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In 2004, voters approved legislation that imposed a tax on millionaires to finance mental health services, generating $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue each year that has mostly gone to counties to fund mental health programs as they see fit under broad guidelines. San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she supports the measure. The 14-year-old center with a mission of breaking the cycle of trauma in the Black community relies heavily on mental health funding from the county. The state needs some 8,000 more beds to treat mental health and addiction issues, according to researchers who testified before state lawmakers last year. “From a humanitarian and civil rights perspective, we vehemently oppose Proposition 1,” said Mark Salazar, executive director of Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which serves more than 15,000 people monthly.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Tiffany McCarter, —, McCarter, “, ” McCarter, haven't, ”, Mark Salazar, ” Mark Cloutier, Joe Wilson, Anthony Hardnett, “ You’ve, ” Hardnett, ” Kalkowski, “ I’ve Organizations: — Democratic, — Democratic California Gov, San Francisco Mayor London, Cultural Center, Democratic, University of San, Housing Initiative, Mental Health Association of San, House, Sixth, 6th Street Center, Youth Locations: OROVILLE, Calif, — Democratic California, Butte, San Francisco, Butte County, Oroville, California, United States, Mental Health Association of San Francisco, Tenderloin, Chico

☆ Leaked email: Salesforce exec suggested workers who didn't hit a training goal could miss out on stock grants and bonuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce set a goal for all employees to achieve "Ranger" status on Trailhead, the company's internal training software, in 2023, BI previously reported. Becoming a Trailhead Ranger requires the accrual of 50,000 points on Trailhead, earned by completing various training modules, quizzes, and challenges. In January, Salesforce employees took to a companywide Slack channel named "airing-of-grievances" to bemoan an upcoming deadline for achieving Ranger status. One employee mentioned a "rumor" that staffers who failed to earn Ranger status would have their bonuses withheld. The downsizing comes after a year of aggressive cost-cutting and mass layoffs that had already reduced the company's workforce by 10%.

Persons: Srini Tallapragada, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Rangers, Business, BI, Street, Elliott Management Locations: Benioff, Salesforce, ethomas@insider.com

☆ Less than 10% of Salesforce employees failed to hit an internal training goal. CEO Marc Benioff is one of them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Salesforce wanted all employees to reach a goal on its training software Trailhead in 2023. 91.4% of employees achieved the goal of achieving "Ranger" status, a company spokesperson said. CEO Marc Benioff is still at the lowest level on Trailhead, according to his employee profile page. Salesforce "set a bold goal in 2023 of having all employees hit Ranger status on Trailhead," a spokesperson told BI via email. 91.4% of employees achieved Ranger status in 2023, they added, up from 48% the year prior.

Persons: Salesforce, Marc Benioff, —, Marc Benioff didn't Organizations: Service, Business

☆ 'The Davos underground': A final take on the secretive parties of the world's rich and powerful
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +23 min

"That's when you get the good s---," said a Davos attendee who is regularly selected to join the exclusive backroom of the Annual Davos Wine Forum Tasting. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards JPMorgan took over the Kirchner Museum for its annual drinks event. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The attire of the Davos set is decidedly not chic. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The color of your conference badge determined access to World Economic Forum events. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Skiing and snowboarding post panels and broadcasting was another favorite pastime of some Davos goers.

Persons: bankrolled, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, George Soros, Bill Browder, Anthony Scaramucci, Anthony, Scaramucci, queued, Latour, Donald Trump, —, Mark Milley, Matt Damon, Richard Branson, Andrea Bocelli, Chris Coons, Paul Ryan, bartenders, Champagne Perrier, Chateau Latour, L'Eglise, Burgundy Olivier Bernstein Bonnes, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Tenuta, Casanova di Neri, Stephen King, Browder, Doug Emhoff, Gary Cohn, Ian Bremmer, Sir Martin Sorrell, Sting, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Marc Benioff, Ray Dalio, Emhoff, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Brian Moynihan, IBM's Gary Cohn, Jack Hidary, Sir Richard Moore, Barry Colson, Davos goer, Moritz, Eve, CNBCers, Emmanuel Macron, John Kerry, Joe Short, roundtables, Wyclef Jean, Diane von Fürstenberg, George Osborne, David Rhodes, Osborne, Politico's Suzanne Lynch, Princess Beatrice, David Blaine, Milley —, Tij, CNBC Tij Organizations: Economic, CNBC, Congress Center, Russian, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Moonshot Investor Network, Putin, Hermitage Capital, SkyBridge, White House Communications, Chiefs, Bordeaux Smith Haut, Platz, Politico, IBM, AB InBev, White, Trump, Eurasia Group, Capital, Microsoft, Wall Street, Billionaire Microsoft, Light, Infosys, Bloomberg House, JPMorgan, Kirchner Museum, Financial, Hotel, CNBC CNBC, Bank of America, New, Davos, U.S . Climate, Accenture, Golf Club Davos, Palantir, Chancellor, Sky News's, Sting, Workers, Swiss Army, Army, Gliding Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Soviet, Ukraine, Moscow, Hungarian, Hermitage, Providence, Europe, Davos's, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Smith Haut Lafitte, Bello, Santa Cruz, Napa Valley Tuscany, Schatzalp, Scalettastrasse, Emirates, Halifax, Canada, Salt Lake City, U.S, Palantir, Swiss

☆ Salesforce is the latest tech company to cut jobs with 700 layoffs, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The cuts will affect around 700 employees, The Wall Street Journal reported. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The layoffs are the latest in a wave of cuts sweeping the tech industry this month. More than 20,000 tech workers across 80 companies have been affected by job cuts in the first month of the year, according to tracker Layoffs.fyi . January is historically a common month for layoffs as companies adjust budgets and plans for the new year.

Persons: Salesforce, —, Marc Benioff's, Sundar Pichai Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Business, Industry, Google, Tech

☆ Microsoft's $3 trillion market cap milestone is the latest in a string of wins for Big Tech's elder statesman
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Microsoft notching another big win by briefly reaching a $3 trillion valuation. It's an impressive run for a company often viewed as the least sexy in Big Tech. 3 things in marketsInstagram/grandmabetty33The stock market is looking gray, and that's a bad thing. A famed economist said you shouldn't confuse a booming stock market with a strong economy. Nobel economist Paul Krugman recently wrote about how consumers feel too optimistic about the economy due to the current stock market rally.

Persons: —, Ethan Miller, Phil Rosen, OpenAI, Ashley Stewart, Tim Matsui, Ashley, That's, it's, It'll, aren't, We're, Taylor, Paul Krugman, Patrick Pleul, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Benioff chatted, Brad Barket, Jon Stewart, Stewart, Trevor Noah, Donald Trump, Jean Carroll's Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Big, Rosenberg Research, AP Tesla, EV, Microsoft Windows, Walmart, Comedy Central, Bank of America, Intel, Visa, Southwest Airlines, Comcast Locations: Big Tech

☆ Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff tells retail workers: AI won't steal your job. It can make you better at it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Generative artificial intelligence won't take jobs from retail workers; instead, it will make them better at their jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff told attendees at the National Retail Federation's annual conference in New York last week. They're not going to need as many agents," Benioff said. The system was able to augment those agents and make them better," Benioff said. With generative AI, he added, Gucci had taken its customer service agents to "a whole other level." "They're pretty incredible people, using generative AI for the first time," Benioff said.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, NRF, John Furner, Loro Piana, Gucci —, They're, That's, bam, Gucci Organizations: Business, Walmart, LVMH, Gucci, Kering Locations: New York, Italy

☆ Tech execs say a type of AI that can outdo humans is coming, but have no idea what it looks like
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2024. Altman was temporarily booted from OpenAI in November in a shock move that laid bare concerns around the governance of the companies behind the most powerful AI systems. In a discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Altman said his ouster was a "microcosm" of the stresses faced by OpenAI and other AI labs internally. "We're already seeing areas where AI has the ability to unlock our understanding ... where humans haven't been able to make that type of progress. Avoiding a 's--- show'Altman wasn't the only top tech executive asked about AI risks at Davos.

Persons: Sam Altman, Google's DeepMind, Salesforce, Altman, chatbot, We've, it's, Aidan Gomez, OpenAI, Gomez, CNBC's Arjun Kharpal, AGI, it'll, Lila Ibrahim, Ibrahim, CNBC's Kharpal, who've, haven't, Marc Benioff, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Andrew Yang, Geoffrey Hinton, Hinton, Benioff Organizations: Economic, Bloomberg, Getty, Microsoft, Union, ABC News, ABC, OpenAI, CBS Locations: Davos, Switzerland, United States, Cohere, Hiroshima

☆ Watch the full CNBC Leaders interview with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch the full CNBC Leaders interview with Salesforce CEO Marc BenioffCNBC's Sara Eisen sits down with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Sara Eisen Organizations: CNBC, Economic Locations: Davos

People attend the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. Javier MileiArgentina's President Javier Milei delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 17, 2024. Sam AltmanSam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2024. He said AGI could be developed in the "reasonably close-ish future," speaking at a private gathering at the Bloomberg House in Davos, Switzerland. AI took a huge leap forward in the last year or two years," Benioff said on a World Economic Forum panel Thursday.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Donald Trump, Ursula von der, Ursula von der Leyen, Jamie Dimon Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan, Adam Galici, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, Larry Fink's, bitcoin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Putin, Javier Milei, Fabrice COFFRINI, FABRICE COFFRINI, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, Adena Friedman Adena Friedman, Adena Friedman, Friedman, Sam Altman Sam Altman, Sam Altman, Altman, Antony Blinken Antony Blinken, CNBC Putin, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Trump's, it's, Christine Lagarde, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Dmytro Kuleba, Arnd Wiegmann, Trump, Vladimir, Ukraine's, Kuleba, Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh, Mike Coppola, Michelle Yeoh, CNBC's Tania Bryer, Yeoh, Pedro Sanchez Spanish, Pedro Sanchez, Isabel Infantes, Sanchez, Li Qiang Li Qiang, Li Qiang, Li, Isaac Herzog, Kfir Bibas, Herzog, Kfir, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Atta Kenare, Joe, Biden, Netanyahu, Amir, Sergio Ermotti, MICHAEL BUHOLZER, Ermotti, Marc Benioff Marc Benioff, Salesforce, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Ray Dalio Ray Dalio, Bridgewater, Ray Dalio, Dalio, Mark Carney Mark Carney, DANIEL LEAL Organizations: Economic, Reuters, European, JPMorgan Chase, CNBC, BlackRock, Getty, Afp, NASDAQ, CNBC Nasdaq, Reuters OpenAI, Bloomberg, State, European Central Bank, Central Bank, Reuters Ukraine's, United Nations Development, Spanish, Getty Images, Hamas, Palestinian, Hezbollah, Turkish, AFP, Iranian, Sergio Ermotti UBS, Getty Images UBS, Credit Suisse, Bridgewater Associates, U.S, Bank of England, UN, OLIVAS Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Ukraine, Gaza, Russia, China, Moscow, WEF, AFP, OpenAI, U.S, Russian, Iran, Europe, United States, Hollywood , California, Madrid, Spain, Beijing, Washington, Lebanese, Tehran, Israel, Hiroshima

☆ Davos: AI shouldn’t make ‘life-or-death’ decisions, says OpenAI’s Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

But there are also dystopian fears that AI could destroy humanity or, at least, lead to widespread job losses. He said people had found ways to make themselves more productive using generative AI and they also understood “what not to use it for.” Generative AI gives humans “better tools” and “access to a lot more capability” but “we’re still very focused on each other,” he added. In a report Sunday, the International Monetary Fund predicted that AI will affect almost 40% of jobs around the world, “replacing some and complementing others,” but potentially worsening income inequality overall. Notwithstanding optimism over the technology’s potential, both Benioff and Altman stressed the need for regulating AI systems to guard against some of the potential existential threats posed by the technology. “I think it’s good that people are afraid of the downsides of this technology,” Altman said.

Persons: OpenAI’s Sam Altmann, ChatGPT, Altman, “, Marc Benioff, ” Altman, OpenAI —, ”, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Economic, International Monetary Fund, New York Times Locations: Switzerland, Davos, Milan

There’s an old saying about the news business: If you want to make a small fortune, start with a large one. As the prospects for news publishers waned in the past decade, billionaires swooped in to buy some of the country’s most fabled brands. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, bought The Washington Post in 2013 for about $250 million. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a biotechnology and start-up billionaire, purchased The Los Angeles Times in 2018 for $500 million. Marc Benioff, the founder of the software giant Salesforce, purchased Time magazine with his wife, Lynne, for $190 million in 2018.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon, Marc Benioff, Lynne Organizations: Amazon, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times

☆ Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says AI can't be 'bad' like social media if it's going to be trusted
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marc Benioff called for greater public trust in AI in a panel at the World Economic Forum. The Salesforce CEO said he wants people to trust AI — unlike social media over the past decade. Winning public trust in AI will require greater regulation, Benioff said. Benioff also said that social media has been a "shit show," adding: "It's pretty bad — we don't want that in our AI industry." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, —, Salesforce, Sam Altman, FABRICE COFFRINI, OpenAI, Altman, wasn't, Einstein, Salesforce didn't Organizations: Economic, Service, CNBC, Bloomberg, Business Locations: Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI

☆ Davos puts Climate on the Back Burner
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Here at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the most revealing discussions often happen not on the main stage, but at the myriad side events that transform this Swiss ski town into a high-minded networking event. Case in point: the annual luncheon hosted by Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff, who is plowing some of his personal fortune into efforts to plant a trillion trees and protect the oceans. This afternoon, as a few hundred Davos attendees ate vegetarian fare under a geodesic dome, Benioff interviewed the OpenAI chief executive, Sam Altman, about his vision for the future. Altman, who is investing in fusion power along with artificial intelligence, described a world where energy was cheap and abundant enough to pull huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Benioff, Sam Altman, Altman Organizations: Economic, Salesforce Locations: Davos

The topic of Donald Trump has dominated dinners and parties at Davos, with many in attendance at the World Economic Forum mulling the former president's potential return to the White House after his resounding Iowa caucus victory. 2024 predictionsJamie Dimon, President & CEO,Chairman & CEO JPMorgan Chase, speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 17th, 2024. Steve Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder Blackstone Group, speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 17th, 2024. Adam Galici | CNBCBlackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman expressed another common theme among executives — that both Trump and U.S. President Joe Biden are flawed choices. Marc Benioff, co-founder, chairman and CEO Salesforce, speaking with CNBC's Sara Eisen at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 17th, 2024.

Persons: Donald Trump, Evelyn Hockstein, —, I'm, Trump's, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan, Adam Galici, Jamie Dimon wouldn't, CNBC's, Dimon, Biden, Trump, he's, Steve Schwarzman, Stephen Schwarzman, Joe Biden, Schwarzman, Ben Smith, Smith, Marc Benioff, Salesforce, Bloomberg's Brad Stone, CNBC's Sara Eisen Organizations: Reuters, Switzerland — Global, Washington , D.C, Trump, ., JPMorgan Chase, CNBC, NATO, White, U.S, Capitol, Blackstone Group, CNBC Blackstone, Biden, Wall Street Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Reuters DAVOS, Switzerland, Washington ,, Davos, Trade, China, Mexico, United States

☆ The 'Game of Thrones' creators would only change one thing about the blockbuster series, and it's probably not what you'd think
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"One thing I know I wish we could have done is there's the character Mord the Jailer," Benioff told The Hollywood Reporter writer-at-large James Hibberd. AdvertisementHere's a refresher: Mord is a character who appears in season one of "Game of Thrones." HBOThe creators told THR that they missed the chance to engineer Mord's triumphant return during a tavern scene later in the series. AdvertisementThere's been plenty of discourse around "Game of Thrones" regardless, even without its creators' voices. "You always hope everyone's going to love anything you do and it would've been great if 100 percent of people loved it, but they didn't," Benioff told THR.

Persons: —, David Benioff, Weiss, George R.R, Benioff, James Hibberd, Lannister, Bran, Lord John Arryn, he's, Mord, Tyrion, Lady Arryn, Mord's, Hibberd, would've Organizations: Service, Business, Hollywood, HBO

☆ Heading to Davos, here's what was overheard on connecting trains from Zurich to the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The small Swiss Alpine town is again playing host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the world's top brass in finance and politics convene each year to try to solve the biggest problems that plague our planet. But the long and winding road to Davos offers another lesser-known benefit, which makes the lengthier commute well worth the while. Here's what was overheard on the connecting trains from Zurich Airport to Davos Platz. OpenAI's media representative declined CNBC's request to interview Altman in Davos, citing a "tight" schedule. One Davos attendee noted their company was in the IP space and had just raised this summer, because "the rights issue is so complicated."

Persons: MacKenzie, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Davos MacKenzie Sigalos, Altman, Marc Benioff, Albert Bourla, reminisced, Sting Organizations: Volvo, Economic, Zurich Airport, Davos Platz, Swiss National Railway, Microsoft, Pfizer, The New York Times, Switzerland Cantonal Police, Disney, Landquart Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Manhattan, Scalettastrasse, Davos, Swiss, Zürich, Zurich, Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Saudi Arabia, Grisons, Brazil

☆ Wall Street made bold calls on 4 of our stocks this week. Here's where we stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wall Street analysts revealed bold predictions on four portfolio stocks this week, as investors digested the latest inflation data and December earnings season kicked off. Morgan Stanley Wall Street's take: HSBC cut Morgan Stanley's rating to hold from buy on Monday, citing weaker guidance for the firm's wealth management business. MS 1Y mountain Morgan Stanley 1 year The Club's take: We don't blame analysts for stepping to the sidelines. Still, Morgan Stanley has strong growth prospects from its investment banking segment, a business we see improving on a better macroeconomic outlook and a pickup in deal activity. Palo Alto Networks Wall Street's take: Morgan Stanley named Palo Alto Networks the bank's top cybersecurity pick on Wednesday.

Persons: Here's, Morgan Stanley Wall, Morgan Stanley, Apple's, FCF, We've, Baird, Price, Marc Benioff, shouldn't, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Brendan Mcdermid Organizations: HSBC, Morgan, Bank, Management, Apple, Palo, Palo Alto Networks, 22X, CNBC, Traders, New York Stock Exchange Locations: CY24, CQ4, Palo, New York City, U.S

☆ Why Netflix, Disney, and other Hollywood companies are flocking to CES this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Advertising and marketing pros made up 7% of CES' attendees in 2023, per CES. Look for topics like the creator economy and the rise of artificial intelligence to dominate the conversation for advertisers, Kassan added. And Roku, which is closing in on its search for a new ad sales head, is sending a large contingent. The cost advertisers pay for streaming ads is expected to decline as platforms release more inventory, particularly with Amazon unleashing ads on Prime Video. Advertisers also have more options with the fast-growing FASTs (free, ad-supported streaming TV channels), which primarily offer older TV shows and movies.

Persons: David Benioff, Weiss, Alexander Woo, Amy Reinhard, execs, It's, who'll, Patrick Pannett, Michael Kassan, Evan Spiegel, Kassan, — that's, Rita Ferro, NBCUniversal's Mark Marshall, NBCU's Peacock, NBCUniversal, Peacock, NBCU, Tanner Elton, Amy McDevitt, Ludacris, Jon Steinlauf, GroupM Organizations: Netflix, CES, Business, Consumer Technology Association, Madison Avenue, Walmart, Disney, Nexstar Media Group, Nvidia, Paramount, CTA, Tech, NBC, Bravo, Amazon Ads, Warner Bros, Magna, CTV, Hulu, Intelligence, Prime Video Locations: Las Vegas, Peacock

☆ The top 10 people in artificial-intelligence hardware
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-25 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Jack Hidary, SandboxAQJack Hidary, the CEO of SandboxAQ. SandboxAQThe intersection of AI and quantum technology isn't talked about as much as buzzy chatbots right now — but it's a future Hidary is trying to prepare us for. His company, SandboxAQ, began life in Alphabet as a research unit nestled in the company's X building, exploring how to run quantum workloads using the same chips as those that power AI. Hidary spun the unit out in early 2022 with a nine-figure round of investment that included the former Alphabet executive chair Eric Schmidt and Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce. See the full list of 100 people who make AI intelligent here.

Persons: Jack Hidary, isn't, Hidary, Eric Schmidt, Marc Benioff

☆ Salesforce's year of the boomerang: Here are the C-suite executives who joined, left, or returned in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-23 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Several former Salesforce employees rejoined the company this year as "boomerangs." There were also high-profile departures of longtime executives. See below for Salesforce's leavers and joiners in 2023. The end of 2022 was marked by a series of executive departures at Salesforce, including the exit of co-CEO Bret Taylor, who had been heir apparent to CEO Marc Benioff. In the wake of pressure to up profit and cut costs from a group of activist investors, including Elliott Management and Starboard Value, some longtime company veterans left, and former executives have returned to help.

Persons: Bret Taylor, Marc Benioff, Benioff Organizations: Elliott Management, Business Locations: Salesforce

☆ Salesforce Keeps Growth Dreams Alive Enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff speaks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco on Nov. 16. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg NewsThere was a time—and not very long ago—that Salesforce would have scoffed at 11% growth. That was then. The cloud software giant’s fiscal third-quarter ended October was the third consecutive period showing revenue growing at that pace year over year. The company also used Wednesday’s report to affirm Wall Street’s projection for 10% growth in the current quarter ending in January—9.8% if not rounding.

Persons: Marc Benioff, David Paul Morris Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Bloomberg Locations: Asia, San Francisco, —

☆ Top 10 things to watch in Thursday's stock market, including Jim Cramer's Benioff interview
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Ford (F) issues slightly worse full-year guidance: $10 billion to $10.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and adjusted free cash flow of between $5 billion and $5.5 billion. Citi raises Club holding Costco (COST) price target to $585 per share from $530, citing an acceleration of November sales. Ford (F) issues slightly worse full-year guidance: $10 billion to $10.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and adjusted free cash flow of between $5 billion and $5.5 billion. Ford (F) issues slightly worse full-year guidance: $10 billion to $10.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and adjusted free cash flow of between $5 billion and $5.5 billion. Ford (F) issues slightly worse full-year guidance: $10 billion to $10.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and adjusted free cash flow of between $5 billion and $5.5 billion.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Einstein, Jeff Marks, Charles Munger, Warren Buffett's, Charlie, Peter Arduini, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, UAW, General Motors, Citi, Club, Costco, Barclays, Company, NBA, GE Healthcare, Nvidia, Brands, Barrick, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Economic Cooperation, APEC, AFP, Getty Locations: U.S, Asia, San Francisco , California

☆ Some OpenAI employees are still feeling uneasy and looking for other jobs despite Sam Altman's return, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman is back in charge of OpenAI but some employees are still feeling nervous, per Semafor. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementOpenAI's CEO Sam Altman may be back in charge but some employees are still feeling uneasy. According to one of the outlet's sources, rival AI company Cohere has received several inquiries from OpenAI employees in recent days. AdvertisementAI companies Hugging Face and Cohere told CNBC they've had more customer inquiries following Altman's ousting and reinstatement as CEO.

Persons: Sam Altman, —, Semafor, Altman, We've, Sam, Cohere, Marc Benioff, Salesforce's Einstein, CNBC they've, Clément Delangue, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Salesforce's, CNBC Locations: OpenAI

☆ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman went on an 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree — including a previously unknown Hawaii estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Katherine Long | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementYears before the recent drama at OpenAI turned CEO Sam Altman into a household name, the former Y Combinator president went on an extraordinary 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree, according to records reviewed by Business Insider — including a previously unreported $43 million Hawaii estate on land that locals describe as historically significant. AdvertisementSam Altman's Hawaii estate is immediately adjacent to the reconstruction of the royal temple of King Kamehameha I. Maxar TechnologiesA $43 million estate in HawaiiIn July 2021, Altman bought a twelve-bedroom estate in Kailua-Kona, on the big island of Hawaii, for $43 million. Altman's purchase of the Hawaii property has not been previously reported. AdvertisementAnnie had been unaware that her oldest brother owned property in Hawaii until Business Insider asked her about it, she said. A $27 million San Francisco homeAltman's weekday residence is a home on San Francisco's Russian Hill that was once described — inaccurately — as the most expensive home in San Francisco.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, —, OpenAI, he's, He's, Sam Altman's, King Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha, Jennifer Serralta, Serralta, Jack, Max, — Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Marc Benioff, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Annie Altman, Annie, Sam's, Napa Altman, Cade Metz, Bob Dickinson Organizations: Service, Business, Bloomberg Tech Summit, Wall Street Journal, YouTube, Altman, LinkedIn, Apollo, Opportunity Fund, Silicon Valley, Business Insider, San, SEC, 9Point Ventures, Uncommon Ventures, New York Times, Capital Management, San Francisco Chronicle, New Yorker, Israeli Defense Force, Tesla Locations: San Francisco, Napa, Hawaii, Napa , California, Sam Altman's Hawaii, Kailua, Kona, wakesurfing, Kauai, Lanai, San, Russian, California, Hollywood, Big Sur

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