Latest news with #LukeO'Neill
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Former Wiggles CEO Luke O'Neill sues popular kids' group in Australian Federal Court
Award-winning Australian children's music sensation The Wiggles face a lawsuit from their former CEO. Photo / Getty Images Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Award-winning Australian children's music sensation The Wiggles face a lawsuit from their former CEO. Photo / Getty Images The former chief executive of The Wiggles – who left after just over a year into his role – has lodged proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the popular children's entertainment group. Luke O'Neill was named the music sensation's first CEO last year, according to aNb Media, with his role focusing on 'expanding The Wiggles' digital footprint, developing new products and expanding the commercial operations of the business'. O'Neill had worked as a consultant with The Wiggles since mid-2023 before stepping into the new role. His LinkedIn profile states he finished the role in August 2024. In a Federal Court application filed this week, O'Neil has lodged proceedings under the Fair Work Act against The Wiggles, the group's leader, Anthony Field, and its general counsel, Matthew Salgo.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Ex-Wiggles CEO's shock lawsuit
The former chief executive of The Wiggles – who left after just over a year into his role – has lodged Federal Court proceedings against the popular children's entertainment group. Luke O'Neill was named the children's music sensation's first chief executive last year, according to aNb Media, with his role focusing on 'expanding The Wiggles' digital footprint, developing new products and expanding the commercial operations of the business'. Mr O'Neill had worked as a consultant with The Wiggles since mid-2023 prior to stepping into the new role. His LinkedIn profile states he finished the role in August 2024. Former The Wiggles chief executive Luke O'Neill. Credit: Supplied In a Federal Court application filed earlier this week, Mr O'Neil has lodged proceedings under the Fair Work Act against The Wiggles, the group's leader Anthony Field and its general counsel Matthew Salgo. The application has been made under the Fair Work Act alleging 'dismissal in contravention of a general protection'. The Fair Work Commission's website outlines general protections laws prevent employers from dismissing employees for specific reasons – such as taking long periods of sick leave or if they are fired for making a complaint under workplace rights. Details of Mr O'Neill's application and complaint against The Wiggles and the other respondents is not known. Mr O'Neill's legal team Wotton Kearney declined to comment when contacted by NewsWire. A hearing date has not been set and defences have not been filed by the respondents. The Wiggles. Credit: Supplied In a statement, a Wiggles spokeswoman said: 'This relates to a current legal proceeding and as such we will not be commenting on it.' Mr O'Neill's role as chief executive involved 'ensuring that The Wiggles can continue to self-fund innovative, educational and entertaining content and extend distribution to reach larger audiences than ever before', aNb Media stated when he took on the role. 'The Wiggles have always been pioneers in delivering high-quality, educational, and entertaining content for children,' Mr O'Neill told the outlet in 2023. 'I am thrilled to lead the team as we explore new opportunities in the digital and commercial spaces and expand our global presence. Together, we will continue to create memorable experiences for children and families around the world.' Kate Chiodo, who has worked in various roles with The Wiggles, was appointed the new chief executive in May.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alphabet Earnings Optimism Outweighs Looming Antitrust Risks
(Bloomberg) -- After months of underperforming their tech peers, Alphabet Inc. shares are finally showing signs of life as investors bet that a strong earnings performance will outweigh concerns about a looming antitrust ruling. Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital The stock has gained 9% during a nine-day winning streak, pushing it into the green on the year for the first time since February, ahead of results that are expected to bolster sentiment about Alphabet's position in artificial intelligence. The rebound comes even as a ruling in the Justice Department's case over Google's internet search monopoly is expected by August, with a breakup among the potential outcomes. 'If Alphabet can deliver the growth that's expected of it, then the stock looks incredibly attractive,' said Luke O'Neill, chief investment officer at CooksonPeirce Wealth Management. 'There are a lot of questions about what's on the table in terms of antitrust remedies, and certainly scenarios that are negative, and obviously there are questions about the long-term impact of AI, but it is hard to be too negative.' For the second quarter, Alphabet is expected to report net earnings of $2.18 a share on revenue of nearly $80 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That would represent an expansion of 15% and 12%, respectively, over the same period a year ago. That growth is expected to persist, with annual sales projected to expand at a similar clip through 2028. While investors have grown more confident about Alphabet's ability to compete in AI, the stock is still underperforming the Nasdaq 100 Index and peers like Meta Platforms Inc. in 2025 as antitrust concerns add to fears that Google is at risk of losing share in the web search market from AI chatbots. Even with Alphabet's recent gains, the stock is flat on the year, compared with an advance of 10% for the Nasdaq 100 and 22% for Meta. In Alphabet's antitrust suit, the Justice Department has proposed that Google be forced to sell its Chrome web browser and banned from paying to make its search engine a default, among other remedies. Google has argued that the government's requests are too extreme and would harm consumers and weaken US technological leadership. Outside of antitrust problems, investors see Alphabet as well-suited to both monetize new services and defend its market share. Worries about losing ground to rivals like OpenAI have been a persistent fear for investors, especially the idea that Google's dominance in internet search — from which Alphabet gets more than half its overall revenue — could be at risk. In May, Alphabet unveiled new AI features that were greeted with enthusiasm, while rising adoption and usage of AI is expected to be a tailwind for the company's cloud business. Last month, Reuters reported that OpenAI, whose ChatGPT is a key rival, plans to use the company's Google cloud service for additional computing capacity. Wall Street remains largely bullish on Alphabet's potential for long-term revenue growth. More than 80% of analysts tracked by Bloomberg that cover the company have a buy rating and there are no sells. Alphabet is 7.9% below the average analyst price target, suggesting Wall Street sees the stock returning to near-record levels over the coming months. Alphabet is priced at about 18 times estimated earnings, a discount to its 10-year average. It's by far the cheapest among the seven most valuable technology companies, with a price-to-projected profit ratio that's nearly half of Microsoft Corp.'s at 33 times. 'The stock looks like a steal, especially as its tech has advanced, but antitrust risk coming after people were worried about AI disruption is creating a drag,' said Daniel Newman, chief executive officer of The Futurum Group. 'The ruling could be deeply punitive, and so long as we don't know how this will play out, there's an overhang of uncertainty that can linger on for an extended period.' Top Tech Stories Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers. Oracle Corp. is in discussions with Skydance Media LLC for a major software deal once the media company's acquisition of Paramount Global is complete. Opendoor Technologies Inc. jumped as much as 121% on Monday, extending its gravity-defying rally from last week, as investors continued to pile into the stock that has found a sudden fandom among retail traders and social-media platforms. FuriosaAI Inc., the Seoul-based startup seeking to design chips to compete with Nvidia Corp., has sealed its first major contract months after rejecting an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta Platforms Inc. NXP Semiconductors NV shares slid in late trading after the chipmaker's third-quarter forecast was less bullish than some investors had anticipated. Earnings Due Tuesday Earnings Premarket: Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc/T (IPG US) Earnings Postmarket: Manhattan Associates Inc. (MANH US) Pegasystems Inc. (PEGA US) Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN US) --With assistance from Subrat Patnaik. Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alphabet Earnings Optimism Outweighs Looming Antitrust Risks
(Bloomberg) -- After months of underperforming their tech peers, Alphabet Inc. shares are finally showing signs of life as investors bet that a strong earnings performance will outweigh concerns about a looming antitrust ruling. Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital The stock has gained 9% during a nine-day winning streak, pushing it into the green on the year for the first time since February, ahead of results that are expected to bolster sentiment about Alphabet's position in artificial intelligence. The rebound comes even as a ruling in the Justice Department's case over Google's internet search monopoly is expected by August, with a breakup among the potential outcomes. 'If Alphabet can deliver the growth that's expected of it, then the stock looks incredibly attractive,' said Luke O'Neill, chief investment officer at CooksonPeirce Wealth Management. 'There are a lot of questions about what's on the table in terms of antitrust remedies, and certainly scenarios that are negative, and obviously there are questions about the long-term impact of AI, but it is hard to be too negative.' For the second quarter, Alphabet is expected to report net earnings of $2.18 a share on revenue of nearly $80 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That would represent an expansion of 15% and 12%, respectively, over the same period a year ago. That growth is expected to persist, with annual sales projected to expand at a similar clip through 2028. While investors have grown more confident about Alphabet's ability to compete in AI, the stock is still underperforming the Nasdaq 100 Index and peers like Meta Platforms Inc. in 2025 as antitrust concerns add to fears that Google is at risk of losing share in the web search market from AI chatbots. Even with Alphabet's recent gains, the stock is flat on the year, compared with an advance of 10% for the Nasdaq 100 and 22% for Meta. In Alphabet's antitrust suit, the Justice Department has proposed that Google be forced to sell its Chrome web browser and banned from paying to make its search engine a default, among other remedies. Google has argued that the government's requests are too extreme and would harm consumers and weaken US technological leadership. Outside of antitrust problems, investors see Alphabet as well-suited to both monetize new services and defend its market share. Worries about losing ground to rivals like OpenAI have been a persistent fear for investors, especially the idea that Google's dominance in internet search — from which Alphabet gets more than half its overall revenue — could be at risk. In May, Alphabet unveiled new AI features that were greeted with enthusiasm, while rising adoption and usage of AI is expected to be a tailwind for the company's cloud business. Last month, Reuters reported that OpenAI, whose ChatGPT is a key rival, plans to use the company's Google cloud service for additional computing capacity. Wall Street remains largely bullish on Alphabet's potential for long-term revenue growth. More than 80% of analysts tracked by Bloomberg that cover the company have a buy rating and there are no sells. Alphabet is 7.9% below the average analyst price target, suggesting Wall Street sees the stock returning to near-record levels over the coming months. Alphabet is priced at about 18 times estimated earnings, a discount to its 10-year average. It's by far the cheapest among the seven most valuable technology companies, with a price-to-projected profit ratio that's nearly half of Microsoft Corp.'s at 33 times. 'The stock looks like a steal, especially as its tech has advanced, but antitrust risk coming after people were worried about AI disruption is creating a drag,' said Daniel Newman, chief executive officer of The Futurum Group. 'The ruling could be deeply punitive, and so long as we don't know how this will play out, there's an overhang of uncertainty that can linger on for an extended period.' Top Tech Stories Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers. Oracle Corp. is in discussions with Skydance Media LLC for a major software deal once the media company's acquisition of Paramount Global is complete. Opendoor Technologies Inc. jumped as much as 121% on Monday, extending its gravity-defying rally from last week, as investors continued to pile into the stock that has found a sudden fandom among retail traders and social-media platforms. FuriosaAI Inc., the Seoul-based startup seeking to design chips to compete with Nvidia Corp., has sealed its first major contract months after rejecting an $800 million acquisition offer from Meta Platforms Inc. NXP Semiconductors NV shares slid in late trading after the chipmaker's third-quarter forecast was less bullish than some investors had anticipated. Earnings Due Tuesday Earnings Premarket: Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc/T (IPG US) Earnings Postmarket: Manhattan Associates Inc. (MANH US) Pegasystems Inc. (PEGA US) Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN US) --With assistance from Subrat Patnaik. Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Irish Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Top doc recommends getting rid of everyday tool to reduce risk of Alzheimer's
There is "such positivity" in Alzheimer's research at the moment, says top immunologist Luke O'Neill. A drug that slows down the disease was recently approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and it is hoped that it will be available in Ireland soon. However, the expert stresses that lifestyle changes can help lower a person's chance of developing the disease. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, which is the umbrella term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities that are serious enough to interfere with daily life. It is primarily caused by the build-up of protein deposits in the brain that eventually kills brain cells. While the exact cause of Alzheimer's is unknown, scientists believe that for most people it is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. In July 2024, the Lancet Commission reported that 45 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented by fully addressing 14 lifestyle factors. Here are Luke O'Neill's and the Lancet's lifestyle recommendations on reducing the risk of Alzheimer's- and it includes ditching a tool most of us use daily. Google Maps is a tool that many of us use daily, however, studies suggest that keeping our brains as active as we can can reduces the risk of Alzheimer's. This can be done by learning a new language, doing puzzles, taking part in quizzes and also by navigating new areas and figuring out directions ourselves. A study published in The BMJ in December 2024 found that taxi drivers and ambulance drivers have the lowest rates of death due to Alzheimer's. Other drivers such as airline pilots or bus drivers - those that have predefined routes - did not have a lower risk of developing the disease. This suggests that occupations requiring frequent navigational and spatial processing could offer some protection against Alzheimer's. Social interaction is a great way to keep the mind active, and scientists have identified social isolation as a risk factor for not only Alzheimer's but hypertension and coronary heart disease. Loneliness can be associated with decreased cognitive activity, which can accelerate cognitive decline and poor mood. Professor O'Neill told the Irish Mirror: "A big one is loneliness, that is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's and Dementia. We have to mind older people, many older people get isolated and with some encouragement we can hopefully diminish the loneliness epidemic that's there." Studies strongly suggest a link between hearing loss and a higher risk of developing dementia. One found that with every 10-dB decrease in hearing ability, there is a 4 per cent to 24 per cent higher risk of developing dementia. Professor O'Neill encourages everyone to be conscious of their hearing and get it checked if they believe it might be declining. He added: "With a hearing aid you can stave that off, so the big message that's been given in the last while is if you are having trouble hearing go and get a hearing aid because it's a risk of getting Alzheimer's. "These are things we can all do at decreasing our own risk of getting it, and they are very optimistic on that front." The newest Lancet Commission study on dementia reported that high LDL cholesterol is associated with a higher risk of dementia. LDL is commonly known as "bad cholesterol", it's a condition where there's excessive amount of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. This is usually checked during a routine bloods appointment, often in a GP office. Luckily, much can be done to reduce LDL cholesterol including a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats. This is usually found in foods like red meat, full-fat dairy, fried foods and processed snacks. Lifelong learning is associated with improved brain health, with higher levels of cognitive activity. This doesn't mean you have to enroll in a degree programme, but learning a new language or taking up a new skill, even casually, can improve brain health. The Lancet Commission found that those who did not complete secondary school education were more at-risk of developing Alzheimer's. Being active is important for a healthier life, and it has been cited as one of the 14 factors that could reduce the risk of dementia. Physical activity can benefit brain health by reducing chronic inflammation, improving blood flow and increasing the release of protein that is good for brain cells. The World Health Organisation recommends that adults get between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week. This would include walking briskly, biking, swimming or dancing. It also recommends that on top of this adults should partake in muscle strengthening activities two times a week. Obesity is also a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease. However, it's important to note that BMI is not definitive in diagnosing obesity- as some people can have a high percentage of muscle mass. Calculating body fat percentage, or measuring waist-to-hip ratio can be used to determine a healthy body. An analysis published in the National Library of Medicine with over five million people found that those with higher central obesity - measured by waist-to-hip ratio- was associated with a greater risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
