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☆ China's defense budget was reported as 3 times smaller than America's, but 2 analysts say the Pentagon is underselling Beijing's true military strength
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewBeijing's military spending and threat are likely far higher than portrayed by the Pentagon, which recently reported figures that indicate China's defense budget was nearly four times smaller than America's, two US analysts said on Monday. Peters and Beaver wrote that the Pentagon's assessment failed to account for China's military research spending. "Confusingly, the report does not attempt to account for either of these significant considerations in its treatment of China's defense budget topline," Peters and Beaver wrote. China's reported GDP for 2023 was around $17.8 trillion. "We should avoid overreacting to what seems to be this more accurate data of China's military push," Stavridis wrote.

Persons: —, Robert Peters, Wilson Beaver, Peters, Beaver, Sen, Dan Sullivan, James Stavridis, Stavridis Organizations: Service, Pentagon, Business, Allison Center for National Security, Heritage Foundation, The Defense Department, Beaver, Beijing's, National Atlantic Treaty Organization, Bloomberg, China's Locations: China, Beijing, Taiwan, United States, Alaska

☆ Elon Musk says Tesla shareholders will vote ‘immediately’ on quitting Delaware for Texas
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Stung by a Delaware court ruling earlier this week that struck down his record Tesla pay package, Elon Musk says he is seeking shareholder approval to incorporate the company in Texas. Soon after Tuesday’s ruling about his 2018 salary package — worth about $51 billion at current stock prices — Musk put up a poll on X asking if Tesla (TSLA) should move its registration from Delaware to Texas, where it is already headquartered. Hours later, the Tesla CEO wrote that the “public vote is unequivocally in favor of Texas.” The poll results showed Texas had won the backing of more than 87% of about 1.1 million votes. Musk added he will now “immediately” seek shareholder approval to incorporate the electric carmaker in the southern state. Delaware is famously one of the world’s most welcoming places for companies of all kinds and sizes to incorporate for legal and tax purposes.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla, “, ”, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick Organizations: CNN, Texas, Fortune Locations: Delaware, Texas, . Delaware, Nevada

☆ Hollywood Agency Partners With Tech Start-up Over A.I. Protection
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vermillio has created a platform, Trace ID, that could insulate WME clients from thefts of their likeness and intellectual property by using A.I. The partnership will also look for ways to use the technology to allow clients to monetize their likeness and image themselves. Even after a deal with SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, was ratified, some performers remained dissatisfied with the A.I. The contract, for instance, does not prohibit studios from populating screens with “synthetic fakes,” which can be created through A.I. A.I.-generated images also proliferate online, like the fake, sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift that appeared online last week.

Persons: WME, Vermillio, A.I, Taylor Swift Organizations: SAG

The public backlash persists over the fake, sexually explicit images of Taylor Swift that recently circulated online. The pornographic and digitally altered images of the superstar singer-songwriter and musician spread last week on social media websites such as X, formerly Twitter. The images were deepfakes, a relatively new term for a seemingly realistic but manipulated video or photo produced by a form of AI. But the proliferation of such deepfakes is getting the attention of government officials – both nationally and at the state level. Additionally, at least the 10 states below now have legislation that specifically targets those who create and share explicit deepfake content, as reported by USA Today.

Persons: Taylor Swift, ”, Judith Germano, –, Joe Biden, Germano, ” Germano Organizations: Organization for Social Media Safety, NYU School of Law, Management, “, USA

☆ The future of the American amusement park in a Disney, Universal dominated world of thrills
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Eric Thayer | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe theme park business, like many others, is consolidating and changing along with consumer habits. Coney's closing ended an era for Cincinnati-based theme park consultant Dennis Speigel. And there's an underlying rationale for the deal related to what's occurred on the national theme park landscape in recent decades. watch nowA more consistent ride at Cedar Fair Comparatively, Cedar Fair has seen its attendance decline from 22.9 million visitors in the first nine months of 2019 to 20.9 million in 2023. "Disney and Universal have theme parks in several global markets and are considered destination resorts," Baker said.

Persons: Eric Thayer, Knotts, Looney, Richard Zimmerman, Selim Bassoui, Universal, Dennis Speigel, Speigel, Don Helbig, Helbig, Zimmerman, Bassoul, David Katz, Jeffries, It's, Katz, Salim, Berry, Stifel, Carissa Baker, Baker, Dallas restauranteur Shannon Wynne's, Wynne, Wynne's, Angus, Louis, Texans haven't, hadn't, Elizabeth Ringas, Ringas, it's Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Disney, Comcast's, Cedar Fair, Flags, Looney Tunes, Marvel, Cedar, Department of Justice, Fair, Dominion, Universal, Google, Dell, Six, Revenue, Cedar Fair Entertainment, Six Flags Entertainment Corp, Getty Images Bloomberg, SIX, University of Central, SeaWorld, Paramount Parks, Premier Parks for Six, Seaworld, Dallas, Texans, American, Enthusiasts, Comcast, CNBC Locations: Valencia , California, Florida, Cincinnati, Coney Island, York, Coney's, Coney, Kings, Virginia, New York, North America, Buena Park , California, Americas, University of Central Florida, Texas, Dallas, Greater Atlanta, St

deals in the cross hairsTech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google have sought an edge in the artificial intelligence race by investing in innovative start-ups like OpenAI and Anthropic. But that strategy is drawing more attention, as the F.T.C. joins international counterparts in scrutinizing those deals. It’s the latest effort by the agency to check the power of Big Tech, but raises questions about whether it also will impede the ability of start-ups to raise needed cash. The big question: Do these deals hinder competition?

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI’s Organizations: Tech, Microsoft, Google, Big Tech

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The estate of George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against the media company behind a fake hourlong comedy special that purportedly uses artificial intelligence to recreate the late standup comic’s style and material. The named defendants are Dudesy and podcast hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen. “None of the Defendants had permission to use Carlin’s likeness for the AI-generated ‘George Carlin Special,’ nor did they have a license to use any of the late comedian’s copyrighted materials,” the lawsuit says. The company, as it often does on similar projects, also released a podcast episode with Sasso and Kultgen introducing and commenting on the mock Carlin. “Yeah, that sounded exactly like George Carlin,” Sasso responds.

Persons: George Carlin, “ George Carlin, I'm, Carlin, Kelly Carlin, Jerold Hamza, Will Sasso, Chad Kultgen, Dudesy, Sasso, Kultgen, ” Sasso, Josh Schiller Organizations: ANGELES, YouTube Locations: Los Angeles

Kerry and Xie paved the way for progress at international summits that could have otherwise stagnated. The annual U.N. climate summit was being held in Copenhagen later that year, and Kerry was eager to talk about it with Chinese officials. Stern said the deal “ricocheted around the climate world" and convinced countries that “we can actually get this done.”The importance of the deal became evident one month later. It was the relationship with China, Kerry said afterward, that helped “change the paradigm.”——-The warm feelings were short-lived. Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, and he promptly withdrew the U.S. from the Paris agreement after taking office.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Kerry, Xie, Mao Zedong's, Christiana Figueres, ”, Li Shuo, ” —, George W, Bush, Barack Obama's, Obama, Todd Stern, ” Stern, “, Xi Jinping, Stern, Figueres, ” Xie, —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Xi, hadn’t, Trump, Biden, Jonathan Pershing, Nancy Pelosi, John, John Podesta, Podesta, ___ Read, Chris Megerian, Seth Borenstein Organizations: WASHINGTON, United, Communist Party, U.S, Asia Society, Greenpeace, Senate Foreign Relations, International, Trump, William, Flora Hewlett Foundation, Associated Press Locations: United Nations, Dubai, Paris, England, Vietnam, China, Copenhagen, Lima, Glasgow, Sunnylands, Beijing, Christiana, U.S, “, Lima , Peru, South, Taiwan, COVID, Egypt, California, Arab Emirates, AP.org

☆ Oura CEO calls Apple Watch sales ban a 'David and Goliath story,' says he'll keep an eye on Samsung's rival smart ring
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A lawsuit filed by Masimo halted the sale of the newest Apple Watches in the US. Oura's CEO said the company, which holds many patents, will closely examine Samsung's Galaxy Ring. AdvertisementOura Health CEO Tim Hale doesn't seem worried about Samsung's plan to compete with Oura in the wearable "smart ring" market. AdvertisementSamsung's new Galaxy Ring will be a health and wellness device for tracking metrics like sleep. He conceded that some technological similarities between Oura's product and the Galaxy Ring might be unavoidable.

Persons: Tom Hale, Masimo, —, Tim Hale doesn't, Hale, Oura, David, … Organizations: Apple, Service, Oura, Samsung, International Trade Commission, Apple Watch

☆ A wildly popular game dubbed 'Pokémon with guns' has been forced to deny that its characters are a rip-off
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The game, Palworld, launched on PC last Friday to phenomenal success, quickly amassing record-breaking numbers of players on gaming distribution service Steam. But similarities between Palworld's pals and Pokémon, the titular creatures in the Nintendo game, were not lost on fans, who back when it was first announced in June 2021 quickly dubbed it "Pokémon with guns." Palworld pals are also caught using a "Pal Sphere," itself a concept closely echoing Pokémon's "Pokéball." But the visual similarities between a number of the individual creatures in Palworld and Pokémon have caused major discussions online. Pocket Pair/NintendoAn X user with the username Cecilia Fae compared dozens of the Palworld "pals" with existing Pokémon.

Persons: —, ove, batt, ake, clea, ake appr, t Rock Pape, ott Organizations: Service, Nintendo, Business, Steam, Radio Times, isu

☆ We Asked A.I. to Create the Joker. It Generated a Copyrighted Image.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

It Generated a Copyrighted Image. image generator, to create an image of Joaquin Phoenix from “The Joker.” In seconds, the system made an image nearly identical to a frame from the 2019 film. Reid Southen Create an image of Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, 2019, screenshot from a movie, movie scene Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I. Mr. Southen Create an image of Dune movie screencap, 2021, Dune movie trailer Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I. Mr. Southen Create an image of “The Last of Us 2,” Ellie with guitar in front of tree Midjourney’s response Generated by A.I.

Persons: Reid Southen, Midjourney, Joaquin Phoenix, ”, Southen’s, “ Joaquin Phoenix, Sega’s, Woody, watchdogs, Sarah Silverman, John Grisham, OpenAI, Southen, Keith Kupferschmid, Kupferschmid, Ellie, Gary Marcus, “ Marcus, ChatGPT, SpongeBob, chatbot, Kathryn Conrad, Marcus, Microsoft Bing, Mario, Conrad Organizations: Warner Bros, Marvel, The New York Times, Times, Microsoft, Copyright Alliance, New York University, Viacom, University of Kansas, Nintendo Locations: Michigan, A.I, Italian

☆ 41-year old CEO and mom: I’m the first millionaire in my family—here are 3 things I’m still frugal about
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Rachel Rodgers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rachel Rodgers is the founder and CEO of Hello Seven and the author of "We Should All Be Millionaires." As my clients began asking for more wealth building advice, the firm evolved into a coaching business. Today, I'm a mom of four, wife, CEO and multimillionaire. As a Black woman, I've created generational wealth for my kids and their kids. I could afford something more expensive, but I know the memories we'll have during this trip will be priceless.

Persons: Rachel Rodgers, I'm, I've, — it's, Bethany, We'll Locations: Hawaii

Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE's flagship program Raw starting next year, in Netflix's first major foray into live sports. Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, one of the people said. For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for Raw for several years.

Persons: Dwayne Johnson, Mark Shapiro, Rupert Murdoch, Nick Khan, Khan Organizations: Netflix, Raw, WWE, SmackDown, NXT, USA Network, ESPN, Turner, NFL, Fox Locations: U.S, Canada, America

Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter remembered her late brother on Tuesday as a fierce and visionary steward of their father's legacy. The center offers virtual classes on Martin Luther King’s philosophy of nonviolence. Tuesday's news conference started with a music video featuring Whitney Houston and other artists that was produced to celebrate the first Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday in 1986. In addition to Bernice King, he is survived by older brother Martin Luther King III. Bernice King downplayed her differences with Dexter King, saying she always agreed with her brother in principle.

Persons: Martin Luther King Jr, Bernice King, Dexter Scott King, ”, Dexter, ” Bernice King, —, Martin Luther, Coretta Scott King, “, ‘, ‘ I’m, you’ve, Dexter King, Martin Luther King, “ Dexter, Martin Luther King’s, Whitney Houston, didn’t, Martin Luther King III, Yolanda, Dexter King's Organizations: ATLANTA, The King Center, Atlanta Locations: Malibu , California, Atlanta

☆ ‘Who Owns This Sentence?’ Increasingly, Who Knows?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Alexandra Jacobs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WHO OWNS THIS SENTENCE? A History of Copyrights and Wrongs, by David Bellos and Alexandre MontaguDavid Bellos and Alexandre Montagu’s surprisingly sprightly history “Who Owns This Sentence?” arrives with uncanny timing. How quaint Harold Bloom’s “anxiety of influence” theory of the Romantic poets now seems, amid the current cut-and-paste panic. Like a corrupt police officer, artificial intelligence is scanning for more plagiarism perps, while itself stealing writers’ words. Bellos, a translator and biographer, and Montagu, a lawyer, step confidently behind the yellow tape to guide us around.

Persons: David Bellos, Alexandre Montagu David Bellos, Alexandre Montagu’s, ”, Eve hangovers, Smokey Bear, Harold Bloom’s “, …, Montagu Organizations: WHO, “

In an email to employees Friday morning, the Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated and related properties, said that Authentic Brands Group has revoked its marketing license. “As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand,” the email said. Sports Illustrated's employee union said in a statement that the layoffs would be a significant number and possibly all, of the NewsGuild workers represented. Less than a year later, Meredith sold the magazine's intellectual property to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. Once a weekly publication, SI was reduced to biweekly publishing in 2018 and became a monthly in 2020.

Persons: Mitch Goldich, Ross Levinsohn, Meredith, ABG, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, ___ Organizations: Sports, Arena Group, Authentic, Authentic Brands, SI, Group, Meredith Publishing, Time Inc, Reebok Locations: ABG

☆ How much TikTok pays employees in the US, from data scientists to software engineers, according to salary data
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +109 min

Some examples of salary offers for corporate functions include:AdvertisementAccountant, Expense Management : $73,000: $73,000 HR Business Partner : $127,680 median; ranging from $90,000 to $182,880: $127,680 median; ranging from $90,000 to $182,880 HR Specialist: $114,000 median; ranging from $85,000 to $170,000DesignEmployees on the design team "shape the visual representation" of TikTok's products and business, creating "unique designs that are not just visually appealing, but also express the aesthetic of our brand," the company wrote. : $320,000: $320,000 Android Software Engineer, TikTok Monetization : $210,000: $210,000 Android Software Engineer, TikTok Privacy : $190,000: $190,000 Android Software Engineer, TikTok Social : $126,640 median; ranging from $65,000 to $288,000: $126,640 median; ranging from $65,000 to $288,000 Android Software Engineer, TikTok User Growth : $227,000 median; ranging from $221,000 to $233,000: $227,000 median; ranging from $221,000 to $233,000 Applied Machine Learning Engineer : $273,340 median; ranging from $180,000 to $306,000: $273,340 median; ranging from $180,000 to $306,000 Applied Machine Learning Engineer, Recommendation : $190,000: $190,000 AR Effects Interactive Engineer : $125,000: $125,000 AR Software Engineer : $125,000: $125,000 Audio Engineer : $75,000: $75,000 Backend Engineer : $128,000: $128,000 Backend Engineer, Ads Platform : $172,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $240,000: $172,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $240,000 Backend Engineer, Content Ecosystem : $222,360: $222,360 Backend Engineer, Lark Innovation : $160,000: $160,000 Backend Engineer, Machine Learning : $157,680 median; ranging from $157,680 to $175,000: $157,680 median; ranging from $157,680 to $175,000 Backend Engineer, Risk Systems : $295,000 median; ranging from $150,000 to $320,000: $295,000 median; ranging from $150,000 to $320,000 Backend Engineer, TikTok Ads Creative and Ecosystem : $250,000: $250,000 Backend Engineer, TikTok Ads Creativity and Ecosystem : $207,500 median; ranging from $175,000 to $240,000: $207,500 median; ranging from $175,000 to $240,000 Backend Engineer, TikTok Eng. : $220,000 median; ranging from $160,000 to $285,000 0 #NUM! Software Engineer, Computer Vision : $165,000 median; ranging from $165,000 to $200,000: $165,000 median; ranging from $165,000 to $200,000 Software Engineer, Computer Vision, Intelligent Creation : $200,000 median; ranging from $200,000 to $265,000: $200,000 median; ranging from $200,000 to $265,000 Software Engineer, Core Services : $204,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $244,680: $204,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $244,680 Software Engineer, Core Service, Application Security : $129,680: $129,680 Software Engineer, CRM : $175,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $300,555: $175,000 median; ranging from $125,000 to $300,555 Software Engineer, Data Access Team : $230,000: $230,000 Software Engineer, Data Mining : $169,680: $169,680 Software Engineer, Data Mining USDS : $182,400: $182,400 Software Engineer, Data Platform : $186,000 median; ranging from $170,000 to $216,880: $186,000 median; ranging from $170,000 to $216,880 Software Engineer, Data Security and Compliance : $180,000: $180,000 Software Engineer, Database Kernel Development : $130,000 median; ranging from $128,000 to $220,000: $130,000 median; ranging from $128,000 to $220,000 Software Engineer, Distributed Storage System : $285,000 median; ranging from $180,000 to $285,000: $285,000 median; ranging from $180,000 to $285,000 Software Engineer, Engineering Productivity : $195,000: $195,000 Software Engineer, Front-End : $147,000: $147,000 Software Engineer, Front-End, Ads Technology : $125,000: $125,000 Software Engineer, Full Stack : $180,000: $180,000 Software Engineer, Full Stack, Ads Technology : $147,500 median; ranging from $125,000 to $170,000: $147,500 median; ranging from $125,000 to $170,000 Software Engineer, Full Stack, E-Commerce Engineering and Architecture : $205,000: $205,000 Software Engineer, Full Stack, Vertical Solutions : $220,000: $220,000 Software Engineer, Global E-Commerce Customer Business : $195,000 median; ranging from $133,240 to $225,000: $195,000 median; ranging from $133,240 to $225,000 Software Engineer, Global Payment : $161,000 median; ranging from $155,000 to $215,000: $161,000 median; ranging from $155,000 to $215,000 Software Engineer, Gov. and Experience, TikTok E-Commerce : $241,540 median; ranging from $219,680 to $263,400: $241,540 median; ranging from $219,680 to $263,400 Software Engineer, GPU Management : $128,000 $128,000 $128,000 0 #NUM!

Persons: —, It's, TikTok, it's, ByteDance, TikTok Eng, Tiktok Organizations: Service, Business, US, of Foreign Labor, Live, US Data Security, Security, US Department of Labor, Corporate, Employees, TikTok, Tech, Commerce, Marketing, Staff, Trust, Safety, Brand, Android Software, Computer, Global Agency Relations, Global Security Technology, Infrastructure Engineering, Android, Machine, Interactive, Systems, Data Systems, Engineer, Commerce Data Intelligence, Commerce Logistics, Chain, Logistics, Media, US Tech Services, Big, Business Intelligence, Protection, Network Security, Business Systems, Cash, Cloud, Networking Software, Public, Tech Service, Technology, Technology Systems, Infrastructure, Network Business, NA, Defense, US Tech Service, Analytics, Research, Mining, Solutions, Tech Services, Pico, Forensics, Development, Control, Financial, CRM, Global, Learning, Traffic, TCMS, Communications, Graphics, Monetization Technology, Management, Products, Resources, IDC Logistics, DevOps, IOS, GNE Global, Software, Procurement, Commerce Global, Strategic, Global Business, Merchant, Mobile Security, Mobile Software, Multimedia Research, Regional, Sound Engineering, Professional Services, Community, Relations, Real, Commerce Trading, Creative, Enterprise, Virtual Network, Storage, Data Security, Smart, Finance, ML Systems, Cloud Infrastructure, TikTok US Tech Services, Monetization Tech, Learning Systems, Core Services, Core Service, Data Mining, Engineering, Commerce Engineering, Mobile, Revenue Management Locations: ByteDance, TikTok, TikTok Commerce, America, Mexico, Americas, Commerce

☆ OpenAI announces first partnership with a university
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI on Thursday announced its first partnership with a higher education institution. Starting in February, Arizona State University will have full access to ChatGPT Enterprise and plans to use it for coursework, tutoring, research and more. With the OpenAI partnership, ASU plans to build a personalized AI tutor for students, not only for certain courses, but also for study topics. The access to ChatGPT Enterprise means students will no longer be limited by usage caps. OpenAI and ASU's joint release specified that any prompts the ASU community inputs into ChatGPT "remain secure," and that OpenAI "does not use this data for its training models."

Persons: Lev Gonick, Gonick, Brad Lightcap, OpenAI Organizations: Arizona State University, ChatGPT Enterprise, ASU, OpenAI's, CNBC, ChatGPT, CNBC PRO Locations: Seattle , Los Angeles and New York

☆ 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

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Good data, bad news?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Wall Street's other two main indexes also dropped as better-than-expected retail sales data helped lift Treasury yields. Strong retail salesU.S. retail sales came in higher than expected for the last month of 2023 in a sign that holiday shopping picked up. Apple Watch sales banned in U.S. againThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated a sales ban on Apple's watches with blood oxygen sensors.

Persons: Dow, Wall, Dow Jones, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, Donald Trump's Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, Dow, Davos JPMorgan Chase, Economic, Apple Watch, Appeals, Federal Circuit, Apple Locations: New York City, Davos, Switzerland, U.S

☆ Apple will avoid ban by selling latest Apple Watches without blood oxygen feature
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple will remove the blood oxygen feature from its latest Apple Watches, a move that will allow the company to continue importing and selling the devices in the U.S. as it battles with Masimo in court. Modified versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will go on sale Thursday, Apple said in a statement. "These steps include introducing a version of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States without the Blood Oxygen feature. There is no impact to Apple Watch units previously purchased that include the Blood Oxygen feature." WATCH: Apple again banned from selling watches in U.S. with blood oxygen sensor

Persons: Masimo, Apple Organizations: Apple Inc, Apple, Steve Jobs, International Trade Commission, ITC, Apple Watch, CNBC Locations: Cupertino , California, U.S, United States

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN's new chief executive says the company needs to recapture the “swagger and innovation” of its early days — and that, he says, increasingly means embracing a future outside of television. Mark Thompson, appointed CNN's chief executive last fall after stints at The New York Times and BBC, outlined a strategy to his staff Wednesday that included a corporate restructuring but few external specifics on how that transformation will take place. In the past, CNN hasn't always “gone the extra mile to squeeze every bit of value from the outstanding news and other intellectual property we create,” he wrote. “No longer.”He said the CNN.com website needs “drastic modernization.” The network also needs multiple digital projects to complement the CNN Max streaming service, he said. Thompson said CNN's television personalities must find multiplatform audiences, and praised Anderson Cooper's “All There Is” podcast about grief.

Persons: —, Mark Thompson, ”, Thompson, “ There's, ” Thompson, Virginia Moseley, Mike McCarthy, Alex MacCallum, It's, CNN hasn't, “, CNN Max, CNN's, Anderson Cooper's, ___ David Bauder Organizations: New York Times, BBC, ” CNN, Associated Press, CNN, Atlanta, The Washington, That's, Times, Fox, Nielsen Locations: U.S

Apple smartwatches ads are displayed as customers take a look at smartwatch accessories at the Apple store in New York, U.S., December 26, 2023. Apple will again be barred from selling watches with blood oxygen sensors beginning Thursday, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. The decision is a blow to Apple, which was previously forced to remove the latest Apple Watches from its U.S. stores for several days in December. Apple may be forced to remove a blood oxygen sensor feature on its latest devices in order to keep the smartwatches on the U.S. market. If Apple must continue to keep its latest smartwatches from U.S. stores, it could complicate repairs at Apple stores, which often swap broken devices with replacements.

Persons: Masimo Organizations: Apple, U.S, Appeals, Federal Circuit, International Trade Commission, Apple Watch Locations: New York, U.S

☆ Japanese brand Uniqlo sues Shein for allegedly copying its viral Round Mini Shoulder Bag
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Japanese brand Uniqlo is suing Shein over claims the Chinese fast-fashion retailer is selling copycats of its viral shoulder bag. Its lawsuit against Shein was filed in Tokyo on December 28 and named three of the brand’s operators — Roadget Business Pte, Fashion Choice Pte and Shein Japan — according to the Fast Retailing statement. The shoulder bag first began circulating on TikTok in 2022 and continued to blow up in popularity through 2023, with video creators praising its versatility, spaciousness and affordability. The most viral TikToks about the bag racked up millions of views, ranging from styling tips to “what’s in my bag” videos, unboxings and haul reviews. In an investor report in the third quarter of 2023, Fast Retailer credited the shoulder bag for sparking “considerable interest on social media” and expanding its customer base among women and younger shoppers.

Persons: Shein, Uniqlo, “, Temu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Retailing, Shein, Company, CNN, Retailer, US Locations: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shein Japan, TikTok, US United States, Chinese

The ruling issued Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington comes three weeks after it blocked the ban. Apple is still trying to persuade the federal appeals court to overturn the ITC's ruling, but Wednesday's decision means the company is no longer insulated from the U.S. sales ban. The Cupertino, California, company also could negotiate a settlement with Masimo that would clear the way for it to continue selling the Apple Watch models with the blood-oxygen sensor. Having to pull its two top Apple Watches from the U.S. would put a small dent in the company's annual sales of $383 billion. Although the company doesn't disclose the volume of Apple Watch sales, analyst estimate the product accounts for about $18 billion in annual revenue.

Persons: specter, Masimo, Apple Organizations: U.S ., Apple, U.S . International Trade Commission, Apple Watch, U.S . Customs, U.S Locations: U.S, Washington, Cupertino , California, American

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