Here is a rundown of Cheddar News' top market stories of the day.
TECH LAYOFFS
Multiple outlets are reporting that Microsoft will begin a series of planned layoffs on Wednesday that could cut around 5 percent of its workforce, or 10,000 employees. CEO Satya Nadella warned the cuts were coming, and said the next couple of years were likely to be challenging, as the tech sector contracts after a decade plus of rapid growth. Amazon is also set to move ahead with plans to cut 6 percent of its 350,000 corporate employees.
ADOBE'S DATA DEBACLE
Adobe is facing backlash from customers who are concerned the software company is using personal images and video to train artificial intelligence models such as OpenAI’s Dall-E. Chief Product Officer Scott Belsky denied the accusations in an interview with Bloomberg, saying: "We have never, ever used anything in our storage to train a generative AI model."
UNITED AIRLINES EARNINGS
United Airlines' fourth quarter earnings beat Wall Street estimates on the heels of a rebound in travel demand. The company reported a 31 percent increase from the same period before the pandemic. The gains were made despite the airline flying 9 percent fewer trips and a litany of other challenges, from winter storms to labor shortages to supply chain disruptions.
UNIVERSITY BANS TIKTOK
The University of Texas at Austin is blocking access to TikTok on its Wi-Fi and wired networks. The move is a response to Gov. Greg Abbott's requirement that all state agencies delete the app from government-issued devices. The administration said it is also seeking to eliminate risks to information on the university's networks. University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University System have since implemented similar restrictions.
Goldman Sachs is getting into the holiday giving spirit with its sixth annual Analyst Impact Fund competition. The Shark-Tank style contest gives Junior Analysts the chance to pitch a charity of their choice to senior leadership, with the winner being granted $250,000 to donate to their chosen non-profit. The team representing Lime Connect, the world's largest network of people with disabilities, has taken home this year's top prize. For more on this, Jim Esposito, Goldman Sachs Co-Head of the Investment Banking Division, and Julian Sanchez, one of this year's winners, joined Cheddar Movers.
Sprinklr CEO Ragy Thomas joined Wake Up With Cheddar's Baker Machado to discuss the customer experience company's latest earnings report and forecasts for future growth.
The markets saw a two day rally, hitting highs not seen since as far back as March. Melissa Armo, founder and owner of the Stock Swoosh explains what lead the charge, and what to expect as the year comes to a close.
Wall Street saw major gains Monday, with the Dow Jones jumping nearly 650 points, the S&P 500 moving higher by 1.1% and the Nasdaq by .9%. Ross Mayfield, Investment Strategy Analyst at Baird, breaks down why investor concerns about the Omicron variant may have been a bit too preemptive.
Daniel Loria, Editorial Director at Box Office Pro, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to give predictions for the weekend, which will see three major films debut, as 'West Side Story', 'Don't Look Up' and 'Being the Ricardos' all hit theaters.
Politico Tech Policy Reporter Rebecca Kern joined Wake Up With Cheddar to recap Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri's testimony to Congress, and look ahead to new safety features on the horizon for the social media giant.
Carlo and Baker wrap up the week talking about the Biden economic boom that no one seems to notice, a verdict in the Jussie Smollett case, the first Starbucks union in America and the pleasures of the "dude nod."
