Microsoft Financial News

In a major move for emerging layer-1 blockchain Aptos, the price has shot up +20% following news of a new partnership with industry giant Microsoft.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta recently unveiled its Llama 2 chatbot. Microsoft has been appointed as Meta's preferred partner on Llama 2, which will be available through the Windows operating system. Meta's approach with Llama 2 contrasts with that of the company OpenAI, which created the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Microsoft on Thursday introduced new tools and integrations — including a new Copilot offering for the frontline workforce — that bring the power of generative AI to service professionals on the frontline. Currently, over 60% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft 365 to empower frontline workers, and the tech giant is committed to investing in innovative solutions to help them thrive.

Aptos (APT), the cryptocurrency powering layer-1 blockchain Aptos Network, is up approximately 11.6% since announcing it will leverage Microsoft’s suite of artificial intelligence tools to advance Web3 adoption among banks and financial enterprises.

Walt Disney Company to Apple. While the idea of an Apple-Disney merger has been circulating for years, particularly due to Steve Jobs' past involvement on the Disney board, it hasn't materialized thus far. Some executives view it as an improbable notion. Nevertheless, as tech giants continue to carve out their share of the entertainment industry to cater to streaming audiences, the concept gains traction. Disney CEO Bob Iger has left room for such a merger in recent statements, although he indicated it's not currently in his immediate plans. As the entertainment landscape evolves, the feasibility of an Apple-Disney merger seems to grow. Tech companies are actively seeking content for their streaming platforms, leading to a more logical synergy between the two giants. However, Iger's comments suggest that the notion is not an immediate priority. To facilitate such a merger, Disney could potentially streamline its operations by divesting certain assets. Disney's CEO hinted at the possible sale of linear television assets, including ABC and FX, which could make the company a leaner and more appealing prospect for acquisition by Apple. This strategic move could signal a step towards the realization of an Apple-Disney partnership. One of the key challenges involves determining an appropriate purchase price. Additionally, government regulations under the Biden administration could impact the deal's feasibility. Regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department have increased scrutiny on significant corporate mergers, exemplified by their successful intervention in Paramount's proposed sale of Simon and Schuster to Penguin Random House.

The price of Aptos (APT), the native token of the layer-1 Aptos blockchain that was built by ex-Facebook employees behind the social media platform’s failed Libra/Deim blockchain project, surged on Wednesday on the news that Aptos has partnered with Microsoft to work on new artificial intelligence (AI) blockchain products.

Aptos says that, despite much hype, web3 adoption has been stymied by the time-consuming and complex nature of onboarding new users. The layer 1 blockchain developer is tapping the Microsoft Azure OpenAI service to develop an assistant which aims to offer a responsible, user-friendly and secure way to bridge web2 to web3 for the everyday internet user and organisation.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) sacked a woman consultant Suzie Cheikho-- 18-year career with the company—in February this year for not typing enough while working remotely, The New York Post reported. The company had used keystroke technology to monitor her work from home performance. According to New York Post, the Australia's Fair Work Commission (FWC) has also rejected her "unfair" dismissal application, saying that she was fired for a "valid reason of misconduct".

(Reuters) -Gaming platform Roblox missed estimates for second-quarter bookings on Wednesday as waning demand for its online games and intensifying competition hurt growth, sending its shares down 8% in trading before the bell.

technology companies Microsoft and IBM. Their collaboration aimed to champion the ethical advancement of AI and advocate for the oversight of invasive technologies like facial recognition.

Bill Gates, whose tireless dedication during his tenure at Microsoft is the stuff of legend, has undergone a remarkable transformation in his perspective on sleep. Gates, 67, now champions the virtues of a good night's sleep, a stark contrast to his earlier belief that sleep was synonymous with laziness.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, developed by Sledgehammer Games. The publisher has also disclosed that the latest installment in the revitalized series is scheduled to launch on November 10, available for PC and consoles, with the possibility of inclusion on the Nintendo Switch. While concrete details remain scarce at this point and only a teaser video has been unveiled, a recent hint from Activision has sparked interest.

Elon Musk bored of the town square already? A month after completing his acquisition of Twitter, his iconoclastic gaze appears to be trained on the entire city. Mr Musk wants to build a super-app. Whether called “Twitter 2.0", “The everything app" or “X", his plans are still super-vague.

While ETFs holding stocks such as Microsoft, Tesla and Meta Platforms have outperformed this year, there are other ways to play the artificial intelligence trade beyond familiar Big Tech names.

Google's profit dropped. Shares of Facebook's parent company, Meta, were in free fall. Business growth at Amazon had slowed to its lowest level in two decades.

By Shubham Batra and Bansari Mayur Kamdar

Tenable has lodged a formal complaint against tech giant Microsoft, alleging a lack of transparency and irresponsible security practices. The Chairman and CEO of Tenable, Amit Yoran, took to LinkedIn to pen an open letter, exposing the irregularities they have uncovered. The incident dates back to March when the Tenable Research Team stumbled upon a critical flaw within Microsoft's Azure platform that allowed unauthorized access to sensitive data.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U8Kh-BgDD575lb3Mj3Xyqjd8_F8x65-gQ_muiys5up8/edit (piks for this article are in this doc)

Microsoft Teams chats pretending to be from technical support, Microsoft researchers said on Wednesday. These «highly targeted» social engineering attacks have affected «fewer than 40 unique global organizations» since late May, Microsoft researchers said in a blog, adding that the company was investigating. The Russian embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Laith Khalaf (pictured), is the head of investment analysis at AJ Bell

Apple is likely to report a dip in iPhone sales in the April-June quarter as shoppers held out for a new model in a slow economy, making it important for the company to detail how it is using artificial intelligence to augment growth, analysts said. The world's most valuable firm will wrap up Big Tech earnings on Thursday, with a likely 1.6% drop in total quarterly revenue, according to Refinitiv — its steepest drop in third-quarter revenue since 2016.IPhone sales likely fell more than 2% in the period, according to 24 analysts polled by Visible Alpha, compared with a near 3% increase a year earlier and a 1.5% rise in the quarter ended March.