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casino slot online real money California lawmakers begin special session to protect state laws from second Trump presidencyRepublic Servs's RSG short percent of float has fallen 17.46% since its last report. The company recently reported that it has 2.12 million shares sold short , which is 1.04% of all regular shares that are available for trading. Based on its trading volume, it would take traders 2.18 days to cover their short positions on average. Why Short Interest Matters Short interest is the number of shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. Short selling is when a trader sells shares of a company they do not own, with the hope that the price will fall. Traders make money from short selling if the price of the stock falls and they lose if it rises. Short interest is important to track because it can act as an indicator of market sentiment towards a particular stock. An increase in short interest can signal that investors have become more bearish, while a decrease in short interest can signal they have become more bullish. See Also: List of the most shorted stocks Republic Servs Short Interest Graph (3 Months) As you can see from the chart above the percentage of shares that are sold short for Republic Servs has declined since its last report. This does not mean that the stock is going to rise in the near-term but traders should be aware that less shares are being shorted. Comparing Republic Servs's Short Interest Against Its Peers Peer comparison is a popular technique amongst analysts and investors for gauging how well a company is performing. A company's peer is another company that has similar characteristics to it, such as industry, size, age, and financial structure. You can find a company's peer group by reading its 10-K, proxy filing, or by doing your own similarity analysis. According to Benzinga Pro , Republic Servs's peer group average for short interest as a percentage of float is 3.29%, which means the company has less short interest than most of its peers. Did you know that increasing short interest can actually be bullish for a stock? This post by Benzinga Money explains how you can profit from it. This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and was reviewed by an editor. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

The New York Mets roster will look very different in 2025. The biggest change will be in the outfield. The Mets added Juan Soto and Jose Siri this offseason. Their moves all but guarantee the departure of one of their outfielders. FanSided's Zachary Rotman predicted that the Mets would cut ties with Harrison Bader this offseason. He is a free agent and signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Mets in the offseason. "With how the season ended, it felt unlikely that Bader would be back. The team acquiring Jose Siri, a younger version of Bader with more power, essentially confirmed what most had already expected," wrote Rotman. "Bader should find a landing spot sometime soon, given the fact that he's the best center fielder in an astonishingly weak free agency class, but with both Taylor and Siri under club control, Bader won't be back with the Mets." Tyrone Taylor brought great defense to the Mets in 2024. He should see an even bigger role with Bader gone. Bader started 108 games last season and started losing opportunities to Taylor late in the season. He slashed .167/.230/.283 in the second half. He hit just four home runs in that span as well. He started just two postseason games. The Mets have already invested a great deal into their outfield this offseason. The 15-year, $765 million deal they gave Soto is the largest deal in Major League Baseball history. That paired with the acquisition of Siri means the Mets no longer have a need for Bader on their roster. More MLB: Mets $16 million starter could betray NY and join rival Braves

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OLEAN, N.Y. (AP) — Chance Moore scored 16 points as Saint Bonaventure defeated Buffalo 65-55 on Saturday night. Moore shot 5 of 11 from the field, including 0 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 8 from the line for the Bonnies (9-1). Melvin Council Jr. scored 12 points while shooting 5 for 11, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc and added three steals. Jonah Hinton had 12 points and shot 3 of 5 from the field, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line. Ryan Sabol led the way for the Bulls (5-5) with 14 points. Buffalo also got 14 points from Bryson Wilson. Brayden Jackson had 11 points. Saint Bonaventure took the lead with 19:26 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. Hinton led their team in scoring with 10 points in the first half to help put them ahead 32-22 at the break. Saint Bonaventure closed out the victory in the final half, while Moore led the way with a team-high 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Manmohan Singh: ‘A Technocrat with A Vision,’ Remembered As A Master Of Politics And PolicySaint Bonaventure wins 65-55 over Buffalo

ACC fines NC State, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech for rivalry week scufflesWilly Adames was a central component of a 2024 Milwaukee Brewers team that overcame significant personnel losses to win the NL Central. Now he, too, is leaving. The former Brewers shortstop agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to . The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a $22 million signing bonus. The deal is the largest in franchise history by total value, surpassing Buster Posey's eight-year, $167 million contract signed in 2013. Posey , putting him in a key position with this deal. Because Adames turned down a qualifying offer, the Brewers will receive draft pick compensation from his new team. In joining the Giants, Adames finds a team that will use him as a true shortstop. There was some speculation he could move to third base with certain suitors, but in San Francisco he'll slot in nicely alongside All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman. With Chapman , San Francisco now has the left side of its infield locked down for more than half a decade. Adames is now under contract through 2031, which will be his age-35 season. Adames' exit comes a year after the Brewers saw the departures of ace Corbin Burnes, manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations David Stearns last winter. They regrouped admirably, winning 93 games in 2024, but now must find another way to continue their stretch of NL Central excellence. The deal rewards Adames for a career season in 2024 in which he hit .251/.331/.462 while holding down shortstop for an MLB-best 161 games. He didn't enter free agency with the juice of, say, a Trea Turner or Xander Bogaerts (both of whom got at least $280 million), but he this winter, not to mention . Adames has been one of the most underrated players for years, as evidenced by the fact that he has never made an All-Star Game, despite being a shortstop with a career 109 OPS+. He is an above-average hitter capable of playing the game's most important position outside of the battery, and those players get paid. It feels so long ago, but Adames' run as an underrated player began when he was the shortstop not named Wander Franco on the Tampa Bay Rays. During his fourth season in Tampa, Adames was traded to Milwaukee to make room for Franco, a can't-miss prospect whose career ended in a Dominican courtroom over . The Brewers enjoyed the fruits of the deal immediately and have since received 14.0 WAR from Adames over the course of three-and-a-half seasons. He was a defensive keystone, a middle-of-the-order bat and a clubhouse leader. Milwaukee built its recent teams on quiet moves turning into big wins, and Adames was one of the biggest examples.

Looking Into Republic Servs's Recent Short Interest

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Laura Benanti Slams Zachary Levi For Exploiting Gavin Creel’s Death “For His Political Agenda” - DeadlineFormer New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes last started a game in 2018. Might that change? With clubs continuing the recent trend of signing free-agent relievers to boost their rotation, league sources said Holmes is listening to teams pitching him the idea of becoming a starter. No decisions have been made regarding Holmes’ preferred role. Some teams may want him to continue to close games or at least appear as a high-leverage reliever. But the idea of starting is intriguing, and it adds to his options. Advertisement Holmes, 31, began his career as a starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system. While in Triple A for the second straight year in 2018, the Pirates started to use Holmes in a hybrid role, with him making starts and relief appearances. Holmes made four starts for the Pirates in 2018 but had a 7.80 ERA in the role before shifting full-time to the bullpen. Over his career as a reliever, Holmes has a 3.52 ERA and is a two-time All-Star. However, Holmes’ use of three pitches (sinker, slider, sweeper) has some teams interested in what he could do as a starter. Holmes has thrown at least 60 innings in each of the last four seasons but has never logged more than 70, his total in 2021. If Holmes decides to pursue a starting job, he will join former relievers such as Seth Lugo , Reynaldo López and Jordan Hicks who have made the transition over the last couple of years. Joel Sherman of the New York Post was the first to report the potential for Holmes as a starter. Jeff Hoffman, another top free-agent reliever, has also received interest from teams as a starter. What’s next for the Royals ? The Kansas City Royals have been one of baseball’s most proactive teams in the early offseason, signing starting pitcher Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million deal in early November before trading for infielder Jonathan India later in the month. The moves matched what general manager J.J. Picollo had identified as his most pressing needs heading into the winter. The Royals were eager to retain Wacha as an anchor in their rotation, and by acquiring India, Kansas City landed the leadoff bat Picollo had been coveting since the Royals’ season ended. But the Royals’ work is not done. Per a team source briefed on Kansas City’s moves, the Royals plan to pursue a middle-of-the-order bat and are more likely to acquire that bat through a trade than free agency. This will not rule out the possibility of acquiring another pitcher or bench player, but the priority remains to add a slugger. Advertisement The Royals are targeting impact above all as they canvass potential options. Handedness is not believed to be a factor, as the club can interchange left-handed Vinnie Pasquantino and right-handed Salvador Perez as the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters to avoid repetition in the lineup. Instead, the focus will be on adding someone who can increase production within the heart of the order. The Royals ranked ninth in the American League in on-base percentage (.306) last season, but that number was inflated by Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. The club believes having India at the top of the order will help improve that number, but the emphasis remains on upgrading the middle of the lineup. Augmenting the bench remains a possibility, though that will depend on if the Royals successfully trade for a bat. The top of the rotation is set with Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans and Wacha. The Royals are also planning for Kris Bubic to be used as a starter next year, though he will likely be on an innings limit of roughly 140 to 150 in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Kyle Wright missed the 2024 season recovering from shoulder surgery but is on track to return in the early portion of the first half of 2025. Daniel Lynch and Noah Cameron , who was added to the team’s 40-man roster ahead of MLB ’s non-tender deadline, also remain options. Still, the Royals could add one more pitcher, though a team source described any potential pitcher addition as one that would fit a swingman role, rather than a traditional starter. Per the source, if the Royals choose to add another arm, that move would come later in the winter, presumably after they have addressed their offense. Trying to value Luis Robert Jr. A rival executive who has spoken recently with the Chicago White Sox said the team is “rightly asking high” in trade discussions involving left-hander Garrett Crochet . Advertisement The executive, who was granted anonymity for his candor, was less charitable in his description of the White Sox’s asks for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. “I don’t think they understand what his value is,” the executive said. The White Sox, naturally, bristle at the notion they are overreaching, according to a source briefed on their thinking. Their position is that the suitors for Robert essentially want something for nothing. They aren’t asking for multiple prospects, the source said, but want a “meaningful piece” in return. The way the White Sox see it, there is no point trading Robert for say, a team’s 15th-best prospect. At that price, the team might be better off carrying Robert into the season and taking the chance he would rebuild his value. Robert, 27, is one of the game’s most physically gifted players. But only once in the past four seasons has he appeared in more than 100 games — in 2023, when he hit 38 homers, had an .857 OPS and finished 12th in the American League MVP balloting. This past season marked another injury-marred campaign for Robert, who was out from April 6 to June 4 with a right hip flexor strain. Upon rejoining the White Sox lineup, he wasn’t the dynamic force he was the year before, batting just .224 with a .657 OPS. Robert is guaranteed $15 million next season and his contract includes $20 million club options for both 2025 and ’26. The White Sox, whose estimated cash payroll next season is $75 million , don’t need to purge his salary. But the shortage of center fielders and quality bats in the free-agent market should continue to drive interest in Robert — and at some point this offseason, lead to better offers. How teams view Soroka Most teams that have met with free-agent pitcher Michael Soroka prefer him as a back-end starter with front-line potential, not as a reliever despite his better numbers from the bullpen last season, league sources said. Advertisement Soroka, 27, stands out as an interesting upside play for teams looking for value in the market. In 2019 with the Atlanta Braves , he finished runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year Award and sixth for the Cy Young Award. Injuries, including twice tearing his right Achilles tendon, limited Soroka to 46 innings from 2020 to 2023. This year with the White Sox, Soroka had a 4.74 ERA in 79 2/3 innings, splitting time between the bullpen and rotation. The splits were stark. In nine outings as a starter, Soroka had a 6.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 24 walks in 43 2/3 innings. In 16 appearances as a reliever, Soroka had a 2.75 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 20 walks in 36 innings. The better numbers, especially the drastic increase in strikeout rate, can be attributed to a usage change. After his demotion to the bullpen, Soroka leaned more heavily on his four-seam fastball. In September, he threw the pitch 55.4 percent of the time (31 times apiece to right-handed and left-handed batters), holding batters to just a .143 batting average. Soroka is not the same pitcher he was in 2019 when he was known for a top-rated sinker; his mechanics have changed. Therefore, Soroka actually wanted to throw more of his four-seam fastball all season in 2024. He got the chance to do so in the bullpen, and other clubs noticed the results. Clubs confident in their ability to help veteran pitchers rediscover success would make sense as a fit for Soroka. The New York Mets are an example, and they’ve expressed some interest in him. Some teams have told Soroka that they’d want him to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, league sources said. The only teams who prefer him in the bullpen are the ones without any openings in their rotations. Guardians open to adding in the outfield For the Cleveland Guardians, the only given in the outfield is Steven Kwan getting the bulk of the time in left field. In center field and right field, however, the Guardians can do a variety of things because of the flexibility with some players on their 40-man roster. Last year, the Guardians leaned on Lane Thomas and Tyler Freeman in center field and Will Brennan and Jhonkensy Noel in right field. Other players with experience at either of the positions include Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martinez , among others. ( Myles Straw , for instance, did not crack the rotation last year.) It’s conceivable, too, that the Guardians could trade Thomas, whom MLB Trade Rumors projects to receive $8.3 million through arbitration. Advertisement The Guardians have options, but the positions also stand out as an area where they can acquire some help. They could use an everyday outfielder, especially with Thomas due to hit free agency next winter. “We can also look for opportunities to add; if there’s a right complementary player out there that we think makes sense to bring into the mix, we’re open to doing that,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. In Cleveland, opportunity cost, parlance for how a newcomer may impact playing time for younger players, always looms as a heavy factor. There’s a strong belief that in addition to the options already on their roster, the Guardians can receive help from their farm system. Top prospect Chase DeLauter , who can play all three outfield spots, is an obvious candidate to debut in 2025. (Top photo of Clay Holmes: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)

Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’The Australian share market traditionally provides investors with an average of 4%. But income investors don't have to settle for that. Not when there are ASX 200 dividend shares like the three listed below. Here's what you need to know about them: ( ) The first ASX 200 dividend share that is rated as a buy is Eagers Automotive. It is a leading auto retailer with over 250 locations across Australia and New Zealand. This portfolio covers all 19 of the top 20 best-selling car brands in Australia, as well as 9 of the top 10 luxury brands. Bell Potter is positive on the company and believes it could outperform consensus expectations with its second-half performance in FY 2024. It expects this to underpin fully franked dividends of 66.5 cents per share in FY 2024 and then 73 cents per share in FY 2025. Based on its current share price of $11.67, this represents dividend yields of 5.7% and 6.25%, respectively. Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and $13.00 price target on its shares. ( ) Bell Potter is also feeling positive about retail giant Harvey Norman and sees it as an ASX 200 dividend share to buy. The broker likes the retailer due to its exposure to the artificial intelligence (AI) megatrend. It believes Harvey Norman stands to benefit greatly from an AI driven major upgrade/replacement cycle of devices purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bell Potter expects this to support the payment of fully franked dividends of 25.9 cents per share in FY 2025 and then 28.5 cents per share in FY 2026. Based on the current Harvey Norman share price of $4.71, this equates to 5.5% and 6% dividend yields, respectively. Bell Potter currently has a buy rating and $5.80 price target on its shares. ( ) Finally, Goldman Sachs thinks that IPH is an ASX 200 dividend share to buy. It is an intellectual property (IP) services company with operations across the world. The broker is positive on IPH due to its belief that it "is well-placed to deliver consistent and defensive earnings with modest overall organic growth." And after increasing its dividend every year for the past decade, Goldman expects this run to continue. It is forecasting fully franked dividends of 36 cents per share in FY 2025 and then 39 cents per share in FY 2026. Based on the current IPH share price of $4.95, this represents yields of 7.3% and 7.9%, respectively. Goldman Sachs currently has a buy rating and $7.50 price target on its shares.

NINGDE, China , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 24th, CATL officially launched the CATL Bedrock Chassis, the world's first ultra-safe skateboard chassis. With its outstanding performance of withstanding 120 km/h frontal impact without catching fire or exploding, CATL's Bedrock Chassis sets a new standard for intelligent chassis safety, providing comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speed ranges. Lead the industry with the most stringent safety tests With the battery-centered design, CATL's Bedrock Chassis utilizes Cell-to-Chassis integration technology, which directly integrates the battery cells into the chassis, allowing for a shared structural design between them. And based on the decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, the Bedrock Chassis is capable of absorbing 85% of the vehicle's collision energy (compared to around 60% absorbed by traditional chassis). Through various technological breakthroughs, the Bedrock Chassis successfully passed the world's first "highest speed + strongest impact" dual extreme safety test. This achievement enables the chassis to pass the 120 km/h frontal central pole impact test without catching fire, exploding or thermal runway, redefining the benchmark for safety in the industry. Currently, the speed for frontal impact safety test in the commonly used C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) is 56km/h, which, when experiencing a frontal impact at this speed, generates collision energy equivalent to falling from 12-meter-high building. In comparison, a frontal impact at 120km/h is equivalent to falling from a 56-meter-high building, generating a collision energy 4.6 times that of collision at 56km/h. In more stringent frontal pole crash tests, which simulate crashes with non-standard objects such as power poles, large trees, or animals, the impact area is only 1/6 of that in a full-width frontal impact, exponentially increasing impact pressure. At a speed of 120km/h, the impact pressure on the chassis per unit area in a frontal central pole impact is 21 times that of the 56 km/h full-width frontal impact in C-NCAP testing. Due to the extremely high crash speed and intensity, there has been no previous instance of any new energy vehicle daring to challenge a 120km/h frontal pole impact test. With this extreme challenge, CATL's Bedrock Chassis has blazed a fresh trail for the industry. Open the era of ultra-safe transportation through three technological breakthroughs CATL's Bedrock Chassis has delved deep into the realm of structure and material innovation, leveraging three technological breakthroughs to provide unparalleled protection in all scenarios and speed ranges, ensuring rock-solid safety for the entire vehicle. The CATL Bedrock Chassis introduces a revolutionary three-dimensional biomimetic tortoise shell structure, where the body and energy unit framework are integrated, deeply coupled to provide the energy unit with indestructible protection. And its aircraft carrier-grade arresting structure disperses impact forces across multiple pathways during a crash, gradually decelerating the vehicle and significantly reducing the depth and speed at which obstacles intrude the cabin. The utilization of submarine-grade hot-formed steel with a strength of 2000MPa, aerospace-grade aluminum alloy with a strength of 600MPa, and multiple barrier structures further enhance the chassis' rigidity, making it virtually impervious. Moreover, the CATL Bedrock Chassis incorporates an ultra-safe battery cell design, NP technology, and a high-ductility energy-absorbing insulation film, leading the industry in a groundbreaking manner. In terms of high-voltage disconnection, it achieves instantaneous disconnection of high voltage circuit within 0.01 seconds of impact and completes the discharge of residual high-voltage energy in the vehicle within 0.2 seconds, setting a new industry record. Notably, the battery cells have undergone highly demanding tests, including high-speed sled impact tests at 60 km/h, 90-degree bending tests, and breakthrough sawing tests, the battery did not catch fire or explode across all three tests. These tests, all industry-firsts by CATL, have elevated the safety standards of battery cells to new heights. Unlocking the era of customization, and activating a trillion-yuan market The launch of the Bedrock Chassis not only redefines the standard for intelligent chassis safety but also activates a trillion-yuan market. It greatly accelerates the shift towards modular, personalized, and intelligent automotive design. Addressing the common pain points of high investment, long development cycles, and accelerated product iteration in the industry, the Bedrock Chassis incorporates three core characteristics: internal integration, decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, and external openness. With a rich array of toolkits and solution packages, it offers a scalable software and hardware architecture and standardized interfaces, enabling flexible configurations for different vehicle models and scenarios. This allows the realization of a "one chassis architecture, multiple vehicle models" concept and significantly improves development efficiency and shortens the R&D cycle. The time required for mass production of a vehicle is reduced from the traditional 36 months or longer to 12 to 18 months. Furthermore, the Bedrock Chassis breaks the limits of safety and modeling, and expands design flexibility through the design of decoupling of the chassis from the upper body. The fourth-generation Cell-to-Chassis (CTC) technology and inverted battery cell technology enhance the utilization of chassis space while reducing the risk of chassis scraping. Additionally, in terms of intelligence, the chassis supports mechanical decoupling, software decoupling and EE decoupling, enabling L3 to L4 intelligent driving capabilities. It provides high adaptability interfaces and promotes collaborative intelligent applications. At the launch ceremony, AVATR, the first automaker to use Bedrock Chassis, and CAIT-SH, CATL's skateboard chassis arm, signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on CATL's Bedrock Chassis to create a safer, higher-quality travel experience for users. Safety is a never-ending journey. In the future, CATL will continue to break technological barriers through continuous innovation, and work with partners to build a safe ecosystem for EV batteries and vehicles, safeguarding the safety of users. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catl-launches-the-bedrock-chassis-that-withstands-120-kmh-impact-without-catching-fire-or-exploding-302338927.html SOURCE Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)

David Sacks, President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick to guide policy on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, doesn’t have deep ties to either industry or an extensive track record of investing in them. What he does have, though, is even more important in the eyes of technology investors — a tech-friendly worldview and a long history of skepticism about government regulation. “He will ensure the United States is at the cutting edge of innovation,” said Keith Rabois, who celebrated with Sacks at a private home in Miami Thursday night. Sacks will keep the country from falling behind China, and will protect “newly emerging tech from left-wing censorship and bias,” Rabois said. The appointment of Sacks, a major Trump fundraiser, was not widely anticipated in Silicon Valley. The VC has only made a handful of crypto investments, and isn’t seen as a key player in the industry. He’s also made relatively few AI bets, though he’s a backer of xAI, the startup helmed by Elon Musk that has raised more than $10 billion this year. But Sacks has long been critical of too much government involvement in the affairs of private companies. The 52-year-old founder of VC firm Craft Ventures and member of the so-called PayPal Mafia has been one of the loudest right-leaning voices in the industry for years. The pick is seen as a boon to the startup world, where AI and crypto executives view government intervention as a potential existential threat. US action against crypto companies has driven many startups overseas. And AI leaders have worried that overly burdensome regulations could stifle the fledgling industry in the name of safety. Crypto supporters celebrated the selection, which Trump said would give startups regulatory clarity. “Crypto and AI are two of the United States’ most pressing strategic priorities right now, and David Sacks is one of the only people in the world that is uniquely qualified to lead in this pivotal role,” said Kyle Samani, a managing partner at Multicoin Capital, where Sacks is an investor. Sacks will be an “invaluable asset in shaping the nation’s future,” Samani said. Startup competition Trump has signaled that he’ll take a friendly approach to both crypto and AI. Bitcoin has hit all-time highs since his election, and he has vowed to repeal President Biden’s 2023 AI executive order that requires developers to safety-test new models. AI is also a focus for Musk, a key Trump ally and a longtime friend of Sacks. Investor Marc Andreessen, whose firm invests heavily in both industries, was ebullient at Sacks’ pick. “From the Wright Brothers to Starship With Chopsticks, in just a single election,” Andreessen wrote on X on Thursday night, referencing SpaceX’s latest achievement of landing re-usable starships. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman also struck a celebratory note, writing on X, “congrats to czar @DavidSacks!” But there’s been some trepidation over Sacks’ allegiances in the AI world. Sacks’ Craft Ventures is an investor in Musk’s xAI, and Sacks’ ties to Musk have raised questions about how he would treat rival companies in the fiercely competitive industry. Sacks has previously spoken critically of OpenAI, a key xAI competitor. In a now-deleted post on X, Sacks said, “I’m all in favor of accelerating technological progress, but there is something unsettling about the way OpenAI explicitly declares its mission to be the creation of AGI.” AGI, or artificial general intelligence, refers to AI technology that can perform most tasks better than humans. Sacks did not respond to a request for comment on the post. Sacks and Trump allies say that involvement in the industry is a prerequisite for understanding it, and that some perceptions of conflict of interest will be inevitable. “I think we should take people at their word,” said Shaun Maguire, an investor at the prestigious Sequoia Capital, which has backed both xAI and OpenAI. Sacks “won’t harm any competitors,” he said. Sacks’ other bets include BitGo and Bitwise in the crypto world. In AI, Sacks co-founded a startup called Glue that makes chat software for companies, and he’s invested in developer startup Replit Inc. and AI writing tool CopyAI Inc. Sacks will not leave Craft, a spokeswoman said, and the new czar position will function as an advisory role, rather than a full-time government job. The appointment won’t require Sacks to divest or publicly disclose his assets. Like Musk, Sacks will be a special government employee. He can serve a maximum of 130 days per year, with or without compensation. However, conflict of interest rules apply to special government employees, and Sacks would be required to recuse himself from matters that could impact his holdings. Tech-Friendly There’s a long history of technology officials taking advisory roles to the government, said Silicon Valley historian Margaret O’Mara. But the roles don’t always have a clear mandate. “You can have a title, but if you don’t actually have a budget or people reporting to you, it’s something more ambiguous,” O’Mara said, pointing out that Sacks would not be a White House staff member. “Sometimes it does morph into something that has some power to it.” Some industry observers would have preferred the crypto and AI czar positions to be separate — a move that might have telegraphed the importance of each, and reflected the different risks and rewards of both technologies. “While I am very encouraged by the new administration’s crypto-friendly focus, I would have preferred separate crypto and AI czars,” said Campbell Harvey, finance professor at Duke University. “Both need urgent, dedicated attention,” he said. Sacks has forged a more wide-ranging career, rather than focusing on just AI or crypto. He first made a name for himself at PayPal, the payments company whose founders in the late 1990s included Musk and billionaire investor Peter Thiel. During a stint in Hollywood, he produced the 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. At Craft, his venture firm with stakes in Musk-owned businesses including SpaceX, he has invested widely as well as serving as a host of the All-In podcast. His comments about crypto on the podcast have not been universally positive, but he has discouraged attempts to penalize or control industry players. “The fact of the matter is you’ve got a lot of brilliant young entrepreneurs, computer scientists building this financial infrastructure of the future with crypto,” he said in a podcast episode in 2021. “We don’t necessarily want to interfere with that to the point where we break it.” He’s also made significant money on crypto. Craft Ventures invested in Samani’s Multicoin Capital in 2018, which in turn was an early investor in the Solana cryptocurrency. The token was worth less than a dollar when it launched in 2020, but notched a peak price of around $250 in late 2021. “It will end up being about $1 billion of Solana for us in terms of returns,” Sacks said at the time. More recently, in a November episode of the podcast after Trump’s election, Sacks took aim at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s aggressive positions on crypto under its chair, Gary Gensler. “The days of Gensler terrifying crypto companies — those days are about to be over.” With assistance from Shirin Ghaffary, Olga Kharif, Katie Roof and Jackie Davalos. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Cary-based Epic Games tops Forbes list of ‘America’s Dream Employers’