During a video conference at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Elon Musk said that he's looking to "find someone else" to lead Twitter by the end of 2023. Between now and then, he said his goal is to "stabilize the organization" and make sure "it's financially in a healthy place."
Musk hinted in December that he would step down eventually but didn't provide specifics.
EU GAS-POWERED CAR BAN
The European Union has approved a law that will ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles from the trading bloc by 2035. In addition, the EU will require cars sold by 2030 to cut emissions by 55 percent from 2021 levels. While some automakers are resisting the rule, others are being proactive. Volkswagen said it will only produce EVs in Europe by 2033.
SUBWAY EXPLORES SALE
After weeks of speculation, Subway has confirmed that it is considering a sale. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that it had hired advisors to look into a deal that could value the company at more than $10 billion. However, "there is no indication of timing or assurance that a sale will occur," the company said in a press release. "J.P. Morgan is advising the company and will conduct the sale exploration process." Subway has more than 37,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Same-store sales in North America were up 7.8 percent in 2022.
Despite Netflix's successful fourth-quarter earnings report, investors are hitting the 'pause' button after the company admitted that competition from other streaming platforms could eat into growth. Netflix is also lowering expectations for expected subscriber growth for the first quarter of this year, anticipating it will add just 2.5 million, far below the 3.98 million subscribers it added during the same quarter one year ago. What could happen to the streaming giant as the streaming wars keep heating up? Greg Martin, Co-Founder of Rainmaker Securities, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss whether Netflix could lose its top spot, how it's trying to compete with other platforms, the streaming industry landscape, and more.
eToro, the social trading platform that offers crypto, forex, and equities, recently announced that it's giving U.S. users the option to include stocks and ETFs as part of their investment portfolios. Lule Demmissie, CEO of eToro U.S., joined Cheddar to talk about the company’s expanded offerings. "We felt, although crypto is a fantastic asset class, that individuals benefit from having a broader access to different kinds of investments, and equities is definitely one of them," Demmissie noted.
Coming off of CES, Blink Charging announced a partnership with legacy automaker General Motors to provide charging stations for its newest electric cars. The company specializes in stations they own and operate that also accommodate residential and commercial locations. Michael D. Farkas, founder and CEO, noted that they "don’t discriminate” when it comes to locating their chargers while also taking the philosophy of seeing their hardware more like hot water heaters rather than smartphones constantly in need of upgrading. "We believe it's one of the reasons why we were selected by GM," Farkas said. "These dealerships have to invest in these locations and make sure that this hardware is workable for a very, very long period of time."
Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets joins Cheddar News to discuss CNBC's report that Peloton plans to halt production, despite the company's CEO denying those claims.
Mona Zhang, states cannabis policy reporter at POLITICO Pro joins Cheddar News to discuss major factors that caused Canada's retail marijuana sales to drop last year.
Jackie Rotman, founder and CEO of the Center for Intimacy Justice joins Cheddar News to talk about why Facebook is banning ads by companies targeting women's sexual health but not ads catered to men.
TikTok recently announced that it is testing a paid subscription model. The news comes days after Instagram publicized a similar service. TikTok has made $2.3 billion from in-app purchases, but mostly through tips, in 2021, showing that its users may be open to spending money on the platform.
The NCAA voted to streamline their constitution at their annual convention on Thursday. Each of the three college divisions can decide how student-athletes can make money from outside sources but still restricts schools from directly paying its players.
Netflix beat its earnings projections for Q4 — but the stock still plummeted as the streaming pioneer cut back on its forecast for future subscribers. Michael Robinson, the chief technology strategist at Money Map Press, joined Cheddar to discuss the report and what's driving the downward pressure on its shares. "It's the growth is really what's worrying people," he said. "'A' we have slowing economic growth, and 'B' we've got slowing growth for this company, as 'C' we have an increase in competition."
