Facebook Reports Earnings After Announcing an Adjusted News Feed Strategy and Microsoft Moves Ahead with Strong Cloud Strategy
Facebook and Microsoft released earnings after the Closing Bell today. The two tech companies beat expectations for both revenue and earnings per share.
Microsoft saw growth across the board, including in their cloud sector. Intelligent Cloud revenue rose 15% to $7.8 billion.
For Facebook, the social media still had strong earnings despite changing their news feed algorithm. Despite wins on both revenue and EPS, shares fell after the bell.
Keenan Beasley is the co-founder of BLKBOX, a marketing and intelligence agency that works closely with Facebook. Beasley joins Cheddar to give his take on Facebook earnings. Beasley is impressed by the increase of active users and believes ad revenue will just continue to grow. Beasley expects Facebook to produce less ads, but each advertisement will be more valuable, more expensive to buy, and therefore create higher profits for Facebook.
Sony is leveling up its subscription service, PlayStation Plus this week, a combination of its earlier options into a tiered plan offering options to play streaming and mostly older titles instead of day-and-date new games like those offered by rival Microsoft on its Gamepass service. Colette Bennett, a senior reporter at TheStreet and the host of the podcast "Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat," joined Cheddar News to talk about the backlash from gamers. I would say maybe like it's like a six. I'm happy to see older, stony games and have access to them, but I really would have preferred to be able to stream brand-new games. "Gamers are pretty upset that Sony is kind of repackaging the stuff that's been around more or less for years and trying to make it look new," she said. "You know, the Netflix subscription-like model is so appealing."
The most popular and most valuable cryptocurrency is also the least eco-friendly - data shows that Bitcoin mining generates the same amount of carbon emissions as the entire country of Thailand. According to nonprofit Fair Planet, 96 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions come from Bitcoin mining every year. Now, a consortium of climate activist groups is calling on the Bitcoin industry to cut its energy use by making changes to its software code. Michael Brune, former executive director of the Sierra Club, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A cannabis software startup is offering a first-of-its-kind perk for its employees - reimbursements for legal cannabis purchases. Jointly Better bills itself as an experience-based cannabis wellness tracker and product platform. In an attempt to attract top talent, the company will reimburse up to $150 a month for its workers' lawful cannabis purchases. David Kooi, co-founder and CEO of Jointly, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Mar 31, 2022, with updates on Biden's push for more COVID funding, a wave of storms hammering the South, Etsy sellers going on strike, and more.
