Overstock.com’s CEO denied reports the company suffered any significant losses because of a glitch in cryptocurrency systems, and said that, despite the media coverage, he still believes Bitcoin holds a lot of potential for the company.
“Right now we’re doing a tZero ICO raising $300 million...People are telling me that’s a business they think has a 3 billion or 4 billion value,” Patrick Byrne told Cheddar Friday.
“I literally have people on Wall St. saying, if I pull off the tZero ICO, and then over two years we do what we think we can do, they say that’s a $40 billion enterprise. People have no idea, yet how much of the financial system we intend to augment.”
Reports emerged earlier this week that a bug created a big opportunity for arbitrage, allowing customers to purchase items with Bitcoin Cash, which trades at roughly $2,500, and return them in exchange for Bitcoin, priced at more than $13,000.
Byrne said the issue was caused by the overwhelming trade volume at payment partner Coinbase. He claims the mix-up, which lasted milliseconds, did not result in any material losses.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/overstock-ceo-responds-to-bitcoin-mix-up).
More American tech companies continue to pull their businesses out of China as the Communist Party cracks down on firms — both foreign and domestic. Yahoo and Fortnite have become the latest companies to withdraw from the country, and the withdrawals come just days after Microsoft announced it would take LinkedIn offline. Shehzad Qazi, managing director at China Beige Book International, joined Cheddar to provide some insight into how the crackdowns in China would also impact the tech companies at home in the United States.
Yelp reported Q3 earnings on Thursday, matching its best quarterly performance in company history, according to CFO David Schwarzbach who joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to break down the report and business forecast. He also talked about the impact that the pandemic has had on marketing campaigns on the platform and noted that while service pros are doing well, campaigns for restaurants, retail, and other sectors continue to face challenges.
Beatriz Acevedo, CEO of Suma Wealth, discusses the challenges in building financial habits among Hispanic youths and talks about how the company will be prioritizing funds from its recent $2 million raise.
Sian Morson, founder and editor of The Blkchain, talks about the challenges digital artists of color face getting opportunities to advance their careers and ways NFTs are redistributing wealth.
Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau joined Cheddar's "Opening Bell" to talk about the gym chain's Q3 earnings beat. He said while home workouts have sufficed for people amid the pandemic, they are not a substitute for in-person workouts in facilities such as their own. "Now that people can get out and go about their day as their normal life, I think we're now reaping the benefits of people getting out to being normal again," he said.
A new report out by the Center for Countering Digital Hate shows how just ten publishers are responsible for the bulk of climate change misinformation on social media--and companies like Facebook and Google are making money off them. Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, joined Cheddar to discuss.
Many are celebrating Marvel's 'Eternals,' the most diverse film the company has ever made. CAPE has teamed up with other nonprofits to launch the #oneopen campaign, tied to the Eternals, which aims to support and amplify films led by diverse talent. Michelle Sugihara, the Executive Director of CAPE, joined Cheddar to discuss.
A recent token called 'SQUID' which was developed after the Netflix series Squid Games has now cost several investors to lose their investments. According to Gizmodo, the developers have now walked off with $3.3 Million thanks to them not allowing buyers to sell any of their coins. The question now is: How can one protect themselves from being caught up in any crypto scams? The Host of the O Show Wendy O, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Dr. Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist of the Climate and Energy Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, joined Cheddar News to discuss the COP26 summit.
The U.S. economy added 531,000 jobs in October beating expectations by a large margin. Mark Avallone, founder and president at Potomac Wealth Advisors, joined Cheddar to dive into the numbers and discuss trends like the gains made in leisure and hospitality. "When you look at the hotel chains, the travel-related opportunities out there, they are booming," he said. Avallone noted that delayed life events like weddings have added to the growth, noting that, "The pent up demand for activities that people postponed, plus the desire to enjoy life, is all systems go right now, and I think that's something we're going to see more of."
