Business

Inquiry Into Ouster of OpenAI’s Chief Executive Nears End

Inquiry Into Ouster of OpenAI’s Chief Executive Nears End

Associated media - Connected media WilmerHale, a prominent U.S. law firm, is close to wrapping up a detailed review of OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, and his ouster from the artificial intelligence start-up late last year, two people with knowledge of the proceedings said. The investigation, when complete, could give insight into what went on behind the scenes with Mr. Altman and OpenAI’s former board of directors, which fired him on Nov. 17 before reinstating him five days later. OpenAI, which is valued at more than $80 billion, has led a frenzy over A.I. and could help determine the direction…
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Donna Summer’s Estate Sues Ye for Sampling ‘I Feel Love’

Donna Summer’s Estate Sues Ye for Sampling ‘I Feel Love’

Associated media - Linked media When Ye and Ty Dolla Sign asked last month for permission to sample Donna Summer’s 1977 song “I Feel Love,” the disco singer’s estate firmly told them no. Yet when their joint LP, “Vultures 1,” was released weeks ago, a song with strong similarities to Summer’s famous tune was there on the track list. A copyright infringement lawsuit detailing that timeline was filed against Ye, the rapper once known as Kanye West, and Ty Dolla Sign on Tuesday by Summer’s husband and executor, Bruce Sudano. Summer, known as the “Queen of Disco,” had three consecutive…
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U.S. Proposes New Rules to Ease Flying for Travelers in Wheelchairs

U.S. Proposes New Rules to Ease Flying for Travelers in Wheelchairs

Associated media - Associated media The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it was proposing new regulations for how airlines must treat passengers in wheelchairs, an effort aimed at improving air travel for people with disabilities. Under the proposed rule, damaging or delaying the return of a wheelchair would be an automatic violation of an existing federal law that bars airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities. The Transportation Department said that change would make it easier for the agency to penalize airlines for mishandling wheelchairs. The proposed regulations would also require more robust training for workers who physically assist…
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Biden Calls Chinese Electric Vehicles a Security Threat

Biden Calls Chinese Electric Vehicles a Security Threat

Related media - Connected media The Treasury Department has already proposed rules meant to limit China’s ability to supply materials for cars and trucks that qualify for a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit included in Mr. Biden’s signature climate bill. The Commerce Department investigation announced on Thursday grew from a series of conversations that administration officials had with automakers last fall, after the settlement of a United Automobile Workers strike during which Mr. Biden stood with the union and joined a picket line. The carmakers told administration officials about the restrictions they faced selling in China, including on software. Biden…
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F1 Teams Sauber and AlphaTauri Get New Names

F1 Teams Sauber and AlphaTauri Get New Names

Connected media - Related media The names of both teams have been criticized, with some fans taking to social media. “Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber might be the worst name for a team in F1 history,” a fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “When you try something new, and when you have a team name that is different from other team names, it’s always easy to be critical,” Alunni Bravi said. “Of course, there was criticism from those close to the Sauber name, and maybe they expected something different. “Maybe we went too extreme, but we wanted to…
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Corner Offices Are Out; Collaboration Is In. Say Hello to the New Law Firm.

Corner Offices Are Out; Collaboration Is In. Say Hello to the New Law Firm.

Related media - Connected media There was “a lot of interior space and very little access to natural light,” said Kelley M. Bender, the firm’s chief operating partner. And retrofitting the old offices for current technology, including that needed for hybrid meetings, would be difficult. The firm also acknowledged that the work force had changed, requiring less space. Lawyers who commit to returning to work three days of week are assigned their own offices; those who don’t still have office space, “but not necessarily one with their name on the door,” Ms. Bender said. Chapman’s decision was in keeping with…
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China’s Country Garden Faces Winding Up Petition In Hong Kong

China’s Country Garden Faces Winding Up Petition In Hong Kong

Connected media - Linked media More than 50 Chinese property developers have defaulted on debts since 2021. They have refused to repay overseas creditors while still making arrangements with Chinese banks for possible eventual repayment. Many of these developers have shares listed on the Hong Kong stock market or have borrowed there, or both. But creditors face formidable obstacles in seeking to recover loans from Chinese real estate developers through petitions to the court system in Hong Kong, said Zerlina Zeng, the head of East Asia corporate credits at CreditSights, a global credit research firm. Most of the assets of…
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Eye Ointments at CVS and Walmart Pulled Because of Infection Risk

Eye Ointments at CVS and Walmart Pulled Because of Infection Risk

Connected media - Connected media “The products are being recalled due to lack of sterility assurance at the facility noted during an inspection conducted by the Food and Drug Administration,” the announcement said. It added that, as of Feb. 16, the company had not received any reports of adverse reactions related to these products. The products are intended to be sterile, the administrator said, because drugs applied to the eyes bypass some of the body’s natural defense systems. Other eye products have been recalled in recent months. In October, the F.D.A. advised consumers to stop using more than two dozen…
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Starbucks and Union Agree to Work Out Framework for Contract Talks

Starbucks and Union Agree to Work Out Framework for Contract Talks

Related media - Related media Workers who have helped lead the organizing said the development had surprised them. “It still feels pretty surreal right now,” said Michelle Eisen, a longtime barista at a Starbucks in Buffalo that was the first company-owned store to unionize during the current campaign. “There has not been a single call I’ve been on today where either I wasn’t crying or everyone else wasn’t crying.” If a framework is agreed to and quickly leads to contracts, experts said, it could be a major development in labor relations in corporate America, where companies like Amazon and Apple…
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Alabama IVF Ruling: What to Know About the Costs of Moving Embryos

Alabama IVF Ruling: What to Know About the Costs of Moving Embryos

Connected media - Linked media “There’s a lot that goes into moving these safely and properly,” said Angeline Beltsos, chief executive physician at Kindbody, which has 35 clinics across the country and provides fertility benefit coverage for employers, including Walmart. Will my health insurance cover the cost to move my embryos if I can no longer get I.V.F. in my home state? Maybe. Some coverage could be broad enough to pay for the transport of embryos. “It is likely that employees working for large employers have some kind of coverage,” said Elizabeth Mitchell, the chief executive officer of Purchaser Business…
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