business

Justice declares illegal part of its advertising business

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Google’s position as One of the most powerful actors on the Internet begins to crack under the pressure of the courts. The last setback for the Mountain View company has arrived with a defeat in the trial for advertising monopoly promoted by the United States Department of Justice. In a resolution signed this Thursdayfederal judge Leonie Brinkema has concluded that Google incurred anti -competitive practices in two key markets: that of advertisement servers for editorial groups (where she dominates with DFP) and the advertising exchanges of the Open Web (through ADX). Ads servers, such as DFP, owned by Google, are technical infrastructure that use many digital media to manage What ads are shown, when and who already. They are not the only market option, but one of the most widespread, especially among large editors. In practice, they act as the digital advertising command center. The second front is that of the advertising exchanges of the Open Web, the open environment where different actors, such as advertisers, agencies or media, bid in real time for advertising spaces. This ecosystem coexists with other alternatives, such as platforms controlled by Facebook or Amazon, but remains a key piece of the programmatic market. Adx, Google’s solution, is one of the main actors in this segment. According to the court, the company combined both products illegally For more than a decade, forcing editors to use all their technology if they wanted to access those auctions. That integration reduced the alternatives of the rest of the actors and left Google with the absolute control of the process. The question now is how to dismantle monopoly Brinkema considers that this strategy not only eliminated rivals, but also harmed the media, who saw their advertising income reduced, and advertisers, who ended up paying more. The sentence argues that any benefit derived from this integration is widely exceeded by the damage caused to the competition. From here a new stage opens. The judge has asked the parties to present a calendar to study the so -called “structural remedies”, that is, the possible measures that could be imposed following this ruling. Among the options that consider the Department of Justice is the forced separation of DFP and ADX as independent companieswhich would mean the heart of the Google programmatic advertising business. The sentence does not order that division at the moment, but the possibility is on the table. What happens in this phase can mark a before and after how digital advertising is managed. This part of the business meant about 30.4 billion dollars in revenues in 2024, approximately 9 % of the group’s global billing. Although the judicial decision does not affect other Google advertising services such as search advertisements, YouTube videos or Google Maps advertising, it does question the architecture on which its advertising strategy is supported in the open web environment, where until now it worked as a player who dominated all the pieces of the board. During the trial, the Court listened to media editors such as Use Today or the Daily Mailto advertising agencies, to rival technology companies already executives of Google herself, including the head of YouTube. All contributed information about how the Mountain View giant was closing the passage to other advertising solutions through internal decisions, conditioned contracts and technological changes designed to benefit only their own tools. The Department of Justice also denounced that Google eliminated internal conversations that could serve as proof and abused legal privilege to hide information. Although the judge has not yet resolved if he will impose sanctions for it, it makes clear in her letter that the responsibility for monopoly has already been accredited. This case adds to other open fronts against the company. In 2024, another federal court had already declared that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in the searches market, a process that also remains open waiting for possible corrective measures to be decided. In addition, the company has been sued in other states for the control of its application store, while the United States Government has also brought Apple, Amazon and Meta in parallel causes. Together, this new ruling against Google reinforces an idea that a few years ago seemed unthinkable: the era of technological impunity is coming to an end. For the first time in decades, the big digital platforms face not only investigations, but to firm convictions that could change the way they operate on the Internet. Images: Greg Bulla | Rubaitul Azad Images | The United States has tired of the monopolies of great technological ones. And wants to start “chop them” with goal

You will start adjusting your template, according to Business Insider

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Although the figures registered in 2022, 2023 or 2024, years in which each round of layoffs are not being reached segated thousands of jobs. According to The portal Layoff.fyi,The great technology have fired 23,505 employees in what we have been. The most recurring reason: the Restructuring of the departments To gain agility. According to Published information by Business InsiderMicrosoft would be considering a New round of layoffs They aim to reduce the number of intermediate and management positions, as well as Posts “No coding“. That is, positions not directly involved with software development. Programmers are not the objective Anonymous sources close to Microsoft assured the American media that the technology prepares Another round of layoffs that could be executed next May, but do not provide a specific figure of the number of employees that will be affected by the measure. The spokesmen of the company consulted by the medium have declined to comment. According to what is published, the adjustments that are coming will be focused on the intermediate controls and team managers, as well as in DEVELOPED DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS Software direct. This includes commercial, human resources and managers departments. Microsoft already carried out layoffs at the beginning of the year. But unlike that, the new round would not have the objective Like Google and Amazon. Less bureaucracy and more agile teams Charlie Bell, co -founder of Amazon Web Service and current Chief of Security of Microsoft, could have brought from Amazon this ratios system. Its objective is to redirect the maximum of Personnel resources to the development area To step on the accelerator in matters such as AI or the creation of new software solutions to put back to Microsoft in the AI ​​race. Applying this strategy, Microsoft would be looking for an infrastructure with development equipment with less bureaucratic obstacles in the command chain and more dynamic reducing the number of department managers. Hence, the main objective is not to reduce the template in general, but in specific positions. According to sources of Business Insiderthe department managed by Charlie Bell has a ratio of 5.5 programmers for each manager, when the objective is to achieve a proportion of 10 to 1. This strategy is slightly different from that adopted by technological ones as a goal, which in its last round of layoffs hardened the performance scales, which served as an excuse for dismiss 5% of your workforceincluding in that list many software engineers that had to date had good grades. However, although programmers are not the objective priority in this personnel cut, Microsoft could take the opportunity to say goodbye to some employees (including programmers) that have a “impact 80” or lower performance rating for two consecutive years. The company establishes a 200 scale, in which 100 would be an average yield. Therefore, a programmer with a qualification of 80 would be yielding below the measure and could be one of the names that go in The next list of layoffs, Although your profile is development. In Xataka | “In a year or two code editors will not exist”: four programmers explain the Vibe Coding revolution Image | Microsoft

Goodbye to the ruinous business in Latin America … and Diana on Digi and Vodafone

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Marc Murtra, just ratified As executive president of Telefónica with a support of 90% of shareholders, they have a forceful message: the priority is “Europe, Europe and Europe”, and the consolidation within each country is essential. He already anticipated it In an inaugural speech of the MWC full of intention. The “intramerous” mergers are, in their opinion, the only effective way to generate real synergies, reduce costs and improve profitability in a sector that has languished for years. While Abandon Latin America After a ruinous business attempt there, Murtra focuses on operators such as Vodafone Spain and Digi, according to Expansionwith sufficient scale to impact. Why is it important. Murtra’s message to the European Commission, the CNMC and national governments is clear: mergers within each country are priority over any paneurpea consolidation, and regulators must allow them. This approach is a change with respect to the previous position of the EC, which has hindered similar mergers in the last decade. Orange and MasMóvilwithout going any further, he lasted a lot and filled with asterisks. However, recent letta and draghi reports on European strategic autonomy give intellectual coverage to this position. Murtra relies on the new geopolitical climate, where European technological sovereignty is at staketo claim conditions that allow European telecos to gain financial muscle and compete globally. The contrast. While in Europe it seeks to grow absorbing competitors, in Latin America Telefónica is in full withdrawal, after years of negative results that have undermined their financial position. Peru is already in creditors. Argentina has been sold for 1,190 million euros to the Clarín group (although Milei’s government tries to block the operation). Colombia is about to go to Millicom. And Mexico is the following in the list for divestment. Only Brazil remains as a strategic market, contributing about a third of the group’s profitability and being even more priority than Spain in terms of investment. What’s happening. The European consolidation strategy proposed by Murtra reflects a reality of the sector: Europe has 34 main operators for 450 million people, while the United States has only three for 335 million. This fragmentation is a lifeline. The European Telecommunications Sector has lost 41% of its capitalization since 2015while American and Asian giants advance technologically much faster. Telefónica’s stock market value fell 57% under the Álvarez-Pallete mandate despite reducing debt by half. The European 5G coverage (81%) is delayed with respect to the American and China (more than 95%). The average income per mobile customer in Europe is 15 euros compared to $ 42 in the United States. Fiber customer yield is 13 euros in Europe against $ 58 in the United States. Between the lines. Vodafone Spain and Digi arise as the logical objectives for consolidation in Spain. Only these operators have enough scale to generate multimillionaire synergies. Vodafone, with almost three million broadband customers, or Digi, who already exceeds two million fiber users, represent acquisitions with the necessary volume to move the needle in the Spanish market and contain the competition that is eroding its margins. Other assets such as Avatel, FI Network or Adamo would also be intent, but have too small dimensions for their purchase to have the impact that Telefónica seeks. Yes, but. Telefónica’s transformation goes beyond traditional consolidation. 43% of their business income in key markets already come from services that are not communications. The operator is close to the inflection point where most of your billing comes from technological servicesnot voice or data. The IT segment is growing “in double digit” while reducing the investment ratio on income from 12.9% to 12.5%. This metamorphosis reflects the search for a post-terocommunications identity, where Telefónica wants to be defined as a diversified technological company. Now the crystallize narrative is missing. And now what. Murtra has announced that he will present his strategic plan before he finishes 2025, with three priorities: focus on Europe, “iron financial discipline” and technological excellence. What remains to be seen is whether the European Commission, with The new Teresa Ribera Commissionerwill respond favorably to its requests with greater consolidation. And if Murtra will execute both Latin American divestments and European acquisitions with the rapidity it promises. If it works, it could mark the way for other European telecos trapped among American technological giants and Asian manufacturers. If it fails, the decline of the sector in Europe could become irreversible. In Xataka | Telefónica’s new guard: Marc Murtra and Emilio Gayo, the pair that seeks to create a European champion Outstanding image | Telefónica

Mrbeast has discovered a much more lucrative business than making videos on YouTube: Sell chocolate

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Mrbeast became a Internet superstar globally Thanks to his video and challenges on YouTube. However, far from beating content creation, the youtuber has managed to transform its fame into A business empire diversified valued in billions of dollars. Ironically, the main engine of this empire is no longer the more than 377 million Mrbeast followers and its most crazy challenges: selling chocolate has been much more profitable. The teenager who became a millionaire playing. Jimmy Donaldson, the name behind Mrbeast, began his adventure on YouTube in 2012 with only 11 years. Like most kids of his age, his first videos showed him playing fashion video games: Call of Duty and Minecraft. For years, he analyzed what type of content he worked better on the platform, learning the secrets of the algorithm and how to capture the audience’s attention. YouTube was small. He cannot be denied that he knew how to find the correct key and turned what began as a hobby, into a lucrative business that It led him to leave the university to devote yourself completely to your career on YouTube. In recent years, their videos have almost become blockbusters with hundreds of millions of visualizations worldwide, with challenges as popular as the recreation of “The squid game “in real lifetheir experiences of survival in extreme situations or Your own program In Amazon Prime Video. Diversify the business. However, despite the fact that the YouTube channel continues to be a pillar in the Holding of Beast Industries companies that Donaldson has created, it is not, from afar, the most profitable. The conglomerate of MRBASET companies has Lunchly under its umbrella, a brand of snacks, ViewStats, a software company for content creators. However, the real Crown jewel It is feastable, its chocolate bars brand. Feastable: nobody bites a sweet. Mrbeast’s incursion into the chocolate world began in 2021 with the launch of feastable. The brand became popular immediately because youtuber and their adventure companions usually consume them in their videos, and have even turned their chocolates into the protagonist of some of them. To promote their chocolates, Mrbeast challenged his followers to find a golden ticket on their chocolate bars, and invited the winners to compete for a boat of $ 500,000 in cash in one of their videos, to the purest Willy Wonka style. This strategy, combined with the quality of Your chocolate barscatapulted feastable to sales success. The chocolate empire surpasses the media empire. According to published Bloombergdocuments sent to possible investors, feastable registered sales valued at 250 million dollars last year, with benefits that exceeded 20 million. In contrast, the media business of MRBAST, which includes its YouTube channel and its reality show for Prime Video, generated a similar sales volume, but recorded losses close to 80 million dollars. “I lost dozens of millions of dollars in Beast Games,” Donaldson confessed a few days ago In the podcast The Diary of A CEO. The food business ate YouTube. These figures published in Bloomberg’s article reveal that The chocolate business Mrbeast is currently more profitable than what the YouTuber generates with its videos. In fact, Beast Industries forecasts suggest that feastable will triple its size in the next two years. According to that data, last year, the United Arab Emirates investor Alpha Wave directed An investment round For Beast Industries, and valued Donaldson’s holding company in about 5,000 million dollarscompared to its last 2023 valuation that was 1.5 billion dollars. By 2026, the company of MR.BaAST estimates that the income from the business creation business will represent only a fifth of its total income. In Xataka | If the question is “how much money you can earn sleeping on Twitch”, the answer is Muroonh: $ 17,000 Image | Feastable

In the era of hybrid work there is a new unicorn of business management: the Barcelona factorial startup

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In 2020 and in full pandemic a technological startup of Barcelona called Factorial He lived his particular turning point. The company had an attractive and versatile online platform for human resources management, and the confinement gave a unique opportunity to make potential clients known: it offered its platform for free until confinement passed, and that made many known and realized how well that platform could work while the teleworking became strength. His CEO, Jordi Romero, explained So how many of the new clients who registered in factorial maintained their management in local files or at most “in a dropbox folderbut nothing more. “In April the firm achieved an investment of 16 million dollars of CRV, but that was a stressful round. Just before the pandemic came the company had” an agreement between knights (with CRV), so to speak, “Romero commented,” but the money had to be transferred yet. “ The decision to offer its platform for free was a success, and many companies verified the benefits of that comfortable online management that allowed everything very well organized and accessible in a simple way. At that time that round was the largest that was seen in Spain, and it happened at a time when the labor market was in a certainly strange situation. Factorial took advantage of something that no other company in the sector had previously taken advantage of: His platform was perfect for companies that or did not have HR professionals for being too small, or that if they had them were overcome by the workload or by having to make those tasks with others of management. The factorial solution precisely solved the problem, and that marked a before and after for her and her clients. New and important investment rounds After that round starring CRV, 18 months later factorial became one of the protagonists of the Spanish technological sector. In September 2021 the general investment firm Catalyst bet 80 million dollars for her and confirmed her remarkable projection. This bet was a success: the factorial growth has made it one of the most promising technological startups in our country. A year later, factorial lifted another 120 million dollars in a round with the majority participation of Atomico, but also of GIC, Tiger Global, CRV, K-Found and Creandum. That made it a de facto “unicorn”: its valuation was already 1,000 million dollars, twice what was a year earlier with the previous round. The company, which then had 7,000 clients in Europe and in Latin America – where those first years had its great focus— has not stopped growing And he has had a especially notable 2024. His number of customers is now 13,000 SMEs, and has just given another great news: General Catalyst, which as we said already invested 80 million dollars in it, has expanded that investment at $ 120 million, so that the total bet It becomes 200 million dollars. It is striking that this extension of the investment is carried out without diluting the capital of its shareholders. Jordi Romero, CEO of Factorial (on the left in the image with Bernat Farrero, another of the co -founders) explained how that is “something uncommon in hypercrection companies that, in addition, are financially sustainable.” Pau Ramón, the third co -founder and exco from the company, abandonment Factorial in 2023 for personal reasons. The funds, as those responsible for Factorial point out, will go to the expansion of the firm in Germany – where it is growing especially fast – France and Italy. Not only that: they will allow this firm to give the final impulse in a transition in which they have been working for years: to go from being a human resources software to a large business management platform. SANNED ACCOUNTS AND OWN RISK CAPITAL FUND They hope to reach about 20,000 clients before the end of the year, Romero said In the countryand its forecast is to exceed 100 million dollars of recurring income this year. As indicated in that article, 2024 has been the first year in which the company has grown up without consuming its own resourcessomething especially important to consolidate the profitability of the company. Bernat Farrero, Pau Ramón (now outside the company) and Jordi Romero, co -founders of the company. Source: Factorial. The firm had at the end of 2024 with 90 million dollars of cash reserves, something striking because it shows the financial solidity of a company that is capable of growing without practically boxing of cash. The investment round seemed almost unnecessary, but according to Romero that allows factorial to “continue its expansion without compromising its financial stability or diluting the capital of its shareholders,” as we mentioned earlier. The company has no immediate plans to go over – “We are not in a hurry,” Romero explains – and does not seem interested in inorganic growth inking or buying other companies. What they do, explained those responsible In araIt is to bill 1,000 million euros in five years. And although the exit to the parquet is for now an unknown, what those entrepreneurs have done has been, as they pointed out In the avant -garde, Create a risk capital fund of 15 million euros with which they want to finance emerging companies. It’s called Itnig Capital, and He has already invested One million euros in nine Spanish companies. The “Startup factory” of Factorial seems to have started with good foot, and is helping that new firms created by former factorial employees take their first steps, as pointed out expanding A few months ago. Growing, but with comparatively low wages During all this factorial time it has evolved. Its creators began working on a human resources platform to manage both employees and various administrative tasks, but in recent times they have become a “Comprehensive Business Management Platform“That allows the management of projects, training and control of expenses. Romero, Farrero and Ramón shared the same frustration when creating factorial: that in many companies there was little technology that helped to climb … Read more

The real business will be to see a Madrid-Osasuna in the car

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For years we are listening to the cars software will be key when choosing a vehicle. The possibilities they offer are numerous but, for the moment, traditional companies seem to have not been able to get economic performance to it. Byd, however, gives his “eye of God” that promises to be decisive when buying the car. His “eye of God” can be the least. What is the “eye of God”? This is how Byd calls his driving aid systems or automated driving (under supervision). They obviously contemplate from adaptive cruise control systems to remote parking services, where you send orders from the mobile phone and the car park alone. A price war. A few days ago, the Chinese company confirmed that it will include these systems completely free in all its cars, regardless of their price. The announcement fell like a bomb in the industry since this type of aids always They have been used to attract customers to a brand. Tesla, for example, boast your autopilot And for years he has sold his Full self driving (FSD) as the great promise of a completely autonomous driving in all cars prepared for it. Xpeng in China have based their growth on this type of functions and is one of the reasons that have attracted Volkswagen for a collaboration between both manufacturers. Make these systems available to all buyers, regardless of whether tens of thousands of euros pay for a car or a few thousand euros, Open a price war on a front that had not been seen so far. In addition, it puts the software as a central element for Decide a purchase. Defined by software. For years we have heard manufacturers say that the vehicles of the future will be defined by the software and that It will be an added value to the vehicle itself. China has even demonstrated that it is a central element, as we will see. In Europe, however, we are in the superficial layers. We talk about whether a car is more or less technological because it uses Android Automotiveits customization capacity or if you have opted for your own development that adds distinction to the brand and the model. Despite this, The generated income is almost non -existent. Manufacturers have given blind sticks to the point that Volkswagen has had to delay the launch of key models (Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron) and Search for help in China either BMW has had to back down to controversial subscriptions such as the heating of the seats. Subscribe, however, to autonomous driving functions did seem like a perfect path to begin to make efforts to make efforts. A bridge. But what if the finger points to the moon and we are looking at the finger? That is what you think of But auto insights. He exercises software -related consultancy work and usually participates in media such as Financial Times, Nikkei either The Economistamong others. In his NewsletterHe points to that to understand the “gift” of his “eye of God” to buyers you should not look exclusively at car sales that Byd can convert, you have to look at the juice that can get a highly automated driving . If people can activate a system of Level 2+ or Level 3 (During slow traffic situations), that opens huge potential opportunities to sell services, entertainment and others, while people move in these traffic jams. Think of a zoom call during a jam. Think about watching a movie. Play a video game. A first approach. What he affirms has all the meaning of the world. The Chinese automobile industry is turning the car into a four -wheel chassis that arrives completely defined by the software. In fact, only See some videos From what is presented in each car hall to check that the car is now a tailor drawer where to watch movies, play video games or enjoy a karaoke. Kevin Williams also told it well for Inside Evs. In his article he explained how Western manufacturers have become completely obsolete at what the interior of a Chinese car offers. An easy position if we attend to speech that the local client It begins to have about European and local cars. Under way. What you are talking about in your weekly entrance is that Byd’s true business can be in everything that offers their cars once they behave as low -speed autonomous vehicles. It is a relatively easy level of autonomy to reach for the manufacturer since it is easy to drive for the car in a jam. The Mercedes can do it In specific places at speeds below 60 km/h. Byd and any other manufacturer has the opportunity to have their own store with applications that compete for the attention of … driver? Is to move the mobile phone applications business to the carcharging a percentage per discharge to the owner of the application so that it can be put into operation in the vehicle. That discounting that it is not the vehicle manufacturer who offers these entertainment services or for labor productivity. A private market. You have to understand the particularities of the Chinese market. There, the cities are gigantic and the driver passes, on average, more than 45 minutes to get to work daily. Those more than three quarters of an hour, however, barely suppose less than 30 kilometers of journeyso the average speed is very low. This is decisive when it comes to understanding the cars offered. Chinese brands themselves have explained that the paths that are made by car are usually urban and rarely cover long distances such as in Europe and the United States. That is why they have cars where the space for the rear seats is prevail, the trunk is removed … and priority is given to the infotainment systems. The latter has been key to understanding market evolution. More and more the customer prefers to give priority to the voice controls of the vehicle, their connectivity with … Read more

It is not for bad taste, they are just business

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Ferrari has been highlighting as a synonym for luxury and exclusivity. The manufacturer of “Il Cavillino Rampante” imposes on its clients a strict decalogue of rules of behavior and use of your carsunder the threat of introduce your name into a blacklist that will make them Customers ‘Non Gratos’. Being on that list prevents, no matter how much money you have, you can buy a car your brand, something very common In the luxury industry. As reported The British The TelegraphFerrari would be studying more energetic measures against those clients who want to modify the appearance of their supercar with extravagant customizations. The reason they argue from Maranello, their intention is to protect the legacy of the brand from those modifications that remain the value of the brand. “We have been thinking internally in defining in advance the combinations (colors). We have to pay attention because we have to defend the values ​​and identity of the brand. We will not make a strange car, sure,” explained Benedetto Vigna, CEO from Ferrari a The Telegraph. The balance between customization and legacy The Italian brand has a very strict policy in terms of its brand image. For example, in 2014, the brand sent an order of cessation and withdrawal to the DJ Deadmau5, which had decorated its Ferrari 458 Italia with a vinyl of Nyan Cat to create the Purrari 458. If the brand did not reverse that customization I would prevent you from buying another Ferrari. The designer Philipp Plein also He received a Ferrari call After publishing in his social media profiles the photo of some sports shoes designed by him on the roof of his Ferrari 812 Superfast Green. In addition to forcing him to remove the photos, the brand sued him. Ferrari is at a crossroads in which he is forced to choose between protecting the legacy that, as a luxury supercoches brand, must convey to his future, and The lucrative business in which the customization of luxury cars has become. It is true that Ferrari has always remained in a Conflict between tradition and modernitybut the figures that move the exclusive customization of its cars are infarction. According to the official dataFerrari obtained a benefit of 1,525 million euros in 2024. Some 1.3 billion euros of these benefits were billed from units that had gone through the Ferrari Atelierdivision that the brand has created to respond to the exclusive requests of its customers. Therefore, imposing more strict measures on “after -sales” customization outside the brand control would not only seek the goal of preserving the prestige of the brand, but also seeks to monopolize the execution and billing of these customizations, something that marks like Lamborghini are also doing. Round trip cars On the other hand, Ferrari’s interest in maintaining his brand identity is also oriented towards the second -hand market, where Ferrari is the priority buyer by contract. When someone buys a Ferrari at a concessionaire, he must sign an opportunity agreement. That contract forces the client to notify the brand when want to sell your car and Ferrari will have priority to buy it. If you try sell it to a third party without warning The brand will face a judicial process and important economic sanctions. Taking into account that priority, Marca wants to make sure that their cars are sold quickly and do not lose value in the process. Therefore, one of the measures you have prepared is to reduce the number of colors available to make them more timeless. Ferrari’s CEO said that almost all cars that came out of Maranello’s factory looked their iconic Rossso Corsa. Today, just 40% of the new Ferrari take it. “There are places in the world in which they like to have a fixed menu. There are other places where they prefer the letter and the freedom to choose what they want. But there are some combinations that are not pleasure from the second potential buyer,” he said Benedetto Vigna. The director of Used Vehicles of Ferrari, Andrea Scioletti, assured to Drive that more than 90% of the Ferrari who have left the Maranello factory They are still in circulationso any customization that does not align with the vision of the Italian manufacturer will leave a lasting scar. In Xataka | While the European automobile industry is bleeding, a brand has found a gold mine: Rolls-Royce and its tuned cars Image | Ferrari

Business to offer temporary space to businessmen displaced by fires urgently

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The Los Angeles County Supervisor, Janice Hahn urged businesses that have extra space to share their facilities with businessmen displaced by fires. To connect entrepreneurs who can offer temporary space and small displaced businesses, the website was created this week Business-to-Business Space Share released by Los Angeles County Department of Economics Opportunity (DEO). It is a free platform that connects displaced businesses, including non -profit organizations, with temporary spaces of companies along the county. “This new website is inspired by the generosity of the owners of small businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals along the county who are looking for ways to help,” said Hahn supervisor. “If you have a space, that’s how you can help. If you can offer a space where a dentist attends to his patients; or in which a stylist can fulfill his appointments; A lawyer can see his clients; Or any space, you will be helping someone who needs to maintain their way of life and help our economy in the midst of this crisis, ”he added. The idea of ​​creating this website to share business spaces from the Hahn supervisor after talking to Whittier councilor, Cathy Warner. Warner has a periodontal practice with her husband in East Whittier and attends patients in her office three times a week. She told the Hahn supervisor that she wanted to offer the space for four days a week to the periodoncistas displaced by the fires. This gave the supervisor the idea of ​​having a website of the Los Angeles County that facilitates connecting business, taking advantage of generosity. “The exchange of spaces between companies is the direct result that our county government listened to the concerns of local businesses and by showing our own entrepreneurial spirit with solutions, we rebuild for tomorrow,” said Kelly Lobianco, director of the DEO. “Together we are promoting a more resistant and adaptable economic ecosystem in which businesses can open their doors to others while we recover together.” According to the Hahn Supervisor office, the new platform is a critical resource to help displaced businesses to maintain their operations, safeguard their modus vivendi and boost economic strength. Created by the Department of Internal Services (ISD), the platform will be available for a limited time, as part of a coordinated effort of the county to support the economic ecosystem affected by disasters. Through the Space Share portal that works in a friendly way, companies with available space can publish advertisements, providing details such as location, capacity and availability. Angela Herrera, spokeswoman of Deo, revealed that the site will also be ready in Spanish, most likely this weekend. The businesses that were left without their workplace due to the fires can explore the website to find the spaces that best adapt to their needs. Although the platform facilitates the connections, the County clarifies that it does not participate or supervises the terms of the agreements made, since it seeks that companies retain full autonomy in the negotiations. “The Internal Services Department (ISD) recognizes the devastating impact that recent forest fires have had in many local companies, which has caused significant displacements and losses,” said Michael Owh, director of the ISD. “We hope this tool helps companies help each other and provide support in this moment of need.” Business interested in donating spaces or who are looking for a place to work can visit the Business to Business Space Share portal in: https://sharhespace.lacounty.gov/ There is no exact figure of how many businesses were devastated by fires, but it is presumed that thousands are. How it works Businesses or people who offer space can create ads with relevant information, such as size, amenities it offers and availability dates. Several ads are allowed, provided that the spaces are available at least one day. While displaced businesses in search of a workplace can search for appropriate options and connect directly to the commercial space donor. In good faith but complicated Although Mario Cárdenas, business advisor at Lynwood, had not heard of the initiative, considered that it was made with good faith by the Hahhn supervisor. However, he anticipated that his involvement can be difficult and complicated. “It’s not that you don’t want to help, but it represents many risks because you never know how the other person you are going to facilitate a space within your business.” Despite the challenges, Cárdenas kept the hope that the generosity of entrepreneurs will be imposed, and share their spaces with those affected. (tagstotranslate) fires

Steven Soderbergh: ‘I am the cockroach of this industry. I can survive any version of it’

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NEW YORK — Steven Soderbergh is not only the director and cinematographer of his latest film. In some ways, he is also its central character. “Presence” is filmed entirely from the point of view of a ghost inside a house that a family has just moved into. Soderbergh, who acts as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews (his father’s name), essentially plays the presence, a floating point of view that watches as the violence that killed the mysterious ghost threatens to repeat itself. For the prolific Soderbergh, the film, which opens in theaters Friday, was a unique challenge. She shot “Presence” with a small digital camera while wearing slippers to soften her steps. The 62-year-old filmmaker chatted in a recent interview in Manhattan, in the midst of post-production on his next film (“Black Bag,” a thriller that Focus Features will release on March 14), and the start of production in a few weeks his next project, a romantic comedy that he says “feels like a George Cukor movie.” Soderbergh, whose films include “Out of Sight,” the “Ocean’s 11” films, “Magic Mike” and “Erin Brockovich,” tends to do a lot in small windows. of time. “Presence” took 11 days to film. That skill has made Soderbergh one of the most respected Hollywood evaluators in the film business. In a wide-ranging conversation, he discussed why he thinks streaming is the most destructive force cinema has ever faced and why he is “the cockroach of this industry.” Steven Soderbergh attends the premiere of “Presence” at AMC Lincoln Square on Thursday, January 16, 2025 in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) You use pseudonyms for yourself as director of photography and editor. Were you tempted to credit yourself as an actor for “Presence”?SODERBERGH: No, but what I did is subtle. For the first and only time Peter Andrews has a camera operator credit. That’s not a credit I usually take because I don’t need it and I typically have another operator working with me. But I felt like this was training. It was complicated, but really fun. It was another level of performance anxiety because I ruined more takes than anyone else in the movie by a major factor. I was the one saying, “Cut. I ruined it. “We have to start over.” You made this quickly and cheaply, and then sold it to a distributor. Was working outside the system attractive to you?The beauty of projects on this scale is that I can do them without having to talk to anyone. It’s not because I don’t want comments. It’s because it’s just the trusted group and none of the psychic space is occupied by things that have nothing to do with what you’re going to film. I went from that to a more traditional project where a lot of psychic space is consumed in the process of having a studio finance your film. I like these people, it’s just that there are a lot of lawyers. Many lawyers. You’ve called streaming the most destructive force in the history of cinema. What irritates you the most about it?It removes a key reference point for an artist. It’s useful to know how something is working, or how it worked. You need to know that to gauge whether you achieved what you wanted to achieve, whether you can work at a certain level. That’s one of the most confusing things about it, the black box of it. Aside from the economic invisibility of what’s going on there — the fact that we can’t really look under the hood of how these streaming companies operate economically — there’s another kind of guardrail that’s missing that I find really useful. At the end of the day, at least, I want to know. The market will tell you how you are doing. I want to know that so I can adjust or go in another direction. Being irrelevant is not very attractive. What’s the overlap between what people seem to be responding to and what I like? Because I don’t want to do these things and have no one see them. I’ve had enough people say, “Oh, that came out?” It is a public art form. West Mulholland, from left, Callina Liang, Steven Soderbergh and Eddy Maday attend the premiere of “Presence” at AMC Lincoln Square on Thursday, January 16, 2025 in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) How do you suspect the audience is changing?The good news is, if you talk to Focus Features and Neon and A24, young people are going to the movies. This is the generation of (the social network of movie buffs) Letterboxd. That’s fantastic. I hope that spreads outside of the United States. They are movie buffs and expect something unique. They want the signature, they want the seal of a filmmaker. And that is becoming a real business. One of the things, I think, that we all need to do, but especially people who cover the industry, is to stop using the studio metric for what is a success. That is not a template that you should apply to everything. Do you ever regret that the movies that made you want to be a filmmaker like “All the President’s Men” and “Chinatown” occupied a different place in the culture than movies today?There was a period of about 10 to 14 years where the best movies of the year were also the most popular movies of the year. That’s not necessarily true today. You can pick one of the movies that’s in the competition this year and say: That’s a movie from the ’70s. It’s just as good and interesting as one of those. But it’s not going to do the business that one of those would have done. It is the artist’s job to adapt. When you’re trying to control what people want to see, you’re in a place like, “If I really wish hard, it won’t rain.” The weather is the weather. To some degree, the audience is a weather system. Fortunately, … Read more

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