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Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft CEO Says OpenAI Alliance Changing But Remains Strong
(Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said his company's crucial partnership with OpenAI ( is changing, but remains strong. ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars NYC Residents Want Safer Streets, Cheaper Housing, Survey Says The Buffalo Architect Fighting for Women in Design 'Any company that has gone from being a research lab to one of the most successful product companies of this age — obviously things have to change for them and for us and in the context of the partnership,' Nadella said in an interview on the The Circuit with Emily Chang. The world's largest software maker is seen as a leader in commercializing AI due to its relationship with — and $13.75 billion investment in — the ChatGPT maker. Still, there have been signs of friction between the companies as each launches competing products and seeks out additional partners. Nadella noted that OpenAI is Microsoft's largest infrastructure customer and said his company is 'thrilled' to have access to the AI powerhouse's technology. 'Having that multifaceted partnership is what we are really focused on,' he said. 'Why would any one of us want to go upset that?' The current contract continues through 2030, but a revision earlier this year allows OpenAI to rent computing power from other providers to train AI models. 'I hope that for decades to come, Microsoft and OpenAI will be partnered in variety of different ways,' Nadella said. 'Will they have other partners? Absolutely. Will we have other partners? Absolutely.' In a previous episode of The Circuit, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, 'We do get a lot of great stuff from Microsoft, but I think this is more than any one company can deliver.' To secure more computing for its power-hungry AI models, OpenAI has joined forces with Oracle Corp., SoftBank Group Corp. and others on an AI infrastructure effort called Stargate. Still, 'Microsoft will do a lot of compute for us, a lot, a lot,' Altman said. 'We're very happy about that.' Microsoft, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has been weaving AI tools into its suite of business applications — an effort designed to boost the company's share of the global market for cloud services. Nadella also is keen to use AI to reboot Microsoft's consumer business, which has long struggled against its peers. To accelerate the process, he recruited DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman last year to create an AI-focused consumer franchise. Suleyman has pledged to create emotionally intelligent assistants that can be tailored to users' individual needs. 'The number-one priority for us is that we have to produce beautiful, elegant consumer products that regular young people love,' Suleyman said an interview. 'And that is not the way that people currently think of Microsoft products today.' Microsoft's consumer assistant, dubbed Copilot, has gained some traction but is up against steep competition, most notably from OpenAI. Last month, ChatGPT was downloaded 105 million times between Apple and Android mobile phones, roughly 20 times the number of consumer Copilot downloads, according to research firm Sensor Tower. Nadella points out that because Microsoft provides much of OpenAI's computing, his company makes money every time ChatGPT is used. 'Every day that ChatGPT succeeds is a fantastic day for Microsoft,' he said. This episode of The Circuit With Emily Chang premiers at 8 a.m. in New York on the Bloomberg app and It appears at 6 p.m. on Bloomberg Television. Check out The Circuit podcast for extended conversations. —With assistance from Lauren Ellis and Matt Day. Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Google, Volvo Cars deepen partnership to develop Android software for vehicles
May 21 (Reuters) - Volvo Cars and Alphabet's Google said on Wednesday the Swedish carmaker was now the lead development partner for Android automotive software, which should give its buyers access to new versions long before they are available via car industry rivals. "We're going to be able to be fast in bringing new capabilities, new features and new experiences to our customers," Alwin Bakkenes, Volvo's ( opens new tab head of global software engineering, told Reuters. "This really gives us an edge in building fantastic customer experiences." The two companies have been working together for a decade, but the deeper partnership means Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab engineers will drive Volvo cars with the latest software to "experience how their product behaves in a real context much earlier and much faster", Bakkenes said. He said on average the auto industry was about two Android releases behind mobile phones, which "means things you can do on your mobile phone, in many cases you cannot do in the car". Volvo vehicles currently operate using Android 13, but at Google's I/O annual developer conference underway in Mountain View, California, the two companies are demonstrating Volvo's flagship EX90 electric SUV running on Android 15 - the latest version of Google's mobile operating system - which will roll out in production models later this year. "Others might have to wait two years to get" that latest version of Android, Bakkenes said. At the I/O conference the two companies also demonstrated Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model running in the EX90, which Volvo is going to roll out to cars with Google built-in. Bakkenes said rather than drivers having to search through their phones for their destination, they can ask Gemini to search their emails or messages for it. Or drivers can, for instance, ask Gemini to find recipes and then put a shopping list on their phone to create "a human-centric experience", Bakkenes said.
Globe and Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Warby Parker Stock Raced 16% Higher on AI News Tuesday
Many investors were seeing vast potential in Warby Parker (NYSE: WRBY) on Tuesday. Collectively, they bid the eyeglass specialist's share price up by 16% on the day, thanks to news of its tie-up with a top name in the tech sector. That performance was particularly impressive, given that the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) ended up in the red, falling 0.4% during the trading session. AI-powered vision That tech company is none other than Google owner Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG)(NASDAQ: GOOGL). Warby Parker revealed in a press release that it is teaming with Google to develop a line of advanced eyeglasses that harness artificial intelligence (AI) technology. These products would be suitable for everyday use. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Warby Parker and Google intend to launch the first of these products after this year. In the press release, the former company did not get more specific. As for the business arrangement between the pair, Google is committing up to $75 million to cover its partner's development and commercialization expenses. It's also pledged to a direct investment into Warby Parker, again of up to $75 million. The latter is contingent upon Warby Parker's option, and the achievement of certain, unspecified collaboration milestones. A hopeful view of the future It's exciting that Warby Parker has teamed with a tech behemoth like Google, especially considering Alphabet's eager pursuit of -- and financial commitment to -- developing useful and potentially groundbreaking new technology. A possible cash infusion of as much as $150 million is quite the sweetener, too. While details are lacking for this project at the moment, it's indisputably a boon for the eyeglass maker. Investors are right to be hot on the stock following this news. Should you invest $1,000 in Warby Parker right now? Before you buy stock in Warby Parker, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Warby Parker wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $642,582!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $829,879!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is975% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool recommends Warby Parker. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
