(Brands & Consumers)
Sarita, 24, was shocked rather than pleased when she received an email recently about her new job with a top tech firm in India. As reported on BBC, the annual salary package she was being offered now had been revised; it was 50% less than before, having gone from 650,000 rupees ($7,849; £6,484) to 350,000…
The world’s largest coffee chain Starbucks says it is launching a line of olive oil-infused drinks in Italy. Chief executive Howard Schultz says olive oil’s “unexpected, velvety, buttery flavour… enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate.” Starbucks is among the major US businesses that have faced obstacles as they tried to expand into…
A new online shopping platform linked to one of China’s top retailers has quickly become the most downloaded app in the United States, surpassing Amazon and Walmart. Now it’s looking to capitalize from an appearance on America’s biggest stage. Temu, a Boston-based online retailer that shares the same owner as Chinese social commerce giant Pinduoduo,…
Meta is testing a subscription service which will allow Instagram and Facebook users to pay to get verified, Mark Zuckerberg announced on Instagram. “Meta Verified” will start at $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on iOS, and the company will begin releasing it in Australia and New Zealand this week and…
For the moment at least, Elon Musk is working at Tesla for free. Depending on how you look at it.Musk still has the potential to continue pulling in staggering sums of money, thanks to Tesla, but not in the way that his regular workers make their money. That’s because the CEO hasn’t taken any kind…
Amazon will require all office staff to work in-person at least three days a week, ending a policy that left remote work decisions up to team directors. As reported on BBC, boss Andy Jassy informed staff of the change on Friday, saying it would take effect on 1 May. The company is joining others such…
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down after nine years in the role. In a blog post, she said she had “decided to start a new chapter focused on my family, health and personal projects I’m passionate about.” As reported on BBC, YouTube’s chief product officer, Neal Mohan, will take over as head of the…
When Roger Federer made the decision to hang up his tennis racket last year at the age of 41, he did so as one of the most influential figures to have played the game. Federer was dominant on the court, winning 20 grand slam singles titles between 2003 and 2018 and spending a total of…
Shares of Barclays tumbled nearly 10% Wednesday after the British bank reported a sharp drop in profit, driven by increased provisions for bad debts and huge fines for wrongly sold securities in the United States. Barclays (BCS) reported a net profit of £5.97 billion ($7.2 billion) for 2022, a 15% decline on the previous year….
A Boeing 747 configured as a private VIP jet is being scrapped after having spent just 30 hours in service over 16 flights. As reported on CNN, the aircraft, originally intended for a Saudi royal, sat on the ground for almost 10 years at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, located at the border between France, Switzerland…
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says he donated around $1.95bn (£1.6bn) worth of shares in his electric carmaker to charity last year. As reported on BBC, the donation of 11.6 million shares was described in a filing with US regulators as “a bona fide gift”. The filing did not name the recipient, or recipients, of…
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has found a new TV partner for his G-Unit Film & Television company. As reported on The Hollywood Reporter, the rapper and producer has signed a non-exclusive, broadcast direct deal with Fox. As part of the deal, Jackson and G-Unit will develop scripted series, both live-action and animated, for the network….
German airline Lufthansa is ‘stabilizing’ its flight operations at Frankfurt airport after a company-wide IT outage led to a raft of flight cancellations and delays that stranded thousands of passengers in airports on Wednesday. “Lufthansa’s flight operations are currently stabilizing. Departures are also possible again in Frankfurt. The company expects the situation to ease further…
Indian tax agents conducted what they called “surveys” of BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai for a second consecutive day Wednesday, just weeks after the British broadcaster aired a documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As reported on NPR, more than a dozen income tax officials first entered BBC newsrooms early Tuesday, seizing accounts,…
People in Nigeria have taken to sleeping outside banks. They want to be among the first in line to get notes from the cash machine once it is loaded up in the morning. A lack of newly designed naira notes has led to a cash shortage and a growing sense of anxiety among those desperate…
A proposal to ban TikTok in the United States “should be looked at,” according to US Senator Chuck Schumer. “We do know there’s Chinese ownership of the company that owns TikTok. And there are some people in the Commerce Committee that are looking into that right now,” Schumer, the Senate majority leader, told George Stephanopoulos…
Yahoo has said that it will cut 20% of its total workforce by the end of this year as it restructures its advertising unit, just the latest example of the layoffs spreading throughout the tech and media industries. A Yahoo spokesperson told CNN that the company’s legacy ad tech division, Yahoo for Business, will be…
Adidas’ breakup with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is a pricey one. As reported on CNN, the company warned Thursday that it’s expected to lose $1.3 billion (1.2 billion euro) in revenue this year because it’s unable to sell the designer’s Yeezy clothing and shoes. Adidas ended its nine-year partnership with the rapper last…
More than half of Twitter’s top 1,000 advertisers in September were no longer spending on the platform in the first weeks of January, according to data provided to CNN by digital marketing analysis firm Pathmatics, in a striking sign of how far reaching the advertiser exodus has been following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company….
Hermès has secured the bag. The French fashion house has prevailed in its fight against an artist who was selling NFTs of the iconic Birkin bag, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Mason Rothschild was ordered to pay the the brand $133,000—although the long-term implications may be much more valuable than that sum. “Great…
Dell is to lay off about 6,650 workers because of the decline in demand for personal computers. As reported on BBC, the job cuts are expected to affect about 5% of its global workforce. The company faced tough market conditions with an uncertain future and its previous cost-cutting measures were no longer enough, co-chief operating…
Zoom, the video conferencing company that became a household name when remote work spiked during the Covid pandemic, is laying off 1,300 staff. As reported on BBC, the move affects about 15% of its workforce, which has seen user growth slow and profits fall recently. Boss Eric Yuan said he and other leaders would also…
Microsoft has announced a new version of its search engine Bing, which incorporates the latest in artificial intelligence. As reported on BBC, the overhaul deploys OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology, which has taken the world by storm since its launch last year. The move is by far the biggest threat Google has seen to its dominance in…
Actor Jim Carrey has listed his California mansion for sale, with the five-bedroom, nine-bathroom home being offered for almost $29 million. The sprawling 12,700-square foot property, in LA’s upmarket Brentwood neighborhood, is set across more than two acres of land, according to Sotheby’s International Realty, which is handling the sale. A series of photos accompanying…
Google on Monday unveiled a new chatbot tool dubbed “Bard” in an apparent bid to compete with the viral success of ChatGPT. As reported on BBC, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and parent company Alphabet, said in a blog post that Bard will be opened up to “trusted testers” starting Monday, with plans to make…
A takeover of English Championship club Sheffield United by Nigerian billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi is at an advanced stage. As reported on BBC, the Championship promotion contenders’ owner Prince Abdullah has been in talks with Mmobuosi, the founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of Tingo Inc, the parent company of Tingo Mobile. Talks with the Nigerian,…
Tesla co-founder Elon Musk has been cleared of wrongdoing for a tweet in which he said he had “funding secured” to take the electric carmaker back into private ownership. Shareholders argued he misled them with his posts in August 2018, and they had lost billions of dollars because of them. The proposed $72bn (£60bn) buyout…
Ashton Kutcher is making a comeback of sorts, reprising his star-making role as Michael Kelso on “That ’90s Show.” But the 44-year-old didn’t take the Netflix show because he needed a paycheck. In fact, Kutcher said in a recent profile in Esquire that he never needs to take a role for the money again. That’s…
Potential car buyers in China have found that an online advert for a luxury sports car was just too good to be true. As reported by BBC, a Porsche dealership in the the city of Yinchuan listed the brand new vehicle for 124,000 yuan ($18,300, £15,000). That is just a fraction of what it should…
Adidas is adding a third label to its brand lineup. Sportswear, a fashion-forward line aimed at Gen Z, is the company’s first full collection launch in 50 years. Situated between Adidas Originals and Performance, the Sportswear line straddles sport and style, featuring items such as football jerseys, tracksuits and athletic dresses made from performance materials….
Samsung has launched its latest lineup of flagship Galaxy smartphones, touting a better camera and enhanced gaming features as the South Korean tech giant tries to tempt people to upgrade amid weak macroeconomic conditions and waning consumer demand. The Galaxy S23 smartphone lineup features three new models: the standard S23, a slightly more expensive S23+…
Dame Dash has claimed his fellow Roc-A-Fella Records cofounder Jay-Z made him a lowball offer to buy his shares in the record label, prior to the rapper’s lawsuit against him. Dash cofounded Roc-A-Fella alongside Jay — real name Shawn Carter — and Kareem Burke in 1994. In 2021, Dash tried to sell his stake in…
If you had your heart set on Lamborghini letting loose and producing a follow-up to the modern, Aventador-based Countach, then you probably won’t like this news. Speaking to Motor1.com at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona last weekend, Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer Reuven Mohr indicated the company is focused firmly on its future. “We as…
PayPal is shedding around 2,000 jobs, or 7% of its workers, as it becomes the latest big tech firm to cut costs. As reported on BBC, the online payments company says it was forced to make the decision as it faces “the challenging macro-economic environment.” PayPal’s announcement follows tens of thousands of layoffs by technology…
Carmakers Renault and Nissan have agreed to restructure their longstanding partnership, with the French company whittling down its stake in the Japanese firm to 15%. As reported on CNN, under the agreement, Renault will transfer 28.4% of its shares in the Yokohama-based company into a French trust. Voting rights for that stake will be “neutralized”…
Mercedes-Benz will take a step towards offering a self driving car in the United States, or at least in some states, when it begins selling cars featuring its new Drive Pilot system later this year. As reported by CNN, Mercedes’ Drive Pilot system is designed to work on highways in dense traffic at speeds of…
Audi’s entry into Formula 1 has moved a step closer after the German car manufacturer acquired a minority stake in Sauber. The purchase comes three months after Sauber confirmed they would become Audi’s strategic partner when the German marque enters Formula 1 in 2026. The Swiss constructor’s current partnership with Alfa Romeo will end after…
The management and staff of BSK Studios, the mother company of BSK Streams, is glad to announce and introduce to you our first brand ambassador Venita Oghenekevwe Akpofure.Venita is an actor, reality show tv star, event host, social media influencer, and entrepreneur amongst others. BSK Streams is a multi-functional streaming platform where you can enjoy…
Chevron reported a record full-year profit of $36.5 billion, buoyed by high oil prices. As reported on CNN, adjusted earnings for the year more than doubled from the $15.6 billion Chevron earned in 2021 and up 36% from its previous record profit set in 2011. The oil company’s fourth-quarter earnings came in at $7.9 billion,…
Just like the McRib, straws might be a thing of the past at McDonald’s. The chain has begun testing strawless lids in some US cities as part of a multi-year effort to make its packaging more environmentally friendly. “These lids help optimize our packaging and eliminate the use of small plastics, just one example of…
Tesla is gearing up for a challenging 2023, after cutting prices to spur demand. The electric car company, led by billionaire Elon Musk, reported record revenue and profits in the three months to December, beating expectations. Musk acknowledged “questions” about how the firm will be affected by higher borrowing costs and a weaker economy. But…
Twitter is being sued by the Crown Estate over alleged unpaid rent for their London headquarters. As reported by BBC, the Estate – which oversees a property portfolio belonging to the King – filed a claim against Twitter in the High Court in London last week, according to Reuters news agency. The alleged arrears relate…
Microsoft on Monday confirmed it is making a “multibillion dollar” investment in OpenAI, the company behind the viral new AI chatbot tool called ChatGPT. As reported on CNN, Microsoft, an early investor in OpenAI, said it plans to expand its existing partnership with the company as part of a greater effort to add more artificial…
Amazon is expected to begin a fresh round of job cuts in what looks poised to become the largest workforce cuts in its 28-year history as reported on CNBC. Earlier this month, CEO Andy Jassy said the layoffs would affect more than 18,000 employees, primarily in its human resources and stores divisions. Amazon said in…
Twitter’s full-time headcount has dwindled to approximately 1,300 active, working employees, including fewer than 550 full-time engineers by title, according to internal records viewed by CNBC. Around 75 of the company’s 1,300 employees are on leave including about 40 engineers. As reported by CNBC, the company’s trust and safety team, which makes policy recommendations, design…
Google employees are scrambling for answers from leadership and from colleagues as the company undergoes a massive layoff. On Friday, Alphabet-owned Google announced it was cutting 12,000 employees, roughly 6% of the full-time workforce. While employees had been bracing for a potential layoff, they are questioning leadership about the criteria for layoffs which surprised some…
What goes around, comes around. Popularized in the late ’90s and early ’00s, clamshell “flip phones” were trendy for their compact design – a fraction of the size of chunky “brick” phones a few years earlier – and offered satisfying closure when you hung up a call. But flip phones weren’t ideal for texting as…
When Sony unveiled the PlayStation VR2, it announced several launch titles including heavy-hitters like Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil: Village and No Man’s Sky. As reported by GSM Arena, since then it added 11 more titles to the list and has confirmed that Grand Turismo 7 will also be part of the VR…
Google parent Alphabet Inc. is cutting 12,000 jobs worldwide in the latest round of layoffs to hit the technology sector. As reported by NBC News, CEO Sundar Pichai announced the cuts in a memo to Google employees that was later shared online in a company blog post. “This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly…
An auction for hundreds of items at Twitter’s San Francisco HQ has just ended. A statue of the platform’s famous bird logo has claimed the most expensive item sold, coming in at $100,000 (£81,000). Viewers online noted that some of the used items were no bargain, as they were selling for more than retail. The…
