Core Viewpoint - Warner Bros. Discovery's board has deemed Paramount Skydance's revised cash offer of $31 per share as superior to the existing Netflix merger agreement, prompting Netflix to respond within four days [1] Group 1: Paramount's Bid - Paramount has submitted a revised all-cash bid of $31 per share to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in its entirety [1] - If the bid is approved, Paramount would incur a $2.8 billion termination fee owed to Netflix for backing out of their agreement, along with a daily ticking fee of $0.25 per share per quarter starting after September 30, 2026 [2] - Paramount would also be liable for $7 billion if the deal fails to meet regulatory requirements [2] Group 2: Netflix's Position - Netflix has been formally notified of the new bid and has the option to revise its offer or withdraw from the deal [3] - The decision on which proposal is superior will be made by Warner Bros. Discovery's board and its financial and legal advisors [3] Group 3: Background of the Deals - The original merger-acquisition plan between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery was announced on December 5 for $83 billion, which included stocks and cash [4] - The deal would allow Netflix to acquire HBO, HBO Max, and the Warner Bros. studio business [4] - Paramount's attempts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery have led Netflix to switch to an all-cash deal in January [4] Group 4: Current Context - The announcement coincides with Warner Bros. Discovery's Q4 earnings call and a visit by Netflix's co-CEO to Washington, DC, amid the Paramount bid [5] - Opposition to the WBD-Netflix deal has been expressed by 11 state attorneys general, while President Trump stated he would not intervene in the situation [5]

ADT on Tuesday announced an interesting new acquisition for anyone looking to the future of home security -- and it's no surprise AI is a part of the story. In a $170 million deal, ADT has purchased Origin AI, which specializes in people detection in spaces like the inside of your home, something the security company is calling AI-sensing technology. ADT has not disclosed specific plans for AI technology, but this comes at a time when concerns about corporate surveillance by companies like Ring and Flock ha ...

Uber has agreed to acquire SpotHero, the digital parking marketplace, in a move that expands Uber's ambitions beyond ride-hailing and delivery. The deal was announced on Monday and is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.SpotHero lets drivers reserve and pay for parking in advance, with coverage spanning more than 13,000 garages, lots and valet locations across over 400 cities in the US and Canada. Uber said the company plans to integr ...

Autonomous driving technology company Waymo announced on Tuesday that it's expanding its driverless ride-hailing services to four new cities -- three in Texas and one in Florida. Effective immediately, invitations will roll out to select Waymo customers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, allowing people there to take their first local robotaxi rides.The new areas for Waymo autonomous ride-hailing span 60 square miles in San Antonio and Orlando, 50 square miles in Dallas, and 25 square miles in Hou ...

Houston, we have some production. Apple announced Tuesday that it will be making its Mac Mini desktop computer in the US for the first time, shifting some manufacturing from its Asian plants, and will also increase AI server production at its existing Houston facility.The California-based tech giant also said it will open the Advanced Manufacturing Center, a 20,000-square-foot facility where students, supplier employees and businesses will receive hands-on training in making Apple products, in the same city ...

Group 1 - Meta is partnering with AMD to purchase billions of dollars' worth of AMD Instinct GPUs to enhance its AI capabilities across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp [1][2] - The deal is described as "multi-year" and will provide Meta with up to 6 gigawatts of AMD GPUs, which are essential for modern AI models [2] - As part of the partnership, Meta will acquire a 10% stake in AMD, indicating a strategic collaboration between the two companies [3] Group 2 - The partnership reflects a broader trend where major tech companies are securing hardware to support their AI ambitions amid tightening supplies and rising component prices [5] - Meta's continued investment in AI signifies its competitive stance against other tech giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google [6]

Nvidia is not content to simply dominate the GPU market. According to a Wall Street Journal report, it's prepping a system-on-chip that integrates the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and neural processing unit (NPU) for consumer laptops. And we could see laptops from Dell and Lenovo with this new silicon in just a few months.Nvidia and MediaTek partner for Arm chipNvidia is partnering with MediaTek to build this new chip. Like system-on-chips (SoC) from Qualcomm and Apple, it w ...

Apple could announce at least five new products over a three-day event in early March that would include a low-cost MacBook, an iPhone 17E, new iPad Air and new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptop models and possibly more, according to a Bloomberg report.As opposed to an Apple "Event" that has become standard for, say, iPhone launches, a "Special Experience" will take place in New York, London and Shanghai on March 4 and could involve three days of announcements and hands-on time for those invited.Bloomberg' ...

Roblox, the popular online gaming platform, is the target of a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles County seeking an injunction and civil penalties for allegations of false advertising, engaging in unfair competition and allowing "the systemic sexual exploitation and abuse of children across the United States."The suit, which follows changes and additions Roblox has made to its platform, including adding mandatory age verification for some features, is part of a barrage of legal action against gaming and social me ...

Core Insights - Meta is refocusing its Horizon Worlds platform towards mobile gaming, similar to Roblox, indicating a shift in strategy for its VR ecosystem [1][4] - The company's significant investment in virtual worlds has not yielded the expected success, leading to a broader pivot towards augmented reality (AR) glasses [2][4] - Recent actions by Meta, including shutting down VR game studios and fitness platforms, suggest a retreat from its initial VR ambitions [3][4] Company Strategy - Meta's new head of Reality Labs content acknowledged that VR sales have not met expectations, prompting a reliance on third-party apps and games to drive headset sales [4] - The company is moving away from making Horizon Worlds the centerpiece of its VR strategy, focusing instead on developing AR glasses [4][10] - Meta's Quest headsets are primarily positioned for gaming, but the company is now prioritizing advancements in AR technology over VR [5][8] Industry Context - The metaverse concept is not dead, but Meta's approach has faced challenges, indicating that the company's VR efforts are just the beginning of a larger transformation [2] - Meta's VR ambitions have been split between work applications and gaming, with the latter being more successful, leading to a perception of the Quest as primarily a gaming device [8] - The shift towards AR glasses may lead to higher prices for gaming hardware and a focus on immersive experiences rather than a comprehensive computing ecosystem [11] Future Outlook - Meta's upcoming AR glasses, including the Orion prototype, rely on external processing units, which may limit their functionality compared to competitors like Google and Apple [13][15] - The lack of a proprietary phone platform may hinder Meta's ability to integrate its glasses effectively with mobile devices, posing a significant challenge [15] - There are concerns about whether Horizon Worlds can compete in the mobile gaming space, especially against established platforms like Roblox [16]