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☆ Bets on A.I. and innovation help this tech-focused T. Rowe Price fund outperform the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Since joining investment management firm in 2000, Allen's worked his way up the corporate ladder, taking the helm as portfolio manager of the T. Rowe Price Science & Technology (PRSCX) fund in 2009. In the wake of the latest artificial intelligence boom that's driven up last year's beaten-up technology stocks, it's skyrocketed nearly 38% in 2023. Longer-term, the fund, with a 0.84% expense ratio, offers 10- and 15-year trailing returns of more than 16% and about 13%, respectively. This year, Allen has benefited from a spectacular run-up in technology stocks, fueled by a mania for all things tied to artificial intelligence. "It's really important to learn over time when things go well and especially when things don't go well," Allen said.

Persons: Ken Allen, Rowe Price, Allen's, Allen, Salesforce, it's, Morningstar, I've Organizations: Colby College, Rowe Price Science & Technology, PRSCX, Apple, Netflix, Nvidia, Devices, Microsoft, Zalando, Amazon, Meta, Accenture, Mastercard, Texas, Texas Instruments Locations: Maine, Baltimore, Salesforce, Zalando, buybacks

☆ TikTok has become a 'billion-person focus group' that can make or break your business with one viral video
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A review can now completely change the trajectory of a business if it goes viral on TikTok. A viral video on TikTok can make a product fly off of shelves, or leave consumers questioning the quality of a company. Corey Robinson, chief product officer for Abercrombie & Fitch, described TikTok to The Journal as "a billion-person focus group." Fame is just as easy to achieve as infamy on TikTok where videos can quickly — and unexpectedly — go viral. In late 2022, Chipotle employees were hit with waves of complicated orders and unhappy customers after Lee and TikToker Alex Frost posted viral videos trying a menu hack for quesadillas.

Persons: Corey Robinson, Abercrombie, Robinson, Pink, Chef Pii, Pii, naysayers, TikTokers, hashtag, Keith Lee, Lee, Kwame Boakye, TikToker Alex Frost, Chipotle, Brian Niccol Organizations: Street Journal, Morning, Abercrombie & Fitch, Fitch, Walmart, Dave's Gourmet, NielsenIQ, McKinsey & Company, Fire Locations: Orlando

☆ SEC enforcement chief rejects criticism of crypto crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The regulator's heightened scrutiny of crypto firms comes in response to the industry's failure to comply with the agency's regulations, SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal said at a Rutgers University and Lowenstein Sandler LLP event in New York. "We have worked thoughtfully and incrementally in this space," Grewal said on Friday. The SEC began targeting initial coin sales as unregistered securities offerings, but has increasingly focused on crypto firms acting as unregistered exchanges and broker-dealers. The SEC last week sued Binance and Coinbase, two of the world's largest crypto exchanges, for allegedly breaking its rules. Coinbase has said the agency hardened its stance and became less willing to work with crypto firms in the wake of the FTX scandal in late 2022.

Persons: Gurbir Grewal, Lowenstein Sandler, Grewal, you'd, Binance, Coinbase, Chris Prentice, Nick Macfie Organizations: YORK, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Rutgers University, Lowenstein, Capitol, Democratic, Thomson Locations: New York, noncompliance

☆ I swapped alcohol for 'Psychedelic Water' popular among sober-curious people online. I found it's the perfect drink to avoid social anxiety without a hangover.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Psychedelic Water?" Despite the name, Psychedelic Water doesn't include LSD or psilocybin and definitely won't make you hallucinate. The main side effect I experienced while drinking Psychedelic Water was an occasional tingling sensation on my tongue and minor stomach pains. Psychedelic Water was one of the previously unheard-of brands that took off on social media during this time. Psychedelic Water is available in four flavors: hibiscus lime, blackberry yuzu, oolong orange blossom, and prickly pear.

Persons: —, seltzer, Robbie, Abby Wallace, Pankaj Gogia, Ben Rogul, Gogia, psychedelics Organizations: Service, Pacific Islanders, National Institutes of Health, Nielsen, Urban Outfitters

☆ ChatGPT’s responses to suicide, addiction, sexual assault crises raise questions in new study
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And regulators could help monitor that such responses offer accurate and reliable information and resources. They’re underutilized already,” said John Ayers, an author of the study and a behavioral scientist at the University of California, San Diego. He said that now, while ChatGPT is still in development, is the time for public health experts and regulators to join forces with the chatbot’s developers to help curate responses to medical questions. The chatbot provided resources in two responses to a question about addiction, two responses for questions related to interpersonal violence and one response to a mental health-related question. “ChatGPT consistently provided evidence-based answers to public health questions, although it primarily offered advice rather than referrals,” the researchers wrote in their study.

Persons: They’re underutilized, ”, John Ayers, ChatGPT, “, –, ” Ayers, ” ChatGPT, “ ChatGPT, Ayers, Dr, Mike Hogarth, Sanjay Gupta, David Asch, Asch, ” Asch, he’d, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, JAMA, University of California, UC San Diego, Anonymous, Mental Health Services Administration National, Prevention, UC San Diego School of Medicine, Eating Disorders Association, CNN Health, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine Center, Health Care Innovation Locations: San Diego, United States

☆ Netflix users slam streamer for password-sharing ban: 'I've literally never cancelled a membership so fast'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Users have taken to social media to call for account cancellations amid the $8 charge to add extra members. On Tuesday, Netflix announced that it would no longer allow American users to share an account between households. The policy shift is a far cry from 2017, when Netflix posted a tweet in support of subscribers sharing their passwords with others, writing "Love is sharing a password." Impacted users are sharing the message that appears onscreen when an account is accessed from outside of the membership holder's home. "Like no, you're not charging me to tell me who I'm allowed to share my password with fuck Netflix."

☆ 2 real estate investors who are financially independent from their rental portfolio say they get the most bang for their buck by buying multi-family properties. Here's why they're 'a fantastic entry-l
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider has spoken to a handful of investors who have used real estate to achieve financial independence, including some who got started with less than $10,000. (Buildings with four or more units are typically considered commercial real estate properties.) "'Twos' and 'threes' and 'fours' are a fantastic entry-level investing approach," said real estate investor and consultant Dana Bull, who acquired seven multi-families in Massachusetts over five years. Because duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes fall under the bracket of residential real estate, you're able to utilize residential loans, she pointed out. Real estate investor Matt "The Lumberjack Landlord" and his family.

☆ Google is bringing an AI chatbot to search results. Here's what it's like
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

With the update, the look and feel of Google Search results will be noticeably different. Users can now sign up for a waitlist for the new Google Search, which will first launch in the United States, via the Google app or Chrome’s desktop browser. The new Google Search also offers a Perspectives feature to showcase what other people are buying or thinking about, and factoring that into results. Like ChatGPT, the new Google Search and Bard are built on a large language model. Google previously told CNN that Bard would serve as a separate, complementary experience to Google Search, and planned to “thoughtfully” add large language models to search “in a deeper way” at a later time.

☆ Top pro leagues, media outlets team up to combat problematic sports-betting ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The nation's top professional leagues are teaming up with some TV broadcasters to tackle irresponsible sports-betting advertising. The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, NASCAR, and MLS have joined media companies NBCUniversal and Fox to form The Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising. The coalition, led by NFL vice president of public policy and government affairs, Jonathan Nabavi, aims to regulate sports-betting advertising as it floods television, internet and print media. The move comes as sports betting becomes legal in more states and opponents worry its advertising targets minors. The National Council on Problem Gambling has commended the coalition and promised to work in collaboration with it to "better mitigate problem gambling related harm."

☆ The head of tech at indie music publisher TuneCore credits the company's growth to its collaborative approach to building new products
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Thanks to the advancement of technology, music is transforming rapidly and becoming more accessible than ever before. In an industry dominated by behemoths like Spotify and Apple Music, TuneCore continues to strengthen. The mastermind behind TuneCore's product, technology, and operations is chief technology and product officer (CTPO) Alisha Outridge. To create the most impactful products, TuneCore utilizes a dual qualitative and quantitative measurement approach. Reflecting on the past decade, Outridge said Web 2.0 technologies have transformed "how fans discover new music and artists, connect with their favorite artists, and how artists create music."

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says his letter to shareholders follows one of the toughest economic years in recent memory. Read it in full.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

Further, as machine learning adoption has continued to accelerate, customers have yearned for lower-cost GPUs (the chips most commonly used for machine learning). While some areas of the economy have struggled over the past few years, Amazon Business has thrived. Some people have never heard of Amazon Business, but, our business customers love it. For years, Amazon customers had asked us when we'd offer them an online pharmacy as their frustrations mounted with current providers. More recently, a newer form of machine learning, called Generative AI, has burst onto the scene and promises to significantly accelerate machine learning adoption.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's confident he can get costs under control in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +38 min

☆ Ermotti returns to UBS to steer Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He takes charge weeks after UBS bought rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger engineered by Swiss authorities to stem turmoil after Credit Suisse ran aground. "Sergio has already reduced risk and made the investment bank serve its clients and not its investment bankers as Credit Suisse did. HAMERS HANDS OVER REINSErmotti said he was looking forward to integrating UBS and Credit Suisse. He was a notable absentee from the announcement of UBS's takeover of Credit Suisse on March 19. The next day, Hamers looked bleary eyed as he described the end of Credit Suisse as a "sad day" that nobody wanted.

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☆ UBS rehires Ermotti as CEO to steer Credit Suisse takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ZURICH, March 29 (Reuters) - UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) has rehired Sergio Ermotti as CEO to steer its massive takeover of neighbour Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) - a surprise move that seeks to take advantage of his experience in rebuilding the bank after the global financial crisis. He takes charge weeks after UBS bought rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse in a shotgun merger engineered by Swiss authorities to stem turmoil after Credit Suisse ran aground. The next day, Hamers looked bleary eyed as he described the end of Credit Suisse as a "sad day" that nobody wanted. "The board took the decision in light of the new challenges and priorities facing UBS after the announcement of the acquisition," UBS added. Ermotti said he was looking forward to integrating UBS and Credit Suisse.

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☆ The digital media rollup dream is dead for the moment — now it's all about core brand strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

What's happening in the digital media space echoes trends from the biggest media companies, including Netflix , Disney and Warner Bros. The rollup dream's rise and fallFrom late 2018 to early 2022, the digital media industry had a shared goal. First, digital media companies needed more scale to compete with Facebook and Google for digital advertising dollars. Large legacy media companies such as Disney and Comcast 's NBCUniversal invested hundreds of millions in digital media in the early and mid-2010s. "The digital media rollup has proven successful only when assets are thoughtfully combined with an eye toward consumers," Goldberg said.

☆ Read the memo Amazon's HR chief sent rejecting employees' petition against the new return-to-office policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Eugene Kim | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's HR chief formally rejected an internal petition asking Amazon to reverse its return-to-office policy. Read the full text of Galetti's message to employees below. The petition, which was shared with CEO Andy Jassy's leadership team last week according to Galetti's note, was signed by roughly 30,000 employees. Employees shared messages of disappointment on the company's Slack channel following Galetti's announcement. Read the full text of Galetti's message below:Hello all –Andy's team shared your note last week, and I wanted to take a moment to follow up directly.

☆ In a leaked message, Amazon's HR chief flatly rejected an internal petition against the new return-to-office policy signed by roughly 30,000 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Top HR executive Beth Galettie denied an internal petition asking Amazon to reverse its new return-to-office policy. Roughly 30,000 Amazon employees signed the petition protesting the new RTO mandate. Amazon's top HR executive formally rejected an internal petition put forth by roughly 30,000 employees over the company's new return-to-office policy. Galetti's message was in response to an internal petition signed by roughly 30,000 Amazon employees that followed the RTO mandate announcement last month. In the petition, Amazon employees argued, citing research, that remote work improved productivity, recruitment, work/life balance, inclusion efforts and reduced corporate expenses.

☆ Google begins rolling out its ChatGPT rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Google is opening up access to Bard, its new AI chatbot tool that directly competes with ChatGPT. A company representative told CNN it will be a separate, complementary experience to Google Search, and users can also visit Search to check its responses or sources. Google said in a blog post it plans to “thoughtfully” add large language models to search “in a deeper way” at a later time. Like ChatGPT, which was released publicly in late November by AI research company OpenAI, Bard is built on a large language model. Google's ChatGPT rival Bard GoogleBut Bard’s blunder highlighted the challenge Google and other companies face with integrating the technology into their core products.

☆ UBS chairman wants to keep Credit Suisse's Swiss unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ZURICH, March 19 (Reuters) - UBS (UBSG.S) Chairman Colm Kelleher said the bank wants to keep Credit Suisse's Swiss unit, speaking at a news conference announcing the merger between Switzerland's two biggest banks on Sunday. "It is a fine asset that we are very determined to keep and hopefully service their customers and clients as efficiently as Credit Suisse has done," Kelleher said. The Chairman of Switzerland's biggest bank said it "will be running down the investment banking part of Credit Suisse, because UBS itself has an investment bank-like model." "We need to do this in a rational way [and] thoughtfully, when we've sat down and analysed what we need to do." Reporting by Noele Illien Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A New York grocery store is using biometrics including eye scanners and voice prints to identify repeat shoplifters. Some shoppers say that's creepy — even if it deters theft.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City grocer Fairway is collecting biometric data on its shoppers to catch shoplifters, the New York Post reported. Fairway is gathering facial recognition and other biometric information, such as voice recordings, on shoppers at one of its Manhattan locations, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Fairway told the Post that its system will only be accessed by "trained asset protection associates." Nearly one-third of the arrests made for shoplifting in New York City last year involved the same 327 people, the Post reported in January. But an investigation that year by the San Francisco Chronicle found that the affected stores reported fewer than two shoplifting incidents per month leading up to the closures.

☆ Hey, Bing, Help Me Overcome My Fear of College Basketball
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.🙏Do you know a lot about college basketball, and do you enjoy talking about it? Why are people so obsessed about the college basketball brackets? I've never filled out a college basketball March Madness bracket, and I heard that it's virtually impossible to do completely accurately, even if you predict the winner. When filling out my college basketball bracket, should I just guess according to what team names I like the best? :)I’m afraid I can’t fill out a March Madness bracket, as I’m just a chat mode of Microsoft Bing search.

☆ 15 Best Dress Shirts for Men, According to Style Experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Since dress shirts are a closet staple, there are also hundreds to pick from, making a trusted recommendation invaluable. “Hands down, it’s my top selling button-up dress shirt,” she says. Though it has the appearance of a traditional dress shirt, it’s actually made of a sweat-wicking cotton-polyester blend with four-way stretch. “Without a doubt, this is a favorite of each client that tries it,” Alexander says of the dress shirt he recommends most often. Soft silk pickAs an alternative to cotton or synthetic blends, silk is a luxurious option that’s lightweight and soft on the skin.

☆ Best Buy will set up in-home hospital care through a new deal with Atrium Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Best Buy is best known for installing TVs and home theater systems. Best Buy began setting up virtual-care systems in mid-February for 10 hospitals in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. Best Buy and Atrium did not disclose specific financial terms, but said Atrium will buy the devices from Best Buy and use Geek Squad services for installation and retrieval when the patient is cleared from care. For Best Buy, the hospital-at-home program represents the latest push to turn health care into a more meaningful revenue driver. Best Buy, like retailers including Walmart and Target , has seen consumers buy fewer big-ticket and discretionary items as they pay more for food and housing.

☆ Microsoft Windows 11 update puts AI-powered Bing front and center
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

(A preview version of the AI tool remains available on a limited basis.) Last year, Microsoft unveiled several AI-powered Windows 11 features, such as quieting background noise like lawnmowers and baby cries on video calls and automatic framing so the camera follows the speaker’s movements. A look at the new Bing on Windows 11 MicrosoftThe Bing integration is just one of several notable updates coming to Windows 11. Apple users will now be able to receive iOS alerts and messages directly on their Windows 11 devices, potentially chipping away at Apple’s closed ecosystem. It’s also adding a Recent Websites feature that allows users to transfer their browser sessions from their smartphone to their Windows PC.

☆ How small-business owners can use LinkedIn as free advertising to attract customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The consultants Catarina Rivera and Tania Bhattacharyya use LinkedIn to market their services. Tania Bhattacharyya, the founder of the thought-leadership and brand-messaging consultancy Lumos Marketing, said she'd accessed other valuable marketing leads through LinkedIn, including public-relations and speaking opportunities. The good news is if you want to give LinkedIn a go, it doesn't have to be all that hard. This is true even for business owners who don't plan to engage much on LinkedIn, Bhattacharyya added, given how highly Google ranks LinkedIn profiles on search. "Your first six or seven words are really important for when you show up in search results or when someone sees your comments on someone else's post," Rivera said.

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