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).
Netflix is riding high following the release of its Q3 earnings report, which beat revenue expectations after hitting $7.5 billion. The streaming giant also added 4.4 million new subscribers in the quarter.
Google is gearing up to release a new round of its smartphones with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro models. The phones will be powered by the tech giant's very custom chip called Tensor.
Online tickets marketplace Vivid Seats CEO Stan Chia joined Cheddar’s "Opening Bell" to discuss the decision behind launching an IPO via a SPAC merger with Horizon Acquisition Corporation. According to Chia, it was the best route for the company as it looked to partner with a proven track record to strategize for the future. He also noted that pent-up demand for live events is as high as it's been in five years due to the pandemic. Shares are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol SEAT.
Southwest Airlines has reversed course on plans to place unvaccinated workers who seek medical or religious exemption on unpaid leave following the federally mandated Dec. 8 vaccination deadline. Instead, the airline will allow them to continue working under COVID protocols like masking and social distancing.
