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Disney Just Had Its Worst Day In A Year And A Half

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Disney accomplished a rare achievement for a traditional media company: its streaming service generated a profit — with some limitations. But Wall Street was still dissatisfied, sending stocks down more than 9%. Disney had its worst stock trading day in 18 months.

Disney (DIS), fresh off a bruising (and ridiculously expensive) boardroom proxy battle last month, made $47 million in profit from Disney+ and Hulu for the first time ever. However, Disney’s other streaming product, ESPN+, continued to lose customers and dollars, bringing the total streaming loss to $18 million.

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Disney Just Had Its Worst Day In A Year And A Half

That’s a lot of money, but it’s a significant improvement over the $659 million deficit the collective streaming business suffered in the same period last year.

Wall Street is always looking ahead to future growth, so the expected decline next quarter sent investors into a frenzy.

“They delivered some pretty good results,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer’s main analyst. “What the Street seems to be reacting to is the guidance for some softness in entertainment streaming next quarter.”

Disney expects the merged streaming operation to be profitable by the end of its fiscal year in September.

Of course, “getting to profitability is one thing,” Verna explained. “Sustaining it is another.”

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Disney Just Had Its Worst Day In A Year And A Half

Disney is amid an unpleasant transformation nobody could have predicted a decade ago. Imagine telling CEO Bob Iger in 2014 that one day his firm, a die-hard movie-making, intellectual-property-mastering Hollywood giant, would be competing with software nerds like Apple and Amazon, hoping to catch up with that little DVD distribution provider, Netflix.

But that’s basically what’s going on.

Streaming is a new(ish) and very different beast from the old cable TV model that Disney and other media conglomerates like Paramount, Viacom, and Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company) have relied on for decades to boost profit margins.

However, years of cord-cutting mean that cable’s gravy train is ending, and firms like Disney must figure out how to continue producing fantastic TV and movies while simultaneously capturing streaming consumers before Netflix eats their lunch.

“It is a very tough business,” Verna added. “Profit margins are lower…” Maybe it’s psychological, but it’s almost as if these corporations that have built entire businesses around the cable model find it difficult to let go and accept that their future will look different.”

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Disney Just Had Its Worst Day In A Year And A Half

Streaming is only one of several headaches for Disney. It has had a string of box-office disappointments (“The Marvels,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Haunted Mansion”). Iger has been attempting to carry out an ambitious turnaround strategy, resulting in thousands of layoffs and the costly merging of its India divisions while battling off activist investors in a shareholder drama worthy of an eight-episode television series. And in the midst of it all, Iger, 73, is reportedly lining up a successor to take over when his contract expires in two years.

Tuesday’s market reaction demonstrates that Wall Street has “more questions than answers for earnings over the next couple of quarters,” according to Brian Mulberry, a portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management. “While it is a relief, I am sure, to have the battle over board seats behind them, it now creates more focus on results.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Following the Defects in Boeing Parts, Italian Prosecutors have charged Two Companies and Seven Individuals.

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(VOR News) – Seven Boeing individuals and two sub-contractors were charged with committing crimes like fraud and breaking aviation safety laws on Saturday, following an investigation into allegedly defective components that were made by an Italian company for Boeing.

The inquiry, which took place on Saturday, was conducted by Italian prosecutors. It was in reaction to suspicions that the components were made by an Italian company that the investigation was carried out.

The Boeing inquiry was conducted as part of a larger investigation.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, allegations were made in response to the discoveries that were discovered.

In the latter half of the year 2021, the prosecutors initiated their investigation when Boeing discovered that certain components for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft had been manufactured in a manner that was illegal. This marked the commencement of a preliminary investigation.

These components had been supplied by a company that worked for the Italian aerospace corporation Leonardo when they were required. Leonardo is an Italian aerospace corporation.

According to the findings of the study, two Boeing Italian subcontractors employed kinds of titanium and aluminum that were less expensive than the standards that were necessary in order to manufacture particular components. This was mentioned in a statement that was issued by the authorities who were in charge of the inquiry at the time.

The fact that they were able to cut down on the amount of money they spent on the costs of their raw materials led to significant cost reductions, which in turn led to significant savings.

On the other hand, the statement did not identify any of the seven people who were involved in the incident, nor did it identify any of the subcontractors who were involved.

“This resulted in the realization of airplane parts with significantly lower static and stress resistance than Boeing characteristics, which had repercussions on aviation safety,” the prosecutors in the city of Brindisi, which is located in the southern region of Italy, observed.

Brindisi is located in the Veneto region of Italy.

The locale of Brindisi can be found in the southern region of Italy. The city of Brindisi may be found in the region of Italy that is often referred to as the southern section of the country.

According to the statement in question, aerospace specialists who worked in conjunction with prosecutors came to the conclusion that there were as many as 4,829 components made of titanium that did not comply with the standards, and there were 1,158 components made of aluminum that did not comply.

They also said Boeing and Leonardo were victims.

Certainly, this was a noteworthy discovery. According to what they said, they had been victims of the actions that were taking place.

“The expert work and investigations came to the conclusion that some structural components that did not comply with the regulations could, in the long run, cause harm to the safety of the aircraft,” according to the conclusions that were reached by specialists.

“This would require the United States company to initiate an extraordinary maintenance campaign for the aircraft involved.”

Seven persons and two sub-contractors will be given the option to present any new evidence that they may have in their defense before the time comes for the prosecutors to decide whether or not to seek a court to conduct a trial. This opportunity will be provided before the time comes for the officials to make their decision.

This opportunity will be made available to them for the purpose of allowing them to defend themselves. Before the time comes for the prosecutors to make their judgment, they will be given the opportunity to choose from this alternative.

Leonardo, on the other hand, said that he had no intention of making any remarks about their conversation. A commitment has been made by Boeing to provide a response to the matter at the appropriate time at the appropriate time.

SOURCE: USN

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Google Says It Will Stop Linking To New Zealand News If A Law Passes Forcing It To Pay For Content

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Wellington, New Zealand – Google announced on Friday that it will stop linking to New Zealand news content and will withdraw its support for local media sites if the government passes legislation requiring internet companies to pay for stories published on their platforms.

The search giant’s promise to cut off Google traffic to New Zealand news sites, revealed in a blog post on Friday, mimics techniques it used as Australia and Canada prepared to implement similar laws in recent years.

It came after New Zealand’s government said in July that MPs would go forward with a measure requiring tech companies to reach agreements with media outlets generating news material in exchange for revenue sharing.

Google Says It Will Stop Linking To New Zealand News If A Law Passes Forcing It To Pay For Content

The previous administration introduced the law in 2023, and the government, led by the center-right National, opposed it.

However, the loss of more than 200 newsroom positions earlier this year — in a national media business that had 1,600 reporters at the 2018 census and is sure to have fallen since then — pushed the current administration to reconsider requiring digital companies to pay publishers for showing material.

The law seeks to limit the flow of advertising money from New Zealand news items overseas.

Google New Zealand Country Director Caroline Rainsford stated on Friday that if the legislation passes, the company’s engagement in the country’s media ecosystem will change.

“Specifically, we’d be forced to stop linking to news content on Google Search, Google News, or Discover surfaces in New Zealand and discontinue our current commercial agreements and ecosystem support with New Zealand news publishers,” according to her.

Google’s licensing scheme in New Zealand delivered “millions of dollars per year to almost 50 local publications,” she added.

The News Publishers’ Association, a New Zealand industry group, said in a written statement Friday that Google’s guarantee constituted “threats” and reflected “the kind of pressure that it has been applying” to the government and news outlets, according to Public Affairs Director Andrew Holden.

Government officials “should be able to make laws to strengthen democracy in this country without being subjected to this kind of corporate bullying,” said Mr. Trump.

Australia was the first government to try to force digital companies, including Google and Meta, to negotiate with news outlets under a law passed in 2021. Initially, the internet titans imposed news restrictions for Australians on their platforms, but both finally caved, negotiating arrangements reportedly worth 200 million Australian dollars ($137 million) per year, given to Australian sources for the use of their content.

However, Belinda Barnet, a media expert at Swinburne University in Melbourne, claims Meta has refused to renew its contracts with Australian news outlets while Google is renegotiating its initial deals.

As Canada prepares to enact comparable digital news bargaining regulations in 2023, Google and Meta reiterated their commitment to ending their assistance for the country’s media. Last November, however, Google pledged to provide 100 million Canadian dollars ($74 million) in annual financial support to news organizations across the country, indexed for inflation.

Colin Peacock, an analyst who leads the Mediawatch show on RNZ, New Zealand’s public radio broadcaster, stated that Google “doesn’t want headlines around the world that say another country has pushed back” by passing such a law.

Google Says It Will Stop Linking To New Zealand News If A Law Passes Forcing It To Pay For Content

While Google emphasized its support for local outlets on Friday, Peacock stated that one of its funding recipients, the publisher of a small daily, told a parliamentary committee earlier this year that the money he received was “a pittance” and insufficient to recruit a single graduate reporter.

Minister for Media and Communications, Paul Goldsmith, told The Associated Press in a written statement on Friday that he was still conferring on the next version of the law.

“My officials and I have met with Google on a number of occasions to discuss their concerns, and will continue to do so,” stated Mr. Musk.

Goldsmith stated in July that he intended to approve the measure by the end of the year.

SOURCE | AP

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OpenAI Just Secured A Ton Of New Cash. Now It Needs To Wow Us

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OpenAI's ChatGPT Surges to 200 Million Weekly Users

OpenAI might be the future of Silicon Valley, the next Google, the Great Disruptor, the slayer of late capitalist workplace tedium, etc.

However, as the business transitions from a nonprofit-led research lab to a for-profit AI powerhouse, now is a good time to examine OpenAI and its brilliant (if often tumultuous) leadership team. Because, if we believe OpenAI’s fundamental assumption that better-than-human artificial intelligence is unavoidable, and that it is the best brand to harness that potential, it’s worth pausing to ask the age-old business question: Really?!

Here is the deal: OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, recently secured a $6.6 billion private investment round – the largest in Silicon Valley history — giving the fledgling company a $157 billion valuation, despite an uncertain route to profitability.

OpenAI Just Secured A Ton Of New Cash. Now It Needs To Wow Us

(For reference, public corporations with comparable valuations include Goldman Sachs and Pfizer.)

According to reports, OpenAI’s latest investors include major tech companies such as Microsoft (which has already invested more than $13 billion since 2019), Thrive Capital, Nvidia, Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management, and Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

But it’s worth remembering that Apple was in talks to join that scrum, but it backed out at the last minute, according to The Wall Street Journal.

It was unclear why Apple, which did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, appeared to back out.

That being said, the iPhone maker does not engage in many strategic alliances.

But you don’t need an MBA to notice several red flags about OpenAI’s operations and the true worth of its technology.

According to the New York Times, the corporation appears to be spending significantly more money than it is coming in.

Let’s run some numbers:

OpenAI hopes to generate approximately $3.7 billion in revenue this year. (This revenue is mostly derived from ChatGPT premium subscriptions and the licensing of its technology to third-party developers.)
However, the Times estimates that it will incur costs of $5 billion.
(That’s not ideal, but it may not be a dealbreaker for a young, buzzy firm with big goals like OpenAI’s.)
Here’s where it gets a little wild:

Next year, OpenAI expects its income to more than triple to $11.6 billion. (To which I respond, with all due respect: Really?)
By 2029, it expects to generate $100 billion in revenue. This represents a more than 2,600% gain over the following five years. (Again: Seriously?!)
It’s unclear how, or if, OpenAI is striving to reduce its substantial cash burn. (The business declined to respond to The Times and CNN.)
When I asked Gil Luria, a managing director at D.A. Davidson, if my OpenAI pessimism was justified, he politely pushed back.

“The path from $0 in revenue to nearly $4 billion was clearly the fastest in history,” Mr. Luria added. “Nobody’s ever grown this fast at this scale, and they’re doing it again straight out of the gate with only the first few evolutions of their product set.”

Fair!

However, Luria stated that in order to reach $11 billion in revenue, “a lot of things have to go right, and very little can go wrong.”

What about that $100 billion prediction for 2029? “It’s completely unrealistic,” he admits. “It has nothing to do with reality.”

One approach for OpenAI to enhance its margins is to reduce costs. Even if it becomes extremely meticulous, the generative AI business faces an economic quandary: training and operating huge language models costs a lot of money, which is a structural cost that varies from prior tech booms, as CNBC reported last year.

In other words, the more people use ChatGPT, the more it costs to “compute,” as the business refers to it. Running these massive language models necessitates the use of numerous powerful semiconductors within massive data centers that consume a lot of electricity. It’s no surprise, however, that practically every major AI player wants to get their hands on good old-fashioned nuclear energy (as I discussed here earlier this week).

OpenAI’s challenges include more than just the economics of AI.

There’s also a Bravo-worthy soap opera going on with its founders, nearly all of whom have gone, and board of directors.

In 2015, CEO Sam Altman and ten others launched OpenAI as a nonprofit with the purpose of “building safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity.”

OpenAI Just Secured A Ton Of New Cash. Now It Needs To Wow Us

Then it evolved into a hybrid: a for-profit firm led by a nonprofit board.

With 1,700 workers, it is now prepared to mainly abandon the nonprofit model in favor of a “public benefit corporation” — effectively a for-profit company with do-gooder intentions.

Several executives have left during this transition, raising concerns about Altman’s devotion to the firm’s initial objective in the face of, say, boatloads of cash.

What happens now? With new funding, OpenAI can focus on the next iteration of ChatGPT, which, according to Luria, is one of the Big Things that must go right for the company. Whatever OpenAI’s next product looks like, it must knock our socks off.

“If GPT-5 is not an order of magnitude better than GPT-4, their runway gets considerably shorter,” I heard him say.

“If we’ve gone from a model that’s as smart as a high school student to GPT-4o being as smart as a PhD student, the next version must be getting us closer to a model that’s smarter than any human.” to make the investment worthwhile.”

SOURCE | CNN

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