Phil Spencer is the chief of the Xbox division
Microsoft has completed its $68.7-billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Diablo. The acquisition required 20 months of battles with regulators in UK and US, but Microsoft has closed its Activision Blizzard deal after defeating FTC in US federal court and restructuring the deal to appease CMA in UK.
Phil Spencer welcomed employees of Activision to Microsoft in a memo
Microsoft has received all regulatory approvals necessary to complete the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “We now have all regulatory approvals necessary to close, and we look forward to bringing joy and connection to even more players around the world,” said Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick in an email. Kotick added that he would remain as Activision’s CEO until the end of 2023.
There are big moments from the FTX trial
FTX’s former Senior Vice President Caroline Ellison testified that FTX CEO Samuel Bankman-Fried told her to “shut the f**k up” when she confessed to taking billions of dollars from FTX’s customers. Ellison said Bankman-Fried demanded her to change spreadsheets to make Alameda’s financial picture look better, and to ignore requests from lender to provide more information.
Sources say the EU’s threats against Musk are empty
The Brussels War Crime Commission has raised concerns about the social media platforms that are being used for misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission said it was aware of the Community Notes on Meta and other platforms used to spread misinformation. It asked the platforms to share their information and take strict action against those violating the law.
Sources say that the EU has no threats against Musk
X CEO Linda Yaccarino said the social media platform has identified and removed “hundreds” of Hamas-affiliated accounts in response to European Union Digital Services Commissioner Linda Breton’s concerns about how X is being used for distribution of illegal content and misinformation. She added that over 700 unique notes are being shown on the platform relating to the Israel-Hamas war.
Canadian autoworkers and General Motors have a tentative contract
About 4,300 workers at two General Motors (GM) factories and a parts warehouse are returning to work on Tuesday afternoon and will vote on a three-year deal later in the day. The Unifor union said that the deal includes payraises of 20% for production workers and 25% for skilled trades. Meanwhile, Ford called the strike expansion reckless and said it wasn’t surprising.
She is the biggest witness against Sam Bankman-Fried
Former girlfriend of FTX’s Founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, has said that he directed her to commit crimes against FTX. She added that Bankman-Fried directed her to put the coins on the balance sheets FTX showed to lenders even though she felt it was “somewhat misleading”. Ellison also said that Bankman-Fried instructed her to manipulate spreadsheets to make FTX’s financial picture look more favourable.
Best Buy’s 48-Hour Sale has 30 best deals
Amazon has started its 48-hour Prime Day sales with a number of deals, including discounts on noise-canceling headphones and the SRS-XB100 magnetic charger. The SRS-XB100 is a smart plug and magnetic charging system that offers USB-C charging. It also features a built-in strap and a built-in charging port, making it a great travel speaker or home office companion.
EV buyers can get a instant rebates of up to $7,500
The US government has announced the rules for tax credit program for low-price electric vehicles (EVs). The new rules give dealers the power to reduce the price of an EV by as much as $7,500 at point of purchase. Dealers will have to register through an IRS portal to apply the credit and buyers will have to tell dealers if they fall in line.
The new Pixel 8 is smaller and smarter than the previous one
Google unveiled its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices on Monday. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 48-megapixel ultra wide camera lens that’s now capable of focusing as close as 2cm in macro mode, while the Pixel 8 has a 21-megapixel primary camera which is 21% more sensitive to light than the Pixel 7’s camera.