Latest news with #JeremyGoldman
Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Donald Trump delays US TikTok ban again
'As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark. This extension will last 90 days, which the administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. Mr Trump disclosed the executive order on the Truth Social platform on Thursday morning. Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP) It is the third time the president has extended the deadline. The first one was through an executive order on January 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court — took effect. The second was in April when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with US ownership that fell apart after China backed out after Mr Trump's tariff announcement. It is not clear how many times he can — or will — keep extending the ban as the government continues to try to negotiate a deal for TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance. While there is no clear legal basis for the extensions, so far there have been no legal challenges to fight them. Mr Trump has gained more than 15 million followers on TikTok since he joined last year, and he has credited the trendsetting platform with helping him gain traction among young voters. He said in January that he has a 'warm spot for TikTok'. As the extensions continue, it appears less likely that TikTok will be banned in the US any time soon. The decision to keep the site alive through an executive order has received some scrutiny, but it has not faced a legal challenge in court, unlike many of Mr Trump's other executive orders. This political Groundhog Day is starting to resemble the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat with no real resolution Jeremy Goldman Jeremy Goldman, analyst at Emarketer, called TikTok's US situation 'deadline purgatory'. The whole thing 'is starting to feel less like a ticking clock and more like a looped ringtone. This political Groundhog Day is starting to resemble the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat with no real resolution'. For now, TikTok continues to function for its 170 million users in the US, and tech giants Apple, Google and Oracle were persuaded to continue to support the app, on the promise that Mr Trump's Justice Department would not use the law to seek potentially steep fines against them. Americans are even more closely divided on what to do about TikTok than they were two years ago. A recent Pew Research Centre survey found that about a third of Americans supported a ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly a third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they were not sure. Among those who supported a ban, about eight in 10 cited concerns over users' data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report. Democratic senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Trump administration is again 'flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks' posed by a China-controlled TikTok. 'An executive order can't sidestep the law, but that's exactly what the president is trying to do,' he added.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump delays the TikTok ban once again
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up As the extensions continue, it appears less and less likely that TikTok will be banned in the U.S. any time soon. The decision to keep TikTok alive through an executive order has received some scrutiny, but it has not faced a legal challenge in court — unlike many of Trump's other executive orders. Advertisement Jeremy Goldman, analyst at Emarketer, called TikTok's U.S situation a 'deadline purgatory.' Advertisement The whole thing 'is starting to feel less like a ticking clock and more like a looped ringtone. This political Groundhog Day is starting to resemble the debt ceiling drama: a recurring threat with no real resolution.' For now, TikTok continues to function for its 170 million users in the U.S., and tech giants Apple, Google and Oracle were persuaded to continue to offer and support the app, on the promise that Trump's Justice Department would not use the law to seek potentially steep fines against them. Americans are even more closely divided on what to do about TikTok than they were two years ago. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about one-third of Americans said they supported a TikTok ban, down from 50% in March 2023. Roughly one-third said they would oppose a ban, and a similar percentage said they weren't sure. Among those who said they supported banning the social media platform, about 8 in 10 cited concerns over users' data security being at risk as a major factor in their decision, according to the report. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Trump administration is once again 'flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings about the risks' posed by a China-controlled TikTok. 'An executive order can't sidestep the law, but that's exactly what the president is trying to do,' Warner added.
Business Insider
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
HBO Max's social team knows its rebrand is absurd. It's leaning in.
Max is going back to HBO Max after removing the HBO from its name in 2023. The internet is making fun of the company for backpedaling. But the social team at Warner Bros. Discovery got ahead of the roasts by making fun of itself first. The internet is making fun of Max for changing its name to HBO Max (for the second time). But no one is mocking the re-rebrand with as much gusto as Max itself. The company is poking fun at the switch by posting conclave references on TikTok, Harry Potter memes on Instagram, and teasing X on the social platform. The self-deprecation is not limited to Max's main accounts. An Instagram page for the HBO show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," also chimed in, for example. V2 approved by legal. — Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025 Max's social team is going all out with the jokes because it probably knows that backpedaling to an earlier name is silly. It's much better to laugh with the internet than be laughed at. "This is something where they were like, 'We're just going to get totally excoriated, so at least we can be in on the joke a little bit,'" Jeremy Goldman, a senior director of client briefings at EMARKETER, told Business Insider. For those not acquainted with the confusing name history of the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service, Max has bounced around from "HBO Go," to "HBO Now," to "HBO Max," then "Max," and now back to "HBO Max." There were probably business reasons for each of the name changes that made sense in a boardroom, but the frequent switches have been confusing for the average consumer (my Roku remote still has an HBO Now button). While WBD put out a relatively straight press release today about the rebrand, the company distributed a meme to go along with it, as my colleague Peter Kafka, who dove into the business implications of the rebrand, pointed out. On social media, the company went all in on silliness. There, being earnest is a recipe for mockery. Send thoughts and prayers. — Max (@StreamOnMax) May 14, 2025 If you're posting to social and you've got something slightly embarrassing to say, such as that you are backtracking on an earlier rebrand, better to lean into humor and irreverence, knowing that the internet won't shy away from pointing out you're repeating yourself. (Full disclosure: I work at a company that also flipped back to its original name after attempting a rebrand.) Budget airline Ryanair is particularly adept at making jokes at its own expense on social media. The company often posts viral TikTok videos that make fun of the trade-offs of its cheap flights, such as limited legroom or additional costs for some seats. So kudos to Max for laughing at itself. Just please don't change your name again.
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Microsoft forecasts strong growth for Azure cloud business, shares surge 8%
Microsoft forecast on Wednesday stronger-than-expected quarterly growth for its cloud-computing business Azure after blowout results in the latest quarter, assuaging investor worries in an uncertain economy and lifting its shares 8 per cent after hours. Microsoft's results, which follow similarly above-expectations outcomes from Google last week, could ease concerns about a potential slowdown in AI demand, after some analysts pointed to canceled data-center leases at Microsoft as a sign of excess capacity. Investors had also been worried about the fallout from sweeping US tariffs that are prompting businesses to rein in spending. Microsoft said revenue at its Azure cloud division rose 33 per cent in the third quarter ended March 31, exceeding estimates of 29.7 per cent, according to Visible Alpha. AI contributed 16 percentage points to the growth, up from 13 points in the previous quarter. The company also forecast cloud-computing revenue growth of 34 per cent to 35 per cent on a constant currency basis for the fiscal fourth quarter, well above analyst estimates of 31.8 per cent, according to data from Visible Alpha. The company forecast revenue for its intelligent cloud segment between $28.75 billion and $29.05 billion, with the entire range above analyst estimates of $28.52 billion, according to LSEG data. The company said its commercial bookings growth - which reflects new infrastructure and software contracts signed by business customers - was up 18 per cent in the fiscal third quarter, driven in part by a new Azure contract with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Microsoft declined to comment on the size of the deal or what role it played in overall Azure sales growth. "In a quarter clouded by tariff fears and AI spending scrutiny, this quarter is a clear win - even if it wasn't fireworks," said Jeremy Goldman, senior director of briefings at E-marketer. "Azure and other cloud services beat Street expectations - and Microsoft Cloud’s growth shows it continues to turn AI infrastructure into margin-friendly growth. Still, investors will be watching closely as the company continues to pull back on data center expansion." In the third quarter, Microsoft's capital expenditures rose 52.9 per cent to $21.4 billion, less than estimates of $22.39 billion, according to Visible Alpha. However, the proportion of longer-lived asset expenditures fell to about half of the total. Jonathan Neilson, Microsoft's vice president of investor relations, said that reflected a shift in Microsoft's spending from long-lived assets such as data center buildings toward more spending on shorter-lived assets such as chips. "You plug in CPUs and GPUs, and then you can start recognizing revenue," Neilson said, referring to categories of chips made by Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia, among others. The Intelligent Cloud unit, which houses Azure, posted revenue of $26.8 billion, compared with expectations of $26.17 billion. Overall, revenue rose 13 per cent to $70.1 billion, beating estimates of $68.42 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft reported a profit of $3.46 per share in the quarter, beating expectations of $3.22 per share. The company also benefited from a 6 per cent increase in revenue at its more personal computing unit, which includes Xbox and its line of laptops. Microsoft, which has also repeatedly said it is capacity constrained on AI, has been pouring billions into building its AI infrastructure and expanding its data-center footprint. A senior Microsoft executive reiterated earlier this month that the company would spend $80 billion on its data center build-out this year, and investors will be watching closely to see if it reaffirms that on its post-earnings call. A pullback in Big Tech's AI spending will have big implications for suppliers such as chip giant Nvidia, as well as the US economy. J.P. Morgan analysts estimated in January that data-center spending could contribute between 10 and 20 basis points to US economic growth in 2025-2026. Neilson said inventory levels had already been high during the company's fiscal second quarter as retailers stocked up on computers and gaming consoles on tariff worries. That activity continued into the third quarter, he said. "We expected in Q3 for them to bring inventory levels down to a more normal level. What we actually saw was inventory levels remained elevated," Neilson said. "There continues to be some uncertainty there."
CNA
30-04-2025
- Business
- CNA
Microsoft forecasts strong growth for Azure cloud business, shares surge 8%
Microsoft forecast on Wednesday stronger-than-expected quarterly growth for its cloud-computing business Azure after blowout results in the latest quarter, assuaging investor worries in an uncertain economy and lifting its shares 8 per cent after hours. Microsoft's results, which follow similarly above-expectations outcomes from Google last week, could ease concerns about a potential slowdown in AI demand, after some analysts pointed to canceled data-center leases at Microsoft as a sign of excess capacity. Investors had also been worried about the fallout from sweeping U.S. tariffs that are prompting businesses to rein in spending. Microsoft said revenue at its Azure cloud division rose 33 per cent in the third quarter ended March 31, exceeding estimates of 29.7 per cent, according to Visible Alpha. AI contributed 16 per centage points to the growth, up from 13 points in the previous quarter. The company also forecast cloud-computing revenue growth of 34 per cent to 35 per cent on a constant currency basis for the fiscal fourth quarter, well above analyst estimates of 31.8 per cent, according to data from Visible Alpha. The company forecast revenue for its intelligent cloud segment between $28.75 billion and $29.05 billion, with the entire range above analyst estimates of $28.52 billion, according to LSEG data. The company said its commercial bookings growth - which reflects new infrastructure and software contracts signed by business customers - was up 18 per cent in the fiscal third quarter, driven in part by a new Azure contract with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Microsoft declined to comment on the size of the deal or what role it played in overall Azure sales growth. "In a quarter clouded by tariff fears and AI spending scrutiny, this quarter is a clear win - even if it wasn't fireworks," said Jeremy Goldman, senior director of briefings at E-marketer. "Azure and other cloud services beat Street expectations - and Microsoft Cloud's growth shows it continues to turn AI infrastructure into margin-friendly growth. Still, investors will be watching closely as the company continues to pull back on data center expansion." In the third quarter, Microsoft's capital expenditures rose 52.9 per cent to $21.4 billion, less than estimates of $22.39 billion, according to Visible Alpha. However, the proportion of longer-lived asset expenditures fell to about half of the total. Jonathan Neilson, Microsoft's vice president of investor relations, said that reflected a shift in Microsoft's spending from long-lived assets such as data center buildings toward more spending on shorter-lived assets such as chips. "You plug in CPUs and GPUs, and then you can start recognizing revenue," Neilson said, referring to categories of chips made by Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia, among others. The Intelligent Cloud unit, which houses Azure, posted revenue of $26.8 billion, compared with expectations of $26.17 billion. Overall, revenue rose 13 per cent to $70.1 billion, beating estimates of $68.42 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft reported a profit of $3.46 per share in the quarter, beating expectations of $3.22 per share. The company also benefited from a 6 per cent increase in revenue at its more personal computing unit, which includes Xbox and its line of laptops. Microsoft, which has also repeatedly said it is capacity constrained on AI, has been pouring billions into building its AI infrastructure and expanding its data-center footprint. A senior Microsoft executive reiterated earlier this month that the company would spend $80 billion on its data center build-out this year, and investors will be watching closely to see if it reaffirms that on its post-earnings call. A pullback in Big Tech's AI spending will have big implications for suppliers such as chip giant Nvidia, as well as the U.S. economy. J.P. Morgan analysts estimated in January that data-center spending could contribute between 10 and 20 basis points to U.S. economic growth in 2025-2026. Neilson said inventory levels had already been high during the company's fiscal second quarter as retailers stocked up on computers and gaming consoles on tariff worries. That activity continued into the third quarter, he said. "We expected in Q3 for them to bring inventory levels down to a more normal level. What we actually saw was inventory levels remained elevated," Neilson said. "There continues to be some uncertainty there."
