With OpenAI in turmoil, has Microsoft managed to pull off the greatest tech coup in recent times? This report unpacks the unfolding saga.

Gravitas: Microsoft Hires ChatGPT Boss Sam Altman & OpenAI President Greg Brockman Following Recent Departure

In a turn of events, investors at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, are reportedly exploring legal actions against the company's board following the abrupt firing of CEO Sam Altman.

Investors concerned about potential losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars are collaborating with legal advisers to evaluate their options, Reuters sources said.&nbsp;

The board's decision to remove Altman has triggered a potential mass exodus of employees, prompting a backlash from investors who fear the collapse of this leading startup in the rapidly expanding generative AI sector.

The internal memo seen by Reuters cited&nbsp;a "breakdown of communications" as the reason behind Altman's dismissal by OpenAI's board.

Microsoft, a major stakeholder with 49 per cent ownership of the for-profit operating company, is closely linked to the controversy. The board's move has not only jeopardised the company's stability but has also put a substantial portion of investors' portfolios at risk.

OpenAI, originally established as a nonprofit, incorporated a for-profit subsidiary in 2019 to attract capital. The unique corporate structure grants more influence to employees in influencing board decisions compared to traditional venture capitalists.

Amid the turmoil, over 700 of OpenAI's employees have reportedly threatened to resign unless the board undergoes a comprehensive replacement. The challenge faced by investors seeking legal action is the distinctive structure of OpenAI.

Controlled by its nonprofit parent company, OpenAI Nonprofit, the organisation emphasises a commitment to benefiting humanity rather than prioritising investor interests. This structure provides employees with more leverage in influencing board decisions compared to venture capitalists who played a crucial role in funding the company.

Legal experts suggest that, even if investors find a legal avenue, the case would be weak, as companies have broad legal latitude in making business decisions, even those with unfavorable outcomes.

OpenAI's trajectory, from nonprofit to a hybrid structure with a for-profit subsidiary, has defined its unique governance and mission. The nonprofit parent's control over operations allows it to preserve its core mission, governance, and oversight. While nonprofit boards have legal obligations, the flexibility within these obligations gives leadership considerable leeway in making decisions.

Even with potential legal challenges, experts believe that the corporate structure, including the use of a limited liability company, could further insulate the nonprofit's directors from investor actions.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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In a turn of events, investors at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, are reportedly exploring legal actions against the company's board following the abrupt firing of CEO Sam Altman.

In a turn of events, investors at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, are reportedly exploring legal actions against the company's board following the abrupt firing of CEO Sam Altman. Investors concerned about potential losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars are collaborating with legal advisers to evaluate their options, Reuters sources said. The board's decision to remove Altman has triggered a potential mass exodus of employees, prompting a backlash from investors who fear the collapse of this leading startup in the rapidly expanding generative AI sector. The internal memo seen by Reuters cited a "breakdown of communications" as the reason behind Altman's dismissal by OpenAI's board. Microsoft, a major stakeholder with 49 per cent ownership of the for-profit operating company, is closely linked to the controversy. The board's move has not only jeopardised the company's stability but has also put a substantial portion of investors' portfolios at risk. OpenAI, originally established as a nonprofit, incorporated a for-profit subsidiary in 2019 to attract capital. The unique corporate structure grants more influence to employees in influencing board decisions compared to traditional venture capitalists. Amid the turmoil, over 700 of OpenAI's employees have reportedly threatened to resign unless the board undergoes a comprehensive replacement. The challenge faced by investors seeking legal action is the distinctive structure of OpenAI. Controlled by its nonprofit parent company, OpenAI Nonprofit, the organisation emphasises a commitment to benefiting humanity rather than prioritising investor interests. This structure provides employees with more leverage in influencing board decisions compared to venture capitalists who played a crucial role in funding the company. Legal experts suggest that, even if investors find a legal avenue, the case would be weak, as companies have broad legal latitude in making business decisions, even those with unfavorable outcomes. OpenAI's trajectory, from nonprofit to a hybrid structure with a for-profit subsidiary, has defined its unique governance and mission. The nonprofit parent's control over operations allows it to preserve its core mission, governance, and oversight. While nonprofit boards have legal obligations, the flexibility within these obligations gives leadership considerable leeway in making decisions. Even with potential legal challenges, experts believe that the corporate structure, including the use of a limited liability company, could further insulate the nonprofit's directors from investor actions. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Investor Uproar at OpenAI: Legal battle looms after CEO Sam Altman's exit

Microsoft has found itself at the forefront of the OpenAI upheaval, capitalising on the turmoil by securing ousted CEO Sam Altman and essential staff. According to Reuters, the two-fold strategic move has prevented a potential talent drain to competitors and has sent Microsoft's valuation soaring.

This unexpected development is poised to significantly impact the tech giant's market value, with shares surging and the company on track to add nearly $30 billion at current levels.

Microsoft's shares experienced a surge, rising as much as 2 per cent to reach a record high, demonstrating the positive market response to the strategic hiring from OpenAI. The company was poised to add nearly $30 billion to its market value, approaching the valuation that OpenAI commanded in its last fundraising round.

"Microsoft has been able to turn a crisis into an opportunity with the hiring of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman," Reuters quoted Gil Luria, senior software analyst at D.A. Davidson as saying. The surge in Microsoft's shares showcases the market's favourable view of the company's ability to navigate the complexities of the OpenAI position and strengthen its base in the AI race.

The letter from around 500 OpenAI employees, threatening to leave unless Altman and Brockman were reinstated, adds another layer to the story. The potential exodus was driven by concerns over governance and the impact on a planned share sale at an $86 billion valuation, potentially affecting staff payouts at OpenAI. Microsoft's assurance to these employees of positions at the new subsidiary, combined with the surge in shares, is an added advantage.

"The OpenAI for-profit subsidiary was about to conduct a secondary at a $80 billion+ valuation. These 'Profit Participation Units' were going to be worth $10 million+ for key employees. Suffice it to say this is not going to happen now," a newsletter by SemiAnalysis said.

The valuation dynamics not only impact OpenAI but also position Microsoft as a key player in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Microsoft has found itself at the forefront of the OpenAI upheaval, capitalising on the turmoil by securing ousted CEO Sam Altman and essential staff. According to Reuters, the two-fold strategic move has prevented a potential talent drain to competitors and has sent Microsoft's valuation soaring.

Microsoft has found itself at the forefront of the OpenAI upheaval, capitalising on the turmoil by securing ousted CEO Sam Altman and essential staff. According to Reuters, the two-fold strategic move has prevented a potential talent drain to competitors and has sent Microsoft's valuation soaring. This unexpected development is poised to significantly impact the tech giant's market value, with shares surging and the company on track to add nearly $30 billion at current levels. Microsoft's shares experienced a surge, rising as much as 2 per cent to reach a record high, demonstrating the positive market response to the strategic hiring from OpenAI. The company was poised to add nearly $30 billion to its market value, approaching the valuation that OpenAI commanded in its last fundraising round. "Microsoft has been able to turn a crisis into an opportunity with the hiring of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman," Reuters quoted Gil Luria, senior software analyst at D.A. Davidson as saying. The surge in Microsoft's shares showcases the market's favourable view of the company's ability to navigate the complexities of the OpenAI position and strengthen its base in the AI race. The letter from around 500 OpenAI employees, threatening to leave unless Altman and Brockman were reinstated, adds another layer to the story. The potential exodus was driven by concerns over governance and the impact on a planned share sale at an $86 billion valuation, potentially affecting staff payouts at OpenAI. Microsoft's assurance to these employees of positions at the new subsidiary, combined with the surge in shares, is an added advantage. "The OpenAI for-profit subsidiary was about to conduct a secondary at a $80 billion+ valuation. These 'Profit Participation Units' were going to be worth $10 million+ for key employees. Suffice it to say this is not going to happen now," a newsletter by SemiAnalysis said. The valuation dynamics not only impact OpenAI but also position Microsoft as a key player in shaping the future of artificial intelligence. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Microsoft's valuation soars as OpenAI turmoil unfurls: CEO and key staff join forces

Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Kevin Scott has extended an olive branch to the disgruntled employees at OpenAI, agreeing to match their current compensation amid the upheaval following the sudden removal of CEO Sam Altman.

In a post on X, Scott expressed Microsoft's appreciation for the OpenAI employees' petition and their potential interest in joining the new AI Research Lab at Microsoft. He assured them that if needed, Microsoft would offer roles matching their current compensation, aligning with the collective mission.

The future of OpenAI remains uncertain after Altman's departure, and it's unclear where he will work. &nbsp;

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman and his colleagues would join Microsoft as part of a new AI research group, triggering more than 600 OpenAI employees to sign a letter threatening to follow their former manager unless the board members resigned. &nbsp;

In an interview with CNBC, Nadella emphasised the need for changes in OpenAI's governance but did not explicitly confirm Altman and Brockman's move to Microsoft, indicating a dynamic situation.

According to CNBC, Altman's dismissal from OpenAI stemmed from the board's assertion that he was "not consistently candid in his communications". &nbsp;

After a weekend of negotiations and the possibility of Altman's reinstatement, former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear was appointed interim head. &nbsp;

OpenAI's board, now reduced to four members, including chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who expressed regret for his role in the decision, has not elaborated on the reasons behind Altman's ouster.

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Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Kevin Scott has extended an olive branch to the disgruntled employees at OpenAI, agreeing to match their current compensation amid the upheaval following the sudden removal of CEO Sam Altman.

Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Kevin Scott has extended an olive branch to the disgruntled employees at OpenAI, agreeing to match their current compensation amid the upheaval following the sudden removal of CEO Sam Altman. In a post on X, Scott expressed Microsoft's appreciation for the OpenAI employees' petition and their potential interest in joining the new AI Research Lab at Microsoft. He assured them that if needed, Microsoft would offer roles matching their current compensation, aligning with the collective mission. The future of OpenAI remains uncertain after Altman's departure, and it's unclear where he will work. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman and his colleagues would join Microsoft as part of a new AI research group, triggering more than 600 OpenAI employees to sign a letter threatening to follow their former manager unless the board members resigned. In an interview with CNBC, Nadella emphasised the need for changes in OpenAI's governance but did not explicitly confirm Altman and Brockman's move to Microsoft, indicating a dynamic situation. According to CNBC, Altman's dismissal from OpenAI stemmed from the board's assertion that he was "not consistently candid in his communications". After a weekend of negotiations and the possibility of Altman's reinstatement, former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear was appointed interim head. OpenAI's board, now reduced to four members, including chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who expressed regret for his role in the decision, has not elaborated on the reasons behind Altman's ouster. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Microsoft CTO offers matching compensation to OpenAI employees amid leadership issues

OpenAI and Microsoft are confronting a new legal challenge as they are being sued over allegations of misusing nonfiction authors' work to train artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI's popular chatbot ChatGPT. &nbsp;

According to Reuters, Hollywood Reporter editor Julian Sancton, leading the proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that OpenAI copied tens of thousands of nonfiction books without permission to instruct its large language models in responding to human text prompts. &nbsp;

This lawsuit is part of a series of legal actions brought by copyright owners, including notable authors like John Grisham and George R.R. Martin, against tech companies, with OpenAI and others refuting the allegations.&nbsp;

Sancton's complaint stands out as the first author lawsuit against OpenAI to also name Microsoft as a defendant. Microsoft, a significant investor in OpenAI, has integrated the startup's AI systems into its products. &nbsp;

The lawsuit has brought out the tension between the value of OpenAI's AI platform and the alleged unauthorised use of copyrighted works, as highlighted by Sancton's attorney, Justin Nelson, who stated, "While OpenAI and Microsoft refuse to pay nonfiction authors, their AI platform is worth a fortune. The basis of OpenAI is nothing less than the rampant theft of copyrighted works."&nbsp;

The lawsuit details that OpenAI used nonfiction books, including Sancton's "Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night," for training its GPT large language models. It also claims that Microsoft played a significant role in the training and development of these models, making the company liable for copyright infringement.&nbsp;

Amid the legal battle, Sancton seeks unspecified monetary damages and a court order to prevent further alleged infringement.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

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OpenAI and Microsoft are confronting a new legal challenge as they are being sued over allegations of misusing nonfiction authors' work to train artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI's popular chatbot ChatGPT.

OpenAI and Microsoft are confronting a new legal challenge as they are being sued over allegations of misusing nonfiction authors' work to train artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI's popular chatbot ChatGPT. According to Reuters, Hollywood Reporter editor Julian Sancton, leading the proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that OpenAI copied tens of thousands of nonfiction books without permission to instruct its large language models in responding to human text prompts. This lawsuit is part of a series of legal actions brought by copyright owners, including notable authors like John Grisham and George R.R. Martin, against tech companies, with OpenAI and others refuting the allegations. Sancton's complaint stands out as the first author lawsuit against OpenAI to also name Microsoft as a defendant. Microsoft, a significant investor in OpenAI, has integrated the startup's AI systems into its products. The lawsuit has brought out the tension between the value of OpenAI's AI platform and the alleged unauthorised use of copyrighted works, as highlighted by Sancton's attorney, Justin Nelson, who stated, "While OpenAI and Microsoft refuse to pay nonfiction authors, their AI platform is worth a fortune. The basis of OpenAI is nothing less than the rampant theft of copyrighted works." The lawsuit details that OpenAI used nonfiction books, including Sancton's "Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night," for training its GPT large language models. It also claims that Microsoft played a significant role in the training and development of these models, making the company liable for copyright infringement. Amid the legal battle, Sancton seeks unspecified monetary damages and a court order to prevent further alleged infringement. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

OpenAI, Microsoft face lawsuits over unauthorized use of authors' work in AI training 

Microsoft stock reached a record high on Monday after the company said that Sam Altman, former chief executive of OpenAI, will join the company to head its artificial intelligence innovation leg.

Microsoft stock hits all-time high after hiring former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Elon Musk was very active on Twitter (now X) anyway, and after he took over the social media platform, his posts (formerly tweets) are getting greater attention. Musk often pokes fun at trending issues, and in focus this time is the Sam Altman-OPenAI saga and the Microsoft bit that followed it.

Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI that created the hugely popular AI tool ChatGPT was fired from the company just days ago. In a public statement, OpenAI's board accused Altman of hiding information and said that it no longer had confidence in Altman's leadership of the company.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on Monday (November 20) that Altman will join&nbsp;the company and will head an artificial intelligence division.

Enter Elon Musk.

The billionaire entrepreneur has quipped that since Altman has now joined Microsoft "...they will have to use&nbsp;Teams'

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Now they will have to use Teams!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1726517415356629320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Teams is a workplace communication application developed by Microsoft and though the employees can have a lighthearted workplace chat using emojis and even gifs, the communication on Teams has some semblance of being semi-official.&nbsp;

It has been reported, that OpenAI board fired Altman during a meeting organised on Google Meet and not Teams, which was used at OpenAI. Musk's poke appears to suggest that if ever Microsoft fires Altman, they cannot avoid using Teams as it is in-house workplace communication app.&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/explained-a-timeline-of-sam-altmans-troubled-journey-from-openai-to-microsoft-660785">Explained | Boardroom battle: Timeline of Sam Altman’s quick journey from OpenAI to Microsoft</a>

Microsoft, which has dragged former OpenAI CEO in its camp, itself owns 49 per cent of the firm. In the post, Musk has commented on, Nadella was assuring that the tech giant remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI.

"We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI's new leadership team and working with them. And we’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success," Nadella posted.

Elon Musk was very active on Twitter (now X) anyway, and after he took over the social media platform, his posts (formerly tweets) are getting greater attention.

Elon Musk was very active on Twitter (now X) anyway, and after he took over the social media platform, his posts (formerly tweets) are getting greater attention. Musk often pokes fun at trending issues, and in focus this time is the Sam Altman-OPenAI saga and the Microsoft bit that followed it. Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI that created the hugely popular AI tool ChatGPT was fired from the company just days ago. In a public statement, OpenAI's board accused Altman of hiding information and said that it no longer had confidence in Altman's leadership of the company. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on Monday (November 20) that Altman will join the company and will head an artificial intelligence division. Enter Elon Musk. The billionaire entrepreneur has quipped that since Altman has now joined Microsoft "...they will have to use Teams' Now they will have to use Teams! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2023 × Teams is a workplace communication application developed by Microsoft and though the employees can have a lighthearted workplace chat using emojis and even gifs, the communication on Teams has some semblance of being semi-official. It has been reported, that OpenAI board fired Altman during a meeting organised on Google Meet and not Teams, which was used at OpenAI. Musk's poke appears to suggest that if ever Microsoft fires Altman, they cannot avoid using Teams as it is in-house workplace communication app. Also Read: Explained | Boardroom battle: Timeline of Sam Altman’s quick journey from OpenAI to Microsoft Microsoft, which has dragged former OpenAI CEO in its camp, itself owns 49 per cent of the firm. In the post, Musk has commented on, Nadella was assuring that the tech giant remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI. "We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI's new leadership team and working with them. And we’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success," Nadella posted.

Elon Musk takes a dig after Satya Nadella announces Altman is joining Microsoft

Around 500 employees at OpenAI have threatened to leave the artificial intelligence (AI) firm unless the board resigns and reinstates Sam Altman as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) along with co-founder Greg Brockman. According to a report by Wired on Monday (Nov 20), these 490 employees wrote a letter to the board saying, "The process through which you terminated Sam Altman and removed Greg Brockman from the board has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company."

“Your conduct has made it clear you did not have the competence to oversee OpenAI,” the letter added. This letter just comes hours after it was announced Altman and Brockman would be joining Microsoft to head a new advanced AI research unit.

The staff also said that they would join Altman at Microsoft unless their demands were met.&nbsp;

The report said that one of the signatories of this letter was OpenAI's Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever who is also a member of the board. Sutskever was blamed for coordinating the coup against Altman in the first place.

In a post on X, he said, "I deeply regret my participation in the board's actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company." 
&nbsp;

Around 500 employees at OpenAI have threatened to leave the artificial intelligence (AI) firm unless the board resigns and reinstates Sam Altman as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) along with co-founder Greg Brockman.

Around 500 employees at OpenAI have threatened to leave the artificial intelligence (AI) firm unless the board resigns and reinstates Sam Altman as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) along with co-founder Greg Brockman. According to a report by Wired on Monday (Nov 20), these 490 employees wrote a letter to the board saying, "The process through which you terminated Sam Altman and removed Greg Brockman from the board has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company." “Your conduct has made it clear you did not have the competence to oversee OpenAI,” the letter added. This letter just comes hours after it was announced Altman and Brockman would be joining Microsoft to head a new advanced AI research unit. The staff also said that they would join Altman at Microsoft unless their demands were met. The report said that one of the signatories of this letter was OpenAI's Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever who is also a member of the board. Sutskever was blamed for coordinating the coup against Altman in the first place. In a post on X, he said, "I deeply regret my participation in the board's actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company."

Over 500 OpenAI staff threaten to quit unless board resigns and reinstates Sam Altman, Greg Brockman

On Thursday (Nov 16), when Sam Altman appeared on stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in downtown San Francisco, little did he know that would be his last public appearance as the CEO of OpenAI.

At 7:40 pm the same day, the tech wonderkind who is also the cofounder of the ambitious cryptocurrency Worldcoin, reportedly rushed to a meeting, without giving any further detail to his colleagues.

On Friday, the bombshell news broke that Altman was no longer the CEO of OpenAI, the revolutionary artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT. The company’s board of directors alleged that he was not being “consistently candid in his communications.”

The four-member board said it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

The news of Altman getting sacked by OpenAI left the company’s employees stunned, including the President and Co-Founder of OpenAI Greg Brockman.

Brockman was quick to tender his own resignation from the company on Saturday (Nov 18).

“Genuinely wishing you all nothing but the best,” Brockman wrote in his post on X. “I continue to believe in the mission of creating safe (artificial general intelligence) that benefits all of humanity,” he added.

<h2>A boardroom coup: Who fired Sam Altman?</h2>

OpenAI’s board consists of four people—co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, former GeoSim Systems CEO Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner, an alumnus of Open Philanthropy and the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

None of them owns shares in the company, and neither does Sam Altman, apart from some indirect investments.

According to the report by Verge, Ilya Sutskever, who heads OpenAI’s research team, played a key role in the ousting of Altman.&nbsp;

It must be noted that OpenAI’s board is not tasked with maximising the company’s profits, as it is in the case of traditional companies. The motto of the board is to ensure the creation of “broadly beneficial” artificial general intelligence, or AGI.

According to reports, there was a battle simmering between two warring factions within the OpenAI. The other faction, led by Sutskeve, which focused on the dangers associated with the superintelligent AI, seems to have won.

<h2>Altman’s plans to launch a new venture</h2>

Soon after Altman was told to step down as OpenAI’s CEO, the news came that he and Brockman were already planning to ditch the ChatGPT parent and preparing to launch their own AI venture.

He was allegedly talking to investors regarding his new firm, which was still “in development”, reports said on Saturday. It was also anticipated that many of his old recruits at OpenAI could also join the new venture.

The news was never confirmed by Sam Altman. Additionally, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, made clear in a statement to the employees that Sam’s departure was over a “breakdown in communication between Sam and the board”, and not “malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices”.

<h2>More confusion</h2>

Adding to the confusion, The Verge reported on Saturday that OpenAI was in negotiations with Altman to return as the CEO.

On Sunday, Altman and Brockman met executives at the Open AI's San Francisco headquarters after being invited by interim CEO Mira Murati, according to a report by The Information.

Murati had plans to re-hire her ousted predecessor, a Bloomberg report claimed at the time.

However, Altman is believed to have firmly rejected the offer. He posted an image of himself at the company’s HQ holding a guest ID pass with the caption, “First and last time i ever wear one of these.”

Soon, Ilya Sutskever revealed in a statement to the company’s employees that ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear will become the new interim CEO.

<h2>Microsoft comes into the picture</h2>

On Monday (Nov 20), Microsoft - which has integrated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine some months ago-&nbsp; announced that it was hiring both Sam Altman and Brockman to lead the company’s new advanced AI research team.

“We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team,” announced CEO Satya Nadella on X.

Watch:&nbsp;Microsoft AI inserts distasteful poll into a Guardian news report

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Altman also acknowledged he was joining Microsoft by reposting Nadella with the message “the mission continues.”

Microsoft has already built its own custom AI chip that can be used to train large language models and potentially avoid a costly reliance on Nvidia.

Also, Microsoft and OpenAI were already cooperating to refine and test the Maia AI chip, built specially to run large language models, a type of AI software that underpins Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service.

Being a former OpenAI boss, Altman is anyway no stranger to Microsoft. The tech giant already has a “multibillion dollar investment” in OpenAI, rumoured to be worth around $10 billion.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-openai-chief-sam-altman-seen-outside-firms-hq-amid-reports-of-being-invited-by-interim-ceo-660602">Also read:&nbsp;Sam Altman joins Microsoft after rejecting offer to be rehired at OpenAI</a>

In fact, Microsoft is the exclusive cloud partner for OpenAI, and Microsoft’s cloud services power all OpenAI workloads across products, API services, and research.

So, Microsoft is also following developments at OpenAI very closely.&nbsp;

“We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI’s new leadership team and working with them,” Nadella announced, hinting that Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI won’t change due to the recent leadership overhaul.

(With inputs from agencies)

On Thursday (Nov 16), when Sam Altman appeared on stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in downtown San Francisco, little did he know that would be his last public appearance as the CEO of OpenAI.

On Thursday (Nov 16), when Sam Altman appeared on stage at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in downtown San Francisco, little did he know that would be his last public appearance as the CEO of OpenAI. At 7:40 pm the same day, the tech wonderkind who is also the cofounder of the ambitious cryptocurrency Worldcoin, reportedly rushed to a meeting, without giving any further detail to his colleagues. On Friday, the bombshell news broke that Altman was no longer the CEO of OpenAI, the revolutionary artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT. The company’s board of directors alleged that he was not being “consistently candid in his communications.” The four-member board said it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.” The news of Altman getting sacked by OpenAI left the company’s employees stunned, including the President and Co-Founder of OpenAI Greg Brockman. Brockman was quick to tender his own resignation from the company on Saturday (Nov 18). “Genuinely wishing you all nothing but the best,” Brockman wrote in his post on X. “I continue to believe in the mission of creating safe (artificial general intelligence) that benefits all of humanity,” he added. A boardroom coup: Who fired Sam Altman? OpenAI’s board consists of four people—co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, former GeoSim Systems CEO Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner, an alumnus of Open Philanthropy and the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. None of them owns shares in the company, and neither does Sam Altman, apart from some indirect investments. According to the report by Verge, Ilya Sutskever, who heads OpenAI’s research team, played a key role in the ousting of Altman. It must be noted that OpenAI’s board is not tasked with maximising the company’s profits, as it is in the case of traditional companies. The motto of the board is to ensure the creation of “broadly beneficial” artificial general intelligence, or AGI. According to reports, there was a battle simmering between two warring factions within the OpenAI. The other faction, led by Sutskeve, which focused on the dangers associated with the superintelligent AI, seems to have won. Altman’s plans to launch a new venture Soon after Altman was told to step down as OpenAI’s CEO, the news came that he and Brockman were already planning to ditch the ChatGPT parent and preparing to launch their own AI venture. He was allegedly talking to investors regarding his new firm, which was still “in development”, reports said on Saturday. It was also anticipated that many of his old recruits at OpenAI could also join the new venture. The news was never confirmed by Sam Altman. Additionally, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, made clear in a statement to the employees that Sam’s departure was over a “breakdown in communication between Sam and the board”, and not “malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices”. More confusion Adding to the confusion, The Verge reported on Saturday that OpenAI was in negotiations with Altman to return as the CEO. On Sunday, Altman and Brockman met executives at the Open AI's San Francisco headquarters after being invited by interim CEO Mira Murati, according to a report by The Information. Murati had plans to re-hire her ousted predecessor, a Bloomberg report claimed at the time. However, Altman is believed to have firmly rejected the offer. He posted an image of himself at the company’s HQ holding a guest ID pass with the caption, “First and last time i ever wear one of these.” Soon, Ilya Sutskever revealed in a statement to the company’s employees that ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear will become the new interim CEO. Microsoft comes into the picture On Monday (Nov 20), Microsoft - which has integrated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine some months ago- announced that it was hiring both Sam Altman and Brockman to lead the company’s new advanced AI research team. “We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team,” announced CEO Satya Nadella on X. Watch: Microsoft AI inserts distasteful poll into a Guardian news report × Altman also acknowledged he was joining Microsoft by reposting Nadella with the message “the mission continues.” Microsoft has already built its own custom AI chip that can be used to train large language models and potentially avoid a costly reliance on Nvidia. Also, Microsoft and OpenAI were already cooperating to refine and test the Maia AI chip, built specially to run large language models, a type of AI software that underpins Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service. Being a former OpenAI boss, Altman is anyway no stranger to Microsoft. The tech giant already has a “multibillion dollar investment” in OpenAI, rumoured to be worth around $10 billion. Also read: Sam Altman joins Microsoft after rejecting offer to be rehired at OpenAI In fact, Microsoft is the exclusive cloud partner for OpenAI, and Microsoft’s cloud services power all OpenAI workloads across products, API services, and research. So, Microsoft is also following developments at OpenAI very closely. “We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI’s new leadership team and working with them,” Nadella announced, hinting that Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI won’t change due to the recent leadership overhaul. (With inputs from agencies)

Explained | Boardroom battle: Timeline of Sam Altman’s quick journey from OpenAI to Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a known cricket lover, has revealed that he ended up watching the India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal late in the night, hours ahead of his keynote address at the company's Ignite 2023 developer conference.&nbsp;

A video clip of the event going viral on social media shows Nadella mentioning that his team was not aware that they scheduled the keynote on the same day as the World Cup knockout match.&nbsp;

“Little did we know when we scheduled Ignite that we will schedule it on the same day when there is the World Cup semi-final going on, in cricket," said a grinning Nadella.&nbsp;

“And I’ve been up all night, but it finished five minutes ago.&nbsp;I am glad it did. This is the short version of the game, by the way,” he added.

Some eagle-eyed users on social media noted that the keynote address had started a bit late and guessed that it might have been due to Nadella watching the match.

“Did the #MSIgnite keynote start&nbsp;a few minutes late because Satya Nadella was watching the cricket?" said one user.&nbsp;

<h2>Nadella - a big cricket buff</h2>

Notably, this is not the first time Nadella has professed&nbsp;his love for cricket. In several interviews, Nadella has highlighted that he played cricket as part of his school team.&nbsp;

Such has been Nadella's passion for the sport that the Microsoft campus in&nbsp;Redmond, Washington, now has an actual oval-shaped cricket ground.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/world-cup-2023-in-pics-five-top-moments-from-indias-stunning-victory-against-south-africa-655471">World Cup 2023: IN PICS - Five top moments from India's stunning victory against South Africa</a>

Batting first in the semifinal in front of a packed Wankhede stadium crowd in the western city of Mumbai, India managed to put a daunting 397-run total on the board. Riding on a record-breaking century from Virat Kohli, who eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI centuries record, India managed to bat the Kiwis out of the match.&nbsp;

Apart from Kohli, Shreyas Iyer also smashed his consecutive century of the World Cup before Mohammed Shami turned up in the second innings and picked up a career-best seven wickets to dismantle the opposition.&nbsp;

In the end, India won the contest by 70 runs to set up a date with destiny at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (Nov 19).&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a known cricket lover, has revealed that he ended up watching the India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal late in the night, hours ahead of his keynote address at the company's Ignite 2023 developer conference.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a known cricket lover, has revealed that he ended up watching the India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal late in the night, hours ahead of his keynote address at the company's Ignite 2023 developer conference. A video clip of the event going viral on social media shows Nadella mentioning that his team was not aware that they scheduled the keynote on the same day as the World Cup knockout match. “Little did we know when we scheduled Ignite that we will schedule it on the same day when there is the World Cup semi-final going on, in cricket," said a grinning Nadella. “And I’ve been up all night, but it finished five minutes ago. I am glad it did. This is the short version of the game, by the way,” he added. Some eagle-eyed users on social media noted that the keynote address had started a bit late and guessed that it might have been due to Nadella watching the match. “Did the #MSIgnite keynote start a few minutes late because Satya Nadella was watching the cricket?" said one user. Nadella - a big cricket buff Notably, this is not the first time Nadella has professed his love for cricket. In several interviews, Nadella has highlighted that he played cricket as part of his school team. Such has been Nadella's passion for the sport that the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, now has an actual oval-shaped cricket ground. World Cup 2023: IN PICS - Five top moments from India's stunning victory against South Africa Batting first in the semifinal in front of a packed Wankhede stadium crowd in the western city of Mumbai, India managed to put a daunting 397-run total on the board. Riding on a record-breaking century from Virat Kohli, who eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI centuries record, India managed to bat the Kiwis out of the match. Apart from Kohli, Shreyas Iyer also smashed his consecutive century of the World Cup before Mohammed Shami turned up in the second innings and picked up a career-best seven wickets to dismantle the opposition. In the end, India won the contest by 70 runs to set up a date with destiny at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (Nov 19). (With inputs from agencies)

Satya Nadella late at Microsoft event due to India vs NZ semifinal World Cup match? Internet thinks so

Microsoft chief on Saturday (Nov 11) accused Russia of disseminating "disinformation" about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as tensions soar in the Middle East region.

Microsoft vice chair and president, Brad Smith, on being asked about his company's role in promoting peace at an international peace forum in Paris, said that the US tech giant and its rivals were battling disinformation, especially with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He stated that Microsoft and other companies are doing this "by creating technological tools that facilitate the detection of manipulated, modified, altered content," according to remarks translated into French by radio France Inter.&nbsp;

"We are getting very good at identifying a Russian campaign, like when they tried to tell people not to get the Covid vaccine," he said.

"Or today, when we see Russian disinformation in the Middle East," he added.

He said the three options encountering tech platforms that determine this kind of false information are to simply, delete it, or re-label it and flag that the content has been modified.

"There is no societal consensus about what companies should do," Smith added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-confiscates-new-york-mayors-mobile-phones-says-campaign-lawyer-657467">FBI confiscates New York mayor Eric Adams' mobile phones, says campaign lawyer</a>

The Paris Peace Forum unfurled against a backdrop of an upsurge in the conflict around the globe, and more than a month into the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas launched unprecedented attacks against Israel on Oct 7, which Tel Aviv claims killed nearly 1,200 people and 239 were taken hostages by the militant group's gunmen.

Israel has since then retaliated by fiercely bombarding Gaza.

Earlier, the EU had opened disinformation probes into TikTok, X and Meta amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-hamas-used-a-school-in-gaza-as-its-military-base-claims-idf-657475">Video: Hamas used a school in Gaza as its military base, claims IDF</a>

The European Commission had sent formal requests seeking details on measures taken by the tech giants to curb the spread of false information on their respective platforms.

"I would ask you to be very vigilant to ensure strict compliance with the DSA rules on terms of service, on the requirement of timely, diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU, and on the need for proportionate and effective mitigation measures," the European Union's industry chief Thierry Breton told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a letter.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Microsoft chief on Saturday (Nov 11) accused Russia of disseminating "disinformation" about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as tensions soar in the Middle East region.

Microsoft chief on Saturday (Nov 11) accused Russia of disseminating "disinformation" about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas as tensions soar in the Middle East region. Microsoft vice chair and president, Brad Smith, on being asked about his company's role in promoting peace at an international peace forum in Paris, said that the US tech giant and its rivals were battling disinformation, especially with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He stated that Microsoft and other companies are doing this "by creating technological tools that facilitate the detection of manipulated, modified, altered content," according to remarks translated into French by radio France Inter. "We are getting very good at identifying a Russian campaign, like when they tried to tell people not to get the Covid vaccine," he said. "Or today, when we see Russian disinformation in the Middle East," he added. He said the three options encountering tech platforms that determine this kind of false information are to simply, delete it, or re-label it and flag that the content has been modified. "There is no societal consensus about what companies should do," Smith added. Also read: FBI confiscates New York mayor Eric Adams' mobile phones, says campaign lawyer The Paris Peace Forum unfurled against a backdrop of an upsurge in the conflict around the globe, and more than a month into the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas launched unprecedented attacks against Israel on Oct 7, which Tel Aviv claims killed nearly 1,200 people and 239 were taken hostages by the militant group's gunmen. Israel has since then retaliated by fiercely bombarding Gaza. Earlier, the EU had opened disinformation probes into TikTok, X and Meta amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Also read: Video: Hamas used a school in Gaza as its military base, claims IDF The European Commission had sent formal requests seeking details on measures taken by the tech giants to curb the spread of false information on their respective platforms. "I would ask you to be very vigilant to ensure strict compliance with the DSA rules on terms of service, on the requirement of timely, diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU, and on the need for proportionate and effective mitigation measures," the European Union's industry chief Thierry Breton told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a letter. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Microsoft chief Brad Smith says Russia spreading 'disinformation' about Israel-Hamas war

LinkedIn, the business-oriented social network under the ownership of Microsoft, announced that it has exceeded 1 billion members on Wednesday. In conjunction with this achievement, the platform is introducing additional artificial intelligence (AI) features designed to enhance the experience of paying subscribers.&nbsp;

By reaching the billion-users mark, LinkedIn joins the elite ranks of social media networks, establishing itself as one of the premier platforms in its category.&nbsp;&nbsp;Around 80 per cent of its recent members have originated from countries outside of the United States, reflecting its global appeal and reach.&nbsp;

LinkedIn offers both free and subscription-based membership tiers. Users subscribed to the premium tier, priced at $39.99 per month, will have access to an array of new AI features that can assist job seekers in making more informed decisions. For instance, the AI system can evaluate a user's profile and provide recommendations on whether they are a strong fit for a particular job, making the job search process more efficient and targeted.&nbsp;

Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, highlighted that the objective of these AI capabilities is to empower users, enabling them to transition from merely viewing job postings and feeling uncertain to making substantial progress in a single session, ultimately fostering more meaningful interactions.&nbsp;

Furthermore, LinkedIn is introducing a feature that simplifies lengthy posts by summarising them into key bullet points tailored for individual users. These summaries are customised to the user's profile and preferences, ensuring that the key takeaways align with their professional interests and goals. &nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

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LinkedIn, the business-oriented social network under the ownership of Microsoft, announced that it has exceeded 1 billion members on Wednesday. In conjunction with this achievement, the platform is introducing additional artificial intelligence (AI) features designed to enhance the experience of paying subscribers.

LinkedIn, the business-oriented social network under the ownership of Microsoft, announced that it has exceeded 1 billion members on Wednesday. In conjunction with this achievement, the platform is introducing additional artificial intelligence (AI) features designed to enhance the experience of paying subscribers. By reaching the billion-users mark, LinkedIn joins the elite ranks of social media networks, establishing itself as one of the premier platforms in its category. Around 80 per cent of its recent members have originated from countries outside of the United States, reflecting its global appeal and reach. LinkedIn offers both free and subscription-based membership tiers. Users subscribed to the premium tier, priced at $39.99 per month, will have access to an array of new AI features that can assist job seekers in making more informed decisions. For instance, the AI system can evaluate a user's profile and provide recommendations on whether they are a strong fit for a particular job, making the job search process more efficient and targeted. Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, highlighted that the objective of these AI capabilities is to empower users, enabling them to transition from merely viewing job postings and feeling uncertain to making substantial progress in a single session, ultimately fostering more meaningful interactions. Furthermore, LinkedIn is introducing a feature that simplifies lengthy posts by summarising them into key bullet points tailored for individual users. These summaries are customised to the user's profile and preferences, ensuring that the key takeaways align with their professional interests and goals. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

LinkedIn surpasses 1 billion members, expands AI capabilities for job seekers

There's a new member in the one billion-user club. We are talking about Linkedin, the job-focused social network platform. The Microsoft-owned platform now has over 1 billion members, putting it in the league of Facebook & Instagram.

Linkedin crosses 1 billion users | World Business Watch

Microsoft has launched a probe after a leading UK-based newspaper slammed the tech giant for an AI-generated poll on one of the news articles. The poll ran within Microsoft's curated news aggregator platform Microsoft Start.

Microsoft AI inserts distasteful poll into a Guardian news report

Microsoft has launched a probe after a leading UK-based newspaper slammed the tech giant for an AI-generated poll on one of the news articles. The poll ran within Microsoft's curated news aggregator platform Microsoft Start.&nbsp;

The poll was about the death of a 21-year-old woman — a news article done by The Guardian. The report was on Lilie James, a water polo coach who was found dead with serious head injuries at a high school in Sydney, Australia.&nbsp;

The poll asked the online users - "What do you think is the reasons behind the woman's death?"&nbsp;The intention was to get answers based on readers' votes on whether they thought the woman had died by murder, suicide or accident.&nbsp;

The users also reacted sharply to the polls, as one of the reactions read, "This has to be the most pathetic, disgusting poll I've seen. The author should be ashamed."&nbsp;

Another user said in a sarcastic tone that it's "nice to know we can take a poll on how this woman died".&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/london-ai-summit-throws-spotlight-on-scientist-alan-turings-legacy-653814">London AI summit throws spotlight on scientist Alan Turing's legacy</a>

The Guardian Media Group accused Microsoft of causing "significant reputational damage" with an AI-generated poll, and on Tuesday, it asked the tech giant to take responsibility for the poll publicly.&nbsp;

In a statement to Axios on Wednesday, Microsoft said that a "poll should not have appeared alongside an article of this nature, and we are taking steps to help prevent this kind of error from reoccurring in the future".&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-among-28-countries-to-sign-first-international-declaration-to-address-risks-of-ai-654120">India among 28 countries to sign first international declaration to address risks of AI</a>&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Linkedin crosses 1 billion users&nbsp;

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As reported by Axios, Guardian CEO Anna Bateson wrote to Microsoft president Brad Smith: "This is clearly an inappropriate use of genAI by Microsoft on a potentially distressing public interest story, originally written and published by Guardian journalists."&nbsp;

Bateson's letter added that "this application of genAI by Microsoft is exactly the sort of instance that we have warned about in relation to news".&nbsp;

It added that this is a "key reason why we have previously requested to your teams that we do not want Microsoft's experimental genAI technologies applied to journalism licensed from the Guardian".&nbsp;

In the letter, she even argued that Microsoft should take "full responsibility for it" and even suggested that they should run a poll on it.&nbsp;

Bateson asked Microsoft to assure that it will not apply "experimental technologies on or alongside Guardian licensed journalism" without its explicit approval.&nbsp;

Microsoft has launched a probe after a leading UK-based newspaper slammed the tech giant for an AI-generated poll on one of the news articles. The poll ran within Microsoft's curated news aggregator platform Microsoft Start. The poll was about the death of a 21-year-old woman — a news article done by The Guardian. The report was on Lilie James, a water polo coach who was found dead with serious head injuries at a high school in Sydney, Australia. The poll asked the online users - "What do you think is the reasons behind the woman's death?" The intention was to get answers based on readers' votes on whether they thought the woman had died by murder, suicide or accident. The users also reacted sharply to the polls, as one of the reactions read, "This has to be the most pathetic, disgusting poll I've seen. The author should be ashamed." Another user said in a sarcastic tone that it's "nice to know we can take a poll on how this woman died". Also read: London AI summit throws spotlight on scientist Alan Turing's legacy The Guardian Media Group accused Microsoft of causing "significant reputational damage" with an AI-generated poll, and on Tuesday, it asked the tech giant to take responsibility for the poll publicly. In a statement to Axios on Wednesday, Microsoft said that a "poll should not have appeared alongside an article of this nature, and we are taking steps to help prevent this kind of error from reoccurring in the future". Also read: India among 28 countries to sign first international declaration to address risks of AI Watch: Linkedin crosses 1 billion users × As reported by Axios, Guardian CEO Anna Bateson wrote to Microsoft president Brad Smith: "This is clearly an inappropriate use of genAI by Microsoft on a potentially distressing public interest story, originally written and published by Guardian journalists." Bateson's letter added that "this application of genAI by Microsoft is exactly the sort of instance that we have warned about in relation to news". It added that this is a "key reason why we have previously requested to your teams that we do not want Microsoft's experimental genAI technologies applied to journalism licensed from the Guardian". In the letter, she even argued that Microsoft should take "full responsibility for it" and even suggested that they should run a poll on it. Bateson asked Microsoft to assure that it will not apply "experimental technologies on or alongside Guardian licensed journalism" without its explicit approval.

Newspaper slams Microsoft for 'significant reputational damage' by AI-generated poll

Google CEO Sundar Pichai took a stand in an epic courtroom showdown, where he didn't hold back in his criticism of Microsoft's Internet Explorer - he also defended Google's practices in maintaining its online dominance.

Google's CEO fires back at Microsoft; Sundar Pichai criticises Microsoft in Antitrust battle | WION

If Google is a default browser on your mobile phone or laptop, that's due to the company paying 26.3 billion dollars in 2021 to ensure its search engine was the default on web browsers and mobile phones. A top alphabet executive testified during the justice department's antitrust trial that the amount of payments google made for the default status has more than tripled since 2014.

Report: Google pays billions for default browser settings

Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT. The announcement about the latest investment has been made by a spokesperson for Anthropic, Reuters reported. Alphabet's Google is already invested in Anthropic. It has invested USD 500 million and now has agreed to add USD 1.5 billion more over time. The fresh announcement reflects Google's intention to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Google has already released Bard, its own generative AI. However, it has not been able to match the massive popularity of ChatGPT.

Since the launch of ChatGPT, BigTech companies have scrambled to infuse AI into their applications.

Even Amazon declared last month that it would pump-in up to USD 4 billion in Anthropic. In a quarterly report Amazon filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the tech giant said that it had already invested USD 1.25 billion in Anthropic which can be converted to equity. Amazon's Bedrock AI service has drawn thousands of customers.

There was no immediate public statement from either Google or Amazon over the developments.&nbsp;

Since the success of ChatGPT, cloud companies are investing big bucks in order to establish ties with AI start-ups that have potential to reshape the industry.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/google-allegedly-paid-26-billion-to-be-default-search-engine-on-browsers-and-phones-in-2021-reports-652146">Google allegedly paid $26 billion to be default search engine on browsers and phones in 2021: Reports</a>

Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei. The company has made efforts to get resources and rope-in deep-pocketed backers in order to compete with OpenAI.

&nbsp;"Generative AI is a massive catalyst that could re-ignite growth within the (AWS) franchise," said Global X analyst Tejas Dessai. "We see some major partnerships secured in this quarter, as key towards driving that growth in the coming quarters."

Dessai was quoted by Reuters. 
 
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&nbsp;

Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT.

Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT. The announcement about the latest investment has been made by a spokesperson for Anthropic, Reuters reported. Alphabet's Google is already invested in Anthropic. It has invested USD 500 million and now has agreed to add USD 1.5 billion more over time. The fresh announcement reflects Google's intention to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Google has already released Bard, its own generative AI. However, it has not been able to match the massive popularity of ChatGPT. Since the launch of ChatGPT, BigTech companies have scrambled to infuse AI into their applications. Even Amazon declared last month that it would pump-in up to USD 4 billion in Anthropic. In a quarterly report Amazon filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the tech giant said that it had already invested USD 1.25 billion in Anthropic which can be converted to equity. Amazon's Bedrock AI service has drawn thousands of customers. There was no immediate public statement from either Google or Amazon over the developments. Since the success of ChatGPT, cloud companies are investing big bucks in order to establish ties with AI start-ups that have potential to reshape the industry. Also Read | Google allegedly paid $26 billion to be default search engine on browsers and phones in 2021: Reports Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei. The company has made efforts to get resources and rope-in deep-pocketed backers in order to compete with OpenAI. "Generative AI is a massive catalyst that could re-ignite growth within the (AWS) franchise," said Global X analyst Tejas Dessai. "We see some major partnerships secured in this quarter, as key towards driving that growth in the coming quarters." Dessai was quoted by Reuters. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Google taking on ChatGPT? Search giant to invest $2 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic

Google is temporarily disabling Maps and Waze services in Israel and Gaza as a safety precaution. This reportedly comes after the Israel Defence Forces asked the company to disable some features like real-time crowd-sourcing data.

Google suspends Maps and Waze in Israel and Gaza Strip

US technology giants are on the brink of revealing their strongest quarterly revenue growth in over a year. However, investors hoping for an artificial intelligence boost might be in for a surprise.

Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon's Q3 earnings preview

In a significant development for Australia's tech landscape, Microsoft has announced a substantial investment of $3.2 billion. This commitment aims to bolster Australia's artificial intelligence and cloud computing capabilities.

Microsoft commits billions to Australia for AI and cloud computing

US tech-giant, Microsoft, has revealed its plans to allocate A$5 billion (equivalent to $3.2 billion) towards the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities in Australia over a two-year period. This strategic investment encompasses a comprehensive initiative that includes skills development and enhancements in cyber security.

Microsoft's intended expansion will result in a 250 per cent increase in computing capacity within Australia. This augmentation will enable the 13th largest economy globally to cater to the burgeoning demand for cloud computing, which is projected to double between 2022 and 2026 as AI applications become more pervasive.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's Vice Chairman and President, emphasised that this significant spending is a testament to the company's unwavering commitment to contributing to the growth and prosperity of Australia in the AI era.

Apart from the substantial financial commitment, Microsoft has pledged to provide training to 300,000 Australians, equipping them with the skills essential for success in the digital economy. Additionally, the company will expand its cyber threat information-sharing agreement with the Australian Signals Directorate, bolstering the nation's cyber security capabilities.

According to Reuters, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed this initiative, emphasising that it represents a substantial investment in the skills and workforce of the future, asserting the importance of providing Australians with the necessary skills to excel in the rapidly evolving job landscape.

Steven Worrall, Microsoft's Managing Director for Australia, highlighted that this investment will not only enhance the digital economy's security but will also create a foundation for growth and innovation in the era of AI.

While Microsoft's announcement includes a substantial financial commitment of A$5 billion, specific details regarding the allocation of these funds were not provided in the statement. However, the company disclosed its intention to significantly expand its data centre presence in Australia from 20 sites to 29.

A recent joint report co-authored by Microsoft underlined the potential economic impact of generative AI, a form of automation that adapts to new data inputs. It stated that this technology could contribute up to A$115 billion per year to Australia's economy by 2030 if it is rapidly adopted.

Australia, despite its current absence of AI-specific regulations, has initiated public consultations in 2022 regarding AI regulation. This move is in response to the fast automation developments and follows Microsoft-supported OpenAI's introduction of the lifelike language program ChatGPT in 2022. While AI holds promise, concerns about bias, copyright infringement, and privacy breaches have prompted discussions around safeguarding this evolving technology.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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US tech-giant, Microsoft, has revealed its plans to allocate A$5 billion (equivalent to $3.2 billion) towards the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities in Australia over a two-year period.

US tech-giant, Microsoft, has revealed its plans to allocate A$5 billion (equivalent to $3.2 billion) towards the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities in Australia over a two-year period. This strategic investment encompasses a comprehensive initiative that includes skills development and enhancements in cyber security. Microsoft's intended expansion will result in a 250 per cent increase in computing capacity within Australia. This augmentation will enable the 13th largest economy globally to cater to the burgeoning demand for cloud computing, which is projected to double between 2022 and 2026 as AI applications become more pervasive. Brad Smith, Microsoft's Vice Chairman and President, emphasised that this significant spending is a testament to the company's unwavering commitment to contributing to the growth and prosperity of Australia in the AI era. Apart from the substantial financial commitment, Microsoft has pledged to provide training to 300,000 Australians, equipping them with the skills essential for success in the digital economy. Additionally, the company will expand its cyber threat information-sharing agreement with the Australian Signals Directorate, bolstering the nation's cyber security capabilities. According to Reuters, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed this initiative, emphasising that it represents a substantial investment in the skills and workforce of the future, asserting the importance of providing Australians with the necessary skills to excel in the rapidly evolving job landscape. Steven Worrall, Microsoft's Managing Director for Australia, highlighted that this investment will not only enhance the digital economy's security but will also create a foundation for growth and innovation in the era of AI. While Microsoft's announcement includes a substantial financial commitment of A$5 billion, specific details regarding the allocation of these funds were not provided in the statement. However, the company disclosed its intention to significantly expand its data centre presence in Australia from 20 sites to 29. A recent joint report co-authored by Microsoft underlined the potential economic impact of generative AI, a form of automation that adapts to new data inputs. It stated that this technology could contribute up to A$115 billion per year to Australia's economy by 2030 if it is rapidly adopted. Australia, despite its current absence of AI-specific regulations, has initiated public consultations in 2022 regarding AI regulation. This move is in response to the fast automation developments and follows Microsoft-supported OpenAI's introduction of the lifelike language program ChatGPT in 2022. While AI holds promise, concerns about bias, copyright infringement, and privacy breaches have prompted discussions around safeguarding this evolving technology. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Microsoft announces $3.2 billion investment in Australia's AI and cloud computing infrastructure

Xbox maker&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard on Friday, swelling its heft in the video-gaming market with best-selling titles including "Call of Duty" to better compete with industry leader Sony.

Britain finally cleared&nbsp;Microsoft's acquisition of Activision earlier in the day after it forced the Xbox owner to sell the steaming rights to address its competition concerns.

The deal was blocked in April by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which said it could give the US&nbsp;computing giant a stranglehold over the nascent cloud gaming market.

But the regulator ripped up its play book by reopening the case after&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;agreed to sell the streaming rights to Activision's games to Ubisoft Entertainment, with remedies to ensure the terms were enforceable.

The deal was the biggest test of the CMA's global power to take on the tech giants since Britain left the European Union.

It said "sticking to its guns" in the face of criticism from the merging companies had delivered an outcome that was better for competition, consumers and economic growth.

The CMA said&nbsp;Microsoft's concession on streaming was a "gamechanger", adding that it was the only competition agency globally to have delivered this outcome. 

"The new deal will stop&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers," it said in a statement.

Microsoft&nbsp;announced the deal in early 2022, aiming to boost its growth in console, mobile, PC, and cloud gaming to compete with the likes of Tencent as well as PlayStation-owner Sony.

The US&nbsp;Federal Trade Commission opposed the deal but after failing to stop it, the CMA was left standing alone.

The FTC is fighting on, but&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;has said it will not stop it closing the deal.

The European Commision gave the green light in May when it accepted&nbsp;Microsoft's commitments to license Activision's games like "Overwatch" and "World of Warcraft" to other platforms.

<h2>'Stuck to our guns'</h2>

The CMA's block in April drew fury from the merging parties, with&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;saying that Britain was closed for business.

The British government only offered limited support to the CMA, with the Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt saying that while he did not want to undermine its independence, regulators also needed to focus on encouraging investment.

CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the regulator had "delivered a clear message to&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;that the deal would be blocked unless they comprehensively addressed our concerns and we stuck to our guns on that."

She said the CMA took its decisions "free from political influence" and it would not be "swayed by corporate lobbying".

"Businesses and their advisers should be in no doubt that the tactics employed by&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;are no way to engage with the CMA," she said. 

"Microsoft&nbsp;had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn't work."

Quilter Cheviot equity analyst Ben Barringer said the CMA would see it as a victory, but it would need to be careful not to over-regulate the tech sector.

"There are fears the UK is a bad place to do business and the tech industry in particular will be watching its moves closely," he said.

Microsoft&nbsp;said it was "grateful for the CMA's thorough review and decision".

"We have now crossed the final regulatory hurdle to close this acquisition, which we believe will benefit players and the gaming industry worldwide," Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said.

Activision Blizzard said: "The CMA's official approval is great news for our future with&nbsp;Microsoft, and we look forward to becoming part of the Xbox Team."

The European Commission said the new commitments given by&nbsp;Microsoft&nbsp;to the CMA did not interfere with its EU commitments.

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Xbox maker Microsoft closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard on Friday, swelling its heft in the video-gaming market with best-selling titles including "Call of Duty" to better compete with industry leader Sony.

Xbox maker Microsoft closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard on Friday, swelling its heft in the video-gaming market with best-selling titles including "Call of Duty" to better compete with industry leader Sony. Britain finally cleared Microsoft's acquisition of Activision earlier in the day after it forced the Xbox owner to sell the steaming rights to address its competition concerns. The deal was blocked in April by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which said it could give the US computing giant a stranglehold over the nascent cloud gaming market. But the regulator ripped up its play book by reopening the case after Microsoft agreed to sell the streaming rights to Activision's games to Ubisoft Entertainment, with remedies to ensure the terms were enforceable. The deal was the biggest test of the CMA's global power to take on the tech giants since Britain left the European Union. It said "sticking to its guns" in the face of criticism from the merging companies had delivered an outcome that was better for competition, consumers and economic growth. The CMA said Microsoft's concession on streaming was a "gamechanger", adding that it was the only competition agency globally to have delivered this outcome.  "The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers," it said in a statement. Microsoft announced the deal in early 2022, aiming to boost its growth in console, mobile, PC, and cloud gaming to compete with the likes of Tencent as well as PlayStation-owner Sony. The US Federal Trade Commission opposed the deal but after failing to stop it, the CMA was left standing alone. The FTC is fighting on, but Microsoft has said it will not stop it closing the deal. The European Commision gave the green light in May when it accepted Microsoft's commitments to license Activision's games like "Overwatch" and "World of Warcraft" to other platforms. 'Stuck to our guns' The CMA's block in April drew fury from the merging parties, with Microsoft saying that Britain was closed for business. The British government only offered limited support to the CMA, with the Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt saying that while he did not want to undermine its independence, regulators also needed to focus on encouraging investment. CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the regulator had "delivered a clear message to Microsoft that the deal would be blocked unless they comprehensively addressed our concerns and we stuck to our guns on that." She said the CMA took its decisions "free from political influence" and it would not be "swayed by corporate lobbying". "Businesses and their advisers should be in no doubt that the tactics employed by Microsoft are no way to engage with the CMA," she said.  "Microsoft had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn't work." Quilter Cheviot equity analyst Ben Barringer said the CMA would see it as a victory, but it would need to be careful not to over-regulate the tech sector. "There are fears the UK is a bad place to do business and the tech industry in particular will be watching its moves closely," he said. Microsoft said it was "grateful for the CMA's thorough review and decision". "We have now crossed the final regulatory hurdle to close this acquisition, which we believe will benefit players and the gaming industry worldwide," Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said. Activision Blizzard said: "The CMA's official approval is great news for our future with Microsoft, and we look forward to becoming part of the Xbox Team." The European Commission said the new commitments given by Microsoft to the CMA did not interfere with its EU commitments. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Microsoft closes $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal after Britain's nod

Microsoft said on Wednesday the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in September notified the company that it is seeking an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion, plus penalties and interest for tax years from 2004 to 2013.

Microsoft said the IRS notices relate to an ongoing dispute between the company and the U.S. tax authority, which is auditing how Microsoft allocated its profit among different countries and jurisdictions.

The Redmond, Washington-based company said it has since changed its practices so that "issues raised by the IRS are relevant to the past but not to our current practices," according to a Microsoft blog.

Microsoft said it believes that any taxes owed after the audit would be reduced by up to $10 billion based on tax laws passed by former President Donald Trump.

The company said it disagrees with the IRS's findings and plans to dispute them, first in an internal IRS proceeding and then later, if necessary, in courts.

The IRS told Reuters it is prevented by U.S. law from confirming or denying whether it is auditing any taxpayer.

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Microsoft said on Wednesday the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in September notified the company that it is seeking an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion, plus penalties and interest for tax years from 2004 to 2013.

Microsoft said on Wednesday the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in September notified the company that it is seeking an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion, plus penalties and interest for tax years from 2004 to 2013. Microsoft said the IRS notices relate to an ongoing dispute between the company and the U.S. tax authority, which is auditing how Microsoft allocated its profit among different countries and jurisdictions. The Redmond, Washington-based company said it has since changed its practices so that "issues raised by the IRS are relevant to the past but not to our current practices," according to a Microsoft blog. Microsoft said it believes that any taxes owed after the audit would be reduced by up to $10 billion based on tax laws passed by former President Donald Trump. The company said it disagrees with the IRS's findings and plans to dispute them, first in an internal IRS proceeding and then later, if necessary, in courts. The IRS told Reuters it is prevented by U.S. law from confirming or denying whether it is auditing any taxpayer. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Microsoft says US has asked for $28.9 billion in audit dispute

British media regulator Ofcom is preparing to push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of cloud computing market in the UK, reported Reuters citing sources. Amazon and Microsoft dominate UK's cloud computing market with a combined market share of 60-70 per cent. Their closest competitor Google has about 10 per cent market share.

Ofcom signalled its push for such an antitrust probe in the month of April. Reuters reported that this will remain in the watchdog's final report on this matter. The report is slated to be published on Thursday (October 5), reported Reuters.

Ofcom has said previously that it had considered a referral of the market for investigation by the CMA, the competition regulator in the UK.

Ofcom says that the current situation of Britain's cloud computing market has made it difficult for existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their cloud computing service provider.

The regulator said in a report earlier this year that technical &nbsp;restrictions and discounts encouraging customers to keep using a single provider for all their needs, even when better alternatives were available, could be considered anti-competitive.

"We are concerned that constraints on customers' ability to use more than one provider could make it harder for smaller cloud providers to win business and compete with the market leaders," it read.

Amazon and Microsoft have previously said that they will continue working with Ofcom ahead of publication of its final report.

Microsoft earlier had submitted a 58-page response saying that an investigation will ultimately be harmful to consumers.

“It would be a particularly unfortunate outcome if UK businesses and public sector customers faced less vibrant and competitive cloud solutions on a global stage than those available to their rivals in the EU, the U.S. and China," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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British media regulator Ofcom is preparing to push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of cloud computing market in the UK, reported Reuters citing sources.

British media regulator Ofcom is preparing to push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of cloud computing market in the UK, reported Reuters citing sources. Amazon and Microsoft dominate UK's cloud computing market with a combined market share of 60-70 per cent. Their closest competitor Google has about 10 per cent market share. Ofcom signalled its push for such an antitrust probe in the month of April. Reuters reported that this will remain in the watchdog's final report on this matter. The report is slated to be published on Thursday (October 5), reported Reuters. Ofcom has said previously that it had considered a referral of the market for investigation by the CMA, the competition regulator in the UK. Ofcom says that the current situation of Britain's cloud computing market has made it difficult for existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their cloud computing service provider. The regulator said in a report earlier this year that technical restrictions and discounts encouraging customers to keep using a single provider for all their needs, even when better alternatives were available, could be considered anti-competitive. "We are concerned that constraints on customers' ability to use more than one provider could make it harder for smaller cloud providers to win business and compete with the market leaders," it read. Amazon and Microsoft have previously said that they will continue working with Ofcom ahead of publication of its final report. Microsoft earlier had submitted a 58-page response saying that an investigation will ultimately be harmful to consumers. “It would be a particularly unfortunate outcome if UK businesses and public sector customers faced less vibrant and competitive cloud solutions on a global stage than those available to their rivals in the EU, the U.S. and China," it said. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

UK: Ofcom to recommend probe over Amazon, Microsoft's cloud computing dominance

According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google's hegemony stems from deals that set its browser as the default one on PCs and cellphones. He brushed off the notion that the market in which Microsoft and Google compete has been significantly altered by artificial intelligence or more specialized search engines like Amazon or social media websites.

Microsoft vs Google: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella challenges Google's default dominance

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is expected to testify on Monday as a witness for the U.S. Justice Department, according to a filing on the docket of its once-in-a generation court fight against Alphabet's Google.

The government is likely to ask Nadella about Microsoft's efforts to expand the reach of Edge and Bing, its browser and search engine, and the obstacles posed by Google's dominance. Google will likely argue that the better quality of its products are the reason for its success rather than illegal behaviour.

The government has argued that Google, which has some 90% of the search market, illegally paid $10 billion annually to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&amp;T and others to be the default in search on their devices in order to stay on top.

The clout in search makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, boosting its profits.

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Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is expected to testify on Monday as a witness for the U.S. Justice Department, according to a filing on the docket of its once-in-a generation court fight against Alphabet's Google.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is expected to testify on Monday as a witness for the U.S. Justice Department, according to a filing on the docket of its once-in-a generation court fight against Alphabet's Google. The government is likely to ask Nadella about Microsoft's efforts to expand the reach of Edge and Bing, its browser and search engine, and the obstacles posed by Google's dominance. Google will likely argue that the better quality of its products are the reason for its success rather than illegal behaviour. The government has argued that Google, which has some 90% of the search market, illegally paid $10 billion annually to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&T and others to be the default in search on their devices in order to stay on top. The clout in search makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, boosting its profits. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella set to testify against Google in antitrust trial

Chinese hackers who breached Microsoft's email platform this year managed to steal tens of thousands of emails from US State Department accounts, a Senate staffer told Reuters on Wednesday. The staffer, who attended a briefing by State Department IT officials, said the officials told lawmakers that 60,000 emails were stolen from 10 State Department accounts. Nine of those victims were working on East Asia and the Pacific and one worked on Europe, according to the briefing details shared via email by the staffer, who declined to be named.

The staffer works for Senator Eric Schmitt.

US&nbsp;officials and Microsoft said in July that Chinese state-linked hackers since May had accessed email accounts at around 25 organisations, including the US Commerce and State Departments. The extent of the compromise remains unclear.

US allegations that China was behind the breach have strained an already tense relationship between the countries, as Beijing has denied the charges.

The State Department individuals whose accounts were compromised mostly focused on Indo-Pacific diplomacy efforts, and the hackers also obtained a list containing all of the department's emails, according to the Wednesday briefing.

Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Top US officials fall victim to Chinese hackers

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The sweeping hack has refocused attention on Microsoft's outsize role in providing IT services to the US government. The State Department has begun moving to "hybrid" environments with multiple vendor companies and improved uptake of multi-factor authentication, as part of measures to protect its systems, according to the officials at the briefing.

The hackers compromised a Microsoft engineer's device, which allowed them to breach the State Department's email accounts, according to the briefing.

Microsoft earlier this month said that a hack of senior officials at the US State and Commerce Departments stemmed from the compromise of a Microsoft engineer's corporate account."We need to harden our defences&nbsp;against these types of cyberattacks and intrusions," Schmitt said in a statement shared by the staffer in an email to Reuters following the briefing. "We need to take a hard look at the federal government's reliance on a single vendor as a potential weak point," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-state-linked-hackers-secretly-accessed-government-emails-says-microsoft-614878">Also read:&nbsp;Chinese state-linked hackers secretly accessed government emails, says Microsoft</a>

A Microsoft spokesman did not have an immediate comment on the Senate briefing. The company, which has faced criticism over its security practices since the breaches, has said that the hacking group behind them - dubbed Storm-0558 - had broken into webmail accounts running on the firm's Outlook service.

The State Department did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Wednesday, and Schmitt wasn't available for an interview.

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Chinese hackers who breached Microsoft's email platform this year managed to steal tens of thousands of emails from US State Department accounts, a Senate staffer told Reuters on Wednesday.

Chinese hackers who breached Microsoft's email platform this year managed to steal tens of thousands of emails from US State Department accounts, a Senate staffer told Reuters on Wednesday. The staffer, who attended a briefing by State Department IT officials, said the officials told lawmakers that 60,000 emails were stolen from 10 State Department accounts. Nine of those victims were working on East Asia and the Pacific and one worked on Europe, according to the briefing details shared via email by the staffer, who declined to be named. The staffer works for Senator Eric Schmitt. US officials and Microsoft said in July that Chinese state-linked hackers since May had accessed email accounts at around 25 organisations, including the US Commerce and State Departments. The extent of the compromise remains unclear. US allegations that China was behind the breach have strained an already tense relationship between the countries, as Beijing has denied the charges. The State Department individuals whose accounts were compromised mostly focused on Indo-Pacific diplomacy efforts, and the hackers also obtained a list containing all of the department's emails, according to the Wednesday briefing. Watch: Gravitas: Top US officials fall victim to Chinese hackers × The sweeping hack has refocused attention on Microsoft's outsize role in providing IT services to the US government. The State Department has begun moving to "hybrid" environments with multiple vendor companies and improved uptake of multi-factor authentication, as part of measures to protect its systems, according to the officials at the briefing. The hackers compromised a Microsoft engineer's device, which allowed them to breach the State Department's email accounts, according to the briefing. Microsoft earlier this month said that a hack of senior officials at the US State and Commerce Departments stemmed from the compromise of a Microsoft engineer's corporate account."We need to harden our defences against these types of cyberattacks and intrusions," Schmitt said in a statement shared by the staffer in an email to Reuters following the briefing. "We need to take a hard look at the federal government's reliance on a single vendor as a potential weak point," he said. Also read: Chinese state-linked hackers secretly accessed government emails, says Microsoft A Microsoft spokesman did not have an immediate comment on the Senate briefing. The company, which has faced criticism over its security practices since the breaches, has said that the hacking group behind them - dubbed Storm-0558 - had broken into webmail accounts running on the firm's Outlook service. The State Department did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Wednesday, and Schmitt wasn't available for an interview. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Chinese hackers stole 60,000 emails from US State Dept accounts in Microsoft breach

Thailand is making headlines today as it seeks substantial investments from some of the world's tech giants. In a bid to revitalise its economy, prime minister Srettha Thavisin has announced that Tesla, Google, and Microsoft are considering pouring a collective $5 billion into the country.

Thailand courts Tesla, Google, and Microsoft for $5 billion investment

Thailand's Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, announced on Sunday a landmark investment commitment from technology giants Tesla, Google, and Microsoft, potentially injecting a substantial $5 billion into the Thai economy. The Prime Minister gave his statement upon returning from the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he engaged with top executives from these influential companies to promote investment in Thailand, according to a report by the Bangkok Post.

According to Mr. Thavisin, Tesla is eyeing the construction of an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility, while Microsoft and Google are exploring the establishment of data centres within the Kingdom. While he made the statement, he emphasised the importance of these investments in rejuvenating Thailand’s economy.

This investment surge comes at a crucial time for Thailand, whose economy is facing challenges, with growth projected at 2.8 per cent this year, lower than initial estimates, due to limited exports. Prime Minister Thavisin's discussions with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the U.S. underscore the potential of Thailand's electric vehicle (EV) industry, with the nation actively incentivising EV and battery manufacturers to set up regional production centres. Concurrently, the Thai government is offering tax incentives to boost local EV adoption, aiming to become a regional leader in EVs.

In addition to this, Thavisin expressed his intent to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco in November. He plans to collaborate with Thai business leaders to engage with global companies and discuss investment opportunities both in Thailand and the United States.

Thavisin emphasised the importance of financial support for international investors looking to establish branches in Thailand and hinted at potential collaborations with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to list Thai companies in the U.S., marking a significant step forward in international investment relations.

However, the Bangkok Post also reported that some experts, such as Tawisant Lonanurak, a former secretary-general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's northeastern divsion, urge caution. They believe that major foreign companies will carefully evaluate various factors, including political stability, tax policies, and the rule of law, before committing to investments in Thailand. Lonanurak also underscored the need for Thailand to prioritise negotiating more free trade agreements with its global trading partners to maintain a competitive edge.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Thailand's Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, announced on Sunday a landmark investment commitment from technology giants Tesla, Google, and Microsoft, potentially injecting a substantial $5 billion into the Thai economy.

Thailand's Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, announced on Sunday a landmark investment commitment from technology giants Tesla, Google, and Microsoft, potentially injecting a substantial $5 billion into the Thai economy. The Prime Minister gave his statement upon returning from the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he engaged with top executives from these influential companies to promote investment in Thailand, according to a report by the Bangkok Post. According to Mr. Thavisin, Tesla is eyeing the construction of an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility, while Microsoft and Google are exploring the establishment of data centres within the Kingdom. While he made the statement, he emphasised the importance of these investments in rejuvenating Thailand’s economy. This investment surge comes at a crucial time for Thailand, whose economy is facing challenges, with growth projected at 2.8 per cent this year, lower than initial estimates, due to limited exports. Prime Minister Thavisin's discussions with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the U.S. underscore the potential of Thailand's electric vehicle (EV) industry, with the nation actively incentivising EV and battery manufacturers to set up regional production centres. Concurrently, the Thai government is offering tax incentives to boost local EV adoption, aiming to become a regional leader in EVs. In addition to this, Thavisin expressed his intent to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco in November. He plans to collaborate with Thai business leaders to engage with global companies and discuss investment opportunities both in Thailand and the United States. Thavisin emphasised the importance of financial support for international investors looking to establish branches in Thailand and hinted at potential collaborations with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to list Thai companies in the U.S., marking a significant step forward in international investment relations. However, the Bangkok Post also reported that some experts, such as Tawisant Lonanurak, a former secretary-general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's northeastern divsion, urge caution. They believe that major foreign companies will carefully evaluate various factors, including political stability, tax policies, and the rule of law, before committing to investments in Thailand. Lonanurak also underscored the need for Thailand to prioritise negotiating more free trade agreements with its global trading partners to maintain a competitive edge. (With inputs from Reuters)

Thailand anticipates investments worth $5 billion from tech giants Google, Tesla , Microsoft

British regulators on Friday dropped their objections to Microsoft's attempt to buy video game firm Activision Blizzard, the maker of "Call of Duty", paving the way for the US tech titan to close one of the biggest technology acquisitions ever.

Microsoft launched its blockbuster $69-billion takeover in January last year, an acquisition that would make it the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, but it faced stiff scrutiny from US regulators and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

The CMA blocked the deal in April over fears it would damage competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming sector, where games are bought virtually and players can use a variety of devices rather than just consoles.

Microsoft eventually submitted a new bid that the CMA said in a statement on Friday had made important changes and "opens the door to the deal being cleared", adding that it would consult on the "remedies" before making a final decision.

Both the companies involved in the deal praised the CMA's change of heart.

Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith, who had labelled the initial rejection in April as "probably the darkest day" of the firm's time in the UK, called Friday's statement a "positive development".

He said Microsoft would aim to get approval to close the deal by October 18.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, whose company also makes the popular games "Diablo" and "Candy Crush", said the UK regulator's announcement was "a significant milestone for the merger".

Analysts said the takeover now looked like a shoo-in and all sides were able to claim victory -- the regulator showed its teeth and forced a concession and the firms got their deal over the line.

If the deal goes through, Microsoft will muscle in to form a "big three" in the sector -- just behind China's Tencent and Japan's Sony.

<h2>- 'Real value' -</h2>

Microsoft, which makes the Xbox console and already has a stable of games under its belt including "Minecraft", "Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout", is already the dominant player in the cloud-gaming world -- its Game Pass service claims 25 million subscribers.

The original deal would have seen hugely popular Activision games including "Call of Duty", "Overwatch" and "World of Warcraft" added to its cloud roster, which was too much for the UK regulator to stomach.

Under the new deal, Microsoft has agreed it would not take control of the cloud portion of Activision's business, which will be transferred to French studio Ubisoft for 15 years.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said Microsoft had taken the "necessary steps" but she added it would have been "far better" if the firm had made the proposal during the initial investigation.

"This case illustrates the costs, uncertainty and delay that parties can incur if a credible and effective remedy option exists but is not put on the table at the right time," she said.

<h2>- EU green light -</h2>

Aside from the concerns over cloud gaming, regulators had also worried that the initial deal would have allowed Microsoft to make Activision's games exclusive to its Xbox.

Microsoft and Sony, which had previously tried to block the Activision deal, agreed in July to keep releasing "Call of Duty" on the PlayStation.

The European Union cleared the deal in May while the US antitrust regulator recently paused its attempt to block the buyout following a setback in court.

Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the essential building blocks of the deal remained in place, making it a win for Microsoft.

"The small scale of the cloud components means the assets being taken over are still of real value to Microsoft," she told AFP.

Sorrel Beynon of FTI Consulting added that both sides would feel they "achieved the desired outcome".

&nbsp;

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British regulators on Friday dropped their objections to Microsoft's attempt to buy video game firm Activision Blizzard, the maker of "Call of Duty", paving the way for the US tech titan to close one of the biggest technology acquisitions ever.

British regulators on Friday dropped their objections to Microsoft's attempt to buy video game firm Activision Blizzard, the maker of "Call of Duty", paving the way for the US tech titan to close one of the biggest technology acquisitions ever. Microsoft launched its blockbuster $69-billion takeover in January last year, an acquisition that would make it the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, but it faced stiff scrutiny from US regulators and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA blocked the deal in April over fears it would damage competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming sector, where games are bought virtually and players can use a variety of devices rather than just consoles. Microsoft eventually submitted a new bid that the CMA said in a statement on Friday had made important changes and "opens the door to the deal being cleared", adding that it would consult on the "remedies" before making a final decision. Both the companies involved in the deal praised the CMA's change of heart. Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith, who had labelled the initial rejection in April as "probably the darkest day" of the firm's time in the UK, called Friday's statement a "positive development". He said Microsoft would aim to get approval to close the deal by October 18. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, whose company also makes the popular games "Diablo" and "Candy Crush", said the UK regulator's announcement was "a significant milestone for the merger". Analysts said the takeover now looked like a shoo-in and all sides were able to claim victory -- the regulator showed its teeth and forced a concession and the firms got their deal over the line. If the deal goes through, Microsoft will muscle in to form a "big three" in the sector -- just behind China's Tencent and Japan's Sony. - 'Real value' - Microsoft, which makes the Xbox console and already has a stable of games under its belt including "Minecraft", "Elder Scrolls" and "Fallout", is already the dominant player in the cloud-gaming world -- its Game Pass service claims 25 million subscribers. The original deal would have seen hugely popular Activision games including "Call of Duty", "Overwatch" and "World of Warcraft" added to its cloud roster, which was too much for the UK regulator to stomach. Under the new deal, Microsoft has agreed it would not take control of the cloud portion of Activision's business, which will be transferred to French studio Ubisoft for 15 years. CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said Microsoft had taken the "necessary steps" but she added it would have been "far better" if the firm had made the proposal during the initial investigation. "This case illustrates the costs, uncertainty and delay that parties can incur if a credible and effective remedy option exists but is not put on the table at the right time," she said. - EU green light - Aside from the concerns over cloud gaming, regulators had also worried that the initial deal would have allowed Microsoft to make Activision's games exclusive to its Xbox. Microsoft and Sony, which had previously tried to block the Activision deal, agreed in July to keep releasing "Call of Duty" on the PlayStation. The European Union cleared the deal in May while the US antitrust regulator recently paused its attempt to block the buyout following a setback in court. Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the essential building blocks of the deal remained in place, making it a win for Microsoft. "The small scale of the cloud components means the assets being taken over are still of real value to Microsoft," she told AFP. Sorrel Beynon of FTI Consulting added that both sides would feel they "achieved the desired outcome". WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Microsoft nears takeover of 'Call of Duty' maker Activision

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