John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity Technologies, Says Company Could Go Public Now
If you play video games on your phone, there is a good chance you have played a game powered by Unity Technologies. The company's software is used for games on nearly 3 billion devices worldwide, and also helps scientists explore the innermost parts of the universe.
One of Unity's partners is [CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research](https://home.cern/), which runs one of the world's most powerful particle accelerators in Switzerland. Scientists there use the company's visualization tools, like the real-time 3D development platform, augmented reality, and virtual reality tools that are used to make video games.
"They use it to look at the particles as they bombard each other," said John Riccitiello, Unity's CEO, in an interview with Cheddar. "They're tired of looking at 20,000 pages of [histograms](https://home.cern/scientists/updates/2015/09/big-data-takes-root)."
Industry leaders in science and transportation have turned to the software company to build more dynamic products and tools that can be used outside of video games, Riccitiello said. And Utility is also looking to better serve "prosumers" ー the professional creators who use technology to build new products. There are an estimated half a million prosumers toying around with Unity's tools.
"I want to see that number go into the many millions," he said. "The world's a better place with more creators."
The company may also go public. "That's the general path," said Riccitiello. "We're not putting out dates but I do believe the company is strong enough financially to go public now."
He said the company has around $300 million in revenue and is seeing "very aggressive growth."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-power-of-unity)
Orangetheory Fitness is redefining the future of workouts with smarter tech, strength-based programming, and community-driven studios built for what’s next.
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
