FCC Chair Under Investigation, Snap CEO Defends App Redesign
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is under investigation for collusion. Last year, Pai and the FCC changed the law which dictates how many stations a TV broadcaster can own. This paved the way for Sinclair to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion. Now, investigators are looking into whether Pai improperly colluded with Sinclair to change these rules.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is doubling down on the controversial app redesign after facing fierce backlash. At a conference, Spiegel said the widespread criticism actually validates Snapchat's mission. The update rolled out globally a few days ago and has faced sharp backlash from teens and even celebrity influencers like Chrissy Teigen. The new Snapchat separates friends and family from celebrities and media content. A petition to revert back to the old version has already picked up 1 million signatures.
Cathy Hackl, CEO of Futures Intelligence Group, joins Cheddar to talk about the future of the metaverse, and how companies are making moves to become a part of it.
Six states have confirmed cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, and this number is expected to grow. Cheddar's Hena Doba speaks with Dr. William Schaffner,
Professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, on the latest developments.
Earnings season continues in the week of December 6 - 10, and that's only the start of a slate of events on the calendar that may move markets. We will also see executives from the crypto world and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri testify before members of Congress, and Square's name change to Block officially goes into effect.
Joe Gagliese, Co-Founder and CEO of Viral Nation, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how influencer marketing is coming to cryptocurrencies and NFTs and outlines what we could expect to see on that front in 2022.
Many restaurants across the country have lately turned off delivery and online orders during peak hours, as eateries are still struggling with labor shortages and as many are also seeing more customers return for in-person dining. Wall Street Journal reporter Heather Haddon joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Hologram communication platform maker PORTL is looking to take communication to the next level. Founder and CEO David Nussbaum joined Cheddar to talk about the company's recent $12 million Series A funding round that will be used to bring the concept of holoportation to market. Nussbaum noted his hologram technology is just not comparable to augmented reality or virtual metaverses because the image projection is happening in real-time and in actual reality. "Well, unlike VR or AR, we're 'R.' We're real. You don't need a headset. You don't need wearables. You don't need to download anything. It's incredible," he said.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales stopped by Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about his Birth of Wikipedia auction at Christie's putting two items linked to the origins of Wikipedia up for sale. On the auction block are his original strawberry iMac that was used to create the long-running online encyclopedia and what Wales described as an interactive NFT of his first Wikipedia edit rather than a static image. "Once it's been sold, the owner can turn it on, and anyone can edit the page and it will be reflected in the NFT," he said.
Local Bounti rang the opening bell December 3 in honor of its recent trading debut on the NYSE after closing a $1.1 billion SPAC deal. The company operates an indoor growing facility in Montana and aims to transform the production and delivery of local, fresh and sustainably-grown leafy greens. Craig Hurlbert, co-founder and co-CEO of Local Bounti, joined Cheddar to discuss the company's goals as a newly publicly-traded company.
