Italy's antitrust authority has ordered Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) to suspend controversial WhatsApp terms amid an investigation into whether the company unfairly sidelined rival AI chatbot providers.Italy Orders Meta To Suspend WhatsApp AI-Related TermsOn Wednesday, Italy's competition watchdog ordered Meta to halt certain WhatsApp contractual terms that regulators say could block competing AI chatbots from accessing the messaging platform, reported Reuters.The Italian Competition Authority, known ...

By Stephen Nellis Dec 24 (Reuters) - Nvidia has agreed to license chip technology from startup Groq and hire away its CEO, a veteran of Alphabet's Google, Groq said in a blog post on Wednesday. The deal follows a familiar pattern ​in recent years where the world's biggest technology firms pay large sums in deals with promising startups to take their ‌technology and talent but stop short of formally acquiring the target. Groq specializes in what is known as inference, where artificial intelligence model ...

LET’S GO BACK TO WHETHER OR NOT ANY OF THESE WILL GET THROUGH APPROVAL. START WITH PARAMOUNT BUYING WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY. DOES IT CUT LEGAL MUSTER.FIONA: ALL THREE OF THE BIDDERS, THERE WAS COMCAST TO BEGIN WITH, HAVE OVERLAPS WITH WARNER BROTHERS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THREE BUCKETS OF CONTENT PRODUCTION, STREAMING, AND THEN CHANNELS OR NETWORKS. THEY ALL OVERLAP.AND PARAMOUNT IN PARTICULAR HAS A LOT OF PRODUCTION STUDIO KINDS OF ASSETS. PARTICULARLY BECAUSE PARAMOUNT MERGED WITH SKYDANCE FIRST. THAT’S A ...

Core Viewpoint - Paramount is attempting to acquire Warner Bros. from Netflix, with former Justice Department antitrust chief Makan Delrahim playing a pivotal role in this bid [1] Group 1 - Paramount's strategy involves leveraging Makan Delrahim's expertise in antitrust matters to navigate regulatory challenges associated with the acquisition [1] - The acquisition aims to strengthen Paramount's position in the competitive streaming market, particularly against Netflix [1]

Joining us now, Walter Isacson, Pereella Weineberg advisory partner. Uh, Tain University history professor. >> I can't believe I took Tain. I thought they could, you know, they got >> You thought too lane was going to be >> I thought they they were getting like 20 points or something. They was horrible. Um, and Elon Musk, biographer and a CNBC contributor. >> We're going to talk about two lane though. >> Yeah. Yeah. Because you immediately sat down and said, "Don't ask me anything about El Salvador. I don't ...

Core Viewpoint - Italy's competition authority has imposed a fine of 98.6 million euros ($115.53 million) on Apple and its two subsidiaries for alleged abuse of dominant position in distribution [1] Group 1: Regulatory Actions - The fine is a result of an investigation into Apple's market practices in Italy [1] - The competition authority's decision highlights ongoing scrutiny of large tech companies regarding their market behavior [1] Group 2: Financial Implications - The imposed fine represents a significant financial impact on Apple, reflecting the increasing regulatory pressures faced by the company in Europe [1]

Joining me now is Lena Khan, a former Federal Trade Commissioner once dubbed Wall Street's number one enemy by Politico. She's an associate law professor at Columbia Law School. She currently co-chairs New York City's mayor elect Zoran Mandani's transition team.Welcome back to the show, Lena. Thank you for being here. >> Thanks so much for having me.>> Two very different stories. Let's start with the the PepsiCo Walmart story. Takes a minute if you don't sort of follow antitrust stuff to get your head aroun ...

Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices - The FTC may have buried a case alleging PepsiCo and Walmart colluded to rig grocery prices, inflating costs for Walmart's competitors [1] - PepsiCo allegedly policed and punished grocery chains that competed with Walmart on Pepsi products [1] - Pepsi's soft drink prices soared 67% since 2019, outpacing the general grocery price increase of over 35% [1] - Trump's Department of Justice announced a settlement with Real Page, accused of helping corporate landlords coordinate rent hikes [8] - Nine states refused to sign on to the settlement between the DOJ and Real Page [15] Company Statements and Market Share - PepsiCo took in $92 billion last year [1] - Walmart controls more than 20% of the US grocery market [1][3] - Walmart spokesperson stated their commitment to negotiating on behalf of customers to deliver value and everyday low prices [2] - Pepsi spokesperson claimed the FTC complaint included inaccuracies and unsubstantiated allegations [3] Government Actions and Criticisms - Trump's FTC chair, Andrew Ferguson, dropped the antitrust case against PepsiCo and Walmart [1] - Ferguson dismissed the investigation as purely political, claiming no evidence of corporate abuse [6] - Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater called the settlement with Real Page a victory for consumers [12]

Core Insights - iRobot, known for its Roomba vacuum, has filed for bankruptcy, primarily due to competition from cheaper knock-offs and failed acquisition attempts by Amazon, which was blocked by regulators [3][4][5][12] - The bankruptcy highlights the challenges faced by tech companies in the current M&A environment, where regulatory scrutiny can hinder potential rescue deals [7][8][17] Company Overview - iRobot reported assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million, with approximately $190 million in debt, and owed around $100 million to its largest creditor, Shenzhen Picea Robotics Co. [4][21] - The company has seen a decline in revenue due to increased competition from lower-priced Chinese rivals and tariffs that added significant costs [20][21] Regulatory Environment - The failed acquisition by Amazon, which was valued at $1.7 billion, is seen as a missed opportunity that could have provided iRobot with a competitive edge [4][5] - Experts argue that regulatory actions prioritizing hypothetical future harms over current financial realities can lead to the destruction of target companies, as seen in iRobot's case [7][9] Market Dynamics - The current M&A landscape is characterized by increased scrutiny from regulators, particularly in Europe, which may lead to more bankruptcies rather than orderly acquisitions that preserve jobs and innovation [17][19] - The situation with iRobot serves as a cautionary tale for other tech companies, indicating that reliance on a single acquisition for survival can be risky [22]

Visa and Mastercard have agreed to pay a combined $167.5m to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to keep ATM access fees artificially high. The proposed settlement was filed on Thursday in the federal district court in Washington and requires a judge’s approval.The accord would pay potentially millions of ATM users who were charged an unreimbursed access fee to withdraw cash from independent, non-bank ATMs. Visa would contribute about $88.8m and Mastercard about $78.7m to a settlement ...