Starbucks is partnering with Ariana Grande on its latest coffee offering. The coffee chain and singer both posted twin cloud emoji tweets on Monday. Grande tagged @Starbucks, leading fans online to piece together that she was teasing the new "Cloud Macchiato," which Starbucks ($SBUX) officially launched this week. She followed those up with a pair of new tweets Tuesday morning showing the singer decked out in a Starbucks apron sipping on one of the new bevvies.
Internal documents showed that Grande was helping the company launch the new beverage, according to Business Insider.
Grande might already be considered an unofficial brand ambassador given how many times she's been snapped holding a Starbucks drink. Starbucks has not confirmed that it has a partnership with the "Thank U, Next" singer, though BI reported that as part of the promotion some stores will also feature Grande-approved playlists and songs.
The Cloud Macchiato is a twist on an Italian coffee staple. The "macchiato," literally translated to "stained" is a shot of espresso with a bit (stain) of frothed milk. Starbucks gained success bastardizing that and other Italian cafe classics with iced versions, caramel drizzles, and mocha. The Cloud version will come in cinnamon or caramel versions with a dollop of whipped cold milk foam, according to the press release.
Apple TV+ is in serious talks for the rights to stream MLB games next season, the first foray into sports content for the platform, according to the New York Post. Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Sports, sat down with Cheddar to discuss how such a deal might impact the tech giant and the sports content industry. "Quite often with new media platforms one of the quickest ways to create and implement a programming strategy — and actually one of the most expensive ways — is to offer up sports content," Berke noted. "So, with this package available, it puts Apple literally in the game and gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in offering up a major league sport."
A.I.-enabled fintech company Qraft Technologies recently closed a $146 million investment from SoftBank Group Corp.
The companies say they are entering a partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence in the asset management industry. Qraft has already developed A.I. solutions that have been used by major financial institutions and says its new approach to asset management maximizes investment efficiency. Qraft Technologies U.S. CEO Robert Nestor joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Navient, a major student loan collecting company, agreed to cancel $1.7 billion in debt owed by more than 66,000 borrowers across the U.S. and pay over $140 million in other penalties to settle allegations of abusive lending practices.
A late-afternoon recovery in technology stocks helped erase most of the market’s losses Friday, but it wasn’t enough to keep major indexes from logging their second losing week in a row.
Bank of America slashed the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks.
Technology stocks led another decline on Wall Street Thursday, leaving the Nasdaq composite down 2.5%. Microsoft, Nvidia and other big tech companies had some of the biggest losses.
