Connor Hughes, Author at IIB Network

Ether Cryptocurrency ETFs Are Approved by the SEC

25

May

Investments and Business

Ether Cryptocurrency ETFs Are Approved by the SEC

Federal regulators on Thursday approved an investment product tied to the cryptocurrency Ether, the most valuable digital asset after Bitcoin, in a major boost for the crypto industry.The Securities and Exchange Commission said a group of exchanges could begin listing investment products known as exchange-traded funds, or E.T.F.s, linked to the price of Ether. The products would offer an easier and simpler way for people to invest in crypto, potentially boosting prices and promoting wider adoption of digital currencies.In January, the S.E.C. approved similar products that track the price of Bitcoin, leading to a flurry of new investment that helped…

Innovation and empathy: Mijael Attias and Merak Group’s personal hallmark in investing

24

May

By Connor Hughes

Social Responsibility

Innovation and empathy: Mijael Attias and Merak Group’s personal hallmark in investing

In today's fast-paced world, where financial markets experience constant fluctuations and regulations change at a rapid pace, investing has become an increasingly complex task. Investment decisions, once limited to a few financial instruments, now encompass a wide range of options, from stocks and bonds to cryptocurrencies and digital assets. In this context, it is critical to understand the factors influencing the markets and to develop sound, diversified business strategies.Investing extends beyond merely acquiring financial assets; it constitutes a strategic decision-making process. It requires establishing precise goals, evaluating risk tolerance, and selecting investments that align with the unique requirements of each…

Some Prominent Silicon Valley Investors Shift to the Right

23

May

By Connor Hughes

Science and Technology

Some Prominent Silicon Valley Investors Shift to the Right

In 2021, David Sacks, a prominent venture capital investor and podcast host, said former President Donald J. Trump’s behavior around the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol had disqualified him from being a future political candidate.At a tech conference last week, Mr. Sacks said his view had changed.“I have bigger disagreements with Biden than with Trump,” the investor said. Mr. Sacks said he and his podcast co-hosts were working on hosting a fund-raiser for Mr. Trump, which could include an interview for their “All In” show. They also extended an invitation to President Biden, he said, but the Trump…

What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for the Federal Reserve

23

May

By Connor Hughes

Investments and Business

What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for the Federal Reserve

Former President Donald J. Trump relentlessly criticized the Federal Reserve and Jerome H. Powell, its chair, during his time in office. As he competes with President Biden for a second presidential term, that history has many on Wall Street wondering: What would a Trump victory mean for America’s central bank?The Trump campaign does not have detailed plans for the Fed yet, several people in its orbit said, but outside advisers have been more focused on the central bank and have been making suggestions — some minor, others extreme.While some in Mr. Trump’s circles have floated the idea of trying to…

AI’s Black Boxes Just Got a Little Less Mysterious

21

May

By Connor Hughes

Science and Technology

AI’s Black Boxes Just Got a Little Less Mysterious

One of the weirder, more unnerving things about today’s leading artificial intelligence systems is that nobody — not even the people who build them — really knows how the systems work.That’s because large language models, the type of A.I. systems that power ChatGPT and other popular chatbots, are not programmed line by line by human engineers, as conventional computer programs are.Instead, these systems essentially learn on their own, by ingesting vast amounts of data and identifying patterns and relationships in language, then using that knowledge to predict the next words in a sequence.One consequence of building A.I. systems this way…

Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her

21

May

By Connor Hughes

Investments and Business

Scarlett Johansson Said No, but OpenAI’s Virtual Assistant Sounds Just Like Her

Days before OpenAI demonstrated its new, flirty voice assistant last week, the actress Scarlett Johansson said, Sam Altman, the company’s chief executive, called her agent and asked that she consider licensing her voice for a virtual assistant.It was his second request to the actress in the past year, Ms. Johansson said in a statement on Monday, adding that the reply both times was no.Despite those refusals, Ms. Johansson said, OpenAI used a voice that sounded “eerily similar to mine.” She has hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using a voice it called “Sky.”OpenAI suspended its release of “Sky”…

Why TikTok Users Are Blocking Celebrities

20

May

By Connor Hughes

Science and Technology

Why TikTok Users Are Blocking Celebrities

As protests over the war in Gaza unfolded blocks away, last week’s Met Gala was largely devoid of political statements on the red carpet. That the organizers of fashion’s most powerful annual spectacle (one for which tickets cost $75,000 this year) achieved this feat proved surprising to many observers. Less than two weeks later, though, a fast-growing online protest movement is taking shape. At least, it is on TikTok, the social media platform that was a sponsor of the Met event.Blockout 2024, also referred to as Operation Blockout or Celebrity Block Party, targets high-profile figures who participants feel are not…

U.S. and Europe Move Closer to Using Russian Assets to Help Ukraine

20

May

By Connor Hughes

Investments and Business

U.S. and Europe Move Closer to Using Russian Assets to Help Ukraine

The United States and Europe are coalescing around a plan to use interest earned on frozen Russian central bank assets to provide Ukraine with a loan to be used for military and economic assistance, potentially providing the country with a multibillion-dollar lifeline as Russia’s war effort intensifies.Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in an interview on Sunday that several options for using $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets remained on the table. But she said the most promising idea was for Group of 7 nations to issue a loan to Ukraine that would be backed by profits and interest income…

Inside OpenAI’s Library – The New York Times

18

May

By Connor Hughes

Science and Technology

Inside OpenAI’s Library – The New York Times

The two-story library has Oriental rugs, shaded lamps dotting its desks and rows of hardbacks lining its walls. It is the architectural centerpiece of the offices of OpenAI, the start-up whose online chatbot, ChatGPT, showed the world that machines can instantly generate their own poetry and prose.The building, which was once a mayonnaise factory, looks like a typical tech office, with its communal work spaces, well-stocked micro-kitchens and private nap rooms spread across three floors in San Francisco’s Mission District.But then there is that library, with the ambience of a Victorian Era reading room. Its shelves offer everything from Homer’s…

A Loss at Mercedes-Benz Slows U.A.W.’s Southern Campaign

18

May

By Connor Hughes

Investments and Business

A Loss at Mercedes-Benz Slows U.A.W.’s Southern Campaign

After suffering a setback at two Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama on Friday, the United Automobile Workers union’s efforts to organize other auto factories in the South is likely to slow and could struggle to make headway.About 56 percent of the Mercedes workers who voted rejected the U.A.W. in an election after the union chalked up two major wins this year. In April, workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee voted to join the union, the first large nonunion auto plant in the South to do so. Weeks later, the union negotiated a new contract bringing significant pay and benefit improvements…