1. IBM Acquires Red Hat for $34B
IBM is planning on acquiring Red Hat, an open-source software company, for $34B in attempts to compete with Amazon, Google and Microsoft in the cloud computing market. This will be IBM’s largest acquisition and hopefully a step up from the much-hyped Watson, an artificial intelligence program, that didn’t perform as well as expected. Red Hat specializes in Linux, charging customers on subscription-based software for support, training and consulting services. “The acquisition of Red Hat is a game-changer. It changes everything about the cloud market,” IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said. “IBM will become the world’s #1 hybrid cloud provider, offering companies the only open cloud solution that will unlock the full value of the cloud for their businesses.”
(Source: TechCrunch, CNET)
2. Gab Goes Offline after Shooting
After the shooting in Pittsburgh that left 11 dead, far right social networking site, Gab, is under fire. There have been many instances in which hate speech and violence have been found on Gab. The accused Pittsburgh shooter, Robert Bowers, had a Gab account and posted anti-Semitic messages like, “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics. I’m going in.” Its hosting provider, GoDaddy, cut ties with the site, making it clear that Gab has 24 hours to switch providers. Gab, with over 800K users, prides itself on free speech and is disgruntled with efforts to shut down the site, calling it “corporate censorship.” CEO Andrew Torba defended the service, saying “The answer to bad speech or hate speech — however you want to define that — is always more speech, and it always will be.”
3. Boston Red Sox Win World Series
The Boston Red Sox have won, yet again, their fourth World Series in 15 years. World Series MVP Steve Peace brought in two home runs, propelling the team’s victory. Fans were ecstatic, but the ones watching from home had a few complaints. Apparently, Fox Sports kept running brief ads on part of the screen while the game was in action. Kristin Lemkau, CMO of JPMorgan Chase and Red Sox fan, tweeted, “Dear @FOXSports – As both a fan and an advertiser, I very much dislike these in-game ads.” You may have seen some of these ads like YouTube TV using the pitching change to suggest changing your TV provider or Google Assistant providing additional key facts about the players. As these are innovative techniques, they strike out with the fans.
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