Bloomberg
Amazon Poaches Microsoft’s Product Chief Ahead Of Its Annual Devices Event
- Microsoft Corp’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay confirmed that he is leaving the software giant, a report said he is shifting base to Amazon Inc.
- Panay said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “After 19 incredible years at Microsoft, I’ve decided to turn the page and write the next chapter.”
Google Under the Legal Spotlight: Allegations of Ad Auction Manipulation in Antitrust Trial
- In a federal antitrust trial, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, drew scrutiny for allegedly adjusting its advertising auctions to meet revenue goals.
- According to Jerry Dischler, vice president of Google’s advertising products, the company regularly modifies the auctions used to sell search ads, which can increase ad prices, sometimes up to 5%.
- These changes may also involve raising the minimum spending on ads, known as reserve pricing.
- According to Governor Katie Hobbs, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is discussing with Arizona authorities to add advanced chip packaging capacity at its plants in the state.
- This move comes as packaging becomes a bottleneck in semiconductor production, particularly for high-demand products like Nvidia Corp’s AI accelerators.
- TSMC has committed to expanding packaging capacity in Taiwan, but supply constraints will likely persist for another 18 months.
Benzinga
Microsoft Accidentally Exposes Sensitive Information on GitHub
- Microsoft Corp recently addressed a security incident involving a Microsoft employee who inadvertently shared a URL with an overly permissive Shared Access Signature (SAS) token in a public GitHub repository.
- The incident was discovered and reported by security researchers at Wiz.io, who could access specific information in the storage account via this token.
Novo Nordisk Partners With South Africa-Based Aspen To Supply Insulin For African Countries
- Novo Nordisk A/S announced a new partnership with Aspen Pharmacare to establish human insulin production in South Africa.
- Under this contract, Novo expects the production of 16 million insulin vials next year, equivalent to the yearly consumption of 1.1 million people.
Chinese Drugmaker BeiGene And Novartis Move Out From Second Cancer Drug Pact
- BeiGene Ltd said it would regain rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Tevimbra (tislelizumab), its cancer drug, from Novartis AG.
- Minutes later, BeiGene said the European Commission approved the checkpoint inhibitor, to be sold as Tevimbra, as a monotherapy for adults with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior platinum-based chemotherapy.
Rocket Lab’s 41st Mission Succumbed To Technical Issues
- Rocket Lab USA Inc stock is trading lower Tuesday after the company’s 41st mission succumbed to technical Issues.
- The aerospace manufacturer and small satellite launch service provider encountered a setback during its 41st mission.
- The incident occurred after the rocket’s successful liftoff from Launch Complex 1, completing the initial stage burn and separation as planned.
European Commission Approves GSK/Pfizer-Backed HIV Infection Prevention Drug
- The European Commission has approved ViiV Healthcare’s Apretude (cabotegravir long-acting (LA) injectable and tablets) for HIV prevention.
- ViiV Healthcare is majority owned by GSK plc, with Pfizer Inc and Shionogi as shareholders.
AutoZone Q4 Earnings Top Estimates Aided By Solid International Stores’ Performance
- AutoZone Inc reported fourth-quarter FY23 sales growth of 6.4% year-on-year to $5.69 billion, beating the analyst consensus of $5.61 billion. EPS of $46.46 beat the consensus of $45.12.
- Domestic same-store sales increased 1.7% in the quarter, while International rose 34.1%. Total same-store sales grew by 4.5%.
Oil Major BP Appoints Kate Thomson As Interim Finance Head
- BP Plc has appointed Kate Thomson as the interim chief financial officer.
- Kate is BP’s senior vice president, finance for production and operations, responsible for the financial stewardship of and commercial partnering with the business globally.
- She has been serving the company for 19 years since she first joined in 2004.
New York Post
MGM Resorts Could Lose Out On Casino Licenses In New York City Due To Bookie Scandal
- Chances of MGM Resorts International to win two of the three coveted full-scale casino licenses in New York City has reportedly become complicated after an alleged bookmaking scandal that’s unfolding in Las Vegas.
- MGM Grand and Resorts World, operators, respectively, of the Empire City Casino in Yonkers and the Resorts World Casino at the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, had been the frontrunners to win the licenses in a state-run process that’s slated to conclude next spring.
CNBC
A Microscope To Identify Cancer? Google And Department Of Defense Team Up For AI-Powered Microscope
- The Department of Defense has joined forces with Alphabet Inc’s Google to build an Artificial Intelligence-powered microscope to help doctors identify cancer.
- The technology, known as an Augmented Reality Microscope (ARM), is still in its early stages and not yet actively employed for patient diagnoses, but preliminary research shows promise.
Apple Faces Growing Threat from Resurgent Huawei Amid Semiconductor Breakthrough
- Apple Inc is encountering several challenges in China, with geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties.
- However, analysts believe the most significant threat may come from a resurgent Huawei Technologies Co Ltd thanks to a major semiconductor breakthrough that defies U.S. sanctions.
Washington Post
Google’s Bard AI Chatbot Gets Smarter with Gmail, Google Docs, and YouTube Integration
- Alphabet Inc’s Google is making moves to integrate its Bard artificial intelligence chatbot with several of its popular products, including Gmail, YouTube, and Google Docs, amid fierce competition in the AI space.
- Bard, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Corp’s Bing, will now have the capability to analyze and summarize Gmail emails, search through Google Docs, and check flight prices using Google Flights, all within its main interface.
Reuters
Starbucks In Juicy Controversy – To Face Lawsuit Slamming ‘Fruit’ Drinks Without The Fruit
- Starbucks Corporation lands in hot water as a federal judge reportedly pushed the firm to face a lawsuit accusing them of missing a vital twist in their Refresher fruit drinks – the actual fruit.
- U.S. District Judge John Cronan in Manhattan turned down Starbucks’ bid to throw out nine of the 11 allegations in the prospective class lawsuit, stating that “a substantial number of reasonable consumers” would anticipate the drinks to include the fruit indicated in their titles.
