*By Jacqueline Corba*
Business and tech titans didn't hold back in making their real feelings about cryptocurrency widely known. On Cheddar's Crypto Craze, Jen Wieczner of Fortune discussed the top headlines with Nora Ali and Brad Smith, including news about a new round of funding for the fintech firm Robinhood.
**Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Gary Cohn slam Bitcoin.**
In an interview with [Fox Business](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mldCPQ4ypYM) at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting last weekend, Buffett called Bitcoin "rat poison squared."
"This is a little bit more of a sharp-worded barb at Bitcoin than we've heard from Warren Buffett in the past, but he's been no fan of Bitcoin and he's made that no secretー after all he is the most famous stock investor in the world," said Wieczner, a senior writer at Fortune. "This is something that the older generation has always had trouble with is anticipating where we are going next."
Indeed, Bill Gates said he'd invest in Bitcoin only if there was an easy way to [short it](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/07/bill-gates-i-would-short-bitcoin-if-i-could.html). That burn prompted Tyler Winklevoss, an early evangelist for cryptocurrency, to [challenge Gates on Twitter](https://twitter.com/tylerwinklevoss/status/993562310567452673) to "put your money where your mouth is."
Gary Cohn, the former White House Economic Advisor, told [CNBC's Bob Pisani](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=150&v=bcGjYHx6gVk ), "I'm not a big believer in Bitcoin, I am a believer in blockchain technology."
**NYSE and Goldman consider getting into crypto.**
Two major institutions are looking to get some skin in the crypto game, according to a recent report in [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/technology/bitcoin-new-york-stock-exchange.html). Goldman Sachs may build a team dedicated to trading Bitcoin, which would make it the first Wall Street bank to do so. Also ICE, the parent company of the NYSE, is reportedly building a Bitcoin trading platform. ICE did not comment.
"In order for this to really go mainstream and for the price to take off you need these big institutions," said Wieczner.
**Robinhood looks to take crypto trading big time.**
The fintech app maker [closed $363 million in Series D funding](http://fortune.com/2018/05/10/robinhood-stock-crypto-trading/), and it looks to bring cryptocurrency trading nationwide by the end of 2018. Now valued at $5.6 billion, Robinhood is taking on Coinbase to become one of the biggest cryptocurrency trading platforms.
"They still think they can steal a huge part of that market," said Wieczner. "They think its better the more they compete, the better it is for cryptocurrency, and everyone can make money."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/titans-talk-bitcoin-and-tyler-winklevoss-pushes-back).
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
