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☆ Video Shows Google's 'Magic Window' for Meetings in Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

YouTuber Marques Brownlee filmed what it's like to use Google's 3D video chat device. Google unveiled the tech, dubbed "Project Starline," back in 2021 with pictures showing the "magic window" for meetings. Brownlee's video actually shows what it's like to use Google's latest prototype for the technology. The video by Brownlee actually shows what it's like to use the technology — Google has previously shown images and animations. "The magic of this is twofold — it's the display and the computing happening," he said in the video.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: First Republic, Snap, Amazon, Intel and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Snap — The Snapchat parent company cratered about 18% after missing revenue expectations for the recent quarter. Intel — Intel shares rose more than 4% even after the company reported its largest quarterly loss on record and a 133% reduction year over year. Colgate-Palmolive — The consumer giant saw its stock rally 4% after the company reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped expectations. The company reported 98 cents in earnings per share, above the 89 cents expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv. Newell Brands — Shares gained 2% even after the consumer goods company reported a wider-than-expected loss.

☆ BMW on track for 2023 target despite slight Q1 sales fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An electric-powered BMW iX xDrive 50 car is seen during a media preview at the Auto Zurich Car Show in Zurich, Switzerland November 3, 2021. By region, BMW only saw sales growth in the United States, with an 11.4% increase to 89,750 car sales. BMW remained confident about its 2023 guidance despite a "challenging business environment", the company said in a statement. "The BMW Group is on track for slight sales growth in the full year 2023," said Pieter Nota, management board member responsible for customer, brands and sales. Electric vehicle sales in BMW's core brand more than doubled in Q1 year on year to 55,979 units.

☆ More than twice as many Russian troops as Ukrainians have been killed in Putin's war, leaked estimates show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked estimates show more than twice as many Russians and Ukrainians have been killed in the war. The documents, which were recently leaked on social media and are currently the focus of a federal investigation, offer estimates for Russian and Ukrainian casualties. The Center for Strategic & International Studies, meanwhile, assessed that same month that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers of the Aidar battalion training at an undetermined location in Donetsk oblast on April 4, 2023. For example, in some cases, information about Russian casualties appears to have been altered to show a much lower killed in action figure for the Russian forces.

☆ L'Oreal buys luxury brand Aesop from Brazil's Natura for $2.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Aesop products sit on display for sale at their store on Abbott Kinney Blvd. French cosmetics group L'Oreal struck a deal with Brazil's Natura & Co to buy Aesop, its Australian luxury brand, at an enterprise value of $2.53 billion, both firms said on Monday. The deal expands L'Oreal's presence in the luxury cosmetics market, while marking a financial relief for the Brazilian firm, burdened by shrinking margins and heavy debt. "Aesop taps into all of today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail," L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said in a statement. For Natura, the deal adds to a broader organizational shakeup that saw former chief executive and executive chairman Roberto Marques step down in June last year, handing over the reins to Fabio Barbosa.

☆ L'Oreal buys luxury brand Aesop from Brazil's Natura for $2.5 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of French cosmetics group L'Oreal in the western Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, France, February 7, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesSAO PAULO, April 3 (Reuters) - French cosmetics group L'Oreal (OREP.PA) struck a deal with Brazil's Natura & Co (NTCO3.SA) to buy Aesop, its Australian luxury brand, at an enterprise value of $2.53 billion, both firms said on Monday. The deal, L'Oreal's largest ever brand acquisition according to Dealogic data, expands the firm's presence in the luxury cosmetics market, while also providing the Brazilian company with some financial relief amid shrinking margins and heavy debt. The acquisition is also the third largest on record of an Australian company in the consumer products sector, the data showed. "Aesop taps into all of today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail," L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said in a statement.

☆ Putin's war turned this quiet Polish airport into a global military hub where passenger jets touch down alongside Patriot missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is just 50 miles from Poland's border with Ukraine. He told Insider: "I realized that a great challenge was ahead of us and that any mistake on our part couldn't be an option." Hamryszczak told Insider that he had to rise to "countless" challenges, including making complex arrangements with world leaders and welcoming the world's media. Air Force One is "the most famous aircraft that has ever visited our airport," Hamryszczak said. "This is no longer the same regional airport that operated in 2021, or even before the pandemic," Hamryszczak told Insider.

☆ Google Bard is already behind in the AI wars with OpenAI and Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google Bard, the search firm's answer to ChatGPT, has underwhelmed early testers. Users in the US and UK trying out the AI chatbot find it pales in comparison to OpenAI's tech. The makers of the Twofer Goofer word puzzle found ChatGPT was much better at solving the brainteasers than Google's Bard. It's possible that the company does have a super impressive AI tool up its sleeve. Insider's Hugh Langley reported earlier in March that Google employees are testing a more intelligent version of Bard, nicknamed "Big Bard."

☆ There's one big problem with Tesla's plan to open its exclusive Supercharger network: The cords aren't long enough for other EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesla opened up some of its exclusive Supercharging stations to rival electric vehicles. But the cords are designed for Teslas, meaning that owners of some other cars need to use two spaces. Early this month, Tesla opened a handful of its roughly 1,700 US charging stations to non-Tesla vehicles. (Tesla designed its own charging connector, while the rest of the industry uses a different standard.) Tesla owners sometimes experience long lines at charging stations, particularly during popular travel times.

☆ A YouTuber charged a non-Tesla EV at a Supercharger and it 'descended into chaos'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marques Brownlee took his Rivian R1T to a Supercharger that had just been opened to non-Teslas. He said non-Tesla EVs sometimes took up multiple parking spots due to their charging port locations. The YouTuber said the charging station makes his Rivian a better car, but cuts into Tesla's advantage. Youtuber Marques Brownlee took his Rivian R1T to a Tesla Supercharger in rural New York last week and he said on Twitter that the visit "descended into chaos" when other non-Tesla drivers showed up as well. The billionaire agreed to begin opening up some of the electric-car maker's Superchargers to non-Tesla owners earlier this year.

☆ Fact Check-Image of bystander making middle-finger gesture toward Joe Biden during Poland visit had been altered from the original photograph
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image shared online of an individual appearing to direct a middle-finger gesture toward U.S. President Joe Biden during his February visit to Warsaw has been altered, with the original photograph showing a thumbs-up gesture instead. The image shows the president waving toward a group of people standing along a stairway, with one individual appearing to direct the gesture toward Biden. The unaltered image shows the same individual making a thumbs-up gesture and looking toward the president. Another photograph captured by Getty Images photographer Omar Marques similarly shows the individual making a thumbs-up gesture toward Biden (here). The original image shows an individual making a thumbs-up gesture toward the president, not gesturing a middle figure toward Biden.

☆ Brazil Supreme Court rules Bayer must return $252 mln in GMO soy royalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Feb. 13 ruling by Supreme Court Justice Nunes Marques relates to a GMO technology commercially known as Intacta RR2 Pro, created by Monsanto, which was later acquired by Germany's Bayer. Bayer said in a statement it will determine its next steps while noting it would comply with the ruling. The ruling is the latest chapter of a protracted battle opposing the crop science firm and Brazilian farmers, who have launched multiple legal challenges against the firm. Aprosoja-MT said that according to the ruling, Bayer will now have to deposit 1.3 billion reais ($252 million) in an escrow account to return royalties paid by farmers going back to 2018. A lawyer for Aprosoja-MT said Bayer can appeal Marques' ruling at the plenary of the Supreme Court.

☆ The US Navy's struggle to keep ships in fighting shape is leading sailors to 'cannibalize' more parts from other ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Shortages of spare parts is driving US sailors to take more and more parts from other ships. The spare parts shortage only exacerbates an already dismal Navy maintenance situation, with overburdened and understaffed shipyards unable to perform necessary overhauls on schedule. The study listed a cascade of causes for the shortage of spare parts: "Parts obsolescence, diminishing manufacturing sources, and material shortages are common issues." Likewise, militaries have long cannibalized equipment during operations when spare parts may not be available. Steaming hours have also declined for Navy ships, though by how much isn't clear, as the Department of Defense has classified the data.

☆ A couple took an electric car on a 1,500 mile road trip. They had to stop 12 times and forgo heat due to their range anxiety.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Axios reporter took a Kia EV6 on a 1,500 mile road trip. She and her husband stopped to charge the car 12 times over the course of the trip from Michigan to Florida. Axios reporter Joann Muller said her husband took the electric car on a 1,500 mile road trip — she joined him part-way through — to see if the US is truly ready for mass EV adoption. While EV range continues to improve, charging infrastructure still poses a major hurdle for electric-vehicle adoption. Earlier this year, the Biden Administration rolled out a $5 billion funding plan to improve EV charging infrastructure.

☆ A prominent UK cybersecurity stock is under attack from short sellers. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Omar Marques | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty ImagesCybersecurity company Darktrace , one of the U.K.'s most prominent tech names, has found itself under attack from short sellers. Short selling is a strategy in which investors bet on the price of a stock going down in value. Darktrace, one of the U.K.'s largest cybersecurity companies, was founded in 2013 by a group of former intelligence experts and mathematicians. "This has been, and remains, a very small part of Darktrace's marketing and the costs of them over the last five years has consistently been substantially below 0.5% of Darktrace's revenue," Darktrace added. The Lynch connectionIt's worth noting that, even before the QCM report, there were clouds hanging over Darktrace's business.

LONDON/HONG KONG, Feb 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China has been a golden goose for western carmakers like Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE). Chinese groups like electric vehicle leader BYD (002594.SZ), (1211.HK) are targeting foreign markets. At JATO’s estimate of 56,000 euros, the average price of an electric vehicle in Europe is still too high for most punters. The lower cost of manufacturing in China may help Chinese carmakers absorb tariffs, while western groups could suffer from reprisals. The result may be that western groups have to jostle for a smaller place in their home markets but also cut prices, hurting profitability.

☆ Bank of America announced a new class of managing directors — here are all 87 names in corporate and investment banking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bank of America has announced a new class of 360 managing directors. Insider has the list of the 87 new MDs for the firm's Global Corporate and Investment Bank. It's managing director promotion day at Bank of America. On Thursday, the class of 360 managing directors across the firm were announced internally, up 15% from the 314 promoted in 2022.Insider has the list of the 87 employees who were promoted in the firm's Global Corporate and Investment Bank — the division responsible for dealmaking. That's down 17% from 105 new MDs last year in the division, likely a reflection of a difficult year in investment banking across Wall Street that saw revenues drop in excess of 50%.

☆ France hit by nationwide strike as unions fight Macron’s plan to raise retirement age
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

French workers would have to work longer before receiving a pension under the new rules — with the nominal retirement age rising from 62 to 64. Many French workers expressed mixed feeling about the government’s plan and pointed to the complexity of the pension system. For those who do not fulfil that condition, like many women who interrupted their career to raise their children or those who studied for a long time and started working late, the retirement age would remain unchanged at 67. Those who started to work early, under the age of 20, and workers with major health issues would be allowed early retirement. Protracted strikes met Macron’s last effort to raise the retirement age in 2019.

☆ P&G CEO's upbeat take on the economy makes the consumer staples giant even more attractive in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of Procter & Gamble were trading down 0.6% midday Thursday, at $144.63 apiece. Bottom line Moeller offered a welcomed upbeat take on the economy and P & G's potential for growth in 2023. P & G remains a stock we prefer amid economic uncertainty, as its consumer products are essential in any economic environment. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. In this photo illustration a Procter and Gamble logo seen displayed on a smartphone with stock market percentages in the background.

☆ 12 AI tools that could transform the creator economy and influencer marketing, according to industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI tools could be helpful for content creators to streamline processes like copywriting and editing. Insider asked 16 creator-economy experts to highlight the most promising AI tools for creators. Ollie Forsyth, global community manager at VC fund Antler, put together a landscape of generative AI startups with his team. "Simply put, generative AI tools provide creators a magic wand to create enchanting content." Here are 12 AI startups that creator-economy experts recommended, listed in alphabetical order:

☆ 12 AI startups that could change how creators make content, according to industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Tesla owners who just want a normal steering wheel on their Model S and Model X get their wish
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's Model S/X owners will have the option to replace the yoke steering wheel with a round one. The move comes after Tesla car owners complained about the learning curve of the box wheel. Starting in March, Tesla owners can replace their current steering wheels for $700. Unlike a conventional wheel, the yoke wheel is rectangular with a tiny button for honking. The stalk — the part in conventional cars that controls core functions such as turn signals, headlights, and windshield wipers — was replaced with buttons on the steering yoke.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, is gearing up to supply cars, and the chips and batteries that go into them, to global marques. It sees automakers entrusting the company with production in Indonesia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the United States and beyond. Getting there requires Foxconn ditching a tried and tested business model. To make smartphones, the company relies on a few factories it owns in China and it has little say over the underlying supply chains and which components to use. Foxconn has also tied up with Ohio-based Lordstown Motors (RIDE.O) in the United States; its factory is already making electric pickup trucks and could start supplying to other American brands within a year.

☆ These photos show the many ways Christmas is celebrated around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Natalie Tham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In a yearly series, CNBC Travel highlights diverse Christmas celebrations around the world. The Gavle goat is moving to a new location this year for the first time in 56 years, according to Visit Gavle, the city's visitor's guide. "He means a lot for us in Gavle, and he's a big part of the Christmas spirit," she said. Teachers, students and parents hold Christmas lanterns made from recycled materials during a campaign for sustainable Christmas celebrations at an elementary school in Quezon City, Philippines. "If I'm in Brazil during Christmas, I take my nephew and niece to a Christmas parade, and we have a blast!

☆ As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Apparently, some tech workers are also missing their companies' holiday festivities — but not because they're bopping around in the Mountain West. As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block. Cost-cutting is coming for startups — and big office holiday parties are first on the list. For startup founders and venture capitalists, the office holiday party is a December tradition. But this year, holiday parties in startup-land look a little different.

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