There are big potential payouts ahead for controversial Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, according to an extensive SEC filing about Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of the company.
Why it matters: Kotick has faced scrutiny and calls for his resignation over widespread sexual misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard but appears set to profit.
Fintech investors didn't get the note about the growth stock pullback. Some $18.2 billion in funding flowed to fintech companies in the first month-and-half of 2022, putting in on track to beat last year's historical record, per a Friday report from Citi Global Insights.
Why it matters: Companies in the space attracted a record $136.8 billion last year and market observers wondered if those nosebleed levels of funding could hold. The numbers so far suggest investors are emphatically saying yes.
Veteran big-budget game writer Darby McDevitt is determined to make the endings of the games he writes matter. “I want the first scenes and the last scenes to stick with people,” he tells Axios.
Why it matters: Endings often get short shrift in game development.
Alloy Automation, an e-commerce app integration company, raised $20 million from Andreesen Horowitz, the company tells Axios.
Why it matters: Alloy struggled to raise its $1 million first round in early 2020, as investors stepped away from deals at the onset of the pandemic. Today's financing comes after Alloy's e-commerce tech took off over the past two years.
A new poll from Gallup and the Knight Foundation finds that younger Democrats are driving a huge decline in national news consumption in the U.S.
Why it matters: It marks the first time since the study began in early 2018 that Democrats report having less interest in national news than Republicans and independents.
Neil Cavuto revealed during his return to hosting his show on Fox Business Network Monday that his weekslong broadcasting absence was due to him being hospitalized with "COVID pneumonia."
What he's saying: "It landed me in intensive care for quite a while and it really was touch-and-go," said the host of "Cavuto Coast to Coast," who is fully vaccinated but immunocompromised. "Let me be clear: Doctors say had I not been vaccinated at all, I wouldn't be here."
AT&T's planned shutdown of its 3G network Tuesday has sparked fears that home security systems, medical alert monitors and a range of other devices will stop working.
Why it matters: Carriers have previously retired networks, but this transition is proving more complicated because the pandemic hindered companies that rely on 3G services from making upgrades. Plus, there are just more devices to manage.
An average of 10.7 million people watched the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on NBC in primetime over the past few weeks, the network announced on Monday. Including NBC's streaming and digital platforms, that number ticked up to 11.4 million.
Why it matters: It's the smallest primetime audience for any Winter Olympic Games on record.
The IRS said Monday it will let taxpayers verify their identity through live, virtual interviews with agents — allowing people to avoid providing their biometric data to the agency.
Why it matters: The IRS' initial decision to use facial recognition software sparked significant backlash from critics who said that without proper guardrails, information collected for a seemingly benign purpose could easily be reused in other ways.
