DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Why Warren Buffett's Paramount bet may have cost him $1.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Famed investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway placed a $2.7 billion bet on Paramount in 2022. But when someone who's worth an estimated $132 billion says "quite a bit of money," it's probably a very big amount. The math: In 2022, Berkshire accumulated 91 million shares of Paramount B shares; Barron's estimates he paid "more than $30" per share. AdvertisementThat left Berkshire with another 63.3 million Paramount shares at the beginning of 2024, and sometime between then and Saturday they have sold off the rest. Add all that up, and it looks like Berkshire sold its Paramount stake for $1.2 billion after paying $2.7 billion for it — a $1.5 billion loss.

Persons: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, hasn't, — Buffett, —, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, we've, Berkshire Hathaway hasn't, Berkshire Organizations: Paramount, Service, Sony, Apollo, Berkshire, Bloomberg Locations: Berkshire

☆ Why Apple's ad business isn't what you think it is
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Apple's definition of "services" includes advertising, which Apple routinely says is a major driver of its services growth. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But as we've pointed out many times, iPhone sales won't grow forever. Which is why, for the last several years, Apple has been taking pains to highlight its growing "services" business. "Services," per Apple's description, is a fast-growing grab-bag of stuff, all of which doesn't directly involve Apple hardware: money Apple makes from App Store sales; money Apple makes selling warranties and cloud storage; and money Apple makes selling you music and TV subscription services.

Persons: —, doesn't Organizations: Apple, Service, Business

☆ Elon Musk wants to use AI to summarize the news on Twitter and ... it's not a terrible idea?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk wants to combine Twitter and Grok, his AI engine, and create a news machine. Elon Musk thinks news is something different: It's what people talk about on the service formerly known as Twitter. Musk said Grok will not look directly at article text, and will instead rely solely on social posts. Definitely not in the Elon Musk era of the company formerly known as Twitter. The to-be-sures: Yes, you'd be foolish to rely on an Elon Musk-run AI machine for factual information.

Persons: Elon Musk, Grok, —, Alex Kantrowitz, Musk, Igor Babuschkin, xAI, CNN —, it's, you'd, Ben, Elon Musk's, It's Organizations: Twitter, Service, Elon, CNN, Google Locations: London

☆ Apple can't tell you iPhone sales are booming, so it's talking about 'services.' That's a problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It didn't boast about iPhone sales, which declined. AdvertisementApple had a great second quarter, Apple says: The company hit an "all-time revenue record in Services," the company reports. And if you head over to the company's financials, you can see why: iPhone sales dropped by 10% in the last three months. Prior to Thursday's earnings, analysts had fretted that Chinese iPhone sales were soft, but on Thursday afternoon, Cook told CNBC that iPhone sales in China were up. AdvertisementAnd, as we've been pointing out repeatedly, Apple's App Store rules are under increasing pressure from regulators around the world — and in the EU in particular.

Persons: —, Cook, I've, it's Organizations: Apple, Service, CNBC, Google, US Department Locations: China, EU

☆ We're reading: Here's a helpful hint for people starting a media company in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Hunterbrook Media is a hedge fund that also does journalism. Or maybe a journalism startup that also runs a hedge fund. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementCan a hedge fund also be an investigative journalism outfit? Then the journalists tell Hunterbrook's hedge fund arm about the stories they will publish about the company, so the fund can short the company (or invest in it).

Persons: — Organizations: Hunterbrook, Service, Hunterbrook Media, Business

☆ We're entering advertising's new era
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at the biggest topic at this year's TV upfronts , and how it's a sign of advertising's new era. What's on deck:Markets: Morgan Stanley's new wealth boss outlines the bank's playbook for hitting $10 trillion in client assets. Andy Kiersz/Business InsiderYou might be wondering what retail data has to do with television advertising.

Persons: —, Morgan, Don Draper's, Burton, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly, Lucia Moses, Andy Kiersz, Andy Jassy, hasn't, Finn, Morgan Stanley, Michael M, Tyler Le, Jed Finn, Andy Saperstein, there's, Joseph Stiglitz, Jerome Powell, Justin Sullivan, Wells Fargo, Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Pablo Declan, Shari Redstone's, tanked, BI's Peter Kafka, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Tech, Wall, Getty, Google, Amazon, Disney, Kroger, Walmart, Big Tech, US Department of Labor, Apple, Department, Paramount, Trump Media Locations: China, OpenAI, New York, London

☆ Trump Media shares collapsed, rallied, and are collapsing again. No one knows why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump's social media stock collapsed a month ago, and people were happy to tell you why. AdvertisementRemember when Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, the company that operates Truth Social, Donald Trump's social network, turned into a publicly traded stock? AdvertisementSo how do we explain that over the course of the past two weeks, Trump Media shares had doubled again? Here is the reason that Trump shares collapse, or rally, or collapse again: There is no underlying reason. So go ahead and bet on, or against Trump Media — on any given day, you could be right?

Persons: Donald Trump's, —, Trump, Donald Trump, you'd, Jon Stewart Organizations: Trump Media, Service, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, Truth, CNBC, Trump, GameStop, AMC, Knicks, Sixers, Trump Media — Locations: Bath

☆ Radio isn't dead. Yet. Thank, or blame, your car.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Just like TV, radio is a pre-internet medium. For people listening to free, ad-supported audio, radio remains dominant, according to Nielsen. But the younger you get, the less likely you are to listen to radio, even compared to other free options. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . At least not according to a new survey from Nielsen, which argues that lots of people still listen to radio.

Persons: —, Nielsen Organizations: Nielsen, Service, Business

☆ TikTok's time in the US could soon be on the clock, and that's not the app's only problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The big storyTick-tock on TikTokChelsea Jia Feng/BITikTok's time in the US could soon be on the clock. When it's all said and done, a TikTok ban could be in place before the week's end. Business Insider's Peter Kafka explains why the TikTok ban, while more imminent than ever, still has a long way to go . A TikTok ban would benefit one familiar face in social media, though, writes BI's Katie Notopoulos . YouTube Shorts, too, stand to grab more attention after a TikTok ban.

Persons: —, Caitlin Clark's, Chelsea Jia Feng, ByteDance, Joe Biden, it's, Business Insider's Peter Kafka, Michael Beckerman, TikTok, hawking, BI's Lindsay Dodgson, outperforming, Katie Notopoulos, Merrill Lynch, Tyler Le, Andy Sieg's, Merrill, Lindsay Hans, Eric Schimpf, It's, Steve Cohen's, Grzegorz Wajda, Hokyoung Kim, Nordstrom, Tesla, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Nike, Bloomberg Intelligence, YouTube, Big Tech, New York Stock Exchange, NYSE, Chelsea, Getty, Walmart, BI, Costco, Amazon, Motors, Spotify Locations: Americas, TikTok, Merrill, China, American, New York, London

☆ Is the US really close to banning TikTok? Yes? And, also: No.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bill aimed at banning TikTok in the US could be signed into law as early as this week. AdvertisementThe US House of Representatives passed a so-called TikTok ban bill on Saturday. Combining all three things means the TikTok bill will likely be approved as part of the package deal. AdvertisementSo you're saying ByteDance really has a year to sell TikTok to a different owner? For reference: In May 2023, Montana lawmakers passed their own TikTok ban bill; in November of that year, a federal judge blocked the measure.

Persons: —, Will TikTok, Joe Biden, TikTok, Biden, there's, ByteDance, Steve Mnuchin, Trump, Mnuchin, doesn't Organizations: Service, US, Google, Apple Locations: TikTok's China, TikTok, Ukraine, Israel, Montana, China

☆ DJT SPAC: Trump Media Stock Price Collapse Is Only Going to Get Worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the conservative Twitter clone Truth Social, went public via SPAC in late March. Short sellers, if I had to guess, feel pretty good, even if Trump's company is trying to prevent them from betting against it. AdvertisementWhile Trump is a political figure, Trump Media's stock price is not really a political story. The same day, its stock price fell by 14%, though the next day it bounced. That TMTG's stock price has fallen isn't surprising.

Persons: I'm, Jim Cramer, Donald Trump's, Trump, DJT, it's, TMTG, isn't —, Peter Kafka, doesn't, TMTG isn't, Devin Nunes —, Devin Nunes, California —, He's, It's, Emily Stewart Organizations: Trump Media & Technology Group, Twitter, Republican, Nvidia, Truth, Meta, Trump, Trump Media & Technology, Business Locations: SPAC, TMTG, California

☆ Here's what Apple will say if a US TikTok ban becomes law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple just removed WhatsApp, Signal, and other messaging apps from its Chinese app store. But it could happen in the US, too, if a TikTok ban bill becomes law. It's from an unidentified Apple comms person, to The Wall Street Journal, explaining why Apple just took four messaging/social media apps — WhatsApp, Threads, Signal, and Telegram — out of its Chinese app store. If the TikTok bill does become law, it won't make TikTok go away overnight in the US. But if the law jumps enough hurdles to become enforceable, Apple would have to remove TikTok from its US app store, as would Google.

Persons: —, Apple, You've, Hasan Minhaj's, Joe Biden, TikTok Organizations: Apple, Big Tech, Service, Wall Street, Netflix, Facebook, Google Locations: China, Hong Kong, America, Ukraine, Israel

☆ Netflix is going to stop telling the world how many subscribers it has. Why?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementFor years, Netflix investors cared about one thing more than anything else: Go-go growth, which they measured by the number of subscribers the streaming company signed up. To push that point across, last year, Netflix stopped providing quarterly guidance on subscriber growth. But it's also understandable if investors think Netflix is going to stop providing subscriber numbers because the numbers aren't going to be as impressive in the future. Today, Netflix has nearly 270 million paid subscribers around the world, which makes it much, much bigger than its peers. AdvertisementThat's why Netflix's admission that it lost a million subscribers two years ago shook the entire media world and had everyone asking — was that a Netflix problem or a Streaming problem?

Persons: —, that's, it's Organizations: Netflix, Service, Disney

☆ 'Civil War' should be a controversial movie. But no one should be upset about its marketing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The new movie "Civil War" is controversial — some people love it and others hate it. But some people also say they're upset about "Civil War's" marketing. AdvertisementHave you seen "Civil War," the new movie about, um, a civil war in the US? But here's a supposed controversy about the movie you can most definitely ignore: Its marketing campaign, which has Upset Some People On The Internet. Well, 1) none of them are actually from the movie, and 2) supposedly, A24, the indie movie studio that made "Civil War," used AI to help generate them.

Persons: —, here's, you'll, literalism, I've Organizations: Service Locations: United States, Washington ,

☆ Why the NBA doesn't hate the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA over a betting scandal. If you think that's a crisis for the NBA, think again: The NBA is happy to make an example of Porter. AdvertisementHow dumb do you have to be to throw away an NBA career in a betting scandal? Or, if you don't like that framing, try this: How much trouble do you have to be in — financial or otherwise — to throw away an NBA career in a betting scandal? I can't fathom what led the Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter to allegedly 1) conspire with bettors about a game he was playing in and 2) bet on NBA games, including betting against his own team.

Persons: Jontay Porter, Porter, — Organizations: Toronto Raptors, NBA, Service

☆ Maybe Elon Musk shouldn't have quite so many jobs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk runs Tesla and a lot of other companies at the same time. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementElon Musk runs Tesla. But Musk does his own thing, and for a long time, the idea that he's a guy who does so many things was part of the pitch: Normal people couldn't pull this off, but Elon is Not Normal.

Persons: —, Elon Organizations: Elon, Service Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Donald Trump appears to have trouble staying awake during his criminal trial. I can relate.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Right now, I feel closer to Donald J. Trump than I ever have before. That's because Trump looks like he's having trouble staying awake at his first-ever criminal trial. I don't know how long I was out for — probably just a few seconds — but definitely long enough for them to notice, and for me to notice that they noticed. I don't know when Donald Trump goes to sleep, but I do know that during his Twitter era, he tended to do a lot of late-night scrolling — also relatable — and posting. So don't worry about the nap-shaming, Mr. Trump — many of us do the same thing.

Persons: —, Donald J, Trump, Romeo, Juliet, George Costanza's, I'm, Donald Trump, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Seinfeld, Pixar, Gallup Locations: U.S

☆ Bad news for Apple and Meta: Kids are bored with VR goggles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

You'd think teens would be early adopters of devices like the Apple Vision Pro and Meta's Quest. But a new Piper Sandler survey shows 56% of teen VR device owners rarely use them. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Piper Sandler, —, Meta Organizations: Apple Vision, Service, Business

☆ Bad news for Apple, and Meta: Kids are bored with VR goggles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Persons: Piper Sandler, —, Meta Organizations: Apple Vision, Service, Business

☆ A popular YouTuber's negative video of Humane's AI Pin raises questions about critical reviews in the age of innovation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at a critical tech review that caused a bit of a stir on social media . AdvertisementIn a 25-minute video , Brownlee details all the issues he encountered using the AI device. Earlier this year, a negative video of Fisker's Ocean SUV by Brownlee also made waves on social media . Mario Tama/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BICritical reviews in the age of innovation raise some interesting questions. Last week's drop among tech stocks shouldn't scare away investors , according to Wedbush.

Persons: —, Michael Pollan, Roy Rochlin, Marques Brownlee, Brownlee, X, Mario Tama, Chelsea Jia Feng, It's, Insider's Peter Kafka, Peter, Katie Notopolous, Goldman, David Solomon, Kevin Winter, Eric Newcomer, Rebecca Zisser, Caitlin Clark, Morgan Stanley, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, YouTube, Apple, Apple Vision, Humane, America, JPMorgan, National Bureau, Statistics, Amazon Prime, Street Journal, Justice Department, Ticketmaster, United Airlines, Bank of America, The Locations: San Francisco, New York, Tokyo, London, Dublin

☆ Apple believes that AI is the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple wanted all eyes to be on the Vision Pro when it launched. A report about AI chips coming to next-gen Macs helped boost Apple's stock by $112 billion. AdvertisementTwo months ago, Tim Cook was busy marking Apple's bold new vision of the future with the launch of expensive nerd goggles. Second, the future of the Vision Pro remains highly uncertain. Just don't expect the Vision Pro to steal the show in the same way a big AI reveal would.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple, Peter Kafka Organizations: Apple, Service, International Data Corporation, Publishing, Getty, Huawei, Apple's, Vision Locations: Cupertino, Shanghai, China

☆ Oh look at that! Now Google is using AI to answer search queries.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementThe upshot: For now, Google is testing out self-generated "AI overviews" for some regular search queries where it thinks the answer might be complex (but answerable). A Google rep told me the AI answers have been deployed in a "very limited percentage of search traffic" in the US and the UK. Screenshot/GoogleBecause I am A Responsible Journalist, I also asked Google how Google Magi, which powers these results, does or doesn't interact with the tech powering Google Gemini, its much-maligned "woke AI" chatbot. Right now, Google tries to keep you on Google by surfacing text from a site that purports to answer your query. AdvertisementOn the one hand, maybe Google becomes even more valuable because you're no longer even pretending it's a "search engine" — it's just an answer machine.

Persons: —, you've, Microsoft's Bing, truman, OpenAI, Bing, It's, Google's, You've, Jason Kelce's, Taylor Organizations: Google, Service, National Locations: vietnam

☆ It's easy to bash tech, but I've started taking robotaxis — and they're awesome
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Unlike other hyped-up tech, self-driving taxis look like they could be the real thing. Which is exactly how I felt after my last trip to San Francisco, when I took several rides in Waymo's robotaxis. AdvertisementWe've heard about self-driving taxis forever, but they're just starting to become a reality. AdvertisementWaymo self-driving taxis are kitted out with cameras and other sensors, like this Jaguar model crossing an intersection in San Francisco. Waymo's self-driving cars aren't perfectYes, there are still some issues with Waymo, at least in the rides I took recently.

Persons: —, Waymo, We've, they're, Cruise, I'm, JASON HENRY, David Margines, honking, Mario Tama, Margines, Dmitri Dolgov, PyPqVaOc6B, Elon Musk, Musk Organizations: Service, Software, Google, San Francisco International Airport, Austin, Amazon, Warriors, Chase, Big, Elon Locations: San Francisco, Phoenix, Waymo's, Oakland, Los Angeles

☆ OJ Simpson's TV moment is never going to be replicated
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But also a true thing: In 1994, when Simpson fled police in his white Bronco, 95 million people watched the slow-motion chase on TV, in real time. In 1994, AOL, the service that popularized the "World Wide Web," had a little more than a million subscribers. AdvertisementAnd the notion that we're never getting a TV event like the Simpson affair is not a new one, either. Digital media can certainly focus a lot of people's attention on one thing, but it can't compel everyone to watch one thing. Now I'm going to go stream June 17th, 1994 — ESPN's documentary about the Simpson chase.

Persons: —, OJ Simpson, Simpson, We're, Rupert Murdoch's Fox, Kato Kalein, Lance Ito, Rick Maiman, Here's, Joanna Robinson, Robinson, Addison Rae, They're, It's, I've Organizations: Service, Bronco, Business, AOL, Getty Locations: America

☆ Will David Ellison's dad help him save Paramount?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Producer David Ellison is trying to take control of Paramount, the troubled media company. Ellison's father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, is expected to help finance the proposed deal. AdvertisementDavid Ellison is a Hollywood producer who looks increasingly likely to become the new owner of Paramount. David Ellison is also the son of Larry Ellison, who founded business software behemoth Oracle Corp. and is the fifth-richest man in the world. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: David Ellison, Ellison's, Larry Ellison, —, Ellison, Shari Redstone Organizations: Paramount, Oracle, Service, behemoth Oracle Corp, Business Locations: Hollywood

Search resuls for: "Peter Kafka"

25 mentions found