BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, released a new exchange traded fund (ETF) last week that tracks the cryptocurrency industry, with the iShares Blockchain and Tech ETF.
Why it matters: A crypto product from the investing giant is another signal that traditional finance is not ignoring blockchain technology any longer.
Good news for the NFT industry: People are still spending around $50 million per day on non-fungible tokens. Bad news: In January that rate was about $100 million per day, according to NonFungible.com.
Why it matters: NFTs drove 2021's boom in cryptocurrency. They are the reason people are talking about blockchains again, but — for the second time since the world discovered NFTs last year — the appetite for jpegs has waned.
Activision is recommending that its shareholders vote against a proposal from New York state that the company issue an annual report about abuse, harassment and discrimination in its workplace.
Why it matters: The proposal, first made in February, is a push for transparency about the wrongs at a scandal-racked company.
Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted against unionizing on Monday, one month after a neighboring warehouse formed Amazon's first union in the U.S.
Why it matters: All eyes have been on Amazon workers to see if the Amazon Labor Union's (ALU) success from last month can be replicated. Since its April victory, workers at multiple other Amazon facilities have asked ALU for help organizing against the tech giant, which has resisted unionization efforts in its U.S. operations, VICE reports.
Japanese gaming giant Square Enix is largely getting out of Western game development, selling three big studios and several top franchises to the Embracer Group.
Driving the news: Tomb Raider lead development studio Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal will become part of Embracer Group, the Swedish holding company that is rapidly constructing an empire, as part of a $300 million cash deal, according to an announcement this morning.
The same pandemic-driven boom in mental health and wellness apps that helped ease two years of COVID-driven discontents is now raising alarms over privacy, efficacy and a blurring of the line between formal medical treatment and general self-care.
Why it matters: Online services for mental health have given more people easy access to help than ever before, and the sector is booming with investment.
GM expects car buyers to pay an average of $135 a month in coming years for bonus features like navigation, hands-free driving technology and other digital services that customize the in-car experience.
That's on top of their monthly car payment.
Yes, but: Whether people will actually cough up those monthly subscription fees, on top of the vehicle's purchase price, isn't clear.
By the numbers: Asked which mega-billionaires they like, 35% selected Musk — well above all others, including Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Still, 53% picked "none of the above."
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