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☆ Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Fred Ryan, the publisher and chief executive of The Washington Post who oversaw the newspaper through several tumultuous years, announced on Monday that he will step down from his position after nearly a decade at the helm. “Nine years ago, I was honored to be selected by Jeff Bezos to be Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post,” Ryan wrote in a memo to staff on Monday. Ryan’s handling of the matter angered much of the newsroom and pushed high-profile reporters to join the newspaper’s union, including some who had previously resisted joining the union, known as The Washington Post Newspaper Guild. Ryan said that he will continue in his position as publisher of the newspaper until August 1 to help with the transition. Patty Stonesifer, the founding chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an Amazon board member, will serve as interim chief executive of The Post.

Persons: Fred Ryan, Ryan, Ronald Reagan, Jeff Bezos, ” Ryan, Jeff, Donald Trump, “, We’ve, Patty Stonesifer, Melinda Gates, “ I’m, Fred, we’ve, ” Bezos, ” Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Foundation, Employees, Washington Post Newspaper, Melinda Gates Foundation, The, Amazon

☆ Washington Post publisher, CEO Fred Ryan to depart after overseeing growth under Jeff Bezos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

From left, Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan, Executive Editor Marty Baron, and National Security Editor Peter Finn, applaud as investigative reporter Tom Hamburger speaks to the newsroom after The Washington Post wins two pulitzer prizes, Monday, April 16, 2018, in Washington. Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan announced on Monday that he will step down from the helm of the newspaper in August. In a statement, the Washington Post said that it saw multiple years of profitability and a dramatic jump in digital subscriptions under Ryan. Read Fred Ryan's memo to employees here:Subject: Message for Washington Post ColleaguesDear Washington Post Colleagues,Nine years ago, I was honored to be selected by Jeff Bezos to be Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post. Read Jeff Bezos' memo here:Subject: Message for The Washington Post TeamDear Washington Post Team,I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to Fred for his dedicated service to The Washington Post as our Publisher and CEO.

Persons: Fred Ryan, Marty Baron, Peter Finn, Tom Hamburger, Ryan, Jeff Bezos, Ronald Reagan, Jeff, Bezos, Patty Stonesifer, Melinda Gates, Read Fred Ryan's, We've, we've, Fred, Read Jeff Bezos, he's, I'm, She'll, Patty, You'll Organizations: Washington Post, National Security, Washington . Washington Post, Amazon, Foundation, Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, The Washington Post, Innovative Media, Fast Company, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, The Washington Post Team, Washington Post Team Locations: Washington .

☆ These Bill Gates-backed startup founders turn water from the shower drain into beer: 'Rest assured with the science'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Take, for example, Epic OneWater Brew: a Kölsch-style ale made from purified shower, laundry and sink water. It's the brainchild of Epic Cleantec, a San Francisco-based water reuse technology company born from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge." The company primarily creates wastewater reuse and treatment systems, not beer. Epic Cleantec can't sell its beer, made in partnership with Devil's Canyon Brewing Company, due to strict federal and state laws. But it can give the ale away for free to spread awareness and "showcase the untapped potential of water reuse," Aaron Tartakovsky, the company's CEO, tells CNBC Make It.

Persons: Melinda Gates, — Ilan Levy, Oded Halperin, Igor, Aaron Tartakovsky —, Aaron Tartakovsky Organizations: Gates Foundation, Devil's, Brewing Company, CNBC Locations: States, San Francisco

☆ Bill Gates says A.I. could kill Google Search and Amazon as we know them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates reacts during a visit with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the Imperial College University, in London, Britain, February 15, 2023. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes the future top company in artificial intelligence will likely have created a personal digital agent that can perform certain tasks for people. Gates said there is a fifty-fifty chance that this future AI winner will be either a startup or a tech giant. Until then, companies will continue embedding so-called generative AI technologies akin to OpenAI's popular ChatGPT into their own products. Watch: Bill Gates says OpenAI's GPT is the most important tech advance since the 1980's

☆ Bill Gates: Here are ‘the 5 things I wish I was told at the graduation I never had’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Bill Gates never finished his undergraduate degree — the billionaire dropped out of Harvard University after three semesters to start Microsoft. Not much, personally, to be honest," Gates told students at Northern Arizona University's commencement ceremony on Saturday. If Gates had finished college, these are "the five things I wish I was told at the graduation I never had," he said. Gates did work at Microsoft for a long time: He was the company's CEO until 2000, and board director until 2014. 'Don't underestimate the power of friendship'One of Gates' biggest college regrets, he told Harvard students in 2018: Not being sociable enough.

☆ Fact Check-Chelsea Clinton did not say ‘It’s time to force-jab every unvaccinated child in America’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chelsea Clinton did not say that it is time to “force-jab” every unvaccinated child in the U.S., contrary to claims being shared online. The posts misrepresent Clinton’s comments about the “Big Catch-Up,” an authentic initiative to increase childhood vaccinations that were reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinton did speak at the conference on April 25, 2023 in a session about the initiative and importance of childhood vaccines (here). In the video, she does not say vaccines should be forced on children, with or without parental consent. Chelsea Clinton did not call for forced vaccines on children.

☆ Buffett’s imprint on Berkshire reaches its limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Warren Buffett gives off a zen vibe about Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) after his time is up. They’ll have over a decade to wind down the inheritance, in effect insulating Berkshire’s new leaders while they leave their own imprint. The succession planning has been possible because of Buffett’s iron grip, and not everyone is happy about it. One shareholder, Peter Flaherty, proposed separating the chairman and CEO roles at Berkshire. Berkshire security may be able to shut down such dissent at its own shareholder meeting, but it can’t stifle the doubts about life after Buffett.

☆ Fact Check-Compounds in Apeel’s edible food coating deemed safe by FDA
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Edible food coatings from U.S. company Apeel Sciences are made of monoglycerides and diglycerides that are not “toxic” to humans, contrary to posts on social media. The company received funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but is not owned by Bill Gates, as also claimed online. This is a Bill Gates founded company using toxic mono & diglycerides to make you SICK!” alongside a photo of an avocado with an Apeel label (here). Reuters has debunked posts conflating the edible food coating with a UK-manufactured cleaning product (here). The edible food coating known as Apeel is made of monoglycerides and diglycerides, compounds that are generally recognized as safe by the FDA and a nutritional expert in the quantities proposed by the company.

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway at a glance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File PhotoMay 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people are descending on Omaha, Nebraska to attend the annual shareholder weekend for billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N). Susan Buffett and Howard Buffett are Berkshire directors. His Berkshire stock will go to philanthropy after he dies. (Interview with CNBC, April 12, 2023)Abel on Berkshire managers' relationship with him: "It's not the same as working for Warren.

☆ Warren Buffett eats McDonald's for breakfast, drinks 5 Cokes a day, and devours cookies and ice cream. Here are the investor's 11 best quotes about his iconic diet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The famed investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO counts burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream among his favorite foods. He munches on McDonald's for breakfast, guzzles five cans of Coke every day, and demolishes cookies and chocolates. If a three-year-old doesn't eat it, I don't eat it." If I'd been eating broccoli and Brussels sprouts all my life, I don't think I'd live as long. "I don't eat any Chinese food.

Its peak sales forecast is of more than $2 billion annually together from the maternal vaccine and an RSV shot for older adults. The case highlights how equitable global access will require better advance planning by drugmakers, governments and health organizations, health officials say. "They could have tried sooner," said Erin Sparrow, WHO's technical officer for the RSV vaccine, referring to Pfizer. Pfizer has yet to take a number of steps needed to make the vaccine available in developing countries, according to global health officials and the company. She still expects it to be several years before the RSV vaccine is launched in lower-income countries.

☆ Melinda French Gates' former chief of staff, who cofounded a unicorn startup, says 'Do you have any questions?' is the most important interview question to nail. Here's how to answer it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jeffrey Spector | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

His top interviewing tip is to knock the "question" question out of the park. Job candidates are focused on giving the right answers. My top interviewing tip is to knock the "question" question out of the parkSometimes, job candidates say they don't have any questions. Can you prove that you did your due diligence and have the competencies needed in the job you're applying for? Interviewers want to see candidates think specifically about this sector, this organization, and this role.

☆ Bill Gates shared his first photo with his first grandchild: 'I can't wait to watch you discover the world'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

New grandfather Bill Gates shared his first photo with his grandchild on Instagram. His daughter Jennifer, who he had with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, welcomed her child in March. Gates became a grandfather in March when his daughter with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, Jennifer Gates, gave birth to her first child with equestrian Nayel Nassar. "There is nothing quite like holding your first grandchild," French Gates wrote on her Instagram post with a smiling emoji surrounded by hearts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Bill Gates says pausing the development of AI systems will not 'solve' challenges ahead, days after Musk and others cautioned about 'risks to society' from the tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates said he didn't think a halt on advanced AI development for six months is practical. His comments came a week after an open letter called for a six-month pause on advanced AI development. Gates, however, isn't the only high-profile voice cautioning about pausing AI development. Last week, billionaire investor Bill Ackman warned that shutting down AI development for six months would allow bad actors six more months to catch up to current technology. Bill Gates did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation outside regular business hours.

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Calls to pause the development of artificial intelligence will not “solve the challenges” ahead, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told Reuters, his first public comments since an open letter sparked a debate about the future of the technology. The technologist-turned-philanthropist said it would be better to focus on how best to use the developments in AI, as it was hard to understand how a pause could work globally. “I don’t think asking one particular group to pause solves the challenges,” Gates said on Monday. While currently focused full-time on the philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has been a bullish supporter of AI and described it as revolutionary as the Internet or mobile phones. He also said in the interview the details of any pause would be complicated to enforce.

☆ Fact Check-Video shows an aphid, not a genetically modified mosquito ‘released by Bill Gates’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video circulating online shows a small sap-sucking insect called an aphid, not a genetically modified mosquito with a number stamped on it released by philanthropist Bill Gates, as online posts claim. Bill Gates was very vocal about releasing millions of GMO [genetically modified organism] mosquitos into the public.”Another example can be seen (here). However, the video shows a small insect called an aphid, not a GMO mosquito. A representative for the Gates Foundation said the claim that the video showed a genetically modified mosquito with a number or barcode stamped on it released by the Gates Foundation was false. The video shows an aphid, not a mosquito with a number stamped on it and released by Bill Gates.

☆ Hong Kong government announces measures to lure wealthy family offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, March 24 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's government announced a series of measures on Friday to attract wealthy family offices to set up in the financial hub as authorities try to restore business confidence and investor allure after three years of severe COVID-19 rules. "The policy statement demonstrates our determination to develop Hong Kong into a leading global family office hub," Paul Chan, the city's financial secretary said. Chan said this would help bolster Hong Kong's financial sector as well as areas including technology, green, arts and culture and philanthropy. City leader John Lee said last year that he had set a target of attracting 200 large family offices to set up in Hong Kong by 2025. Hong Kong's push to attract wealthy families comes as many wealthy individuals and companies shifted to rival financial hubs such as Singapore after Beijing's imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Australian news interview featuring Bill Gates edited using AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The version of the clip with altered dialogue being shared was created using deepfake technology, which manipulates audio and visuals to make it appear that an individual is saying something (here). There are signs of several techniques used to create the fake video, according to Dominic Lees, an associate professor of filmmaking at the University of Reading. “Voice cloning has been used to create the fake voices of Gates and his interviewer…The fake audio has been applied to a re-edited version of the interview,” Lees told Reuters. So, this analysis suggests the video is likely to be manipulated.”A spokesperson for ABC News told Reuters, “The video is clearly fake. The video shared on social media has been manipulated using deepfake technology and does not show an authentic interaction between ABC News journalist Sarah Ferguson and Bill Gates.

☆ Bill Gates says 'we need a fire department for pandemics' as he worries we're unprepared for the next one
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Gates wrote a New York Times op-ed Sunday warning about future pandemics. He supported the WHO's global health emergency corps, calling it a "fire department for pandemics." "We can't afford to get caught flat-footed again," Gates wrote. But he added he was "optimistic" about the global health emergency corps – a network of health leaders around the world designed to promote collaboration between different countries. "The Global Health Emergency Corps will represent massive progress toward a pandemic-free future," Gates wrote in the Times.

☆ Vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Burundi, Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Health officials in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus, the World Health Organization and Global Polio Eradication Initiative said. Five other samples from environmental surveillance of waste water confirmed the presence of circulating poliovirus type 2 in Burundi, the WHO added in a statement. Circulating poliovirus type 2 is different to wild poliovirus, with infections occurring when a weakened strain of poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine circulates among under-immunized populations for long periods. The detections are significant as they are the first linked with the use of a new vaccine, the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which was developed specifically to reduce this risk. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said in a statement that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was found in six children in the DRC's eastern Tanganyika and South Kivu provinces.

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges. Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States. Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued. The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison. Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Melinda Gates' venture fund just bet on hot women's health startup Tia. Here's the presentation it used to raise $100 million in 2021 to rebuild after COVID shutdowns.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Megan Hernbroth | Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The women's healthcare startup Tia just landed funding from Melinda Gates' Pivotal Ventures. See the 30-slide presentation Tia used to raise $100 million in just three weeks in 2021. As gaps in reproductive healthcare worsen in the US post-Roe v. Wade, women's healthcare startup Tia wants to elevate the standards for women's physical, mental, and reproductive care. Before the pandemic, Tia was building in-person healthcare clinics for women without the virtual component. Here is the 30-slide presentation Witte used to raise Tia's $100 million Series B funding in just three weeks in 2021.

☆ Bill Gates is officially a grandfather after his daughter, Jennifer, announces the birth of her first child
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Gates is now a grandfather. His oldest child, 26-year-old Jennifer Gates, just announced she's welcomed a baby into her family. Jennifer Gates announced her pregnancy in November; she shares the child with her husband, Egyptian equestrian Nayel Nassar. The eldest of his three children, 26-year-old Jennifer Gates, announced over the weekend that she has given birth to her first child. Bill Gates has said the news that he would become a grandparent has changed his views on life and his philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

☆ Bill Gates' Gen Z daughter Phoebe says the worst part about TikTok fame is 'misconceptions and conspiracy theories' about her family
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Phoebe Gates said the worst part of her TikTok fame is "misconceptions" about her family. The youngest Gates told The Information that people follow her “because of my family name.”Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Phoebe Gates told The Information the greatest downside to posting on the platform was all the "misconceptions and conspiracy theories." And people probably find it funny to see my dad being a goof and playing Boxbollen," Gates told The Information in an email. She also uses her social media to speak about the need for sustainability in fashion.

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