Image: Reuters Japan's SoftBank Group Corp said on Wednesday it has appointed Alex Clavel as chief executive of its SoftBank Group International (SBGI) unit, replacing Michel Combes who leaves after just six months in the role. SoftBank transformed the tech industry with big bets on late-stage startups but the conglomerate has turned over much of its executive team and has been forced to radically scale back investing activity through its Vision Fund as its portfolio slumps. Clavel takes charge of a hodgepodge of assets including chip designer Arm, which SoftBank hopes to list, and stakes in satellite company OneWeb, telco T-Mobile US Inc and robotics firm Boston Dynamics. The executive, who spent 19 years at Morgan Stanley before joining SoftBank in 2015, participated in the restructuring of office space-sharing firm WeWork and the integration of Latin American funds into the Vision Fund following the departure of Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure. The recent exits … [Read more...] about SoftBank overseas business chief Alex Clavel exits in latest churn
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Microsoft fires HoloLens head Alex Kipman after several allegations of misconduct
Source: AFP Alex Kipman, the leader of the HoloLens mixed reality group at Microsoft, has been let go by the company following various allegations of misconduct. Business Insider, who first broke the story (via The Verge), reported that over 25 employees at Microsoft published an internal report detailing several instances of alleged misconduct, including inappropriate touching, and watching a lewd VR video in front of employees, while in the office. Also Read: Microsoft says will not resist unionization efforts by employees Three employees relayed to the publication that they had been warned not to leave women alone around Kipman. Employees even went on to say that COVID-19 lockdowns were the best thing to happen, since it meant they, "never had to interact with him in person." Publication Geekwire managed to corroborate the report , by obtaining an internal email from Scott Guthrie, Head for Microsoft' Cloud services. In the mail, Guthrie said, "We have … [Read more...] about Microsoft fires HoloLens head Alex Kipman after several allegations of misconduct
Behind Ace Hotel Founder Alex Calderwood’s Creative Life And Untimely Death
You know the place, even if you haven’t been there. advertisement advertisement From the outside, it has a spare, severe look. But inside, past the flower stall and barbershop, the vibe is serene and hushed. Long tables and worn leather chairs invite people to cluster; the scent of locally roasted coffee mixes with the sound of the nearby photo booth, whirring in the background. There are vintage records on the shelves and slinky indie pop on the speakers, and the late afternoon sunlight makes puddles on the century-old wood floor. The feeling is both of the moment and timeless. To a remarkable extent, this place, the Ace Hotel, is the brainchild of a single man, a lean, mop-haired native of the Pacific Northwest named Alexander Calderwood. A kind of hipster polymath, he was able to look around the corners of culture and see what was coming years, if not decades, before everyone else. In his 20-year career, Calderwood cofounded a barbershop, a … [Read more...] about Behind Ace Hotel Founder Alex Calderwood’s Creative Life And Untimely Death
Ally Financial Aims To Be A Leader In Racing
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When Ally Financial ALLY made the decision to sponsor Jimmie Johnson in his final two years in the Nascar Cup Series, the firm expected success. As Johnson prepared to leave Nascar after the 2020 season, Ally and Hendrick Motorsports had to decide who would be the next driver of car No. 48. The decision came down to a handful of drivers, some veterans and others looking for their big break. In October of 2020, Hendrick announced Alex Bowman would move from the No. 88 car to pilot the No. 48 Chevrolet. Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer of Ally Financial, knew Bowman would be the face Ally needs in order to welcome new fans to the sport. “When we first signed the deal to have Alex drive the car, I reached out to him and invited him to our house,” Brimmer said from Ally’s New York City office. “He flew up with Pat Perkins, the vice president of marketing at Hendrick. We just had a casual … [Read more...] about Ally Financial Aims To Be A Leader In Racing
Jan. 6 Panel Delays Hearings Amid New Evidence—Including Tapes Of Trump Family
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The House January 6 committee will delay the final hearings of its investigation into the Capitol riot and Trump Administration until next month, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday, as the panel reportedly scours troves of new evidence, including documentary footage of former President Donald Trump’s children and inner circle. Key Facts Lawmakers plan to hold a fifth hearing Thursday, but committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told Politico and CNN all subsequent hearings will likely be delayed until after the House’s two-week recess, which is set to begin at the end of this week. Thompson said the committee needs a break to look at evidence unearthed in recent weeks, including tapes from Alex Holder, a British filmmaker who was reportedly subpoenaed by lawmakers after capturing videos of Trump and his family. In a statement Tuesday , Holder said he began filming Trump … [Read more...] about Jan. 6 Panel Delays Hearings Amid New Evidence—Including Tapes Of Trump Family
Cricket-Nissanka smashes ton as Sri Lanka beat Australia in third ODI
(Reuters) - Pathum Nissanka cracked a brilliant 137 while Kusal Mendis scored a half-century before getting injured as Sri Lanka beat Australia by six wickets in the third one-day international on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Chasing 292 to win, Sri Lanka shook off the early dismissal of Niroshan Dickwella for 25 as Nissanka and Mendis combined for a brilliant 170-run partnership for the second wicket to put their side in complete control. But while Mendis retired hurt with a hamstring injury on 87, Nissanka hung on to take his team close to the finish line which they crossed with nine balls to spare after to a quick-fire 25 by Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka's steady 13. Nissanka's knock came off 147 deliveries and contained 11 fours and two sixes. Australia opted to bat first after winning the toss and an unbeaten 70 from Travis Head and 62 from skipper Aaron Finch helped them to a competitive 291-6 on a tricky Colombo wicket which was slow … [Read more...] about Cricket-Nissanka smashes ton as Sri Lanka beat Australia in third ODI
REPORT: Dave Chappelle Turns Down School’s Offer To Honor Him After Some Students Yelled At Him
Dave Chappelle reportedly turned down an offer by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. to honor him by renaming their performance theater after him. Chappelle attended the naming ceremony, but rather than accepting the honor, he flipped the script entirely by refusing to accept the name-change , according to a TMZ report updated Monday evening. He reportedly announced at the school’s event that he did not want his name on the building and indicated the new name would be the “Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression” instead. Chappelle took a moment to remind the crowd how they responded to him over his “The Closer” comedy special, according to TMZ. He reportedly spoke about how hurtful it was when the crowd at the high school began to heckle him months ago. After his performance in November 2021, Chappelle found himself in the spotlight for jokes about the transgender community , some of which were not well received by the crowd. (RELATED: Comedian … [Read more...] about REPORT: Dave Chappelle Turns Down School’s Offer To Honor Him After Some Students Yelled At Him
Why Biden’s Federal Gas Tax Holiday Would Be Bad For America
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Is too much inflation crushing your summer vacation plans? President Joe Biden has a holiday for you — at the gas pump. Biden is set to request from Congress a three-month, emergency relaxation of the federal tax on gasoline. By removing that tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, and right before the July 4th peak of driving season, Biden hopes to be credited for saving you three or four bucks every time you fill up. It’s not a huge savings. The federal gas tax hasn’t changed since 1993 and is not indexed for inflation. Still, according to the Congressional Budget Office, it brings in $45 billion a year, which covers nearly all the $47 billion last year in federal highway spending. As Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on CNN, “Part of the challenge with the gas tax, of course, is that it funds the roads.” Ultimately, Congress will have to find another pocket to dig in to replace the $10 billion or so in highway funding. The … [Read more...] about Why Biden’s Federal Gas Tax Holiday Would Be Bad For America
Andrew Gillum Loses Florida Governor’s Race Despite Support From Out-Of-State Billionaires
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Despite raising $52.5 million, including at least $11.5 million from several out-of-state billionaires, Democrat Andrew Gillum lost the Florida governor’s race on Tuesday to Republican opponent Ron DeSantis, by about a 1% margin with 99% of the votes counted. As of 11:30 p.m. ET, DeSantis had 49.9% of the votes and Gillum had 48.9%. The swing state’s race had been tight for weeks, with Gillum holding a narrow lead over DeSantis in the polls leading up to Election Day. But last week, Trump flew to Florida to campaign for DeSantis and senatorial candidate Rick Scott, leading to DeSantis gaining on Gillum in the polls. Gillum led a campaign with an unapologetically progressive platform. Rather than trying to reach across the aisle with a moderate message, he endorsed a $15 minimum wage, gun control, criminal justice reform, single-payer health care for all and raising the corporate tax rate to fund education. The bold, … [Read more...] about Andrew Gillum Loses Florida Governor’s Race Despite Support From Out-Of-State Billionaires
‘Ordinary’ People Will Be Responsible for Future Creative Breakthroughs, Says This Harvard Biz School Professor
Are 'ordinary' people capable of coming up with ideas for products and services that will change the world? Yes -- and in the future, such breakthroughs may not only become more prevalent than those engineered by experts or geniuses in a particular field, they may actually become the most important source of creative breakthroughs . That's the conclusion reached by longtime Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile in her working paper " In Pursuit of Everyday Creativity ," which was made available earlier this week. Technology is enabling open innovation , user innovation, and citizen innovation to flourish, Amabile states. And indeed, evidence of these trends abounds. For example, consider GE Fuse , the open innovation platform launched by the industry giant earlier this year. Fuse invites engineers and scientists from all over the world to solve pressing high-level problems. Its most recent design challenge (for which there are cash prizes) addresses corrosion … [Read more...] about ‘Ordinary’ People Will Be Responsible for Future Creative Breakthroughs, Says This Harvard Biz School Professor