Thursday, October 31, 2019
GRRM Will Finish The Winds of Winter Before Writing House of the Dragon
Motorola Razr 2019 Foldable Phone Leaked in Renders Ahead of Launch
NPCIL Admits Malware Attack on Computer in Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
ShopClues Acquired by Singapore-Based Qoo10 in an All-Stock Deal
No Information on India Purchasing Israeli Spyware, MHA in RTI Reply
iPhone 11 Launch Timing Helped Apple's Uncertain China Rebound: Analysts
Watch the New Trailer for Netflix's The Witcher, Out in December
Facebook Sued for Age, Gender Bias in Financial Services Ads in the US
Government Officials Said to Be Targeted in WhatsApp Hack Around the Globe
This tool was used to hack phones of WhatsApp users globally: All you need to know
ETtech Top 5: WhatsApp spying expose, ShopClues finds a suitor & more
China's three state-backed wireless carriers launch 5G in some cities, ahead of original 2020 date; China Mobile aims to bring 5G to 50+ cities by year's end (Washington Post)
China's three state-backed wireless carriers launch 5G in some cities, ahead of original 2020 date; China Mobile aims to bring 5G to 50+ cities by year's end — BEIJING — Chinese cellphone carriers will begin offering super-fast, next-generation 5G service on a commercial basis Friday …
Amazon says Alexa skill personalization, which allows developers to provide personalized experiences for different customers, is now generally available (Kyle Wiggers/VentureBeat)
Amazon says Alexa skill personalization, which allows developers to provide personalized experiences for different customers, is now generally available — Future voice skills built for Alexa might respond uniquely to your voice. That's thanks to Alexa skill personalization …
Altria writes down $4.5 billion from its investment in Juul
Facing increasing scrutiny from international and domestic regulators, the Altria Group has decided to write down its investment into the e-cigarette company JUUL by $4.5 billion.
That’s roughly one-third of the $12.8 billion that the tobacco giant had invested into JUUL a little less than one year ago.
What a difference a year has made.
JUUL, which has become synonymous with the vaping phenomenon that has swept the U.S., was once hailed as being at the forefront of a wave of companies that were making smoking obsolete and nicotine consumption safer for consumers.
The company began running into problems as its popularity increased exponentially (in part by allegedly turning to some of the same tactics big tobacco used to target underage consumers).
As the complaints began to roll in, and as JUUL was held responsible for an explosion in the use of tobacco products among underage Americans, the regulatory scrutiny also began to increase.
First the company was compelled to limit its sale of flavored tobacco products. Now it may be forced to pull all of its flavored products outright.
None of the company’s troubles have been helped by the wave of vaping related illnesses that have swept through the U.S. causing several deaths in users across multiple states.
Indeed, a new lawsuit against the company (filed two days ago) alleges that JUUL knowingly sold contaminated pods despite warnings from at least one employee.
First reported by BuzzFeed, the lawsuit was brought by Siddharth Breja, a former senior vice president of global finance at Juul from May 2018 to March 2019.
Breja alleges he was fired for complaining about the charge — a claim that a spokesperson for JUUL called “baseless”.
“[Breja] was terminated in March 2019 because he failed to demonstrate the leadership qualities needed in his role,”a spokesperson for JUUL wrote in an email. “The allegations concerning safety issues with Juul products are equally meritless, and we already investigated the underlying manufacturing issue and determined the product met all applicable specifications.”
The write down by Altria follows an announcement from JUUL that it intends to lay off around 500 people — or roughly 10% of its workforce.
Sources: private capital giant Apollo Global has shorted loans and rapidly cut exposure to the enterprise software sector in 2025 amid concerns over AI threat (Financial Times)
Financial Times : Sources: private capital giant Apollo Global has shorted loans and rapidly cut exposure to the enterprise software sect...
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Amrith Ramkumar / Wall Street Journal : An interview with White House OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, a Peter Thiel protégé confirmed by ...
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The first project we remember working on together was drawing scenes from the picture books that our mom brought with her when she immigrate...
