mr, it’s, grandpa, ‘ He’ll, we’ve, ’ Organizations: Longtime, Investors Locations: Lahaina ., Lahaina, Maui, Honolulu

Persons: Dustin Kaleiopu, ”, Kaleiopu, “, Mr, it’s, grandpa, ‘ He’ll, we’ve, ’ Organizations: Longtime, Investors Locations: Lahaina ., Lahaina, Maui, Honolulu

Image The Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Hawaii, last year. Image Shops and dining destinations along the sidewalks and streets in Lahaina, Maui. Mr. Hedani said the fabled beach areas on Oahu that Hawaii is best known for held nothing on Lahaina. “The sunset looks fake every time I see it.”Image Sunset in Lahaina, Hawaii. “What happens when you take away the most important street on Maui?” he said.

Persons: George Alan Freeland, Freeland’s, ”, Theo Morrison, Daejas, Baldwin, Ephraim Spaulding, Dwight Baldwin, Morrison, Mark Twain, “, —, Kiha Kaina, Patrick T, Kaina, Lee Anne Wong, Wong, Tony Novak, Clifford, Ronald Williams, Williams, it’s, Jared Hedani, Tommy Bahama, Hedani, “ You’re, Jim Wilson, Kamehameha the, Kaniela Ing, Ing, “ I’d, Amy Qin, David W, Chen, Mitch Smith Organizations: Lahaina Restoration Foundation, The New York Times, East Coast, ., Fallon, Agence France, French Culinary Institute, Hawaii State Archives, New York Times, Green New Deal Network Locations: Lahaina, British, Maui, Hawaii, “, United States, Lahaina , Hawaii, Massachusetts, East, Berkeley, Calif, ”, Papa’aina, New York City, Maui . Credit, Mexico City, Shaw, Paradise, Oahu, Waikiki

☆ ESPN Enters Sports Gambling in $2 Billion Deal With Casino Company
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Kellen Browning | More About Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ESPN on Tuesday announced a 10-year deal with Penn Entertainment, a casino company, to create an online sports betting brand called ESPN Bet, catapulting the sports entertainment network into the lucrative world of online gambling. Penn will operate the online sports book and pay ESPN $1.5 billion in cash for the use of ESPN’s name, marketing, “access to ESPN talent” and other promotional tools, Penn said in a news release. Penn will also give ESPN options to buy $500 million in Penn stock, the news release said. Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN, said in the news release that he believed ESPN’s strong brand, combined with Penn’s technology and experience running a sports book, provided a “tremendous opportunity to serve the ever-growing number of consumers interested in betting.”Jay Snowden, Penn’s chief executive, called the deal “transformative” and said it would help Penn continue to evolve into a “North American entertainment leader.”

Persons: Penn, Jimmy Pitaro, ” Jay Snowden, ” Organizations: ESPN, Tuesday, Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet, Penn Locations: Penn, American

Russian propaganda is spreading into the world’s video games. In Minecraft, the immersive game owned by Microsoft, Russian players re-enacted the battle for Soledar, a city in Ukraine that Russian forces captured in January, posting a video of the game on their country’s most popular social media network, VKontakte. A channel on World of Tanks, a multiplayer warfare game, commemorated the 78th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in May with a recreation of the Soviet Union’s parade of tanks in Moscow in 1945. On Roblox, the popular gaming platform, a user created an array of Interior Ministry forces in June to celebrate the national holiday, Russia Day. These games and adjacent discussion sites like Discord and Steam are becoming online platforms for Russian agitprop, circulating to new, mostly younger audiences a torrent of propaganda that the Kremlin has used to try to justify the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir V Organizations: Microsoft, Soviet, Interior Ministry Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Nazi Germany, Moscow, Russia, Crimea

Representative George Santos, the New York Republican facing federal criminal charges, reported raising about $150,000 through his re-election campaign and an associated committee from April through June — a modest sum that he mostly used to pay back money he had lent to his past congressional bids. Mr. Santos had previously reported giving his own campaign more than $700,000 in personal loans, money that has been the subject of intense scrutiny given his apparent sudden rise in wealth and a lack of transparency around his business deals. On May 30, his campaign repaid him $85,000, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday. Kellen Curry, a Republican primary challenger, said he raised more than $200,000 in the same period. Other candidates who have entered the race had yet to announce their totals ahead of a Saturday deadline.

Persons: George Santos, Santos, Santos’s, Zak Malamed, Kellen Curry Organizations: New York Republican, Federal, Democratic, Republican Locations: Long Island, Queens

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to delay Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, setting the stage for the tech giant and the video game publisher to merge as soon as this month. In a 53-page decision, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the F.T.C. had failed to show it was likely to prove that the merger was likely to result in a substantial reduction in competition that would harm consumers. The ruling is a significant blow to the F.T.C.’s efforts to police blockbuster tech mergers more aggressively. has sued Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, but it walked away from one of its cases against Meta and has had little to show for its efforts so far.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Lina Khan Organizations: Federal Trade, Activision Blizzard, U.S, Northern, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Northern District, California

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