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Scale AI not 'winding down' following Meta deal, interim CEO tells employees and customers
CNBC· 2025-06-18 18:03
Scale AI's Interim CEO Jason Droege said in a memo on Wednesday that the artificial intelligence startup is not changing course following Meta's multibillion-dollar investment in the company last week."Unlike some other recent tech deals you might have heard about in the AI space, this is not a pivot or a winding down," Droege wrote in a post directed at customers, employees and investors.Meta has a 49% stake in Scale after its $14.3 billion investment, though the social media company will not have any voti ...
RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisors will vote on flu shots containing mercury
CNBC· 2025-06-18 17:01
Group 1 - The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed a revamped government panel of vaccine advisors, which will soon vote on the use of thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative [2][4] - The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet on June 26 to discuss thimerosal and vote on recommendations for thimerosal-containing vaccines [3][8] - The new ACIP members, many of whom are known vaccine critics, will significantly influence U.S. immunization policy, including recommendations for vaccines and insurance coverage [4][8] Group 2 - Thimerosal has been used for decades as a preservative in multi-dose vaccines but its use has declined as manufacturers have moved to single-dose packaging [5] - Some multi-dose flu vaccines still contain thimerosal, while all vaccines recommended for children aged 6 and younger are available in thimerosal-free formulations [6] - The FDA and other health organizations have stated that extensive scientific studies have found no link between thimerosal and autism, asserting that there is no evidence of harm from its use in vaccines [7]
Shares of Coinbase, Circle surge after stablecoin bill passes Senate
CNBC· 2025-06-18 16:43
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle Internet Group, the issuer of one of the world's biggest stablecoins, and Circle co-founder Sean Neville pose outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), on the day of the company's IPO in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2025.Shares of Circle and Coinbase rallied on Wednesday, as Wall Street cheered the Senate's passage of the GENIUS Act, which would establish a federal framework for U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins. Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, rose 22% following the ...
OpenAI is winding down its work with Scale AI, whose founder is joining Meta
CNBC· 2025-06-18 16:20
OpenAI is winding down its work with Scale AI, the artificial intelligence startup that received a multibillion-dollar investment from Meta earlier this month and saw its founder join the social media company to lead an AI effort.Scale is best known for its work helping major tech companies, including OpenAI, prepare data they use to train cutting-edge AI models. But OpenAI has been pulling back from the startup over the last six to 12 months, according to an OpenAI spokesperson.OpenAI has been looking to w ...
Waymo cars are coming to New York, but with a driver behind the wheel
CNBC· 2025-06-18 16:00
Residents of New York City will soon start seeing Waymo cars cruising the avenues. But at least for now, a human will be in the driver's seat.Alphabet's self-driving car unit announced on Wednesday that it plans to drive vehicles manually in New York, marking the first step toward potentially cracking the largest U.S. city. Waymo said it applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate autonomously with a trained specialist behind the wheel in Manhattan."While we won't be ...
Amazon's Zoox boosts robotaxi production ahead of first commercial launch in Las Vegas
CNBC· 2025-06-18 15:04
Amazon's Zoox robotaxi unit is ramping up vehicle production at a new facility in Hayward, California.Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle startup Zoox on Wednesday opened a sprawling new manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, paving the way for more robotaxi production as it plans a commercial rollout of its fleet later this year.The company will use the site in Hayward, California, to increase its robotaxi fleet significantly. The facility is currently producing one robotaxi per day, but Zoox sa ...
U.S. Steel ceases trading on the NYSE as Japan's Nippon finalizes takeover
CNBC· 2025-06-18 14:01
Core Viewpoint - U.S. Steel has ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange following its acquisition by Japan's Nippon Steel, which has raised concerns about the future of American ownership in the steel industry [1][2]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - Nippon Steel has completed its acquisition of U.S. Steel, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel North America [2]. - U.S. Steel shares stopped trading at 8:30 a.m. ET on the day of the acquisition [2]. Group 2: Political Context - President Donald Trump initially opposed Nippon's bid to acquire U.S. Steel but changed his stance after taking office, leading to a review of the deal [3]. - The acquisition was previously blocked by former President Joe Biden due to national security concerns before Trump ordered a new review [3].
Nintendo's Switch 2 has powered a $39 billion rally this year
CNBC· 2025-06-18 07:26
Core Viewpoint - Nintendo's newly launched Switch 2 console has generated significant consumer interest and excitement, leading to a record high in the company's stock price and a substantial increase in market capitalization [1][2]. Sales Performance - Nintendo sold 3.5 million units of the Switch 2 within the first four days of its launch, indicating strong demand [3]. - The company has forecasted sales of 15 million units for the fiscal year ending March 2026, although analysts believe this estimate may be conservative [3]. Stock Market Impact - Nintendo's shares have increased by 46% this year, adding approximately $39 billion to the company's market value [2]. - Since the launch of the original Switch in March 2017, Nintendo's stock has surged nearly 470%, resulting in an increase of over $81 billion in market capitalization [6]. Historical Context - The original Switch console, launched in 2017, has sold over 152 million units, making it Nintendo's second-most successful console [4]. - The hybrid nature of the Switch, allowing for both TV and portable play, has contributed to its popularity [4]. Strategic Advantages - Nintendo has leveraged its strong franchises, including Super Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, to enhance the success of its consoles [5]. - The company has also expanded its intellectual property into movies and theme parks, further boosting its core video game products [5].
Stellantis' Ram brand to offer industry-leading pickup truck warranty as part of turnaround plan
CNBC· 2025-06-18 04:01
Core Point - Ram Trucks is set to introduce an industry-leading warranty for its 2026 vehicle lineup as part of an 18-month turnaround plan for the Stellantis-owned brand [1] Warranty Details - The new warranty will cover the engine, transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, differentials, and axles for 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, replacing the previous five-year or 60,000-mile warranty [2] - This change comes in response to the rising costs of vehicles, particularly pickup trucks, which often leads to longer financing terms that exceed the duration of existing warranties [3] Financing Trends - A significant 85% of truck buyers are financing their purchases for seven years or more, with many keeping their vehicles for up to 12 years due to increased costs [4] - Data from Edmunds.com indicates that 84-month loans for new-car buyers reached an all-time high of 19.8% in the first quarter, while 67.4% of new-vehicle financing loans were between 60 months and 75 months [4]
AWS' custom chip strategy is showing results, and cutting into Nvidia's AI dominance
CNBC· 2025-06-17 20:50
Group 1 - Amazon Web Services (AWS) is set to announce an update to its Graviton4 chip, featuring 600 gigabytes per second of network bandwidth, the highest offering in the public cloud [1] - Graviton4 is a central processing unit (CPU) developed by Amazon's Annapurna Labs, aimed at competing with traditional semiconductor players like Intel and AMD, while primarily targeting Nvidia in the AI infrastructure space [2] - AWS has invested $8 billion into backing the AI startup Anthropic, with the goal of reducing AI training costs and providing an alternative to Nvidia's expensive graphics processing units (GPUs) [3] Group 2 - Project Rainier, an AI supercomputer built for Anthropic, is powered by over half a million Trainium2 GPUs, which would have traditionally been supplied by Nvidia [4]