All posts tagged: CEOs

Vertu wants CEOs to run companies from an AI foldable starting at ,880

Vertu wants CEOs to run companies from an AI foldable starting at $6,880

Published by skeptic

Luxury smartphone brand Vertu on Thursday unveiled a foldable phone powered by an AI agent that connects with enterprise software and coordinates workflows. The company is targeting executives who manage business operations and communications on the move. Called the Alphafold, the foldable smartphone starts at $6,880 for the calfskin version. Higher-end models feature bespoke finishes including alligator leather, 18K gold, and natural diamond accents, along with customized detailing. This continues Vertu’s long-standing strategy of positioning its phones as luxury status symbols aimed at affluent buyers. The company told TechCrunch that its highest-end standard model is currently priced at $46,800, with further customization options available. The launch marks Vertu’s latest attempt to reinvent itself for the AI era after struggling to remain relevant in the modern smartphone market. The Hong Kong-headquartered company, once known for luxury handsets and concierge services popular among wealthy buyers before the rise of the iPhone, has changed ownership multiple times over the years as mainstream smartphone makers came to dominate the industry. Nonetheless, Vertu is betting the Alphafold can help reinvent …

AI CEOs Baffled by Hatred of Their Technology

AI CEOs Baffled by Hatred of Their Technology

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech A bulk of Americans really hate AI — and many AI CEOs can’t quite grasp why. There’s a serious mismatch between public sentiment and corporate excitement over AI. Companies continue to AI-wash layoffs and jam the tech into every corner of their products, yet research keeps finding that Americans are opposed to rampant AI expansion: according to one recent Economist/YouGov poll, a staggering 70 percent of Americans think that AI is “moving too fast,” and about 64 percent believe it’s unlikely that the general population will ever reap future economic benefits of the tech. Yet no one seems to be more confused than the makers of the tech themselves. Back in January, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang lamented on a podcast that the AI backlash has been “extremely hurtful,” blaming pushback on “doomers” pushing a negative “narrative” of AI. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman observed in an X post last fall that there are “so many cynics,” and that it “cracks …

America’s Most Powerful CEOs Don’t Have Much to Show From Their China Trip So Far

America’s Most Powerful CEOs Don’t Have Much to Show From Their China Trip So Far

Published by Sam Flores

By Laurie Chen and Casey Hall BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 15 (Reuters) – With red-carpet treatment, selfies and ⁠culinary ⁠diplomacy, America’s richest and most powerful executives – from ⁠Tesla’s Elon Musk to Nvidia’s Jensen Huang – sought to rekindle business ties with China this week at a ​leadership summit in Beijing. But as U.S. President Donald Trump flew out of Beijing on Friday afternoon, there was little clarity on what the summit delivered for the business ‌delegation that was travelling with the president. The presence ‌of a group of some of the most powerful U.S. corporate leaders – representing companies like Apple, Meta, Boeing, Cargill and Goldman Sachs – underscores the importance of ⁠the Chinese market, even ⁠as political leaders navigate strained ties over trade, artificial intelligence and broader geopolitical tensions. Face-to-face meetings with ​Chinese officials and policymakers are crucial for U.S. executives seeking to understand and manage regulatory and policy hurdles, secure deals and expand their footprint in the world’s second-largest economy. Unlike the last U.S. presidential visit to Beijing early in Trump’s first term in …

President lands in Beijing with Tesla, Nvidia CEOs

President lands in Beijing with Tesla, Nvidia CEOs

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump has landed in Beijing for a highly anticipated presidential summit with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Trump is being accompanied on the trip by a group of executives from some of America’s most valuable companies, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia boss Jensen Huang. The president was greeted on the tarmac by a brass band and flag wavers, who performed as he descended the steps of Air Force One. On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to participate in a welcome ceremony and hold a bilateral meeting with Xi, before touring the historic Temple of Heaven and attending a state banquet. He will leave China on Friday, following tea and a working lunch with Xi. Read more about Trump in China The high-stakes talks between the two leaders are expected to cover tariffs, rare earths, artificial intelligence, the Iran war and Taiwan. Experts are anticipating that …

Impressionist Matt Friend takes fans inside ridiculously star-studded comedy brunch at Netflix CEO’s house

Impressionist Matt Friend takes fans inside ridiculously star-studded comedy brunch at Netflix CEO’s house

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter On Thursday, the biggest names in comedy descended on the home of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for a brunch celebrating the third Netflix Is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles. The biennial comedy festival produced by the streaming giant launched in 2022 and features a range of performances, from stand-up to live podcasts and roast battles. Matt Friend — an impressionist known for his takes on Jeff Goldblum, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and more — took fans inside the star-studded brunch Thursday, sharing a series of photos and videos on Instagram. “Netflix Comedy Brunch at the gorgeous home of Ted Sarandos & Nicole Avant… I’m a kid in a candy store! Living the dream, let’s keep going,” Friend wrote in his caption. Sarandos and his wife, Avant — former U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas — bought their home in L.A.’s Hancock …

CEOs Say AI Gives Them Only Two Options, and Both Are Bad News for Employees

CEOs Say AI Gives Them Only Two Options, and Both Are Bad News for Employees

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech In an age of AI, our hardworking CEOs are being tortured with a tough decision, according to new Wall Street Journal reporting: they can embrace AI and lay off scores of employees — or keep their employees, but use AI to make them work even harder. If those options sound like a false dichotomy to you, you’re probably not wrong. But it’s emblematic of the logic that business leaders, gripped by AI fomo, are operating with. No one wants to be left behind by the latest technological leap, and few would pass up the opportunity to produce more for less — which is what AI, however dubiously, promises. Exemplifying this logic, Spotify co-CEO Gustav Söderström opined during a recent earnings call that businesses can either translate AI “straight into cost savings and cut headcount,” or they could “say we’re going to be roughly the same amount of people, we ‘re just going to do more.” Spotify, for its …

Top European tech CEOs call for easier AI rules

Top European tech CEOs call for easier AI rules

Published by Sam Flores

AMSTERDAM, May 5 : Europe’s AI regulations should be reduced and simplified, chief executives of seven of Europe’s top technology firms including Christophe Fouquet of the biggest, computer chip equipment maker ASML, said in an opinion piece published on Tuesday.   The European Union resumes talks this month on streamlining the bloc’s 2024 AI Act, with the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, also due to present its “Tech Sovereignty Package” on May 27 – including plans still under negotiation to support the computer chip industry and AI infrastructure. “More than three years after the ‘ChatGPT moment’, Europe is still debating regulation, while others have long shifted focus to scaling AI in physical systems and robotics,” the executives wrote in the op-ed. The commentary, published in newspapers including Germany’s Handelsblatt and Italy’s Corriere della Sera, also called for stronger industrial policy, and M&A rules that would allow European companies to grow. “We face fragmented markets and subsidized rivals with very strong market penetration in the EU,” the executives wrote. It was signed by the CEOs of …

Tech CEOs Think AI Will Let Them Be Everywhere at Once

Tech CEOs Think AI Will Let Them Be Everywhere at Once

Published by skeptic

Silicon Valley moguls have lately complained that too many people are too negative about artificial intelligence. They’re likewise frustrated by stalled AI adoption among major corporations that aren’t seeing the lucrative efficiencies promised by Big Tech. But if consumers and corporations are proving resistant to AI’s acceleration, it hasn’t stopped billionaire CEOs from charging ahead with their personal fantasies of what the technology can do. On April 13, the Financial Times reported that Meta is working up a photorealistic, three-dimensional AI avatar of chief exec Mark Zuckerberg, according to several people at the company. Trained on his public comments, mannerisms, and up-to-date perspectives on corporate strategy, the bot is being designed to interact with Meta staff on Zuckerberg’s behalf. Employees would supposedly be able to hop on a video chat with the avatar, which could answer questions and offer managerial guidance and feedback. Zuckerberg is personally involved in testing and training his animated doppelgänger, Meta employees told the Financial Times, noting that this early-stage project has become a priority amid the development of various other …

Le Pen met France’s richest man and other major CEOs at secret dinner – POLITICO

Le Pen met France’s richest man and other major CEOs at secret dinner – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

For years, France’s entrepreneurial elite have been deeply suspicious of a populist party that has flipflopped on key economic policies such as membership of the eurozone. In 2017, Arnault backed French President Emmanuel Macron against Le Pen, and had until this week refused to meet National Rally leaders. But with Le Pen and National Rally President Jordan Bardella topping the polls ahead of next year’s presidential election, business leaders have been seeking to build bridges with far-right leaders to gain influence over a party whose economic vision often clashes with their interests. Pouyanné had in January called for business leaders to talk to the far right and the hard-left France Unbowed party to “introduce some realism into a confused and illusory political debate.” According to an executive who works for one of the attendees, the encounter wasn’t an opportunity for business leaders to “cozy up” to Le Pen, but rather a robust exchange of views. But a former government official who was granted anonymity to protect relationships with past colleagues said that the symbolism of …

Cinemark CEO’s Pay Rises to .8 Million

Cinemark CEO’s Pay Rises to $10.8 Million

Published by Daniella Wilson

A month ahead of its annual shareholder meeting, major theater chain Cinemark has disclosed its pay for its C-suite, with its top executive seeing a 10 percent bump in compensation for 2025. Sean Gamble, 51, who has led the exhibitor chain as CEO for the past four years, saw total compensation (including stock awards and incentive plan pay) rise to $10.8 million last year, the exhibitor disclosed in a securities filing on Wednesday. That’s up from $9.8 million in 2024 and $8.8 million in 2023. Melissa Thomas, the CFO of Cinemark who joined the theater chain from Groupon five years ago, saw pay of $3.36 million, up from $2.94 million in 2024 and $2.69 million in 2023. The chain, which competes with longtime leader AMC Theatres as well as Regal, has made market share gains of late to about 15 percent of domestic box office as AMC grapples with its debt load and Regal emerges from bankruptcy protection under new leadership. It operates 496 theaters with 5,637 screens in the U.S. and Latin America. Cinemark …