good morning Our second annual Fortune 50 AI Innovators list is out today, highlighting the companies leading today’s tech revolution.
You’ll find familiar Big Tech names as well as many promising startups: Abridge, ElevenLabs, Mistral, Runway, etc. I encourage you to check out the entire list.
By the way: I’m happy to say that some of these CEOs have read this newsletter and will be at our upcoming Fortune Brainstorm AI in San Francisco. You know, just in case you need an excuse. – Andrew Noska
P.S good luckThe latest issue of the magazine is out and features a brilliant story by colleague Sharon Goldman about how Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebuilt the company around his Llama AI model. Let him read.
Want to send ideas or suggestions on datasheets? Drop a line here.
Comcast to spin off NBCU cable TV channels
Comcast will reportedly announce that it will spin off NBCUniversal’s cable television networks into a separate, publicly traded company.
The new $7 billion company will include MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, E!, USA Network, SaiFi, and the Golf Channel, but not the flagship NBC broadcast network, according to different Reports. (Reports are conflicting about Bravo’s fate.) Mark Lazarus will reportedly serve as its CEO.
The rationale behind this move? Eliminate slow-growing businesses and reinvest in the rest, including its Universal Studios theme parks and the (still unprofitable) Peacock streaming service.
It wasn’t that long ago that NBCU’s cable assets were among its most profitable, but even the biggest legacy broadcasters couldn’t resist the bone-chilling effects. In a two-day span this summer, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, and AMC Networks collectively wrote down more than $15 billion in cable TV value.
UK regulator says Google’s Anthropic stake fine
The country’s Competition and Markets Authority has said that Google’s $2 billion investment in Anthropic does not break British antitrust laws. concluded.
This is important because the CMA is one of the most active regulators when it comes to scrutinizing potential problems with the big tech investment frenzy in AI model companies.
So far, no serious problems have been confirmed, although regulators have vague suspicions that big tech is using its cash to gain control of the growing AI sector. The UK agency has already cleared Amazon’s $4 billion Anthropic investment and is still eyeing Microsoft’s big OpenAI infusion.
The Microsoft-Open AI relationship is still there. Under EU scrutinyHowever, regulators there have concluded that Microsoft does not control OpenAI.
Meanwhile, the US Federal Trade Commission is similarly examining major AI partnerships and investments, but who knows where that will go under the incoming Trump administration. – David Meyer
Apple pays Indonesia to end iPhone ban
Did you know that Apple’s iPhone 16 is currently unavailable in Southeast Asia’s largest economy?
The Indonesian government halted its sale last month because the model did not meet the country’s 40 percent domestic content requirements for smartphones and tablets.
Now Apple is trying to invest about $100 million to lift the ban on Jakarta. According to a Bloomberg report.
The investment will be spread over two years and is said to be 10 times the $10 million Apple proposed earlier this month.
Apple’s reported move reflects the growing importance of the Indonesian market, which has a population of 278 million. Even now, the country still lacks an official Apple Store and instead relies on third-party partnerships. For official resale. – Lionel Lim
Microsoft rolls out $349 Windows Cloud PC
Microsoft announced on Tuesday A new small desktop computer that exists only to run on the company’s Windows 365 cloud service. (Or as IT people call it, a “thin client.”)
Microsoft says its Windows 365 Link is its first “cloud PC,” with more to come.
If you’re asking why anyone would want to buy a bare plastic box that can’t run traditional Windows natively, you’re probably not the target audience.
IT professionals like thin clients because they’re cheap, secure, and they can switch them in and out without moving user data. Core business users love them because their services, data and preferences are always accessible from a central server. (Advanced business users, however, complain about the lack of processing power.)
Of course, companies like Microsoft love thin clients because they are vehicles for all kinds of subscription services that drive revenue. “We will be building more endpoints and factors … to unlock more value and options,” the company said in a blog post.
Windows 365 Link will launch in April for $349.
Sony May Acquire ‘Elven Ring’ Maker Kadokawa
Sony is reportedly in talks to acquire Kadokawa, the Japanese media company behind Maqbool. Alden Ring Video game
An agreement “could be signed in the coming weeks,” According to Reuters.
Sony already owns a small stake in the game publisher, which had a market value of $2.7 billion before the news broke. An acquisition would give Sony control of one of the world’s leading game makers.
Kadokawa’s portfolio includes several game studios as well as an extensive library of anime and manga titles. But its most valuable asset is likely its controlling stake in FromSoftware, which develops Alden Ring.
In June, the developer announced that the action RPG had sold 25 million copies. Co-created by George RR Martin. Game of Thrones Fame, the title released in 2022.
More data
–Trump tapped Howard Litnick for Commerce Secretary.. The Cantor Fitzgerald CEO is a vocal cryptocurrency advocate.
–Clara Shih makes the jump from Salesforce to Meta. To lead a new business AI product team.
–Ben Affleck weighs in on Hollywood AI.. The actor says machines cannot replicate taste. (Long live Our dunking.)
–Keychain, which connects retailers and suppliers.collects money from General Mills and others.
– you got meAutonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires“
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