To Own the Future, Read Shakespeare

many times a year, as if on a hidden schedule, some tech person, often venture-capital-adjacent, types out a thought on social media like “The only thing liberal arts majors are good for is scrubbing floors while I punch them” and hits Send. Then the poetry people respond—often a little late, in need of haircuts—with earnest … Read more

Coinbase secures crypto license in France, expanding further in Europe

POLAND – 2023/08/01: In this photo illustration, a Coinbase logo displayed on a smartphone with stock server lights in the background. (Photo Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase secured registration with the French markets regulator, a company spokesperson confirmed Thursday, paving the way … Read more

Metaverse firm Improbable sells gaming unit for $97 million

Herman Narula, co-founder and CEO of Improbable, speaks during a session at the Web Summit in Lisbon. Henrique Casinhas | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Metaverse company Improbable has sold one of its key gaming ventures to London-listed video game developer Keywords Studios for £76.5 million ($97.1 million). The company closed the deal … Read more

2024 CNBC Disruptor 50 list nominations

CNBC is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Disruptor 50 list — our annual look at the most innovative venture-backed companies using breakthrough technology to meet increasing economic and consumer challenges. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 16 at 11:59 pm EST. All independent, privately-owned companies founded after Jan. 1, 2009, are eligible, and … Read more

Finnish startup Varjo launches $3,990 XR-4 mixed reality headset

The XR-4 is a mixed reality headset from Finnish startup Varjo that’s targeted at the enterprise. Varjo Finnish mixed-reality startup Varjo on Monday launched its latest headset, the XR-4, a product it hopes to sell to large enterprise firms. The headset, which starts at a price of $3,990, is similar to those from Meta, Microsoft … Read more

OpenAI brings Sam Altman back as CEO days after ouster

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the OpenAI DevDay event on November 06, 2023 in San Francisco, California.  Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Sam Altman will return as CEO of OpenAI, the startup said early Wednesday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter. The move follows immense pressure from employees and investors on the board … Read more

Plaid taps Adyen executive to lead its European operations

Plaid’s new head of Europe, Brian Dammeir. Plaid U.S. financial technology firm Plaid has hired former Adyen executive Brian Dammeir as its new head of Europe, the company told CNBC exclusively. Dammeir was previously Adyen’s global head of unified commerce, a role he led out of the Dutch payment company’s San Francisco office. Dammeir oversaw … Read more

Musk threatens ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ against media watchdog, calls advertisers ‘oppressors’

Elon Musk lashed out at large advertisers and Media Matters, a media watchdog group, on Friday after several major brands decided to pause spending on X, the social media platform he owns and runs as CTO. Musk wrote late Friday night, “The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear … Read more

OpenAI’s structure left Sam Altman vulnerable. Now he’s out

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, arrives for a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum for all U.S. senators hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 13, 2023.  Leah Millis | Reuters OpenAI’s unusual company structure weakened Sam Altman’s position as CEO and left him … Read more

E-bike firm Cowboy targets full-year profitability next year

The Cowboy Cruiser. Cowboy Cowboy, the Belgian electric bike maker, is expecting to hit full-year profitability in 2024 even as some of its market rivals are facing financial hardship. Adrien Roose, Cowboy’s CEO and co-founder, told CNBC that he expects the company to reach profitability on an EBITDA basis by the end of the second … Read more