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At $517 billion, Tesla's market capitalization ended Thursday below Meta Platforms' (META.O) for the first time since 2021. Tesla's automotive gross margin, excluding regulatory credits and leasing, stood at 18.3%, missing an 'above 20%' target provided in January by Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn. At least 15 analysts cut their Tesla price targets following Tesla's report, pulling the median target of 42 analysts from $210 down to $200, or about 23% above the stock's current level, according to Refinitiv data. Investors dumped automaker shares from Europe to the United States on fears that they too will sacrifice margins to maintain market share. Tesla remains up 32% year to date, far outperforming the S&P 500's (.SPX) 8% rise.

☆ Alphabet falls on report Samsung considering Bing as default search engine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) shares fell over 4% in premarket trading on Monday after a report that South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) was considering replacing Google with Microsoft-owned (MSFT.O) Bing as the default search engine on its devices. Google's reaction to the threat was "panic" as the company earns an estimated $3 billion in annual revenue from the Samsung contract, the report said, citing internal messages. Another $20 billion is tied to a similar Apple (AAPL.O) contract that will be up for renewal this year, the report added. Cordwell added the potential costs tied to making Google Search more competitive than AI-powered Bing could also be a cause of concern. The NYT report said Google was racing to build an all-new AI-powered search engine that would offer a more personalized experience than its current service, which is also set to be upgraded with AI features.

Reuters GraphicsTesla finance chief Zachary Kirkhorn promised in January that margins would not fall below 20% and an average selling price of $47,000 across models. Even as consumers have dialed down non-essential spending over fears of a possible recession, pressuring the EV market, Tesla's rivals such as Ford Motor Co (F.N) have stepped up competition at home. Meanwhile in China, Tesla's second-largest market, the company is playing catch up with BYD Co (002594.SZ). "It's probable that Tesla's margins will be preserved based on the reduction in commodity costs," said George Gianarikas, analyst at Canaccord Genuity. Tesla is targeting deliveries of 1.8 million vehicles this year, though Musk said in January the automaker could hand out 2 million vehicles if circumstances are favorable.

April 17 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) first-quarter margins are anticipated to have hit a more than three-year low as the electric-vehicle maker slashed prices to lure more buyers in the face of rising competition and a weak economy. Reuters GraphicsFinance chief Zachary Kirkhorn promised in January that Tesla would not go below margins of 20% and an average selling price of $47,000 across models. The company on Friday slashed prices in Europe, Israel and Singapore. "It's probable that Tesla's margins will be preserved based on the reduction in commodity costs," said George Gianarikas, analyst at Canaccord Genuity. Tesla is targeting deliveries of 1.8 million vehicles this year, though Musk said in January the automaker could hand out 2 million vehicles if circumstances are favorable.

☆ Timeline: Canada gives final nod on C$20 bln Rogers-Shaw merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Canada on Friday gave the final approval for Rogers Communications Inc's (RCIb.TO) C$20 billion ($15 billion) buyout of Shaw Communications Inc (SJRb.TO), clearing the deal that will create the country's No. 2 telecoms company. The green light came as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne agreed to the transfer of wireless licenses held by Shaw's Freedom Mobile unit to Quebecor Inc (QBRb.TO) under some conditions. Here is the snapshot of key events in Rogers-Shaw merger:Reporting by Yuvraj Malik, Aditya Soni, Tiyashi Datta and Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canada clears C$20 billion Rogers-Shaw deal with tough conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Aditya Soni | Chavi Mehta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The deal was opposed by consumer advocates and politicians on worries it could lead to higher prices due to an overlap between Rogers and Shaw’s wireless divisions. Rogers made 21 conditions, including setting up a western headquarters in Calgary, creating 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada and investing C$5.5 billion to expand 5G coverage and services. If it breaches the commitments, Rogers will have to pay a fine of as much as C$1 billion, Champagne said at a news conference in Ottawa. And it’s subject to arbitration.”Champagne said if wireless prices do not go lower, he would seek further legislative and regulatory powers. The combined company will benefit from Rogers’ strong presence in urban Ontario and Shaw’s dominance in the sparsely populated regions of Western Canada.

The deal was opposed by consumer advocates and politicians on worries it could lead to higher prices due to an overlap between Rogers and Shaw's wireless divisions. Rogers reaffirmed its conditions, including setting up a western headquarters in Calgary, creating 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada and investing C$6.5 billion to upgrade connectivity. If it breaches the commitments, Rogers (RCIb.TO) will have to pay a fine of as much as C$1 billion, Champagne said at a news conference in Ottawa. Champagne said if wireless prices do not go lower, he would seek further legislative and regulatory powers. Rosa Addario, a spokesperson for internet advocacy group OpenMedia, said the concessions sought by the government were unlikely to result in lower prices.

☆ Lyft shares jump as Wall Street welcomes CEO change
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lyft said on Monday co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer would step down as CEO and president, respectively, handing the reins to David Risher who has been a board member since 2021. Risher was among the first employees at Amazon.com Inc(AMZN.O) and served as the e-commerce giant's first head of product. Risher's experience on Lyft's board also gives him a strong command of the business relative to the average incoming CEO, RBC Capital Markets said. Lyft's shares were trading at $10.20 on Tuesday. Rival Uber also had a CEO change in 2017, when it hired then Expedia Inc (EXPE.O) top boss Dara Khosrowshahi.

[1/2] Microsoft Corp's Bing search engine is seen on a computer in this illustration picture taken January 24, 2019. While Bing AI has been available to most users around the world since February, Google began the public release of its chatbot Bard only on Tuesday. "Bing has less than a tenth of Google's market share, so even if it converts 1% or 2% of users it will be materially beneficial to Bing and Microsoft," Luria said. App downloads for Bing have also jumped eight times globally after AI integration, according to app research firm Data.ai. Downloads for the Google search app fell 2% in the same period, the data showed.

☆ Factbox: Chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe, US and Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The logo of semiconductor manufacturer Infineon is seen in Villach, Austria, June 3, 2018. The European Commission has earmarked 15 billion euros for public and private semiconductor projects by 2030, while U.S. President Joe Biden's administration passed the CHIPS Act last year to make over $52-billion worth of subsidies available for the American semiconductor industry. The Act deters companies using U.S. funds from undertaking any big expansions of overseas semiconductor manufacturing facilities in "countries of concern" such as China for 10 years, with some exceptions. India, Taiwan and South Korea have also offered incentives such as tax breaks to boost domestic chip production. Below are some of the chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe, North America and Asia:NORTH AMERICAEUROPEASIAReporting by Antonis Pothitos in Gdansk, Tiyashi Datta, Chavi Mehta and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; editing by Josephine Mason, Mark Potter and Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meta to cut 10,000 jobs in second round of layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Facebook-parent Meta Platforms (META.O) said on Tuesday it would cut 10,000 jobs, the first Big Tech company to announce a second round of mass layoffs as the industry braces for a deep economic downturn. With the latest move, Meta expects expenses in 2023 to come in between $86 billion and $92 billion, lower than the $89 billion to $95 billion forecast previously. Zuckerberg said Meta will remove multiple layers of management, ask managers to become individual contributors and give them less than 10 direct reports, which would in turn make the organization "flatter." Meta's move in November to slash its headcount by 11,000 marked the first mass layoffs in its 18-year history. Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nvidia results show its growing lead in AI chip race
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Chavi Mehta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, shows the Drive Pegasus robotaxi AI computer at his keynote address at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 7, 2018. AI has emerged as a bright spot for investments in the tech industry, whose slowing growth has led to widespread layoffs and a cutback on experimental bets. SPECIALIZED CHIPSGraphics processing units are designed to handle the specific kind of math involved in AI computing very efficiently, while generic central processing units (CPUs) from Intel can handle a broader range of computing tasks with less efficiency. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), whose shares also rose after Nvidia earnings on Wednesday, is the second-biggest player in the GPU industry, with a market share of roughly 20%. Nvidia's strength in the AI industry has also attracted the attention of venture capitalists and startups, which are investing billions of dollars and promising improvements such as lower electricity consumption.

☆ Instant View: New Biden EV charger rules stress Made In America, force Tesla changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The White House seeks to give consumers unfettered access to a growing coast-to-coast network of EV charging stations, including Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) SuperChargers. KEVIN DEMPSEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE"The domestic steel industry is prepared to play a strong role in the expansion of our national EV charging infrastructure. "It was a surprise to us that they would require assembly immediately given that domestic manufacturing for high-power charging infrastructure is starting basically from scratch. BRENDAN JONES, PRESIDENT AT CHARGING STATION OPERATOR BLINK CHARGING"These rules are absolutely in line with Blink's expectations. EV MAKER FISKER"Fisker supports a strategy that allows all charging providers to expand the charging network across the US as fast as possible.

☆ Facebook owner Meta increases Zuckerberg's security allowance by $4 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) said on Wednesday it had increased the security allowance given to Chief Executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his family by $4 million to $14 million. "This increased allowance, together with the costs of Zuckerberg's existing overall security program, are appropriate and necessary under the circumstances," Meta said in a filing. The 38-year-old, who ranks as the 16th richest person in the Forbes billionaire list, earned a compensation of about $27 million in 2021. The Financial Times reported last week that Meta had delayed finalizing the budgets of multiple teams as it was preparing for a fresh round of job cuts. read moreReporting by Aditya Soni; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bob Iger's Disney revamp could keep critic Peltz 'at bay'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) CEO Bob Iger dazzled Wall Street on Wednesday with sweeping changes and billions of dollars in cost cuts, and some analysts are convinced that will be enough to sway its harshest critic - activist investor Nelson Peltz. Under the restructuring, Disney is cutting 7,000 jobs and reorganizing into three divisions - an entertainment unit encompassing film, television and streaming, a sports-focused ESPN unit and one with Disney parks, experiences and products. "Iger's early steps seem likely to keep Peltz at bay, which the company dearly wants. Peltz could have an opening if Disney slips up," said Barton Crockett, analyst at Rosenblatt Securities. "We are pleased that Disney is listening," a Trian spokesperson said.

☆ Dell to lay off 5% of workforce amid PC slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N) said on Monday it would lay off about 5% of its workforce as it struggles with a slump in the personal computer market and braces for a potential recession. PC demand has collapsed after a two-year boom during the pandemic when people working from home splurged on everything from new monitors and laptops to keyboards. The layoffs also add to the thousands of cuts in the tech industry whose outlook has been shaken by a drop in spending by consumers and businesses due to rising interest rates. Reporting by Aditya Soni; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), which has the smallest cloud business among the three, said Google Cloud grew 32%, the slowest rise since the company began reporting the measure in 2019. "Once thought as the most defensive revenue stream in tech, we are seeing investors questioning the cyclicality for the (cloud) business," analysts at Bernstein said. Microsoft's revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business that includes Azure rose 18% to beat expectations for October to December. Amazon finance chief Brian Olsavsky said on Thursday that the company expects slower cloud growth rates for the next few quarters. "Those (AI) advancements and demand for related cloud services will take time to materialize.

☆ Analysis: From Meta to Microsoft, AI's big moment is here
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A Microsoft logo is seen a day after Microsoft Corp's $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn Corp, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoFeb 3 (Reuters) - Big Tech companies have a new obsession: artificial intelligence. Executives from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), behind the latest big rivalry in tech, took their battle to the conference-call front lines. We can bring those to life using generative (AI) art, which I think is really exciting," he said. "One of my goals for Meta is to build on our research to become a leader in generative AI," said Zuckerberg.

☆ AMD shares jump as earnings defy collapse seen at Intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O) rose nearly 7% on Wednesday after the U.S. chipmaker's upbeat earnings showed that it was making up for a personal-computer slump with gains in the lucrative data center market. The data center market has slowed in recent months due to lower spending from recession-wary businesses, but AMD's faster and smaller chips have allowed it to gain ground on Intel. "AMD can continue to beat Intel in the data center space due to its leading design," said Lucas Keh, semiconductors analyst at Third Bridge. J.P. Morgan pegged AMD's share gain in the server market this year at 5 to 7 percentage points to between 28% and 30%. "First quarter should be the bottom for us in PCs and then grow from there into the second quarter and then into the second half," Su said.

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) lowered its annual bookings forecast on Tuesday, as the videogame publisher delayed the release of a title based on the "Star Wars" franchise and consumers dialed back spending in a sagging economy. EA on Tuesday pushed out the launch of "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" by six weeks to April 28, which would fall into its next fiscal year. The game is a sequel to its 2019 "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" title that has drawn over 20 million players. It had forecast $7.65 billion to $7.85 billion previously. "Weak, but not a disaster," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said of the results, adding the "Star Wars" title delay led to a "huge shift of earnings" into next year.

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) was set to erase nearly $10 billion in market value on Friday after the U.S. chipmaker stumped Wall Street with dismal earnings projections, fanning fears around a slump in the personal-computer market. The company predicted a surprise loss for the first quarter and its revenue forecast was $3 billion below estimates as it also struggled with slowing growth in the data center business. The company has been steadily losing market share to rivals like AMD, which has used contract chipmakers such as Taiwan-based TSMC (2330.TW) to make chips that outpace Intel's technology. Intel, which plans to cut $3 billion in costs this year, generated $7.7 billion in cash from operations in the fourth quarter and paid dividends of $1.5 billion. With capital expenditure estimated to be around $20 billion in 2023, analysts said the company should consider cutting its dividend.

☆ Intel's 'historic collapse' triggers selloff in chip stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company predicted a surprise loss for the first quarter and its revenue forecast was $3 billion below estimates as it also struggled with slowing growth in the data center business. "No words can portray or explain the historic collapse of Intel," said Rosenblatt Securities' Hans Mosesmann, who was among the 21 analysts who cut their price targets on the stock. The company has steadily been losing market share to rivals like AMD, which has used contract chipmakers such as Taiwan-based TSMC (2330.TW) to make chips that outpace its technology. "AMD's Genoa and Bergamo (data center) chips have a strong price-performance advantage compared to Intel's Sapphire Rapids processors, which should drive further AMD share gains," said Matt Wegner, analyst at YipitData. With capital expenditure estimated to be around $20 billion in 2023, analysts say the company should consider cutting its dividend.

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) saw about $8 billion wiped off its market value on Friday after the U.S. chipmaker stumped Wall Street with dismal earnings projections, fanning fears around a slump in the personal-computer market. The company predicted a surprise loss for the first quarter and its revenue forecast was $3 billion below estimates as it also struggled with slowing growth in the data center business. The company has been steadily losing market share to rivals like AMD, which has used contract chipmakers such as Taiwan-based TSMC (2330.TW) to make chips that outpace Intel's technology. Intel, which plans to cut $3 billion in costs this year, generated $7.7 billion in cash from operations in the fourth quarter and paid dividends of $1.5 billion. With capital expenditure estimated to be around $20 billion in 2023, analysts said the company should consider cutting its dividend.

☆ Intel's 'historic collapse' sparks selloff in chip stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"No words can portray or explain the historic collapse of Intel," said Hans Mosesmann, analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, who was among the 16 analysts who cut their price targets on the stock. "AMD's Genoa and Bergamo chips have a strong price-performance advantage compared to Intel's Sapphire Rapids processors, which should drive further AMD share gains," said Matt Wegner, analyst at YipitData. Intel's results are also expected to sharply reduce the cash flow available to the company at a time when the CEO is trying to revive the business by expanding contract manufacturing and building new factories in the United States and Europe. "It is now clear why Intel needs to cut so much cost as the company's original plans prove to be fantasy," Bernstein analysts said. Reporting by Aditya Soni, Nivedita Balu and Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tesla plans $3.6 bln Nevada expansion to make Semi truck, battery cells
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The cell plant would be able to make enough batteries for 2 million light-duty vehicles annually, including batteries using the 4680-type cell. The 4680 is key to Tesla meeting a goal of halving battery costs and ramping up battery production nearly 100-fold by 2030. Panasonic currently supplies cells to the gigafactory, and Tesla assembles them into battery packs there. Tesla has struggled to ramp up production of the 4680 at its factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas. The EV maker aimed to produce 50,000 Semis in 2024, Musk said on a post-earnings call in October.

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