Source: CNET
“We messed up … and you were right to let us know,” the company tells gaming customers.
Big Investment Firm Bought Up Gold Stocks and Microsoft. Here’s What It Sold.
Source: Barron’s
LGT Capital Partners, owned by the Princely House of Liechtenstein, bought Newmont Mining, AngloGold, and Microsoft stock in the fourth quarter. It cut back on a SolarWinds investment.
Police warn of ‘rebound’ in scams impersonating Microsoft
Source: EuroWeeklyNews
The Higher HQ of the National Police in Aragon has warned of a ‘rebound’ in scams impersonating Microsoft. THE scammers reportedly make phone calls using random dialing devices to unknown people, posing as Microsoft technicians and requesting access to the computer, which is supposedly affected by a virus. Prompted by the con artists, the victim […] The post Police warn of ‘rebound’ in scams impersonating Microsoft appeared first on Euro Weekly News Spain .
Microsoft president Brad Smith candidly confesses politics are pay-to-play in response to criticism over the company’s donations to lawmakers who objected to US election results (MSFT)
Source: Business Insider
Summary List Placement Microsoft CEO Brad Smith offered his employees a candid take this week on why the company gives money to politicians, shedding light on the heated debate over how corporate America should respond to GOP-led efforts to overturn the results of the US presidential election. “It plays an important role. Not because the checks are big, but because the way the political process works,” Smith said, according to CNBC . “Politicians in the United States have events, they have weekend retreats, you have to write a check and then you’re invited and participate.” Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment on this story. After 147 Republican members of Congress challenged states’ Electoral College votes earlier this month, on the same day protesters violently broke into the US Capitol in a deadly riot, America’s biggest companies — and political spenders — faced criticism for their financial support of the lawmakers who had for months undermined confidence in the election.
Microsoft backtracks on a price hike for Xbox Live Gold
Source: USA Today
Microsoft is pulling away from a price hike of the subscription service following online backlash to the proposed changes.
Microsoft backtracks on price hike for Xbox Live Gold subscriptions announced Friday and says free-to-play games will also no longer require a Gold subscription (Sam Byford/The Verge)
Source: Techmeme
Sam Byford / The Verge : Microsoft backtracks on price hike for Xbox Live Gold subscriptions announced Friday and says free-to-play games will also no longer require a Gold subscription — Free-to-play games will also no longer require a Gold subscription — Microsoft has reversed its controversial Xbox Live price increase.
Microsoft reverse Xbox Live Gold price increase, free-to-play games set free
Source: VentureBeat
Microsoft is backtracking. Xbox Live Gold will not see its price raised. Further, free-to-play games will no longer require Gold.
Transcript: Brad Smith’s remarks at an employee meeting Thursday – Microsoft On the Issues
Source: Microsoft Blogs
Editor’s note: Given media reports about what was discussed at an employee meeting Jan. 21, we wanted to share the full transcript of Microsoft President Brad Smith’s remarks. BRAD SMITH: Thank you, and it’s obviously an important question. I don’t want to repeat, but I do want to build upon what Satya said. You know,…
Microsoft Patents AI-Chatbots That Imitate Dead People
Source: Zero Hedge
Microsoft Patents AI-Chatbots That Imitate Dead People The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Microsoft one of the most bizarre patents to date: chatbots using deceased people’s personal information. The Independent reports Microsoft is creating an AI-based chatbot based on “images, voice data, social media posts, electronic messages,” and other personal information. It’s thought that the chatbot would simulate the deceased person’s human conversation. This AI-based chatbot concept is straight out of a Black Mirror episode called “Be Right Back,” where a young woman uses an AI-based chatbot to chat with her deceased partner. The patent describes a “specific person [who the chatbot represents] may correspond to a past or present entity (or a version thereof), such as a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a celebrity, a fictional character, a historical figure, a random entity, etc.” “The specific person may also correspond to oneself (e.g., the user creating/training the chatbot,” the patent said, implying that living users could train AI-based chatbot as their digital replacement in the event of death.
Bill Gates shares photo of his coronavirus vaccine, says ‘I feel great’
Source: CNET
The Microsoft co-founder and longtime vaccine advocate thanked those who helped get the shots into arms.
